Chapter 30: Bannermist Tower

[22nd – 23rd of Hearthfire 4E 201]

Fiona, Lydia and I had arrived in Falkreath in the evening, after a long walk from Oakwood, and we had already started to get in contact with some citizens. After all, a Thaneship usually required one to be well known and helping locals, and the earlier we, or rather Fiona, started, the better.

Now, a new day was dawning, and as we did not have a specific timeline, Fiona asked me after breakfast what we should do next. After thinking about that question for a few moments I replied:

"Let's have a look at the farm and see if we can help there; from there, let's visit the graveyard."

"Are you sure that all of this helping stuff is actually good for something?"

"Honestly, Fiona, yes, and no. If you keep on looking for things to help with, you may find out that you spend all of your time doing little things here and there, and sometimes you may wonder how people coped before you came along. On the other hand, at least from time to time, helping people can provide a nice feeling, and I personally like to look back at a day's work when I get to sleep and know that I have made somebody's life just a tiny little bit better or easier on that day. You never know when those people might be able to help you, too. Finally, the stewards in the holds seem to keep track of those favors, and Jarls tend to give out Thaneships only once their stewards confirm that you are in good standing with the hold's citizens. Is that good enough?"

The Dragonborn nodded, and we easily found the farm; the city of Falkreath was not that big, after all, and in Germany it would have been called a small village rather than a city. There was a hard working Nord farmer on the field; he looked very sad, and when we approached, he mumbled:

"A sad time."

"It is, I believe so" I agreed. "Is there something in particular troubling you?"

"Our daughter was killed. Our little girl. She hadn't seen her tenth winter."

"We are sorry for your loss. Can we maybe help out a little and help you with harvesting?"

"Well, if you'd be so kind, indeed. Some of the cabbages are ready, and you could pick them for me, while I check on the potatoes and gourds."

"Of course."

Fiona got busy again, and when she had her hands full and delivered the cabbages to the farmer, she smiled:

"That's not as exhausting as chopping wood is, at least."

"Easy for you to say; your hands are closer the ground than mine, and my spine does not enjoy bending down that far frequently. For my part, I do prefer other chores."

Mathies, the farmer, wanted to hand over some gold, but we declined. We took our leave, and he suggested:

"You'll meet a lot of tongue-wagging gossips in this town. Try not to take them too seriously!"

"So, what now?" Fiona asked.

"Let's visit the graveyard and put a few flowers on the grave of that girl who was recently killed" I suggested.

The petite wood elf liked that, and when we had found the cemetery, a male Nord was tending a fresh looking grave. His first greeting was a little harsh:

"Show respect while you're here and you and I will be fine."

Another man, an older Altmer joined us, and when we told him that we wanted to honor the dead girl, he offered his view:

"The god Arkay was once like us, bound to winding mortality. But he willingly gave up this existence that we might better understand the vagaries of life and death. It is through the ebb and flow of this cosmic tide that we find renewal and, in the end, peace. May the spirit of Lavinia and all those who have left this world and its suffering know the beloved serenity of Aetherius...and may we one day rejoin them in eternity."

We looked at him, and while Fiona dropped a few flowers on the fresh grave, he explained:

"Sorry, I got carried away. Yes, that's the grave of the girl who was brutally killed just recently; feel free to stay as long as you like."

"You are Runil, the local priest of Arkay, right?" I asked.

"I am indeed, young man, I am."

Fiona chimed in: "We met Thadgeir at the inn, and he asked us to deliver this urn from him. He said that he buried his companion Berit or so."

"Ah yes, Berit's ashes, of course. He was a good man. Not many warriors grow to a fine, old age. Thank you for bringing this to me, young lady; I'll make sure that he gets his rites."

While we had talked, I had tried to remember if there was a specific story behind the fresh grave and the young girl, the daughter of farmer Mathies and his wife, and I had some vague memory about somebody whom I might find in the local prison; while I did not recall many details, I thought that this was something where a Daedra was involved, and probably not a pleasant one either. For now at least, I had no intention to get drawn into any of the Daedric quests, as some of them were quite evil for my taste. Anyway, Fiona was suddenly eager to leave the graveyard again, and I led her and her housecarl to the Jarl՚s longhouse. Before entering, I warned her:

"If you are ready to talk to the Jarl, just know that he's a little arrogant and self-centered. Once we are done here, we can mostly ignore him, so you just need to get along with him for a short time, if you want to go through with the plans."

"How do you know all of that, B'lushona? You have not been here before, or have you?"

"I have read a lot of books."

I was not yet ready to talk about the Skyrim game in my former life at this time, not even with her, and we stepped into the house. Jarl Siddgeir slouched on this throne, being dressed in a long fine tunic, and when Fiona stepped closer, he asked with a bored expression:

"Yes? What is it that you want?"

"I received a letter from you inviting me here, Jarl Siddgeir."

"Ah, yes, so you are the Dragonborn I have heard about?"

"Some people claim that I am, but I still have to visit the Greybeards to make sure."

"Well, I am not sure if a group of old men will be of any help, but as you are here now, I wonder if you could do something for me."

"What would that be?"

"There's a group of bandits in my hold that I... may have had a few discreet dealings with. The cut they used to be giving me was good at first, but now, they have robbed the trader who was supposed to deliver a few special bottles of wine from Solitude I have eagerly been waiting for. It's about time to clean things up. They are located in Bannermist Tower, northwest of the city. Go and take care of it; spare no one!"

"It will be done, my Jarl."

"Good. Off with you, now!"

I could read in Fiona's face that she was not happy with the Jarl՚s words, and when we were outside and some distance from the longhouse, she asked Lydia and me:

"Did that Jarl just admit that he had some kind of agreement with bandits and allowed them to do their evil deeds and provide him some percentage of what they robbed?"

"Yep, something like that, I think" I replied.

"Indeed, my Thane, he does not seem to be an honorable character. But nevertheless, we have a task, so we might as well go ahead with it."

"All right, and how do we find this tower?"

"The steward marked it on my map – look here."

"It's not so very far from here, right?"

"No, not really. I suggest that we spend the night at the local inn, leave for the tower after breakfast, and if everything works out well, we will be back for dinner and another night at the inn."

"Sounds good to me" Fiona replied. "What do you think, Lydia?"

"Whatever my Thane decides."

Of course Lydia would say something like that. We spent the rest of the day doing this and that, talking to various people and exploring the city and the stores, and Fiona found a couple of additional opportunities to help people with some small task. When we went back to the inn, we enjoyed our dinner and listened to a few songs presented by Delacour, the local bard. Eventually, we retired to our rooms.

Lydia made sure that her thane did not sleep in too long on the next day, and we met in the taproom for breakfast. While we ate, the housecarl asked if we had enough health potions with us, and I nodded, showing her the related content of my backpack. Soon we were ready and left Falkreath in western and later on northern direction, this time passing Roadside Ruins without stopping. Once or twice the ubiquitous wolves were around us, but no attack followed, and we also saw many smaller animals, like foxes, rabbits, various birds, all kinds of insects, and even a few snakes. Fiona kept her distance from those, though, and with obvious concern in her voice she asked:

"Are those snakes poisonous?"

I shrugged and did not know the answer; as far as I recalled, I had never seen a snake in the game, but Lydia had some information:

"There are not many snakes in Skyrim, and only in the southern and warmer holds like here and the Rift. I have been told that only one or two species are poisonous, but the poison is not lethal to humans; thus, you don't have to worry, my Thane."

While the housecarl had provided this information, I had looked up to the sky a few times, and before we walked on, I asked:

"Is it just me or does it really look like it's going to rain very soon?"

Lydia looked up as well and nodded:

"I think that you are right, Khajiit. But a little bit of rain is not going to stop us."

Wow, Lydia had actually agreed with me? Fiona was getting concerned, though:

"I may not be familiar with the environment and the conditions here, but this huge dark cloud over there looks like more than just a little bit of rain."

She had barely completed that sentence when I saw lightning coming down from that cloud, still at quite some distance and with the thunder barely audible many seconds later, but still.

The Bosmer pleaded with her housecarl:

"I don't want to be outdoors in a thunderstorm, Lydia!"

Her view was understandable, and I fully agreed with that statement; the Nord warrior and I looked at my map, and Lydia suggested:

"All right, my Thane. The best option we have from here seems to be the old Falkreath Watchtower. We don't know who and what might be there, but let's give it a chance. If I read the map correctly, we need to go around this hill here and take the next side road to our left."

The old watchtower she pointed at was right on our left, but up on a small hill, so that we would not able to get there directly from our position on the road. I nodded, fully in agreement to not wait for the thunderstorm here on the road, and we hurried up.

We passed the road branch to Oakwood and found the side road on our left minutes later; we turned into it and followed it. Normally I would have admired the scenery, with thistles and some flowers growing around the sides, but the cloud had moved closer and we did not have time to enjoy nature's beauty. Just in time before the first drops of rain came down, we found ourselves at the watchtower entrance. There were no voices to be heard from inside, but that did not imply that nobody was there, of course.

Very cautiously we entered the ground floor via a short set of stairs and found it empty. The noise from outside caused by rain and wind prevented us from hearing any noises from the top level, but right at this time we saw a pair of feet appearing; assuming that the tower's top level was open to the elements, somebody had probably decided to find cover. Just in case we prepared for combat, and soon an entire body could be seen. An apparently male body was covered by some kind of mage robe, and Lydia whispered:

"A necromancer, I believe!"

The robed person noticed us now, and their reaction was quick. A spell was cast towards the tower's top level, and within moments a female Khajiit in rags, but without any weapons joined them; sure, a necromancer indeed. Another spell was cast in our direction, against me actually, but I managed to jump to the side so that it hit the wall. Fiona shouted her 'FUS' against the necromancer, and her housecarl took advantage of the situation and followed up with her sword, killing the mage; the necromancer's death also made the revived Khajiit drop to the ground. Lydia quickly checked the tower's top level and found it empty, and now we could relax a little and wait until the thunderstorm passed.

I had a look at the female Khajiit the necromancer had revived for a few moments, and I felt sorry for her. She had probably been a harmless traveler, and maybe the mage had just killed her to practice his necromancy skills. While Lydia explained what necromancy actually was, as Fiona was not familiar with the concept, I knelt down next to her, or rather the ashes she had turned into, and said a quick prayer, and while Lydia scowled, I noticed the Bosmer nodding; apparently she at least understood my sentiments and feelings when seeing dead people.

Half an hour later the rain stopped, the first gaps in the clouds could be seen, and we moved on again. Right outside of the tower I noticed something gleaming slightly red with a metallic look, and there was an ore vein to our right, probably iron ore. Those mounds of rocks or parts of a hill or mountain could be found in all kind of places in Skyrim, as I recalled, and iron ore veins were the most frequent ones. I did not have a pickaxe with me and I also did not want to carry heavy pieces of ore with me, but at a later time I might want to think about ore mining for a blacksmith to earn some additional money. Of course they'd probably pay more for higher quality ore like silver, gold, or ebony, but I would have to find those veins first. Not for the first time I wished I had some electronic device with an interactive Skyrim map to easily find those locations; my limited memory certainly did not have that kind of information ready for me, and I might want to do some searching for ore veins later on, but most likely focused on the area around Whiterun or maybe Riverwood. I recalled that I had seen such an iron ore vein north of that town, too, and maybe I could earn some money by delivering ore to Alvor.

The humid air around us has a fresh feeling, and I liked it; from between the trees traces of mushroom smell reached my sensitive nose, and while I was no expert in mushrooms, neither the ones on Earth nor the Skyrim ones, I wondered if some of them might be edible, liked fried in a pan together with onions and eggs and some spices. The mere thought made me looking forward to lunch, but we wanted to make some more progress first, and that we did; lunch break wasn't due before we got to Half-Moon Mill again.

Right after we had walked up to the road branch with the eastern road to Riverwood and Helgen and the northwestern one to Granite Hill, I stepped on top of a large rock for a better overview, and when my head turned towards Lake Ilinalta, I almost yelped, not from fear, but from surprise and joy. A section of the shore area around here had been cultivated as an orchard, like the one I had see next to Anise's cabin, but larger and more open. The area was not easily visible directly from the road, and I had not noticed it a few days earlier when we had been on the same road. Altogether I estimated more than one hundred fruit trees, with the ground covered mostly by grass and low bushes. There was no farmer or gardener around, but if those orchards were similar to those on Earth, they required little maintenance and definitely not daily attention. That view reminded me so much of my former home that I almost felt homesick for a few seconds.

Hern and Hert were delighted to see us again so soon, and once more we gladly helped with the chores for half an hour or so before we had lunch at the lake shore and then moved on. I had intended to ask them about the orchard and who tended it, but I completely forgot.

After the mill, we took a side path to the left and followed that. Apparently the tower we were heading for was located behind a hill, and we had to walk partially around it to get there. When we were about due north of the tower, according to my estimation, we came upon a small path branching off on our right, and two Nords approached us from there, a male and a female. We greeted them politely, and they introduced themselves as hunters. They also wanted to learn about us, though:

"You are not planing to go to this tower over there, or are you?"

I nodded and replied:

"Yes, that's exactly where we are heading right now."

The two of them nocked arrows in their bows, and the male hunter challenged us:

"So, you are some of the bandits who have claimed this placed for themselves?"

I raised my hands and responded:

"No, not all all, on the contrary. The Jarl has put a bounty on the bandits, and we want to see if we can earn this coin purse."

"Really? I was sure that there was some agreement between Jarl Siddgeir and the bandits, as nobody had dared to approach them lately."

"I believe that such an agreement might have been in place, but we would not know for sure. We are at home in Whiterun and not in this hold. However, we had a conversation with the Jarl of Falkreath just yesterday, and he made it very clear that he wants to have the bandits eliminated and the stolen goods recovered."

The hunters had lowered their weapons again, and the female now said:

"We hope that you may succeed. The bandits have made the area unsafe, and recently we've had to be very careful where to hunt. The sooner they're gone, the better. Good luck!"

We took our leave and continued on our path, which slowly turned to the south soon. Eventually we could see our target, and as the path lead around it first, we approached from the south. Before we got too close, I asked the two ladies to proceed as quietly as possible and to stay in the shadows of the hills and trees, and this was good, as we saw a lone bandit patrolling outside of the tower. Now was a good time to think about a plan of attack, and I asked the Bosmer:

"Fiona, do you think that you can get this guy with your bow from here?"

"You mean, like kill him?"

"Yes, kill him. Don't forget, the Jarl himself has given the orders."

I did not feel fully comfortable when I said this. Sure, the Jarl had set a bounty on the bandits, but was it really the right thing to kill them off without giving them a chance to surrender first? Of course, this was not a civilized country on Earth, with police arresting people, reading them their rights, and sticking them into prison after a court sentence, but nonetheless the concept made me feel slightly uneasy.

Fiona nodded and nocked an arrow, and when the bandit stopped walking for a couple of seconds, the arrow hit him in the chest, penetrating the hide armor. It was not enough for a kill, but good enough to keep him from shouting or yelling, and I was over there in a few seconds to finish the kill. For now, no additional bandit was visible, and I was not sure if we should just march in or rather try to lure some of them out. We could not know how many bandits might be in the tower, though, and just rushing in might be too dangerous. After thinking about that for a few minutes I got an idea and suggested that in a low voice:

"What about somebody, maybe you, Lydia, step close to the tower, call out and ask for the way. A bandit might respond and step out to catch you, and while they do, I wait next to the entrance and cut them down, or Fiona does that with an arrow from between the trees."

"No, I do not think that I will look god as bait. I am a warrior, and they will see me as that rather than a harmless traveler."

"Guess you are right. So, Fiona, can you do the distraction instead? You might look harmless enough."

"I guess I do, don't I?"

"Yes, maybe you can have your bow on your back, pretending to be a hunter who has lost her way."

"And you two promise to step in?"

"Of course we will, my Thane! I will not let harm come your way!"

The Dragonborn՚s housecarl was clearly not convinced, but she failed to come up with a better plan, and so we proceeded with mine. Lydia and I took positions on both sides of the tower entrance, and Fiona stepped on the open meadow maybe thirty meters from the tower. When I gave her a signal, she shouted:

"Hello, is there anybody at home here?"

Nothing happened for some time, but then we heard a deep voice calling from above:

"What the heck? Who is out there?"

Another break, and then a different voice was heard:

"Boss, it's just a small wood elf, armed with just a hunting bow or so."

"What? Let me see."

The deep voice was heard again:

"What do you want, wood elf?"

"I may have lost my way, and I wonder if you can tell me if this the way to Falkreath?"

"Hasn't Brendolf been able to tell you?"

Brendolf must have been the bandit we had killed.

"Who is Brendolf? There was nobody around here."

"Damn, did he wander off again? Well, why don't you come up so that we can talk about it?"

"No, better not; I am afraid of heights. In addition, I have heard that there might be a few bandits in that tower. What if they show up when I come in?"

Loud laughter above us, and I thought that I heard a subdued voice saying something like "Is she really that stupid?". I had to admit that Fiona was playing her role as naive lost girl in a very convincing way. Then there was the deep voice again:

"All right; Alfred, get down and tell her about the right way!"

Steps were heard from the interior stairway, and a medium sized bandit showed up in the tower entrance. He had apparently only eyes for the Bosmer and only noticed Lydia and me when it was too late for him; he went down without trouble after a short fire blast from my side and Lydia's sword in his chest.

I pulled the corpse to the side and was just about to turn back to the entrance when a tall bandit clad in steel armor rushed out. The bandit chief must have somehow noticed that something was wrong, and before either the Nord warrior or I could react, he was now already past us, heading straight for Fiona. Most likely he either intended to kill her quickly or take her hostage. I heard Lydia cursing, and I understood her sentiment. Fiona had the bow on her back, and whatever we did, we would not be able to catch up with the bandit chief in time.

The young wood elf looked quite scared, with the big bandit running towards her, sword drawn and looking quite threatening. What was she going to do to defend herself?

[Author's Notes: Another cliffhanger, yes. Sometimes I just cannot resist the temptation to do that.]