Skyrim Day 045 - Death by Greed, Twice

30 Heartfire, 4E201

Riften

~~~

Even after the not-so-harrowing theft of the horse, Frost, I simply could not sleep last night and woke up as it was still dark. I quietly made my way out of the Inn so as to not wake anyone else, but was in turn surprised by the head of the Black-Briar family, Maven Black-Briar. She and a bodyguard were leaving the Inn as I crept downstairs, much to their annoyance and it was only due to Keerava's personal assurances that I was merely an early-rising guest that saved me from having to gut the bodyguard and probably Maven as well.

My goal was a large tomb built into the mountains to the west of Riften. The Jarl had made a request to Winterhold College for someone to eliminate a rogue wizard there who was costing the hold a good deal of money and goods and of course this fell upon me to complete.

Being so early in the morning, I was keen to explore a little and left the road down a beaten path. After a few minutes of walking I was brought to a large stone staircase reaching up into the hillside.

The stairs led first to a magicka rune trap, which I carefully skirted around, and then a necromancer who was busy experimenting with a dead body inside of a large cage. I felt it was only proper to drag his own body in there as well.

Conspicuous in the morning sun was another dragon's head wall which the necromancer had pushed a chest of supplies against. Approaching the wall caused several of the runes to glow and there was a flash of light, a fortunately brief pain, and the sudden knowledge of the ancient word for 'Fear': Faas. I am becoming quite proficient in ancient Nord, if a warrior from the Second Era finds his way into the Fourth I shall be sure to strike up a conversation.

I rejoined the road at a bridge leading to a large estate, but it was walled and the gate locked. The guard standing on-duty informed me that there would be no entrance for me unless I had business there. As I did not know what the place even was, I could not come up with a lie believable enough to grant me access.

Having failed to satiate my daily curiosity with the island mansion, I returned to the road, scanning for enemies and interesting landmarks. It was not long before a tower, set back into the forest against the hills, caught my eye.

The tower was part of an ancient keep, the wear on the stones making it look like it may have been the home of a warlord during the Second or even First Era.

I was expecting mages or bandits, but the courtyard was deserted. The door to the keep had stopped being secure two hundred years ago but I was surprised to hear fighting as I crept inside. I witnessed what I thought was the murder of a woman and drew my axe to strike down her assailant. The murderess turned to face me and immediately put her hands up, proclaiming her innocence.

I pointed out that she had just struck the woman down with magicka, but she insisted she was given no choice: one of them was going to die and she would rather it not be her. I conceded the logic of her argument and demand an explanation which was readily given.

The woman's name was 'Illia' and she was part of a coven which resided in the ruined keep. The coven worshiped and served the hideous hagravens that resided in the ruins and the coven's leader, Illia's mother, sought to become one of the twisted creatures using a ritual sacrifice. Illia claimed she would have been the sacrifice if she had not killed her former coven-mate and asked my help not to escape, but to ascend the tower and eliminate the hagravens and her mother's coven.

She was willing to lead the way, so I agreed. If this was a trap Illia's magicka would be spent fighting her way up the tower and if it was not I would be saving her from a terrible fate and preventing the creation of another hagraven in Skyrim.

As it was I did not have to do much. Illia was more than a match for her coven-sisters, dispatching most of them with shards of ice before they could react. The few that did were too distracted battling her to notice me before I was sliding my dagger across their throats, so long as the throats were not hagraven. An effective strategy, though some of Illia's spells came a bit too close for my liking.

She stopped outside a door at the top of the tower and turned to me while announcing that the only way to defeat her mother was for me to pretend to be the required sacrifice so that Illia could strike her unawares. I was not too keen on her plan, but she pointed out that I would be unbound and remained armed, in case I thought she was leading me into a trap. I agreed to be the "sacrifice" while silently promising terrible revenge on Illia if she crossed me.

The would-be hagraven looked like anyone else and gave me a kindly smile as Illia explained I was volunteering to be the sacrifice necessary for her to become a powerful, twisted creature. The mother poured her gratitude out as she beckoned me to a hand-made wooden chair placed in front of decapitated pig's head. Charming.

As soon as she turned her back to Illia her daughter struck, sending shards of ice into her mother's back. Her mother's face (I never got her name) contorted in pain and rage as she spun back to face Illia, but she had not wondered at the absurdity of a Khajiit offering to make a hagraven out of an Imperial. Two stabs to the back were enough to end her and the additional four were for safety. The old woman crumpled at my feet with a gurgling sigh.

Illia was not very upset about having killed her own mother, but wanted to get away from the place all the same. She told me to take whatever I wanted of her former mother's and suggested that her staff would be valuable. I could not determine what enchantments were on it, but it is beautifully carved and set with jewels, so I took it anyway.

As a consequence of my curiosity it was late into the afternoon by the time I arrived at the tomb where Riften's bandit-mage was said to be hiding. A recent campsite was sitting in front of it and a journal had helpfully been left behind.

It belonged to 'Medresi Dran', obviously a Dunmer, and she named the tomb 'Angarvunde', gushing about how much wealth and treasure were said to be hidden within. This was a story I have grown tired of hearing. Nothing waits in the tombs but the dead, some of them walking around with weapons. If there was treasure inside it would have found its way back outside a long time ago. The journal closed with the optimistic plan to hire a group of miners to break into the tomb and collect the riches for herself...somehow having dealt with the miners in-between, I suppose.

I assumed the mage-bandit inside killed her and the miners, but when I entered I was surprised to see a Dunmer pacing fretfully in the narrow corridor. She saw me and dropped to her knees, insisting that she was not armed. Slightly embarrassed, I asked her if she was Medresi and she nodded.

The group she had hired to dig had dug into a room of Draugr and the miners, not being fools, fled the ruins with Medresi's swearing clawing at their backs. On her own she admitted she would make no progress and contemplated traveling back to Riften to hire armed mercenaries instead. She must have then only noticed my equipment and asked if I would be willing to do the "physical work" in exchange for half the treasure. 

I would not have agreed if I did not already have a reason to be there, but since I had to walk inside anyway I might as well for half of whatever valuables Medresi thought was there.

The Draugr and my unsuspecting target were in a large cavern behind her and the lack of effort required to send them crashing to the floor does not merit a greater description. I walked back to Medresi, informed her of my success, then had to jog after her as she raced into the now-empty chamber.

She excitedly hopped over the dead body of the mage and the deader bodies of the Draugr, only to be very frustrated to find a portcullis blocking her from the treasure beyond. Once again it was on me to do the work. She pointed out that the chamber had two corridors on either side, one of which would have a way to raise the gate.

As it turned out, both corridors held half the solution to our little puzzle. I fought over a dozen Draugr before the gate was open and had nothing to personally show for it but a lack of crossbow bolts and a chip on my dagger.

Medresi was considerate enough to wait for me to return before sprinting through the gateway and was dead before she realized she had stepped into a trap.

Counterweights hidden somewhere in the ruin were loosened and the floor underneath Medresi shot upwards as the ceiling above her came down. I was quick enough to jump back through the gateway just as the room was showered in blood and viscera. The smell of it was enough to turn my stomach and I felt no better for having violently been divested of my breakfast. The stone plug which she had been standing upon had been hiding stairs leading below the ruin, but before I descended I examined the dripping treasure chest which had been in front of her.

It was empty, save for a broken sword hilt. Treasure indeed.

The stairs led to a small corridor which was faithfully guarded by a Draugr and ended at another wall of words, this one teaching me 'Raan', or "Animal". The reason for these walls and why some are above ground on their own and others underground within tombs is still a mystery, but I assume the knowledge contained on the wall was the "great treasure" the tomb was said to have.

The walk back to Riften was uneventful, dark, and entirely too long. The city's earliest risers were starting to wake up as I stepped through the gates and I can hear the rest of the inn's guests leaving for the day on whatever business drives them as I finish writing this entry. Another long day, a poor sleep, and little to show for it.

I detest the thought of returning back to Winterhold again, but I cannot think of any other place awaiting me right now.

Skyrim Day 044 - No Arrows In My Back

28 Heartfire, 4E201

Riften

~~~

Another day in passing and I am still at Riften, slowly drowning in the particular corrupt drive towards profit that seems to keep the Hold in one piece.

Everything started to go wrong as soon as I woke this morning. Surprisingly all of my goods were still in my pack and no one seemed to have attempted to open my door, but as soon as I descended the ladder into the common room I was approached by a man calling himself 'Louis Letrush' who, sparing any pleasantries, asked if I was interested in earning some coin.

I was and I should have known better than to tell anyone in Riften that. But I did and was in turn told a tale of a man's noble quest to breed the finest horses in Skyrim...by "acquiring" one owned by the powerful Black-Briar family. One of the family, a son of the family unfortunately named 'Sibbi', agreed to sell Louis the horse, Frost, when Louis began to shop around and he paid Sibbi half the cost with the understanding the second half would arrive as the horse did.

But the Black-Briar matriarch, Maven, had Sibbi arrested, possibly due to the horse deal or some other matter entirely. Sibbi let Louis know that his arrest exempted him from completing their transaction and pocketed Louis's pre-delivery payment. Understandably upset by this, Louis asked me to speak to Sibbi and convince him, in whatever way I needed to, that their deal was to be completed to Louis's satisfaction.

This seemed simple, which should have been warning enough to leave it alone. But I agreed to speak with Sibbi and left my promises at that. Over breakfast I spoke with the male Argonian, Talen-Jei, and we got to talking about our mutual arrival at Riften. His story was a familiar one: he had been traveling the provinces trying to find a place to settle down and his wandering eventually brought him to Riften. Keerava owned the Inn then and he immediately became smitten with her, privately vowing to not leave the decrepit city without her.

Noble as that was, it did not translate into earnings enough to pay for a traditional Black Marsh wedding band. He explained the meaning of the band, but I do not remember much of it other than that it involved three amethysts, not a commonly seen item in Riften, largely due to someone selling or stealing it as soon as it was spotted. I, however, had three of the gemstones courtesy of the Dwemer constructs I pried them out of and offered them freely, having little use for more coin.

Talen-Jei was clearly taken aback by a sudden act of generosity erupting within Riften's walls and pocketed them quickly, wisely nervous about anyone else witnessing our trade. He told me to wait for a moment, disappeared into a room behind the counter, and reappeared with a vial which he said contained a powerful healing draught. He had been saving it for an emergency, but felt that my lifestyle would likely make more use out of it. I thanked him and left.

A second Black-Briar interrupted my walk from the Inn to the jail, this time a woman, Ingun, stopped to ask if I was interested, once again, in earning some coin. She gushed about how obsessed she was with alchemy and its the ability to snuff out a person's life with a simple ingredient. She certainly came off as a bit unhinged, but offered good money for nirnroot, nightshade, and deathbell, so I agree to supply her with any should I come across the plants in my travels.

Even the smith of Riften had goods he needed, this time a Fire Atronach's salts to make his forge burn hotter. It would appear that the cities reputation inhibits deliveries of many items, for nearly everyone I spoke to was lacking something they were willing to pay for. Fire salts are something I am likely to find, so I agreed to his request as well.

The Jarl, Laila Law-Giver, is a most politely described as "distracted" and more accurately as a complete buffoon. I only spent a few minutes inside her Hall, but it was enough for me to see that she has no idea where the power lies in Riften: during my short stay I watched her steward override three of her decisions, with nary an objection.

During our very short conversation she asked after a task she had sent to the College about eliminating a nearby rogue mage that has been terrorizing travelers along the west road. I promised to look into the matter, but it is doubtful she will remember the job needed doing if I return after having done it.

My next stop was Riften's jail. The guard at the entrance did not care if I entered or not, stating that just arriving at all meant I was there on important business. The logic of this statement escaped me, but he unlocked the door, so I agreed with him and visited Sibbi Black-Briar.

His cell was luxuriously outfitted as befitting his family's influence and wealth. His imprisonment was clearly not the punishment it seemed to be and I wondered what the true purpose behind his relocation was. Whatever the reason, Sibbi was not bothered by it and was treating his imprisonment as a vacation of sorts, making demands of the guards and generally getting his way. He cockily admitted to his part in Louis's plan. He breezily washed his hands of the matter, handing me a key to his family's estate east of Riften while telling me to get the horse myself if Louis wanted it so badly. What a strange family.

I could have gone west to take care of the Jarl's magicka bandit, but I found myself leaving Riften via the east gate towards the Black-Briar estate. Stealing horses is never something I reduced myself to in the past, but I admit I felt a little thrill at the thought of taking something from the most powerful family in the city. Perhaps there really is a thief inside of every Khajiit. My plan was a simple one: pretend to be delivering jewelry to the estate to gain entrance, swipe the ownership papers of 'Frost', then leave via the horse's back. Unfortunately it did not work out quite that way.

Sibbi had warned me of the mercenaries guarding the house, but I thought I would be able to bluff my way past them. Instead I found myself immediately assaulted, the mercenaries evidently having been told to kill anyone who approached who was not with a Black-Briar family member. The Redguard who intercepted me on the grounds was little more than a bandit though and I had little trouble with her. I decided to avoid anyone else I found inside.

This was a far easier task than it should have been, for all the mercenaries in the house were completely drunk. I had no trouble remaining unseen and found the ownership deed for Frost in an upstairs bedroom. With that in hand I had only to lead the horse to Louis and I would be done. I sneaked back out of the home and Frost gave me no objection when I mounted up. I heard a shout behind me as I rode off, but whomever it was was quickly left behind.

The jostling almost immediately became unbearable painful and I was relieved to reach Louis without any delay. For my crime I received over a thousand Septims, more than enough to bribe my way out of anything else. Sibbi will probably keep his mouth shut to avoid crossing his mother any further and a Khajiit looks like any other one while she is riding away on a horse.

That was enough for one day and I returned to the Bee and Barb, paying another ten Septims for my room again tonight. Tomorrow I will visit this bandit-mage, then hopefully be done with Riften entirely.

Skyrim Day 043 - City of Scoundrels

28 Heartfire, 4E201

Riften

~~~

I woke surrounded by the bodies of Forsworn and counted thirteen before I lost interest. Instead of taking that grim tally I turned my attention towards finding the burial cairn of Red Eagle. The blade I swiped from the wild rebels yesterday was the key to the ancient warlord, but the ritual was supposed to summon him back to the Forsworn cause. Nothing was mentioned of what would happen if a curious Khajiit called him to this Plane instead.

Finding out proved to be far simpler than even what I assumed a Forsworn plan would consist of. Locating the cairn was the most difficult part: it was behind the Forsworn camp, accessible only via a drawbridge lowered from a nearby watchtower to an adjacent one on the opposite side of a steep ravine. No one was manning either tower, nor did I encounter anyone on the plateau beyond.

After some wandering I started to smell smoke and my nose led me to a brazier happily burning away in the early morning dawn.

The cave was very small, a single room made up the entire thing. Inside was a dead Orsimer clutching a book telling of the Red Eagle. Apparently the legend led him this far, only for him to fall to unknown foes, probably Forsworn. A pedestal in the middle of the room had a slot cut into it and pressing the sword inside it triggered a fake wall which opened to a more richly furnished room.

The funeral bier warned me of what was going to happen and sure enough, as soon as I started to ascend the stairs, the lid of the coffin shifted and a well-equipped Draugr stepped out and looked about menacingly. Fortunately I was no where near the stairs by the time he was walking about, having hidden behind a large column while he lumbering about.

Four piles of bones around him also took the form of warriors, two of them with swords, the others, bows. But I was easily able to sneak up behind each skeleton and sever its connection to this world without being seen and soon it was just me and a confused Red Eagle wondering why he had been woken up to a seemingly empty chamber.

While his back was turned I drew my dagger in my off-hand and my battle-ax in my right and crept up to him. A well-aimed blow with the dagger brought him to his knees and a swing of the ax sent his skeletal head clattering across the room. Such was the end of the impressively described 'Red Eagle'.

The funeral goods were more impressive than the former warlord: a chest behind the bier held a very rare Ebony longbow. The rest of the chest's contents were either too old or too worn to be valuable, so I left it for someone else, as I did the blade in its pedestal. Perhaps a Forsworn will arrive one day and name himself the new 'Red Eagle'. Perhaps they will also stop lashing stone and wood together then calling it a weapon. One can hope.

Feeling like I had just wasted several days chasing a worthless legend, I turned around and started the long walk to Riften. Miraculously I managed to have a completely uneventful walk halfway past Whiterun before I saw a waterfall.

Naturally I had to visit the lake beneath it and also naturally, there was a intricately carved door along one side of it that beckoned me inside.

I am not sure what I had been hoping for, but all I found was damp, Falmer, and Chaurus. Whatever the cave was used for previously it had long since lost that dedication in place of Falmer tents and Chaurus egg piles. I exited the cavern via an exit on the far side with nothing to show for surviving a Falmer/Chaurus den.

The exit placed me near a small village named 'Darkwater Crossing'. A few farms and a blacksmith's shop accounted for the entire place, but the villagers were friendly and helpfully described the fastest way to reach Riften, though no one I spoke to thought reaching it was a particularly great idea. An old miner asked me why I even wanted to go there at all and I replied that I simply wanted to visit each of the Holds. He stared at me a moment, then advised that I not plan on staying in that one for more than a day. I assured him I would be fine and found his concern to be oddly touching.

It was night when I arrived at Riften and the gate guard lazily tried to extort a "gate tax" from me, but I was not having such nonsense. I bluffed and told him I was an old hand to the game and he sheepishly opened the gate, sans tax. His partner at the gate, an otherwise silent woman, laughed at him as I walked past.

Finally inside the infamous city, I was immediately accosted by a Nord calling herself 'Mjoll the Lioness'. She had been talking to an Imperial sitting near the gate, but called out to me as soon as I was past the wall. She introduced herself and asked what my business was in Riften. I gave the same answer I did to the miner at Darkwater, but I was met with a skeptical look this time. Mjoll warned me not to get tangled up with the Thieves' Guild, then laughed at even calling the group a "Guild", declaring that the once-fabled institution was now little more than a gang.

A man relaxing against a post straightened up as I approached. He descriptively called himself 'Maul' and threatened me with "harsh action" if I became involved against the Black-Briar family business. As I had no idea who that even was I promised him I would not be causing any trouble and thus relaxed, he asked if he could be of any service.

I know the type: gate-watchers who make their living by acting as guides for new arrivals and spreaders of news and rumors for everyone else. If they cannot sell you on either service you will usually find your purse a little lighter once you manage to shake them off. 

Maul drawled that he could introduce me to any merchants I might have need of, so to confound the man I showed him a gemstone that had the peculiar quality of floating above whatever surface you placed it upon. I had taken it from the Arch-Mage's quarters some time ago after finding that no one at the College could tell me what it was. I have been asking gem merchants and the Khajiit caravans about it, but met with a similar lack of results.

Maul eyed the gem greedily and suggested I take it to a man named 'Vex', an "associate" with the local Thieves' Guild, an organization I do not want to become involved with. For lodgings I was directed to 'The Bee and Barb', run by a haggard Argonian named 'Keerava'.

As soon as I walked in I heard someone lecturing the patrons about the return of Dragons. I was immediately interested, but Keerava and another Argonian whom I assume is her husband, tiredly asked him to stop bothering everyone or leave. The man chose 'leave' and brushed past me without a word.

Keerava apologized and asked what I needed. The answer of a room seemed to perk her up and she happily pocked ten Septims and led me to a tiny room just wide enough to admit a bed. At least it is lacks a window and is small enough for an intruder to wake me up before I get a dagger buried in my back.

As expected, there is really no good reason for me to be here, but other than Dawnstar, which is technically not a Hold, I have now visited all of them. I think I shall be leaving tomorrow, though to what purpose I do not yet know.