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SPOILER INFO
This fanfic novel is largely based on the events that occurred in an actual game of Skyrim I played. Therefore, it's inevitably a spoiler.
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previous day
4-201-08-27 06:23
Dead Man's Drink, Falkert, Falkreath, Skyrim
I dreamed about a mysterious place further west. It's called Arkngthamz and it's some kind of a very ancient ruin. I don't remember much, but it looked very cool. We must go and try to find it one of these days.
I have a nice bath with my followers and feel ready to move mountains. Most likely, though, it'll be sufficient for me to climb some today.
When we have returned to the taproom, Lydia asks suddenly: "Why are you suffering alone?"
"Huh?"
"I'm talking about the way you looked last night. Aren't we here to give you all the support we can? Everyone feels downcast sometimes, but that's what friends are for – to help each other get over such moments."
Jenassa cuts in: "Or if you want an objective reason, then we are less effective as a battle unit when our leader is being eaten up by something and keeping it all inside herself."
"No I don't," I reply. "Want an objective reason, I mean. You are right, of course. Thanks, Lydia. I'll keep it in mind the next time."
"Good. Now tell us what happened."
I roll my eyes and cast a quick glance at Vera. She is doing an excellent job keeping a straight face – and probably holding her breath.
So I tell them, but the ensuing discussion I cut short decisively. We have work to do!
We head west, towards that Knifepoint Ridge bandit camp the jarl mentioned yesterday. First, though, we come across the ruins of a small tower:
Turns out there's a bandit stronghold behind it. This is not the one we're looking for. It is called Cracked Tusk Keep and has a beautiful view.
"I know what you were going to say earlier," I tell Lydia when our group is having a little rest and taking in the sights. "It was not my fault Miles was married. I couldn't have known."
"Now you have a hold on him," says Vera roguishly.
"No, Vera, I am not going to betray him to his wife. It was me who seduced him."
"You make it sound like it was impossible for him to refuse sex."
"I'd most certainly like to think so," I say without a hint of irony.
This gets Vera to blush and shut her mouth.
I stand up and give a sign to get going.
Knifepoint Ridge is further northwest in a rather secluded location. We have to bypass some mountains and then climb higher and there it finally is. The fight is tough. Me and my followers end up victorious, but we were lucky that all the bandits didn't attack us at the same time.
The following picture shows the nearer part of the camp just before we attacked. I asked Bardslayer after the battle to go back in time and take this picture for me. He wouldn't do something like that before the battle.
Note that there's one man left of the two target boards, one on the platform further left,
and one in front of the fence on the right. They're diligent, I have to give them that.
Of course, these are just lookouts. There are more structures and bandits behind them, outside the picture.
We are crouching behind that huge rock between the men on the left and in the middle.
In fact, I think one of us's head is showing when you look from this height.
and one in front of the fence on the right. They're diligent, I have to give them that.
Of course, these are just lookouts. There are more structures and bandits behind them, outside the picture.
We are crouching behind that huge rock between the men on the left and in the middle.
In fact, I think one of us's head is showing when you look from this height.
When the battle is over, it's a little past noon and the weather is lovely. We attacked these bandits on Jarl Siddgeir's orders, so we'll have to report to him, but it doesn't make sense for us to return to Falkert (which is to our east) so early. We head north instead, to look for the hunter Valdr who got lost together with his buddies.
Along the way, we discover the camp of two other hunters, nice men who buy some of our loot. Nearby is a town called Northkeep. It's not very big, area-wise, but it has stone buildings and impressive fortifications. I locate the smithy and succeed in improving our gear a little bit. I feel I'm becoming increasingly confident at smithing.
I also some loot in shops, but then I don't want to hang around. We have a couple of hours of daylight left, so we hurry to that place where Valdr is believed to have been headed.
We find him not far from the town in front of a cave called Moss Mother Cavern. Valdr tells us his two companions were killed by spriggans – humanoid-looking creatures who protect trees. Valdr himself is seriously injured.
After I have cured him (more or less), he wants to enter the cave and kill the spriggans to avenge his friends. I insist he stay where he is. I go in with the girls instead.
Bardslayer has told me that spriggans are not evil. They attack you only because they perceive you as a threat to their trees, and they're not intelligent enough to understand you aren't. That's why I have to leave spriggans alone whenever possible. This case is regrettably an exception, because otherwise that stubborn fool Valdr would get himself killed. I'll have to destroy spriggan life to protect human life. Although in this case both are equally too dumb to see reason.
The cavern is extremely beautiful and has a nice pond. We find the two dead humans, and we kill a bear and three spriggans in a very tough fight. I can't understand if I'm getting lax or I'm simply too slow. Luckily, I've found a magical amulet that increases my health.
A dead spriggan. When they're alive, they're green and have a very beautiful glow. I'll try and get a picture for you someday.
It gets dark while we're returning to nearby Northkeep. I certainly want to travel a little further east today – to that Little Vivec village. They will surely have a place where we can sleep. So we just rush through Northkeep. Still, I can't help striking up a conversation with a man named Boldon who suspects there's a vampire who is killing people in the vicinity of Northkeep. I promise to look into it, but not tonight.
We follow the road southeast and soon arrive at a watermill called Half-Moon Mill. It's kept by a woman called Hert. She offers us some refreshments and a little later she and I somehow end up walking outside, just the two of us. Hert is married to a man named Hern, but he is away all the time finding buyers for their timber, and she feels so lonely, yet she loves him and would never betray him with another man.
I get the hint. In fact, I found Hert strangely fascinating the moment I laid my eyes on her. She is taller and stronger than me and really good to talk to. And very intelligent. And I just want her.
I'm profoundly happy by the time Hert and I return to the house and I tell my followers we're ready to leave now. They are even decent enough to not ask me any bawdy questions for the rest of this evening.
Just short of where Little Vivec is supposed to be, there's another, quite large village called Aurora. It's got an inn. I'm exhausted. All I can think of is sleep. The inn has very inviting beds to offer, covered with hay and animal skins: ;-)
next awakening
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