Season Unending, The Children of Kyne, Vol. III Options

[Kane]

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Content warning: this story should be considered 18+. Sexual content is present, but never described, and I don't shy away from foul language (though it seems to be censored). There is also darker content further in regarding sexual assault.

Prologue
It could be said that Skyrim was a cold, harsh land, unforgiving to outsiders and barely tolerant of anyone but a true Nord. Fortunately, those times have passed, and the sun shines brightly upon a healing landscape. The scars of civil war and dragon crises fading to memory as a new High King and his court sought to pull the land up from the depths of a crumbling Empire. An Empire in name only, its once powerful alliance spanning the entirety of Tamriel, now relegated to Cyrodiil (or the Heartland, as the Nibenese and Colovian nobles preferred to call it), High Rock, and, of course, Skyrim.

But now Skyrim stood to rise above the rest, and usher in a new era for a floundering society that still scurried from the inevitable boot of the Aldmeri Dominion. Hope began to inflame the hearts of men, for the Dragonborn King was rumored to be setting his sights upon the Ruby Throne, and the weak Mede Dynasty that occupied it. From his palace in Solitude, forces were directed and diplomats dispatched as the pawns of war moved slowly but surely. The Dominion was forced out of Skyrim with an ultimatum, and the land was finally back under the full rule of the Nords, as it ought to be.

The year is Two Hundred Twenty-nine of the Fourth Era, and the gears of war have started to turn, as the land braces itself for the Second Great War that was always to come. It was also the year that a mid-level member of the Anvil chapter of the Fighter’s Guild was loaned to the storied Companions of Jorrvaskr, in the city of Whiterun. This talented young warrior of Redguard descent suddenly found himself sailing to a strange land and leaving behind the only home he ever knew. Little remained for him in Anvil after the passing of his mother, so he looked forward to a new chapter of his life, far from the painful memories of home.

The first mate, a stout Imperial named Janius, approached the young Redguard with a roll of parchment and a quill. “Name?”

“Cain. No surname.”

“No surname?” inquired the First Mate. “How can that be, young man? I have it here that you were born and raised in Anvil, and joined the Fighter’s Guild when you came of age. Your mother is listed as Ariessa Janeel, also of Anvil. Do you not share her name?”

“In the absence of my father, she did not bestow it upon me.”

“Bastard then, eh? Unfortunate, but I see it all the time. What is your business in Skyrim?”

“On loan to The Companions. For what reason I do not yet know, but I will follow my orders from the guild and my future employers.”

“An honorable attitude for a young warrior, mister Cain. It’s a long voyage to the port of Solitude, so all we ask is that you remain civil and pitch in a helping hand when required.”

Cain nodded and the first mate moved on to speak with a different passenger. It was indeed a long voyage, filled with many sleepless nights while the ship bobbed and rocked on the choppy waters of the sea. The occasional storm would blow in and everyone from the captain to the lowest deckhands were grim-faced and determined as they struggled to keep the passengers safe from the onslaught of high waves and powerful winds. Nearly a full month passed before they sailed beneath the great arch of Solitude and nestled the ship into the port. All hands helped to moor the ship before the passengers eagerly disembarked in a new land.

A tall Dunmer man of middle years stood in wait on the pier, clad in worn hide armors with a longsword slung across his back. Years of experience lined his weathered face, eyes deep set and wary as he scanned the faces off all those who set foot off of the ship. When Cain approached the man, he flagged the Redguard down and directed him off to the side.

“You must be Cain,” he said. “Fresh from Anvil, yes? My name is Athis and I’ve been sent by our Harbinger to retrieve you. The Companions welcome your aid, but we have a long journey to Whiterun yet. Ordinarily I would accompany you south on foot, but we are already short-handed and will be taking a carriage.”

“Nice to meet you, Athis. Lead the way �" this is a strange land for me and I defer to your judgement.”

They shook hands and departed the port at a quick trot. A carriage sat in wait along the road to the capital city, and soon after Athis handed the driver a bag of Septims, the were trundling along the road to Dragon Bridge, headed for the southern road to Whiterun Hold and Jorrvaskr �" the legendary mead hall of The Companions. Despite being in an unfamiliar land, Cain found himself excited at the prospect of these new horizons and the change of pace from the last few months of misery that followed the death of his mother. He bowed his in prayer for her before striking up a conversation with Athis.

“So, what’s it like being in The Companions?” he asked. “Are things much different from the Fighter’s Guild?”

“Oh yes, quite different. Every man or woman in The Companions is their own. We have no leaders, just a Harbinger who is wise in counsel and offers a guiding hand. There are no ranks to elevate to and no coveted positions to fight for. We take the jobs we must and your shield-siblings will be ready to stand with you. Honor is valued above all else.”

“Interesting. I must admit, the lack of politics seems hard to believe. Everything is so much about rank and station in the guild that often times our true purpose is forgotten when the infighting picks up. Jobs go unanswered in the chaos and brawls turn deadly over simple differences of opinion. I might end up staying here for a long time if life is to be more peaceful in that regard.”

Athis chuckled. “While we do strive to rise above such petty squabbles, you’ll soon find that Jorrvaskr is anything but peaceful. However, our brawls usually end with hearty pats on the back and consuming copious amounts of mead, rather than misery and death!”

“Sounds like a dream come true, Athis.”

“That’s a very Nordic attitude, young one. Are you sure you’re a Redguard?”

“The color of my skin betrays that,” laughed Cain. “But who knows, maybe my father was a Nord, whoever he may be.”

The Dunmer smiled and their conversation moved onto other topics. Athis went over the finer points of The Companions with him and eventually moved onto the current political climate and powers that be in Skyrim. Cain listened with rapt attention, absorbing all the he could to avoid any run-ins with local laws and to avoid misunderstandings, no matter how small they could be. Just as the sun began to set, the carriage pulled into a small village and ground to a halt. Orthar, the driver, dismounted and told them they would continue on in the morning. Cain and Athis hopped down from the wagon and followed him into the local tavern, the Frostfruit Inn.

“This is the village of Rorikstead,” said Athis. “A fine place to spend the night. Grab us some mead and I’ll see about getting a meal. No sense in sleeping on an empty stomach.”

He left the inn as Cain was ordering a few pints of mead and a loaf of bread to munch on. Experience had taught the young man never to consume spirits on an empty stomach, and so he found a table off to the side and chewed on the crusty loaf while he awaited Athis’ return. Ten minutes later, his fellow Companion reentered the tavern with a basket of fruit in one hand and a bundle of skewered meats in the other. They ate and drank their fill while continuing to discuss the ins and outs of Jorrvaskr well into the night.

Dawn brought forth cloudy skies and the smell of rain upon the air as the carriage rumbled off onto the road, resuming their journey to Whiterun. By late afternoon, the two men were approaching the gates of the tundra city, and making their way through the bustling marketplace. They passed the local tavern and ascended a flight of stairs whereupon Cain was greeted with a breathtaking sight �" the Gildegreen was in full bloom before his eyes and the immense beauty of the towering tree froze him in his tracks as the wind gently whistled through its branches.

“Aye, a sight to see, eh?” remarked Athis. “Little matches the serene beauty of our mighty tree, blessed by the Goddess Kyne herself. That’s her temple there and the priestess' maintain the tree and those who seek her guidance within.”

“It’s amazing,” sighed Cain. “There is nothing quite as lovely in all of Cyrodiil.”

“Yeah, well, the Imperials already think too highly of themselves. Divines know they don’t deserve such a wonderful symbol as our Gildegreen. Let’s move on now �" Jorrvaskr is just over there.”

Continuing on, Cain and Athis soon stepped through the solid wood doors of the legendary mead hall and were met with the raucous din of the main dining area where shield siblings dined heartily and drank merrily, roaring with laughter and swapping exaggerated stories of their noble deeds. Athis steered him through the hall and down a small flight of stairs to a much quieter living area, with bedrooms lining the underground corridor. The walls were adorned with centuries of decorations ranging from trophy kills to impressive weapons to woven tapestries and ancient, tattered flags. At the far end of the hall two men sat around a small table and were deep in conversation, only noticing their approach at the last minute.

The smaller of the two large men rose to greet them. “Athis, I see you’ve returned with our new shield-brother!” He turned to the Redguard and offered a hand for Cain to shake. “Cain, yes? Welcome to Jorrvaskr! I’m Vilkas, Harbinger of The Companions, and the silent one here is my brother Farkas. He may look intimidating but I promise he is more bark than bite!” Vilkas roared with laughter and sat back down as Farkas greeted Cain.

“Pleasure to meet you, brother,” rumbled the towering Nord. He sat back down and resumed his stony silence while Vilkas spoke again.

“No trouble, then, Athis?”

“None at all. The land seems quiet for a change.”

“Good, I’m glad to hear that. But it’s getting late now �" you two head upstairs and eat. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow!”

Athis and Cain took their leave of the Harbinger, and his silent brother, and headed back to the dining hall for a good meal and plenty of mead. All in all, Cain was looking forward to being counted among the ranks of such proud, jovial warriors. Jorrvaskr was everything the Fighters Guild was not, and his mind was made up in short order �" tomorrow he would pen a letter to his chapter leader and tender his resignation. But the night was still relatively young, and after stowing what little gear he had under a vacant bed, Cain met Athis upstairs in the great hall.

They ate, drank, and sang well into the night as Cain made the rounds and was introduced to his shield-siblings. More than a few were young like him, and he could not help but eye up some of the female warriors among the ranks, especially Thea, a tall blonde Nord that shared the same birthyear as Cain. He lingered next to her the longest and was in awe at how much mead she could knock back with the rest of the burly men seated around Jorrvaskr. By midnight the two of them had slid out the back door and were getting to know each other better in the moonlit gardens.

The next day came earlier than Cain, still sleeping off the merriment and escapades from the night before, had expected it to. Farkas strode into his room just after sunrise and threw a dossier at him before barking out the Redguard’s first orders.

“Read that and then come find me in the mead hall. You’re heading to Falkreath today and we need to find you a shield-sibling to watch your back, and see what you can do. Don’t tarry, it’s a long walk to Falkreath and the sun is already up.”

Cain sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes before leaving his warm bed and heading for the bathroom. He checked himself in the mirror before leaving and sighed at the long scratches Thea had left on the side of his face. Farkas had likely noticed them, too, but it was probably nothing new to the seasoned Companion. He splashed some water on his faced, headed back to general quarters, got dressed, and went upstairs for his first assignment.

This post has been edited by Kane: May 6 2025, 01:14 PM

[Kane]

Chapter I - New Beginnings

Morning at Jorrvaskr appeared to be a much more subdued atmosphere. Cain entered the hall to find those that had already risen to be eating in relative silence while they opened any letters or correspondences the couriers delivered in the early hours. The food, however, seemed to be just as hearty as a supper meal, and there was no shortage of meat to be plucked from the cooking spit set between the long wooden tables. His eyes scanned the room for Farkas and saw the towering Nord seated at a table with an older woman Cain had not met the night before.

Grabbing a leg of lamb on his way past the warm fire, Cain soon joined Farkas and the woman at their table. He ate silently and waited with patience beyond his years for the shield-siblings to finish their conversation. Once Cain had eaten his fill and poured himself a large mug of coffee, Farkas addressed him and made introductions.

“Cain, this is Ria �" she will be your shield-sister for your first job. Ria, Cain: our newest whelp.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Cain,” said Ria, with a slight bow. “Farkas, I thought we weren’t supposed to call them that anymore. Your brother doesn’t like the memories it invokes.”

“Old habits die hard. You two should go get ready. I need to head out myself.”

Farkas drained the rest of his early morning mead and headed for the door. Ria watched him go, shaking her head, a light smile dancing on her lips. “I swear that man will never change. So,” she began. “Did he tell you what we will be doing?”

“Not at all,” replied Cain. “He handed me this dossier, but I didn’t have time to read it yet. Still a little out of it from last night…it was the most fun I’ve had in some time.”

“I’d say so,” smirked Ria. “Looks like you and Thea had a bang-up time out in the gardens.” Cain blushed and murmured something under his breath, but Ria laughed and waved him off. “Ah, don’t worry about it �" you surely weren’t the only ones out there getting familiar with each other last night. Rarely does a day go by in this place without a hedonistic event. The other folks in the city would be lined up at the door, begging for admission into the Companions if they knew half of what we got up to in here.”

Cain took a pull of his coffee and cleared his throat. “Doesn’t surprise me at all, based on my first night here. Er, should we get ready to leave then?”

“I travel light, so meet me out front when you are ready. Falkreath is about two days march south if we don’t take a carriage, which we won’t. I prefer to walk and take in the sights.”

“Give me ten minutes and then we can head out.”

He set his mug down and went back to the living quarters, gathered up his gear, slung his trusty sword over his back, and climbed back upstairs. The Harbinger stood near the front door and handed him a small bag for the journey, which Cain accepted graciously.

“Just some rations in case game is hard to come across. Don’t eat it all at once! Now, get out there and make a name for us and yourself!”

Outside the air was warm under the rising sun of Rain’s Hand. A rainstorm had blown through in the early morning hours, leaving a layer of damp across the city of Whiterun that was now burning off in a cool morning mist. Ria checked the straps of her scabbard and then together they departed, bound for the gates that Cain had first walked through only just last night. He was slightly disappointed to not be spending more time in the city, but duty called and he would not ignore it.

When they reached the outskirts of the city, Cain pulled the dossier from his pocket and glanced through it while they walked, barely registering his surroundings. “Animal extermination? Really? Is this a common thing for us to handle? Surely there are guards or hunters in Falkreath that can handle such a thing, no?”

“Hah. You remind me of an old friend, may Talos guard her. Njada hated these kinds of jobs �" referred to them as “police work”. She turned them down whenever she could, always in search of something to truly test her mettle.”

“Smart woman,” said Cain. He paused a moment while trying to remember some of the details about Nord rites and their afterlife beliefs. Then it came to him when his thoughts landed on Shor. “I take it she was called to Sovngarde?”

“Impressive,” acknowledged Ria. “Not many outsiders are familiar with our customs. But yes, she ought to be there, drinking proudly with the heroes of legend in Shor’s fabled hall. She gave her life in defense of our city, when that scumbag Ulfric Stormcloak tried to invade it. The Companions normally don’t take sides in such affairs, but he was an affront to what a true Nord stands for. Honor and loyalty meant nothing to his rebellion �" it was all about power and control.”

“I was glad to see him put down,” said Cain. “Everyone outside of his army knew that him winning would be a death blow for the Empire. We need to stick together if we hope to have any chance against the Dominion.”

“Quite so. Anyway, Njada rarely took these jobs. Hunters or guards could certainly handle such a thing, but sometimes the regular folk get a tickle out of seeing the mighty Companions stroll into town and put down a beast. And so, they send us a letter and ignore the matter until we can arrive to help. What is it this time? Bear again?”

“Aye, black bear den to the west of Falkreath City. That’s odd enough on its own, isn’t it? Black bears are relatively tame and tend to fear men and mer alike. Could there be something more at play?”

“Hm, maybe. Aggravated bears could point to Spriggans, in which case they would be justified in calling on us to deal with it.”

“Oh, you have Spriggans here, too? That shouldn’t be too hard to deal with.”

“Depends on how many there are,” said Ria. Stopping quickly, she raised a finger to her lips before whispering: “I saw a doe in the trees over there…ah, damn it, something spooked it. Well, let’s get a move on.”

They continued along the western road that Cain and Athis had rode in on just the day before, past an empty home and a half-ruined watchtower. Towards the evening, they came to a junction and stepped off of the road to camp out for the night. Ria rolled out sleeping bags while Cain scrounged up what few branches and bits of wood he could find on the tundra and built a small campfire. The moons rose slowly overhead as they roasted a hunk of venison and spoke amicably, getting to know each other better, and getting Cain familiar with the land.

“So, the watchtower was destroyed during the dragon crisis? But that was almost thirty years ago �" could the Jarl not have it rebuilt in all that time? It’s looks to be an important part of the city’s outer defenses…”

“Balgruuf does what he can, but he is an old man now and will likely step down soon. Keep in mind, too, that when the Stormcloaks attacked Whiterun, they didn’t do so gently. Most of the time and money went into rebuilding the town and it’s walls, rather than the outlying areas.”

“What about that house we passed? It looked pristine, but completely devoid of life?”

“The manor? No one has lived there for a while. Dunno what the story is with that place.”

The fire began to burn down low. Cain added the remaining branches to fuel it as Ria slipped into her sleeping bag and said good night. His back resting on unfamiliar earth, he was left alone to stare up at familiar stars, and wonder what life had in store for him next. Ariessa, his mother, had always been a sort of guiding hand in his life. She had had a surprisingly deep sense of wisdom and her counsel was always meaningful. Life had been uncertain since her passing, leaving the young man partly adrift as Cain struggled with what to do next.

Sleep came eventually, but it was filled with strange dreams unlike anything he had seen before. Hulking shadowy beasts of legend flitted through his resting mind; dark figures conspired in large groups around him; and piercing golden eyes stared unblinkingly, burning into his soul while his subconscious sought to awaken and free him from the realm of nightmares.

It was with a deep sigh of relief that Cain awoke the next morning, the first rays of sun peeking over the Velothi mountains and shining right into his eyes. He rolled out of his bag, and got up to stretch his legs, walking a short way from camp to empty his teeming bladder behind a rock. Shaking his head at the memories of the odd dreams, he tried to parse out the images but gave it up as a lost cause. And then Ria’s voice rang out in the morning air, focusing his attention elsewhere.

“Oi, where’d you go?”

“Be back in a minute,” Cain yelled back. “Just had to take a piss, standard morning stuff ya know!”

“Take your time, I gotta do the same.”

Soon after, they were underway again, continuing their journey west. A few hours later, they reached a set of markers lining a small dirt path that left the road and headed due south, winding up towards the mountain range. Just when the rocky outcrop turned into a sheer cliff face, a cave entrance stood before them.

“Through the mountain?” asked Cain.

“Aye, Brittleshin Pass. Used to be overrun with animals or the undead, but the king has increased guard presence throughout the land, and stationed a few here. Now, it serves as an artery to Falkreath hold, complete with a ferry on the other side. We’ll need to fork over some gold, but it significantly shortens the trip to Falkreath City.”

Ria stepped up to the guard post and stated their business while she fished out some gold from her traveling bag. By midday Cain and Ria stood on the shores of Lake Illinalta, the calm waves of the inland water lapping at their feet while they waited for the ferryman to return from the southern shores. The small rowboat docked near evening time, but they elected to proceed anyway, figuring they could rent a room in the small hamlet of Oakwood. They stumbled through the door inn late into the night and were fortunate enough to get the last room, even though it only had one bed.

Cain insisted Ria take it, and after a heated argument she acquiesced and laid down for the night while the young Redguard dozed off in a chair with one of the innkeeper’s books across his lap.

Breakfast the next morning was a quick affair before Cain and Ria sped out of the inn, bound west once again until they hit the southern fork. It was an uneventful day, and by sundown they could hear the low growling of the aggravated black bears they sought, rumbling from within the dense trees of the pine forest. They were still a good march off from the city, but Cain and Ria were both certain that they were right where they needed to be. Peering through the branches of a low thicket, they spied a crumbling ruin emanating an odd greenish-yellow light, and several bears laying around it.

“Hm. That’s a lot of bears,” noted Ria. “We have our work cut out for us. See the glow? Definitely spriggans inside the dome.”

“Is that an old barrow or something?” asked Cain.

“Yeah, probably a collapsed one or it would be more accessible for worship. These things are dotted all over Skyrim, can’t walk more than a day or two without spotting one.”

“Do the ridges on the side of it lead to an opening up top or is the roof sealed? If it’s open, we can creep up there and get a jump on the spriggans. I know a few restoration spells that could probably calm the beasts after we take care of the source.”

“Magic? Really?”

“Don’t look at me like that, it’s not my fault you Nords are terrified of the arcane,” said Cain. “You do realize that some of the most storied mages were Nords, right? Anyway, you need some familiarity with it in Cyrodiil, even if it is just basic restoration spells. In our line of work, you’ll inevitably be sent to an Ayleid ruin that’s absolutely swarming with the undead. Turn spells are immensely useful in that regard.”

“Well, this is supposed to be your show anyway, and it can be your chance to change my mind. You lead, I’ll follow.”

Cain nodded and began to creep around the perimeter, with Ria by his side, until the ruins were in between them and the bears. Darting silently forward, they scaled the old burial mound and peered down through the opening at the top. Two spriggans milled about in the center of the barrow, their long hands running through the overgrown flowers and shrubs around them.

“You didn’t bring a bow by chance, did you?” whispered Cain.

“Never was much good with one,” answered Ria.

“In that case, I’ll get the one on the left. Jump down and plunge your sword right through the beast, and then I’ll move towards the front and start peppering calm spells at the bears. Once they cool off and the spriggan connection is gone, they should disperse.”

They dropped silently, blades at the ready and quickly hewed down the forest spirits. Cain ducked out of the center ring and after a few flashes of yellow light, he sheathed his blade and strolled back inside to find Ria.

“Worked perfectly, bears all ambled off on their own.”

“Not bad, shield-brother,” acknowledged Ria. “We may yet make a Companion out of you! C’mon let’s get out of here. I don’t want to set up camp with those beasts about, so we’ll double-time it to Falkreath and grab a mead or two from Dead Man’s Drink.”

This post has been edited by Kane: Jan 8 2025, 06:08 PM