Chapter 14: Skirmish at Fort Sungard

[1st – 2nd of Second Seed 4E 202 ]

A couple of weeks after the Valtheim Alliance between Whiterun and the Stormcloaks had been signed, Ralof had suggested that Antonius and I travel to the western hold borders with him to inspect locations, fortifications and troops. We had had some interesting conversation about historical events during our walk, and our first night stop had been Granite Hill; we had spent the next day inspecting the town and troops there.

One day later we also inspected Fort Sungard. The fortification was strategically located to dominate the road to and from Markarth, but it appeared that nobody had used it to actually control the road, as there was not even an actual walkway covering it. Besides, Reach forces had allowed the fort to be inhabited by Forsworn rather than hold guards. In the past, there had not been a need to occupy the fort, as the border had been a neutral one. Now, with Whiterun on the Stormcloak side, the border was suddenly important, and driving the Forsworn out had been one of the first Stormcloak actions around here. Some soldiers and local citizens were already busy to construct a covered walkway with a balustrade to cover the main road west, on a level about ten meters above the road. In addition, we observed some others to add a fortified section northeast, covering the Rorikstead road.

Technically, Fort Sungard was already part of The Reach, but in war times borders got shifted when needed, and the opportunity to make use of the fort was too good to ignore; this was something even I, with limited understanding of military considerations, could understand.

Around noon time one of the lookouts alerted us to something which could be seen in the distance, west of us. For some time we only saw clouds of dust, but soon it was apparent that there was a smaller group of riders pursued by a larger one, and at least the larger group could not really be anything else but Imperial cavalry, implying that the first and smaller groups might be enemies of them and thus possible friends of ours. They were still too far away to be identified, but Ralof quickly gave his orders. Some archers were going to hide behind the small section of walkway which was already almost completed up here, one larger group of infantry was moving away from the road to hide behind larger rocks on the side, and another strong group was placed in the middle of the road, where a small side path led south, with a few additional archers on top of some rocks. Once everybody was in place, we had to wait another five minutes or so, and then the first riders, a group of five in various parts of armor, raced up the road on their horses.

Ralof raised his hand in the middle of the road, and at first it looked like the riders were not inclined to stop, but when more soldiers showed themselves, they reigned in their horses and came to a stop. The leading rider was on the small side, and when the dust had settled I recognized Fiona, the Dragonborn. So this was where and when we met again? The other four with her were a female Nord with reddish hair, a sturdy male Nord, and a female Bosmer; finally I also recognized the fifth rider, a raven haired warrior lady, as Lydia, Fiona's Whiterun housecarl. The riders had a big wolf trotting next to them, but it seemed to be a tamed one, so that I was not concerned. Quickly I stepped on the road next to Ralof and shouted:

"Fiona, it's me, B'lushona! You are with friends!"

She seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then she also recognized Ralof:

"Wait, right, and this is Ralof here, too! All right, Lydia, Iona, Ferwen, Ragnar, those are friends indeed. But we can talk later; we are pursued by many Imperials on horses!"

I nodded and replied: "Yes, we have seen this from a distance. Let the Stormcloaks take care of this issue and move to the side for now; you look exhausted."

"Stormcloaks? Really? Why are they here, and are there enough to stop the Imperials? There are many of them!"

"I will explain later, and yes, there are enough soldiers here."

Indeed, the five looked quite worn, and their horses also might not be able to move much more. For now, Fiona seemed to accept my statement, and she allowed me to lead them into the side road south to a small area with bushes around where they could rest; some of the soldiers took the sweating and panting horses and made sure that they were properly taken care of. From a distance we could hear the sound of many hooves coming closer. I left the five with a few soldiers to rest and eat and raced back to a high rock overlooking the road, preparing my crossbow, and a couple of minutes later Ralof and about twenty other Stormcloaks, blocking the road behind their shields, stopped the riders. The officer leading the troop looked around quickly, and when no other Stormcloaks were seen for now, he shouted:

"What, you think that you can stop us? We will just ride you down!"

Ralof raised his hand, and now the archers on rocks and up in the fort showed themselves, while the other group of Stormcloaks blocked the road behind the Imperials. There were probably about fifty or so mounted soldiers, but it was obvious that a dedicated Stormcloaks attack was likely to kill or seriously injure half of them right away, and the Imperial officer recognized that. He frantically looked around and recognized the side road south as a potential way out, when Ralof called out:

"Surrender now, and nobody will die. Fight, and none of you will survive!"

The Imperial soldiers were sentient beings like us, and I did not think that many of them were devoted to their cause in a way to prefer death over surrender. Ralof added:

"Those of you who are willing to surrender and listen will be given a chance to join our ranks after some time, and we'd welcome you on our side! You'll be treated fairly!"

"Don't believe him!" the Imperial officer shouted. "This is all lies! They will kill everybody who yields! After me!"

Almost like I had expected the officer turned his horse and started to ride towards the side road, but I was prepared, and my first bolt hit the officer's horse. He hit the ground next to his horse, and he was apparently injured. I really hated to shoot horses, but the officer was a potential source of information, and we wanted to have him alive.

Some soldiers had started to follow their leading officer, but were unsure what to do know, and Ralof seized the opportunity to call out again:

"Drop your weapons, everybody! Now!"

The Stormcloak archers on the rocks pointed their bows in a threatening way, targeting the Imperials, and within seconds the first few started to lower their weapons; some others followed the example, and within a few minutes the leading group of Imperials was in captivity. However, the rear guard was commanded by another officer, and they decided to fight. The officer turned his horse around and started to ride back towards Markarth, but had trouble getting around the Stormcloaks blocking the road in this direction, and the archers up on the walkway below the fort started to release their arrows now. When the first few Imperials were dead on the ground, some others stopped and yielded, but the group of ten or so around the officer kept on fighting, and with only a few wounded on our side they were killed to the last man.

While the Stormcloaks under their local commander herded the prisoners together and collected the weapons, Ralof and I walked back to the small clearing where Fiona and her party rested, and we were ready for introductions and explanations now. A few soldiers had provided drinks and food, and when Ralof and I arrived, Fiona looked up and asked:

"Are they gone again?"

"No, we have captured most of them; the danger is over."

"Good, thank you. Oh, I guess that I should do some introductions. Ralof, B'lushona, you know Lydia, and the lady next to me is Iona from Riften; she is my housecarl, too. The gentleman here is Ragnar from Karthwasten, and the Bosmer lady over there is Ferwen from Kynesgrove. Last but not least, the wolf next to me is Nymeria; she is my friend."

Iona? Wait, wasn't she the housecarl one got when becoming Thane of the Rift? Did this imply that Fiona got another Thaneship? She'd probably tell that sooner or later, but for now we had more pressing issue to discuss:

"Fiona, I guess that I do not have to ask why the Imperials pursued you; after the events in Solitude this is obvious. Is there anything we need to know now before we have time for more talking?"

"Well, not much, except for Ragnar here, who has become some kind of friend of the Forsworn. He was in Cidhna mine in Markarth for some time and got a chance to meet the old Forsworn king, Madanach, and when we encounter Forsworn, he might be able to negotiate."

"I guess that it's too late here; Stormcloaks drove the Forsworn out of the fort some time ago."

"How come that Stormcloaks dare to show up in force so far west in Whiterun hold?"

"Oh yes, you may not have heard. Not so long ago Jarl Balgruuf the Greater signed an alliance contract with Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak, and Stormcloaks are now patrolling the hold together with Whiterun hold guards. Technically, Fort Sungard is already in the Reach, but it is now occupied by our side."

"Jarl Balgruuf the Greater has finally made up his mind?" Lydia asked.

"There was too much pressure from both sides" I replied, "and partially caused by the way the Imperials treated his Thanes, he decided for the Stormcloak side. Besides, I have been in Windhelm, and I assure you that this is the right side to choose."

"Well, from my side, I am not complaining. I am a Nord and I believe in Talos, and unless my Thane has an issue with this, it's fine for me."

"Me too" Fiona chimed in again. "I still recall how Ralof has helped us in Helgen and how Tullius treated us in Solitude, so that this is our side now."

The red-haired lady Fiona had introduced as Iona said: "Riften is Stormcloak territory anyway, so no issue from my side either."

Finally the male Nord, Ragnar, also offered his opinion: "I am from Karthwasten in the Reach. I grew up in a miner family, but during my visits to Markarth I got involved in Talos worship. A few months ago I managed to become real unpopular in the city, uncovered some conspiracy and got thrown into Cidhna mine. I managed to flee together with some Forsworn, got followed by Imperial soldiers and found Fiona, her housecarl and some other people. We joined doing something together – it will be up to her to decide if she's going to tell you what that was – and later on, when we wanted to ride towards Whiterun, we were found by Imperial soldiers again and pursued. We have been trying to lose our pursuers since we passed south of Old Hroldan inn, but our horses were getting tired and they might have been able to catch up soon. Thank you for your help!"

"So, what are your next plans, Fiona?"

"If I had a choice, I'd just want to spend some quiet time somewhere and rest for a few weeks. The last months were quite demanding, and I need a break. Besides that, I should go up to High Hrothgar again soon; I haven't had a chance to return there since I delivered the horn."

I looked at Ralof and suggested:

"My friend, I guess that I should guide Fiona and her party back to Whiterun tomorrow. They can rest in the inn in Granite Hill or in the fort tonight, and tomorrow we can travel to Whiterun nice and slowly; the road should be safe with so many soldiers traveling."

"Yes, I guess you should do that" he nodded.

Ragnar, the male Nord who had come with Fiona, now had a comment:

"Actually, if I had a choice, I'd want to stay here. The Reach has been my home for a long time, and I don't really want to leave it. From here, if I am allowed to stay, I can at least visit some friends from time to time, without getting too far in."

Ralof nodded and told him:

"No problem with me; I will instruct the local commander and tell him that you can stay. Maybe you can help with scouting and such."

I asked the Stormcloak next:

"So, you are going to turn north towards Rorikstead next, right?"

"Sure, that's the plan, probably starting tomorrow morning."

"Have you already raided the Imperial camp east of that town?"

"Which camp are you talking about?"

Oh. I could not really tell him how I knew or rather suspected that there was an Imperial camp in the area, not could I be sure that it actually was there, like it had been in the game. I only had a vague memory about it, and I decided to phrase my words carefully:

"I have heard rumors about an Imperial camp located about half way between Rorikstead and Swindler's Den, and you may want to send scouts searching for it. A camp in that area would explain how they found us so quickly end of last year. You recall the large patrol attacking us right after the dragon fight close to Gjukar՚s Monument, when we traveled together?"

"Oh, right, yes, that was odd. Thank you for the hint; I will certainly send some scouts in that direction as soon as I get to Rorikstead."

There was no point in starting towards Whiterun today, in mid afternoon. We could as well rest and sleep during the night and get on the road on the next day; with Fiona and her companions being on horseback, we would easily get back to Whiterun before evening. I recalled that I had traveled the distance with Antonius and Athis easily on one day once, in the other direction, so that should be fine. Fiona happily accepted, and after a quick supper she got a few rooms for herself and her friends assigned in Fort Sungard, which had plenty of interior space, and there was also a bed waiting for me.

We had breakfast together with some Stormcloak soldiers in the next morning, shook hands one more time with Commander Ralof, and then we got off. Fiona, Lydia, Iona, and Ferwen were all on horseback, and their horses were reasonably rested and well fed; Antonius got a horse from the local stables. I was of course going to walk, as I normally did, and at least Fiona and Lydia knew that my comfortable and sustainable walking speed was about the same as a horse trot, so that I would certainly not slow them down.

Just when we got into Granite Hill and left the town on the east side, we met a Khajiit caravan, and four Khajiit and a cart drawn by two pack animals who looked like donkeys or maybe mules started to leave in the same direction. The leader turned out to be Ri'saad, and I remembered that I had met him a few times before; Whiterun was one of his regular stops after all. After some small talk, I asked if he was traveling to Whiterun now, and when he confirmed this, I introduced my companions and suggested that we might as well travel together. The Khajiit readily agreed:

"This one likes that. The roads have been unkind to this one, plagued by outlaws along the route between Whiterun and Markarth."

"Is that so? Have you encountered more bandits recently than in earlier times?"

"Ri'saad has had a few bad encounters with them on the road, specifically east of here, yes. Guards travel with Ri'saad, yes, but they are ill-equipped to deal with ones such as this. They wield strange golden weapons and wear gleaming armor. Ri'saad has read of such things only in stories. Their encampment is found just west of North Brittleshin Pass, Khajiit believes."

"Really? Well, if we travel together, we should pass get close to that location, and maybe we can do something about it? What do you think?"

The others agreed, and we were soon on the road, six of us plus four in the caravan, including Ri'saad. While we walked and rode, the Khajiit mentioned a few more details:

"Each time those strange bandits set upon us, they shout something like 'The Saints would like to browse your wares today'. The brutes steal mostly trinkets and oddities, no matter how cheap this one knows them to be. Then, they allow Ri'saad to go on his way. Ri'saad has not yet fought back. While it has harmed this one's coin purse, it is not worth a life. Together with your group, though, it may be a good time to end this threat."

Saints? Golden weapons? This could not be related to the special group of people who were at home on the Shivering Isles, right? They had 'Golden Saints' and 'Dark Seducers', or properly called 'Aureals' and 'Mazken', and I had played the Shivering Isles DLC for the Oblivion game frequently enough to be reasonably sure about that. But, if there was a connection, what were they doing here in Skyrim? Was that one of Sheogorath՚s pranks, and was there maybe going to be a portal to the Isles as well? If so, I'd be very interested to find out more about it. Out of curiosity I asked Ri'saad later, using Khajiit lingo kind of by accident:

"This one is curious about something. You mentioned bandits calling themselves 'Saints'. Would the Khajiit by chance also know something about bandits calling themselves 'Seducers'?"

"Ri'saad has to admit that he actually does. He has heard of another gang patrolling the roads further north, calling themselves the 'Seducers'; they are known for their menacing, dark armor. Skyrim grows more perilous by the day. The 'Seducers' are rumored to camp along the road west of Fort Kastav, far up north. Fortunately this is far off this Khajiit՚s normal trading routes, and so Ri'saad is not so much concerned about it."

Wow! Not only saints, but also seducers? I was getting more and more curious and interested, and I was looking forward to seeing what this might be about. For now, we needed to make some progress, and we, that is mostly Fiona and I, agreed that telling our stories in all details could wait; thus we did not talk all of the time while traveling. I could see a few shy glimpses from Ferwen, the Bosmer, a few times, and based on what I had learned about female attention earlier I was not entirely surprised about that. She was quite attractive herself, in my opinion. She seemed to be in a similar age as Fiona and Mia, but she was taller and much more muscular and athletic. As Skyrim citizens did not normally work out and I had not seen anything like a gym yet, she had probably worked hard for years, maybe on a farm or in a mine. Yes, children had to work in many families, out of necessity, but they were usually treated well and not overworked.

Fiona's wolf, an impressive specimen actually with mostly white and light gray fur, was keeping close to her on the road, and my two saber cats kept their distance. I assumed that there was no real friendship between them, like cats and dogs, but that was all right. I would of course ask Fiona later where she had found her pet, but that could wait; today we'd better focus on the topics at hand.

[Author's Notes: So, the Dragonborn is around again. She will get a chance to tell Balu what she had done in the previous months; after all, we all want to learn what the progress has been in the 'main quest'.]