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> Clark in Skyrim, A continued report from across the border.
ghastley
post Sep 12 2014, 12:10 AM
Post #1


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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


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Posts in this topic
ghastley   Clark in Skyrim   Sep 12 2014, 12:10 AM
Acadian   How delightful to see Clark made it to Skyrim...   Sep 12 2014, 01:39 PM
haute ecole rider   I find that Lydia is a bit of a whiner in-game, bu...   Sep 12 2014, 04:28 PM
Grits   I love how you used the familiar Helgen opening bu...   Sep 12 2014, 05:20 PM
SubRosa   "It's just over there, where you can see ...   Sep 15 2014, 03:06 PM
Darkness Eternal   Great. Nice. I can now see Clark and company in Sk...   Sep 16 2014, 07:53 PM
ghastley   Acadian: Clark may have learned from Thernd. Pract...   Sep 16 2014, 09:50 PM
Acadian   Have a great trip to the UK! Nice explanati...   Sep 17 2014, 03:21 PM
haute ecole rider   First the nit: There's an extra 'i' i...   Sep 17 2014, 04:25 PM
Grits   I hope you have a great trip! I love how Clar...   Sep 18 2014, 08:42 PM
ghastley   Grits: It was a good trip. Mother's 86th birth...   Oct 1 2014, 04:36 PM
Acadian   So glad you had a good trip to the UK and got to c...   Oct 1 2014, 08:00 PM
Grits   I’m glad you had a good trip. :) Welcome back...   Oct 3 2014, 02:37 PM
Destri Melarg   Everyone else already commented on the divergent o...   Oct 6 2014, 08:06 AM
ghastley   Acadian: I think I also mentioned mirrors as signa...   Oct 8 2014, 02:38 PM
Destri Melarg   Destri: I have to disagree about those soldiers. ...   Oct 12 2014, 02:32 AM
Acadian   I chuckled as I remembered the ‘negotiating’ sessi...   Oct 9 2014, 03:39 PM
ghastley   Acadian: I just couldn't see Clark trying to s...   Oct 15 2014, 01:58 PM
Acadian   Nice that Clark has fiery soul trap on his blade. ...   Oct 15 2014, 06:58 PM
Darkness Eternal   Part 2: Alchemy for some reason is always an inter...   Oct 17 2014, 07:48 PM
Grits   It makes perfect sense for Clark to seek out Hamal...   Oct 18 2014, 05:30 PM
ghastley   Acadian That Fiery Soul Trap has become my fave en...   Oct 22 2014, 02:35 PM
Acadian   Gosh, you're doing a great job of weaving the ...   Oct 22 2014, 11:00 PM
Grits   I like Clark’s approach to that confusing scene in...   Oct 25 2014, 08:45 PM
Darkness Eternal   Clark made good use of his skills to stop the atta...   Oct 27 2014, 01:32 PM
ghastley   Acadian: Clark has the advantage of immortality. H...   Oct 31 2014, 12:51 PM
Acadian   Clark and Vicuna’s bed banter was fun. :D ...   Oct 31 2014, 06:18 PM
Grits   :lol: I expect Vicuña is right! I like the w...   Nov 4 2014, 05:00 PM
ghastley   Acadian: Clark's uncertainty reflects mine. UE...   Nov 5 2014, 06:04 PM
Acadian   What a neat walkthrough of that quest! As I’...   Nov 5 2014, 09:39 PM
ghastley   I've revealed in other threads that Diablita f...   Nov 5 2014, 10:44 PM
Grits   You know, I never realized that Grisvar the Unluck...   Nov 7 2014, 03:05 PM
ghastley   Acadian: Clark taking care of his horse is because...   Nov 12 2014, 03:40 PM
Acadian   What a fun episode! I really had to laugh tha...   Nov 12 2014, 09:06 PM
Grits   Fun times at Breezehome. Gilda of the mesmerizing ...   Nov 13 2014, 01:47 PM
ghastley   Acadian: Gilda was on a trajectory to becoming ove...   Nov 19 2014, 03:07 PM
Acadian   I liked your ‘industrial’ demand (weapons) for sil...   Nov 19 2014, 10:44 PM
ghastley   Acadian: Any excuse for a link to the Oblivion sto...   Nov 26 2014, 04:27 PM
Acadian   Great teamwork again inside the mine. Gilda is sh...   Nov 26 2014, 08:42 PM
Grits   Last time: I really enjoyed the discussion about s...   Nov 27 2014, 07:56 PM
ghastley   Acadian: Gilda's got to compensate for her ......   Dec 3 2014, 04:15 PM
Acadian   Clark and Gilda did a great job vs those toll-grub...   Dec 3 2014, 08:28 PM
ghastley   Acadian: Gilda's preference is sneak & bla...   Dec 10 2014, 03:33 PM
Acadian   This was a neat episode. I liked Clark’s insights...   Dec 14 2014, 05:45 PM
Grits   Excellent teamwork at Valtheim Towers. I love the ...   Dec 16 2014, 02:43 PM
ghastley   Acadian: The mages' duel scene is standard Cla...   Dec 17 2014, 02:55 PM
Acadian   I think the area around Riften is beautiful – Perm...   Dec 17 2014, 11:11 PM
ghastley   Acadian: Unfortunately, you're only going to g...   Dec 23 2014, 03:03 PM
Acadian   No worries on the TG. After Oblivion, I ‘outgrew’...   Dec 24 2014, 08:09 PM
ghastley   Acadian: Laila's just lazy, she lets Maven run...   Jan 1 2015, 12:54 AM
Acadian   I love how Clark cleared Cragslane Cavern – start ...   Jan 1 2015, 08:20 PM
Grits   Part 14 – Like Gilda and Clark I was also surpris...   Jan 6 2015, 02:18 PM
ghastley   Acadian: As we'll find out later, it's the...   Jan 8 2015, 03:04 AM
Acadian   What a fun episode, spanning much of Skyrim! ...   Jan 10 2015, 06:08 PM
ghastley   Acadian: Vicuña's a high-ranking official of t...   Jan 14 2015, 03:04 PM
Acadian   Sounds like Gilda’s rising fast in the guild of th...   Jan 14 2015, 09:27 PM
ghastley   Oh, Clark's not trying to collect all the hous...   Jan 14 2015, 10:11 PM
Grits   What a great idea to give feather shoes to pregnan...   Jan 19 2015, 05:47 PM
ghastley   Acadian: Gilda's got to have a full-time job, ...   Jan 22 2015, 03:03 PM
Acadian   ’Clark had heard the same from Lydia. Housecarls m...   Jan 23 2015, 03:53 PM
ghastley   Acadian: I find Wylandriah knows where her stock o...   Jan 28 2015, 02:50 PM
Grits   That’s so handy, I had no idea that Honeyside came...   Jan 28 2015, 05:49 PM
Acadian   And Diablita the Dragonborne enters the story...   Jan 28 2015, 10:50 PM
ghastley   I thin I ned a keboard that doesn't drop charc...   Jan 28 2015, 11:01 PM
Destri Melarg   Hey, back again and all caught up. :D I agree th...   Jan 29 2015, 01:37 AM
ghastley   Grits: Alchemy supplies in Honeyside are listed o...   Feb 4 2015, 03:36 PM
Acadian   Yay for Elisef! I knew there must be some rea...   Feb 4 2015, 08:27 PM
Grits   That scene with Odahviing on the balcony is one of...   Feb 6 2015, 03:03 PM
ghastley   Grits: Of course, I only get the option to tell it...   Feb 11 2015, 03:31 PM
Acadian   "You didn't have to volunteer, you know,...   Feb 11 2015, 09:36 PM
ghastley   Acadian: Clark's already admitted that he...   Feb 18 2015, 02:56 PM
Acadian   I don’t mention it that often, but I do appreciate...   Feb 18 2015, 04:46 PM
ghastley   Acadian: It should be obvious where this is all he...   Feb 25 2015, 03:30 PM
Acadian   I’m continuing to really enjoy the Court of Solitu...   Feb 25 2015, 08:06 PM
Grits   It was fun to watch Clark’s tactics against Potema...   Feb 28 2015, 09:45 PM
ghastley   Acadian I could never understand why Elisif sends ...   Mar 4 2015, 02:59 PM
Grits   "You're most likely only familiar with th...   Mar 4 2015, 04:39 PM
Acadian   Another nice reminder of that pesky main quest as ...   Mar 4 2015, 06:01 PM
ghastley   Acadian: Clark now has to decide whether to give E...   Mar 11 2015, 02:01 PM
Acadian   What a fun episode – doubtless because it focuses ...   Mar 11 2015, 06:43 PM
ghastley   Acadian: Elisif's not looking for a husband, a...   Mar 18 2015, 03:37 PM
Acadian   Clark was certainly put through his paces in this ...   Mar 18 2015, 07:04 PM
ghastley   Acadian: It's always struck me that the job of...   Mar 25 2015, 02:28 PM
Acadian   ’Jordis thought about that for a moment. Would she...   Mar 25 2015, 08:46 PM
Grits   "Look, a cave!" she announced. :D ...   Mar 30 2015, 03:52 PM
ghastley   Acadian: Gilda throws ice spikes when she needs ra...   Apr 1 2015, 02:02 PM
Acadian   And Clark continues the hard work of gathering tho...   Apr 1 2015, 03:59 PM
ghastley   Acadian Only one Stone collected this time, but th...   Apr 8 2015, 02:12 PM
Acadian   I think Clark and company just might be diverse an...   Apr 8 2015, 09:05 PM
ghastley   Acadian Clark will be going to Solstheim eventuall...   Apr 15 2015, 02:06 PM
Grits   That’s an inventive application of Dwemer technolo...   Apr 15 2015, 05:49 PM
Acadian   Clark, Lydia and Jordis are working well together ...   Apr 15 2015, 06:27 PM
ghastley   Grits: Not everyone is going to feel the same abou...   Apr 22 2015, 02:21 PM
Acadian   I’m so glad that Brelyna will be playing a signifi...   Apr 22 2015, 09:59 PM
Grits   Clark’s going to have a great place to party at La...   Apr 22 2015, 10:26 PM
ghastley   Grits: Although I'm writing many episodes ahea...   Apr 29 2015, 03:04 PM
Acadian   Clark the homebuilder! I suppose it is good t...   Apr 30 2015, 12:31 AM
ghastley   Acadian: Clark may need another housecarl to help ...   May 6 2015, 08:03 PM
Acadian   Politicians Jarls come and go, but I figure the na...   May 6 2015, 10:05 PM
Grits   Lakeview: Clark got his furniture together much fa...   May 12 2015, 05:06 PM
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