A Young Griff's Guide to Skyrim
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Chapter 3
The next morning, Aegon woke up with a sleepy yawn and stretched on the cot he had been given by Storn in the shaman's cabin. The atmosphere in the room was warm which meant that the fire was still burning and the smell of woodsmoke hung in the air. Sitting up on the bed, Aegon rubbed sleep from his eyes and looked to see Storn sitting by the fire, staring into it.
"Lord Storn? G'morning," Aegon yawned sleepily. The shaman turned his head to look at the blue-haired lad and gave a smile of greeting.
"Good morning, Griff. Glad to see you're awake."
Reluctantly leaving the warmth of his bed, Aegon walked over to sit beside Storn near the fire. He looked around and asked, "Where is Frea?"
Storn replied, "She rose an hour before you. She's probably out hunting for a morning meal for us."
"Right," Aegon muttered as he rose his arms above his head, feeling the bones of his spine pop as he did so. Lowering his arms back down to his side, the young man looked at Storn and said, "So, when you said that when Sheogorath had given me the potential to do magic, do you it possible for me to learn how?"
"If you have the patience to learn," Storn said carefully. "Practicing magic takes time as there can be many mistakes made in learning to harness magic and magic always has a price," he added.
"Do you think you could teach me?" Aegon asked hopefully.
Storn looked at Aegon appraisingly before replying, "Perhaps, but I fear one young as you may be too impatient to learn what the Skaal know."
"And what is it the Skaal know?" enquired Aegon.
"Skaal magic isn't wholly focused on harnessing arcane energies like the Dunmer of Tel Mithryn can. Our magic is focused more on communing with nature, listening to the earth and the wind and guiding the forces of nature to where we want it to go," explained Storn. "Do you understand?" he asked looking at Aegon.
"I think so?" Aegon offered uncertainly. "What of the Dunmer magics? What is they can do?" he asked.
"Dunmer magic directly controls arcane energies, controlling them to your whims, forcing it to smite your enemies with eldritch flames, lightning or frost," Storn said grimly. "Such magic is more often applied to violent ends and purposes," he added.
Aegon couldn't deny the excitement in his mind as he thought of being able to smite his foes with a blast of fire. The Valyrian Dragonlords were said to have practiced magic which contributed to their ability to hatch and control dragons and even forge their fabled Valyrian steel.
"So, if you feel that I would be too impatient to learn Skaal magic, would the Dunmer be willing to teach me?" Aegon then asked Storn.
Storn hummed in thought for a moment before saying, "Perhaps, but I would advise to be very careful when learning magic of any kind. As I said before, magic always has a price which must be paid in the end."
Aegon nodded and then asked, "So, what can you tell me about the southern half of the island? Frea mentioned that it was covered in volcanic ash. How did that happen?"
"It happened when Vardenfell, the Red Mountain of Morrowind erupted many years ago," Storn replied. "The eruption was so great, that a great wave of volcanic material blanketed half of Solstheim, leaving it an ashen wasteland and many of the Imperial and Dunmer settlements were destroyed by the debris," he said. "And that was not all that was left behind," he added warningly.
"What else was there?" Aegon asked.
"The Ash Spawn," Storn said forebodingly.
"Ash Spawn? What in Seven Hells is an Ash Spawn?"
"No-one is entirely certain. But as near as I can tell they were once people who were caught in the eruption of Vardenfell, cursed into a state between life and death, attacking anyone they see," Storn explained.
Aegon swallowed a lump he hadn't realised he'd been holding in his throat. "Have these Ash Spawn ever made their way here?" he asked nervously.
"Thankfully not," Storn said with a shake of his head. "Ash Spawn do not seem to like the cold, but you can sometimes spy them hunting on the fringes where the ash meets the snow."
"Can these Ash Spawn be killed?" Aegon questioned.
"They can be felled by skilled warriors, but it is not easy to do as they can rise up out of the ashen soils when you least expect it," Storn stated. "Ash Spawn also have the ability to conjure and hurl magical flames at their enemies, making them deadly in battle," he said.
"I see," Aegon nodded in understanding. "Anything else I should know?"
"The remains of when an Ash Spawn is felled often yield metal ores and a unique alchemical reagent, the ashes themselves," Storn replied.
"Wait, you can use their ashes to create potions?" Aegon asked in surprise and Storn nodded in response. "What kind of potion can one make from such an ingredient?"
"There are four effects Spawn ash can yield," Storn intoned. "The first effect Spawn ash in a potion can greatly fatigue and poison someone's stamina. The second more positive effect is grants one a resistance to flames. The third effect increases one's potency with enchanting and the fourth effect ravages and depletes one's magical reserves," he explained.
Aegon nodded noting the information for future reference. "So, all these effects can be done in potion?" he asked. "Who would be willing to drink such a concoction?"
"Alchemy isn't like that. To create a potion, you must combine two or three ingredients with the same effect as each other to create a potion with the effect you want," Storn informed him. "Of course, if two or all the ingredients have more than one similar effect, that will also be included in the final mixture," he said as an after-thought.
"So, if I mixed a potion using Spawn ash with the fire resistance effect with another ingredient that had the same effect, but both ingredients had another effect that was the same as each other, that would also be included?" Aegon quizzed and Storn nodded. "Is there a way to purify a potion to have only a single effect?" he asked.
"Yes, but it takes great skill to mix such a potion. A skill I do not have myself, although I know enough to make healing elixirs for any injuries," replied Storn.
"Would you be willing to teach me how to mix potions?" Aegon asked hopefully.
"Well, you may have more aptitude for that than Skaal magic," Storn said with a nod of his head. "Come with me." The Shaman rose from his seat and led Aegon to a small room where the blue-haired boy was surprise to see an alchemist's cucurbit, alembic and lute were set up on a table with a small pit for a flame to be lit under the alembic.
"How did you acquire something a Maester could only afford?" Aegon blurted out in wonder.
"I traded with the Dunmer for this alchemy set," Storn replied modestly. "Had to trade a lot of furs and meats for it, but it was a worthwhile investment in the end," he said with a small smile. Lighting the fire pit, Storn began instructing Aegon in the art of alchemy.
"The first potion you can learn is a simple healing potion. Two ingredients can be made using it," Storn instructed Aegon, pulling some ingredients from a nearby shelf. "Petals of blue mountain flowers and wings from a monarch butterfly." Handing Aegon the reagents, Storn continued with the lesson.
"Now, grind these up together in the mortar and pestle." Aegon followed the instructions. Depositing the ingredients into the bowl, Aegon gripped the pestle and began to slowly grind up the flower petals and butterfly wings, mixing them together until they became indistinguishable from each other.
Storn nodded in satisfaction and educated his pupil in the step. "Now put the mixture into the alembic and set it over the flame and slowly pour in some water." Aegon did just that, putting the grinded up petals and butterfly wings into the alembic, setting the glass over the low flame then slowly pouring in some cold water from a nearby jug.
"Good," Storn approved. "Now, slowly swirl around the mixture until becomes a red colour," he told his pupil.
Slowly swirling around the liquid in the alembic, Aegon's eyes widened as he saw the liquid slowly turn into a warm red shade. Storn nodded and said to him, "Now turn the alembic to face a potion vial, it's just about ready." The Shaman handed Aegon a small glass vial. Taking the vial, Aegon set the neck of the bottle just below the alembic's opening. Storn then slowly raised the heat of the flame and the healing potion began to rise, going down the nozzle and slowly fill up the potion vial, filling it near to the brim. Storn then lowered the flame's intensity.
"Now set the potion aside to cool for a few minutes and it'll be ready to use." Aegon set aside the potion to cool, the blue-haired asked, "How did I do?"
"How do you think you did?" came Storn's reply.
"I think I did alright. I followed your instructions," Aegon pointed out.
"That you did," Storn noted. "But now comes the test. When your potion has cooled enough, I want to drink it and see if it has worked or not," he told Aegon.
Aegon nodded in understanding, yet he was apprehensive. What if he somehow fouled up? What if the potion turned out to be poisonous? These thoughts ran through Aegon's mind as he eyed the potion with apprehension on his face. With a shaking hand, Aegon took up the vial and brought it to his lips. Tilting it, Aegon allowed the first drop to pass his lips. A slight grimace formed on Aegon's face as the potion tasted bittersweet and so he set the potion back down on the table.
"Eurgh, foul!" he cursed.
Storn smiled at this and remarked, "Foul was it? In what way?"
"Bittersweet," was the word that came from Aegon's mouth.
"Good, that means it worked," Storn stated.
"How? I would've thought it would taste better," Aegon grumbled. "But given the ingredients, I can't say I'm surprised," he noted dryly.
"A well-made healing potion often tastes bittersweet, whereas a poison tastes sweeter or has no taste at all," Storn informed him.
Aegon paused to consider this and nodded in understanding. "I suppose there is that," he said with some reluctance. "Must be a way to make it taste sweeter," he added thoughtfully.
"There are, but they would lessen the effects of the potion," Storn informed him.
"Such as?" Aegon prompted.
"That can wait for another time," Storn told him patiently as he looked at the door to the hut and frowned slightly. "Strange… Frea should've returned by now."
"Maybe she's tracking something particularly difficult?" Aegon suggested helpfully.
Storn shook his head. "Nay, Frea is one of our best hunters. It would not take her long to track and kill whatever she hunts," he said. Rubbing his bearded chin in worry, the shaman declared, "I'll ask if anyone in the village has seen her return."
"I'll come with you," Aegon offered as he hurried off to get dressed for the cold weather. After dressing himself, the blue-haired boy followed Storn outside where they began to ask some of the villagers if they had seen Frea.
The Skaal blacksmith, Wulf, had told them, "Aye, I saw Frea head for the Beast Stone. She said she was going to track a boar that had been seen by our scouts there."
Storn nodded. "Then that is where we must go." Looking at Aegon, the shaman asked, "Are you any good at fighting?"
"I was training for knighthood. I am half a knight," Aegon said proudly.
"Have you any weapons?" came Storn's next question.
"Um… no, not currently," Aegon confessed sheepishly.
Wulf came to the boy's aid. "Here, good solid iron," he said handing Aegon an arming sword made of iron. Aegon hefted the weapon in his hand; it had a good weight and balance of the hand. He ran the pad of his thumb across the edge of the blade and nodded as he felt the sharpness of it.
"My thanks, Ser Wulf. What do I owe you?" the blue-haired princeling asked.
"Just bring Frea back home safe. That's all I ask," Wulf told him handing over a simple leather belt and sheath to go with his new weapon.
Wrapping the belt around the waist of his winter coat, Aegon nodded at Storn. "Let's go." Following Storn out of the village, the pair came across a set of footprints which Storn stopped to examine.
"These tracks are an hour old, but I recognise the shape of them. They're Frea's," the shaman remarked with a nod of his head.
"So, she could be alive?" Aegon inquired.
"Maybe, we won't know until we find more of her tracks and whatever she was tracking," Storn replied as they followed the trail. The followed the trail across a shallow running river but the tracks soon appeared on the other bank where Storn to examine them again.
"She stopped. Must've seen something worth hunting and began to follow it," Storn stated as he examined the footprints. "See here? She crouched low to sneak up and get a look at it," he said.
"What do you think it was? A bear?" Aegon asked as he looked around.
"Maybe." Storn followed the footprints left behind by his daughter and peered over the edge. "By the All-Maker!" he uttered in surprise.
"What is it?" Aegon asked.
"Something big had passed through here!" Storn breathed in awe and trepidation as he began to climb down the rock wall with Aegon following him. Reaching a small clearing, they found a large smattering of bones, scraps of fur and debris along with deep tracks in the shape of a boar's and they were enormous.
"Gods! These tracks were left by a boar! It must be huge! Look at the size of its spoor!" Aegon exclaimed in surprise.
"Aye, a boar at that size will have little fear of anything," Storn pointed out as he brushed his fingers across the spoor. "It's big and hungry. Must've made a nest here," he observed.
"Do you think Frea tried to track it?"
Storn hummed in thought before he raised an eyebrow at something. A dark red patch of snow. Touching the patch with his fingertips, Storn brought them to his nose and sniffed. "Blood," he noted. "Frea took a shot at it," he added. "The wound startled it and it ran off," he then said as he found the boar tracks leading away from the nest and soon found his daughter's. "Frea gave chase, hoping to bring it down," he summarised.
"Do you think Frea might've killed it?" Aegon asked.
"I do not wish to assume," Storn said yet there was a worried look in his aged eyes. "Come. We must follow where these tracks lead."
Hurrying at a jog with Storn leading, the pair followed the trail, down the rocky hill and into a wooded tundra where they came to a large clearing. There were broken saplings and trampled bushes everywhere as well as the ruins of a small camp where some corpses were.
"Frea?!" Aegon hurried over to the corpses, thinking one of them might be Frea. But his relief and surprise, the corpses were not that of Frea's, nor were they human. Their skin was a blue-grey shade and their ears were pointed.
"Who or what are these?" Aegon asked looking at Storn.
"Those are Dunmer, dark elves," the shaman informed him.
"Ah," Aegon said, although he was still surprised to see a race of beings that looked humanoid but at the same time not. "How long have they been dead, do you think?" he asked as he looked at the bodies of the dead dark elves.
"About a day, perhaps," Storn replied as he examined the bodies. "Looks they had been killed. Gored to death. Perhaps by the boar Frea was tracking," he said. "Seems it took a few bites before leaving them alone," he added.
"Why would it do that? Pigs, much less boars, wouldn't stop until there's nothing left," Aegon pointed out.
"Maybe it doesn't like the taste of Dunmer flesh?" Storn quipped dryly. "Frea and the boar's tracks lead here. Where could they have gone now?" he wondered.
"Father? Is that you?" Frea's voice came from one of the trees.
Aegon and Storn looked up to see Frea hiding midst the tree branches. "Daughter? Are climbing trees like when you were a child?" Storn asked with some humour.
Frea shushed him. "Keep your voice down! It might still be here!" she hissed urgently.
Aegon hastily drew his sword, the blade shaking slightly as he gripped the hilt tightly. Storn drew a curved dagger and looked around. "How did you get here?" the shaman quietly shout to Frea.
"I was following the tracks of a boar. It's enormous! Bigger than any I've seen before," Frea replied as she climbed down the tree to get to the ground, her bow in her hands. "I wounded it and it ran off, so I chased after it, but it led me into a trap," she said with some shame. "I climbed up the tree to escape it, and it wandered off when it realised I wasn't going to come back down," she added.
"Should we go back to the village? Get some help from other hunters to bring it down?" Aegon suggested.
As Storn made to say something, the heavy breathing of something alerted the group and the sound of twigs crunching slowly as something in the undergrowth approached ominously.
"All-Maker's bones! It's back!" Frea cursed as she nocked an arrow to her bow as an enormous boar lunged out of the bushes, squealing loudly and furiously. Its eyes were bloodshot and four tusks, two on each side of its snout as long and sharp as sabres glinted in the sunlight.
"Get back!" Storn bellowed as his hands glowed bright blue and a translucent dome of pale blue light formed around him as the boar lunged for him. With a sharp crackle, the boar slammed against the dome of light, screaming and squealing angrily. Aegon Leapt off to the side of the clearing, landing on his chest. Rolling around onto his back, Aegon felt panic grip him as the boar noticed him and galloped toward him on enormous trotters, drool flying from its mouth in which glittered sharp looking teeth, hungry for flesh.
A loud twang and a whistle of air was heard as an arrow with black feather fletching buried itself on the boar's flank making it scream in pain and anger. Taking his chance, Aegon swung his sword and barely grazed the beast across its jowly cheek.
The boar didn't know what to focus on first, then suddenly tree roots sprung up around its trotters, binding it to the spot.
"Now!" Storn shouted as his hands glowed an amber yellow. Frea leapt into action, her knife in her hand, sinking the blade deep into the boar's neck. The beast screamed and thrashed about in pain, nearly throwing Frea. Scrambling to his feet, Aegon thrust the iron forged blade of his arming sword into the opposite of the boar's neck. Bright red blood gushed and stained Aegon's hands and even sprayed onto his face, making him blink his eyes rapidly. The boar gave a last squeal of defiance before it quietened down, its movements becoming more sluggish as it finally breathed its last.
Frea slowly freed her knife and panted for breath and said, "Now that? That is a boar!" she exclaimed in exhilaration.
Aegon released his grip on his sword and fell onto his backside, his heart hammering in his chest.
"Are you alright?" Storn asked the boy in concern.
"I think so. It was my first time doing something like this," Aegon said with a shaky smile. Frea laughed at this and said to him, "You looked like you were about to piss yourself with fear!"
"Enough, Frea. You were the same when I took you hunting bears for the first time," Storn admonished her.
"Aye, I was," Frea conceded. "Let's get some men from the village and bring this beasty back. We'll eat like kings tonight!" she exclaimed in excitement.
"I'll go," Storn offered. "You two stay here and make sure nothing comes for the carcass. The smell of its blood might draw other creatures here," he warned them before leaving the clearing.
Frea looked at Aegon who was staring at the dead boar and asked, "Are you alright?"
"I'm… fine," Aegon bit out as he wiped his brow with the sleeve of his arm. "Never did anything like this before," he said absently.
"Mh. It's always strange when you kill something or someone for the first time," Frea said wisely.
"What was the first thing you killed?" Aegon asked her nervously.
"A bear," Frea replied honestly. "One thing my father always taught that when hunting is before I line up my shot was to ask myself, 'does this creature need to die?'" she quoted.
"And the bear you killed needed to die?" Aegon asked.
"It did. It wounded my father during my first hunt, so I naturally had to protect him. I shot it in the neck, wounding it before I finished it with my axe," Frea recalled. "Father talked to me about it afterwards and reminded me that from then on, I should always ask myself of whether or not something or someone needs or deserves to die," she said solemnly.
"I suppose there is merit to that," Aegon swallowed a lump in his throat. "I was training for knighthood where I come from, but I never killed anything or anyone before today," he said ashamedly.
"I know. I understand. The first kill is always eye-opening," Frea said to him. "It makes you realise just how fragile life really is and how easily it can be snuffed out," she added quietly. "Anyone who doesn't react the way you did to killing something cannot be considered a good person," she then said coldly.
Aegon nodded slowly at that, his thoughts going to the stories of Gregor Clegane the Mountain That Rides. All the stories of the monster knight of the Lannister's armies told of how the man was remorseless in all his kills; how the numerous disappearances around the Clegane keep were covered up by Tywin to fuel Gregor's bloodlust and that he had gone through three wives in as many years, likely having raped and murdered them.
"I think… I understand," Aegon said after a moment of contemplation to Frea who nodded who then helped him to his feet. Retrieving his sword, Aegon wiped the iron blade now heavily stained with blood before sheathing it.
TO BE CONTINUED…
A/N: There! Chapter 3 is done and dusted! I hope you all enjoyed it and that it wasn't a filler chapter, or maybe it was? I don't know, I'm not the best when it comes to these things.
In other news, I'm working on an Elder Scrolls/Highschool of the Dead crossover and I've set up a poll on my profile of what the setting could be, so if you haven't already, feel free to cast your vote :-D.
And that's all I have, so I'll see you all in the next one.
Be kind to one another,
Angry lil' elf.