Chapter 86: Collecting (re)quests

[14th of Morning Star 4E 202]

After the banquet and a day of talking to Jarl Ulfric, my two housecarls and I spent another day on a city tour, and this time we were guided by Dinaria, a young Dunmer lady. We had spent a lot of time in the Grey Quarter, we had visited the Temple of Talos, and we were now at the docks; Shavee, and Argonian, had mentioned an amulet of hers being stolen.

Moving on in the afternoon we noticed a few ships being docked in the harbor. An angry looking male Nord was working on one of the ships, and when we approached, he pointed out right away that he was not hiring crew members at this time:

"Sorry, but I'm not looking to hire any more crew right now."

"Oh, we are not here for hire, but just talking to people and see if anybody needs help of any kind."

"You talking about any kind of help, like hard work? Got a sailor who thought running a gang of thieves would be more money than hauling my cargo. You make an example of that gang, I'll give you a year's worth of pay."

A year's worth of pay? Seriously? Either he was generous in promising rewards, or maybe a dock worker or sailor did not really get a lot. Buy anyway, I asked:

"Do you happen to know where this gang can be found?"

"Heard rumors about a place called 'Uttering Hills Camp', southwest of here. Bet you can find them there."

I nodded and replied:

"Sure, captain, we will be looking there for your man and the gang. And your name is, if I may ask?"

"That's the spirit, thank you; I am called Kjar, and I hope that you be successful soon."

We moved on along the pier and talked to some more Argonians, and one of them stuck out. Contrary to Shavee, who seemed to try to be and look happy at least, this Argonian looked sad and angry, and he did not try to hide it, so that I asked:

"Is anything wrong?"

"We're used to getting by on scraps, but the Shatter-Shields want everything for nothing."

"Is someone giving you trouble?"

"Ulfric may have proclaimed that Argonians are valued people as well, but some Nords certainly do not get it, those like Torbjorn Shatter-Shield. I wish someone would beat the coin out of his fat fists. He clings to every Septim."

"What has he been doing wrong?"

"He says an Argonian՚s labor is only worth a tenth of a 'proper Nord worker'. My people are not slaves! We'd prefer to work for somebody else who pays fairly, but at this time, the greedy Nord offers the only available jobs here at the docks."

"What if I talk to Torbjorn?"

"You can try, but we've gotten nowhere talking to him ourselves."

"I will see what I can do. May I please ask for your name?"

"Oh, I am called Scouts-Many-Marshes."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance; my name is B'lushona, and my companions are Jordis and Antonius. I will talk to this Torbjorn and get back to you."

Once we got back into the city, Dinaria first led us to a house in the Grey Quarter, or more precisely at its border. She knocked and opened the door without waiting for an answer. Inside we faced a grim looking male Nord, but his face lightened up when he saw the Dunmer with us in tow:

"Ah, Dinaria, it's you, and you brought our city's visitors as well. Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, welcome in my home! Make yourselves comfortable!"

"Folks, you have all met a few days ago during he banquet, but you probably have not had the chance to actually talk to each other. This fine gentleman here is Brunwulf Free-Winter, and you may or may not know that he was one of the first Nord who has spoken for us Dunmer, and without his talking to Ulfric our situation here in the city would not have improved that much yet."

"Ah, Dinaria, it was not just me. So, you folks are all from Whiterun?"

"Not all, just Antonius and me" I replied. "I got Antonius as housecarl for my Whiterun Thaneship and Jordis in Solitude."

"Thane in two holds? I am impressed, really. May I ask what you achieved for that?"

"In Whiterun I helped with some dragon fights, and I also managed to get a new sapling for the destroyed Gildergreen tree."

"Dragons are really back? I have heard some rumors, but did not believe them. You have seen some?"

"Indeed, I have seen some, and I have helped to kill some of them. They can be killed, but it requires team work, even when the Dragonborn is with us."

"You should teach some of us how to fight a dragon, in case one comes here to Windhelm."

"I might be willing to do that, but I am a Thane of Whiterun first, and I will need to report back to my Jarl and find out if we're going to be allies or not. But, talking about fighting, do you have combat experience, Brunwulf?"

Dinaria took that: "He used to be a great soldier, and he's a real war hero."

"War hero – nonsense. I'm no hero, I'm just a soldier who didn't want to die."

"Brunwulf, don't be so modest – you did great things!"

"There's no glory in war. It's just something they tell soldiers so they'll risk their lives."…

I decided to chime in:

"Actually, I agree with you. I may look like a warrior, but I am a scholar instead. I do not like the war, but I realize that sometimes fighting is required. And you are right; there is no glory in war. Nonetheless, sometimes it appears to be fair to reward those who fight in a courageous way, in particular when they save the life of others."

"Well spoken, Khajiit. Naturally, with your group being a mix of races, I can skip my usual question if you are one of those 'Skyrim for the Nords' types."

"Indeed, and I am glad to see that the mood in city and hold has changed somewhat. Naturally, I think all folks should be welcome here."

"And you're right, at least as far as I'm concerned. Don't let one of these few remaining short-sighted Nords bother you. Most of us are happy to welcome newcomers, including Ulfric nowadays. There is, of course, still a lot Ulfric needs to do."

"Such as?"

"Whenever a group of marauders attack a Nord village, Ulfric is the first to sound the horn and send the men. But a group of Dark Elf refugees gets ambushed? A group of Argonians, or a Khajiit caravan? No troops. No investigation. Nothing."

"Really? Is that so?"

"It has been like this, and to a certain extent it still is. There's a group of cutthroats out there right now that Ulfric doesn't lift a finger to bring to justice, as long as they don't threaten Nord land. They have stolen lots of valuable stuff mostly from Dunmer and Argonians and, as far as I know, also from a Khajiit caravan, but still, no troops are getting sent out."

"Maybe Ulfric has not been informed properly? Or maybe he's just too busy with the war effort? So, where are those bandits?"

"Uttering Hills Camp, or maybe even in the cave there. You feel up to going there?"

"I pledge to go there with my companions, and we will see what we can do about it."

"That's a brave offer. You deal with them, I'll make sure you get paid. Maybe this old soldier will throw in some lessons as well. Show those marauders what Windhelm justice tastes like!"

Our next stop was a certain Torbjorn Shatter-Shield, whom we met when he walked around in the city. He was not happy to be stopped by a Dunmer lady, and he was even less happy when Dinaria mentioned the Argonian workers:

"Those boots aren't worth the septims I do pay them. I'm not giving them coin I could give to good, Nord workers."

"So, how many Nords are actually wiling to work on the docks?"

He did not reply, and I continued:

"Maybe you should at least consider moving with the times? You know, like Rolff also has to learn?"

"What has my friend Rolff got to do with it?"

"He had to learn the hard way recently that his attitude towards the Dunmer is no longer acceptable in Windhelm, and I believe that similar applies to your attitude towards the Argonians."

He opened his mouth, but closed it again and looked grim.

"Does something bother you?" Antonius asked.

Apparently my housecarl had hit a nerve, and the Nord suddenly burst out:

"A few days ago thieves broke into my house and stole some some valuables, including our old family heirloom. I am sure that the Argonians were behind this."

"But they are still not allowed in the city…"

"Hmph. Maybe they hired thieves."

"From the meager wages you pay them? Really?"

"Well, I heard somebody talking about bandits at Uttering Hills Camp with lost of stolen goods; maybe they were involved here, too."

"Anyway, we intend to find some bandits soon, and if we see your heirloom, we will bring it back. How does it look like?"

Torbjorn Shatter-Shield described the piece in all details, and we left him to his own work. Another one knowing about that place 'Uttering Hills Camp' and bandits being there? That seemed to be quite odd and even somewhat suspicious. So, either that knowledge had spread through rumors, or the bandits were actually advertising their position, maybe to lure more people out they could rob? It was kind of suspicious, in my opinion at least.

All the walking and talking had made us hungry again, and it was almost time for dinner anyway. We had already been eating in the Candlehearth Inn before, in the city's most prestigious tavern, and today Dinaria suggested to visit the 'New Gnisis Cornerclub' with her. Right, that was this smaller inn in the Grey Quarter, as far a I recalled, and of course, this was a good idea; maybe we would meet a few more interesting people there. We found our way through the narrow and almost labyrinthine alleyways in the Grey Quarter once more, and when we stood in front of the inn, it looked like a small place. However, as it was jammed between other houses, we could not see the real size from here, and may it was larger inside than it looked from outside. And indeed, as soon as we entered through the main door, I saw right away that the place was larger than the one in the game. I had to admit that I had visited the place only a few times when playing and that I lacked a memory of the details, but this was clearly different. A long bar had stools to sit on for six or seven people, and between the bar and the front wall there were like five or six round tables, some of them small and only suitable for two or three patrons to sit around, and some others larger, for up to six or so. In the background I could see a staircase leading up, so that there must be at least one more floor.

Most interesting, though, were the people in here. While Candlehearth Hall was, naturally, mostly frequented by Nords, here the majority of patrons were Dunmer. However, there were a few Nords here as well, and it would be interesting to find out if they were just tolerated or actually welcome. Dinaria went right to the bar and greeted the proprietor:

"Good evening Ambarys, how are you today?"

"Oh, welcome, sister; please enjoy yourself. Say, who is that Khajiit with you?"

"Ambarys, this is B'lushona, Thane of Whiterun; he is in the city to talk to Jarl Ulfric, and I am showing him and his housecarls around. You don't mind if we all get dinner here, do you?"

"Of course not, girl; find yourselves a table, and Malthyr will be with you soon to take your orders."

None of the larger tables was free, but one of them had only one person sitting at it, and when I looked at her, I recognized the Dunmer lady we had already met, the one who had been bullied by Rolff and Angrenor on the streets a few days ago. I approached her, and when she looked up, she recognized me:

"Oh, you're the Khajiit who stood up for me a few days ago!"

"Yes, I am. I wonder if you expect company, and if not, could we sit with you here?"

"That's all right; I had company, and they just left; sure, please find a seat!"

When we had all found our chairs, I started the introductions:

"Lady, I am B'lushona, and with me are my two housecarls Jordis and Antonius. I assume that you know Dinaria?"

"Oh yes, Dinaria and I know each other. I am Suvaris Atheron, and I live in a house nearby together with my two brothers."

The dark elf Ambarys had mentioned, Malthyr Elenil, now came to our table to take orders. Suvaris had just had a few drinks before, and she now also ordered dinner. Food and drink selection took some time, as the inn did not have something like a menu, but we needed to ask the waiter. As usual, I asked:

"You don't happen to serve any venison, do you?"

"No, unfortunately not today. However, can I interest you in our today's special, which is an excellent horker stew? We serve cabbage with it."

"All right, I will take that, please."

I had not eaten horker meat or horker stew before, but I was curious, and I also ordered a bowl of tomato soup. The others also found something to get, and I did not forget to ask for a few bones with some meat for my saber cats. Hanni and Nanni got down close to my feet and partially hidden by the table, so that the other patrons did not have a reason to feel uneasy. While my two saber cat cubs liked milk a lot, they also started to go for some variation, and while they usually drank water when we were outside, they had grown to enjoy snowberry juice or juniper berry juice, too.

Naturally, when we had ordered, Suvaris wanted to know why I had the two cubs with me, and I told the story. Afterwards we also got a chance to ask about the Dunmer, and she told us:

"I make my living by working for the Shatter-Shield clan and their shipping business. They compete with the East Empire Company here, and as much as I can see it, we are doing more and better business than them. They are thinking about expanding to Dawnstar and later Solitude, even."

"So there is a lot of business with ships and boats?"

"There sure is, and we also have regular connections to Solstheim, although one of the captains who normally travels that route has had some bad experience lately. Business would be even better if we did not have that Civil War ongoing, and with us based here in Windhelm, we usually don't get much to load in Solitude; the people there trust the East Empire Company much more than us."

"Are the shipping lanes safe? I mean, weather is a problem sometimes, I expect, and there are probably the occasional pirates, right?"

"Yes, of course, both weather and pirates are problems at times. We calculate that into the fares, naturally."

It almost seemed that Suvaris wanted to add another comment, but decided to keep silent for now. Also, our meal was served right now, and this kept us busy for some time. When Malthyr came over with the last dish for our table, he stayed for some time and offered a few comments:

"For many months I was tempted to move on to Morrowind. However, it's probably more trouble to pack up and leave than it is to stay. Besides, Ambarys can't run the cornerclub on his own."

"So, you feel at home here now?"

"Kind of, mostly. It has not been so bad lately, which Ulfric՚s attitude changing and all. I just wish that he'd do more against all of those thefts. I thought that my belongings would be safe here, but a few days ago my special ring and my savings were stolen; can you believe it?"

I was almost tempted to ask if he also suspected that the bandits responsible for that might be luring in Uttering Hills Camp or Cave, but right now Suvaris, who had received her meal first, was finished with eating and excused herself, and when she was gone, Dinaria told us:

"You know, there are some rumors that the Shatter-Shield clan has a deal with some of the pirates and bribe them so that they only rob from competitors. I don't know, though, if this is true or not."

When we had just finished our meal, another patron entered the inn, a male Bosmer. He went straight to the bar, and we could hear him muttering:

"Damn Thalmor; they even follow me here."

Ambarys, the innkeeper, replied:

"Trouble with being pursued again, Malborn, or is it just your usual paranoia?"

"Ambarys, it's real, and it's a Khajiit this time."

The innkeeper looked at me right away, and Malborn followed his view, but told him:

"Na, not this one; the one who is after me is smaller and looks meaner."

What was that about? A Bosmer being in trouble with Thalmor and having a Khajiit pursuing him? That did not sound good, and I decided to ask:

"Excuse me, what Khajiit is causing you trouble? Maybe I could have a word with him?"

"Hm, maybe you could, indeed. Look, here's the situation. I was trying to get to Morrowind after I got in trouble with the Thalmor. The Dunmer don't care much for the Thalmor and I figured I'd be safe there. As safe as anywhere, that is. But there's a Khajiit hanging around the main gate. I didn't like the way he was looking at me, and I'm sure he's Thalmor or at least works for them. Just waiting for me to leave so he can follow me and kill me in a lonely place where nobody can see us."

"But wait, why do you think that the Thalmor are after you? Do they suspect you to be a Talos worshipper?"

"Let's just say that I go in trouble with them in Haafingar by getting involved in something over my head; no reason to go into details."

Haafingar? The hold where Solitude was the main city? A male wood elf called Malborn? Thalmor? Finally the proverbial coin dropped in my head and I got it. Of course! This was the Bosmer who had likely helped Fiona to infiltrate the Thalmor embassy, and the Thalmor had found out and tried to get him; somehow he must have managed to flee to Windhelm, and I felt pity for him. But all right, if there was a Thalmor agent following him, I might be able to distract this one and give Malborn time to move on, and so I replied:

"All right, let me try to find this Khajiit and talk to him. What does he look like?"

"Well, a Khajiit, male, smaller than you, dark brown fur, reddish-brown clothes, got a bow on his back and two daggers in his belt. I believe that he is not allowed into the city, but I can't hide here forever; eventually they might send somebody else. Last time I saw him, a few hours ago, he talked to the Khajiit of the caravan near the stables."

We had all finished our meal by now, and I decided to have a look at least. Quickly we left the inn and the city and crossed the bridge, and indeed there were a few tents near the stables. To my surprise I recognized Ri'saad as the leader, and I greeted him warmly:

"Ri'saad! This one is delighted to meeting you here!"

"B'lushona! Yes, Ri'saad usually does not travel that far east, but a customer paid a lot of money for a special delivery."

"Is that so? As a matter of fact, I have heard somebody complaining about a Khajiit pursuing him, and he even claims that a Khajiit with your caravan is a Thalmor assassin. Is that possible?"

"Normally this one would refuse to believe you. However, the one over there is not really with us, and he only traveled in our company for the last couple of days. Of course, friendly Khajiit are always welcome with us. A Thalmor spy, really?"

"Well, I can't be sure, but can we ask him?"

"Maybe we should, my friend, maybe we should."

The caravan leader raised his voice now and called out:

"J'datharr! Can the Khajiit please come over here for a moment?"

The other Khajiit, who indeed looked like Malborn had described him, approached our group and asked:

"Ri'saad, who are all of those people?"

"This is B'lushona, a good friend of mine, and his companions."

"All right, and what seems to be the issue?"

I decided to be very direct and told him:

"Malborn has a message for you!"

"Malborn? Ah... very good. I think we understand each other."

For a moment I thought that this might be all, but almost with lightning speed he pulled his two daggers and started to attack me, while he shouted:

"If you know Malborn, you'll have a traitor's death!"

[Author's Notes: Ah, a sudden attack. So, a Thalmor agent indeed?]