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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
4-202-04-08 06:00
Shaman's Hut, Skaal, Solstheim, Morrowind
The air outside is thick with snowflakes. We go and get some training in two-handed weapons from Wulf. He mentions that a hunter recently saw a thalmor ship docked on the western part of the northern coast. There's an abandoned dock near the northernmost point of Solstheim mainland. I decide to go and take a look. Along the way, we could check out those small islands in the northeast.
Since I have decided not to help Bujold and I feel too impatient to wait for the trader Edla to wake up, we shall head north right away.
The sun is slowly rising as we travel to Wind Stone and from there to the nearest island called Haknir's Shoal. There's a tent camp with some bandits. We kill them and find a Deathbrand Treasure Map that has four crosses in various parts of what are evidently the contours of Solstheim. One of them is where we are now, and after a little searching we find a Deathbrand Helm in a locked and partially buried chest.
It has the Waterbreathing enchantment which I don't need, because I know a spell to that effect, but the helm as such looks quite cool if you disregard those long horns. I've never liked horned helmets.
The next place with buried treasure, according to the map, is on the northern part of the western coast, seemingly north-northwest from Water Stone. It suits us fine, because we'll be passing through there on our way back to Ravenrock.
We return to the mainland and admire a couple of cute horkers. Then we hear clanking. Walking in the direction of the noise, we see a man working at an ore vein with a pickaxe. His name is Torkild and he talks kind of incoherently. I ask him if he's all right. Instead of answering, he begins to grow bigger. I mean, all over.
He is turning into a werewolf (or maybe a -bear if it pleases you)! I'm not sure if he's going to attack us, but then he does and we have to kill him.
Wait. Torkild... wasn't that the man from Skaal who went missing?
Indeed, he has a letter on him written by himself and addressed to his brother Wulf:
Well, there's nothing we can do for him anymore. We'll deliver the letter one of these days, but right now we're moving on to the northeast.
There are really many horkers in this region. As for the islands, we discover three. On the first one, we encounter a dragon. After killing him, I succeed in taking from him some of those heartscales Tolfdir of Winterhold wanted. There are more horkers on this island. Evidently dragons don't eat horkers, or at least not much.
We swim to the farthest island next. We learn it's called Giant Nirnroot Isle and inhabited by spriggans. Unaffected by our Spriggan Soap, they attack us. We shouldn't have come here at all. There are also very large nirnroot plants growing on this island, just like the name suggests.
That's the mainland in the distance. You might recognize the famous big volcano.
(I wonder if it's possible to travel to it. Why has it never occurred to me before?)
(I wonder if it's possible to travel to it. Why has it never occurred to me before?)
On the third island, between this one and the mainland, is a camp of Rieklings. As we've witnessed repeatedly, Rieklings attack human settlements and that's why I don't feel bad about killing them.
We now continue to circle the island of Solstheim conterclockwise. The shore is very rocky, so we have to wade through water part of the way. I wish the helm we found had a Waterwarming enchantment instead of Waterbreathing. Isn't the ocean surface supposed to freeze solid in this cold anyway? Too bad there's no one to complain to.
We reach a place called Glacial Cave. Just as the name says, it's a cave.
It's not a very big one, has enough light to see comfortably and there are some Rieklings who live in small tents like this one:
They attack us, we kill them, take everything valuable and move on along the coast. After more horkers and a couple of dead people deceased at unknown time and circumstances, we approach the northwestern edge of Summerset. Through the snowfall, we can see something wooden in the distance. Could be a ship. But there are also three smaller islands off the shore. We'll check those out first.
They consist mostly of that strange ice- or crystal-like rock that is widespread in this region, and are completely desolate apart from one small ancient burial site.
Having swum from one island to another, we reach the mainland just a little way to the southwest from that wooden thing. Looking carefully from behind the edge of a very high near-vertical wall of rock, we can see it's a wooden pier. There's no ship, nor for that matter any people. Just a large number of mudcrabs who, on account of us having used the Spriggan Soap, don't mind us looking around.
Ever had a chance to see a mudcrab up close?
On the shore is a shack in which, among other things, is a strongbox. I'm not going to wonder how it got here. I just steal everything in it.
Our way goes to the south now. We find yet another piece of Deathbrand armor. A dragon is kind enough to wait with his attack until we have cleared out a Riekling outpost.
I have just absorbed the dragon's soul.
When we sit down and have a little rest, I suddenly remember Falskaar and how Jarl Agnar had Svegard foully murder the bandit who had told him where his wife and son were. The reason why I recall it now is that it occurs to me that I acted just as dishonorably with Paratus in Mzulft thanks to whom we had found out where the Staff of Magnus was and with The Caller in Fellglow Keep who had given us those vitally important books.
The girls try to explain me that Paratus had clearly announced his hostile intentions and no decent person could with a clear conscience have left someone as evil as the The Caller alive, and besides I hadn't made any express or implied promises to either of them. I disagree, but I don't want to start an argument. I just announce that I'm going to give Jarl Agnar a second chance. We'll return to Falskaar one more time. Someday.
Jordis doesn't say anything.
I jump up decisively and motion to the girls to follow me.
We meet a large family of netches on the shore. One of them is really small, must be a toddler in netch terms.
There's no way to bypass them, so we just run through quickly, hoping they won't feel threatened. We succeed. By 5 in the evening, we're in Ravenrock. Sofie is happy to see us and tell us eagerly about all the things she has been seeing and doing.
The third chest with a hidden Deathbrand item should be just outside the town. It's a good thing there are bandits guarding it, otherwise it might have been extremely difficult to find.
A fire mage, huh? Well, let's see what you're made of.
Now it's 6 o'clock in the evening and still light enough to travel, if we want to go anywhere. The last piece of Deathbrand armor is in the southeastern end of Solstheim. With the other three being rather useless, I'm not at all sure I even want it. We could, of course, also check out Kolbjorn Barrow while we're here, or we could just travel back to Skyrim.
Lydia reminds me we ought to go to Skaal and tell Wulf about his unfortunate brother.
Right! This means we'll go to Skaal now.
In all likelihood, we'll end up having to travel from Skaal to Tel Mithryn in darkness, but we'll be going down the mountains, so finding our way should not be too difficult.
The sun sets and a snowfall starts while we're approaching Skaal.
It so happens that after we've made our report to Wulf, we have to help the villagers thwart a Riekling attack. By then it's almost half past 8 and pitch-dark. We'll spend the night in Skaal.
Before going to sleep, I tell the girls I'm thinking of helping Bujold and her wannabe warriors after all. The Riekling group that has occupied Thirsk is reputed to be the biggest one on the island and for that matter quite close to Skaal. People also say that the king of all the Rieklings is with that very gang. If we destroy them, it should make the people's life a lot safer in Solstheim.
The girls don't answer much. My eyes fall shut too almost as soon as I've finished talking.
next awakening
