Chapter 48: A new goal

[30th of Sun's Dusk – 4th of Evening Star 4E 201]

After getting my Thane title in Whiterun and spending some time with my new housecarl, I had also found the time to go to school once more, and I had had more conversations with Antonius, too.

The next day – 30th of Sun Dusk – was a Sunday again, and I used the opportunity to have a day of quiet meditation and prayer. I did not have a fixed program for such a day of reflection, but more often than not I tried to find a quiet spot and at least find the time for a long prayer. Today was unusually warm for this time of the year, and I proceeded to some shaded spot west of Pelagia Farm, on top of a rock, with a few lone trees around. My saber cat cubs went hunting right away, and I knew that they were 'smart' enough to not go for any of the animals on the nearby farm. All of a sudden I was all alone, and that was good for a change, as it gave me the opportunity to focus my thoughts on God. Just to be on the safe side I conjured my familiar and commanded her to stand guard, and then I started a prayer. I still prayed to my God, the one and only God I knew, but I had come to accept the Divines as higher beings of a yet unknown nature, and I spoke some words of thanks to them as well.

Overall, I still did not have a reason to complain, not at all. Sure, not everything worked as I would have preferred it, but in general, I was at least 90% content and happy. I had a great body, a place to sleep, enough to eat, some spare money for extras I might want, a decent armor, and also nice people to talk to, including the Companions, but also others. I also had Hanni and Nanni, and they compensated for all of the time I had spent on Earth without a pet. At this time, I did not know when I would meet Fiona, the Dragonborn again, but I was sure that Akatosh would lead me in the right direction when needed; I would not be surprised if I had to save her hide again at some time in the future.

What I did lack was some amenities like a proper toilet, for instance, and specifically a female companion, one to be romantically involved with. I would have to find a lady who was willing to be with a big Khajiit, though, and that might be a challenge. I could also look into Khajiit women, of course, but in general I felt more attracted to human females, although I might not care once love hit me, which clearly had not happened yet. I was not even sure that I would recognize such an event. While I had read books on the topic, including plenty of romance novels, I had never felt anything really special for a woman on Earth, and I could not be fully sure that this kind of love even worked the same way here, specifically between people of different races. Above and beyond potential issues of compatibility between the bodies, was a human woman even able to feel a strong attraction and maybe more for me, and vice versa? Once again, the future would tell, or maybe not. I had been told 'Seek joy and inspiration in the mysteries of love' by Mara and Dibella in my initial vision, sure, and I really hoped that I'd eventually get to experience some of that.

What I did for sure not lack or miss were all kind of electronic devices. While having an iPad with a full copy of some related Wiki pages would have been quite convenient, overall I preferred to not having anything like that, specifically no smartphone. In the last decade or so on Earth I had seen and met too many people who allowed smartphones to dictate their lives, and they interrupted almost everything they did when they got a call or even just a text message. Seriously, I had considered it quite odd when I had heard colleagues taking calls while they were in restrooms or while they were eating lunch, and I had also never understood those who deliberately announced many details of their personal lives by posting notes on social platforms like Facebook. No, I hoped that nobody was going to invent anything like that in Tamriel.

Considering the day and the month, end of November, I also realized that this was about the beginning of Advent back on Earth, and I'd miss the decorations, candles, and other activities related to this time of the year. I had, so far, not spend much time and effort to find out about Tamrielic holidays, and from the game I did not recall much more than the 'New Life Festival', which was, I thought, something like New Year's Day. They did not have Christmas or something like that, as far as I knew, but that should not keep me from celebrating it nonetheless.

Finally I also did not forget to pray for the Dragonborn՚s safety, and I concluded, as I always did, with the Lord's prayer, before I climbed down from my rock to see what Hanni and Nanni had managed to catch.

After I had eaten something from the supplies in my backpack, I strolled back to Pelagia Farm and watched what the farmers were doing. One of the fields was going to be prepared for the next seeding, and large cow like animals, something like oxen most likely, but possibly more like yaks or some other species adapted to the local climate, were used to work in pairs and pull the plow. A person needed to guide the plow and sometimes stand on it to make sure that it could cut deep into the ground, and I vaguely remembered some discussions in a magazine on Earth where experts had debated the pros and cons of plowing deep. As far as I recalled, some had claimed that the deep plowing made all kind of small animals being moved to different levels in the ground, which is not good for them, so that only little plowing might be better. I had once read a technical documentation about a tool called a 'Tiefenmeißel' or something similar, able to dig deep into the ground without turning it, but still allowing for precipitation to get deep down.

Here and now I did hesitate for a moment, as it was Sunday after all, but contrary to Germany this was not a mandatory day of rest here in this world. Also, after all of the sitting and thinking, I felt like I needed some body exercise, and so I helped the farmers for a couple of hours with plowing the fields, where wheat had been harvested weeks before. While I was not sure that this was the best way to prepare the soil, I was certainly not going to tell the farmers how to do their job, and I did as directed. Besides, with a plow pulled by oxen like animals rather than a two hundred horsepower tractor weighing up to ten tons or so, the options were limited anyway. This did not prevent me from fantasizing about a Dwarven automaton, ideally a Centurion, doing some of the farm work. While I was working with the farmers, I imagined Dwarven spiders helping with seeding and harvesting, while the Centurions would do the hard work like plowing. I had not even met Dwarven automatons yet, and I was not sure if I should be looking forward to such an encounter or shy away from it; with a few good followers I might even survive.

Close to the end of the day, back at Jorrvaskr, I used the last hour or so of daylight to look into the book Vilkas had lent me, 'Songs of the Return' volume seven. I missed some of the context and might want to ask Vilkas about that later, but I understood that individual teams of the original Companions had gone out to explore by boat:

Let each ship's band make its own way, seeking their fates to the open sun.

Apparently, one of those boats was called 'Jorrvaskr':

The first to break from the grounded fleet was the crew of the Jorrvaskr, who had been formed of Ysgramor՚s closest friends.

And now I started to understand how the first building in this city had been created:

Once, as the sun beat from its high-home, Jonder the Tiny, the one who ran ahead, came over the hill to tell what was seen. Amidst a vast plain his eyes had met a monument of a bird, whose eyes and beak were opened in flame. When his brothers and sisters crested the hill, they too saw its glory, but they were afraid for no elven settlement could be seen to the horizon.

The 'Monument of a bird' – was that the large bird like structure which loomed at and over the Skyforge? I had certainly noticed that before, but I had not realized that it could be that old. So, if that bird monument had already been here when the crew of the Jorrvaskr arrived, who had built it? With 'no elven settlement could be seen', did that imply that it was older, maybe Ayleid or so? No, the Ayleid had been elves, and there must have been older races before; I would have to read up on that at another time.

They looked with fear at the winged colossus, and from their babblings did the warriors of the Jorrvaskr learn that it was older than even the elves themselves. Of those who wrought it solid from its mother-stone, nothing could be said, but it was known to drive a magic almost as old as Nirn itself, some remnant of the gods' efforts to render a paradise in Mundus before the shattering of Lorkhan. This first of many, this crew of the Jorrvaskr, heathens and ancestors to us all, feared no stories or gods. Indeed, if there was something the elves feared, they would have it for their own. Thus began the labors, once more, of Menro and Manwe, whose eager hands again laid to the Atmoran wood which had born them all across the sea, and what was their ship became their shelter as this valley became their purview until the end of all their days. Thus began the building of the Great City, circled by the running of the White River, as brought forth by these beloved of Ysgramor, yet but twenty-two of the glorious Five Hundred Companions.

Okay, so there had been a boat, called 'Jorrvaskr', and the crew of this boat had somehow made it to what was nowadays Whiterun, and they had been so inspired by the symbols and formations around Skyforge that they, a group of only twenty-two people, had decided to settle here. What was still called 'Jorrvaskr' nowadays was not just a building made to look like a boat, but an actual boat which had been turned upside down and just put on some foundation. Wow! Sure, I had read some books while playing, but I had not read about that specific context; this was quite fascinating to learn about.

I was not exactly a history buff, but as I lived here and as I was a Companion, I should know something about the past. One day I might want to find a few more books about Tamrielic history and the various eras. Now, Ysgramor had lived in the First Era, if I had this right, Alessia had also been in that era; I had no idea what happened in the Second Era, I recalled that the Third Era had the events with Tiber Septim; or was this rather close to the end of the Second Era? The Third Era ended with the assassination of Uriel Septim VII and Martin Septim defeating Mehrunes Dagon, and we were about two hundred years into the Fourth Era now. Maybe I could talk to Vilkas again at some other time; he would probably know where and how I could learn more.

Once a few quiet and nice days had passed, Kodlak asked to talk to me, and when I sat down next to him, he told me:

"B'lushona, you have mentioned once or twice that you consider going to Solitude for some time. It just so happens that I have received a letter from the Bard's College there earlier today, and there is something I'd like to discuss with you."

I almost laughed when I heard that, and I replied with a smile:

"Harbinger, I am not going to become a Bard!"

The white haired man laughed out loud and replied: "No, I don't think so, at least not because of your voice; no, I believe they have enough aspiring bards in the college there. They are not asking for someone who is good in singing or playing the lute this time. They are worried about a festivity they call 'The Burning of King Olaf'."

Somehow that rang a bell in my head, but I had not usually spent much time at the Bard's College when playing the game, and I did not recall any details. Kodlak continued:

"It seems to be a yearly event and big bard tradition to burn an effigy of said King Olaf to celebrate and remember certain aspects of this king's life, but Jarl Elisif apparently believes that this is distasteful, and she has not given her permission this year. The bards are upset about her decision, but there's not much they can do about it, at least for now. Viarmo, the headmaster, has this idea to find an old book with verses from the king, and he strongly believes that those verses might make Elisif change her mind."

"Okay, and why don't they just take this book? Don't they know where it is?"

"The book has been lost for some time, and Viarmo is sure that it can be retrieved from a place called 'Dead Men's Respite'. Now, the bards are not warriors and they are not rich either, and they have some hope that I may be willing to send someone to go there; it's a Nordic ruin, and it is probably guarded by draugr and such. I have to admit that I have heard about people going in there and never coming back out again, but on the other hand that is common for Nordic ruins. They, the bards, won't be able to pay much, but Viarmo is a good friend of mine; I have known him for decades, and I'd like to lend a hand."

"Ah, and that's where I come in?"

"Indeed, son, indeed. I am getting too old for adventures like that, but you might like it. You do have your housecarl and your saber cats, and I have asked Athis to join you as well; he has been planing to visit some friends in Solitude anyway. Do you think that you can handle that? I have asked Athis already, and he's all right with you being in charge of the task."

Wow, that was some responsibility. But sure, why not? I did not need to think a lot about that, and thus I nodded and responded:

"Harbinger, based on what you just said, it is not really certain that the book can be found in that tomb, right? So, what if I can't find it?"

"Viarmo seems to have some reliable sources, but indeed, there is a chance that the book is not where he believes it to be. Above and beyond that, it may carefully hidden in the tomb, too. If you can't find it, please report to Viarmo anyway and let him know. He will be disappointed, but he will understand that you tried."

"All right, Kodlak, I accept this task."

He smiled at me and told me:

"That's the right spirit here. From my point of view, please feel free to spend some more time in Solitude and the hold once you have done the task, and bring honor to the Companions!"

So that was decided. I had pondered the option for some time to either visit Solitude or Riften next. In Solitude, I would want to be eager to make Thane there to get Jordis assigned as housecarl; this was pure speculation, as I could not know if she'd be ready for me, and I also did not know how difficult achieving a Thaneship there might be. In Riften, I would want to find Inigo, whom Mia had talked about, but in the other hand it was the place where the Thieves Guild was at home, and I'd have to be careful with my belongings. Now, the decision was made; Solitude was next, and Riften would have to wait for another time and another day. While I could not be sure that this was the right decision at this time, the task Kodlak had offered seemed worthwile, and I'd do my best to not disappoint him.

Once we had learned what could be learned from Kodlak and I had accepted the task, Antonius, Athis and I spent the rest of the day with travel preparations and planing. In particular I made sure that both my housecarl and I had a few potions with us, mostly for healing; Arcadia and Mia always had plenty of those available, and they were at least one order of magnitude than anything I could create at an alchemy table.

After an early breakfast on the next day we started to walk out of the city just at sunrise, which was not very early considering the time of the year. We could have taken a carriage, but it would not have been much faster, and I really wanted to take my time to enjoy the scenery. I had been at the Western Watchtower and the road crossing close to Fort Greymoor a few times before, but I had not had an opportunity yet to proceed further west; for hunting I had usually stayed in the area north and northwest of Whiterun, and I was more than eager to explore regions I had not been to yet. On a road I had never gone before and in a new environment, I wanted to be able to look around, pick flowers, investigate details along the way and talk to people we might meet, and walking clearly seemed to allow for that in a much better and convenient way. Besides, I had already enjoyed hiking in my previous life, and with my great Khajiit body now, this applied even more. Antonius could have taken a horse, but he did not want to ride with me walking, and he claimed that he did not have a problem with walking for extended periods of time; Athis was also fine with that. I estimated that we could easily get to Rorikstead in two days, move on to Dragonbridge in another two, and reach Solitude around noon on the day after, if we did not stop on the way. However, we needed to plan in another day or two for the quest to find the verse book Kodlak had advised us about.

Traveling west from Whiterun! Many times had I gone this way before, passing the Western Watchtower and Fort Greymoor in the game, moving on to Granite Hill and either Rorikstead further to the northwest or taking the long road to Markarth. The latter was a city I had no intention to visit at any time soon, mostly because I was afraid to end up in the silver mine there for an extended period of time. It was of course conceivable that I might not be pushed into the related quest, but for now I just did not want to take the risk, and I felt uneasy even thinking about it. Above and beyond that, it was probably better to have one major goal at a time, and for now this was Solitude. While we walked, I lazily thought about the name 'Solitude'. Who had come up with a city name like this, meaning being lonely? How did that make sense? Maybe some of the citizens of the city would know about the origin of the name, and I could ask when I was there, if I did not forget about it.

Enjoying the view ahead of us, I also thought about slogans like 'heading west' and 'go west'. I vaguely recalled some commercials for cigarettes I had seen in cinemas as a teenager, when my friends at school and I had watched one of the most recent movies, like a thriller or a Science Fiction film. At that time, they had had many ads in movie theaters, but some of them had even been nice ones, with lots of nature being shown and such. One cigarette manufacturer had tried to associate the product with cowboys and horses and something like 'go west' and 'adventure', and while I had enjoyed the images and scenes, I had never understood why this should make anybody start smoking. I had always thought something like 'you could enjoy nature even more if you did not smoke'. But anyway; here I was, going west in my new real life, and fortunately without any cigarettes. As it was, I had not seen any tobacco based products yet in this world, and this was quite all right in my opinion.

Now, being on the road in real life, compared to a simulated movement in a computer game, I made sure to not walk too quickly, as I wanted to enjoy it properly and apply all of my senses. There was a thin layer of snow on the road, only a few centimeters, and I enjoyed walking on that layer. As there had not been many people on the road before us on that nice day, most of the snow was undisturbed, and stepping into fresh snow again and again made my mind filled with joy, like a kid. My two 'girls' ran all around us, being quite excited, and it was obvious that they enjoyed the snow as well; considering that they were 'snowy saber cats', this was not a surprise. As often as my limited pool of magicka allowed it, I conjured what I declared to be their ghost sister. I had thought about a proper name for some time, and I finally decided to call her 'Spirit'. Antonius and Athis both smiled when they watched the two and sometimes three saber cat cubs running around, and they sure did not have any problem with them. On the contrary, Antonius mused:

"Once the two of them are fully grown, you will have two very formidable body guards with you. Few people will want to mess with somebody who has two snowy saber cats on his side. Just make sure that they know their friends!"

"I think that they do know that, Antonius" I laughed and replied. "So far, they have been able to sense very well who is my friend and who is my enemy."

[Author's Notes: While writing this story, I am also extending my knowledge on the lore and background of the Elder Scrolls series; it's really amazing.

For the agricultural device 'Tiefenmeißel', the term 'Schwergrubber' is another word for it, and you can find a German Wikipedia page (with some images) on it; I was unable to come up with a proper translation into English, though. I actually watched a documentation recently where they explained how such a tool was preferred over plows in regions with low humidity in the ground, together with a concept called 'Agroforstwirtschaft' ('agroforestry').]