Chapter 50: Granite Hill and Rorikstead

[5th of Evening Star 4E 201]

Antonius, my housecarl, Athis, my shield-brother, and I had left Whiterun to travel to Solitude, and on the way we were supposed to find out if a place called 'Dead Men's Respite' actually had a special book the headmaster of the Bard's College wanted to acquire. On our way west from Whiterun we had spent the night in the inn in a little town called Granite Hill.

After a quiet and restful night we turned into the road leading north towards Rorikstead. The sky was overcast with only few gaps, and from time to time a few drops of rain were falling on us. An hour or so into the morning walk we saw a few people fighting on the road ahead of us, close to the side road leading to 'Broken Fang Cave', as my map showed. Antonius, Athis and I decided to watch from some distance, as we did not know who was fighting and why, and detailed observation was difficult due to the light mist around. After a few minutes only two people were left on their feet. We stepped closer, and the two turned out to be bandits, judged by attire and words. Despite their injuries, neither of them surrendered and instead they turned towards us to attack; my three saber cat cubs, the two real ones and the conjured one, finished them off quickly without any need for us to interfere. The corpses on the ground were four more bandits and three other people, an Orc and two Nords; all three of those wore odd gray and brown armor, and one of them had a very special weapon which I identified as a crossbow.

"Ah, looks a Dawnguard patrol got killed" my housecarl commented.

Of course – the two bodies had Dawnguard armor on them, and the crossbow was a clear sign. Happily I took that powerful weapon, and I found that it was a quite sturdy design; it seemed to be in almost perfect condition, and when I had worked the mechanism a few times, I happily realized that I could easily operate it. The spanning mechanism required quite some strength, but this was something I had plenty of. The dead Dawnguard orc had a supply of steel bolts with him, and I decided to keep the weapon and practice with it.

"You plan to do some archery with that heavy crossbow, my Thane?" Antonius asked.

"I will try to do so at least, Antonius" I replied. "See, I have learned earlier that I have no aptness at all for operating a bow, and Aela quickly gave up on teaching me. This crossbow is built in a much more robust way, and I seem to be able to operate it nicely with my big hands. Gaining a long distance weapon may not be a bad idea."

I had never had such a weapon in my hands, but at least in theory I knew how it worked, and I was confident that I'd able to use it. I was also getting curious about the Dawnguard, and I asked:

"Antonius, Athis, what do you know about the Dawnguard?"

"Not a whole lot, my Thane. They have popped up seemingly out of nowhere a few months ago, and they claim that there is a vampire threat to everybody. While it is true that there have been a few isolated vampire attacks, that's not new, and I am not aware of a general threat. Yes, we know that there are vampires around, but for centuries they have rarely been a problem. Although, just recently I heard somebody mention that there seems to be a dangerous vampire in a cave north of Morthal, and nobody has dared yet to go in there and kill the bloodsucker."

"There are rumors that they, the Dawnguard, have a stronghold somewhere in the Rift" Athis added. "I believe that they are somewhat connected to the Vigilants of Stendarr, who have been around for a long time to fight against what they call 'abominations', which I assume includes vampires."

"Abominations? An odd word, isn't it?"

"Sure, but it had been determined already by some bishop or so in the First Era that the divine Stendarr has a strong opinion about them, and I think that I might even have a note about that with me; wait a second."

Athis pulled a small note from his pack and handed it over, and I read:

Thus Stendarr looked upon the world of mortals, and he found it afflicted by Abominations. And he made it known unto his priests, resolutes, and templars, that these unnatural profanities are abhorrent in his sight, and are to be exterminated by the Righteous without halt or mercy. For these Abominations are each and every the eternal enemies of the mortals of the Mundus, and shall not be suffered to abide among us.

And these Abominations are four in kind, and may be known thusly:

- The DAEDRA, those unworldly horrors that are not of the Mundus, but come from Oblivion to inflict cruelty and death upon the mortals of Tamriel.

- The MANBEASTS, those mortals who through traffic with the bestial Hircine do change their skins for those of animals, preying thence upon the innocent.

- The RISEN CORPSES, those restless undead whose rotting bodies persist with loathsome and unnatural vigor, sowing fear and agony among the living.

- The DEATHLESS VAMPYRES, who feed horrifically upon honest citizens, regarding righteous mortals as mere cattle to sate their unholy hungers.

Know these Four Abominations, O ye righteous, and gather to slay them where they appear.

"This is strangely written, Shield-Brother!"

"It sure is, but the text is from the First Era, from a book called 'The Four Abominations'."

While the text had a few words I did not know – what was a 'resolute', for instance? – I did not need further explanations, of course, to understand that Stendarr seemed to strongly dislike Daedra, werewolves, draugr and other undead, and in particular vampires. That confirmed my plan to certainly not accept the 'beast blood' if the Companions should ever offer me a position in the Circle, but even so it would not befit me to actually fight against werewolves unless I had to.

The mentioning of Stendarr also reminded me of my vision just before I had arrived in Skyrim. Stendarr had spoken to me then, but as much as I could recall, he had not mentioned anything about Daedra, abominations or vampires; he had only requested to protect the weak and such, unless I had missed something. However, keeping his guidelines in mind would certainly not hurt. Getting involved with the Dawnguard was probably not going to be on my list of priorities, although having Serana at my side would certainly be totally cool, also literally of course. Even though, I was certainly not going to accept any offer to become a vampire myself.

We had started to move on again, and an opportunity to practice with my newly acquired weapon showed up earlier than expected. A bear lingered on the road ahead of us, and I signed to my three cubs – the two real ones and the conjured one – to stay close to me. Normally I might have used my 'KAAN' shout, but the opportunity was too good to miss it. The crossbow was already loaded; I aimed it and released the bolt, but missed; I had aimed too high, overestimating the projectile's drop. I reloaded, and fortunately the bear had not moved yet. My second bolt hit, but the hit was not a critical one. The bear was now getting alarmed and annoyed, and while I reloaded again, it started to move in our direction. I aimed again at the bear coming straight at us, and while Antonius and Athis got their swords ready, my third steel bolt hit the bear right between the eyes at a distance of about ten meters; hard to miss, as the bear had stopped for a moment, rising on it's hind paws to appear more threatening. The bear was stopped, wobbled for a few seconds, and dropped to the ground. At this short distance I estimated that the bolt had managed to pierce the bear's tough skull and hit the brain. An arrow would probably not have been able to do this, but the more sturdy bolt, released with the superior force of the crossbow, was even able to penetrate such a thick target. I also uttered an apology to Kynareth for killing an animal without need, just to be safe.

My housecarl was clearly impressed and said so, and I was proud of my success. Of course, I'd need to practice more, but that had been quite a good start. I was certainly going to keep the steel crossbow; it was much heavier than a bow, but I was very strong and could carry a lot. Aiming the weapon was not difficult; it had some kind of iron sights, and one just had to use that; apparently, only minor adjustments were needed for distance, as the bolts released from that weapon had a higher velocity than arrows and were thus affected by gravity shorter and less. Finally I had a ranged weapon, too, and I collected the bolt which had missed.

Around noon time, shortly after we had passed the area around Gjukar's Monument, we decided to stop for lunch, and my cubs brought a rabbit. They had caught two of them, and as one was enough for themselves to eat, they 'donated' the other one to me. Antonius was skilled in skinning and preparing the small animal, and soon it was getting roasted on a small campfire we had started. A single rabbit was not much for three men to eat, but we had some dried meat and vegetables to go with it, too. Besides, a Tamrielic rabbit had quite some meat on it, and I was not even sure if that animal was more a rabbit or a hare or something else; judged by size, I tended to assume a hare, but of course the species might be entirely different from a European hare or rabbit anyway.

We arrived in Rorikstead in late afternoon, and there was plenty of time to look around. My housecarl noticed my curiosity and asked:

"Never been here?"

I shook my head and replied:

"No, I have never been here. Let's look around some."

"There's not much to see here" Athis chimed in. Well, of course I did not expect any tourist attractions, but at least there was an inn, a general store, and a couple of large farms inside the city. I was just about the to talk to one of the farmers, when we encountered two male Redguard warriors; they were harassing a young Redguard woman. Somehow that rang a bell, but for now I just listened; one of the warriors spoke:

"Listen, wench, we're on to you. We know who you are, so you'd better come with us right now!"

The woman sternly replied:

"I don't know who you think I am, and I don't care. Leave me alone!"

The warrior encountered:

"I don't have time for this foolishness. Now come along quietly and we won't have to get rough."

The other warrior now chimed in:

"Brother, wait, I think she's actually telling the truth…"

The Redguard woman emphasized her point:

"I'm not going anywhere with you. Now back off before I call the guards!"

The second warrior told his companion:

"She doesn't have the scar!"

The first warrior responded:

"What? Oh... you're right."

The second warrior turned towards the young woman and kind of apologized:

"We've made a mistake, as it appears. Now move along before that mouth of yours gets you into trouble."

That was supposed to be an apology? The Redguard woman told them off:

"Next time you're looking to pester someone, make sure it's the right person!"

While they had talked, some memories came back. Weren't there supposed to be some Alik'r warriors looking for a Redguard in Whiterun? I turned to my housecarl:

"Antonius, Athis, how did this look to you?"

"My Thane, they are clearly looking for a Redguard woman. However, judged by the way they behave, I seriously doubt that they are here officially."

"I agree; this smells" Athis nodded.

Meanwhile, one the Redguard warriors obviously decided to talk to us:

"Hey you, have you seen a young Redguard woman?"

"No, I have not, expect for the one you molested minutes ago."

"If you see one, let us know; we are going to be around for some time. We are looking for a traitor and will bring her back to justice."

When they had left, I decided that I would not turn such a woman in to them. Anybody who just addressed me as 'Hey you' was not likely to get my full cooperation.

Now, after that encounter was over, I took the time to talk to one of the farmers. A male Redguard was busy with weeding, but a female high elf looked at me, and I prompted her:

"Your farm seems to be doing very well; you must be proud."

"Do I detect a bit of jealousy in your tone? I would hardly blame you. What calling could be more noble than this? I see in your eyes that you think I jest. I assure you, I don't."

"No, no jealousy, and I fully agree that being a farmer is an important and noble occupation. After all, we need to eat, and farming is important."

"At least you understand that! Yes, indeed, working the soil with your hands, seeing your seeds take root and grow, tending a herd... there is a joy in honest labor you won't find elsewhere."

"Yes, I get this; I used to help my grandmother in her garden when I was a young boy, and I enjoyed this a lot. My name is B'lushona, by the way, and I am from Whiterun. My two companions are Antonius and Athis."

"And you have two saber cats with you, too! How come they are so well behaved?"

"I found them when they were little cubs, and I have kind of adopted them."

"Wow, I have never heard about somebody doing that. Now, I am Redlith, and I run this farm together with Ennis over there and with Halvar; the Nord is probably feeding the hens now."

"Where do you sell your surplus crops, if I may ask?"

"In Whiterun, mostly. Ennis handles the business arrangements, but I know that he has a few purchasers who give us a fair price. The Redguard prides himself on his shrewd business schemes. For my part, I'm far happier working with cattle and crops than with people, but I am always available for a chat in between, too."

The Redguard farmer came over now and smiled, and the Altmer told him:

"Another fine day at work in the fields. I really don't envy those city folk who miss out on the joys of working the land."

The farmer who had been called Ennis replied: "I'll tell you who I don't envy – those poor children who lost their parents in this war."

I chimed in:

"You have a point here. I don't know how many lives the war has already claimed, but war is almost never good, and a lot of people suffer from it."

"So true. Lives lost, crops burned, land ruined... there's no greater sin than war. But, it's too fine a day to dwell on such things. Let's get back to work and forget about wars and orphans for a while."

"All right, it was nice talking to you; have a good evening!"

It was time for us to get dinner and find rooms, and thus we looked around for the town's inn. Just when we had located it and started to head in the direction, we overheard two adolescent girls standing right in front of the house opposite to the inn, and they seemed to have a fight with words:

"You're going to get it, Sissel!"

"Why? What did I do?"

"I told you to weed the garden by sunset, and you didn't do it. Now you're in big trouble!"

"Papa told you to do that, Britte, not me! Now leave me alone!"

I shook my head, and we could not hear any further words from them, as we now got up the stairs to the inn, the 'Frostfruit Inn'. Once we had passed the door, a male Nord with bald head greeted us:

"If you need a meal or a room, I've got both. But I only take real coin here, no handouts and no bartering."

"That's fair. Actually, we'd like to get both, please; two rooms for the night and dinner for us."

The proprietor, who introduced himself as Mralki, nodded and promised to have his cook prepare the food right away, and once we had dropped our packs in the rooms assigned to us, we found a seat around one of the tables and waited. At the next table there was an elderly male Nord and Mralki served him another bottle of mead, while he said:

"Your daughters are growing up fast, Lemkil. Seems like only yesterday they were newborn babes."

"They've grown, all right – lazier and more stupid."

"There's times I think you're the coldest man in Skyrim. This is your own flesh and blood you're talking about."

A younger man, who seemed to help around the inn, chimed in:

"I'm not saying it's my business, but I have to ask. Why are you so cruel to your little girls, Britte and Sissel?"

"You're right, it's none of your business. How about you keep your nose out of it?"

"You keep on like you are, you'll end up with two daughters who hate you."

"Hah! And what would a witless oaf like you know about raising children?"

Had this been the two girls we had seen outside? The way they had talked, it was indeed possible that the man's way of educating them was not quite right, but on the other hand, this was not really our business either. Our meal was served now, and we focused on eating and drinking. Once we were done, it was still a little it too early to go to bed, and while Athis and Antoninus preferred to stay in the taproom and talk and drink, I decided to go outside for a quick walk before sleeping.

Naturally, at this time of the year, darkness had already descended, and the town was only illuminated by some lone torches and specifically by the light of the larger of the moons. While I took in the scenery around me and the quietness, I saw a person sneaking around and moving towards the northeastern end of the town. The person looked smaller than an adult, and I got curious, so that I quickly followed. The person turned out to be a girl, one of those we had met outside a couple of hours earlier, and before she turned towards the last house on the right, she looked around and noticed me; I had not made any effort to stay hidden, and in the bright moonlight she could clearly see me now. At first, she was alarmed, and I could see that she did not know what to do, but she asked:

"Who are you? What do you want?"

Her voice sounded more irritated than frightened, and it was not my attention to scare her; I replied:

"I am B'lushona, and I am going to stay at the inn for the night. I was just curious to see who was sneaking around at this time."

"Well, it's just me, Sissel, daughter of Lemkil, and I am visiting a friend."

"A friend who lives in that big house here?"

"He does, too. Your cats are cute; are you sure that they won't bite me?"

"They won't. Hanni and Nanni, that's how I call them, are well behaved. Would you like to touch them?"

"Can I?"

"Sure you can, when I am with you. Come here, open your hands, and slowly get closer to them."

I demonstrated how to pet the cubs properly, and soon the girl was busy with my saber cats. Meanwhile I mentioned:

"Now, I could not help listening to some of the words the other girl threw at you; is she always like that?"

"The other girl? Oh, that's my sister Britte. And yes, she often treats me like this."

She looked like she wanted to add something, but hesitated and just sighed. I gave her some time, and eventually she asked:

"Can you keep a secret?"

I nodded, and she lowered her voice and stated:

"You know, some day soon I'll stop being afraid. Jouane is teaching me magic."

"Magic, really? Your are a Nord girl, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I know. My father must not learn about it, or else I will be in trouble; but Jouane says I'm real good!"

"Well, I do not see a reason why somebody might not try at least, and if you are real good, as he says, it's probably the right thing to do."

"Yes, I actually like it, too. He has not taught me anything dangerous, like destruction magic, but I hope that I can soon learn a candelight spell at least. But I got to go now, or else I will be late! Night!"

"Good night, Sissel, and have fun!"

Now that had been interesting. Obviously, the girl was used to being bullied by her sister, and she was secretly learning magic. I also could have asked her why she was not in Whiterun to attend school over the winter period like many children from the farms and towns did, but maybe her father refused to let her go; after all, according to what I knew, there wasn't anything like compulsory schooling in Skyrim. I shook my head, and slowly I walked back to the inn. I was getting tired now, and although my companions were still amusing themselves in the inn, I was ready to go to bed. Today I took the smaller room with Hanni and Nanni, and Antonius and Athis had another one together.

[Author's Notes: Nords and magic...]