Clark in Skyrim, A continued report from across the border. Options

[ghastley]

If mALX is back, then Clark should return too.

We left him in Evergloam at the beginning of the 4th Era, where Nocturnal had just inducted him and Minx as Nightingales, to join Dralsi. The two other members of the first trinity had been slain by Ogrim the Restless, who was the original occupant of the cave complex that became the Twilight Sepulchre.

He's about 225 years old now. Nocturnal and Azura made him immortal, rather than risk having to train a new one. He retired as a Nightingale some time ago, and went back into business managing brothels, and other enterprises that remain profitable in times of war. Much of the other intervening history should emerge as this unfolds.

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Part 1 - Over the border

"So Gilda, have you been into Skyrim before?" Clark asked the young woman sitting next to him. Ahead of them, the horse plodded onward, pulling Clark's carriage along the road towards Helgen. He gave the reins a jiggle, but the horse's gait didn't change. It only knew slow and steady.

Gilda wasn't really paying attention. She was busy looking at the scenery, which is why Clark had asked. "Oh, what? No, I barely got a mile from our farm before now. Mother didn't like me wandering off; she was scared I'd run into bandits."

"Is that how your nose got broken?" Clark guessed.

"Yes, the one time I did get away, she turned out to be right. When the bandits found out I didn't have anything valuable, they ... well, you can imagine what they had in mind. I gave the first one who tried anything my knee, and he did that in return. The others didn't stop me when I ran off, they were too busy laughing at our discomfort."

"How long ago was that? It looks like it's been that way for a while."

"About five months, I think. One day was much like another at our farm, and I lost track of time. I can't thank you enough for getting me away from there."

Clark wasn't sure what had made him offer to take her with him. He did need a new apprentice, that was true, but why he'd suddenly decided it could be her was beyond him. It wasn't her looks, for certain. Apart from her nose, she had crooked teeth, and looked like she never ate anything. Her mother was the exact opposite, so it was clear where all the food went in that household. She was wearing one of her mother's hand-me-down dresses, which fit her like a sack.

But he'd stopped at the farm for directions when he left Bruma, and she'd caught his eye. Before he knew it, he'd told her mother she could have a good career as a merchant's apprentice, hinting that she might be able to send some of her earnings home.

And if she'd persuaded him to do that, she probably had some speech talent, so she might work out well. He'd need to heal her nose, and fix her teeth first, and that would need more magicka than he had. Once he got to Whiterun, he'd be able to use the Alchemy lab at his house to make some fortification potions, but until then he couldn't do anything.

"We'll be in Helgen before long," he told her. "It's just over there, where you can see the smoke rising..." Clark's voice trailed off, as he realised that there shouldn't be that much smoke. Something had apparently set part of the town on fire, if not all of it.

They soon met a ragged bunch of imperial soldiers coming the other way, telling of a dragon attack on the town. Clark didn't think there were any dragons in Tamriel.

"Nor did we, until that one swooped down on us," the legionary told him. "We were preparing an execution for Ulfric Stormcloak and some of his men, when it was interrupted by a blast of magic. Threw everyone around like dolls. We'd heard that Ulfric could use the Thu'um like that, so we had him gagged, but a beast that size doing it was something else entirely."

"General Tullius and the Thalmor Ambassador were there too," one of the other men put in. "We have no idea if they got out."

Nobody knew if it was safe to try passing through. There were trails to Falkreath that might be preferable, as long as you weren't hauling anything heavy.

"But watch out for bandits if you go that way," another soldier advised. "That applies any time you leave the main roads in Skyrim."

Clark had heard much the same from legionaries in Cyrodiil. In his opinion, the roads weren't any safer than any other route, just better paved. He let his horse continue down the road.

Helgen was deserted when they got there. Most of the population seemed to be lying dead in the streets, scorched by the dragon's breath. Anyone alive had presumably fled, and the dragon itself was nowhere around. Clark decided to continue down into Riverwood and let them know what had happened. If the dragon didn't attack there next, of course.

---

Riverwood was intact, but they'd seen the dragon fly over. Gerdur, the mill-owner, told Clark that her brother Ralof had escaped from Helgen, and she thought that Hadvar, the legionary from the town, had too. Ralof had brought a stranger with him, and she'd gone on to Whiterun to warn the Jarl.

Clark knew from his earlier trips that Ralof was a Stormcloak, and he asked Gerdur if he'd been one of the men the soldiers had mentioned as due for execution. Ralof hadn't mentioned that part, just that he'd escaped from the dragon. But now it made sense why Hadvar had been there at the same time. "I'll make sure Ralof stays well hidden," she told Clark.

She turned back to what she'd been doing when they arrived. "When the dragon flew over, I was so startled, I dropped this firewood I'd just split in the river. I was trying to dry it out with a flare spell, but it looks like I'll just have to split some more."

"There's an easier way, you know," Clark told her. He took one of the pieces of firewood and stood it on a stump. "Cast a frost spell on it," he told Gerdur. She did so, until Clark told her to stop. "Now dispel the ice"

Gerdur didn't know that spell, so Clark taught it to her. "Now try the flare."

The wood caught immediately, and she quickly dispelled the flames. "I hardly used any magicka doing that. It was a lot easier than the way I was trying."

"Right, especially as the frost comes easily to you. Here, I'll help you finish these."

"You make it look so easy," Gerdur told him. "Are you sure you're an Imperial, not a Breton?"

"It's all practice, not magicka reserves," he told her. "It looks easy because I'm using less magicka than you would. Just like you know how to roll a log instead of doing it the hard way by lifting. But some spells are beyond my normal reach. That's why I have to wait until I get to Whiterun before I can heal Gilda's nose."

Gerdur noticed Gilda for the first time. "I can help her with a good meal, and you too. I owe you for that firewood trick."

"I hoped you might. Cooking is where you show your skill."

---

"Looking at her, I expected she had no appetite," Gerdur whispered to Clark. "But she's on her third helping of the stew already."

Clark told Gerdur that he suspected her mother had been starving her. Whether that was to keep her thin, or just because the mother ate all the food, he didn't know, but the mother was really fat. "She didn't think enough of Gilda to get her teeth straightened, so I doubt she had any positive feelings for her."

"If Gilda eats like that all the time, she might take after her," Gerdur warned.

"I don't expect she will. I'll get Lydia to look after her, and she'll keep her fit, not fat."

Lydia was Clark's housecarl in Whiterun. She'd been part of the deal when Jarl Balgruuf made Clark a Thane of the city, for his services to its people. He'd forgotten what he'd done for them; nothing major, just a lot of small things that added up. And the Jarl had noticed his effect on the local economy. Even the Khajiiti caravan that camped outside the gates seemed to be more prosperous after Clark had arrived.

They'd be at his house, Breezehome, by the end of the day, if there weren't any problems on the road.

---

"Oh, It's you, Thane," the guard at the gate knew Clark, even if he didn't know the girl. "Is she with you? I have orders to keep strangers out, with dragons sighted in the area."

Clark vouched for Gilda, and the guard opened the gate for them.

"That's a new development," Clark remarked. "The only ones not allowed in before were the Khajiit traders. They have an unjustified reputation as thieves. Well, maybe it's partly justified, but they're not the worst. They just have a more sharing attitude to property than the Nords are accustomed to, and it's often misinterpreted."

---

"What have you got in the sack?" Lydia asked.

"That's not a nice thing to say," Clark admonished. "Even if that is a good description of her outfit. This is Gilda, my new apprentice, and we'll be exchanging that 'sack' for something better-fitting as soon as we can. She's about your height, so is there something in the wardrobe she can try on?"

"You know I only keep a few changes of armour. If you're looking for a dress, you're probably out of luck."

"Leather armour might be more comfortable, if it fits."

Gilda took a look in the wardrobe, but there weren't any dresses, and the leather was loose, even with the straps tightened all the way. She put the "sack" back on, and tied the string back around her waist.

"We have to go to Belethor's in the morning anyway. We'll find you something then. Come out to the back room while I brew up some potions, and then I'll see what I can do about your nose," Clark told her.

Lydia was already back at the cookpot, stirring up some food. She could see that the poor girl needed feeding, even if Clark couldn't.

This post has been edited by ghastley: Oct 2 2014, 07:52 PM

[ghastley]

Grits: Not everyone is going to feel the same about "the Madesi", as we'll see in this one.

The only problem with having Clark as an observer is remembering which of his companions has met whom, and who needs to be informed about things they weren't involved in. For example, Brelyna has met Diablita, and now Gilda, Jordis and Lydia, but not Iona, yet. I've had to rewrite a few episodes where I lost track.


Acadian: When I first took the screenshot of Brelyna, I'd already fixed her hair, and I had to re-shoot with her original hair to match the story! She's definitely on her way through that quest line, and we'll see her again soon.

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Previously: Gilda, Lydia, Jordis and Clark eliminated the Summerset Shadows, the first of Gilda's tasks for the thieves Guild. Jordis and Lydia went with Brelyna to retrieve some books for the College, while Clark and Gilda headed for Pinewatch to pick up a silver mould for her next job.

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Part 32 - Pinewatch

"This isn't a bad location," Clark was thinking. "Decent view of the lake, protected from the wind by the rocks to the East, and far enough off the roads either side for some privacy. There's enough level ground for quite a large building, too."

He wandered around a little, and found several ore veins, and clay deposits, nearby. Those would be useful, as they'd provide quite a bit of the building materials a house would take. There were quite a few mature trees that someone had already started logging. That could have been Gerdur in Riverwood, or maybe Hert at Half-moon Mill. He'd have to go to one of the mills to get lumber sawn anyway, and they hauled it as part of the price.

He heard Gilda calling him. She was waiting outside the door of Pinewatch, beckoning him over.

"The item's not in the cottage, and I found a secret opening behind some shelves in the basement. It looks like there's a whole set of caves leading off beneath the hills. And I found a note that suggests a gang of bandits is based here. That makes a lot more sense of why the Guild sent me."

"I take it you'd like some assistance?"

"If only to carry out the loot," she replied. "Who knows what else they have stashed down there."

"Do we go and get the housecarls from Whiterun, and do it tomorrow in force?" he suggested.

"No, I left a dead bandit in the basement. If we don't do it now, they'll be expecting us."

---

Gilda stepped out of the tunnel onto a platform overlooking a large cave. "It's like a warehouse! This cave alone must be twice the size of the house above."

Certainly there was a resemblance. Shelves held crates and barrels on two distinct levels. A walkway wound around to give access to the upper level, and it seemed to lead off to another cave beyond. Someone was coming from that direction, and he'd probably spot them soon.

When he did, he had no option but to approach along the walkway, and fell to Gilda and Clark's ranged spells before he could use his warhammer. But the archer who emerged behind him didn't have that problem.

Clark pulled an arrow from his arm and cast a healing spell, as Gilda finished off the archer.

"I should have cast my armour quicker, but I didn't think I'd need it right away. I won't repeat that mistake."

"Then cast now, because I think I hear another one."

Clark did, and followed with a ward. The bandit wasn't carrying a weapon, and that usually meant mage. Her frost spell bounced harmlessly off, and Gilda was on her before she could change tactics.

They surprised a trio of bandits around a table in the next cave. Clark sent in a fireball before they could get up, and that made up for their lack of numbers. One of them was already dead in his chair, and the other two down to half their health before they started to fight.

Clark and Gilda paused to heal, and for Clark to get his magicka back. They might need that fireball again. Gilda took the opportunity to look around the cave for the silver mould. She didn't really expect to find it. They hadn't encountered the bandit chief yet, someone called Rigel Strong-Arm, according to the note Gilda had found in the house.

The next tunnel took them into what looked like part of a Nordic barrow. There were coffins around the walls, upright, in the ancient style, and the remains of draugr lying scattered on the floor. It appeared that the bandits had had some clearing of their own to do when they moved in.

One lone bandit was patrolling the area. He didn't put up much opposition. There were two ways out, and no clear choice between them. The first just led into a closed room. "But look what's here!" exclaimed Gilda. "Another of those gems."

There was quite a bit of other bandit loot, but no sign of the silver mould, or of Rigel.

They took the other exit, and soon found themselves entering the bandit gang's main sleeping area. Several of the beds were occupied, but they were all spread out along the wall, and Clark's fireball wasn't going to be very effective. They stopped at the entrance, and Clark put up a ward, while Gilda fired Ice Spikes at the sleeping bandits. With the slowing effect of the frost spell, the bandits could only reach them one at a time, and Clark and Gilda were able to use their swords to good effect.

"There's more coming from the next room"

Gilda responded to Clark's warning by firing Ice in that direction. The bandit slowed in the opening, effectively blocking it for those behind him. That gave Clark time to drink a potion and replenish his magicka. He raised his ward again, for another round of the same tactics.

Still no Rigel Strong-arm. She had to be farther in, probably guarding a chest with that silver mould in it.

Gilda stopped Clark at the entrance to the next room. There were bone rattles hanging from the ceiling everywhere, and an area screened off at the far end.

"I'd bet anything Rigel's behind that screen, probably asleep," she whispered. "In which case, this is a stealth job."

Gilda crept silently across the room, easily avoiding all the rattles, and disappeared around the corner. She emerged a few minutes later and beckoned Clark over to sneak after her. "I just learned how to do this, and I've been itching to try it," she whispered when he arrived.

Gilda pointed at Rigel, naked on her bed. "I pickpocketed her armour, right off her back."

Rigel rolled onto her back, snoring loudly. "Now isn't that pretty?" Clark mused. "How sure are we that she's the last one?" he asked Gilda.

"Fairly sure. There's only the one door out of here, and it's locked. With this key, which she had safely hidden in her armour."

Clark whispered in Gilda's ear, and she giggled. "Ooh, that's mean. Let's do it!"

Rigel's wrists and ankles were quickly tied to the bedposts. She struggled mightily, but she couldn't stop them. Clark reached into his backpack and pulled out Madesi's Dwemer-powered dildo.

"We're not going to hurt you, Rigel. Quite the opposite."

---

"I think she just passed out. She took more than I thought she could."

Clark watched her breasts rise and fall. She was breathing well, so they hadn't killed her. Gilda untied her wrists and ankles and he healed them, where the leather strips had dug in as she struggled.

"I think it's safe to leave her like this. She won't have any stamina left."

Clark remained on the edge of the bed watching the unconscious Rigel.

"Are you finished with staring at her boobs, or do I have to get mine out to lure you away?"

"That won't be necessary, but if you feel like it..."

Gilda pulled him to his feet, and pushed him through the door behind her.

"Careful, you almost pushed me into a trap."

There was a plate on the floor that obviously triggered something. Clark backed up and looked around. "Up there, that beam's set to swing down when it's released. I should be able to set it off without getting hit. There!"

The beam dropped, and swung past him. "Now let's move, before the trap resets."

There were two more traps on the way to Rigel's treasure cache. A dart trap, rigged to another plate on the floor, and a mace trap behind the last door. None of them a problem, because they were expected. A further pressure plate was in front of an altar, but they just went around the other side. The altar was covered in gold coins, gems, ingots, ores, and the silver mould Gilda had been looking for. There were a couple of candlesticks, that looked like they'd been made from the mould, too. Clark piled it all into their backpacks, and hefted one.

"This is about all I can carry. Can you manage yours? I know you have Rigel's armour already."

"No problem," Gilda replied. "The Guild armor fortifies my carrying ability. I don't wear it only to make me look good."

There was a barred door beyond the altar, but the bar was on this side. It led out onto the walkway in the first part of the cave, near the tunnel where they'd come in. They followed it back up to the basement.

Clark dragged the body of the bandit Gilda had killed into the tunnel and pushed the button that closed the secret door. He briefly considered destroying the mechanism, and sealing the place off, but they'd left Rigel alive down there. She'd need to get out, eventually.

---

They sold the armour, and most of the heavier valuables, in Falkreath. Clark found that he had enough gold with him to purchase the plot of land he'd just looked at.

Since he didn't have to deal with Siddgeir for that, just the steward Nenya, he dropped into the Longhouse and made the transaction. A shapely Redguard woman in steel armour and an Alik'r headscarf approached him as he opened the door to leave. "I'm Rayya,your housecarl. The Jarl has decided to make you Thane of Falkreath, now that you own property in his hold. Please come with me, so he can do the formalities."

So he had to meet with Siddgeir after all. The man was as slimy as ever, and told him that he'd have all sorts of interesting work available for Clark now he was Thane. Clark imagined that none of it would be honest.

Clark had to tell Rayya that he didn't actually have a house yet, just a piece of land to build one. "That's no problem," she replied. "Nenya will have had supplies sent to the site, enough to put up the beginnings of your home. I can help you make a start."

"You do that, and I'll go ahead to Markarth," Gilda told him. "You can meet me there when you have Rayya settled in."