Here's chapter 2 :)

"Here we are."

Terah had been laying down for most of the journey, talking to Captain Gjalund about her experiences as the dragonborn. In her excitement to get off of the boat already, she sat up way too fast. She shook off the dizziness and waited for the black spots in her vision to clear out before she squinted her ice-blue eyes to get a good look at the island before them.

After taking in the scenery, she started to regret her decision to come here. The island was dull and gloomy, and the air was heavily polluted with ash. Terah glanced over the edge of the boat; even the water looked awfully tainted. The smell of ash began to creep into her nostrils, causing her to hold back a sneeze. She could easily see the Red Mountain in the distance and noticed smoke rising from its peak. Terah had heard of the Red Mountain's eruption, but she didn't realize it was this bad.

Solstheim was a pathetic excuse of an island.

"This is Raven Rock, a Dunmer settlement. It's mostly known for it's ebony mines. Maybe you can figure out what's going on here," said the captain.

"Well, it seems there has been an eruption from that mountain over there," she said matter-of-factly.

"Very funny," the captain drawled, trying not to get irritated. "But this is serious, Dragonborn. I believe you can do something about this."

In that moment, something occurred to her. She rarely came across somebody in Skyrim who didn't already know who she was, and here she is about to set foot on a fairly secluded island where there is a large chance that nobody knows who she is. This was a perfect opportunity to get out of the spotlight and start her reputation from the bottom again.

She smiled to herself. A clean slate. I'm actually kinda looking forward to this.

Terah stood up and glanced down at her dragonscale armor, frowning. This is a dead giveaway. But oh well, maybe no one will pay too much attention to it.

Just as the boat came to a halt, she walked over to the captain. "Captain Gjalund?"

"Hm?"

With sincerity in her eyes, she answered, "I just wanted to apologize for my behavior towards you this morning. I was just very frustrated and -"

"No need to apologize," he interrupted her with a small smile, placing his hand on her shoulder. "I know you have a lot on your plate, Drago-"

"Shhh," she said while placing a finger to her mouth. "That's another thing I want to talk to you about. I need to ask you a favor." Terah looked around to make sure no one was within earshot before leaning towards him with a hushed voice, "I don't think anyone here knows I am the dragonborn of Skyrim, and I plan to keep it that way. All I ask is that you keep my identity as the dragonborn a secret. Someone here wants me dead because of who I am, so I need to lay low."

"Of course, no problem," he said before averting his attention to something behind Terah. "I think someone wants to talk to you."

She turned around to see an older Dunmer man dressed in fine clothing, waiting for her on the dock. Terah exited the Northern Maiden and approached him, not sure what to expect.

The Dunmer spoke up first, "I don't recognize you. Who are you, outlander?"

Clearing her throat, she thought for a short moment. Although the note she found on the cultist's body mysteriously included her name, she didn't see a dire need to make up a fake name for herself here. So, she decided to give him her real name.

"My name is Terah."

"Welcome to Raven Rock, territory of House Redoran. I am second councilor Adril Arano."

She almost expected him to stick out his hand for a handshake, but he just stood there, staring at her with his blood red eyes. "State your business here."

Remembering Gjalund saying something about ebony mines, she thought of an excuse. "I am looking for work."

His demeanor changed with her answer, making him look a little deflated. "Well, I am sorry to say that you will find no work here. The mines dried up long ago. These are hard times for our settlement, but we manage."

"I see," she said, trying to seem sympathetic. "I think I might stick around for a while, though. Maybe explore the island a bit."

"Ah, well, do whatever you please." Arano said, waving a hand dismissively. "You hail from Skyrim, I presume?"

"Yes."

"Fine with me." The tone in his voice then became much more assertive, "But remember, this isn't Skyrim, outlander. This is Morrowind. You are expected to obey our laws and respect our customs."

"Of course, councilor. I won't be a problem, I promise you that," she replied reassuringly.

"Good. It's getting late, so you may want to head over to The Retching Netch for the night," he said while pointing over towards the town entrance. "Just head on through and make a left. It'll be the first building to your right."

"Thank you," she said with a slight bow of her head. Terah started her walk towards the town, but stopped herself. It probably wouldn't be very smart to go asking everyone about Miraak; she didn't want word to travel that she was in Solstheim looking for him. She decided to go against the thought and figured she'd risk asking.

Terah spun around on her heels, "Councilor Arano, I just have one question I'd like to ask you."

"Yes?" he said, raising a brow.

"Do you know where I can find someone by the name of 'Miraak'?"

He paused, staring off as if he was recalling a distant memory. "Miraak. . . Miraak," he repeated as he rose a hand up to stroke his chin. "I swear I've heard that name before. Does it have something to do with the Earth Stone? No. . ."

"The Earth Stone?"

"Yes. That large stone just over there," he said gesturing to her right towards where a small part of land branched out from the island.

Looking over towards the stone, she mulled over his strange answer.

"Well I'll be off now. I am going to retire for the night. I suggest you do the same," the councilor said while walking away, interrupting her thoughts.

Terah decided she'd check it out tomorrow.

At first she thought she might've walked into the wrong place, having been surprised to see a small room with a downward staircase in the middle. She stood in the doorway for a moment, eyes wandering about, taking in the oddly u-shaped room made of stone. There were two people, one man (who probably worked there) cooking something in the fireplace, and someone else sitting to her right donned in the weirdest looking armor she had ever seen. Terah decided to approach the cook, taking the left route and clearing her throat.

"This is The Retching Netch, correct?"

The Dunmer stopped stirring the contents in the pot, turned to her, and smiled. "Of course it is. Welcome, outlander. If you need a room, talk to Geldis Sadri downstairs."

A little more relaxed by his kindness, she smiled back and replied, "Thank you. Will do."

As Terah walked back towards the entrance, she passed the armored stranger, noticing how he watched her every move as she made her way downstairs. Once she got to the bottom floor, she spotted a counter in the middle of the room with a Dunmer man standing behind it. He was dressed in red with his hair tied up, and was busy putting tankards away. Terah noticed several other people sitting around chatting and drinking amongst themselves, but she was more focused on the man behind the counter, who she assumed to be Geldis.

When he saw her, he nearly jumped for joy at the sight of a visitor. He beamed at her, "Welcome to The Retching Netch corner club! Home of the finest Sujamma!"

"You're Geldis, right? I'm Terah," she said while she extended her arm out over the counter and smiled. He shook her hand with a little too much enthusiasm, still beaming relentlessly.

"That's me name. What can I do for you, m'lady?"

"I'd like to rent a room, please," she said while pulling out her coin purse.

"You got it! It's yours for a day. Lemme show you to your room," he said as he practically skipped over to her. As he walked her to her room, she couldn't help but notice all the glares and whispers coming from the other customers. Finally, they arrived at the first room that was to the right of the main counter. Geldis turned to her, his smile widening, "If you need anything, just let me know."

"Thank you, Geldis," she said as she set down her pack. The stone room was quite large compared to most inns in Skyrim. There was a lot of room considering that it included a bed on the right, a bookcase on the left, and some tables and chests towards the back of the room.

Terah wasn't tired just yet though, so she decided to get a drink. She head over to the counter and did her best to ignore the staring from the other customers. Before she could even ask, Geldis spoke up.

"Can I getcha somethin' to drink?"

"You read my mind. I'd like to try that 'Sujamma' you mentioned," she said while taking a seat on one of the stools.

"Right away m'lady! This one's on me, seeing it's your first time here." He poured her a tankard full and set it on the counter for her.

"Thank you, Geldis. Your kindness has no bounds," she said smiling at him. Terah got a good vibe from this man; he didn't look down on her for being a Nord, or for being a so-called "outlander."

This man seems to be a genuinely nice person. Or perhaps it's just good customer service. Only the gods know for sure.

Geldis began wiping down the counter. "So what brings you here, outlander?"

"Just passing through. Thought I'd take a look around the island a bit," she replied while taking a sip of her drink. Taken aback by its unusual flavor, she choked on it a little, her eyebrows raised in surprise. "Well, that's certainly an acquired taste."

"That's the best drink you've ever had! You just don't know it yet," he said with a wink. Terah laughed. "If you'd like company in your travels, there's a hireling upstairs. He's pretty damn good, if you ask me."

"Is that so?" she replied before taking another sip of the Sujamma in an attempt to adjust to the taste. "I noticed him when I walked in. Perhaps I'll go introduce myself." She rose from her seat with a smirk on her face. "Thanks for the Sujamma, Geldis."

"Anytime."

Okay, I may have lied to you. My chapters will end up being longer than I had hoped lol. I also had to break this one up because the original version was ridiculously long, so no Teldryn just yet. But fret not! I have posted the next chapter at the same time as this one, so you will get your Teldryn. =p

Also, I probably won't be able to update very often. Being in college and all, the end of the semester is nigh, so I will be pretty darn busy with finals and whatnot! But once summertime comes, I will do NOTHING. And it will be GREAT.