Chapter 1

The waves crashed relentlessly against the shores of Solstheim, their ferocity an omen of the storm to come. The once lush island was no stranger to fierce and unpredictable weather and the eruption of Red Mountain over a decade beforehand had done well to wean out any of the remaining indigenous flora and fauna. Whilst not a volcanic island by any stretch of the imagination, it would be easy for a layman to mistake it as such due to the thick layers of ash that coated the Southern portion of the landmass. The North remained as wild as ever, it's cold climates and natural boundaries in the form of mountains helping to keep it sheltered from the worst of the eruptions ill-effects.

As the storm finally made landfall, so to did a ship to the port of Raven Rock, one of the islands two settlements. The ship was not Nordic, nor of Dunmer make, like most of the ships that passed through, because nobody in their right mind went to Solstheim with the intention of staying. No, this ship was large and elegantly made; the same sort of ship employed by the Imperial Navy or merchants from Cyrodiil. A strange sight in it's own right, Imperial troops were rarely seen on Solstheim before the eruption of Red Mountain; now they never came. Their garrison on the island had been flattened due to the ash spewed out by the volcano and with it all of the soldiers within. A tragic but unavoidable loss of life.

As the boat pulled into harbour through the blinding sheets of rain that the Gods seemed fit to dump onto the small town. it became evident that it would have trouble fitting into the tight dock. Nonetheless, with no small amount of effort; the vessel managed. It's sides barely scraping against the smooth stone of the pier.

With a loud thwump, the galleon's gangplank lowered onto the wet stone of the dock, the crewmen who dropped it; all dressed in thick linens quickly retreated back into shelter below deck. Their places taken by the figure of a man dressed in dark leathers and a heavy looking hood that concealed his face in shadow. Unlike the rest of the ship's crew, who were currently milling about on deck, hunched down in a futile attempt to find respite from the downpour; He carried himself as if the storm was nothing to him, simply ignoring it. The man tentatively took several strides down the gangplank, not making it halfway down before the deep and gravelly voice of a Dunmer met his ears.

"Halt, stranger! State your business in Raven Rock, it ain't everyday we get outlanders to Solstheim."

The owner of the voice was hunched down at the end of the small wooden plank, his wrinkled and sharp features forming a half frown, half sneer at the man in front of him. In his hand a lit lantern swayed in the strong winds, poorly lighting the surrounding locale due to the torrent of water falling from the heavens. The figure before him let out an audible huff of air before speaking. His voice calm and collected, despite the terrible conditions, he spoke smoothly; his accent holding the slight twinge of a person native to the Heartlands of Cyrodiil, or at the very least, one who had spent a good deal of time there.

"Then today shall be the same as any other, friend. Tulvel Rathdram, at your service. A pleasure, I'm sure."

The man pulled back his hood, instantly revealing his Dunmer heritage, his features were considerably more soft than the man with the lantern, however still hard and world weary; suggesting that he had seen his fair share of hardship. On his head was a thick mop of dark brown hair, made only more messy by the wind and the rain; whilst his face sported a slightly scruffy beard. His mouth seemed to be stuck in an almost permanent grimace. In response to the other Dunmer's reveal, the man with the lantern simply let out a derisive snort.

"You may be a Dunmer, boy, but you're still an outlander round 'ere. You talk like an Imperial, you sound like an Imperial, you might as well be an Imperial, you see? Now what're you doin' in Solstheim, outlander?"

Tulvel paused before speaking, running a hand through his beard and simply shrugging.

"I am what you would call a.. Soldier of fortune, a traveller of the world, an adv-"

"You're a vagrant then? We got enough of those 'round 'ere, outlander."

He remained silent for several moments, offering a slight smile to the older Dunmer and continuing the last few steps down the platform and slinging a hand around him in a mock show of camaraderie.

"Well then, Raven Rock has one more! Trust me, I shall cause no trouble, none at all! I doubt you'll even notice I'm here, friend."

The lantern holder let out a gruff noise, his face forming into a scowl as he was dragged along the pier by Tulvel against his will; begrudgingly playing along with the act for the time being.

"Alright! Alright! You're one o' those types then? Don't waste my time, we get all sorts through 'ere, I just make sure they ain't no troublemakers... Well, even if you are, it don't matter either way. This ain't Cyrodiil, outlander, and we don't follow your laws. This is Morrowind, furthermore, this is Morrowind's frontier; so we follow Morrowind's laws."

A toothless grin crossed the man's face as he continued the obviously rehearsed speech; staring the newcomer down as he did so.

"And out 'ere on the frontier, we 'ave to set a sort of example; you see? Whether it be stealin', lyin', killin', cheatin'.. All that.. Well, lets just say the headsman 'round 'ere keeps his axe sharp, hm?"

Tulvel let out a slightly more nervous laugh than he would've liked, releasing the man as they reached the end of the dock and simply giving a wordless nod, the friendliness from before seeming to have dried up as he leaves the old elf to go back to his spot on the end of the pier, accosting any sailor who dared to set foot onto dry land. With a sigh, he stuck his hands in his pockets and began to saunter towards what he could only assume to be the inn, the sign hanging above the door swung wildly in the gale kicked up by the storm. As he reached the door and moved to open it, he paused; his features turning into a frown as he muttered to himself.

"I knew this job would be bloody suicide."


A/N: So! My first story. It's probably going to be a bit of a pet project of mine over the next several months, so please don't expect any regular updates. I generally write when the fancy takes me, but this is the first time I've ever actually published said writing. Please feel free to review this, God knows I could use the advice, and I sincerely hope you enjoy the rest of the story I've got planned.