24th of Last Seed 4E201
We decided to head to the barrow today, to get the dragon stone. After breakfast, we headed towards Riverwood. Farengar had said that someone there could point us in the right direction, and I wanted to visit Alvor and Sigrid, and see how they were doing. And say hello to Hadvar, if he was still there. I remembered him saying something about needing to go to Solitude, I just hoped that he hadn't left yet.
Everyone was happy to see me, and Sigrid packed us some food to take to the barrow. Hadvar tried warning us against it, and said it was likely full of draugr. I asked about them, and he said they were the remains of people who died long ago, that came back to life to defend their tombs. That scared me a bit, but Jenassa just assured me that she would make sure that they stayed dead for good this time. We said our goodbyes, and Alvor thanked me again for getting the jarl to sent soldiers to protect Riverwood.
More bandits, some on the path there and others inside the barrow. We overheard two of them saying something about someone named Arvel taking a claw and running with it. We stopped in a room, where a bandit pulled lever only to be killed by poisoned arrows. I tried to just walk past the bandits on the way here, but they ran after us and attacked. We decided to rest for a moment, and try to get this gate open. It may have something to do with the pillars along the wall...
We worked together, and managed to move the pillars to where the symbols on the wall on the carvings matched the symbols facing out on the pillars. I pulled the lever, and the gate opened! I felt bad for the bandit who had been killed by the arrows, but I kept telling myself that he had likely killed innocent people and probably deserved a horrible death.
We found Arvel, he had managed to be captured by a giant spider. After we killed the spider, he asked to be cut down, and promised to share the treasure in return. I cut him down, and he ran off further into the barrow, mocking me. I would have sent an atronach after him, but he was a fellow Dunmer like Jenassa and I. Granted, that didn't make him any better of a person, since he was still a bandit. I wondered if there were worse things than spiders here.
Arvel met his end at the hand of a few draugr. They weren't very happy to see us either, but Jenassa kept to her word and dispatched them.They smelled worse than the dead mammoth in Halted Stream Camp. Arvel had the claw, and a journal talking about a hall of stories and a puzzle, and something about a solution being in your hand. It was hard to read, since the pages were stained with who knows what. Most likely it was mead or grease from food. I put the journal and claw in my bag and kept going. Jenassa stayed at my back, and watched for danger.
We stopped again, to rest and have our meal. We managed to find a hallway like room with no draugr in it, so it didn't smell so bad. The walls had carvings on them, and at the end of the hall there was a door with rings in it. I thought about all of the draugr we had just gone through to get here, not to mention the dangerous traps that nearly killed me. What was in this place that needed to be guarded that much? I finished my food and flipped through Arvel's journal while Jenassa finished hers. Then it dawned on me, the room we were in was the hall of stories he had mentioned. I walked over to the door and looked at the rings. They had pictures on them like the pillars before, only smaller. Then, I remembered Arvel's journal saying something about the claw and the solution being in your hand. I held the claw next to the door, then noticed that the holes in the middle of the door matched the nails on the claw. I tried it, but the door didn't do anything. I sighed and held the claw, then noticed that the bottom of it felt strange, so I flipped it over. There were the symbols again! I called Jenassa over, and we moved the rings after much struggling and cursing, and managed to get them to match up with the symbols on the claw. Then I tried the claw again. The lock moved and the rings went around and the door slid down, then vanished into the floor. We had done it! Hopefully the dragon stone was close, I already missed breathing fresh air and feeling the wind in my hair.
We got the dragon stone, at last. The room it was in was rather large, and strange. There was a large wall with carvings all over it, and as I got closer, it started chanting at me, and the room became dark. Then, some of the carvings on the wall began to glow, and light came out of the wall and surrounded me. Then, it stopped, and everything got normal again. Jenassa worriedly asked me if I was alright, and I assured her that I was fine. We started looking around for the dragon stone, and I opened a chest, which made a coffin nearby pop open, and a very mad draugr came out and yelled at Jenassa, knocking her off balance. I summoned an atronach, and the three of us fought him off after Jenassa gained her footing again. The dragon stone was in his coffin. I picked up, then we headed for what I hoped was the exit. I had no idea what time it was, I only knew that I was tired and needed sleep.
It was dark by the time we crawled out of the barrow. The exit was on the side of a mountain, so we had to climb down, then head to Riverwood from there. I tried getting a room at the inn, but the cook said that someone named Delphine rented rooms to people, and she wasn't home. Thankfully, Alvor and Sigrid were still awake, so we asked if we could stay at their house for the night. I offered to pay them, but they turned down my coin and said that we could stay as long as we needed to. Only the smaller bed was available, so we both squeezed in as best we could. Tomorrow I decided to have a nice bath in the river, no matter how cold the water was. Hopefully they would forgive us for making their house smell like draugr.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
23rd of Last Seed 4E201
I woke up with a headache. It was already after midday by the time I got out of bed and had something to eat. Hulda didn't mention this morning, thankfully. Jenassa didn't either, she just made sure I ate and gave me some potions out of my pack. I decided not to ask about any available bounties today, and focus on my newest spell instead. I would go to Adrianne, and learn how to make ore into workable metal, and how to make it into jewelry. And, if I became any good at it, I could make money that way, and maybe the blood staining me would fade.
I spent most of the day learning from Adrianne. She taught me how to smelt ore into ingots, and heat the ingots and shape them into jewelry. It was hard at first, but my rings got prettier and prettier. I gave Adrianne a few to thank her for helping me. I sold some to another shop owner near Arcadia's shop, a man named Belethor. He asked me if I had any relatives I'd be interested in selling to him, then quickly apologized and said it was a joke after he saw the look Jenassa was giving him. I still had a lot of my rings left over after he bought as many as he could, so I decided to save them to sell later.
I met a girl named Ysolda in the market earlier. She told me about the Khajiit caravans, and mentioned wanting to become a merchant herself. She said that one of the Khajiit had offered to help her, if she got a mammoth tusk for him. I wanted to help her, and Jenassa reminded me about the tusks we'd gotten. I gave her one of them, and she thanked me and taught me about trading and bargaining, to get better deals. I remembered Hulda mentioning her in passing, saying that she was wanting to retire one day and sell the inn to Ysolda. I thanked her for her help, and wished her luck in becoming a merchant.
I got a few more books with the money I made from selling my rings. Two were fire spells, one that was a stronger version of the first fire spell I learned, and the other made a circle of fire on the ground that would explode if an enemy walked on it. The other two spells were a stronger protection spell, and one that gave people courage. It didn't take me long to learn them all. I asked Farengar about where he learned magic while I was buying spells, and he mentioned a college in a town called Winterhold, far to the north. I made up my mind to go there to learn, as soon as we went to the barrow for the jarl here.
I went up and got another spell before I headed to the inn to rest for the night. It was called Candlelight. When it was cast, it made a ball of light hover over my head. The light moved with me, no matter how fast or slow I went. I thought it would be useful if I were ever in a dark cave. During dinner, I asked Jenassa about going to Winterhold with me after we got the dragon stone. She said that she would go too, and wouldn't let me go alone. I wondered if I had made a friend, or if she was only with me because I had paid her. Either way, I was thankful that I wouldn't be going alone.
I woke up with a headache. It was already after midday by the time I got out of bed and had something to eat. Hulda didn't mention this morning, thankfully. Jenassa didn't either, she just made sure I ate and gave me some potions out of my pack. I decided not to ask about any available bounties today, and focus on my newest spell instead. I would go to Adrianne, and learn how to make ore into workable metal, and how to make it into jewelry. And, if I became any good at it, I could make money that way, and maybe the blood staining me would fade.
I spent most of the day learning from Adrianne. She taught me how to smelt ore into ingots, and heat the ingots and shape them into jewelry. It was hard at first, but my rings got prettier and prettier. I gave Adrianne a few to thank her for helping me. I sold some to another shop owner near Arcadia's shop, a man named Belethor. He asked me if I had any relatives I'd be interested in selling to him, then quickly apologized and said it was a joke after he saw the look Jenassa was giving him. I still had a lot of my rings left over after he bought as many as he could, so I decided to save them to sell later.
I met a girl named Ysolda in the market earlier. She told me about the Khajiit caravans, and mentioned wanting to become a merchant herself. She said that one of the Khajiit had offered to help her, if she got a mammoth tusk for him. I wanted to help her, and Jenassa reminded me about the tusks we'd gotten. I gave her one of them, and she thanked me and taught me about trading and bargaining, to get better deals. I remembered Hulda mentioning her in passing, saying that she was wanting to retire one day and sell the inn to Ysolda. I thanked her for her help, and wished her luck in becoming a merchant.
I got a few more books with the money I made from selling my rings. Two were fire spells, one that was a stronger version of the first fire spell I learned, and the other made a circle of fire on the ground that would explode if an enemy walked on it. The other two spells were a stronger protection spell, and one that gave people courage. It didn't take me long to learn them all. I asked Farengar about where he learned magic while I was buying spells, and he mentioned a college in a town called Winterhold, far to the north. I made up my mind to go there to learn, as soon as we went to the barrow for the jarl here.
I went up and got another spell before I headed to the inn to rest for the night. It was called Candlelight. When it was cast, it made a ball of light hover over my head. The light moved with me, no matter how fast or slow I went. I thought it would be useful if I were ever in a dark cave. During dinner, I asked Jenassa about going to Winterhold with me after we got the dragon stone. She said that she would go too, and wouldn't let me go alone. I wondered if I had made a friend, or if she was only with me because I had paid her. Either way, I was thankful that I wouldn't be going alone.
23rd of Last Seed 4E201
I woke up screaming in the early hours of the morning. Jenassa was shaking me and trying to wake me up. I got so scared that I fell off of the other side of the bed and huddled in a corner. Hulda came in to check on us, since my screams had alarmed everyone in the tavern. Jenassa asked her to bring up something to eat then sat on the floor a few feet from me, giving me my space. It took some food and two bottles of mead for me to stop shaking. I could tell that she wanted to ask me what was wrong, but had decided to give me my privacy. I wouldn't have been able to tell her anyways. It was so horrible. All of them, all the bandits I had killed, they were surrounding us, blaming us for their deaths. I defended my actions, since they were horrible people who had killed and hurt so many people that the jarl wanted them dead to keep his people safe. They ignored me and charged, and Jenassa and I fought and fought and fought, but we were overwhelmed. They killed her and came after me, and I woke up as they were trying to slice me open. I started shaking again, remembering the dream, and I wondered if they were right. Was I not just as horrible as they were? Sure, they had killed and hurt people, but maybe I was no better than them. My hands and weapons and clothes were stained with blood, just as much as theirs.I looked up at Jenassa, my vision blurred with unshed tears, and I wondered how she remained so calm, so resolute, even when she was covered in the blood of her enemies. She never faltered when they came after her, screaming for her death. She laughed in their faces and sent them to Oblivion.
I had a few more bottles of mead then crawled into bed. The last thing I remembered before falling asleep was feeling a hand resting on my shoulder.
I woke up screaming in the early hours of the morning. Jenassa was shaking me and trying to wake me up. I got so scared that I fell off of the other side of the bed and huddled in a corner. Hulda came in to check on us, since my screams had alarmed everyone in the tavern. Jenassa asked her to bring up something to eat then sat on the floor a few feet from me, giving me my space. It took some food and two bottles of mead for me to stop shaking. I could tell that she wanted to ask me what was wrong, but had decided to give me my privacy. I wouldn't have been able to tell her anyways. It was so horrible. All of them, all the bandits I had killed, they were surrounding us, blaming us for their deaths. I defended my actions, since they were horrible people who had killed and hurt so many people that the jarl wanted them dead to keep his people safe. They ignored me and charged, and Jenassa and I fought and fought and fought, but we were overwhelmed. They killed her and came after me, and I woke up as they were trying to slice me open. I started shaking again, remembering the dream, and I wondered if they were right. Was I not just as horrible as they were? Sure, they had killed and hurt people, but maybe I was no better than them. My hands and weapons and clothes were stained with blood, just as much as theirs.I looked up at Jenassa, my vision blurred with unshed tears, and I wondered how she remained so calm, so resolute, even when she was covered in the blood of her enemies. She never faltered when they came after her, screaming for her death. She laughed in their faces and sent them to Oblivion.
I had a few more bottles of mead then crawled into bed. The last thing I remembered before falling asleep was feeling a hand resting on my shoulder.
22nd of Last Seed 4E201
I met some Khajiit today, outside of the gates in Whiterun. We headed out after breakfast and there they were, selling supplies. I bought some things from them, and asked about their homeland. The one selling the goods, named Ri'saad, told me about Elsweyr, but got sad after a few minutes since he missed it. They were here to make a good profit, since the war and dragons had scared away a lot of the trade. They smiled and waved as we left, and hoped that our road would lead us to warm sands. I doubted that anywhere in Skyrim had warm sand, but thanked them nonetheless.
Halted Stream camp was full of bandits. There were many outside, which we dispatched with relative ease. As we headed inside, I glanced over at Jenassa and noticed that she was covered in blood. She didn't seem to mind. The bandits inside were much more difficult, and their leader nearly bested us both. I used one of my spells, summoning a flame atronach from Oblivion to help us. He didn't last long after that. We both sat on the ground for a bit after that, resting and sharing a potion to get our strength back. It smelled terrible in there, and I noticed the source of the smell: a dead mammoth. The bandits had killed it and dragged it inside somehow. Jenassa remarked that she had noticed some tusks on the way inside, and said that we should take them back with us and sell them. I nodded and wondered what else we could sell, then saw a large chest across the room.
After about an hour of searching, I managed to find not only plenty of treasure and things to sell, but also an amazing spell book. By learning the spell within, I was able to turn some iron ore that I had found on the shelf into silver, and then turn the silver ore into gold ore. Even Jenassa seemed impressed. Then we both noticed not only more iron ore lying around, but also that the entire cave was full of iron ore veins. I smiled and decided to get to work digging it out. Jenassa went back to the first section of the cave and grabbed me a pickaxe. She sat on the chief's bed and read a book while I worked, and I didn't stop her. She deserved to rest since she'd nearly been killed on my behalf.
I stopped to take a break, and Jenassa finally told me something about her past. She said that once she had considered being a bandit, but decided that she liked clean clothes and fresh mead. I chuckled and smiled, and we both shared a bottle of mead that I had gotten in town.
After many hours, I finally got out every last bit of iron ore that I could manage. The sun was starting to set by the time we got outside. There weren't any beds outside, and we didn't want to go back in there with that mammoth so we decided to go wash off in a stream nearby then head back to Whiterun for the night. The water was very cloudy by the time we got finished.
It was dark before we got back, so we went to the inn for some dinner and rented the room for the night. I turned more iron into gold and decided that I would ask Arcadia about smelting ingots and making jewelry tomorrow, after we turned in our bounty and got the reward.
I met some Khajiit today, outside of the gates in Whiterun. We headed out after breakfast and there they were, selling supplies. I bought some things from them, and asked about their homeland. The one selling the goods, named Ri'saad, told me about Elsweyr, but got sad after a few minutes since he missed it. They were here to make a good profit, since the war and dragons had scared away a lot of the trade. They smiled and waved as we left, and hoped that our road would lead us to warm sands. I doubted that anywhere in Skyrim had warm sand, but thanked them nonetheless.
Halted Stream camp was full of bandits. There were many outside, which we dispatched with relative ease. As we headed inside, I glanced over at Jenassa and noticed that she was covered in blood. She didn't seem to mind. The bandits inside were much more difficult, and their leader nearly bested us both. I used one of my spells, summoning a flame atronach from Oblivion to help us. He didn't last long after that. We both sat on the ground for a bit after that, resting and sharing a potion to get our strength back. It smelled terrible in there, and I noticed the source of the smell: a dead mammoth. The bandits had killed it and dragged it inside somehow. Jenassa remarked that she had noticed some tusks on the way inside, and said that we should take them back with us and sell them. I nodded and wondered what else we could sell, then saw a large chest across the room.
After about an hour of searching, I managed to find not only plenty of treasure and things to sell, but also an amazing spell book. By learning the spell within, I was able to turn some iron ore that I had found on the shelf into silver, and then turn the silver ore into gold ore. Even Jenassa seemed impressed. Then we both noticed not only more iron ore lying around, but also that the entire cave was full of iron ore veins. I smiled and decided to get to work digging it out. Jenassa went back to the first section of the cave and grabbed me a pickaxe. She sat on the chief's bed and read a book while I worked, and I didn't stop her. She deserved to rest since she'd nearly been killed on my behalf.
I stopped to take a break, and Jenassa finally told me something about her past. She said that once she had considered being a bandit, but decided that she liked clean clothes and fresh mead. I chuckled and smiled, and we both shared a bottle of mead that I had gotten in town.
After many hours, I finally got out every last bit of iron ore that I could manage. The sun was starting to set by the time we got outside. There weren't any beds outside, and we didn't want to go back in there with that mammoth so we decided to go wash off in a stream nearby then head back to Whiterun for the night. The water was very cloudy by the time we got finished.
It was dark before we got back, so we went to the inn for some dinner and rented the room for the night. I turned more iron into gold and decided that I would ask Arcadia about smelting ingots and making jewelry tomorrow, after we turned in our bounty and got the reward.
21st of Last Seed 4E201
It was thunder storming when we left the inn this morning but we decided to go anyways, after we had breakfast. On the way to the bandit lair, we passed a ruined tower, still in use by the town guards, and a large fort. The fort was occupied by bandits; I saw a few walking along the walls.
We found the cave that the bandits were in, thankfully there were no bandits guarding the entrance. I decided to tell the dog to wait outside, since I didn't want any bandits killing him. He whined but sat down on the ground. I left him some food and Jenassa suggested that we sneak in to take our foes by surprise.
The bandits fell to our combined might. They had a dog too, but he wasn't friendly at all. He bit Jenassa and she yelled at him. After the dust settled I healed her with one of my spells, and she raised an eyebrow and looked sideways at me, then shrugged and mentioned that she hoped I wasn't expecting a thank you. I wondered why she worked so hard to keep everyone away. She certainly didn't seem as interested in telling me about herself as most of the other people I had met were. We found a few septims, some supplies a few things that we could sell in town, and a treasure map. It was badly drawn, and seemed to show that the treasure was located outside of Whiterun. Jenassa looked it over and suggested that we try to find it on the way back to town.
The dog was gone when we got back outside. I didn't see any blood anywhere, and his food was gone. I looked around and called out for him, and wished that I had given him a name. Jenassa helped me look, then finally suggested that perhaps he had simply wandered off. She patted me awkwardly on the shoulder and assured me that he would be fine, and that we would keep an eye out for him in our travels.
I saw some Thalmor on the way back to Whiterun. One was wearing robes like mine, and the others had on golden armor. All three of them ignored us as they passed, as if we were beneath them. Jenassa looked like she wanted very badly to make them bleed.
We managed to find the treasure, on a hill behind one of the farms outside of town. There was a pretty ring in the chest we found, silver with a garnet in it. I gave it to Jenassa as a gift for her help, and she put it on. I saw her start to smile then quickly stop herself. I smiled to myself as I put the rest of the treasure in my bag.
We sold some of the armor and supplies that we'd gotten from the bandit lair to Adrianne, a blacksmith just inside of the town gate. I mentioned that I was headed to the jarl's court, and she asked if I could take a sword to her father the steward. It was a gift for the jarl that she had made, though she wasn't sure if he would even accept it. I took the sword and promised to deliver it.
The steward paid us one-hundred septims for the bounty, and thanked us for bringing the sword, paying us twenty septims for the trouble. I asked him about the city, and the palace. He told me it was called Dragonsreach, and about his duties as steward. I noticed Jenassa yawning out of the corner of my eye as he droned on and on about day to day life in the court, so I thanked him for his time and headed to Farengar's rooms to get more spell books. He got onto me for not bringing him the dragon stone yet, but sold me a few spells anyways. I got one called Oakflesh, which covers me in protective magic energy, one called Ice Spike to hurl sharp blades of ice at my enemies, and one to raise the dead. Jenassa glanced through the last book as we walked out of Dragonsreach and seemed intrigued by it, but in the end handed it back to me and decided not to try it. We decided to head to the inn for something to eat. Hulda had another bounty letter waiting and handed it over with our food. Jenassa read it as I read my new books between bites of food. She told me that it was for the death of the bandit leader located at a place called Halted Stream Camp, which was located north of Whiterun.
It was dark already by the time we got done eating, so we decided to head to the bandit camp in the morning. I stopped by Arcadia's shop again and made a few more potions, then we went to the inn for some rest. Jenassa slept on the edge of the bed again like last night, as if she were afraid that I would harm her in my sleep. I missed my dog.
It was thunder storming when we left the inn this morning but we decided to go anyways, after we had breakfast. On the way to the bandit lair, we passed a ruined tower, still in use by the town guards, and a large fort. The fort was occupied by bandits; I saw a few walking along the walls.
We found the cave that the bandits were in, thankfully there were no bandits guarding the entrance. I decided to tell the dog to wait outside, since I didn't want any bandits killing him. He whined but sat down on the ground. I left him some food and Jenassa suggested that we sneak in to take our foes by surprise.
The bandits fell to our combined might. They had a dog too, but he wasn't friendly at all. He bit Jenassa and she yelled at him. After the dust settled I healed her with one of my spells, and she raised an eyebrow and looked sideways at me, then shrugged and mentioned that she hoped I wasn't expecting a thank you. I wondered why she worked so hard to keep everyone away. She certainly didn't seem as interested in telling me about herself as most of the other people I had met were. We found a few septims, some supplies a few things that we could sell in town, and a treasure map. It was badly drawn, and seemed to show that the treasure was located outside of Whiterun. Jenassa looked it over and suggested that we try to find it on the way back to town.
The dog was gone when we got back outside. I didn't see any blood anywhere, and his food was gone. I looked around and called out for him, and wished that I had given him a name. Jenassa helped me look, then finally suggested that perhaps he had simply wandered off. She patted me awkwardly on the shoulder and assured me that he would be fine, and that we would keep an eye out for him in our travels.
I saw some Thalmor on the way back to Whiterun. One was wearing robes like mine, and the others had on golden armor. All three of them ignored us as they passed, as if we were beneath them. Jenassa looked like she wanted very badly to make them bleed.
We managed to find the treasure, on a hill behind one of the farms outside of town. There was a pretty ring in the chest we found, silver with a garnet in it. I gave it to Jenassa as a gift for her help, and she put it on. I saw her start to smile then quickly stop herself. I smiled to myself as I put the rest of the treasure in my bag.
We sold some of the armor and supplies that we'd gotten from the bandit lair to Adrianne, a blacksmith just inside of the town gate. I mentioned that I was headed to the jarl's court, and she asked if I could take a sword to her father the steward. It was a gift for the jarl that she had made, though she wasn't sure if he would even accept it. I took the sword and promised to deliver it.
The steward paid us one-hundred septims for the bounty, and thanked us for bringing the sword, paying us twenty septims for the trouble. I asked him about the city, and the palace. He told me it was called Dragonsreach, and about his duties as steward. I noticed Jenassa yawning out of the corner of my eye as he droned on and on about day to day life in the court, so I thanked him for his time and headed to Farengar's rooms to get more spell books. He got onto me for not bringing him the dragon stone yet, but sold me a few spells anyways. I got one called Oakflesh, which covers me in protective magic energy, one called Ice Spike to hurl sharp blades of ice at my enemies, and one to raise the dead. Jenassa glanced through the last book as we walked out of Dragonsreach and seemed intrigued by it, but in the end handed it back to me and decided not to try it. We decided to head to the inn for something to eat. Hulda had another bounty letter waiting and handed it over with our food. Jenassa read it as I read my new books between bites of food. She told me that it was for the death of the bandit leader located at a place called Halted Stream Camp, which was located north of Whiterun.
It was dark already by the time we got done eating, so we decided to head to the bandit camp in the morning. I stopped by Arcadia's shop again and made a few more potions, then we went to the inn for some rest. Jenassa slept on the edge of the bed again like last night, as if she were afraid that I would harm her in my sleep. I missed my dog.
20th of Last Seed 4E201
Breakfast was also delicious! And I slept so good that all my soreness melted away. I got up refreshed, and headed out to chop more wood.
I got into a fight after a delivery of firewood to Hulda.. A woman in the inn, named Uthgerd, walked up to me and got in my face, challenging me to a fight. She seemed a little drunk, and I was going to back away slowly, but then she added that she'd bet me one hundred septims that she could knock my hide to the ground. I decided that I could use the money, and accepted. I barely managed to beat her, and healed myself after I had the coinpurse in my hands. Totally worth it. She seemed impressed, and offered to travel with me so she could see how I handled trolls. I declined, since she was a bit drunk, and because I wanted to hire Jenassa.
I recounted my gold and decided to stop at one of the market stalls for some lunch before chopping more wood. Carlotta, the owner of one of them thanked me for my business and we made small talk. She mentioned having trouble with the men in town, especially the bard Mikael. I offered to talk to him for her, and she shrugged and said I could try, but that it likely wouldn't do any good.
I got into yet another fight, this time with Mikael. I tried persuading him to leave Carlotta alone, but he just called me jealous and refused. I won, again, and he swore that he would leave her alone. She was very happy, albeit surprised that I had managed to get him to stop chasing her, and rewarded me with two-hundred and fifty septims. I started to wonder if I could fight anyone else in town for some extra coin.
I decided to go ahead and hire Jenassa, since I had enough to now, plus some extra. Maybe she could help me decide on what supplies we would need. Plus I didn't want anyone else hiring her and leaving me stuck with that Uthgerd woman.
Jenassa and I talked, and decided that we would need more supplies than I had money for. She offered to help chop wood, since she felt that she'd gotten lazy waiting for someone to hire her. I accepted and borrowed her map to make notes in my journal. I also wrote down plants I had found and what I could use them for, and made a rough map, adding places I had been so far. I wondered if we'd be able to get supplies and spell books.
We sold more wood to Hulda, and she mentioned a bounty letter that had been dropped off by one of the guards. I took it and showed it to Jenassa, who thought it would be a good way to make some money. It was for the death of the bandit leader located at Redoran's Retreat. We decided to have some dinner and rest at the inn, and head out in the morning to stop the bandit leader. Jenassa seemed to smile a little too much at the thought of ending his life. I was thankful that she was on my side.
I decided to try and think of something to name the dog tomorrow.
Breakfast was also delicious! And I slept so good that all my soreness melted away. I got up refreshed, and headed out to chop more wood.
I got into a fight after a delivery of firewood to Hulda.. A woman in the inn, named Uthgerd, walked up to me and got in my face, challenging me to a fight. She seemed a little drunk, and I was going to back away slowly, but then she added that she'd bet me one hundred septims that she could knock my hide to the ground. I decided that I could use the money, and accepted. I barely managed to beat her, and healed myself after I had the coinpurse in my hands. Totally worth it. She seemed impressed, and offered to travel with me so she could see how I handled trolls. I declined, since she was a bit drunk, and because I wanted to hire Jenassa.
I recounted my gold and decided to stop at one of the market stalls for some lunch before chopping more wood. Carlotta, the owner of one of them thanked me for my business and we made small talk. She mentioned having trouble with the men in town, especially the bard Mikael. I offered to talk to him for her, and she shrugged and said I could try, but that it likely wouldn't do any good.
I got into yet another fight, this time with Mikael. I tried persuading him to leave Carlotta alone, but he just called me jealous and refused. I won, again, and he swore that he would leave her alone. She was very happy, albeit surprised that I had managed to get him to stop chasing her, and rewarded me with two-hundred and fifty septims. I started to wonder if I could fight anyone else in town for some extra coin.
I decided to go ahead and hire Jenassa, since I had enough to now, plus some extra. Maybe she could help me decide on what supplies we would need. Plus I didn't want anyone else hiring her and leaving me stuck with that Uthgerd woman.
Jenassa and I talked, and decided that we would need more supplies than I had money for. She offered to help chop wood, since she felt that she'd gotten lazy waiting for someone to hire her. I accepted and borrowed her map to make notes in my journal. I also wrote down plants I had found and what I could use them for, and made a rough map, adding places I had been so far. I wondered if we'd be able to get supplies and spell books.
We sold more wood to Hulda, and she mentioned a bounty letter that had been dropped off by one of the guards. I took it and showed it to Jenassa, who thought it would be a good way to make some money. It was for the death of the bandit leader located at Redoran's Retreat. We decided to have some dinner and rest at the inn, and head out in the morning to stop the bandit leader. Jenassa seemed to smile a little too much at the thought of ending his life. I was thankful that she was on my side.
I decided to try and think of something to name the dog tomorrow.
19th of Last Seed 4E201
For the first time in a long while, I feel rested. I woke up today, and had a nice breakfast with Alvor's wife Sigrid. She apologized for acting rude before, and explained that they didn't get many visitors in Riverwood. I asked her about the town, and her family to make conversation. She told me about her daughter Dorthe, and how she never seemed to want to do girlish things. She was either helping her father with the forge, or playing with her friend and his dog. She asked if I had any children back home. I said I didn't, and that I wasn't even married. She patted my hand and told me that I'd meet someone nice one day. As she got up to clear the table, she thanked me again for helping Hadvar escape Helgen. Thankfully, she didn't mention my being a prisoner. I noticed Hadvar was still asleep, so I thanked Sigrid and headed outside. I sold some of my gear from Helgen to Alvor, and made small talk as we discussed prices. He seemed to be a nice enough man, and I could tell that he cared for his wife and daughter. I hoped that the dragon from Helgen never came here, or any other dragons for that matter. I decided that the sooner I got to Whiterun, the safer my new friends would be.
I met another elf on my way out of town. A Bosmer named Faendal. He said it was good to see a familiar face so far from home. I thought that was strange, since I'd never been to Valenwood, his homeland. I bid him farewell, and he warned me to be careful of someone named Sven. As I left town, I wondered why I had yet to see another Dunmer. So many had left home, yet where were they?
The road to Whiterun was pleasant enough, and thankfully there wasn't any snow. Everything here looked so green, and...alive. How different it was from Morriwind. I saw some soldiers on the road, Imperials by the look of their armor. I saw that they had a prisoner with them, so I slipped off of the road and made my way to Whiterun through the fields, in case they were still looking for survivors from Helgen.
I saw another giant man near a farm outside of Whiterun, he was fighting with three warriors. I gave them all plenty of space, just in case the giant won the battle. At the gate, a guard informed me that the city was closed due to dragons in the area, and would only open for official business. Thinking quickly, I persuaded him that I had news for the jarl about a dragon attack in Helgen. He agreed to let me in, but warned me that they'd be watching me.
On the way up to the jarl's court, I passed a man and his wife arguing about something. As I got closer, I realized that he wanted to get a sword that had been his father's and she was against him spending their money to hire someone to get it. As she walked away, he greeted me and made small talk. After finding out I was a traveler, he told me where he'd tracked down the sword to,and asked if I could keep an eye out for it. It was in a place called Valtheim Keep. I told him I would and wished him luck with his wife. Also, nearby, there was a beautiful, albeit very dead tree, and a crazy man yelling near a shrine. He was talking about the oppression of the Thalmor, badmouthing elves in general, and extolling the benefits of worshipping Talos. He looked at me as I passed, and grew quiet for a moment, then kept on with his ranting. I'm not sure if it was my Thalmor robes, or my dog that confused him the most. As I headed up the steps to the jarl's palace, I wondered why he hadn't been arrested yet by Thalmor, and why there was a giant shrine to Talos in the middle of the city. Someone here was either very brave, or very foolish.
I finally met a Dunmer today, though it was not a happy meeting, not at first. As I walked into the jarl's court, she ran over with her sword drawn, demanding to know who I was and why I was there, since the jarl wasn't expecting anyone. The dog started growling at her, so I quickly tried calming her and told her that I was there on behalf of Alvor in Riverwood, she still seemed suspicious, and only sheathed her sword when the jarl told her it was alright and asked that I come forward. Thankfully the dog calmed down as well. I nervously told the jarl about Alvor, and the dragon in Helgen. I left out the part about them trying to execute me. They decided to send some soldiers to Riverwood after arguing a bit about it. I stood there awkwardly as he yelled at his steward and felt very out of place. I glanced down at the dog and smiled at him, and he gave me what looked like a lopsided smile in return. At least he was as out of place as I was. I looked back up to see the Dunmer walking past me, and she gave me a small nod as she passed. The jarl, who I learned was named Balgruuf the Greater asked me to come closer. He thanked me for helping the people in his hold by bringing this message to him, and had his steward give me some armor as a reward. I thanked him and he nodded then seemed lost in thought for a moment. He stood and asked me to follow him and mentioned something about a project and a court wizard and me helping somehow. I didn't understand most of what he said, because there was a little girl standing off to the side, yelling at a little boy about wanting a dress and having him chastise her and call her a spoiled baby. I wondered if these were the Jarl's children, the poor man.
The court wizard and the jarl asked me to go to a place called Bleak Falls Barrow, to get something called a dragon stone. Farengar, the wizard, seemed very dismissive and arrogant, but he gave me a good price on some spell books. I figured that I could stand to learn a few new spells, especially if I was going to be headed into a barrow. He also asked if I would mind delivering some frost salts to the alchemist in town, named Arcadia.
Arcadia was very nice, if a bit strange. She seemed to be in love with Farengar, and kept asking if I was sick. But, she did have a few useful potions, and gave me a few tips on alchemy. I practiced a bit on her alchemy lab on the corner, and made a few decent potions. I would have to learn more, and look out for ingredients in my travels. Potions cost too much to buy.
I walked around town to explore, and met the Dunmer from the jarl's court near the gate. I cautiously asked her about herself. Her name was Irileth, and she told me about meeting Balgruuf, and fighting in battle with him. She went on to tell me about all of the dangers he faced, and expressed regret at not being able to kill those who caused the jarl mental stress. She also warned me that she was keeping an eye on me as she walked away.
I noticed a shop nearby, called the Drunken Huntsman, and decided to go inside. I was getting low on septims, and thought that maybe I could ask about any jobs in town.The man behind the counter was a Bosmer named Elrindir. He told me about how the shop got its name, which was an interesting story. He also mentioned having a brother, Anoriath. I asked about work in town, and he said I could either chop wood for the inn, the Bannered Mare, or that I could ask the jarl about work. I thanked him and turned to leave, when I noticed a Dunmer sitting at a table in a small alcove. I walked over to speak to her, and learned that her name was Jenassa, and that she was a mercenary. She also seemed to enjoy death, and likened causing it to an artist making a painting. I couldn't afford to hire her, but I decided to save up for it, since I could use the help. And, based on my experience so far, who knew when I would see another Dunmer?
I gave the dog some wood to chew on while I chopped wood. It was hard work, but paid well. Hulda, the innkeeper, thanked me for bringing it to her, and paid me five septims for each piece I gave her. I'd have enough for hiring Jenassa and supplies in no time at this rate.
After hours of chopping wood, I wearily made my way back to the inn and decided to get a room for the night. I also got some food for me and the dog, and set his in a bowl on the floor for him. I learned my new spells from the books, and tried the Healing Hands one out on the dog. He seemed to like it. The others, Bound Sword, Conjure Familiar, and Conjure Flame Atronach all seemed dangerous and likely to get me kicked out. I decided to save them for later. Dinner was delicious. I couldn't wait for breakfast in the morning. The bed was amazingly comfortable too. I wondered how well I would sleep tonight.
For the first time in a long while, I feel rested. I woke up today, and had a nice breakfast with Alvor's wife Sigrid. She apologized for acting rude before, and explained that they didn't get many visitors in Riverwood. I asked her about the town, and her family to make conversation. She told me about her daughter Dorthe, and how she never seemed to want to do girlish things. She was either helping her father with the forge, or playing with her friend and his dog. She asked if I had any children back home. I said I didn't, and that I wasn't even married. She patted my hand and told me that I'd meet someone nice one day. As she got up to clear the table, she thanked me again for helping Hadvar escape Helgen. Thankfully, she didn't mention my being a prisoner. I noticed Hadvar was still asleep, so I thanked Sigrid and headed outside. I sold some of my gear from Helgen to Alvor, and made small talk as we discussed prices. He seemed to be a nice enough man, and I could tell that he cared for his wife and daughter. I hoped that the dragon from Helgen never came here, or any other dragons for that matter. I decided that the sooner I got to Whiterun, the safer my new friends would be.
I met another elf on my way out of town. A Bosmer named Faendal. He said it was good to see a familiar face so far from home. I thought that was strange, since I'd never been to Valenwood, his homeland. I bid him farewell, and he warned me to be careful of someone named Sven. As I left town, I wondered why I had yet to see another Dunmer. So many had left home, yet where were they?
The road to Whiterun was pleasant enough, and thankfully there wasn't any snow. Everything here looked so green, and...alive. How different it was from Morriwind. I saw some soldiers on the road, Imperials by the look of their armor. I saw that they had a prisoner with them, so I slipped off of the road and made my way to Whiterun through the fields, in case they were still looking for survivors from Helgen.
I saw another giant man near a farm outside of Whiterun, he was fighting with three warriors. I gave them all plenty of space, just in case the giant won the battle. At the gate, a guard informed me that the city was closed due to dragons in the area, and would only open for official business. Thinking quickly, I persuaded him that I had news for the jarl about a dragon attack in Helgen. He agreed to let me in, but warned me that they'd be watching me.
On the way up to the jarl's court, I passed a man and his wife arguing about something. As I got closer, I realized that he wanted to get a sword that had been his father's and she was against him spending their money to hire someone to get it. As she walked away, he greeted me and made small talk. After finding out I was a traveler, he told me where he'd tracked down the sword to,and asked if I could keep an eye out for it. It was in a place called Valtheim Keep. I told him I would and wished him luck with his wife. Also, nearby, there was a beautiful, albeit very dead tree, and a crazy man yelling near a shrine. He was talking about the oppression of the Thalmor, badmouthing elves in general, and extolling the benefits of worshipping Talos. He looked at me as I passed, and grew quiet for a moment, then kept on with his ranting. I'm not sure if it was my Thalmor robes, or my dog that confused him the most. As I headed up the steps to the jarl's palace, I wondered why he hadn't been arrested yet by Thalmor, and why there was a giant shrine to Talos in the middle of the city. Someone here was either very brave, or very foolish.
I finally met a Dunmer today, though it was not a happy meeting, not at first. As I walked into the jarl's court, she ran over with her sword drawn, demanding to know who I was and why I was there, since the jarl wasn't expecting anyone. The dog started growling at her, so I quickly tried calming her and told her that I was there on behalf of Alvor in Riverwood, she still seemed suspicious, and only sheathed her sword when the jarl told her it was alright and asked that I come forward. Thankfully the dog calmed down as well. I nervously told the jarl about Alvor, and the dragon in Helgen. I left out the part about them trying to execute me. They decided to send some soldiers to Riverwood after arguing a bit about it. I stood there awkwardly as he yelled at his steward and felt very out of place. I glanced down at the dog and smiled at him, and he gave me what looked like a lopsided smile in return. At least he was as out of place as I was. I looked back up to see the Dunmer walking past me, and she gave me a small nod as she passed. The jarl, who I learned was named Balgruuf the Greater asked me to come closer. He thanked me for helping the people in his hold by bringing this message to him, and had his steward give me some armor as a reward. I thanked him and he nodded then seemed lost in thought for a moment. He stood and asked me to follow him and mentioned something about a project and a court wizard and me helping somehow. I didn't understand most of what he said, because there was a little girl standing off to the side, yelling at a little boy about wanting a dress and having him chastise her and call her a spoiled baby. I wondered if these were the Jarl's children, the poor man.
The court wizard and the jarl asked me to go to a place called Bleak Falls Barrow, to get something called a dragon stone. Farengar, the wizard, seemed very dismissive and arrogant, but he gave me a good price on some spell books. I figured that I could stand to learn a few new spells, especially if I was going to be headed into a barrow. He also asked if I would mind delivering some frost salts to the alchemist in town, named Arcadia.
Arcadia was very nice, if a bit strange. She seemed to be in love with Farengar, and kept asking if I was sick. But, she did have a few useful potions, and gave me a few tips on alchemy. I practiced a bit on her alchemy lab on the corner, and made a few decent potions. I would have to learn more, and look out for ingredients in my travels. Potions cost too much to buy.
I walked around town to explore, and met the Dunmer from the jarl's court near the gate. I cautiously asked her about herself. Her name was Irileth, and she told me about meeting Balgruuf, and fighting in battle with him. She went on to tell me about all of the dangers he faced, and expressed regret at not being able to kill those who caused the jarl mental stress. She also warned me that she was keeping an eye on me as she walked away.
I noticed a shop nearby, called the Drunken Huntsman, and decided to go inside. I was getting low on septims, and thought that maybe I could ask about any jobs in town.The man behind the counter was a Bosmer named Elrindir. He told me about how the shop got its name, which was an interesting story. He also mentioned having a brother, Anoriath. I asked about work in town, and he said I could either chop wood for the inn, the Bannered Mare, or that I could ask the jarl about work. I thanked him and turned to leave, when I noticed a Dunmer sitting at a table in a small alcove. I walked over to speak to her, and learned that her name was Jenassa, and that she was a mercenary. She also seemed to enjoy death, and likened causing it to an artist making a painting. I couldn't afford to hire her, but I decided to save up for it, since I could use the help. And, based on my experience so far, who knew when I would see another Dunmer?
I gave the dog some wood to chew on while I chopped wood. It was hard work, but paid well. Hulda, the innkeeper, thanked me for bringing it to her, and paid me five septims for each piece I gave her. I'd have enough for hiring Jenassa and supplies in no time at this rate.
After hours of chopping wood, I wearily made my way back to the inn and decided to get a room for the night. I also got some food for me and the dog, and set his in a bowl on the floor for him. I learned my new spells from the books, and tried the Healing Hands one out on the dog. He seemed to like it. The others, Bound Sword, Conjure Familiar, and Conjure Flame Atronach all seemed dangerous and likely to get me kicked out. I decided to save them for later. Dinner was delicious. I couldn't wait for breakfast in the morning. The bed was amazingly comfortable too. I wondered how well I would sleep tonight.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)