Hour 30: Atomic Spiders

Still no word from Ralis, so I decide to check out another barrow in the meantime - White Ridge Barrow, to the north-east. It's fairly unusual in that it's largely populated by various strange breeds of spider. Fortunately they're only small compared to the foul and disgusting Frostbite spiders found on the mainland, but they prove to be even more deadly, for an annoyingly high percentage of them are 'Jumping Flame Spiders' - that is, they literally launch themselves across the screen at their enemy, and then explode like a bomb! Each explosion enough to destroy or at least severely weaken a Dremora Lord, and these spiders are in no short supply, so it's a hard slog. I'm very impressed that the game has incorporated an entirely new locomotion option, and attack option, for an enemy, as I don't recall any other creature being able to fling itself across the screen in such a manner.

Eventually I discover the origin of these strange and deadly arachnids: the meddlings of a mad scientist, who managed to use rubies to imbue albino spiders with a fiery essence using this strange contraption:

It's only after looking it up online afterwards that I've rather belatedly realised Tharon-Zul can actually use this to create actual 'spider-bombs' to throw at the enemy! It's something I'll have to return to and try out. By the power of exploding spiders, I shall rule this realm.

At the end of the dungeon are two nice rewards - another Dragon Priest to kill, who's effortlessly mown down by a forest of sweeping blades from my horde of Dremora Lords - with his mask then duly removed and earmarked for storage back at Severin Manor - and another Black Book - this time, it's The Sallow Regent. I open the arcane tome and delve back into Apocrypha. It's another short visit, unfortunately (I do enjoy my dalliances with Hermaeus Mora) and I'm rewarded with a boost to either combat, spells, or stealth. Obviously I choose spells, which now all cost 10% less. 

A defeated Lurker lies crumpled before the proud figure of one of my mighty Dremora Lords