Ch 1: A New Arrival
As the snow drifted across the land, an aura of bliss charmed the inhabitants of Skyrim's marshes. Unbeknownst to them, a horrible fate would soon doom the once peaceful lands of Skyrim. Not all would be lost, however, as a hero would soon find his strength within and conquer the darkness, restoring the land to its former glory and ensuring prosperity for centuries to come. A wanderer from Cyrodiil, planning to learn the ways of magic, approaches the College of Winterhold. "Finally", the wanderer said. "I've arrived at last". He arrived in Winterhold in the dead of night, so naturally, the townsfolk would be resting themselves on soft fur beds or drowning their sorrows at the local tavern. "Ah, the tavern! I could use some fresh mead, it's freezing". He hastily jogged over to the tavern's porch and kicked the snow from his boots before opening the door. "Come on in!", said a voice from the far end of the room. "There's plenty of food and drink here if you've got the coin". The wanderer shut the door behind him and proceeded to the far end of the room. He approached the innkeeper. He was a bearded man. Looked to be in his early fifties. "What can I get you?", he asked with a dull face. "I'd like a tankard of ale, please", the wanderer replied. "Coming right up". With that, he walked off into the backroom, surely where the good stuff was. He returned with a full tankard of the finest mead the wanderer had been served in weeks. "That'll be 5 septims", he said. The wanderer slipped his arm out of his backpack and unfurled the top, revealing the many items within, such as a journal, a change of clothes, among others. He pulled out his coin purse and dropped five septims into the innkeeper's hand, then sat at the bar and began to drink his mead. "What brings you to Winterhold?", the innkeeper asked. "I'm looking to enlist at the college here and study the various schools of magic.", the wanderer replied. The innkeeper sighed. "Thought so", he said. "It's what everyone comes for these days." "Sounds like you've got a problem with the college.", the wanderer said. "What exactly happened?" "Well", the innkeeper began, "It never used to be this way" "It all started long ago when Winterhold was a much larger settlement." The wanderer drank his mead as the innkeeper told his story. Several minutes elapsed as the innkeeper revealed the history of Winterhold before its decline. "And that is why the college is not to be trusted", the innkeeper finished. "If you are going, just be cautious, there's something not quite right about that place. "That's quite a story", the wanderer said, "I'll be sure to keep an eye out for any funny business. The innkeeper looked at the clock. "Look, it's getting very late. You need a room son?" "That would be nice", the wanderer replied, as he pulled out a couple more Septims for his room. The innkeeper picked up a quill and laid it in some ink. "What's your name son?", the innkeeper mumbled as he flipped through some pages in a large book resting on the bar. "Guilius", the wanderer replied. The innkeeper removed his quill from the ink and wrote Guilius's name in the book and handed him the key to his room. Guilius entered his room, shutting the door behind him. He sat his white Sabre Cat pelt backpack on the floor and draped himself in assorted furs before lying down and falling asleep. He dreamt of his home back in Cyrodiil. He missed home, but he was eager to become an adventurer, armed with both blade and the arcane. As quickly as his dreams began to play inside his head, it was all over. Morning had come, and Guilius awoke to the rooster cooing outside the inn. He laid the sewn fur blanket back on the bed and retrieved his backpack before exiting his room, returning the key to the innkeeper, and leaving. Upon setting foot on the undisturbed snow, he found himself shivering. "By Talos, it's cold this morning!" With haste in his step, he returned to the bridge leading to the College of Winterhold. He noticed a woman blocking the archway. He took a closer look at her face. She was beautiful. The most beautiful Dunmeri woman he had seen, in fact. Her youthfulness and beauty enchanted him, much like a conjurer binds a soul to a crystalline gem. So much so, that he ascended the few steps to meet her. Her words seemed stern, yet fragile; hopeful, yet desperate. "S-state your business", she shouted, shivering. "I was just wondering if you were accepting apprentices here at the college", Guilius stated. She shivered again, pulling her hood closer to her face. She replied, "No. I just got accepted today and was supposed to be studying restoration, but instead, I was sent down here by the stupid "Arch-Mage" to ward off anyone seeking entry into the college. Apparently, he thinks we have too many apprentices and we should just close the college doors completely. Can't imagine how 5 people are too many when the place is fit to be a kingdom". Guilius looked surprised at this. "You're not even allowed to study? No new apprentices huh? Maybe the innkeeper was right", he muttered in pure disbelief. He approached her even closer. "Here, let's go inside, You shouldn't have to stand out here, It's freezing." She smiled at this and gave a nod before turning and beginning to walk along the ever so damaged college bridge. Guillius lagged behind, mumbling various thoughts aloud. "What kind of place is this? I've heard so many great things about the college. Were they all lies, perhaps? Surely not. I guess I'll see soon enough"
Author's Notes
Greetings all. This is a very short chapter, I know. In addition, it's all conglomerated rather than broken up, so just know I will fix that soon enough (Explanation down below). This is my first post, so I'm still learning as of yet. This is a test of sorts, more so a trial run of what I'm capable of. One thing to know is that this story is certainly subject to change. So much so, that I may scrap it and rebuild it from the ground up. Feel free to, and please do message me or write reviews, they help wonders!
Explanation:
Basically, the narration will be separated from character dialogue via line spacing. This lengthens the page as well as gives me the opportunity to shorten how many ", said the character" and "the character replied"(s) I use. Not to mention the fact that it would be a hell of a lot easier for you, the readers, to understand who is speaking at a particular point. Important: Please do let me know via message or review if you want this change to occur or if you would rather the format stay as is.