This story happens years after Hircine's defeat. I hope you will like it. The plot deals with all possible themes of a story: adventure, supernatural, mistery, humour, love, friendship, magic, suspence, horror, fights...well you understood.
Chapter One
"Letters"
Lake Fjalding, morning
Lidya,
I hope you're well. Here at Thrisk the snow falls again. Yesterday a blizzard forced me to stay in the building. I won't return to the colony until two days. Have you noticed? Those big dark clouds above Castle Karstaag? A witch that I met in my journey said that this is an ominous sign for Solstheim.
Late evening,
This place is really scaring at night, the cold moon glows in this icy zone and strange noises and cries are heard all around. I hope I'll come back to Raven Rock soon.
Lucilla
Lidya read the letter twice and put it on a wooden table. "Where are you now?" she asked to herself.
Lucilla, her best friend, never returned from Thrisk. Two weeks passed from the day she received that letter. She exited her little house.
The sun was shining over the white snow. Raven Rock became a big colony. More wooden and iron houses were built, the mine had been expanded and new people came to live there. Lidya looked at some icicles dripping from the rusty roof. She closed the door behind her and walked quickly towards the Factor's estate.
"Why are you running?" asked a voice.
Marsus, one of the colony guards, was laughing near her.
"What? Oh Marsus, you scared me!"
"Come on, Lidya, there are no wolves or Spriggans here. We guards protect you."
"I know, but I still have to fit in this snowy place. And since Lucilla disappeared…"
"Dear, you are one of the best swordmen…swordwomen of Solstheim. But if you want I can sleep with you…"
"Why do you always ask this? Guards are so obsessed!"
Guards were right to be obsessed with Lidya: she was simply beautiful. Her father was an Imperial and her mother a Nord. She inherited all the good sides of the two races. She was quite tall and had long brown hair while her eyes were deep blue. Marsus tried to seduce her for months but she always escaped his advances. She left him and walked, slowly this time, to the Factor's estate in the centre of Raven Rock. The Factor's estate was a large house of two floors, made of pine wood with a metal roof. She knocked on the door and she was greeted by her boss' servant.
"Miss Lidya, how are you?"
"Well…I'm well."
"Are you here because you wanted to visit us kindly or it was my master who called you?"
"The second one."
"Good luck!"
"Thank you…"
The servant stepped aside and let Lidya enter in.
The factor was waiting in his office. His name was Antonius Tertius, easily called "the boss".
He was 44 but he looked like older, he was wearing expensive and colourful clothes.
Lidya found him sat in front of a desk where all sort of papers were scattered.
"Good morning, Lidya."
"Good morning, boss. Why did you call me?"
The boos stood up and looked her smiling.
"Do you like walking in the wilderness?"
"Me? I went sometimes in the forest, but this place is not what I call hospitable."
"Do you like snow?"
"I would prefer soft sand but…" she was answering.
"Perfect!"
"Perfect?"
"Do you know where is Castle Karstaag?"
"More or less…why are you asking me that?"
The boss' smile became weaker, he began to walks slowly in the room.
"I'm going to tell you a story, a story that talks about me (and this makes it interesting). When I was younger I used to work at Fort Frostmoth as a simple accountant. Everyday I watched the troopers train under the orders of a young but strong commander named Varus Vantinius. He was cold behaviour but fascinated and ill attracted by dark magic. One day a group of legionnaires returned from a mission to the north, bringing back a magic artifact called the Mantle Of The Moon. A silver cloak found who knew where…the legionnaires talked about the Mantle unknown powers and Varus got obsessed with it. Another day no one could find neither Varus nor the Mantle."
"Did he steal it?" asked Lidya.
"Yes."
"A truly interesting story, but, why should it concern me?"
"Because I want you to recover that Mantle."
"What?"
"Varus closed himself in the abandoned Caslte Karstaag and now, years later, he rules that region with many servants."
"But…how old is he?"
"People say that he never change his aspect: he remained young! And I don't know how!"
"Are you envious?"
"Me? No! Now that I am the Factor of Raven Rock I…I want that Mantle, nothing else."
"You want me to walk through that killer mountains?" asked Lidya astonished.
"After all is what Lucilla did…"
"Lucilla? Lucilla never told me about a Mantle or a guy who…"
"That's what I said to her."
"But she said that she went to Thrisk to bring the light of civilisation to those Nords!"
"And you believed it. Poor dear…you should know that the colony exists for profit. I sent Lucilla to the Castle to get the Mantle, she wrote me letters in which she said what she was doing. The last one arrived last week. Read it."
The boss took one of the sheets on the desk.
Boss,
I reached Thrisk and I'm resting. The Castle is not so far now. If I travel quickly I can get there in two days.
Lucilla
"So she lied to me!" said Lidya shocked by her friend betrayal.
"Well, it's a true lie, so we can say that is the truth. Read this one."
It's done!
I'm in Castle Karstaag! I said to Varus servant, Ensal (that was his name), that I was a poor, lost and frozen lady looking for a shelter. He let me enter.
I met Varus, he's a cold person that never smiles, he never says more than five words.
Bad news: he never takes the Mantle off, but I'm thinking something…
Lucilla
"So she's sill there?" asked Lidya.
"I think so. When will you leave for this little errand?"
She looked at him angrily but she had to answer "I have to collect my things and my sword first…I'm leaving in an hour".
End of Chapter 1