Skyrim Day 010 - A Dog's Life

26 Last Seed, 4E201

Haemar's Shame

~~~

I wish I had not attempted to find more work before leaving Falkreath for good, for it has led me on quite a strange trip and one I wish I had not needed to have made.

Jarl Siddgeir had thought of another task for me during the night. More bandits were bothering his Hold, this time a group which had taken over one of the Hold's few mining operations, this one at a mine called 'Bilegulch Mine' north-west of the town. According to his Steward the quickest way to the former mine was to go back to the lumber mill where the slightly off-putting woman worked at, then leave the road while staying close to the mountains.

At the crossroads between Falkreath and the lumber mill sits an old watchtower that I had not paid much attention to before.

Curiosity got the better of me and circled around the small hill the tower was built upon until I found the path upwards...towards a impaled, bloody skeleton in front of the gate. Fairly warned I stepped inside the ruin with axe and shield at the ready. I was rather dismayed to find myself being charged at by the resurrected corpse of a young female Khajiit at the top of the stairs, but a quick shove sent her tumbling off of the tower and to her final rest.

The necromancer suffered a far worse fate: with his servant suddenly deceased he ran at me brandishing a dagger, but he was on the top of the tower and I still on the stairwell. A single swing of my axe took his right foot off at the ankle and he crashed to the stone floor with a scream. A stab to the back of the head finished him off.

I found nothing of value at the necromancer's lair and left the corpse there as a warning to any others that may be contemplating such a cruel vocation.

Reaching the lumber mill I proceeded off the road and into the forest once again. After only a few minutes of walking I began to hear the sounds of a battle raging ahead of me. Anticipating Thalmor I cautiously approached, but the melee was between Stormcloaks and Legionnaires. By the time I was close enough to help the battle was over, with the Legion being the victor by virtue of having one soldier left alive.

The soldier stumbled away towards the road, ignoring my offers of assistance and left me in care of the bodies. I could not bring myself to search them for coin and as I had no shovel I left them where they fell.

Bilegulch Mine is set atop a little plateau jutting out from the circle of mountains that encompasses Skyrim west of Falkreath. As has always been the case so far the site was protected by a wooden palisade and I could not see any bandits patrolling about. The only hint of habitation was the harsh rhythm of someone working a piece of metal behind the fortification.

The palisade's gate was not barred and swung open surprisingly quietly, allowing me to enter the camp undetected. Despite this advantage I was able to only shoot down one bandit before alerting the others, all of them Orsimer and very angry.

What followed might have been amusing for someone to watch: a Khajiit running and leaping among the rocks and small buildings of the camp while a gang of bandits chased after her to and fro. Eventually I was able to make a run for a narrow path leading to the mine entrance at the top of the plateau and the group was forced to fight me one at a time, severely cutting into their advantage and allowing me to live another day. They were not as lucky.

My reason for being at Bilegulch was the bandit leader, an Orc described to me as old, experienced, and very dangerous. None of the bandits I slew outside of the mine were particularly old, so I guessed he (or she!) would be found inside.

I was correct. As soon as I entered the mine I heard his humming of some sort of song, apparently unaware that his little band was collectively deceased. The bandits had put in the effort to ensure the cave was well lit, so sneaking was not likely to work, at least for one as unskilled in that art as I am.

Had he been armed more conservatively I might have had more of a difficult time in fighting him. As it was, the old Orc carried a huge two-handed Orsimer battle-ax and even with his strength the great weapon took several seconds to swing. A single blow might have cleaved me in half, but that was a blow he never landed. Our little dance began to follow what for him was a very frustrating pattern: he would bring the ax over his shoulder for a mighty swing, I would dash in with my small Dwemer ax and strike at him or hit him with my shield, then I would dash backwards as his ax began to come down. Three times he struck the cavern wall and once my shield, ruining it with a single blow.

But he eventually began to falter and slow down as the dozens of minor wounds I had inflicted began to tell. Finally he pulled his ax back, lost his footing, and went down. I leaped at him and buried my ax's spike into the back of his helmet before he could stand back up.

His battle ax was probably worth a bit of coin, but I could not come up with any way to carry it back to Falkreath other than by wielding it and its weight made that out of the question. I left it with the Orc who I had given a "good death" to and pocketed a plain gold ring I found in a chest deeper inside the mine.

On my way back to Falkreath I came up a rare sight: a hideous Hagraven in combat with a Spriggan.

They had not noticed me, so I knelt behind a rock and watched the two of them flail away at each other. Contrary to my expectation the Spriggan emerged victorious, only to receive an arrow in the chest, ending its life. Skyrim can be a cruel place.

As if to drive that point home, further down the road I came upon an overturned wagon with the body of a male Khajiit sprawled in front of it and his horse dead some distance away.

The wagon was very small and what remained of his wares were cheap trinkets, utensils, cookware, things such as that. I wished his soul a quick journey and left the sad sight behind me.

For reclaiming Bilegulch Mine for the city of Falkreath I was awarded seven hundred and fifty Septims and the right to purchase a home in the city should I ever take leave of my senses and want to settle here. He offered to make me Thane of Falkreath, but the suggestion smelled of politics and I do not think I would be happy serving under such an inexperienced leader. I politely declined and received his shrug of indifference in response.

He suggested I spend more time in the city and see if the townspeople needed assistance with anything...which would pretty much be doing his or his Steward's job. Still, helping people tended to pay well in Skyrim, so I agreed and planned to extend my stay in Falkreath for a few more days.

Had I known what would happen next I would be halfway to the Imperial City by now.

I left the Jarl's Hall and walked around aimlessly for awhile, sold some pelts at the trader's and was stopped by a guard on my way out. He told me that the local blacksmith, a fellow creatively named 'Lod', had seen a dog on the road and was willing to pay someone to fetch it for him. Simple enough.

The dog saw me and willingly approached and I thought my job would be done within a few minutes, but then it stopped, stared at me, and a voice suddenly burst from within my skull with a very strange accent. The voice stated that I was exactly what he had been looking for. Shocked, I asked the dog if the voice was his doing and the voice replied that Skyrim had "flying lizards and two-legged cats", so I should not be surprised by a talking dog. I do not think that a fair point.

The dog introduced himself as 'Barbas' and naturally even a talking dog needed me to do something for him. Apparently he and his "master" had an argument which resulted in Barbas and his master being forcibly separated. Barbas now sought a reunion to smooth things over and needed my help in order to reach his master once again.

Unfortunately his master was Clavicus Vile, the Daedric Prince of wishes which he typically granted in unusual and unexpected ways. According to the tales, these ways were often harmful to the wish's requester while still remaining within the nature of the wish. Needless to say he is never to be trusted, a caution that probably all the Daedric Princes are deserving of.

I was not thrilled by becoming involved with Clavicus Vile, but I agreed to escort Barbas to his master's shrine in a cave Barbas called 'Haemar's Shame' for the adventure of the thing and to get away from Falkreath for awhile. He warned me that the former tomb was a long walk from Falkreath, but the afternoon was still young and we both set off towards Helgen and past that, Clavicus Vile.

We had not gone very far before being assaulted from a figure that sprang out from the bushes alongside the road. Barbas ran off and I found myself in a fight against a Khajiit in dark clothes and a hood. She was wielding two daggers, but even without my shield she was little match against my ax. She likely was relying on surprise rather than skill and had not enough of either to overcome me with. A letter on her body dictated that I was to die due to the "Black Sacrament" having been performed, but what this is and who performed it is a mystery. The letter stated that payment had been received for the contract on my life and was signed by an "Astrid". Seems like the Thalmor are not the only group who wants me dead and just as with the Thalmor I am mystified as to why.

By the time Barbas and I arrived at 'Haemar's Shame' it had grown very dark, cold, and snowy, hardly ideal traveling conditions. The former tomb was no more hospitable and with the hostile vampire clan residing within it, actually a great deal less.

Rather than run away, Barbas simply ran through the vampires and to his master's shrine leaving me to wade through the tomb's occupants as they did their best to kill me. However, when I did reach the shrine there were two dead vampires next to Barbas, so perhaps he is worth something in a fight after all.

Clavicus Vile was not pleased at the return of his faithful hound, but was at the granting of his follower's wishes. He explained that the vampires had come to him requesting a cure from their disease and behold, I arrived and killed them all. Cure given. Like I pointed out earlier, Clavicus Vile can never be trusted. I suppose I should feel bad, but not one of them stopped attacking me to explain why they were at 'Haemar's Shame' to begin with.

But bringing Barbas back to the shrine was not enough. Clavicus Vile insisted that I bring an artifact of his to him, a weapon he called the 'Rueful Axe'. Coincidentally it was being held by someone in a place called 'Rimrock Barrow' which Barbas could lead me to, if he was willing. When I asked Barbas about it he replied that he knew where it was: on the opposite side of Skyrim along the coast.

Of course.

But it is late and I have no desire to go back out into the cold and the dark. As distasteful as I find it I shall be spending the night here by the shrine of Clavicus Vile. Tomorrow Barbas and I will begin our very, very long walk.

Oblivion Day 10 - Oblivion, Then Shopping

6 Heartfire, 3E433

Tiber Septim Hotel, Imperial City

~~~

The gate outside of Roland's cabin was sparsely guarded as usual, but led me to a location in the Plane of Oblivion that I had not seen before. It was no more dangerous for being unknown than the other ones I have vanquished and I believe I closed this gate quicker than the others. Hopefully more gates will send me to this much easier location.

The stones that I am recovering from these gates seem to be enchanted somehow, but I do not know with what or how to use them. Should I find the time, I will have to visit the Arcane University and make some inquiries.

Roland was obviously very happy to hear that the murderer of his lover had been brought to bloody justice and that his own life was no longer in danger. My service convinced him that Seridur's 'Order of the Virtuous Blood' should continue its work, though perhaps more accurately in the future. He said he would return to the Imperial City and speak with the remaining members about joining himself and asked that I stop by to see him there when I get a chance.

I returned to the City as well to do some shopping, mostly selling off the various things I have collected from the Oblivion gates, bandits on the road, and Memorial Cave. Jensine at the 'Good As New' general store asked me to look into the suspicious inventory of one of her competitors and I turned her down assuming it was just a ploy to get more business of her own, but after three other shopkeepers complained about the same merchant, I returned and agreed to speak with the Bosmer Thoronir about where his exceptionally cheap merchandise is coming from. I suspect it is stolen, but I could not get anything out of Thoronir when I spoke with him. I will have to return to the case later on.

Visiting all of the shops in the Market Distract left me with a much fuller purse, a complete set of alchemy equipment of somewhat plain quality, and a red velvet outfit of far better quality than I am accustomed to. When I visited the Order I found that Roland was now in charge of vampire-hunting and gladly paid me two hundred and fifty Septims for each vial of Vampire Dust I had, enriching me greatly. Grey-Throat gifted me his family's ring, the 'Ring of Sunfire', which he said would protect me against vampire spells and disease. Apparently vampire-hunting runs in the Argonian's family.

While leaving the Temple Distract I was stopped by a Dunmer who asked if I had ever been to Morrowind. I had to say yes, of course, and she surprisingly exclaimed how much better life was in Cyrodiil, stating that she deplored how Khajiit and Argonians were treated in her home province. A nice thing to hear, but it felt rather out of character coming from a Dunmer.

The trip from Roland's cabin had already taken up much of the day and my shopping took the rest. It is rare that I am afforded the opportunity to sleep in any sort of luxury, so I am treating myself to a room at the expensive Tiber Septim Hotel in the Talos Plaza district of the City. I am not sure what I will be doing tomorrow, but it may be good to get out of the City and start visiting the other towns in the province. Also, I need to speak with someone regarding these Oblivion stones I am carrying around everywhere.

Morrowind Day 10 - The Machinations of Ajira

25 Last Seed

~~~

My first task after I had breakfast was to sell the Sugar I had taken off of the smugglers' ship in Ebonheart. With nearly forty bags of the vile stuff, I hoped that I could sell them all between Ra'Virr and Ajira. Unfortunately, Ra'Virr had not yet finished moving the previous stock I sold to him, so he only had money enough for a few bags. 

Ajira had not been awake yet when I had gotten up, but she was up and at her laboratory when I came back from Ra'Virr's. The gift of the mushrooms she requested was very much appreciated and I was unexpectedly rewarded with several healing potions. She asked if I could place a soul gem in the desk of the Enchanter upstairs, Galbedir. The two of them have a friendly rivalry going and the gem, which I did place on her desk as requested, was actually a piece of glass. It is Ajira's hope that Galbedir will unknowingly waste her time experimenting with the inert glass gem. The task seemed harmless enough and I'm sure Galbedir will realize her error soon enough.

Returning to Ajira after this small, amusing deed, she announced that she now needed me to collect flowers for her, similar to the mushroom collection she had requested. She requested Gold Kanet, Stoneflower, Willow Antler, and Heather. Of the four, I already had three of them, lacking only the Stoneflower petals. I left what I had with Ajira and promised to return with the petals. In exchange, she purchased the remainder of the Moon Sugar for nearly nine hundred Septims. 

Ajira recommended that I look for the Stoneflower Petals near Lake Amaya near Pelagiad. I did not want to go that far for mere flowers, but a fruitless visit to the Balmora alchemist left me little choice. By the time I got back to the Mages Guild with the petals it was already late afternoon and I knew I wasn't returning to Vivec today. The reward was worth it for someone of such limited skill at magicka as myself: six potions of energy restoration. With these I might be able to actually cast something successfully. Probably after using up all six potions.

Ajira started energetically flinging flowers and mushrooms all over her desk, intent on creating some sort of potion, when she accidently elbowed one of her bowls off her desk. The ceramic bowl had no chance against the polished stone floor of the guild and shattered into dozens of pieces. She didn't pause in her work, sweeping the broken pottery underneath her desk with her foot and slapping a handful of coins on the desk with a request for me to run to Ra'Virr's and buy another bowl. She was engrossed in whatever she was doing and my acceptance of this task seemed to go without saying, so I grabbed the money and left.

Ra'Virr greeted me like a long-lost friend, lamenting that he still didn't have enough money to purchase the rest of my Sugar. This did not come as a surprise, it had only been fifteen minutes or so since I had last set foot in his shop. Though he strikes me as an odd character, his goods are what he says they are and befriending a merchant of somewhat shady means in one of the largest towns on Vvardenfell will certainly pay off in the future.

His pleasure at finally selling me something makes me suspect he has similar thoughts about a Khajiit that walks into his shop loaded with pounds of valuable, illicit goods. Acquiring the bowl was a matter barely worth noting and I left him enjoining that I return soon, when he has more money.

I returned to the Mages Guild, expecting that I could finally be free of Ajira's tasks and go back to Vivec, but I heard her hissing and muttering as soon as I walked into the basement. The Guild Guide, Masalinie, had retreated into the sleeping area, waiting out Ajira's temper with the bored patience of someone who has obviously been through it before.

The cause of Ajira's agitation was the sudden disappearance of her reports on the mushrooms and flowers I had collected for her. I set the bowl on her table, certain that I'd become involved in this sudden calamity. Ajira was certain that Galbedir had stolen the reports so that she couldn't hand them into Ranis on time. I suspect that Galbedir realized the truth of the fake soul gem sooner than Ajira had planned on and took a small revenge of her own.

Masalinie wound up being an unexpected source of assistance. She admitted to seeing Galbedir rustling around Ajira's laboratory as she was returning to her Guild Guide post earlier. Galbedir had fled with several scrolls tucked underneath an arm and Masalinie saw her ditch one of them in the sleeping quarters. 

She didn't hide it very well, I spotted the scroll almost immediately, it having been lazily thrown between two dressers. The contents of the scroll was far more amusing though. Ajira has written her reports to make it sound like she went out and collected her requirements, but anyone reading them who has been outside of Balmora for more than an hour will realize this was not the case. The report on the flowers was the one in the sleeping area and Ajira, to her credit, did present a very good report on the actual flowers. I thought her last paragraph classifying Lake Amaya as dangerous was amusingly self-serving and she could not help but point out that she had to do two reports to Galbedir's one.

I found the other report quickly, courtesy again of the other members of the Mages Guild. Marayn Dren, quiet as most Dunmer are, told me that he saw Galbedir carrying a scroll upstairs, but until now did not connect it with the disappearence of Ajira's reports. The second scroll was hidden a little better, tucked between the barrels at the foot of the staircase leading to Galbedir's workshop. This report, the one on mushrooms, was again very well done academically. It is obvious that Ajira is a competent Alchemist, but the final paragraph proudly stated that Ajira worked very hard traveling all over the Bitter Coast for these mushrooms and that she deserved to be promoted ahead of Galbedir because of it. I like Ajira, but I wonder who she thinks she is fooling. Ranis no doubt knows that Ajira never left the Mages Guild. 

I suppose it isn't really my concern. Having secured both scrolls, I returned them to Ajira, who gleefully handed over several very powerful potions, three of which are elemental shielding against fire, frost, and lightning. Two of them are equally powerful magicka absorption vials, which will be a massive help against any spellcasters.  While Ajira is competent, these potions seemed a bit beyond the skill level I have witnessed. The glass vials bear the maker's mark of the College of Winterhold in Skyrim, though whether the concoctions within also hail from the North is a question probably best left unanswered.

Ajira has no more duties for me at the time, once (if) I attained the rank of Warlock she will have additional tasks that she hinted may be a bit outside normal Mage Guild assignments. Whether I wind up climbing the ranks of the Mages Guild remains to be seen. Ajira suggested I see Edwinna Elbert in Ald'ruhn for more assignments, she expressed a slight dislike of Ranis, her method of leadership are not to Ajira's taste.

My involvement with the machinations of Ajira and Galbedir have not gone unnoticed by Ranis and I have been promoted a single rank, to Apprentice. Ranis stated I qualify for Ajira's coveted rank of Journeyman, but my magicka skills are so weak that it would be an embarrassment on her part. I don't much care really, though it does drive the point home that I need to work on my magicka skills. 

I spent the remainder of the evening studying alchemy with Ajira, who was more than happy to accept my money in exchange for lessons in the preparation of flowers and mushrooms. I retired to bed late in the evening, having learned quite a bit from Ajira, whom I count now as a friend, my first on Vvardenfell.

I absolutely need to go back to Vivec tomorrow and collect my treasures presently rusting in the sewers. Rats are not the only scavengers prowling within the dark corners of Vivec and I am loathe to leave the armor there one more day, should it remain there even now.