Chapter 4 – Sanctuary
"It's unusual to get snow this far south," Endrich said. "If we keep following the road we should get out of the snow"
"I still think it's too great a risk" Viranus said. "We have wounded, we are running low on supplies…"
"Which is all the more reason to get back to Chorrol as soon as possible!"
"We will let Lando decide" Alaina interrupted. "After all, is he not our commander?"
Everybody turned to look at Lando.
"We will continue to Chorrol, or until we find better shelter" Lando said. "Alaina, gather some of these mushrooms. We will need them for food. The rest of you, help me build a stretcher from the door for Marus. Unfortunately we must abandon our horses – they will hinder us too much in the snow"
Lando walked out of the cave. The snow was still falling heavily, and was now more than a foot deep on the ground. He found the door that had been mounted across the cave entrance sticking out of the snow, and pulled it out. It was still more or less in one piece. With Roman helping him, he dragged it back into the cavern.
Ralus had produced a large coil of rope from his bag. "You never know when you're going to need a good bit of rope" he explained. "I always carry it"
Half an hour later, Lando, Roman, Ralus, Endrich and Vilanus had successfully fashioned a stretcher-cum-sledge from the door and Ralus' rope, and had laid Marus on top of it, along with a large sack containing their food supplies, some pieces of kindling and flint to light a fire with.
Alaina had been outside and returned with a handful of steel-blue entaloma mushrooms. She then began filling a bottle up with water from one of the small rockpools.
"What are you doing, Alaina?" Lando asked.
"These mushrooms are known to produce a burning sensation" she replied. "I think I can use a small amount of them to make a drink that will warm us up if we get too cold"
"We don't have time, I'm afraid. We must move before the snow gets too heavy"
"Very well" Alaina muttered, packing her equipment away.
The group left the shelter of the cave and began carving a route through the snow that was a vague approximation of the road. They found that the snow nearest the ground had compacted and was completely solid, so they could walk on top of the snow with relative ease. They still found it hard-going – they were walking into the wind and the cold and snow were assaulting their faces. Progress along the road was slow. Lando led the group, with Roman and Endrich behind him pulling Marus' sled, with Viranus bringing up the rear, and Ralus and Alaina with their bows walking along the edges of the group watching for any threats.
When they had been travelling for around an hour, Lando stopped the group.
"Is everyone alright?" he shouted over the noise of the wind.
"We're losing Marus!" Endrich called back. "He cannot take the cold!"
Lando forced his way through the snow to the sledge and looked at Marus. In the cave he had been on the way to recovery – the arrow had been removed from his chest and Alaina and Viranus had treated the wounds. However, his body's natural defences weakened, doubled with the fact that he was not generating any heat by moving, meant he was suffering particularly badly from the cold.
"I have to make that potion!" Alaina said. "It will help him!"
What he needs is a stiff glass of brandy in the Oak and Crosier as soon as possible, Lando thought to himself. Alaina busied herself with her alchemical equipment, carefully removing the gills of the mushrooms and grinding them into a pulp, then mixing the pulp into the water until a pale liquid was produced. She added some of the restoration potion she had made in Chorrol to the mixture and then poured a small amount into Marus' mouth. The effect was visible immediately – Marus' eyes opened wider and colour began to return to his skin.
"We need to keep him warm" Alaina said. She opened the bag of provisions and took her robe out – she had changed out of it and was still wearing her fur armour from the battle of Bruma – and lay it over Marus. Made from the finest cotton, it was guaranteed to keep him warm.
Lando watched Alaina. He really admired her – she was an intelligent woman, a skilled alchemist and always willing to help, regardless of the risks. And in her timber-wolf fur armour, she was probably the warmest of everyone in the group.
"We must continue" Roman said. "The snow shows no sign of stopping"
"We have come a long way south from Bruma!" Endrich said. "Why is there still so much snow?"
Lando sat down on a rock protruding above the snowline. The pain had returned to his chest. It felt like a burning sensation, which should have been an advantage in the snowy conditions but was in fact very uncomfortable.
"Let us continue" he said, standing up. He told no-one of the pain.
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As the group continued towards Chorrol, Lando's ailment continued. Eventually he could not go on.
"We must stop!" he shouted weakly. "I have an unusual pain in my chest which has been getting worse since we last stopped. I cannot go on!"
Alaina ran over to him, undoing her small bag of potions. She produced two bottles. "Drink these," she said. "See if either of them do anything"
As Lando raised the first bottle to his mouth, he saw Viranus and Ralus saying something to Roman then beginning to climb the hillside.
Lando drank the contents of both bottles and waited for around 30 seconds.
"Nothing" he said, sitting down.
"Maybe you just need to rest for a while" Alaina said, sitting down next to him and placing an arm around him. "I can't imagine you are very warm in nothing but that Mithril"
"I felt the same pain the other day in Chorrol" Lando said. "That's why I had to go and see Gureryne, remember? He thought he had healed me, but it would appear not"
Lando was beginning to slur his words and his vision was becoming blurred.
"Alaina… help…" he said weakly, before slumping forwards, face-down in the snow.
"Lando!" Alaina cried. Immediately, Roman and Endrich ran over and rolled him over onto his back. Endrich placed an ear against Lando's chest.
"He's still breathing" he said. "We must find shelter!"
"Viranus and Ralus saw an abandoned mine entrance just off the road" Roman said. "They've gone to investigate"
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"Who goes there?" a voice called out of the darkness.
"We are soldiers of Chorrol seeking shelter" Viranus said. "Who are you?"
"Who we are does not matter" the voice replied. "Does this mean you are soldiers of the Empire?"
"Absolutely not!" Viranus said. "We are members of the revolt against Emperor Avidius"
"Then you are our friends"
A torch was lit in the cavern, and it was bathed with light. An assortment of people sat in the cavern – three Dunmer, an Argonian, an Orc, a Nord and a Khajiit. The Orc stepped forward and extended his hand to Viranus.
"I did not recognise you at first, Viranus Donton. I am Burz gro-Kash, formerly of the Cheydinhal Fighters' Guild. We are all now technically outlaws, as we did not wish to leave Cyrodiil. Most of us are Imperial guild members"
He pointed to the Argonian. "This is Ah-Malz, another Fighters' Guild member"
Burz then introduced the Khajiit as J'Skar, the Nord as Keld of the Isles, and the Dunmer as Dervera Romalen, Llevana Nedaren and Boderi Farano.
Meanwhile, Ralus ran back down the hillside to the rest of the group.
"We have found allies who can offer us shelter!" he called when he was a short distance from the group. "They are non-Imperial citizens hiding to avoid exile!"
Marus and Lando were carefully carried up the hillside with help from Burz and Ah-Malz into the safety of the cavern. J'Skar, an alchemist and healer, set about taking care of them immediately.
"This snow has had us trapped in this cavern" Llevana said. "We were preparing to move to an Ayleid ruin a short distance up the road before we were snowed in. Why is there so much snow?"
"I think greater forces are at work" Ralus said nervously. "We may have upset the Nine by revolting against the Empire, and this is them wreaking their revenge"
"You are too superstitious" Viranus said. "If Stendarr is with us, why would the rest of the Nine go against us?"
"It's magic" Alaina said suddenly. "Who here is from the Guild of Mages?"
J'Skar and Boderi Farano both raised their hands.
"I'm sure you are familiar with the enormous strides being made in the field of Alteration" Alaina continued. "I have seen first-hand the power of the discipline"
"You believe a mage is responsible for this?" Endrich asked.
"It is possible, but who would do such a thing?" Alaina replied.
"Perhaps they were responsible for the Bruma flood as well!" Ralus exclaimed. "Could this be intervention by the Nine? Don't forget that the flood helped us win the battle!"
"But if it is intervention by the Nine, why are they doing this to us? How is this snow aiding us?"
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Lando opened his eyes and sat up shakily. The first thing he saw was J'Skar.
"Who… Where am I?" he said drowsily.
"You're in a cave northeast of Chorrol" J'Skar replied. "Your friends bought you here when you passed out. Do not worry, we are all your friends here"
"What happened to me?"
"I am not sure, your friends say you spoke of a pain in your chest and then passed out. But as far as I can find out, there's nothing wrong with you. I believe the best you and your friends can do is get a good night's rest and enjoy our hospitality"
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The next morning, Lando decided that it was time to move on from the exiles' cavern. Whilst packing their equipment up, everyone else stood talking busily with the exiles, but Lando stood on his own in a corner of the cavern, putting his Mithril armour on. J'Skar walked over to him.
"Something troubles you, Lando" he said. "What is it?"
"I think I may have made a grave error, being so hasty to start a revolt against the Emperor. I feel like I've placed the whole Empire in danger. Chorrol and Bruma have been saved, but I can't help feeling responsible for what happened to Bravil"
"Few men would do something as brave as you have done" J'Skar replied. "Already your name is known around the Empire. Everyone believes you can overthrow Avidius"
"But can I?" Lando snapped. "How can we overthrow him without a full-on assault on the Imperial City?"
"Maybe that is what must be done, then" J'Skar said. "But in the meantime, I have something that will aid your journey"
Lando noticed that J'Skar had pulled what appeared to be an ale cask over with him – a barrel with a tap built into one side, near the bottom of the barrel.
"This is a potion called the Philter of Frostward. It's one of my specialities. This is one of two barrels remaining that I have, so use it wisely. It will ward off whatever cold the storm will throw at you"
"Thank you, J'Skar" Lando said warmly. "I will not forget the help you and your friends have given us"
The cask of Philter of Frostward was mounted onto the sledge, taking up some of the space Marus had previously occupied. Thanks to J'Skar's healing skills, Marus was now fit to walk again, as was Lando. The group said their farewells to the exiles in high spirits – they were nearly at Chorrol, all the members of their group were fit to travel once more and they had J'Skar's potion, as well as timber-wolf fur parkas given to them by Keld of the Isles, to keep themselves warm. The group all filled wooden cups with J'Skar's potion and drank their contents. Immediately they felt warmer, as though warm water was literally flowing through their veins.
The journey was much easier than it had previously been. Although snow was still falling, it wasn't as heavy as it had been the previous night, and now it was daytime they had a much better view of where they were going – the valley between the Colovian Highlands and the Jerall Mountains, where Chorrol was situated, was clearly visible, with the outline of Chorrol just about visible.
"Snow has fallen in Chorrol" Endrich said, looking ahead. "This is truly a first!"