Serene of Cyrodiil, chapter 2 "A New Start" Options

[minque]

This will be the last one for a week or so due to far too much fuzz at work but don´t worry there will be more to come!



Naturally the rain started as I was walking towards the Lighthouse; in a couple of minutes I was totally soaked, so I started running with the thick wet cloak dangling around my legs. When I knocked at the Lighthouse-door it was immediately opened by a thin Dunmer woman in her forties with a weary look on her face.

“Please step inside, outlander,” she said in a soft gentle voice, as she stepped away from the door. “You are going to catch a cold in those wet clothes.”

“Thank you” I said, my teeth chattering severely, and quickly went inside the warm and cosy Lighthouse.
I presented myself and politely asked Thavere if she had a bed to rent for a couple of nights. I had no intention of going to Balmora yet; first I wanted to enjoy my newly achieved freedom before I reported to somebody and immediately risked getting some duties.

You don’t value freedom to its full extent if you haven’t been deprived of it and been locked up for some time. For me it was wonderful to be able to go wherever I wanted, to just sit and drink tea and do nothing, not to have somebody telling me what I can or cannot do, to go to bed when I want and not at a certain time because some ridiculous bell is ringing…..

Thavere was more than willing to rent out a bed to me; she was pleased with the fact that I wished to stay for a while, because she lived a lonely and restrained life in the Lighthouse. She could hardly go anywhere because the fire on top of the lighthouse needed constant supervision, but when I later asked her how she managed to get supplies like food and wood, she just smiled shyly and nodded her head.

I took off my soaked cloak and when Thavere was aware of the state of my clothing she gasped;

“Oh, so that’s how they trea….” Then she silenced herself by putting a hand before her mouth, blushing, “I’ll lend you a shirt and a robe,” she continued a few seconds later.

I was given a worn but spotlessly clean shirt and a beautiful green robe made from pure wool and dyed probably with cork bulb-leaves, which yield a deep green colour.

I pondered about why she was so unwilling to talk to me other than about the most necessary things, such as if the clothes fit me and if I was hungry….HUNGRY? I hadn’t eaten anything since this morning when I “took custody of” the bread and crab-meat at the Census and Excise building, and that was more than 8 hours ago. There was a pot on the stove, and its contents, a thick stew of crab-meat, saltrice, comberry-leaves and ash-yam, smelled wonderful. My stomach started to grumble profoundly and the sweet Lighthouse-keeper served me a large portion of it.

While eating I came to think of that there was a mystery here; why should Thavere make such a gigantic amount of food all for herself? Was she expecting someone? Or did she know in advance that I was coming to visit?

One part of the answer to these questions then entered the Lighthouse, in the shape of Processus Vitellius, the local tax-collector and also Thavere Vedrano´s “friend.” My jaw dropped as I found myself face-to-face with this official authority of Seyda Neen.

The presence of the tax-collector entirely filled the small lower room of the Lighthouse; he was a tall, well-built Cyrodiil with short brown hair and sharp piercing brown eyes, which now were staring sternly at me, as I sat there, eating my supper.

He took off his hat and cloak and handed them to Thavere, who immediately as he entered had rushed to his side, with a humble look on her face.

“Now will there be any evening-meal left for me tonight, Thavere?” he said in a sharp voice, still staring at me…

“Oh yes dear,” she replied in a soft voice, “We have a visitor, she ca…

“Quite! I’ve already met that woman earlier tonight, as I’ve told you, remember?” Processus turned towards Thavere with a sour look.

I felt a peculiar strain between them; it was obvious they had some kind of relation. I rapidly finished my supper, then decided I’d go upstairs and leave them to sort out whatever was bugging them.

As I sat by the fire on top of the Lighthouse I had a wonderful view of Seyda Neen, if it hadn’t been a dark rainy night that is….Despite the darkness and the pouring rain there were quite a few people moving around the small town; besides the patrolling guards I spotted some regular citizens, and among them the little Bosmer the guards harassed earlier. Now he acted rather strange I realised, sneaking away along the house-walls towards the Lighthouse. I moved away from the fire, didn’t want him to see me if he accidentally should look up. He headed past the Lighthouse and into a small swampy pond just below where I was sitting. While there he climbed into a hollow tree-stump in the middle of the swamp. I didn’t actually see what he was up to, but imagined it would have to be something slightly illegal, why else go sneaking around in the middle of the night?

It started to get really chilly so I went inside the Lighthouse again. No raised voices from below, so I imagined the couple sorted out everything. I went down to ask my hostess the whereabouts of my night quarters, but then the mighty Tax-collector showed his friendliest face and even smiled at me;

“I bid you good evening milady,” he said, stretching out his hand. I greeted him back, and sat down for a while on a bench beside the small table. He asked me if I was going to settle down in Seyda Neen, and also informed me of the local rules….that is of course taxes and when and where you pay those. I maybe disappointed him saying that I was just passing through on my way to Balmora, but I didn’t want him to think of me as his next source of income.

Then he started to tell me of the obedience of the villagers, or rather lack of obedience with some.

“This Fargoth fellow you were aiding earlier on is a highly annoying man; he’s always late with payment. That might end up nasty,” he continued.

I also learned about Foryn Gilnith, a poor Dunmer fisherman living in a house of his own manufacture. He always refused to pay taxes………….

As I clearly understood, this man wasn’t very popular with the other Imperial authorities of Seyda Neen. I also got an uneasy feeling that the last word was not yet said in this matter!

After some more small-talk, I decided it was about time I got some sleep, but first I took the opportunity to wash myself in a bucket with warm water that was given to me by Thavere. I enjoyed pouring the fresh, warm water over me, a luxury that I had not encountered for a very long time.

Processus Vitellius was apparently not spending the night in the Lighthouse; it was not really appropriate for a man in his position Thavere told me, he was staying at Arrille´s, who also rented out beds, but at a considerably higher price than the Lighthouse-keeper. In fact, as the fee for my accommodations, Thavere just asked me to help out with the supervision of the Lighthouse-fire during my stay so she could get out for a bit, to acquire some supplies and also to visit her old mother, living in Pelagiad, a small town north-east of Seyda Neen.

I considered this indeed was a fair price to pay, and so I bid her good night and lay down on the bedroll at the top tier of the Lighthouse-tower.

I drifted away in my sleep…and so Azura came to me again;

“Serene, Serene of Cyrodiil, you have arrived at your foreseen destination. Fear not, you are doing well …..I am watching you. Before the moons are full the next time, you are to go to the north, to Balmora, to fulfil the task that is laid upon you…

[Soulseeker3.0]

nice Minque I wonder, will Serene do much more in Seyda Neen?

[minque]

No.....she won´t....she´s got a time-limit, has to head on to Balmora you´ll see, there will be some......err no I shouldn´t tell should I???

[Burnt Sierra]

There's a lovely pace to this story, nothing's rushed, allowing little details to really stand out in the description. The food on the stove, Thavere hanging up a coat, small points that add so much texture to the story. But the real delight is the characterization. They have depth, Processus showing the difference between his public side and his personal, a sense of what is acceptable public behaviour from a person in his position, renting at Arrille's rather than staying at the lighthouse. But still unable to resist seeing Serene as a potential source of income.

I could go on for quite a while, it's that good.

[size=18]S.G.M.

(I do have one question though. How exactly does a stomach grumble profoundly? )

[Soulseeker3.0]

[quote=minque]No.....she won´t....she´s got a time-limit, has to head on to Balmora you´ll see, there will be some......err no I shouldn´t tell should I???[/quote]
yes please don't tell if you tell me now I won't have a reason to read the rest of your great story.

[Channler]

Sorry minque I hadn't the time to read your stories yet, (or anyones else for that matter).. When I go to work I'll have plenty o' time

*WHoa!? How'd I get a spammer logo!? Is it automatic or something cause I didn't think I was spaming... OMG I actually wrote stuff in meh posts.. tis makes me sad"

[milanius]

No time ! No time to read ! Just CTRL + C & you'll have my 20 cents tommorow (or today, when I get some caffeine back in me bloodstream)

EDIT: Sorry for the L A T E comment... great introduction for Serene; since we had an entire realistic base for her skills in the intro (healing, swordsmanship, etc.) now we get to sit back, relax and watch her kick a55 all over Morrowind Province of Tamriel - so go, girl, go !

EDIT 2: I've laughed like a maniac when I red that part about her meeting with the Imperial captain, lol


p.s. : ... and will someone please tell me what in the name of Seven Graces is S.G.M. ?!?

[minque]

I woke up that first morning in total freedom, with a joyful feeling in my heart. So this was how it felt, freedom, not having to do anything. I didn´t even had to get up if I didn´t want to! Then the dream and Azura´s words came back to me; I had obligations, I had to look up this man in Balmora, and it had to be done before the moons were full again! Still, it left me some days of total freedom to explore the surroundings of Seyda Neen, to get some supplies and even perhaps get some money, if Arille was willing to give me a fair price for the items in my sack.

Thavere was already up, sweeping the floor downstairs. We had breakfast together and then I went to the tradehouse to do some business with Arille.

It seemed as if the little Bosmer had kept his word. Arille greeted me with courtesy as I entered his domain. I also got quite a fair payment for my stolen items; about 150 septims and in addition to that a netch-leather satchel, and an almost complete set of chitin armour., No helmet, but I didn´t care so much about that at the moment. A nice chitin longbow with a bunch of arrows and a relatively used steel Katana also found their way to my inventory.

I also purchased some food for Thavere and myself; flour, saltrice, ash-yam, kwama-eggs, hackle-lo-leaves, and two bottles of sujamma. I reckoned I´d have to find out what prey there might be in these surroundings; we would likely need some animal-protein as well. I remembered last night´s delicious crab-meat-stew and decided to see if I could find the origin of that tasty kind of meat. That shouldn´t be any problem; crabs lived in or near water, Seyda Neen was situated close to the shore, thus there would certainly be a nice supply of crabs nearby.

Oh yes, I found crabs alright, or rather ONE crab found me, that was one scary moment as I suddenly stumbled across a crab, a huge crab, big as small rock, but with legs….and claws, which nearly cut off my right leg. But that´s another story which I´ll come back to.

First I unloaded my gear at the Lighthouse, equipped myself with the sword and the bow and off I went hunting. There wasn´t much to hunt close Seyda Neen, so after being out for approximately two hours with no luck at all, I decided to sit down on a nice round boulder for a while just enjoying the nice warm sun and have a rest. Suddenly the boulder started to MOVE, and before I´d grasped the situation, the boulder flung out a pincer-like claw and caught my right leg with it. A sharp intense pain shot up my spine and I screamed out loud as tears gushed from my eyes. I jumped up, the huge beast still clinging to my leg, and frantically slashed it with the sword. Finally I managed to damage the claws so that it let go of my leg, and immediately I drove the sword deep into it’s flesh just beneath it´s shell. The giant crab moaned and rolled over…..completely dead. I panted heavily from exhaustion, wiped my face with an edge of my shirt and then looked down on the dead beast. There would be a nice supply of meat here, if I could figure out how to cut it up properly.

The dull pain in my leg then caught my attention; there was a deep cut in the boot about three inches above the ankle and blood was pouring out of the wound. I felt a bit dizzy and had to sit down on the ground, head down between my knees.

“Nasty cut ye got there!” a nasal voice caught my attention, and I looked up and spotted a tall man in a very expensive-looking robe carrying a book. “You gotta get that treated real fast, lady, or else ye might end up with some disease”

I nodded, not exactly knowing how I was supposed to get proper treatment out here in the middle of nowhere.

“Here, let me help you,” the man put down his book and carefully removed my chitin-boot to uncover the wound. It was a deep cut, and it was rather dirty, so he squeezed it hard to let the streaming blood cleanse it. I gasped for air, tears started running again, and then I yelled in agony.

“Calm down lady, it´ll be OK,” he said, as he tied his belt around my leg just below the knee in order to stop the bleeding. Then he tore a strip from my ruined trousers to wrap up the wound. He embedded some, unknown (to me) herbs in the bandage and I felt the pain diminish a little bit. I knew I would have to deal with it later on but at the moment I was not focused enough to practise any healing-procedures, at least not on myself.

The man peered at me curiously and presented himself as Tarhiel, mage and researcher, at the moment occupied with the manufacturing of a scroll named “Icarian Flight.” He also told me that his fellow-mages at the Mage´s Guild in Balmora were making fun of him and would not permit him to do his research at the Guild-house.

“Balmora” there it was again………….

I presented myself and thanked him for his assistance, asking him if there was anything I could do for him.

“Well, if it hadn´t been that you´re injured I´d ask you to be my guinea-pig.” he stated. I shrugged; serving as guinea-pig did not appeal to me, so I was a bit satisfied that I in fact had a severe wound that prevented such things..

The look on Tarhiel´s face was an image of unhappiness, so I decided to show some interest in his research. I glanced at the mysterious words that were written on the parchment Tarhiel showed me, and whispered them out .....

“Now try to jump,” Tarhiel hissed at me, shivering with excitement……I barely made a slight effort to jump when SWOOSH… I lost contact with solid ground almost immediately and whirled up towards the clouds. I was terrified; something extremely important had struck me-

“ What about landing?!” I shouted as I was flying high up over the trees. I couldn´t hear his answer…if there was any at all, so I tried to turn towards the sea, deciding that if I was going to make a real crash-landing it´d better be in water, and not on solid rock, otherwise it would be the end of the story for me….

As I saw the water beneath me I felt the scroll wear off, and it wore off rather suddenly too- one moment I was flying high above the trees, the next moment I was free falling!

I hit the water with a huge splash, going all the way down to the bottom….shaken but not hurt. I made my way to the surface again, and then up on the shore, barely avoiding serving as a snack for a huge fish with knife-sharp teeth that came up from nowhere.

Lying on the beach, drenched, terrified and starting to get rather angry, I decided to have more than one word with that lunatic mage that fooled me into trying his outrageous scroll.

Naturally the man had disappeared, and I was in no shape to go chasing after him; my leg had started to bleed severely again, so I tore another strip from my trousers and wrapped it up in order to at least be able to get back to town again.

Two hours later I dragged myself up the stairs to the lighthouse and collapsed just in front of the door, sobbing desperately….

The next thing I remember was lying in front of the fireplace on Thavere´s own bedroll, wrapped in warm blankets, the pain diminished to a dull pounding, and the sweet Dunmer sitting beside me holding a pitcher to my lips.

“There, there Serene”, she said in her soft voice, “Drink this and you´ll soon feel better.”

So I downed the hot tea and then fell into a soothing dreamless sleep…..

[Soulseeker3.0]

creepy experiance, Mique. I would hate for that to happen to me...... Great Job and keep it up!!

[Burnt Sierra]

What can I say here, that I didn't say on TES?

Well, not a lot different, but it gives me an excuse to qoute another bit of the story.

“ What about landing?!” I shouted.

Hehe. Nice to see such a human character, one that can be injured and feel pain. Along with all the detail you use in your descriptions, and the little asides you use to create colour for the world, there's an air of actually being there whilst reading.

Excellent Minque, just excellent.

[treydog]

Serene continues to grow as a person and in our hearts. Your compassionate writing helps us to feel her joy at the sunrise, her pain as she is attacked by the mudcrab, and her determination that she will not just survive, but succeed.

Each new installment is a gem in its own right, the total makes a crown of unsurpassed beauty.

[jonajosa]

[quote=treydog]Serene continues to grow as a person and in our hearts. Your compassionate writing helps us to feel her joy at the sunrise, her pain as she is attacked by the mudcrab, and her determination that she will not just survive, but succeed.

Each new installment is a gem in its own right, the total makes a crown of unsurpassed beauty.[/quote]

what can one say after all that... took the words right out of my mouth. well most of them anyway...

You make it so good that we feel what your charcter feels. We can relate to your charcter so well it almost like it was us in the story. :goodjob:

[Aki]

Heh, sat on a mudcrab...

Silly mistake, good chapter. :goodjob:

[minque]

I had to recover from the wound caused by the gigantic mudcrab, and I didn’t want to heal myself, since it was utterly onerous and I felt like letting nature take it’s course this time. Also, it seemed to me that the recovery time would serve as a reminder that I was no longer in “civilized” Cyrodiil. Besides I could pay Thavere back some of her hospitality by just resting beside the Lighthouse fire and thus monitoring it.

I really felt comfortable, sitting on a folded bedroll beside the fire, nicely wrapped up in a warm woolen blanket. Firewood lying handy beside me, just to put another log in the flames now and then to keep the light as bright as possible. There was time for contemplation, time for remembrance, even though remembering the past almost always made me cry.

The nights were getting warmer; I’d lost count of the days but the rise in temperature during the last days, and the fact that the night-chill was not that hard anymore indicated that it had to be somewhere in Second Seed by now. I sat on top of the Lighthouse every night for more than a week, monitoring the fire, pondering the mysterious fate that brought me to this foreign continent, to fulfill a mission, of which I had absolutely no idea, predicted by a goddess I did not even believe in……that was until now. Every prophecy by Azura had come true so far, and still I had no clue of what all this was about, or what exactly was expected of me.

“Renie, hurry up and be quiet,” Ranya´s whispering voice woke me up and I sat up in my bed all dizzy and confused. “What is it?, what time is it? ”I tried to see something in the greyish light that came in from the curtain-covered window. I rubbed my eyes, but could barely see the dark shadow of my Dunmer maid and friend, as she stood by my bed shaking my shoulder urging me to get up.

“It’s after midnight and we have to hurry now if we’re going to make it to the Village in time for the ceremony.” Ranya fussed about getting my clothes together, warm panties, a woollen dress and my hooded cloak, which she laid out for me and then grabbed my hand and virtually dragged me out of bed. I stood there in the dark, shivering with cold as Ranya helped me dress myself. Now I remembered what was going on; it was 21st First Seed, and we were going to the Village, that is the Dunmer settlement in the valley to celebrate Hogithum*, the day dedicated by the Dunmeri tribes to praise the goddess of Dawn and Dusk, Azura. The celebration should take place at Dawn, at the market square and I was very excited to have got the opportunity to participate. Naturally I had to do it in secret; my parents would not have approved of this.

It was also my birthday and I was a little bit concerned about what my mother would say when entering my room in the morning and finding my bed empty. But I suppressed that thought as I wrapped the cloak tight around me and tiptoed after Ranya out of the house.

We hurried through the streets of The Imperial City and out in the Nibenay Valley. It was a clear chilly night, no sounds of dragonflies or birds was heard, just our pounding footsteps.

Once out in the valley we slowed down for a bit, panting heavily we sat down on a flat boulder to rest.

“Well Renie, here we are. You don’t regret coming , do you?” Ranya´s face glistened from sweat, as she turned to me smiling. I looked at her, my very best friend, grasped her hand tightly as I shook my head; “ No, I don’t regret anything, I’m very excited about this, but do you really think your family will approve of letting an outlander join this celebration?”

“Why of course they will!” Ranya looked at me with consternation, “They love you dear, you know that!”

When we arrived at Ranya´s shack at the Village, little Kira, Ranya´s baby sister, came crawling towards us, giggling with joy, waving her tiny hands, all dirty from the damp soil outside the shack. I took her up in my arms, kissing her soft cheeks, sensing the sweet baby scent that came from her despite her obvious state of dirtiness. Oh how I wished I’d have a little brother or sister!

“Come, come, we have to go now, the sun is soon arriving and Azura expects us to greet her.” The powerful voice of Eneas, the head of the household, sounded out loud in the small room and we all followed him out to the Market-place, where the entire tribe had assembled in order to greet the sun and with that… Azura!

All were very quiet, not even the babies uttered a sound. I was sitting among Ranya´s family with Kira in my arms, waiting for the big moment. As the first rays of sun reached the Village-market, the Dunmeri started chanting a welcome-song, one by one they rose to their feet, stretching their arms to the rising sun, singing words I didn’t understand, yet they went right into my heart, filling it with a strange yearning for something I didn’t have, and would not get. I put down little Kira, stretched my arms to the sun, and let go…. I chanted with the tribe, moved in the same intricate pattern as they did, greeted the sun and praised Azura, tears running down my cheeks, I fell to my knees, Ranya embraced me whispering:

“Renie, you feel it, don’t you? You’re one of us in heart, I knew it”

“My children, fear not, I will watch over you, times are getting rough, but a new era is predicted.” The soft voice of the goddess filled the air, and with it, a feeling of comfort, of calmness…..Azura…

The sun was up by now and its bright rays struck my eyes….


I sat up with a gasp for breath. The rising sun shone directly on my face. Had I been sleeping? The fire was out and I was totally disoriented. So was it just a dream, the celebration at the Dunmeri Village? No it had been real, I remembered it clearly, but at that time, almost 12 years ago I did not see the hidden message in the event, like I did now. There was some reason for Azura to follow me, to guide me through my life as she had done the last 7 years, and there must be a higher purpose……there must be.

I closed my eyes; this memory was clearly a sign; last night the moons were growing, they should be full in just a couple of days, and by then I had to be in Balmora paying a visit to an unknown man, for better or worse.

My wound had healed pretty well by now and I reckoned it would soon be time for Thavere to return from her visit to her mother in Pelagiad, so I went to Arrille´s to get some supplies, such as foodstuffs, because I wouldn’t leave her home emptied. On my way there I met with Processus Vitellius again; “Are you still here lady Serene?” he said in a slightly irritated voice. “Weren’t you supposed to go to Balmora?” I nodded and told him I’d be on my way as soon as Thavere was back. He muttered some words and went away. I got the feeling he was not at all pleased with me staying at the Lighthouse.

I managed to get some very nice supplies at Arrille´s this time. A sack of saltrice, very nice fresh ash-yams, bread and scuttle, some comberries for winemaking and the very best; a large hunk of crabmeat. As I stepped out of the tradehouse I heard some yelling and shouting, and to my surprise the noble tax-collector was having a really harsh argument with one of the commoners, who by a closer look turned out to be the notorious non-payer Foryn Gilnith. I did not wish to be involved in this matter so I hurried along to the Lighthouse.

Just before entering the lighthouse I was greeted by a man I had not seen before;, he was a sturdy Cyrodiil, with short brown hair and sad looking blue eyes. He told me his name was Vodunius Nuccius and that he did not like it here in Morrowind; he wanted to get home to Cyrodiil but since he’d been unemployed for almost a year he simply couldn’t raise the money for the trip. He wanted me to buy some enchanted ring of his in order to at least partly solve his economical problems, but I was in no mood for buying anything, and especially not some enchanted item that I did not know the effect of.

The man looked so sad that I suggested I’d buy him a drink at Arrille´s to cheer him up, so we went to the bar on the upper level at the tradehouse. The young Redguard woman at the counter looked steadily into my eyes as we sat down to order our drinks. She did not say anything, just handed over the two glasses of flin, which I had ordered. The two glasses became 4 and then 2 more. All the time Vodunius talked about his past in Cyrodiil, and how he longed to go back. I did not say much, but made sure his glass was filled constantly. Unfortunately mine was also constantly refilled, and I downed the strong beverage with pleasure, until I suddenly realized I was terribly drunk. It was no consolation that Vodunius was even more drunk than I, and when he at last fell asleep with his head neatly on the table, I just sat there, wishing I had stuck to water instead. The entire world was spinning around and I felt really nauseous. There were some other men in the bar, among them a huge Nord, named Hrisskar, at least his name sounded that way in my intoxicated brain…..

Then the Redguard woman approached me, telling me it was time to leave; I realised I had to try to get back to the lighthouse somehow, but that was not what she meant;

“Serene, you have to leave for Balmora first thing in the morning; tomorrow night the moons will be full, and you have a mission to accomplish….

I was too drunk to question how she would know my name and destination. I rose to my feet and then the floor came rushing up and hit me in the head, and everything was darkness….




* Hogithum - 21st First Seed (21st March)
Hogithum, the day that all dark elven priests summon Daedra Prince Azura for her guidance and support.

[jonajosa]

[quote=minque]I was too drunk to question how she would know my name and destination. I rose to my feet and then the floor came rushing up and hit me in the head, and everything was darkness….
[/quote]

that'll teach you to get drunk again wont it?

:goodjob:

[Soulseeker3.0]

Good job Minque!!

[minque]

I woke up the next morning, my throat dry and sore, and with ten little blacksmiths hammering ferociously inside my head. The punishment of last night’s festivities was obvious, and I told myself not to get drunk like that again. There was also a swelling on my forehead, and I couldn’t remember how that had happened.

Looking around I found myself neatly tucked in a quite comfortable bed, with sheets made of some white soft fabric, similar to those we had back in Cyrodiil, then a quilt in dark red silk, which I found somewhat strange to find in a tavern in a little godforsaken town like Seyda Neen. But who was I to complain; I lay back, closing my eyes and tried to remember last night’s events. The clearest memory was the young redguard woman who seemed to know who I was even though yesterday was the first time we met….

Despite the hammering headache I got out of bed and got myself dressed. Then the door opened and the redguard woman came in bringing a pitcher with hot water and a ceramic bowl; she also brought some sload-soap and a little jar containing something that smelled wonderful.

“Good morning Serene” she said with a smile, “did you sleep well tonight?” She put the pitcher and the bowl on a little table beside the bed, then she pointed to the little jar and told me to rub in the special cream it contained, it would get me straightened up again, she declared. Naturally I did as she told me; I felt really dirty after last night and a good cleansing always makes me feel good.

My satchel was standing beside the bed and after the cleansing-procedure I was able to dig up a shirt and a pair of pants that were a bit cleaner than those I was wearing.

As I stepped out of the room and got into the Tavern I was greeted with a smile from the huge Nord who already was sitting at a table, consuming a big breakfast.

“Aye, lassie, g´mornin te ye, ´ave a ´eadache teday, ´ave ye?” He said with a rumbling laugh and waved a big pointy knife at me. “Hrisskar´s the name, spose ye aint remember huh?

Actually I did remember both him and his name, but I just smiled cheerfully at him as I turned towards the counter where the redguard lady was preparing something that looked suspiciously like a hearty breakfast…..an omelette of beaten kwama-eggs, boiled saltrice seasoned with chopped comberry-leaves, warm freshly made bread, scuttle to go with it, and thin slices of kagouti-steak. The scent of hackle-lo-tea filled the room and I hurried to take a seat in order to fully enjoy the meal.

The redguard woman came and sat down at my table and started talking:

“Why Serene, I’m Elone; my family came from Yokuda, something like 500 years ago to settle down in Vvardenfell. We serve the Emperor truly and members of our family are widespread all over the island, as I will tell you later.”

“Now you will be off to Balmora as soon as you’ve finished your breakfast,” Elone continued, “there you’ll have to look up Caius Cosades and deliver that package you got from Mr Ergalla at the Census and Excise office.”

I nodded and gave up a whimper, as this movement caused a sharp sting of pain in my forehead. Elone smiled faintly at me and shook her head;

“You might find it appropriate in the future not to consume Cyrodiilic Brandy at the rate you did yesterday, but now then, finish your breakfast and get yourself ready for take-off.”

I felt a lot better after finishing the sturdy meal Elone had prepared for me, so I checked my satchel to see that everything was there, and then began to walk down the stairs.

“Serene! Wait a moment, I have something for you,” Elone´s clear voice made me stop and turn around.

“If you some day happen to visit Ald´ruhn, I will beg you to look up my sister, Neminda, whom I haven’t seen for a very long time due to some dissension in the past, and give her this ring, telling her that I miss her and have no hard feelings whatsoever for some events we had no control over…..yes she will understand, just tell her Elone is sorry and wishes her all the best.”

Then she handed me a very beautiful ring with a red ruby, glistening with enchantment. I didn’t dare ask what kind of magic was bound to this delicate piece of jewelry, I just put it in my satchel and promised Elone I’d visit her sister some day. That is if I was able to find out what exactly this Ald´ruhn is…..

Before leaving Seyda Neen I went to the Lighthouse to take farewell of Thavere. It was an emotional goodbye, I embraced her, tears running down my face, promising I’d come back some day……

Going by silt-strider is quite an adventure if you are not familiar with it! You actually sit INSIDE the giant flea, as it flies rather low, just above the trees, all the time you think you’re going to end up as a top-decoration in one of them…

It was a wonderful evening as I reached Balmora, the sun was setting behind the two square-shaped towers that dominated the sky-line, leaving the town in a pinkish purple light that appealed highly to my sense of beauty.

I asked the silt-strider-driver where to find night-quarters, as I had no intention of running around looking for that man, Caius Cosades tonight. I was directed to a tavern called “Eight Plates”, not that I was in any need of eight plates, I’d settle for one by all means, but it seemed like good advice at first…..I had to reconsider that when entering the premises.





Here ends chapter 2

[jonajosa]

:goodjob: :goodjob: :goodjob: :goodjob: :goodjob: :goodjob: :goodjob: :goodjob: :goodjob: :goodjob: :goodjob: :goodjob: :goodjob: :goodjob: :goodjob: :goodjob:


hopefully that wasn't spam....

[Burnt Sierra]

Well, what else can I say. It's fantastic? Yes, of course, but that sort of goes without saying now. It's beautifully written? Naturally. That the characters are so involving and well drawn out? Too obvious to say that again. I want more? Too right I do!

It's just :hearts: I love it. Simple as that.

[Soulseeker3.0]

great job Minque sooner or later after we run out of things to say all we will have left is to just have a blank post. yes I have no idea what that means either but it sounded good in my head...