Chapter 8: A caravan in Riverwood

[19th of Last Seed 4E 201]

When I woke up on the next day, I was aware of my environment and my new life almost immediately, and my old life back home felt like this had been months or even years ago; strange. I had spent the entire previous day in Riverwood, doing some work for Gerdur and Hod and earning some money which had enabled me to buy a set of armor from Alvor. Now I got up to find Gerdur serving breakfast; she took a seat next to me for some time, and I asked her:

"Gerdur, please don't think I am stupid or so, but was the day Ralof and I came down from Helgen the 17th day of the month Last Seed in the year 201 of the fourth era?"

"Why, yes, I think it was. Why would that be important?"

"I just want to remember the day I first encountered the huge black dragon."

"That makes sense, I guess. But why first? Do you really believe that you might see him again?"

"Aye, that I do."

Gerdur shook her head and replied: "I sure hope that a dragon appearing is not going to become weekly event. Most of our homes are built from lumber, and a fire breathing dragon coming to town could easily destroy one or more houses entirely; that's why the Jarl needs to learn about what happened in Helgen. Talking about events, by the way, when I went into the Riverwood Trader store this morning, Lucan said that thieves broke into his store. Strange, he said they hardly took anything. I wonder if you might want to talk to him about that? Maybe he's got an opportunity for you to make some more money?"

I recalled what this was likely about and decided to pay the store a visit, once I was done with my breakfast. I still had a few looted items from Helgen underground with me, and I could as well try to sell them, although I would probably not be able to get reasonable prices at my level. Wait a second – did I actually have something like levels? Would the prices I got for buying and selling depend on my speech or haggling proficiency or so? If so, I was in trouble; haggling was not something one got used to in Central Europe, and I might have to learn fast. So, time to try to find out, I guessed.

When I stepped into the store, I saw two people, looking more Imperial than Nord, a black-haired male and a brown-haired female; obviously Lucan and Camilla, the store owner and his sister. They were in a heated discussion, and once a gap in their conversation offered an opportunity, I pretended to be clueless and just said:

"Good morning!"

"Oh, a visitor. Sorry for not noticing you right away; it appears that we did have a bit of a... break-in. But we still have plenty to sell. But first let me introduce myself; I am Lucan Valerius, and the lady next to me is my sister Camilla."

"Pleased to meet you both; my name is B'lushona."

Camilla chimed in:

"Aren't you one of those people who came down from Helgen the other day, with Ralof and two others? I think I saw you briefly in Gerdur՚s backyard, sitting together in the evening, day before yesterday."

While I did not recall seeing her before, I nodded as confirmation, and Lucan continued to muse, obviously bothered about the break-in:

"It's strange; the robbers were only after one thing. An ornament, solid gold, in the shape of a dragon's claw; a family heritage, actually. Not really very valuable, but it has been in my family for centuries. I should have guarded it better."

"A claw? Really? Maybe I could help you to get it back."

"You could? I've got some coin coming in from my last shipment. It's yours if you bring my claw back. If you're going after those thieves, you should head to Bleak Falls Barrow, northeast of town. That place has been a bandit hideout for some time, and I've heard rumors about increased activity up there. Some bandits apparently think that the claw opens the door to untold riches up there, can you believe that nonsense?"

That was that, and I had a quest. I wondered if I might, once I got into one of the large cities, having quests piled on me within minutes, but that was not going to happen, right? In the game everybody seemed to wait for the Dragonborn to show up to solve their little or maybe not so little problems, but first this was real life here and not a game, and second, I was not the Dragonborn, or at least I did not think that I was. I did not promise to go for the claw right away, of course; I did not really believe that I was ready for the barrow all on my own, but maybe I could join forces later on with Fiona and her companions, heading there for a different reason.

Now, I wanted to see what I could sell:

"Oh, by the way, I have a few items to sell. What can you give me for those?"

I grabbed what I had from my bag and presented the items on the big counter, and I saw Lucan scratching his head:

"Hm, most of this is used and of poor quality. I can give you 55 septims altogether."

I had no idea if this was a fair price, but according to my knowledge this was the only store in town, and I did not want to keep the stuff around. In addition, I did have to admit that the stuff I had grabbed in Helgen was clearly not top quality, and for now I'd better take what I got. However, at least I gave it a shot and asked for 60 septims, and to my surprise the proprietor agreed and we had a deal. I did not know if haggling was normally expected or not, but at least for this day I had made one feeble but successful attempt in this direction. I still did not have a clue about levels and if I had something like skill levels. Probably not; at least, so far there had not been a magical pop up stating that I had increased any skill or gained a level.

When the sun was shining brightly in late morning, I decided to go for my morning bath and a quick swim in the river. As I had noticed on the day before, the water was not too cold, and with the sun being out, getting my fur dry afterwards would also work fine. How I would do my body hygiene in winter, though, might be an issue.

Today I was not alone, and to my surprise I found the waters already occupied. My first thought was about a dangerous predator in the water, like a shark or a small crocodile or so, but when the creature surfaced, it turned out to be a lizard like and human sized one; it had green scales, claws, and something like small horns on the head, and if memory served me right, this had to be an Argonian. My mind actually needed a few seconds to make the connection, as I had not yet seen one of their race yet, but the last doubts were gone when the person started to speak in a somewhat raspy but not unpleasant voice:

"Greetings to you, Khajiit! Not many of your race spend more time in water than they absolutely have to."

"Greetings to you, too. Yes, I do like to swim, but only if the sun shines warm enough to dry my fur afterwards."

"Ah, this makes sense. I am called 'Swims-Faster-Than-Salmon', and it is a pleasure to see a new face around here."

"My name is B'lushona, and the pleasure is all mine. Do you live here in this nice town which is called Riverwood?"

"That I do, although the river may be more my home than the house I own."

That seemed to be understandable for an Argonian, and I had also already wondered about the additional houses I had seen. Riverwood was still a small town, but in this real Skyrim it had a few more houses than the four or five the game had. I had met a few people I had not seen in the game, like Phintis, the farmer, and I now there was another one, and an Argonian as well.

The Argonian, a female one judged by her voice, now asked:

"Are you a traveler, B'lushona? I do not think that I have seen you before."

"Yes, I am passing through, and in a few days I will probably be in Whiterun. For now, though, I like it here; this is a peaceful little village, and the people living here are very nice, friendly, and helpful."

"Yes, indeed, and that's the reason I came to end my journey here. You may wonder about my name, but it is not my real one. I got involved in some bad things at home in Black Marsh, and I had to flee. Cyrodiil was interesting, but I found my new home here, and Dorthe and Frodnar decided to call me 'Swims-Faster-Than-Salmon' when they first saw me hunting fish in the river. Ah, at least I have this river here; I still miss the swamps at times, and winter is too cold here, but it could be much worse."

"So, the river here does have a lot of fish in it, doesn't it?"

"Oh yes, and I enjoy the variety. There's not only salmon, but also river betty, abecean longfin, and others. Do you go for fish, too?"

"Not yet, but I will sure try to. I like to eat fish, and I was hoping that I might be able to catch the occasional salmon when they jump up small rapids."

"Indeed, salmon tastes great. I make my living mostly by catching fish and selling it to the nice people here in Riverwood; but not all of them like to eat fish. It was nice talking to you, but I would like to dive down again, if you don't mind."

The river was not so very deep here, as I had already noticed, but maybe she was about to swim to the lake and do some more diving there. I nodded in her direction, and she was gone. That had been nice, and I was pleasantly surprised that Argonians did not look that bad after all. The real image was clearly better compared to what I had seen in the game, although I had to admit that I had never spent much time looking at them. Some people I had talked to had claimed that the 'beast races' had been modeled in a more pleasing way in the 'Oblivion' game compared to 'Skyrim', but once again, this was reality now.

At this time I was unsure about what to do next. I was supposed to find and protect the Dragonborn, but I did not really know who that might be, at least not with certainty. Based on the events in Helgen, it might be Fiona, the petite Bosmer, but she had more or less run away from me. If she was the one, she would be asked to retrieve the Dragonstone from Bleak Falls Barrow, if events went according to those in the game. However, I had no way of knowing how many people Farengar might have already sent to the barrow, and they had either perished or failed, lacking the Golden Claw. Even if Fiona was asked, she might not dare to go there; she did not strike me as a person who easily and willingly delved into dark and dangerous dungeons. On the other hand, she might have Freya and even Faendal with her, and she might not know about the dangers. There were just too many variables, and for now, I decided to pay attention to people moving towards the barrow, if possible.

Meanwhile, I spent some time and effort to talk to the other people in town and make myself useful. Faendal was out, and according to what I had been told, he had gone to Whiterun with Ralof and the girls. Camilla, the store owner's sister, told me that a female wood elf had pointed out Sven's cheap scheme to her. She was supposed to get a letter delivered to her which was presumably written by Faendal rather than Sven, to make the Bosmer look bad. I suspected that this might have been Fiona's doing, and Faendal might have rewarded her by offering her his time for a few days. I recalled this quest from playing, and I had frequently done the same in order to get a decent follower early on, before I had earned my first housecarl.

In late morning, after I had had a chance to talk to a few people I did not recall from the game – this real world Riverwood did have a few more houses than the in-game vanilla one, after all – there was a little bit of a commotion outside, and I heard some loud voices shouting from the northeast end of town when I was just about to enter the 'Sleeping Giant Inn'. Getting curious, I turned around and followed the road to the bridge. A few Khajiit were there, looking at a small carriage and a single horse attached to it. The carriage was not on the road any longer, but almost down at the riverbank next to the bridge; probably not on purpose.

As this was the first time I encountered some fellow Khajiit, I stepped closer, and one of them, a female with very dark fur, greeted me right away:

"The warm sand of Elsweyr is far away from here."

The Khajiit woman was, as I assumed, of more or less normal size, and she was more than one head smaller then me. I bowed my head and responded:

"Indeed it is, and a peaceful greeting to you. Please excuse my lack of proper terms, but I was not raised in Elsweyr, and my knowledge of the proper language and greetings of our race is very limited."

"This one is not offended, and many of us are traveling lands of other provinces. I am Ahkari, leader of this small caravan."

"Pleased to meet you, and I am B'lushona. I am only staying here for a few days, and I plan to get to Whiterun soon."

"We have passed this city before coming here, but we usually have our main stops in Dawnstar and Riften, and normally we take another road when we move between the two cities. This time, though, we were warned of bandits and made a small detour, and our horse got frightened by a small pack of wolves on the other side of this bridge here. Now our carriage is down there at the river bank, and the horse is not strong enough to pull it up again. The wagon is fully loaded with our merchandise, and we may have to unload everything first."

"Maybe if we all help and push?"

"Well, you seem to be very strong; are you offering your assistance?"

"Of course I am – let's see if that works!"

Together with the two strong males in the group, Dro'marash and Kharjo, I stepped behind the wagon, while Ahkari and Zaynabi, the group's female scout, helped on the sides. On Ahkari՚s command we all pushed, while the horse pulled from the front, and after a few attempts we managed to get the carriage moving. Like with the log handling on the day before I liked to work out like that and to use my muscles; it was strenuous and demanding, but gave me a pleasant feeling, and above and beyond that, I could help other people. Above and beyond that, wasn't that something Stendarr expected me to do, like he had claimed: 'Be kind and generous to the people of Tamriel'?

It was hard and slow work, and more than once the wagon was sliding down a bit again, but half an hour later horse and wagon were back on the road, and Ahkari was grateful:

"These sands are cold, but Khajiit feels warmness from your presence. Your assistance has been very valuable for us, and this one doesn't know how to reward you properly."

"If you want to reward me, may I suggest that you open up your wares for an hour or so and give those wonderful citizens of Riverwood a chance to buy a few things, maybe with a little bit of a discount. They all have been so accommodating and friendly in the last few days when I was in need."

"So be it, B'lushona. Will you tell them that we will be available right here for a little time?"

"That I will do. I will be back soon."

I did not waste any time and called out about the caravan to everybody I saw, and briefly went into the homes of those who were in; after all, there weren't that many houses in this little town.

Five minutes later most of the good citizens were gathered around the caravan, and they used the rare opportunity to purchase from a source which was not the local general store. While Ahkari and Zaynabi handled the sales and Dro'marash prepared some food, I got into a conversation with Kharjo. He struck me as a capable fighter, and I dared to ask:

"Do you usually guard the caravan?"

"Yes, indeed, this one was hired to protect the others as we walk the roads of Skyrim. It is a thankless task and I would rather be back home in Elsweyr, but I have little choice. Ahkari freed me from a prison in Cyrodiil, and now I must repay my debt to her. A word of advice, my friend – do not mix gambling and drink. Taken together, they will empty your pockets of every septim."

"Oh yes, I think the same. Actually, I try to avoid both drinking and gambling, and so far this has worked well for me."

"This is a wise decision, my friend, and I hope that you can keep it up. Some of us enjoy drinking wine or ale or mead too much, and the temptation is just too big, even knowing about potential consequences. Even more dangerous is, of course, Skooma. Many people in all over Tamriel assume that all Khajiit are Skooma addicts. We both know that this is, of course, not true, but Skooma addiction is difficult to control; wise Khajiit as this one keep away from that stuff."

"What about the citizens of this country? I have only recently arrived here, but I have heard that Khajiit are not welcome in most cities. Is that really true?"

"Sadly it is. You see, mostly it is the Nords and their arrogance – 'Skyrim for the Nords'. While this one even understands the idea, most Nords do not like outsiders in their land. On the other hand, they don't seem to have any trouble having other races working for them, like many Argonians do at the docks in Windhelm and Solitude. Unfortunately, we Khajiit are indeed forbidden to enter the cities. When they look upon us, they see only pickpockets and skooma dealers. It is most unfair, but we do our best to ignore them."

"Getting back to the guarding, what dangers does the caravan face when traveling?"

"Skyrim is filled with all manner of dangerous beasts. There are wolves, trolls, mammoths and giants, and all of them would like to make a meal of us. Some of them one can easily avoid, like the giants and mammoths, and some others find you almost everywhere, like the wolves. Now we have heard about dragons returning, and if that turns out to be true, this is a danger we will not be able to protect ourselves from."

"What about bandits and marauders?"

"Ah yes, bandits harass the caravans at every step, but Khajiit usually scare them off. Except for some rare occasions..."

"So, bandits are sometimes giving you trouble?"

"Well, a few days ago, we were ambushed. A nuisance, really, but some of the marauders had quick fingers. They stole various items we owned, and one of them managed to get hold of my Moon Amulet, given to me by my mother when I was just a cub. It is my only memory of home in this cold land, and this one is very sad about the loss."

"If you'd describe how that amulet looks like, I will keep my eyes open, and if I should find it, I will return it to you."

"You are kind to offer. When you encounter the bandits, though, please be careful. I miss my amulet, but a life cannot be replaced as easily."

Kharjo gave me a description of the amulet, and I promised again to keep it in mind. About one hour later Ahkari closed the sale and got ready to move on, and she told me:

"We have gained a friend today. Thank you for your help again, and may the sun keep you warm, even in this land of bitter cold."

"And may your road lead to warm sands, for all of you!"

Once they were gone, traveling southwards and presumably towards Riften, I kept standing next to the bridge and reminisced about the encounter. The four people with the caravan had been the first other Khajiit I had met, and I had been specifically curious if the female Khajiit had triggered anything in me, but I had seen them as normal people, and somehow my feelings towards other Khajiit were not special. I guess that being changed into a Khajiit body had not really changed how I viewed other people. At least, though, I had made some friends, and I'd be looking forward to seeing them again.

After the caravan had left, I spent a little time at the local inn and helped Orgnar to carry a few heavy supplies up from the basement, which earned me free lunch. In the afternoon I got busy with chopping wood for Gerdur and Hod for some time, and later I assisted Alvor by pushing the bellows for his forge; while doing that I observed his working, and while I would not be able to do smithing on my own right away, I tried to understand the basics at least. This was uncharted territory for me, and naturally one did not learn to work a smelter, a forge or related stations just by pushing a button or, like it was graphically depicted in the game, just bowing over the forge or smelter and pulling a chain or so. I might be able to learn the skill if I had to, but I was not quite sure if I should add that to my priority list; learning to fight and improving my magic was probably much more important for now.

Alvor paid me a little for my help, and before I moved on, he asked me if I might be willing to get some clay for him. He was rebuilding the walls of a shed he used to store ingots and ore, and he wanted to have sturdy walls instead of thin ones just made of timber.

"The dragon sighting made me think" he told me. "It's about time to make some changes anyway, and I can as well make them properly and use some other stuff than wood, something more fire resistant. The problem is, that I don't always find the time to get the raw material I need."

He lent me a small cart and explained where I could find a clay deposit:

"The next one is right at the river bank next to the road to Helgen, about one hundred yards before you get to the next rapid upriver. You can't miss it."

When I had arrived in Riverwood two days ago, I had not paid attention to anything like a potential clay deposit, but I just nodded, took the cart and took off. I did not know exactly what distance 'one hundred yards' was. Having grown up in Germany, I had been used to the metric system since school, and although I had been exposed to non-metric units a few times, specifically during my time abroad, they were kind of alien to me. In addition to that, I could not be sure that units in Skyrim (inches, feet, yards, miles, whatever) were identical or even similar to those used, for instance, in the United Kingdom or the United States of America on Earth. Back there, in past centuries, the unit 'mile'/'Meile' had been in use in several countries, but, for instance, a 'Deutsche Meile' (German mile) had been very different from an English mile. However, less than half an hour from the town I found the place easily; the distance from the rapids suggested that a 'yard' was at least similar to a meter, and I got to work. Fortunately Alvor had placed a few tools into the cart, but I got myself quite dirty nonetheless. Well, I could take a quick bath in the river later on, once I was done. I managed to fill the cart to the brim, placed the tools on top, and pushed the cart back to the town. It was heavily loaded, and once again I had to exercise my muscles.

When I had delivered the cart, I dove into the river for a quick swim and cleaning, and once I had managed to get myself dry again – casting flames with minimum intensity at myself actually worked nicely for that, although my magicka supply was not sufficient by far to complete the process – I entered the inn and ordered dinner; as usual, I asked for a double serving. Today's special was pheasant, and I enjoyed eating that. So far I had not seen a pheasant or at least an animal which I might recognize as such out in the woods, but it was likely that this large bird was quite shy. Thinking about it, when playing the game, I had seen pheasant breasts as food available in multiple places, but never a live pheasant outside in nature, at least as much as I recalled; odd.

A couple of hours later I went back to my bed in the hay once more. Before I got to sleep, I pondered the day's happenings, and I was quite happy; sooner or later, though, I'd have to find out what to do in this world, and I'd better identify the Dragonborn so that I could fulfill my main task. Once again I thought about the two Khajiit females who had been with the caravan, Ahkari and Zaynabi. Despite both of them being Khajiit, my own race now, I had not really felt any attraction to them; did that imply that my preferences for a female partner were still like what they had been in my previous life, that is mostly human?

[Author's Notes: So we have met an Argonian and some other Khajiit; let's see who and what is next. I have intentionally decided to have the Khajiit from the caravan speak a mix of special Khajiit terms like 'this one' and 'normal' lingo; they have partially adapted.

Of course B'lushona knows that sharks live in oceans and not in rivers, but for some people a large and potentially threatening shape in water is first associated with 'shark', before rational thinking cuts in.

BTW, I have read a few other stories with a self-insert who indeed sees magical pop-ups telling him about levels, skills, perks, quests and such; I try to keep my own story as 'real' as possible, rather than sticking to game like characteristics.]