Deflorator's game, 30 Heartfire – 4 Frostfall (Fort Greenwall – Bitchen – Ivarsted)

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SPOILER INFO
This unfinished story follows closely my actions in an actual game, so it's inevitably a spoiler.
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previous chapter






The author has chosen to remove the text of this unfinished game report, because he is no longer happy with it.

It is obviously impossible to descend THIS. Except, of course, in Skyrim.  :-)

next chapter

Always Lost, Always Hopeful (100) Tough Time Getting Those Houses Sold?

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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






4-201-11-25 02:33
Redwater Den, The Rift, Skyrim

We spend many hours roaming through dungeons, occasionally fighting bandits and vampires, avoiding (most of the) traps and finding hidden switches to open doors. After about 5 hours, we reach what looks like the vampires' dormitory. There are coffins instead of beds and the place is guarded by horrible black dogs with skull-like faces and glowing eyes, like the one in this picture:

We also see underground streams where the water is red.

Why do vampires sleep in coffins? The girls think it's because they can't tolerate sunlight, so they sleep at daytime. Even though there is no sun in this particular location, because it's underground, they still keep to their habit of sleeping under a closed lid, to be on the (very) safe side.

Three more hours later, we have cleared the dungeon without finding anything spectacular. But I suppose we've at least dealt a serious blow to the skooma industry in this region. As we return to the surface through the same trapdoor, the lookout woman makes no move to attack us. I know I ought to kill her, but I'm utterly unable to destroy such dazzling beauty. With the skooma factory destroyed, she'll surely get the hint and find herself a less despicable occupation.

We travel in the general direction of Sunguard City. I notice a small citadel in the horizon to the north of our path.

We go to check it out. It's called Rift Watchtower and occupied by bandits. Two of them are outside the entrance and easy to kill. The third one I sense inside on the ground floor. I approach the closed door most carefully with my bow drawn. His timing is better. He opens the door at the exact moment I'm about to do the same, and succeeds in landing a hit on me.

I kill him, of course, but then I make a mistake of completely dropping my guard. Fortunately, my followers are alert and notice the fourth man who is on the very top of the citadel.

We enjoy the magnificent view from up there for a few minutes and then continue our journey. We stop at the Sarethi Farm to say hello to the two likeable dark-skinned elf sisters and then wash ourselves in a small river nearby.

I ask the girls what they think about Avrusa and Aduri. One sister is practical and accepts her limitations, the other dreams of adventure and romance in a big city. Which one of the two they'd rather be?
I'm not surprised that Jenassa says she'd prefer the stability of a proper home to any adventure, except that she's hopeless at farming. I'm not missing the word "proper". A rather obvious implication is it doesn't apply to her life in the back room of an inn in Hviterun.
Lydia says she would also hang up her sword and settle down, but never without an absolutely reliable man. She wouldn't mind having to learn farming... or maybe she's not quite sure about that, she adds after a while.
Jordis has no doubt she'd leave and take her chances in a city.
Me, I don't think I could stand living in a secluded farm like the Sarethis'. I believe to know I have spent much of my childhood in the countryside, but I'd much prefer to live in a smalltown near a big city, such as Dragonbridge.

Now we're all clean and head northwest. Soon we reach the big river, on the western bank of which lies Sunguard City. We spend a couple of hours shopping, chatting with people and generally looking around.

Those  Glass Gauntlets don't really go with this outfit, do they?

At half past three we head west to Ivarsted, preferring the southern bank of Lake Geir over the road.

In the lake, near Ivarsted, is an island. I'm curious to find out what's on it. So we swim across. Apart from an elk and a mudcrab, we see an entrance to something called Geirmund's Hall. Sounds like one of those Nord dungeons with nothing interesting or valuable. We swim across the narrow strait to Ivarsted, coming to land near the Shroud Hearth Barrow.

Everybody in the village seems to be alive and well, leading their normal lives. We only stop long enough to sell stuff and pick up a bounty letter from the innkeeper Wilhelm. Turns out another dragon has settled down at Northwind Summit. I'll have to remember to bring a male follower when I go there. I can't remember if I told you, but it's a spectacular site for lovemaking, because it's got possibly the best view in all of Skyrim – as long as the weather is good.

We are now headed for Riverwood. It's almost 6 in the evening, but we'll be traveling along main roads, so it shouldn't be too difficult to reach at least Helgen tonight. I intend to make a slight detour through The Rift Imperial Camp to sell things to the quartermaster.

Halfway there, we discover a Honeystrand Cave. I have dreamed of the place. It should be a medium-sized cave without any passages to other caves. We're giving it a miss this time.

In the imp camp, everything is well. After a brief stop, we continue our journey to the west through the mountain pass.

In the Haemar's Shame area, there are the usual skirmishes going on between the imps and the storks. About where the proper road begins, we find a cave entrance called New South Road Entrance. That's something none of us has ever heard even rumors about, so we go in.

Down below is a wide almost decently lit tunnel (see picture above) that leads to an underground city.

There are great many houses, but the doors won't open. They seem to be jammed of barricaded. In the farther end of the main street, there's even a beautiful large palace, but unfortunately it can't be entered from anywhere either.

We only succeed in going into two buildings. One is called South Road Outpost. This "outpost" looks like a normal home with a fireplace, tables and chairs, shelves and beds. There's a small dog inside who is friendly but doesn't want to come outside with us. That dog and two horses near the palace are the only living beings we see in this abandoned city. The local human inhabitants must have had very bad experiences with travelers if they ran into hiding like this forgetting even the dog.

The other building whose door can be opened is Silver Wind Tavern. It's quite large and has a storeroom with stocks of various kinds of alcoholic beverages, but not a living soul anywhere.

There are many beds and it's getting on midnight, so I decide we'll spend the night here.



next awakening

Always Lost, Always Hopeful (99) Cough Up the Money

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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






4-201-11-24 05:54
The Copper Cask Inn, Darkwater, Eastmarch, Skyrim


Without waiting for the meager village shop to open, we cross the bridge west of the village and head south past the waterfalls and then east. The weather is warm and nice, although there are some clouds. From the west–east highway, we have lovely views to the geysir area far below us in the north.

And here is yet another cute fox.  :-)

Being so fond of foxes, how about I start calling myself Foxy Laura instead of that silly "Dragonborn"?
Yeah, I know. The people wouldn't understand.

At the intersection southwest of Vernim Wood, there's again a massive battle going on. While we sit and watch, Jordis tells me timidly that if I had planned to do anything tonight, I shouldn't postpone my plans just for her birthday party. I tell her not to worry. I will have a number of errands to run in Bitchen and they can celebrate at the inn while I'm busy elsewhere.

I've been having the impression that Jordis is very shy about being in the center of attention. She also dislikes alcohol (or possibly doesn't tolerate it well). So maybe we won't spend the whole evening in Bitchen.

I suddenly realize I have no use for a dozen sets of garbage armor, so there's no point in waiting for this battle to end. I give a sign to the girls to get up, and we move on.

I sell some things in Shor and have a brief chat with my friend Sylgja. On our way south to Bitchen, I won't bother to bypass that fort in the middle of the highway nor fight the bandits. We simply run through, ignoring their excited shouts. They're so clumsy they can't even hit us running.

Having arrived at the Bitchen inn full of people, I announce the happy event. After we've tossed Jordis in the air as is the custom, I invite everyone to a drink at our expense. Then I leave them to their party. I have stuff to deliver to several people. I also report to Anuriel about that dragon we killed on the jarl's orders. Both she and the jarl are very happy, but they don't have any further work for me. It's a little weird. The bartender Keerava has told me the city administration is trying hard to catch skooma dealers. I'd love to participate in it, but what do I have to do to be allowed to?

I go shopping. That's all I can do.

That's a modest but very well stocked Argonian trader down by the canal.
I've heard people wonder why Argonian women have breasts if they're reptiles.
Maybe they lay eggs like reptiles do, but then suckle their hatchlings? I haven't yet dared to ask any Argonians.

Then I join the party. Lydia is the only one who looks sad. That's because her period has not yet ended, so she can't go to bed with Maul. But all the other people at the inn are having a great time. Jordis is sitting between two men and is having some difficulties parrying their (so far friendly, even though persistent) physical attention. I ask Jenassa if we should leave. She thinks we'd better, because Jordis is on the verge of getting drunk and doing things she might regret tomorrow.

So I pay the bill, including one more round for everyone, and suggest the folks continue to have a good time without us.

We're generally headed for Riverwood, but I've had dreams of a skooma den somewhere halfway between Bitchen and Ivarsted. We'll try and find it today, since we're going in the direction of Ivarsted anyway. Maybe we'll discover something that'll give me an opening with Jarl Laila.

We run west-northwest through a hilly birch forest under the blue sky. The weather is as delightful as could be. Jordis agrees that this is a better way of celebrating a birthday than getting drunk in a place like Bitchen.

A couple of bears want to play with us, but we're too fast for them. One troll can't be shaken off, though, so we kill him. He has a strange brown color. They're usually white. (Lydia explains me that the ones who are white live in the snowy regions. This "strange" brown is the usual color of forest trolls. All right. Thanks.)

We pass by a Hunter Camp inhabited by two poachers. After some friendly small talk, we move on. Just about halfway betweenˇthe Hunter Camp and the Sarethi Farm, we come across the ruin of a wooden farmhouse familiar to me from my dreams. In front of what used to be the oven sits a woman in a fur dress that leaves her shoulders open almost all the way down to her belly.

If I were a man, I wouldn't head on anywhere anytime soon.

With some effort, I tear my eyes off her adorable chocolate-brown skin and hurry to the trapdoor. This place is called Redwater Den.
[Chocolate is an unimaginably delicious sweet produced in High Rock.]

We descend the ladder to a small room with a wooden door, in front of which stands a rather ugly man with a beard and horns. Upon closer look, the horns are of his helmet. He tells us we'd better behave downstairs or he'll come and teach us manners. Yeah, right. Passing throught the door, we enter a big room divided into niches, in each one of which sits a coughing and completely incommunicative person. That is with the exception of one niche with a woman who doesn't cough. She's dead.

Yeah, the woman near the entrance who sells skooma isn't coughing either.

She looks so tough I don't think she even needs this grating for protection.

"Maybe we should've had your birthday party here?" I say to Jordis. She laughs without bothering to answer.

Past the dealer's booth and the niches is a locked grating-door. Beyond it is a room with some furniture and a wide passage apparently leading into a dungeon. Motioning to my followers to watch my back, I set to work on the lock.

Hearing the lock click, a servant comes running to tell us we're to leave it alone. Unperturbedly, I open the door, the servant attacks my followers and is promptly killed. The dealer realizes she's outmatched and tries to hide, but I kill her too. Somewhat surprised that the tough guy guarding the entrance hasn't rushed down the stairs yet, I sneak up the stairs instead. He stands just where he was before, with his back turned to the open door. Maybe he has consumed some skooma? I kill him with one arrow. Then we put all the customers to death as well. They're such a wretched sight that I have little doubt that they're better off dead.

But I see now how skooma may have a certain allure to it. (That man is dead. See the arrow?)

Having looted all the bodies and stolen what's valuable, we go through that grating-door whose lock I picked. The passage leads to a huge cavern with some guggling and steaming machinery as well as several guards on wooden platforms and walkways. They notice us quickly. In fact, one of them gets dangerously close to me and I'm having real trouble killing him.

So this is what a skooma factory looks like.
(The almost-open eye symbol is indicating that someone somewhere has almost discovered where I am although I'm sneaking.)

We explore the cavern and find, among other things, some beds. It's half past 7 in the evening and I feel extremely tired. I decide to get some sleep before we move on. As I hardly need to tell you, day and night don't matter underground.



next awakening






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