26 Sun's Dusk
~~~
Solstheim certainly has a way of making me feel unwelcome, though I gather that is a feeling the island does not reserve solely for Khajiit. On my first day on Vvardenfell I raided a smugglers' cavern and pocketed a few Septims. My first full day on Solstheim had me fighting Imperial Legion rebels armed with Paralysis-enchanted weapons, returning from that duty to find Fort Frostmoth sacked, then having to walk the entire length of the island, braving attacks by bears, wolves, and small blue goblins, only so that I could speak to a tribe of isolated Nords.
Quite a welcome.
I was more excited to begin my adventure here than I thought I would be and after a hurried breakfast Blindly striking out for the mage's mystery airship seemed an easy way to a quick death, so I called upon the representative of the East Empire Company, Carnius Magius. My thinking was that I could become acquainted with the island while earning a little coin, but the man was rather...difficult to deal with.
He claimed to be short-handed and willing to sign up pretty much any one, but stated that I would be merely put to simple manual labor for the duration of my contract with the Company. Clearly news of my deeds on Vvardenfell have not reached this place yet. Of course I rejected his offer and sought out the Commander of the fort, Captain Carius.
The Captain was easier to talk to than the Company man. His full name is Falx Carius and he optimistically described the fort's garrison having the ability to be the best in the Empire. He ironically finished the statement by admitting that the Imperial Legionnaires had been getting a little "edgy", in his own words and he asked if I could find out why this was. According to the Captain, most of the soldiers were at Fort Frostmoth due to offences done elsewhere, but had been conducting their duties reasonably well nonetheless, until recently.
He felt that someone at the Fort was creating discontent among the troops and suggested that I try interviewing a few of the soldiers. Why he felt that they would speak to a Khajiit that was unknown to them, I do not know. The solution to this problem proved embarrassingly simple.
While packing for my trip here, I chose the lightest of my weapons and kept my usual armor. A few potions, most of them restoratives of health and magicka, were also brought with me...as well as a flask of brandy imported from Cyrodiil. My plan was to sell it on the island, as I assumed it was worth more here than on Vvardenfell. I assumed correctly.
The very first soldier I approached, a man looking to be of no particular standing, instantly spied the flask hanging from my belt. He nearly begged me to give it to him, so I let him have the drink. In between gulps of brandy, he told me that the entire fort was "dry", no alcohol of any sort was permitted to be drunk, other than the local Nordic mead which the Imperial garrison to a man refuses to drink.
This policy was a recent one and no doubt the cause of the low morale the Captain had noticed. The man loyally pointed out that it seemed an odd thing for the Captain to decide upon, for he was reasonable and just otherwise.
When I spoke to the Captain about his policy, he was taken aback. While he knew about the lack of alcohol, it was not of his doing and he had thought it simply a temporary matter awaiting one of the large shipments the single-masted Imperial merchant vessels infrequently brought. The local Imperial Cult priest, a man named Antonius Nuncius, had been preaching the evils of "drink" for some time, making him my next suspect in this rather strange mystery.
The same anonymous man I had given my brandy to proved additionally helpful. He gave me directions both to the Imperial Cult shrine and the priest's office, but told me I was wasting my time, since the priest thought the Captain's policy an unfair one and assured the soldiers that he understood that they needed the simple pleasures of life...a very different man than how the Captain described him.
A visit to his office was my first priority. The priest was not in, but I was able to let myself in to look around a bit. Subtlety was not Antonius's strong point. His entire desk rattled with the unmistakable sound of glass bottles and some quick work with my few remaining lockpicks revealed enough alcohol to put even a Nord under the table. Clearly the man lacked the will to practice what he preached!
When I spoke to him at the shrine he started off very smug, wondering why the Captain would do such a senseless thing. His demeanor changed very quickly once I handed him one of the bottles from his desk. He may have lacked foresight, but he had enough sense not to be angry about it. Antonius admitted that he had been intercepting all the alcohol deliveries and hiding them in his office so that he could blame the lack of drink on the Captain. He hoped that when the fort's morale got low enough he could write to his superiors for worry of his own safety and be assigned elsewhere.
The Captain was more amused than angry. Antonius needed only to have asked for reassignment and he would have found himself off of the island he was so desperate to leave. As punishment, the wayward priest is now a very permanent part of the Frostmoth garrison, for better or worse.
My second task was immediately assigned to me: find out where the weapons of Fort Frostmoth were disappearing to. This was not surprising given that many of the garrison chose to be here as an alternative to prison. Two of the garrison's best were already working to discover who was smuggling the weapons and I was asked to choose one of them to work with. After speaking with both of them I chose an Imperial named Gaea Artoria who the Captain described as his toughest, most capable warrior. The other guard, Saenus Lusius, was better known for his craftiness and guile, but I think I supply enough guile and craft on my own.
Gaea readily agreed to assist me and told me that she heard that there were small boats docking in a bay close to the fort. She suspected there was a cave of some sort there that was being used to store the stolen goods prior to shipping them. I had no leads of my own so I agreed to take the walk.
The rumor proved to be correct and it was Gaea who spotted the cave entrance behind a slab of rock cleverly placed to give the illusion of one large, unbroken boulder. The cavern itself was simply made, but the inhabitants were a different story. I was expecting a few disgruntled Imperial Legion soldiers armed with the standard-issue equipment, but each of the five smugglers had armed themselves with weapons enchanted with Paralysis. Fortunately Gaea proved every bit the warrior the Captain promised that she was and between her blade and my bow the smugglers stood no chance.
We were both quite shocked to see the fort in ruins upon our return. While we were not gone long, Fort Frostmoth was attacked during our absence, rendering great damage to the fortifications and effecting the apparent kidnapping of Captain Falx Carius. Gaea rushed off to help in whatever way she saw fit and I questioned whomever would pause long enough to speak with me.
From what I was told the fort was taken completely by surprise and the attackers were "wolf creatures". Based on the somewhat shady past the garrison as a whole has, I must assume that the attackers were not some sort of animal, but more likely Nords dressed in wolf skins, as is the custom here. Why they would attack the fort, I do not know.
My would-be companion Sacnus Lusius took temporary charge of the fort in the Captain's absence, but he did not know why Nords would attack either. Unable to spare any men, he charged me with the task of traveling to the far north of the island to speak with the leader of a Nordic village there to see if they have any information regarding the attack.
The village is that of the 'Skaal', which is something like a conservative sect of Nords that keep very close to nature or at least that's what I think I was told. I was given a skull of a long-dead Skaal warrior to give to the village leader as gift, though I cannot say giving me the skull of a Khajiit would place the giver in a positive light. But nevertheless off I went, skull in bag.
The fort was still in sight when I was attacked by a tree. Or rather what I thought was a tree. The first indication that the thing was not, in fact, a tree was a powerful swipe of very long claws raking across my armor. What I was facing looked like an Imperial woman mixed with a tree. Whatever it was, the creature was a difficult opponent, both fast and strong. When I finally struck it down I bent over to examine it, only for it to screech and go for my throat and once again I was in combat. And again, I struck it down only for it to jump back up. Only after the third time it fell did it remain still.
Such was my introduction to the unique fauna of Solstheim. The cold greenery gradually changed to the gray of snow and ice as I worked my way north along a occasionally frozen river. Even Solstheim's native animals proved hostile and I was assaulted by no less than three tusked, furry pigs and two bears.
The barren cold of the snow and ice produces a loneliness that did not really exist on Vvardenfell. No matter where I was I never felt so completely alone as I did while trekking along the frozen river. There are no sounds of civilization and barely any signs of it. No roads, no signposts, no bridges, and no paths. Just complete silence, the darkness of night, and the sound of my own steps crunching the snow underfoot. There was a certain beauty to it, but I greatly prefer the warmer, more populated island of Vvardenfell.
I was attacked by two small blue goblin-like creatures while I was circling around a partially frozen lake. The creatures were wielding a rather crude blade fashioned from what is likely scrap iron into something resembling a cleaver. For them it was a long blade, for me it was a oversize dagger and I left the weapons with their deceased owners.
The sky had been dark for a long time when I finally stumbled into the village of the Skaal people. They were not hostile, but neither were they friendly. Anyone I tried speaking to simply told me that they would not talk to me before I spoke with the Chief of the village, Tharsten Heart-Fang. The exchange reminds me very strongly of my first encounter with the Ashlander tribes.
Tharsten was blunt in declaring his dislike for the Imperial fort, boasting that the soldiers there did not know how to truly live in Solstheim and that may very well be true. His people were certainly "closer" to the land and from what little I was able to glean from our conversation, I gather than wolves are especially revered by the Skaal, at least in this village.
But he also had no information about the attack on Fort Frostmoth. After I described what I had been told about the attack, he surmised that the creatures were not of Solstheim, but refused to say anything further on the subject. He clearly wanted me out of his Hall, but I presented the Skaal skull to him stating that it was an attempt by the Imperials to mend relations.
He laughed and said that the Imperials should learn to leave things where they lie, probably an unintentionally ironic statement given that I am Khajiit. However, after the presentation of my gift I was permitted to atone for the defiling of the land that the construction of the fort had wrought. Tharsten called the connection the Skaal had with the land as a "Oneness" and declared that I would have to acquire this "Oneness" before the Skaal would accept me. I was told to speak with the shaman about how to do this. More and more this is becoming similar to my trials with the Ashlanders.
The shaman, Korst Wind-Eye, told me that I have to visit each of six stones, the Standing Stones, and complete a ritual at each one. The stones represent the six virtues of the Skaal's primary deity, the All-Maker. Once I have completed all six rituals, I will have achieved the "Oneness" the Skaal prize so highly.
They were willing to give me a chance, but not a bed. There was no place to sleep at all in the village and a villager suggested I head south towards a Hall called 'Thirshk'. So it was back into the cold night for me.
Thirshk was not very far, but I was attacked by another blue goblin creature, this one riding one of the tusked pigs that have been attacking me today. Quite an ingenious thing really and the first time I have ever fought cavalry, though that may be stretching the definition a bit. The goblin fought with a long blade that he fashioned the skin of a wolf's head to as a hilt and preferred to stab at me as his mount raced around me in circles. The spear, however, has always been an effective deterrent against mounted foes and it served me very well in this case. I kept his blade to possibly trade for something more useful later.
The hall was full of drunken Nords, all of them welcoming me to drink their mead with them which was claimed to come all the way from Skyrim. I passed on the offer and rented a bed for the night, which turned out to be a pile of animal skins on the floor. My sleeping accommodations as of late appear to be getting worse and worse.
Next door to my little room is a Redguard from the Imperial Cult who claims to have been waiting for someone to escort her back to Fort Frostmoth. I certainly do have to head back to the Fort soon and possibly even to Vvardenfell to collect more of my equipment, but I also want begin the Skaal ritual as soon as I can. The crude map I was provided with puts one of the Standing Stones, the 'Beast Stone', near the lake close by. I will try to visit it tomorrow and escort the woman back when I decide to visit the Frostmoth again.
The Captain was more amused than angry. Antonius needed only to have asked for reassignment and he would have found himself off of the island he was so desperate to leave. As punishment, the wayward priest is now a very permanent part of the Frostmoth garrison, for better or worse.
My second task was immediately assigned to me: find out where the weapons of Fort Frostmoth were disappearing to. This was not surprising given that many of the garrison chose to be here as an alternative to prison. Two of the garrison's best were already working to discover who was smuggling the weapons and I was asked to choose one of them to work with. After speaking with both of them I chose an Imperial named Gaea Artoria who the Captain described as his toughest, most capable warrior. The other guard, Saenus Lusius, was better known for his craftiness and guile, but I think I supply enough guile and craft on my own.
Gaea readily agreed to assist me and told me that she heard that there were small boats docking in a bay close to the fort. She suspected there was a cave of some sort there that was being used to store the stolen goods prior to shipping them. I had no leads of my own so I agreed to take the walk.
The rumor proved to be correct and it was Gaea who spotted the cave entrance behind a slab of rock cleverly placed to give the illusion of one large, unbroken boulder. The cavern itself was simply made, but the inhabitants were a different story. I was expecting a few disgruntled Imperial Legion soldiers armed with the standard-issue equipment, but each of the five smugglers had armed themselves with weapons enchanted with Paralysis. Fortunately Gaea proved every bit the warrior the Captain promised that she was and between her blade and my bow the smugglers stood no chance.
From what I was told the fort was taken completely by surprise and the attackers were "wolf creatures". Based on the somewhat shady past the garrison as a whole has, I must assume that the attackers were not some sort of animal, but more likely Nords dressed in wolf skins, as is the custom here. Why they would attack the fort, I do not know.
My would-be companion Sacnus Lusius took temporary charge of the fort in the Captain's absence, but he did not know why Nords would attack either. Unable to spare any men, he charged me with the task of traveling to the far north of the island to speak with the leader of a Nordic village there to see if they have any information regarding the attack.
The village is that of the 'Skaal', which is something like a conservative sect of Nords that keep very close to nature or at least that's what I think I was told. I was given a skull of a long-dead Skaal warrior to give to the village leader as gift, though I cannot say giving me the skull of a Khajiit would place the giver in a positive light. But nevertheless off I went, skull in bag.
The fort was still in sight when I was attacked by a tree. Or rather what I thought was a tree. The first indication that the thing was not, in fact, a tree was a powerful swipe of very long claws raking across my armor. What I was facing looked like an Imperial woman mixed with a tree. Whatever it was, the creature was a difficult opponent, both fast and strong. When I finally struck it down I bent over to examine it, only for it to screech and go for my throat and once again I was in combat. And again, I struck it down only for it to jump back up. Only after the third time it fell did it remain still.
The sky had been dark for a long time when I finally stumbled into the village of the Skaal people. They were not hostile, but neither were they friendly. Anyone I tried speaking to simply told me that they would not talk to me before I spoke with the Chief of the village, Tharsten Heart-Fang. The exchange reminds me very strongly of my first encounter with the Ashlander tribes.
 |
| The Skaal Greathall |
But he also had no information about the attack on Fort Frostmoth. After I described what I had been told about the attack, he surmised that the creatures were not of Solstheim, but refused to say anything further on the subject. He clearly wanted me out of his Hall, but I presented the Skaal skull to him stating that it was an attempt by the Imperials to mend relations.
He laughed and said that the Imperials should learn to leave things where they lie, probably an unintentionally ironic statement given that I am Khajiit. However, after the presentation of my gift I was permitted to atone for the defiling of the land that the construction of the fort had wrought. Tharsten called the connection the Skaal had with the land as a "Oneness" and declared that I would have to acquire this "Oneness" before the Skaal would accept me. I was told to speak with the shaman about how to do this. More and more this is becoming similar to my trials with the Ashlanders.
The shaman, Korst Wind-Eye, told me that I have to visit each of six stones, the Standing Stones, and complete a ritual at each one. The stones represent the six virtues of the Skaal's primary deity, the All-Maker. Once I have completed all six rituals, I will have achieved the "Oneness" the Skaal prize so highly.
They were willing to give me a chance, but not a bed. There was no place to sleep at all in the village and a villager suggested I head south towards a Hall called 'Thirshk'. So it was back into the cold night for me.
Thirshk was not very far, but I was attacked by another blue goblin creature, this one riding one of the tusked pigs that have been attacking me today. Quite an ingenious thing really and the first time I have ever fought cavalry, though that may be stretching the definition a bit. The goblin fought with a long blade that he fashioned the skin of a wolf's head to as a hilt and preferred to stab at me as his mount raced around me in circles. The spear, however, has always been an effective deterrent against mounted foes and it served me very well in this case. I kept his blade to possibly trade for something more useful later.
The hall was full of drunken Nords, all of them welcoming me to drink their mead with them which was claimed to come all the way from Skyrim. I passed on the offer and rented a bed for the night, which turned out to be a pile of animal skins on the floor. My sleeping accommodations as of late appear to be getting worse and worse.
Next door to my little room is a Redguard from the Imperial Cult who claims to have been waiting for someone to escort her back to Fort Frostmoth. I certainly do have to head back to the Fort soon and possibly even to Vvardenfell to collect more of my equipment, but I also want begin the Skaal ritual as soon as I can. The crude map I was provided with puts one of the Standing Stones, the 'Beast Stone', near the lake close by. I will try to visit it tomorrow and escort the woman back when I decide to visit the Frostmoth again.
No comments:
Post a Comment