Always Lost, Always Hopeful (218) Ahead of the Pack

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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






4-202-03-25 07:24
Jerall View Inn, Bruma, Bruma County, Cyrodiil


We're traveling to the west today.

There's nothing interesting going on in the suburb outside the gate, but on the road we meet an Imperial officer who got wounded in the Skyrim war.

Point 1: The cronies of the thalmors aren't exactly the Stormcloaks' brothers.
You sound almost like Tullius who said Ulfric rebeled against HIS emperor.
Point 2: Since when do soldiers representing the legitimate government flee from the rebels who "hunt" them?
Or am I misunderstanding something and "legate" comes in fact from "leg it"?

We pass by the Western Watchtower where we meet Garceus, that veteran guard whom Ereia hates. His opinion of her isn't any better, but judging by his ramblings, he seems to be even more angry about Quatrius having been appointed the new captain instead of him. Well, it seems they made the right choice. I doubt this bitter old man would have made a good guard chief.

Lydia reminds me that in Riften we did indeed see two brothers, one of whom was pro-Stormcloak and the other pro-Imperial. So Arilus was not entirely wrong. She's right. I had forgotten about that.

We proceed to nearby Applewatch where we say hello to that old cider-maker Gergus. He tells us the villagers are worried about a new pack of wolves that has appeared recently and is roaming about dangerously close to the village, so they won't even allow children play outside anymore. If my girls and I could kill the wolves, the people of Applewatch would be extremely grateful.

A boy comes running and says he saw wolves. He was evidently playing outside after all. When the wolves appeared, he was up on a tree. He waited until the beasts left in the southeasterly direction. Then he climbed down and ran to the village as fast as he could.

He can barely pronounce coherent sentences. Sounds like he had the scare of his life fearing that the ferocious animals would notice him. I act like I'm not noticing his fear, just thank him for telling us. Me and my followers shall go and take a look right now. Southeast, he said (and came from).

We soon arrive at a drop of maybe 5 or 6 meters. There's a path down below. We jump down and are attacked by a vampire without a head. I mean, really, there's just a bloody uneven rump where a head is supposed to be. Not like chopped off with an axe. More like unhurriedly chewed off by a big animal. It's revolting. I don't even want to show you a picture.

What I don't understand is how can a vampire be without a head. How can he suck blood? Well, never mind that. We have a wolf pack to catch.

The wolves are not far from this place. They don't even attack us, because of the Spriggan Soap. I feel really sorry for having to kill them in such a deceitful manner, but if they have made a bad choice of roaming about a human settlement and scaring people, then they have to die. That's called natural selection.

We return to Applewatch and inform Gergus. (He kind of seems to be in charge here.) Then we take a tour around the village, the girls and I. One of the houses belongs to Gergus himself. We meet his wife Cindaia who tells us that Gergus has been very sad about the loss of something called Red Diamond. Okay, we're returning to Gergus to ask himself about the specifics.

A horse?
Red Diamond is a HORSE???????

Yeah, well, the name is not the point. The point is Gergus's horse has disappeared from the village. I'm not too good at horse-searching, I'm afraid. So we just continue our exploration of this region. We head west and soon the path turns northwest, uphill. Seeing a mountain lion attack an elk, we kill the lion. Then Jenassa notices tracks of horse hooves in the snow.

Fine. Let's see where they lead to. Maybe it's the same horse.

They lead to a cave. It's not very big and decidedly not beautiful. Inside are remains of several animals, including a horse whose name was indeed Red Diamond. The only living creature we encounter is an ogre. It can't quite make up its mind if it should attack us or not, but we kill him anyway because it's not nice to steal and eat people's horses.

Having come out of the cave again, we have to decide where to go next. The Ayleid ruin Rielle is directly to our east, not too far. However, I recall the day when we saw a fortress-like structure on top of a mountain and tried to discover it but discovered Rielle instead. We'll try to find that fortress now.

I presume it's higher than Rielle. So we follow the uphill path that goes northeast. Indeed, we soon see a structure with thick but not very high defense walls to our east-northeast at about our elevation. Down below, to our southeast, we're having a spectacular view of Rielle and Bruma.

The fortress is somewhat tricky to get to. There's a very narrow ledge where I'm unsure if it's possible to walk across without falling down.

Of course, we're wearing enchanted armor that would prevent us from falling to death, it's just that finding a way back up would be a real headache.

Luckily, we succeed in walking across.

This resembles less a fortress than a strange kind of temple. Indeed we learn soon it's called Cloud Ruler Temple.

The interior is in an utterly awful state. One can barely find enough room among the rubble to walk.

A horribly loud ghostly voice tells us there's a great battle going on and we need to find someone called Alina. Very well, we'll have a look around.

In one of the side halls, we find a skeleton of a long-dead human whose name was indeed Alina. There's an Akaviri katana lying on the floor nearby. I pick it up, wondering how much the count of Bruma would pay for it. Then we go on exploring the place and find two or three more katanas, as well as the skeleton of someone named Raaslan.

And finally we find the owner of the ghostly voice himself. He's a ghost and his name is Raaslan.

I inform him that regrettably, Alina is dead. Raaslan is devastated. Now all is lost, he says. Without Alina's magic, they won't be able to defend the temple against the Dominion forces. I realize the two lost their lives in the Great War. Raaslan doesn't seem to realize he's dead himself. I gently break the news to him.

He asks me to help the two of them as well as their companion Corvon to travel to the realm of the dead. In order do that, I'll have to place their katanas into the special flames that are burning in the main hall.

I follow Raaslan into the main hall where we find the ghosts of Alina and Corvon already waiting for us.

I learn they were members of the Blades – the ancient organization Rudelphine of Riverwood belongs to, remember? Raaslan tells me I can keep the fourth katana I found.

I release the souls of the three as instructed. One after another, they thank us cordially and disappear from our view.

Now the girls and I leave this very not joyous place.

It's half past seven in the evening by now and quite dark. Shall we go to Rielle right away? It's very near and maybe we'll be able to spend the night there. On the other hand, Bruma is not far either. It would be no problem to return here in the morning.

"Didn't you want to get a new hairstyle?" Lydia asks.

Right. I've been talking for several days how I long to get back that very short hairdo I had when we were in Falskaar the first time. I mean, it's not exactly a burning issue, but we'd still better go to the city, sleep in comfortable beds whose current occupants don't need to be killed first, and explore Rielle tomorrow.

Arrived in Bruma, I get that hairstyle, and then I go alone to the palace where I get a final confirmation that Afanna is my friend no longer. It pains me considerably, but she can't forgive me for letting Simund off the hook.

But I meet Eddvia on my way to the inn. She is going home. She's almost as nice as Afanna used to be. I think we can become good friends.

I ask the innkeeper Stantus if he has heard any good rumors. He says there is some recent trouble in the Jucani family, but he doesn't know any details.

I figure it's not yet too late to go and pay them a visit. They live in the house next door. I'm used to people in Skyrim keeping pretty late hours. Maybe the Cyrodiilian people do as well.

They do. Even their little son Banus is still up. He tells me in great detail how his dog Scruffy got lost when they were playing near the northern gate. Well, outside the gate really, he adds quietly, having made sure his parents aren't paying attention to our conversation.

He's very sad. I promise I'll go and look around for the dog, and Banus promises that if I find it he'll be my best friend forever.

I won't bother his parents with questions tonight. If I succeed in helping the boy, it'll give me a much better starting position for a frank conversation with them, trying to help Eddvia get out of that undesired wedding.

Quite frankly, I had another reason for going out as well – my boyfriend Dar'taqto was not in the inn. I walk around in the city for some time, but I can't find him. I ask Stantus if he knows where Dar'taqto is, but he doesn't. Therefore I just settle for kissing and cuddling with Jordis before sleep. (She thought it safer to wait until tomorrow before going to bed with her boyfriend Gryfard.)



next awakening

Always Lost, Always Hopeful (208) Absent Honor

———————————————
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.
———————————————




previous day






4-202-03-15 08:40
Jerall View Inn, Bruma, Bruma County, Cyrodiil


After our bath and breakfast, me and my followers exit the city by the northwestern gate and venture into the fairytale-like silvery wilderness, with the goal of locating a presumably nasty dungeon infested with depraved criminals.

We pass by the Bruma Western Watchtower, wave hello to the guard on duty outside the entrance, and give a wide berth to a club-carrying humanoid creature who looks somewhat smaller than a giant but, judging by the sound of his footsteps, seems to weigh at least four times more.

Our destination, Capstone Cave, is nearby. How come the city guards haven't discovered it yet? Or do they have some kind of a working arrangement with the bandits?

We go in,

sneak up on a bandit and kill him easily. We find a long and confusing letter by someone called Dar'zorben (a Khajiit??) to the effect that Atienne is such a pompous fool while in fact he, Dar'zorben, is the coolest guy ever. The letter mentions some future plans which involve double-crossing Atienne, but frankly I don't understand much. We must go and show this letter to Adius, maybe he can use ot somehow.

There are passages leading to other caves and I can detect signs of plentiful human presence, but the girls agree that it makes more sense to consult Adius first rather there attack bandits at random, hoping that Atienne may be among them. The information in the letter might enable Adius (who unlike us knows the local circumstances) to reach the goal with less bloodshed.

So we go out again.

Noticing a shack on top of a nearby hill in the direction opposite to the city, I decide to check it out before returning to Bruma. We meet a riding guard, something one doesn't see in Skyrim, and discover a big windmill. There's a village called Applewatch. That's great. We have some business in Applewatch.

We talk to a few villagers. It seems they are leading a simple, peaceful life and are very content.

I'm very happy for the villagers who have found their little world of calmness and relative carelessness. That is with the exception of a small boy who is excited to see adventurers and eager to become one.

Then we find an old man with a beard whose name is Gergus. He's indeed a cider producer and he says he's sorry for the delay, and promises to have the cider delivered to the inn in the city today or tomorrow.

This is a nice tranquil place to live, but not for me, of course. The realization really hits me how I long to be in a city, wear beautiful clothes, talk to people and help them with problems that don't involve killing anyone. We're going to do that today. We'll return to Bruma, report to Adius, and then dress up in those new clothes we bought the other day and spend the rest of the day in the palace.

We go by the road to the Western Watchtower and reach Bruma soon. I ask a guard where Captain Adius is. She says he went to take a look at some trouble near the marketplace.

We find Adius in front of Botram's house. Apparently Botram walked in on a burglar and ran back out.

Strangely enough, Adius seems afraid to go in. He knows there's a trapdoor in the house that leads to some underground tunnels where bandits have been known to reside, and now he suspects an ambush. Seeing me and my followers approach, he welcomes the distraction and asks me if we succeeded in finding out anything about the theft in the palace. I show him the letter we found, but then Botram interrupts us insisting that Adius do something about the burglar in his house. While they are arguing, I exchange a few words with a woman elbowing her way through the crowd which has gathered around us. She turns out to be Ila, one of the three people who owe money to that Razz-whatever. She owns the stables in the northern end of the city, and she's unhappy because one of the horses ran away recently. I promise her I'll look into it when I have the time, but now Adius requires my attention again. He says we have to go and catch that burglar, and he wants me and my followers to go in first.

Excuse me? What kind of a man are you? I'm used to having to tell men in the strongest possible terms that they are not to run past me and charge at the enemy. More often than not, I've been unsuccessful. This is the first time ever I see a man insisting a woman go into danger ahead of him. (Oh... you're right, that Orc chieftain was actually the first.)

I'm keeping my thoughts to myself, of course. In fact, I much prefer to go in first, but such behavior from a man is just mind-blowing.

Well, we are to find out there wasn't much danger to start with. Having entered the house, we see a heavily injured man sitting on the floor. He doesn't look like he's able to stand up, let alone attack anyone. Neither does he seem to carry any weapons and there's no sign of an ambush.

Adius demands to know his name. Atienne, he says. And what may he be doing in this house? Well, he escaped from the bandits to whom he was trying to sell the things he had stolen from the palace, but they double-crossed him – took away his loot, beat him and left him tied up. With immense effort, he was able to free himself, find the ladder to this house and push the trapdoor open with his last strength.

So the Akaviri artifacts are still down there?

Yes.

With his firm decisiveness back, Adius tells me he'll bring Atienne to the prison while me and my followers go and get the stolen items. I raise no objections.

While the guards are helping Atienne to stand up (because he's really at the end of his strength; they'll have to practically carry him), the girls and I climb down the ladder that is under the trapdoor under the bed.

Exploring the passages, we meet three or four bandits who are dead almost before they realize what hit them. One is indeed a Khajiit named Dar'zorben. Nearby is a bag with unusual amulets and rings that look Akaviri enough to us. No sign of a katana, but I think this is still better than nothing. We hurry to return to the ground before the rest of the bandits would notice something is going on.

I guess Adius will be expecting us in the palace as soon as possible. But I have no scruples letting a "man" like him wait. Therefore, we stroll unhurriedly and look around. Passing by the temple, we end up in a conversation with an oldish woman Felki who tells us a not very interesting but long tale about the history of her family who originally were very enterprising farmers in the area of Windhelm.

When we reach the palace and return Count Desilus (for the victim was none other than him) his valuable collection (sans the katana, I'm really sorry), he can't thank me and my followers enough.

Desilus hands me ceremoniously some money as a reward, but his tone of voice leaves no doubt that this is only a formality; the real reward is his benevolence in the future, should we ever need it.

I now return to Adius to talk to him about Dar'taqto and give him the memory gem from that elven man.

I am shocked more than words can say when Adius adresses me like some highly dubious-looking stranger just arrived in the city.

I can't believe his haughty hostility which is fact makes me think for a moment that I walked up to a wrong man. I look at Lydia in utter confusion. She shrugs slightly and I look back at Adius. Well, it is Adius. But what's happened to him? When we first talked about the theft, he assured me that if I succeeded in helping him, he would be "extremely appreciative". That's what he said. Not just "very grateful" or something like that. He pointedly told me I would find him extremely appreciative. And now he treats me like it was the height of insolence on my part to even make bold to address someone of his importance.

I bring up the topic of Dar'taqto all the same. He laughs and says I'm not the first one Dar'taqto (who has, of course, been in trouble with the law many times in the past) has convinced someone to talk to Adius in his defense. But Cedus accuses Dar'taqto, so there is "regrettably" nothing he can do.

Are you out of your mind or is this some kind of a joke? How can you assume a man is a criminal just because someone accuses him? If I lose my wallet, can I then point a finger at anyone I don't like, claim he stole my wallet, and you will then send him to prison?

Adius clearly doesn't appreciate this line of reasoning, but he doesn't have any sensible counter-arguments either. So he grudgingly agrees that Dar'taqto shall not be punished. However, he will have to leave the city forever. He's undeniably a habitual criminal, so there shall be no place in Bruma for him.

I can hardly argue against that. But I still ask Adius to listen to the memory gem I brought. He agrees readily and lets me and the girls listen in.

Well, that's a complete flop, albeit a hilarious one. We learn that Cerendil was evidently visiting The Restful Watchman and some regular customers, including that suspicious Argonian man Crouches-In-Crevices, who weren't all that fond of elves, thought of playing a little prank on him, so they paid a prostitute, apparently also an Argonian, to do something to him. (They referred to a scene from the book "The Lusty Argonian Maid" which I haven't read, but my followers burst out laughing.) On the gem, Cerendil sounds extremely indignant and repulsed by what followed. As we can't hear any sounds of pain, the most likely reason for his protest was his contempt of Argonians as such. Yet he seemed to be too drunk to resist the girl, and seemed to get aroused in spite of himself, and reach a climax to the obvious amusement of an unknown number of witnesses.

When the recording stops, Adius looks at me and he doesn't even have to say anything. Clearly no one broke any law there. He tells me to get out of his sight.

Indeed, I do get out of his sight. It's already dark outside, so I instruct my girls to go somewhere far away from here and make sure to be seen there, each one in a different place. Me, I choose a spot well hidden in the mostly dark palace courtyard and wait until Adius exits the palace without a care in the world, evidently for his usual walk around the city. I follow him to an empty street. Then I shoot the jerk dead. I wish I could have taken him somewhere in the woods and beaten him slowly to death, but that was obviously unfeasible. With the density of guards they have in this city, I'll be lucky to get away with this simple assassination.

I quickly sneak away to show myself in some other part of the city. I'm shocked to my core. I mean, I'm not making anything up here. I clearly remember he said "extremely appreciative". What has to be going on in the head of a man who after such a ceremonious promise treats you like complete garbage and wouldn't as much as suppress a simple theft charge, a completely unproven one at that? Come to think of it, what kind of a justice system would accuse a person without a shred of evidence? What kind of a nest of vipers have I come to admire?

Approaching my inn, I realize that next to that pompous and treacherous jerk, even Bentior doesn't look all that bad.

I step briefly into the Jerall View Inn. Cerendil is there. I tell him there is no criminal case in that incident. He exclaims angrily that he shall return home without delay.

The way he comments on the whole thing confirms my suspicion that his problem was not the, um, act per se but the fact that is was performed by a lowly Argonian. So, good riddance. I'm sure this kind of attitude will not be missed here.

Cerendil almost storms out without paying for his drink, while I walk up to Dar'taqto whom I'm noticing in a corner. I tell him he's free to go, and more than that – evicted from Bruma. He's relieved as well as very sad. He tells me he has nowhere to go. Well, I very much doubt he has no savings he could use for settling down in another settlement, even though it may be one with fewer opportunities for stealing. And if he's a hunter as he told me, he is obviously able to survive the journey. However, he is also my boyfriend. That's why I tell him he can travel with me if he really has nowhere to go. It may be a lot more dangerous than traveling on his own, though. For that matter, he might want to wait until he's actually thrown out of the city by the guards. After all, I'm not a court messenger or something, so my telling him that Adius wants him to leave Bruma has no legal validity. (I obviously can't tell him Adius is dead, but I realize too late I had no reason to tell him anything about Adius's decision to begin with; after all, me and my followers were the only people who even knew about it. Guess I'm somewhat confused from all that's happened recently.)

Stantus (left) suggests to Gryfard (right) that he'll feel better after he's had a somewhat stronger drink.
Admiring Gryfard's clothes, I kind of missed the part where he explained what he was unhappy about.  :-)
Even though I know, he's a clothes vendor, it's still a rare delight to see a common man nicely dressed.

After informing Stantus his cider should arrive tomorrow at the latest, and learning it already did and he's very grateful to me, I head for The Restful Watchman. Bentior is glad that Cerendil's incident is not going to have any judicial consequences. Yet, when I try to make some general conversation, he makes it very clear that the less he sees me, the happier he'll be. Right. He is all that bad after all.

I have now shown myself to enough neutral witnesses and in fact talked a few words to a city guard along the way, so that I can dare stroll back towards the palace with that very guard. There are already two of his colleagues shockedly bending over the dead body of Adius. As I walk casually the other way, I wonder if I should take the matter of Dar'taqto up with the count himself. No, I'd better try to talk to that merchant first. Not tonight, though. I walk back to the central square and realize I haven't been to the temple yet. It's not an inviting place. The shape of the building looks kind of heavy and oppressing from the outside. Even the robust architecture of the ancient Nordic ruins doesn't make you feel they're going to crush your soul should you venture inside.

However, I shouldn't avoid the building just because of its weird and unfriendly outer appearance. So I go in with my followers who have been walking around here and there and have found me by now and are eager to hear all about the mysterious murder of Captain Adius which has already become the talk of the town. (No one seems to be suspecting me, not after my recent feat that is generally assumed to have made me pretty much his favorite person in this city.)

The temple is poorly lighted and there's not a living soul there, apart from the priest himself.

There are altars to all the eight permitted gods, so we can pray to Dibella. When we walk out again, I ask the girls to give me some time alone. I find a secluded spot along the side wall of the temple and sit down to think. Things have been going very wrong. I'm no longer enjoying myself in this city. Adius's treachery has made me almost hate the whole world. I know it'll pass, but I certainly don't feel like parading around in beautiful clothes in the palace anymore. Not in a place of such double-dealing and corrupt justice. I mean, after all that's happened, I'm not even sure Afanna is really my friend. And then I find myself reflecting on the blacksmith Hulgard's words about the explosive power struggle in Cyrodiil. Our war against the Aldmeri Dominion no longer looks as hopeful as I used to think.

Around midnight, I walk back to my inn and go to sleep.

Thank you, friend. You have no idea how much I needed this. Ask me for a favor anytime.

next awakening






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