Skyrim Day 006 - A Somber Reminder

22 Last Seed, 4E201

Whiterun

~~~

Some days are successes, others are lessons. Today was not a success.

It started as my days usually have: waking up at an Inn, eating an early, light breakfast, then proceeding to complete as many tasks as I set for the day. Today's was first to find a mammoth tusk for Ysolda so that she might learn from the Khajiit. It was suggested that a poacher's camp north of Whiterun might have what she needed, so that is where I started off towards.

While circling around the city I found a rather brazen group of bandits had set up a camp in a small cave directly beneath Dragonsreach. My earlier assessment of the city being somewhat run-down and ill-maintained certainly seems accurate given how close they were to the city with no fear of a lawful response.

I shot two of them down with my bow and had to fight another in melee, but had no trouble. One of the bandits had a steel sword on her that was a better blade than my iron one, so that was welcomed. Based on a note I found on their table their primary occupation was smuggling and the poisons on a shelf inside the cave seemed to support that. On a whim I took the poisons, one of a simple weakening elixir, the other a more powerful paralysis solution that would save my life later in the day.

The Skooma I left alone. Nothing good comes about with involving yourself in that stuff.

While I was searching for more valuables the group's horse outside suddenly panicked and ran away. I turned around expecting more bandits or maybe a bear, but oddly enough a Flame Atronach had wandered over from parts unknown.

Arrows were useless against the creature's fiery "body" so I was forced to close in with my sword and shield which managed to have more of an effect. It was not my first Atronach, of course, but it had been a very long time since I last fought one and they had somehow learned to explode upon death since my last fight and this surprise caused me a great deal of unnecessary pain.

I continued onward and found what I thought was the poaching camp. It looked the part: huge skeletons of mammoths strewn about, skins stretched along the rocks to cure, and two bandits occupying it.

The bandits were less skilled than their counterparts under Whiterun, but what I had found was something akin to a graveyard rather than a camp. The bandits must have been looking for the same thing I was, but the graveyard did not have an unbroken tusk to take. My search for the true camp resumed.

It was just a little further away, ringed with a fresh wooden stockade and by the sound of it, an anvil and grindstone at the least. I climbed the hills behind the poachers' and counted four poachers outside. I was able to kill one with a shot from my bow, but this alerted the other three and they came charging out of the camp towards me. On one of their bodies I found a small amethyst, but little else of value. I could have carried their equipment back to Whiterun, but the trouble hardly seems worth it.

Inside is where I encountered the "somber reminder" of today. He was likely the leader of this group and like most of the Nords I have had trouble fighting he was wielding a two-handed hammer. By his side were two other bandits, one of which was a spell-caster and I was able to separate and kill the two before fighting their chief. 

If it had not been for the paralysis potion I found underneath Whiterun I do think I would have had to retreat from the man or die. My shield shattered after deflecting his second blow and his full suit of iron armor gave him adequate protection from my steel sword. Only by running back to the entrance of the cavern to give myself time to poison an arrow was I able to emerge victorious. The arrow glanced off of his armor, but the magicka inside the poison did its work and he was paralyzed, though likely only for a few seconds. Fortunately that was all I needed. My reward for almost dying was an intact mammoth's tusk for someone else and a few small gemstones.

But the battle did serve as a reminder that my glory days were far, far behind me. No longer am I the Ashlander champion scouring the Sixth House bases free of abominations, nor am the Champion of Cyrodiil rushing into Oblivion to engage the Daedric invaders. I have since become a chopper of wood, gatherer of alchemy ingredients, and occasionally a bodyguard, though that now seems rather irresponsible of me. 

I need to start over again just as I did when I found myself free of the Imperial prison after the Emperor's death. I will not be going to Bleak Falls Barrow any time soon, for if I cannot easily battle a poacher, what chance would I have against Stormcloaks? Perhaps I should join the Legion or maybe the Mage's college in Winterhold. I do not yet know, but I am in clear need of further training somewhere.

The trader at Whiterun bought the gemstones from me at a good price and I sold off a few pieces of equipment at the blacksmith's. I retired to 'The Bannered Mare' and was told the priestess of the local temple of Kynareth was looking for help with something. Perhaps I will look into it, though I really should be concentrating on training right now before I commit to anything big.

Oblivion Day 6 - The Brief Criminal Life

2 Heartfire, 3E433

Bruma

~~~

Jokes about cat-naps aside, my three hour rest at Bruma's inn left me feeling quite refreshed and ready for the rest of the day, though as it turned out the day did not require a well-rested Khajiit.

While wandering Bruma looking for something to do with what remained of the day I overheard a rumor that one of the townspeople, Arnora Auria, has had a large amount of gold stolen from her and was offering a reward for its return. The mention of a reward caught my interest, for there is much I would like to purchase and I have little coin as of yet to purchase with. After a few false directions, I found the lady's house and was cordially invited inside to hear her tale of woe.

Only it was not woe the tale was of, but theft of her own, betrayal, and from me a sense that she had already gotten what she deserved. To summarize: she and her former lover are thieves, but small-time: a dozen gold here and there as they made their way across the province. Nothing large enough to draw the interest of the citys' guards or the Legion, until, according to her, the lover decided to assault an Imperial tax collector, plus escort. They succeeded, but he killed a guardsman in the process, drawing much unwanted attention to their ploy.

So they hid the gold in the mountains and he threatened to kill her if she spoke a word about what had occurred. Shortly after this, the Bruma city guard tracked them down to their campsite and arrested the man while Arnora was out gathering whatever plants people eat in the mountains. But when she went to the place they had hidden the gold, she found that he had moved it somewhere else.

My part in this was to convince the man, Jorundr, to reveal where the gold was hidden. This would prove difficult, as his present stay in the city's dungeon left him less than cooperative. When I spoke to Jorundr he simply laughed at me and accused me of being in on a guard named Tyrellius's plan to get the gold for ourselves. Nothing I said would convince him otherwise, though I admit I could not find a reason why he should help either Arnora or myself anyway.

When I returned to Arnora about this problem, she suggested that I get myself arrested, stating that Jorundr would probably talk to me if he thought I was getting out at the same time he was, which is to say many years from now. I conceded that a plan that strange could actually work, so I returned to the dungeon and fifty Septims convinced the jailer to pretend to arrest me on minor thievery charges and to release me the next day.

Which is where I am now, for they took everything I owned except for my journal. Arnora was right though: as soon as I became his cell-mate Jorundr became downright chatty. But his story greatly differed from Arnora's. According to him, the assault on the tax collector was her idea, not his and the guardsman's death was on her hands. He pointed out the coincidence of her going out to get "supplies" and suddenly there's a dozen angry guards swarming all over him.

He said that his only desire now was for her death. He was likely going to rot in prison for the rest of his own life and considered it only fair that she lose hers as well. I confess now that I do find Jorundr's story more plausible than Arnora's, but I do not yet know who, if anyone, I will support in this matter. Tomorrow I will be released from jail and then I shall see what comes of what.

Morrowind Day 6 - On the way to Vivec

21 Last Seed

~~~

I woke up at Shenk's Shovel earlier than usual, around 5am and performed what is becoming a ritual of mine: visiting the local Mages Guild of whatever city I'm in first thing in the morning. I bought a simple Locking spell to practice Alteration, but I still lack a spell for unlocking. Figuring that the easy road wasn't going to be doing me any favors I passed on using the Mages Guild Guide to teleport me to Vivec and walked out of Caldera before the sun rose.

The journey was uneventful and quiet, a few wild rats provided the only distraction from the morning's doldrums. I was just able to make out the walls of Balmora through the morning haze when I stumbled upon the body of a Dunmer, a note in his pocket identified him as Ernil Omoran. While it was impossible to tell, the presence of the skooma pipe on his person suggested an end from similarly unscrupulous individuals. The note was addressed to someone named "Tsiya" and I pocketed both the note and the pipe in case I ran into this person.

The best walking path between Caldera and Vivec passes through Balmora and I took the opportunity to purchase some minor supplies and ask about Tsiya. Ajira knew of her and she made her disapproval quite clear. Tsiya lives in Balmora, a Khajiit with a bit too much sugar in her head for Ajira's liking. She pointed me towards Tsiya's house along the river and asked that I remind Tsyia that Ajira was not a sugar-dealer.

Ranis, the Guildmaster of the Balmora Mages Guild, stopped me while I was leaving to suggest, quite pointedly, that it would be in both of our interests to join the Guild officially. Her demenor and tone made it seem almost a threat, but her reasoning was sound. The amount of time and money I've spent at the Guild so far does indicate I'm likely to return more than once and as a member I would get discounts on goods and training. For Ranis, increasing her Guild's headcount would bestow greater prestige and political power within the Mages Guild power structure on Vvardenfell. I agreed and am now an Associate of the Imperial Mages Guild. I have no aspirations for great rank, I joined because I know I'll be seeking the Guild's expensive magical training in the near future.

Tsiya's home was barely a minute away from the Guild. I knocked on the door and receiving no reply, walked in. Tsiya's was at the head of the stairs staring down at me and shakily asked me what I needed. She was clearly a bit out of her mind, so I walked up the stairs and handed her Ernil's note and the skooma pipe. Dulled by either sugar or skooma, she still managed to appear dismayed at the news of his death. No lost love though, he was her dealer, though an honest one. The return of her pipe resulted in a reward of 50 Septims and ten packets of her valuable Moon Sugar. I admit to forgetting to remind her that Ajira wasn't going to sell her any sugar.

I returned to Ajira with the sugar and asked her if she needed any help now that I was an official Guild member. She was quite excited to let me know that she needed various mushrooms collected for her experiments, if I could bring her some. I don't make a point of keeping clumps of fungus in my pack, but I told her I'd grab some if I came across any.

I left Balmora, walking past Fort Moonmoth and through the ashy foyada towards Pelagiad. Maurrie's glove was still occupying valuable space in my inventory of miscellaneous rubbish. I figured a quick detour into Pelagiad might net me the information I need to find the lady's bandit. En route to town I passed a small mine cut into the hillside along the road. I remembered passing it on the way to Balmora, but this time there were piles of refuse scattered about the entrance, molding sacks, discarded kitchenware, clothes. Miners would have been more discreet with their waste disposal, so I approached the mine warily, mindful of the last time I opened a door cut into a hillside.

No charging Orc greeted me at the door this time though and I took the opportunity to cast my Invisibility spell. Four times I tried and four times I failed. Joining the Mages Guild is seeming more like a wise financial move now.  While it would have been nice to succeed, it turned out to also be unnecessary. The cave was tiny and only occupied by a female Dunmer and a male Nord, only the latter which provided any challenge in dispatching. Neither fit Maurrie's description and the bandit couple evidently settled on pilfering the surrounding farms, only the Nord's belt, radiating magic, was seemingly of any value at all. A silver bowl was the only other noteworthy find, as it was engraved for a "Piernette Beluelle"  by the East Empire Company in gratitude for services rendered.

Inquiries made at Pelagiad about the bowl led me to Ygfa, the Imperial Cult Healer in Fort Pelagiad, who gave me some rather confusing directions to Piernette's farmstead. The farm is on the way toward Vivec, so I am planning on visiting tomorrow morning.

Before paying for a bed at the Halfway Tavern I asked around about Maurrie's bandit and a young Dunmer asked me why I was looking for him. When I replied that I had the lady's glove as a sign of her infatuation with the thief, he revealed himself as Nelos Onmar, Highway Bandit. He seemed touched by her gift and wrote me a note to give to her. It was getting dark, but I left the tavern and hunted down Maurrie, who was still standing under the giant mushroom, in the dark, seemingly oblivious to the dangers the night brings. She was overjoyed with Nelos's note and I escorted her back to the tavern. On the way she suggested I visit a friend of hers, Barnard Erelie, in Tel Branora, stating that the two of us would get along well. A name to make note of, but I'm not going to go out of my way to see this person without a better reason.

I did not make it to Vivec today like I had planned, but certainly will tomorrow. I would like to find more spells and start setting aside money for magical training as well. As for now, I can content myself with the joy Maurrie and Nelos seem to have found with one another and hope they enjoy a happy future together.