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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
4-202-04-07 06:53
ship "Northern Maiden", Ravenrock, Solstheim, Morrowind
"Wake up, lazybones!"
I open my eyes and see Lydia bent over me. I hear Sofie laughing somewhere nearby.
"Are we there?" I ask.
"No, I just thought you didn't deserve a good night's rest."
"Okay, thanks." I get dressed quickly and follow Lydia and Sofie to the deck. Indeed the sun has already risen and we are in the harbor.
"Nice place, Ravenrock, what?" I say to Sofie. "You'll get used to the sky." I'm only trying to cheer her up. I could never get used to this ash-gray sky.
We thank Captian Gjalund and step onto the pier. A poster pasted to a post nearby attracts our attention.
I've no idea who or what The Sea Tiger might be. We'll take a look at that later today, but first I want to make use of the excellent crafting facilities in our house. Well, second rather. First, I want to take a little walk and meet people... after I've had a bath, which would make the crafting third. Yeah, never mind my silly logic.
Sofie doesn't mind the sky. She's thrilled with the elven-style houses which look like nothing you can see anywhere in Skyrim.
The first person we see on our way to the inn is Captain Veleth. I smile at him, but to my astonishment he looks away quickly, trying to pretend he hasn't noticed me, and walks the other way.
My good friend Dreyla happens to be in the bath when we enter. We are both eager to hear each other's news. After cleaning up, we have a round of shopping together. I introduce Sofie to Milore and ask the latter if she can keep an eye on the child while I'm out of town. Milore and Dreyla assure me they can absolutely look after her between them. The shop of Dreyla's father is nearby, so there shouldn't be any difficulties.
Sofie nudges me. Yes, I haven't forgotten. I tell Milore and Dreyla that Sofie is a very capable girl and can help out if there's any simple work to be done.
I ask the others to go ahead while I stay behind to have a private word with Milore.
I ask her if Veleth has a girlfriend. (I wonder how come I never got around to asking her the last time I was here. Maybe I didn't want to know?)
"Are you sure you want to know?" Milore asks as if reading my thoughts.
Um... Yes, I do.
"Dreyla."
Oh.
Milore tells me all about it. Dreyla, as you may remember, yearns to leave this dreary place, and Veleth would be happy to take her away, but she is reluctant to leave her father who needs her help. Or at least that's what she says. Veleth is patiently waiting for her decision. Clearly Dreyla needs help making up her mind, but Veleth doesn't realize that, and Milore is not the one who's going to tell him. And who knows, maybe her father has really so much work she can't leave him alone?
Now I understand Veleth's strange behavior. Well, I hope they'll be able to figure things out. And I'd better find myself another boyfriend here, even though I can't imagine who it could be, and on second thought maybe I don't need one.
Time to stroll towards my house. I nod hello to my friend, the frightful Orc Mogrul. Somehow he doesn't look so scary this time, tall as he may be.
I ask him to look out for Sofie and protect her, should she get in any trouble.
My followers are already giving Sofie the tour of our house. She is awestruck. She has probably never been to a building this roomy. I set to work. When the girls go out again, I warn them most sternly not to take Sofie into the mine where you can fall to your death on every second step.
Crafting goes quickly this time. I'm finished by 4 in the afternoon.
Glover isn't.
In the meantime, the girls have heard from the sellsword Teldryn that that "Sea Tiger" thing is something extremely difficult and pointless. I decide not to pursue it.
I think we'll head south instead, to explore the tunnels beneath Hrodulf's House. Sofie will have to stay behind in the town with Milore.
After the innkeeper Geldis has told us about werewolf sightings northeast from here which I'm not particularly interested about, me and my followers exit by the southern gate and follow the road along the coast to turn eastwards later.
Along the way, we kill a couple of aggressive mages. In the ruins of Hrodulf's House, an ash-spawn rises up and we kill him too.
Once again, I suddenly feel very reluctant to proceed. When we find in the basement a tunnel that is so dark that one can't see anything without artificial lighting (my Ring of Light in this case), and this leads to a Dwemer ruin, I decide we'll return to the surface. Don't ask me why.
We can still check out Kolbjorn Barrow between here and Ravenrock someday, and maybe we'll be able to get some training in Skaal. Right now, we'll go to Tel Mithryn and hopefully reach Skaal by night.
Should we travel via Thirsk and help Bujold's group of wannabe fighters take their headquarters back from the Rieklings?
I can't make up my mind. Let's just go to Tel Mithryn first.
Passing through Silt Strider Port, I am slightly dismayed to find that the elven trader Revus is not at home. The big exotic animal is there, but of course he won't be able to tell us where his master went. We climb onto him while we're here, and then proceed to Tel Mithryn where we pay a visit to the alchemy shop and the wizard Neloth.
Excuse me?
Neloth explains that people who deal with Hermaeus Mora can easily go mad. Examining my eyes carefully, he comes to the conclusion that I don't look crazy, or at least not crazier than when he first saw me. (Was that supposed to be funny?)
I'm disappointed that Neloth has no interest in hearing about my glorious victory over Bastaard. He just goes on about his silly Black Books, and then about how he's trying to develop a spell for conjuring an ash-spawn. He wants us to find an ingredient he needs for that. I refrain from replying that someone sure is crazy here, even though it's not me.
Exiting Neloth's house, we're somewhat amused to find that his bungling disciple Talvas has just conjured a huge ash-spawn, at least twice as tall as the usual ones, and is now running away from it in utter panic. We kill the monster and Talvas begs us not to tell Neloth what he had done. Of course. I'll be happy if they'll forget all about this particular line of research.
It's already dark. Navigating carefully across the mountains, we reach Skaal by half past ten.
Fanari greets us cordially, but asks us to find another place for sleeping. She has recently become very close to the historian Tharstan who now lives with her in her house. I shouldn't be too surprised, knowing Fanari's great interest in the life outside Solstheim. The world of the Skaal people seems too small for her, and Tharstan is, of course, the only man in the village who is not from here.
Oh well. We go and ask Frea if she can put us up. Sure, she says. We can even have both beds. I take the one formerly her father's, but my followers politely decline and say they are used to sleeping on mattresses. (FYI, Frea's home, even though called Shaman's Hut, is actually a proper house.)
We haven't been exactly successful today. I'm glad at least Sofie seemed to be having a great time in Ravenrock.
next awakening
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