Chapter Twenty-One: A Bad Night
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21st of Sun's Dawn, 4E 202, Sundas
Eventually, the woman stopped her lecture, dropping the last of the trinkets onto the ground to turn to the other guards. After a short bout of gesturing in various directions, she returned to Evelyn and the thalmor.
"Looks like you're clear." She tossed the empty sack on the ground in front of them. "Keep your nose clean here." And with a sneer, she was gone - off to patrol other areas of Dawnstar.
Evelyn looked between the sack and the pile of miscellaneous objects. She huffed to herself before dragging herself over.
At least these weren't sorted yet - if they were organized and then messed with, I would have been angry rather than just annoyed.
She crouched down next to the pile and packed up for the second time that day. Some of these are dirty. Looks like I'll be cleaning them later today before the mud cakes on too much. She gave the muddy road a baleful glare. Wonderful.
She wiped off a flute - looks fancy - and set it in the bag. Then picked up a grimy necklace. Not gold. Looked closer. Maybe it's made of that dwemer metal? Dropped it in the bag. I'll need to properly sort these later.
"Sera? Muthsera?"
She looked up from her packing to see a thick-bearded dunmer flanked by a nord and an imperial. Nose upturned and arms crossed, he looked like he would rather eat his own arm than start a conversation. Or maybe his face was just naturally set to 'scowling.' Evelyn couldn't tell. She scooped the remaining items into the sack with a wince. That mud is going to be hard to get rid of.
The dunmer straightened a bit before bowing. "Good day, sera." He inclined his head to the thalmor. "Muthsera." Inclined his head in her direction. "If you'll just follow me to the Sea Squall, Captain Wayfinder will get you set up for the night." He gestured to his companions and then turned around.
Evelyn followed the dunmer on board, flinching in place as the deck started leaning to one side. And then the other. She looked around with wide eyes to make sure that - yes, the ship just tilted and no, no one is worried - so calm down a bit. After a moment of shuffling toward the people standing on the deck, the ship finally slowed its rocking. She used the lull to all but run the rest of the way to them. The ground is not supposed to move. Only escalators and conveyor belts should be allowed that power.
I lived in the suburbs - the most outdoorsy I ever got was at summer camp and the only times I've ever been on a water-traveling vessel were when I signed up for canoeing activities. If a canoe leaned like that on a calm lake, I'd be very worried.
But the ocean isn't a calm lake. Looking around, some of the sailors didn't quite manage to smooth out their smirks before she caught sight of them. They probably think that I'm an idiot.
...I'm carrying a sack of necromancer tools and treasures, dragged a thalmor into a stormcloak controlled town, and I willingly agreed to take a ship to Solitude. I'm pretty sure that those actions could be considered idiocy.
She stood tensely as the rest of the group caught up. The dunmer stayed only long enough for a young man to wave him down a trap door.
The man - dark hair, looks more nord than imperial - turned toward her and the thalmor with a smile. He held out his hand for a quick shake - strong grip. Gotta be a nord thing.
"I'm Captain Wayfinder, of the Sea Squall. You are here for passage to Solitude, and so to Solitude we will go. Unfortunately, it's a bit too late to start sailing now, but we'll be heading out tomorrow at dawn!" The nord jogged away from them to check on the other sailors, then jogged back.
"Bregvar and Guthrum can get you situated in your rooms, sirs, and Carmana can show you yours, miss."
The ship lurched again. It took all of her control to avoid falling. The thalmor was somewhere behind her and she briefly noted that Ancano came by his hovering honestly. Maybe they teach it at thalmor school? Sergius was the first to speak.
"That would be wonderful."
This ship looks like it's seen better days...
She ran a hand over the wall of her room. There were a few dull splinters, but the majority was smoothed by age. In places, there were obvious patch jobs to the hull. Large sections of different colored wood. She pulled out her College bag from where it was hidden in the cabin hammock.
The boat shifted, and her stomach went with it. She frowned. This is like traveling with Gjolrik all over again. She waited for the boat to settle before looking around the room. There were three other hammocks - home to a few of the female sailors on board.
She had already forgotten all of their names.
Just like I've forgotten the name of that weird Imperial. He was very friendly but really polite. Polite to the point that it was painful, even. Evelyn remembered the formal bows and convoluted greetings of the hour prior. There is no polite way to tell someone that you don't want your chair pushed in. Sergius and the thalmor accepted theirs with little fuss though, so it has to be an imperial thing.
Or it could be a polite formality thing?
If that is the level of formality required of Imperials, then I need to start studying before I blow my cover. Trying to copy others and 'faking it till I make it' might not be enough.Her stomach tilted over again. At least I can plead seasickness for any mistakes that I must have made back there.
She pulled out a few trinkets and started wiping them down.
A murky bottle - whatever is inside isn't liquid. The necklace. Enchanted.
The interesting flute. Wipe off the dried mud.
There's a name here... Wait a second.
She broke into a grin.
This will be useful in the future.
She was pleasantly surprised to find that the hammocks minimized the swaying of the ship. Avoiding seasickness was well-worth the discomfort of salt-smelling sheets. She closed her eyes.
22nd of Sun's Dawn, 4E 202, Morndas
Evelyn felt strange when she woke up. She couldn't feel the scratchy hammock and she couldn't tell which direction was up or down. All she saw when she opened her eyes was darkness - a formless void. The air felt thick and thin, alternating slowly. If she held out a hand in either direction, she liked to think that she could feel the change as it passed her by.
It was like waves of humid summer air separated by the ice of Skyrim mountain air. Except everything was the same temperature.
After some time, she realized that there was a pattern to the ripples. Whatever the source was, it was moving around her. Deliberately.
She tried to focus on where the waves were coming from.
She paused. Something was off.
The pattern changed.
A surge in pressure and then the waves were coming at shorter intervals. The presence stopped too close for comfort, and Evelyn was certain that she would be sweating if she could. She would be moving away if only her body would listen.
She tried to wave away the presence but her fingers barely twitched. She could feel her lack of motion even though she could not see it.
It flared even closer, remaining out of sight. Considering. Curious. Hungry.
Evelyn's mind blurred.
The air was vibrating between liquid and void. Air thick enough to be water would be followed by emptiness. Taking in a breath only to have it sucked out a moment later.
Panicking, her only thought was to get away.
She saw tendrils of color in the blackness around her.
Hide.
There was a low hum in the air. She tried to curl into herself.
Anything.
There were shapes now.
Another surge, getting closer. Like watching a wave coming.
Closer...
She opened her eyes.
Her head hurt. Why does my head hurt?
Wait, why do my knees hurt too?
She moved her hand. Wait. Don't fall over. Did I already fall?
Ground. The ground. No. It's wood.
I'm on the floor. Need to roll over. Get off the floor, at least.
Why is the floor moving?
She stopped trying to get up for a second.
Ok. The floor is definitely moving... I'm on a boat. In Dawnstar. She breathed deeply.
The boat is going to take us to Solitude.
Rolling over, there was no light in the cabin. Her eyes had adapted to the dark though, so it was easy to see that she had apparently thrown herself out of her hammock. No wonder my knees hurt.
She waited for another minute or two - just until her motor control was good enough to keep her off the floor - before moving out. It's too dark in here.
The door was harder to open than expected, but she managed it. Out through the narrow hallway, into the storage area, then up the hatch.
A sailor on guard duty gave her a strange look, but he didn't say anything as she dragged herself onto the deck. With a brief shudder, she made sure to avoid stepping on any of the dark areas on the deck - the predawn light cast long shadows. Reminds me of... The dream? No, that was closer to a nightmare.
The nightmare wasn't horrifying so much as unnerving, but I still feel like I should be vacating this area. Fast.
Evelyn shook her head and sat down, hugging her legs to herself. The glow near the eastern horizon showed that the sun would rise shortly.
My head feels clearer up here in the open air. It feels less suffocating. She watched the sky grow lighter.
This is Dawnstar... That had to be part of the nightmare quest! That one where you find the priest of Mara that's really an old cultist. And then the player can either claim the staff - Staff of Corruption - or destroy it.
Could I try to fix this?...
Run into an abandoned temple, drink a potion meant for Vaermina cultists, wake up the cultists and bandits, and then fight my way out?
She thought back to the necromancer lair and the terrible room. Nope, I don't think that it would be a good idea.
Even ignoring my current lack of combat ability, plot armor is not something that I have in abundance. Only the Dragonborn's got claim to that. And essential characters, possibly. Vaermina is not likely to take kindly to anyone but a possible champion trying the potion. I'll leave foolhardiness for Akatosh's chosen one. If I want to get rid of the dreams, I could try to get the Dragonborn here... Once I get out of Dawnstar.
The pale halo of light brightened into reds and oranges.
Feeling more comfortable, she twiddled her thumbs and considered the options. Sending a letter should work, couriers are unnaturally good at finding people-
There was a crash below deck. And the nightmares strike again. Let's not spend another night near Dawnstar. In fact, let's leave as soon as possible - I'd like to get as far away from the Vaermina cultist castle as possible. Don't know the range of the nightmare staff.
Voices moved below, then a slamming door. She winced. Someone isn't happy.
A few seconds later, just as the first sliver of the sun appeared, the trapdoor flew open. Sergius. He swiveled his head around the deck to where she was sitting. She waved.
"What are you doing out here, novice?"
Bring up the nightmare, or let sleeping dogs lie and avoid the topic? He should have at least some idea that it takes more than a train wreck to get me up in the middle of the night. This predawn wake-up is not normal.
Hmm... if I admit the nightmare, could I drop hints that I think the nightmares are coming from east of Dawnstar? To get us away faster? But what if he decides to go over there to take care of the problem?
"Well?"
She focused on the enchanter. I'll try to let him know what he'd be getting himself into if he tried to mess with the nightmares.
"Had a bad dream and I don't think it was natural. So I came outside for a breath of fresh air."
She shuffled her feet. And you? Sergius was breathing loud enough to be heard over the waves. You had a nightmare as well, didn't you. This is definitely the start of the quest. Which means that everyone in Dawnstar should have had one last night.
Another thump below deck and Sergius scowled. He pulled himself all the way up and made way for the captain.
A very frazzled captain.
Sergius gave her a thoughtful look. "Then we are in agreement. Did you sense anything else?"
"Well, I'd guess that it is targeting Dawnstar... and dreams..." Don't give away too much. Don't be suspicious. Time to drag the priest of Mara into the mess. "do you have a priest here? Or someone that could deal with daedra?" Take the hint, please.
Sergius cut in, taking over the conversation. "Daedra, yes... Nightmares are in the domain of the daedra. Necromancers would be raising your graveyard, vampires are not as obvious, and werewolves aren't exactly known for their magical prowess."
Evelyn was only too happy to back out of talking and let him continue. He turned to the sailors.
"I would suspect this to be the work of a creature aligned with the Daedric Prince Vaermina. The Dreamweaver has been known to bring nightmares and then steal the victims' memories."
The captain looked ill. Evelyn realized that Sergius did not look much better.
"I would suggest leaving the area as soon as possible. We have no idea how long these dreams will last, and I have nothing with me that can defy the will of a Daedric Prince."
Captain Wayfinder nodded mutely before climbing back below deck.
Before the sun rose fully, the rest of the crew was dead set on leaving as quickly as possible. Rumors of a 'haunted Dawnstar' were more than enough encouragement for them after the rough night. She noticed that a few of the sailors had taken a moment after receiving their orders to pull out amulets and pray. The majority were Kynareth, but a handful of Akatosh and Talos were also present.
Thank goodness the thalmor isn't above deck yet. He probably would have listed them as heretics for later arrest.
She frowned.
It is pretty late though... Is he still sleeping?