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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
4-201-12-26 06:20
Canal House, Bitchen, The Rift, Skyrim
The girls have returned while I slept. We go to the inn to have a bath. Then we head for that fortress up the mountain we saw near Largashbur. None of us has any idea what it could be and we're very curious to find out.
We sneak up the hill, but we could have spared ourselves the trouble, because we end up at a gate which we could have just as well reached by the road. Never mind. It's always good to be cautious.
I can see an enemy whose silhouette looks like human. Just a part of its head is visible behind a stone stairway. I fire an arrow at the enemy who produces a very weird sound and falls down dead. We sneak closer only to learn it was an elk.
Can you believe it? THAT turned out to be an elk!
Without meeting anyone else, we reach a door that leads into the fortress. Inside we witness a battle between two... well, something humanoid-looking. One of them kills the other and then approaches us. It's a woman named Illia. She informs us this fortress is the home of a cult of mages who serve... hagravens. Good heavens! Illia explains that she wanted to leave the cult, but the others wouldn't let her. On top of it, her own mother is preparing to become a hagraven, and she asks our help for stopping her.
All right! This is the kind of mission I shall have no scruples about.
So we explore this fortress. As you know, the main problem with temporary allies is that they get in my way preventing me from getting a good shot at the enemies. Illia is no exception in this respect and I'm greatly worried she'll get herself killed. Fortunately, the mages here are used to sticking ritual knives into their sacrifices, but have clearly very little practice with fighting warriors. We make short work of them. A couple of times I get too impatient and take risky shots very close to Illia, but my aim is good enough and I hit enemies instead of her.
Eventually we find her evil mother and kill her as well.
Illia thanks us, gives me a staff as a reward and we say farewell.
We descend a very steep slope and pay a visit to nearby Largashbur, but they are annoyed with us idling around instead of helping their chief to destroy the gang of giants. So we leave again. We travel north and cross the river to bring Avrusa Sarethi those Jazbay Grapes she asked us to find.
Sarethi Farm
She gives me some potions as a token of gratitude. Then we do some trading in nearby Sunguard City, after which we proceed to Ivarsted. I'm most happy to find that the blacksmith Bjolan has a battleaxe with a Soul Trap enchantment for sale. Soul Trap means you can capture the killed enemy's soul as long as you have an empty soul gem big enough. Full soul gems are necessary for enchanting your weapons and armor as well as reloading enchanted weapons. So far I've had to buy filled soul gems, but now I can disenchant the battleaxe and create my own Soul Trap bow that captures the killed enemies' souls. I've been wanting one for a long time.
We meet Fastred on the street and take a little walk together to chat. We stroll to the other riverbank where Temba lives, that grumpy androgyne who owns the sawmill. The last time we were here, she asked me to bring her some bear pelts, but I haven't yet killed as many bears as she wanted. Not far from her house, there are remains of a farmhouse. I wonder what is that ramshackle ruin doing in a village that is otherwise so well kept. Fastred explains a young man Narfi lives there who is insane. We'd better not disturb him. So we return to the eastern bank.
I wonder if we should spend the night here or travel to Riverwood for the night. It'll get dark before that, that's certain, but when you're traveling along a proper paved road all the way, poor light shouldn't really matter.
I decide we'll go to Riverwood – via the nearby Rift Imperial Camp.
We don't do anything special there, but somehow the sun is already going down by the time we begin to travel towards the mountain pass.
When we're past Haemar's Shame where the imps and storks are always fighting, a snowfall starts and all we can see is snowflakes in blackness and the silhouettes of mountains somewhere very far and very high against the cloudy sky.
I have to put on the Left Eye of Coldharbour ring. Maybe we should have stayed in Ivarsted for the night. I had no idea it would get so dark. Apart from which, my legs are really tired.
We reach the Falkreath Stormcloak Camp. Is there possibly a free tent here? Yes, there is. We'll spend the night here then. I can't make myself go any further.
next awakening
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