Rashelle At Solstheim, bloodmoon fanfic Options

[blockhead]

This story contains spoilers for the Bloodmoon Expansion for Morrowind. As it has been some time since that was released I expect that this is no longer concern but I thought I would mention it here anyway.


--
Rashelle At Solstheim

by blockhead aka pcc



Chapter 1. Arrival



I think I was the only one on board the boat who was not grumbling. Apparently the Solstheim posting was viewed as a punishment or an exile by the soldiers of the Imperial Legion.

This ship had been chartered by the Legion to send a group of soldiers to Fort Frostmoth in Solstheim. I was the only civilian passenger.

I felt a sense of anticipation, there was something in the air.

For one thing, I was cool, nicely cool. The air had been slowly lowering in temperature over the course of the voyage. It was now cooler than the coolest cave I had ever been in.

For another, I was going to a strange new land. I love to explore. I had heard of Solstheim and its "snow". I had been told what snow was but I frankly felt it too incredible to believe. It sounded more like a crazed skooma dream ... but I wanted to see it.

Over the past half hour or so, the sky had been becoming more overcast. It was now a solid-looking gray.

The air became cooler still, and I felt like I had never felt before. Around me the men were beginning to shiver and complain and don fur cloaks. I had been forewarned so I had a fur from a creature called a "bear" in my pack, but I had no urge to wear it. I was fine ... feeling better than ever.

The air got cooler still, cooler than I ever thought it could get. A gentle cold breeze blew against my face and on my bare arms and it was ... wonderful.

"Brrr, woman, you must have some Nord in you! They like the cold."

This was logical. My tolerance ... no ... my *affinity* for cold made me suspect that my father had been a Nord. Since I was an orphan, I would never know.

I was pacing on the deck, sometimes stopping to stare off towards the horizon, when it happened.

"It" was millions of tiny white particles that floated gently down from the sky. They were the purest white imaginable. They could not be ashes.

I caught some in my hand. they faded away. I caught some more. they ... melted?

"Is ... is this snow?"

"Well of course, haven't you seen snow before?" replied one of the men.

"No."

"Oh. Sera, I am sorry."

"It's OK."

I smiled. So *this* was snow. I was enchanted.

"You won't like it so much when you have to dig out from it in the morning, or when you have to walk through it."

"You've been here before?"

"Yes, I'm returning from a month-long furlough. I've been stationed at Fort Frostmoth for almost a year now."

He fell into a discourse on the problems and dangers of Solstheim. From horkers to snow bears to spriggans to the semi-intelligent rieklings, there were many new dangers and problems for the hapless adventurer.

I sensed he was going to segue into the "protect the helpless female" monolog so I discreetly adjusted the sheath of the claymore that I wore on my back. It clanked against my ebony cuirass. The Breton spell-sword in the armor can take care of herself, sera.

"Erm, yes, well keep your wits about you and don't slip on the ice and you should be OK."

Ahead, a gray and white mass resolved itself: land.

The ship approached and I could make out a stone dock. The ground behind it, covered with short green grass of a sort not found in Vvardenfell, rose up until it met, further back, the mass of a stone Imperial fort.

To either side were ... trees, but of a sort I had never seen before. These must be the "pines" and "fir trees" that I had heard existed in colder climates.

The men were busy calling the role or standing in formation or some other such military thing so I was was the first one off the ship.

"Brrrr, so ... cold." said an Argonian dock worker. I pondered the wisdom of a creature used to the warm swamps working here in Solstheim.

I looked at the fort, then I glanced to the west. The snow covered wilderness beckoned, a lure I could not resist. I ran west: I could explore the fort some other time.

It was not long before a creature attacked me: some things never change, no matter where you go. I identified this one as a wolf. I knew of these from before. They were almost everywhere in the empire but Vvardenfell. It took almost no time to dispatch it.

It wasn't too much longer before I was attacked again, this time by a large bulky brown creature. It walked on four legs but stood up to attack. It growled, had wicked claws and was larger that I was. Still, Chrysamere was up to the task and in short time I had slain it.

There was something familiar about this creature. Then I realized why: its thick fur reminded me of the fur I had in my pack. This brown creature was therefore a "bear".

I continued along, wandering and exploring. I was heading north as well as west now. I reached an area where the ground was covered with snow. The snow in the air began to get thicker: there was more of it. The wind began to pick up, driving the snow into an intense mass of bright white opacity.

I was having trouble seeing. This was what they meant by "snow blind", a situation where daylight and whiteness were as effective as Stygian darkness at blinding one. The blizzard raged on and I stumbled in snow that was already over a foot high, with drifts almost as high as I was. I loved it!

At some point I crossed a small river that was covered with ice. I could walk on this ice, though I fell twice before I got the hang of it. I was amazed: the only ice I had ever seen before this was the stuff created by frost spells. Here was natural ice, strong enough to hold my weight.

Eventually, in a region with far less foliage, I reached the ocean. I was now somewhere on the west coast of Solstheim.

Most of the coastline of Solstheim is littered with impressive standing stones. They are huge and carved and placed, via means unknown, by ancient Nords. This was my first sight of them.

On a rock outcrop, I saw silhouetted the shape of a man. He stood and looked outward, towards the sea. Since the blizzard continued to blow, I found this behavior unusual. I carefully ascended the outcrop, which was slippery with spray and snow.

Now I could see the man clearly. he was a Nord clad all in a dark, almost black, armor that appeared to be made of wolf skins.

He turned to me, unconcerned at a stranger with a big sword and said "The sea, never has there been a maiden so beautiful or so unforgiving."

I raised an eyebrow.

"I am Thormoor Gray-Wave and I have been cursed. Six months ago I was at the rudder of the ship, not far from here. I fell asleep and we crashed against some rocks. Almost all on board were killed.

"A seer who survived the wreck cursed me with eternal wakefulness as punishment. I have not been able to sleep since that day, not a wink, not even a cat nap. I have tried potions, spells, and other things. Nothing worked."

The wind and the waves crashing on the shore were the only sounds.

"If only I could get the seer, Geilir the Mumbling, to rescind this curse."

"Maybe I could help?" I asked.

"Aye, lass, that would be a great thing if you could do it. I've suffered so. Maybe you could talk to him and convince him."

I nodded.

"His cave lies in that direction. It is not terribly far. The entrance is a low snow-covered mound."

He pointed.

"Right. I'm on it."

The blizzard began to taper off into a light snowfall as I traveled. On the way I was attacked by two Nord women. At first I was overconfident, as they were armed only with daggers. When the first dagger bit into my arm I realized that I had underestimated matters. The frost enchantment hurt, even with my affinity to cold, and the blade itself was more damaging than it looked. I also realized that these women were skilled with short blades.

Chrysamere chopped into the first one. She screamed and was down, although not yet dead. I kicked her while swinging my sword at the second one. She dodged but the blade still cut into her.

She came at me and I brushed the dagger aside with Chrysamere.

"Why are you attacking me?" I shouted.

"You will die where you stand!" she said as she raised her dagger and rushed at me.

I ran her through.

The first one must have quaffed a potion because she was up and on the attack again. I kicked her back while I pulled my blade from the second one.

I parried and my swing forced her back.

She came at me again and again. I simply parried and blocked. Maybe she'd calm down and stop.

She didn't.

I finally kicked her hand: her dagger went arcing though the air, quite a ways. She ran for the corpse of her compatriot, obviously intending to employ her dagger.

My booted foot smashed down on the weapon.

She stopped and glared at me.

"Why?" I asked. "Who are you?"

She aimed a kick. I dodged. Since I had to move my feet to do it, she dove for the dagger and snatched it up. She was on the attack again. I guess she just was not going to talk.

I dispatched her. It bothered me, not knowing why these two had wanted to kill me. I didn't think they were bandits.

I healed my arm with a spell and then examined the corpses: they both were wearing fur shirts that were very similar in appearance, as if they were some sort of uniform. Boots and brown pants completed the ensemble. I inspected one of the nasty cold-enchanted daggers. It was a curious construction in that the hilt had no cross-piece and that the blade was not much longer than the hilt. For its size it was rather effective. I stowed one in my pack.

I continued on my way and soon found a snow covered cave. I sheathed my sword and carefully entered.

The inside of cave looked as if it were entirely made from ice. I was astounded. I touched the wall: it was pleasingly cold. It *was* ice. Perhaps Solstheim was so cold that there were layers of ice in the ground as if it were merely another form of rock? Fascinating!

I progressed along the tunnel of ice. It went downhill until it opened into a cave that had some furniture, a few torches stuck into the floor, and one occupant.

He was a Nord man, with long, light brown, hair. He studied me warily. This was fair, as I had just barged into his home uninvited.

"Excuse me. I am Rashelle. Are you Geilir The Mumbling?"

He chuckled.

"I haven't mumbled since back in school as a lad, yet I have a name for life."

I grinned.

"I am sorry. I come here on behalf of a man who has not been able to sleep for six months."

He frowned and said; "He caused the deaths of everyone on board but myself and my friend."

"He said it was an accident."

"Aye, lass, it was: the fool fell asleep at the helm. We struck rocks and the ship sunk like a stone. I dragged him to the shore, although I almost decided not to. I let him live but I put a curse on him: he will never sleep again."

I remained silent. Sometimes I say more by not saying a thing. I stared.

"They died because of him."

I was mute.

"Look lass, he did a terrible thing."

Silence was my only reply.

"Of course, we all make mistakes," he said, "It's just ... that one was such a big mistake."

I silently reflected on mistakes that I had made in the past.

"How about this, lass? If you can find my friend for me, I'll lift the curse on Thormoor Gray-Wave."

"Your friend?"

"Oddfrid White-Lip. She is my only friend these days. Some draugr attacked us here today and they took her away. My powers as a seer are, sporadic: they do not work on demand, so I did not see the attack ahead of time."

I nodded.

"My visions indicate that the draugr took her to Kolbjorn Barrow. It is to the far south east of here, not far from the Imperial fort. It's a little bit west of the fort, actually"

He must mean Frostmoth.

"What are draugr?"

"They are undead: they are the mummified corpses of Nords that have become animated. They are a black in color, with eyes that glow red: they are hard to see so they can catch you by surprise. They seem to lurk in every barrow in Solstheim. They attack and they kill: they feed upon the living. Beware of them."

I nodded and departed.

I made a long journey back to the fort. I fought many creatures along the way, including one of a type that I had been warned about, a spriggan.

The creature was of a strange appearance. It resembled some weird cross between a woman and ... a tree. Its face was human but the eyes were devoid of any humanity, staring blankly as it used its large claws to slash at me.

Taking a hint from the resemblance to trees, I hit the spriggan with a fireball. It screamed and slashed at me again. While the spell did some damage, it was not enough to kill the creature. I chopped with Chrysamere. The sword connected but the spriggan was tough ... with flesh almost like wood in hardness.

Nothing but to chop and duck and chop some more. Blood like red sap flowed from its wounds. Eventually I killed it.

I paused to take a breather. This creature had been ... annoying.

One does not expect a just-killed creature to return to full health and attack again, yet that is just what the fetcher did. Suddenly there was a flash of light and I was staggering back from a slash of the creature's claws, cursing and dodging a second slash.

I slammed down a potion and fought. I killed it a second time.

It rose from the dead again ... larger this time. I was beginning to come close to panic. Could this thing ever be killed for good?

Finally, I killed it for a third time. This time it stayed dead. I like many things about Solstheim, but spriggans are not one of them.

Upon sighting the Fort, I turned and strode west.

I found a barrow, a Nord tomb. The entrance was a pile of roughly-hewn dark stone blocks with an ornate door. I slowly puzzled through the ancient Nordic runes on the door, whose shape and meaning were unlike modern Tamrielic, and determined that this was the Stormpfund barrow.

This was not the one I was looking for but I entered anyway. The black stone made the interior of the barrow even darker than that of a Vvardenfell tomb.

I met my first draugr and also an animated half rotted undead wolf. Later I found out that these are called "bone wolves".

I fought them.

Afterwards, I found a nice-looking Nordic silver claymore. As I didn't want to lug it all around the island, I left it there. I found some gold and some gems: those I took.

In the back of the barrow was something ... interesting. It looked like ice, but it was harder than ice ... much harder. I could not crack it with Chrysamere. I peered through its translucency and saw a skeleton inside. This strange ice thing was some sort of coffin.

I exited the barrow and continued on my way. The ground sloped up and I ascended a hill. The hill was topped by a circle of standing stones. I saw nothing of interest in the circle so I continued walking west, down the other side of the hill.

I found another barrow. The runes on the door indicated that I had found the Kolbjorn Barrow. There were no people here, save for the undead. I fought through these as I had the ones in the previous barrow.

I did not find the woman. As those draugr had only carried Oddfrid White-Lip off that day, I should have seen her or her recently-killed corpse. Maybe he had envisioned the wrong tomb?

On a rock in the center of the barrow lay a skull. Geilir couldn't have meant that this was his friend, could he?

The skull had no dust on it so it could not have been there for more than a few days. I put it in my pack.

My return to Geilir's cave was uneventful, save that the snow had stopped and the sun was shining brightly. The glare of the sun off the snow took some getting used to, but it was all still very beautiful.

"Rashelle, did you find her?"

"It depends ... "

I took the skull from my pack and said, "Is this her?"

His face lit up and he exclaimed, "Oddfrid, my friend!"

He took the skull from my hands. He looked so happy that I could not remain angry for having been sent on such a pointless quest.

"Oh thank you for rescuing her!"

He then spoke to the skull. "Oh Oddfrid, it's so good to be with you again!"

I remained silent.

"Oddfrid sees things," he said to me. "Sometimes she tells me them. She is grateful to you and will tell you of your future."

I nodded. I didn't really know what to think, yet alone what to say.

Geilir held the skull in both hands. He twitched and his eyes rolled up. In a different voice he began to speak.

"The time for the hunt is near. You are both hunter and hunted."

I didn't think he was faking it. It was rather creepy.

Geilir's trembled for a few seconds and then blinked.

"It always gives me the shakes to do that," he said in his normal voice.

I nodded.

"Here Rashelle, she wishes to communicate with you directly."

I raised an eyebrow and took a step back.

"She says it's, ummm, 'girl talk.'"

"Could you put the skull on the ground? I don't want to drop it."

He did so. I crouched down, took a deep breath to prepare myself, and put two hands on the skull, as he had done before.

When I had touched the skull before, to put it in my pack and again to hand it over, there had been no sense of any magic or anything else about it. This time it was different: there was a mental contact and the skull was talking to me, directly in my mind without sound! That Nord was not so crazy after all.

"Rashelle, Thank you for rescuing me and bringing me back to my Geilir. I know this is very strange for you but I really do appreciate it."

"You are welcome ... and yes this is rather unusual."

"As for a more personal glimpse into your far distant future, Rashelle ... there will be true love. Someone ... someone tall ..."

"... dark and handsome?" I interrupted. That was the oldest fortune-teller line in the book. This had gone from strange to ludicrous.

"No ... tall and light ... yes, lightness. They wait for you, though they do not realize it yet. That is all I can say."

I sensed that the conversation was over. I removed my hands from the skull and stood up.

"Can you please lift the curse now?"

"Of course, lass."

"Thank you."

I departed and returned to the coast. I found the outcrop but I did not see Thormoor Gray-Wave standing there. Had he disappeared? Had he fallen off the rock in a sudden onset of sleep?

I scurried up the big rock as fast as I could and discovered that he was still there, but not standing. He was lying there so peacefully, a smile on his tired-looking face. His chest slowly rose and fell as he breathed. The curse had indeed been lifted, perhaps instantaneously and without warning.

I was concerned that he would fall off of the outcrop in his sleep. I was also worried that there might be a creature in Solstheim capable of climbing and then attacking him. I tried to shake him awake but he remained in a deep slumber.

It was nearing the end of the day. For the sake of his safety, I decided to remain there. I ate some food from my pack and watched the sun set.






This post has been edited by blockhead: Jun 11 2007, 11:24 PM

[jack cloudy]

That was a very interesting start right of the bat, with the usual pace we've come to know of you.
I was especially touched by the end, where Rashelle watches over the sleeping Nord. It seems like the right thing to do.

[minque]

Ahaha...now she´s out in the cold! I have great confidence in Rashelle´s abilities to sort things out in Solstheim. Besides she seems to be able to endure cold pretty good..hmmm. This will be exciting....continue when you can , I´ll be waiting....

[The Metal Mallet]

Well there's certainly a lot of things to do in Solstheim so I'm sure Rashelle will keep busy. I found this opening wonderful. Her ignorance of winter and snowy things will make each of her new discoveries very interesting.

Keep it going!

[Dire Cheesecake]

Wow, first post and she's already been attacked by and had to kill a pair of psychopaths... Solstheim isn't nice.

I'd make some joke about women and sharing, but if you haven't watched Red vs Blue you wouldn't get it, and of you have then I don't need to. Oh well, years from now when they find a cure for fatal sword wounds they'll find their frozen corpses and revive them, then maybe we'll finally learn why they were so angry. :\

This post has been edited by Dire Cheesecake: May 25 2007, 11:34 AM

[blockhead]

Wow, first post and she's already been attacked by and had to kill a pair of psychopaths... Solstheim isn't nice.

No, it's a tough place. Many of critters/people native to Solstheim could have easily cleaned Dagoth Ur's clock.

I'd make some joke about women and sharing, but if you haven't watched Red vs Blue you wouldn't get it, and of you have then I don't need to. Oh well, years from now when they find a cure for fatal sword wounds they'll find their frozen corpses and revive them, then maybe we'll finally learn why they were so angry. :\

sharing? Now I'll be confused all day. Could you fill me in? I don't know that show..


jack cloudy wrote:

I was especially touched by the end, where Rashelle watches over the sleeping Nord. It seems like the right thing to do.

When not being misled by mad former goddesses, Rashelle tends to do the Right Thing.

Again, thank you all for the comments: they really help me to keep on with the story. Which reminds me, chapter 2 is fighting me but a part that is several chapters in the future is progressing nicely.

[Lord Revan]

Red vs. Blue is a comedy series of Halo produced by a group called Rooster Teeth. It basically follows two groups of Spartans who gripe complain, and otherwise hate their jobs as they "fight" one another through all five seasons. There is profanity and ineptitude, but it's darn funny most of the time.

I like it well enough, so does Dad, just not the cussing parts. "So now I guess we have two bases in a box canyon....."

This post has been edited by Lord Revan: May 25 2007, 05:30 PM

[Dire Cheesecake]

The unofficial leader of the Blue team, Church, says to the nymphomaniac, Tucker, that having two women on their team is not a good thing.

Church: "Tucker, I know what you're thinking, and it's not gonna happen."

Tuck:"Aw, why not?"

Church:"Because girls can't share anything, not even an apartment. Everytime girls live together, within six months they all hate each other and somepdy gets stuck with a twelve-hundred dollar phone bill. That's fact."

Tucker: "Aw, let them fight. As long as we get to watch them making up, who cares? We can even record it and sell copies to the reds!"

This post has been edited by Dire Cheesecake: May 25 2007, 06:39 PM

[blockhead]

Chapter 2. Valbrandr



Now that the sun had set, I was actually cold. I left Thormoor briefly to get some firewood. There were no trees in the immediate vicinity and I did not want to stray too far from him but I found sufficient driftwood nearby. I returned, made two piles of wood and lit one with a fire spell. From my pack I drew the bear fur and with it I covered Thormoor. The fire kept me warm.

I slept on and off, waking and putting more wood on the flames as needed.

In the morning I attempted to shake him awake. He still would not wake up. I had to wake him somehow: I could not stay here forever and I did not want some beast to eat him. Finally, after removing and packing away my bear fur, I hit him with a mild shock spell. This was not a nice thing to do but I could think of no other way.

It worked: he jumped awake instantly.

"Are you all right? You slept like a log all night."

"Aye lass," he said as he stood up, "I just had the strangest dream about lightning ... say ... I SLEPT! You did it!"

He had a big grin on his face.

"Oh thank you Rashelle," he bellowed joyfully as he lifted up me a in bear hug.

"Thormoor," I said in an even but warning tone, "put me down please."

"Err, um, sorry," he said sheepishly.

He put me down.

"You should find a safer place to sleep. You could have fallen off the rock. Some climbing creature could have nabbed you."

"Aye, like those little rieklings ... they can climb. I will find a safer place before sleep overtakes me again."

"Thormoor; I hit you with a shock spell to wake you up. I am sorry, but there was no other way."

"Rashelle, It's all right. I understand."

I smiled.

"Thanks again, lass."

He departed.

With a frost bolt and a kick I put the fire out. I climbed down from the rock. I made an arbitrary decision and strode off to the East.

For some time I wandered though more of the beautiful snow-covered landscape of Solstheim. Even as I fought off the innumerable creatures that attacked, I marveled: this was so much prettier than Vvardenfell, whose coloration ranged from dull green to dull brown and into a spectrum of grays.

I had my first encounter with a riekling. He looked like a squat little blue man and he was riding a wild boar of some kind. Later on I learned that these animals are called frost boar. Of course the riekling attacked: he rode the boar towards me, brandishing a short lance.

I dodged the lance and slashed with Chrysamere. Wounded, he brought the boar around and charged. I met his charge and chopped down, cleaving him in two. The boar shook off its expired rider and then continued the attack on its own.

I dodged the nasty tusks and my blade tore into the boar's side. It was severely wounded and its blood gushed onto the snow, yet it squealed its anger and continued the fight.

My sword found its heart.

I inspected the dead riekling. He wore a little fur hat and clothes made from animal skins. He carried a shield and a torch in addition to the lance.

The shield was constructed of animal skins over a wood frame. For the little riekling it was almost a tower shield. For me it would function as a buckler.

I resumed my explorations. It was not snowing; the sky was actually a wonderful bright blue and the sun shone on the gorgeous Solstheim landscape.

Later, in an area with only a few patches of snow on the grass, I found a cluster of three standing stones. Someone must have used a serious feather spell to place them.

A Nord stood by the stones. As he made no hostile move I said: "Greetings. I am Rashelle."

"I am Ulfgar The Unending and I seek Sovngarde."

"Sovngarde?"

"Aye, my four brothers-in-arms and I were questing for it. We were getting close ... we could feel it. Alas, here in Brodir Grove one of our band, the sorcerer Grimkell, turned on us. He cast a spell that turned the others into these three stones that you see here."

He patted one of the stones.

"Here they remain."

I nodded. Now I knew how those particular stones had been placed. Odd that they did not resemble the original men: normally that sort of spell changes the substance, not the shape.

"Why were you not turned to stone as well?"

"The spell affected me, but not in the way that Grimkell had intended. I have become a sort of 'living stone' and do not age. You see, this happened five hundred years ago."

I believed him. I had encountered many strange things in my life and the events leading up to my becoming the Nerevarine had resulted in my own potential immortality. Divayth Fyr had told me that I could still be killed, but I would not age.

"I was able to kill the treacherous Grimkell, but my quest is unfinished. Legend has it that any Nord who finds the entrance to Sovngarde can dwell in its mead-filled halls forever."

I had noticed this obsession with mead on the part of other Nords. I'd never tried the stuff. Could it really be that good?

"I have been all across the Empire and back, but I cannot find the place! Once, my friends and I served Ysgramor, and counted ourselves among his 'Five Hundred Companions.' We helped drive the Elves out of Skyrim! We have earned our place in Sovngarde! If, in your travels, you discover the entrance to Sovngarde, let me know, and I will be forever in your debt. I have tried ... and failed."

"Ulfgar; I know nothing of that place, but if I ever find out about it I will tell you."

He nodded.

"My cave is right over there if you don't happen to catch me outside." He pointed and I could see the entrance.

I bid him good day and returned to my explorations.

I had not gone far when a naked Nord attacked me. He was yelling incoherently and was obviously crazy or drunk or both and he wanted to kill me. The trooper on the boat had mentioned bare-sarkers or berserkers: naked Nords, mad with cold and booze who ran around Solstheim, wantonly killing. What is it with Nords and getting naked?

It was a trivial matter to dispatch him. I'd heard that some berserkers carry nice weapons but this man had only a silver longsword.

I eventually found myself at the Fort. It had not been my intention to return there so soon: my wandering had led here. Since all Imperial forts had an Imperial Cult chapel, I would use this opportunity to obtain more alchemy ingredients. From the measure of the wildlife in Solstheim so far, it would be a good idea for me to make more potions.

The troopers were untalkative, gruff, and obviously in a foul mood. Something had put them off and the air was filled with a sullen tension.

I approached a trooper who tersely told me that Captain Falx Carius was in his office and that I should talk to him if I needed to talk so much. This bordered on rude. There had been an extra tone of resentment when he had mentioned the captain. What had the captain done to annoy the men so?

I introduced myself to another trooper and asked her where I could find the chapel. Even though we were both women, she was no friendlier then the man had been. She did point to a door, at least.

I thanked her, despite her manner, and headed for the indicated building.

I entered, noting that the decor of Imperial forts is always the same. Even the stone blocks looked the same. Were all forts built from the same quarry?

A soldier looked at me and, before I could say anything, pointed to the left and said "cult chapel."

I nodded and took the indicated direction.

I saw a friendly-looking Redguard man next to an Imperial altar. The usual Cult tapestries adorned the walls.

"Greetings, I am Joleen, how can the Nine Divines aid you?"

"I am Rashelle. I have need of ingredients. What have you for sale?"

It was quickly determined that he had the ingredients I desired. I bought all he had. I asked him if I could set up my alchemy equipment there for a few minutes so that I could brew some potions. He nodded and pointed to an empty area on a table.

I was setting up my alchemy equipment when in walked the soldier who I had talked to on the boat the day before.

"Hello again," I said.

"Why, hello there. Tired of the snow yet?"

So far he was already much more friendly than the other soldiers had been.

"No muthsera," I answered. "I love it! Snow is wonderful! And it's so nice and cool here in Solstheim!"

He smiled. "Well, I'm glad someone enjoys it; just avoid the yellow snow. By the way, I am sorry for not properly introducing myself while we were on the boat."

He then bowed and said "Trooper Procis Catraso at your service."

I smiled. His name was familiar somehow.

"I am Rashelle."

"Never could understand that alchemy stuff" he said as he gestured to my setup.

I cast a fire spell to get the fire under the calcinator started.

"Ser Catraso, alchemy is a girl's best friend."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Potions are very handy. They are life savers. Many ... "

Suddenly I remembered something and I interrupted myself.

"Your mother is Vala Catraso, who runs the Imperial cult altar in the Ald Ruhn Mages Guild!"

He grinned and nodded; "the very same."

We chatted briefly as I made the potions.

When I was through and starting to break down the equipment, I handed him a potion.

"Here, have this. It's a useful potion."

"It is clear, it looks like water," he said as he looked at at the vial in his hand, "What is it?"

"Restore Health potion."

"Oooo, thank you."

"You are welcome."

He pointed to another vial on the table, which contained an opaque black fluid.

"What's that one?"

"That one is only of interest to women. It's the reason why alchemy is a girl's best friend," I said as I scooped up the potion and placed it in my pack.

"Well, uhh, OK then. Good day Rashelle."

"Good day."

"Rashelle?"

I raised an eyebrow.

He lowered his voice and said "You wouldn't happen to have any booze on you, would you?"

My eyebrow remained raised. That was an unexpected question.

"During the time I was away on furlough, they made it a 'dry fort', no booze of any sort is allowed."

I actually had a small bottle of Cyrodiilic brandy. I had been saving it for a special occasion but I removed it from my pack and handed it to him; I don't know why.

"Thanks Rashelle. I'm not sure why the captain did that. he always seemed a decent sort. Here in this frontier it is good to be able to have a drink from time to time. To deny us even this little pleasure is just wrong."

I had to agree. Perhaps that is why the men (and women) were all in such bad morale?

He thanked me and left.

I stowed the last piece of equipment and put my pack on. I had enough potions now and was ready to go.

"Rashelle?", said Joleen from the other side of the room.

I looked over to where he was standing and raised an eyebrow.

"Err, never mind," he said.

I stared. Something was troubling him.

"It's nothing."

I nodded. I couldn't force him to talk about it.

I left the building and turned, getting my bearings. I saw an archway in the north wall of the fort and walked towards it.

The female trooper who had grudgingly given me directions earlier approached me and asked, "Where are you headed?"

I glared at her.

"Someplace," I said. I could be rude and sullen too.

"OK, I'm sorry I was rude before. It's just that there have been some bad things going on around here."

"The dry fort?"

"Yes, and some other problems. I am sorry. My name is Severia Gratius."

"I'm Rashelle."

"Rashelle, there may be a problem you could help me with."

I raised an eyebrow.

"There have been three recent incidents of moon sugar poisoning."

"Poisoning?"

"Yes, to one unaccustomed to moon sugar, a high enough dose is fatal, like a poison. Someone has been sneaking around and putting large doses of moon sugar in the wine or food of innocent people. In one instance, the victim almost died."

I nodded.

"The latest victim, Joleen at the Imperial Cult, actually says he caught a glimpse of the culprit. He said something about a man in a white covolian fur helm. I've never seen one of them in white before."

I nodded.

"We can't have people getting unwittingly doped up on moon sugar and I've got too many other things on my plate now to leave the fort. Could you investigate this matter and go stop the madman who is doing this?"

I nodded.

"Good. Bring me his hat as proof."

"proof?"

"that you've killed him."

Oh.

"I understand," I said. I didn't agree with her means. If I actually happened to find him, I would stop him in my own way.

She thanked me and walked away.

I returned to the Imperial Cult altar.

"Joleen, I've been asked to investigate a moon sugar poisoner. Severia says you were one of his victims?"

"Yes, Rashelle, I was. I was having a cup of wine and suddenly I felt funny. From the corner of my eye, I saw a man in a strange white covolian fur helm. He was singing a song ... a strange sort of song, about lanterns all aglow and a workshop in the snow. It had the sound of a children's song. He had a terrible singing voice. I'm not sure how much of what I heard was real or imagined."

Very strange.

"That's all I saw, Rashelle. I hope you catch him."

"Very well. Thank you Joleen."

"Rashelle?"

I raised an eyebrow.

"I was wondering if you could ... um ... help with an Imperial Cult matter."

"Perhaps. What can you tell me?"

"Well, you see Rashelle," he said almost nervously, "it's just that I've sent a, err, colleague of mine to do some missionary work up north at Thirsk."

I looked questioningly at him.

"It's a mead hall, run by the local Nords. It's apparently been there a long time. Marisa went up there to preach the Nine Divines to them.

"It has been over a fortnight since Marisa left. I have not heard from her since. I am worried about her."

I could see he was very concerned: was she more than a colleague?

"I shouldn't have sent her. She was enthusiastic about the task, but I wish she were here with me ... that is, err ..."

"You love her, don't you?"

He nodded glumly.

"Then I shall find her. Tell me where Thirsk is."

His face brightened.

"Thank you Rashelle!"

He told me the location of Thirsk and then he described Marisa.

"Right. I'm on it."

I left, again.

I exited the fort through the northern archway. There was a Nord just outside the arch, standing there. I wondered why he was there. Since the troopers had not chased him away he must not have been hostile.

"Greetings, I am Rashelle."

"I am Reinhardt Red-spear."

We chatted for a few minutes. He was actually a former member of a tribe up north, the Skaal tribe. At an early age he had desired to explore, so he left. Reinhardt had lived for some years by himself, so he was capable of handling the dangers of Solstheim.

He was looking for work and had contemplated joining the Legion but he was not sure that the military life was for him. Once you join the Imperial Legion you have to serve a two-year term so I could understand his concern.

He could read and write. He claimed to have some skill with numbers. These are good skills but apparently no one at the fort wanted to hire an accountant or scribe without experience.

The conversation was interesting and it was also rewarding in that I gained more information on Solstheim and its dangers.

"If I find a position for you, Reinhardt, I will let you know."

"Thank you Rashelle."

It was now late in the afternoon. I trekked north and east. I crossed a river, this one without ice, and ran into a group that consisted of three Nords, a Dunmer and a Breton woman. Unlike the berserkers, they wore clothing and armor. Like the berserkers, they all attacked on sight. These were some of the reavers that Trooper Catraso had mentioned back on the ship.

I handled them and continued on my way.

It was twilight when I found a house. There were colored lanterns hung outside on its walls. These gave it a festive appearance.

The dead Khajiit was not festive. I found him lying only a few paces from the house. The corpse was partially covered with snow. Packets of moon sugar in his clothing suggested a possible cause of death.

I searched the body and found a sheet of paper. On it was written what appeared to be a children's song or poem. The words were about an Uncle Sweetshare and giving candy away. Joleen had mentioned a silly song. Perhaps whoever lived in the house had some information as to the whereabouts or identity of the moon sugar poisoner. Perhaps the occupant was the actual poisoner.

I walked around the house until I found the door. I knocked.

"Come in," said the cheerful voice of a Breton man.

I opened the door and entered.

The man stood behind a table. He was a Nord, not a Breton. The house was a single room and there was no one else in the room. Why did this Nord have the voice of a Breton?

On the table was a full set of alchemy equipment. The equipment was of high quality but was poorly maintained. There were piles of moon sugar everywhere. There were packets of it on the table, the floor, the chairs. There were opened crates full of packets of the stuff. There were even piles of loose sugar on the floor. I sneezed: there must have been some in the air as well. I don't believe I'd ever seen this much moon sugar in one place before. It put both the Camonna Tong and the Sixth House to shame.

The man himself appeared friendly and harmless but I did not let that fool me. To live in this remote location in the hostile wilderness of Solstheim, he had to be able to defend himself.

He wore a white colovian fur helm.

Now, what were the odds of me just happening to stumble onto the moon sugar poisoner's home?

He began to sing, a song with silly words and lots of "he he, ha ho" in it. It was the song from the paper, more or less. I think he'd forgotten some of the words. He was horribly off-key and his singing voice suggested a Khajiit whose tail had been stepped on. Hearing a Breton voice coming from a Nord was rather disconcerting. Perhaps prolonged moon sugar usage had changed his voice?

I remained silent.

"Candy candy, he makes so much! Uncle Sweetshare has the magic touch!"

I finally had to interrupt him.

"Sera ..."

"please, call me Uncle Sweetshare! I spread happiness. Would you like to be happy?"

He tossed a packed of moon-sugar towards me and I reflexively caught it. This was seriously weird.

"I am Rashelle."

"A pleasure to meet you, Rashelle!"

"What happened to the Khajiit outside?" I said as I let the packet fall to the floor.

"Oh, that's M'nashi. He's a good kitty. He was very helpful to me. He enjoyed his sugar so much. I think he may have enjoyed it too much, poor fellow. We had a wonderful funeral for him: even the horkers came and sang."

"Sera ..."

"Please, call me Uncle!"

"Well then, Uncle, have you been poisoning people with moon sugar?"

"Oh no, I've been spreading happiness at the fort. Those cranky Imperials need some happiness. Joleen, the poor fellow, has lost his squeeze so I gave him some candy, ho ho he he!"

The man was obviously touched by Sheogorad: in other words, quite mad.

"Uncle, you must stop doing that."

"Hmpf, are you a grump like those Imperials? They need some fun, they do, oh yes, ho ho!"

"Sera,"

"Please, call me uncle."

"I have been ordered to stop your poisoning, by any means necessary. This includes killing you."

He stopped. He stared at me. His eyes took in my adamantium boots, my dark brotherhood greaves, my ebony cuirass. Predictably, his examination lingered at chest-level for an extra second. He then continued to raise his gaze to see the hilt of my claymore and the deadly look in my eyes. I think that, in my own special way, I had just gotten through to him.

"Well, then I guess I'll have to keep my happiness to myself."

He paused, then a smile came to his face: "There will be more for me, ho ho, he he!"

"Very well Uncle; I am going now."

"Rest assured, Rashelle, I will no longer give moon sugar to anyone in the fort."

I nodded and went outside. I could only hope that he had wits enough to keep his word.

I suppose I could have stolen his white helm, or asked for it, so that I could provide Severia with "proof". I saw no reason to do that. I had stopped the poisoning: whether Severia believed me or not was of no consequence.

It was dark now: twilight was over. It was time to find a place to sleep.

I fought more rieklings and a spriggan before I found a barrow. I would clean this one out and then have a safe place to stay for the night.

There was a Nord man sitting by the barrow, his back resting against the door frame. Since he did not spring up and attack, I hailed him.

"Hello, I am Rashelle," I smiled as I walked towards him.

"I am Ingmar."

He looked to be in his late teens, perhaps a bit young to be off on his own in this wilderness. He wore armor that was a mix of fur and some sort of chain mail of a type that I had not seen before. Later I learned that this was Nordic mail and that it was common in Skyrim and Solstheim.

His armor was damaged. Now that I was closer I could see that there was blood seeping through his cuirass. His face was pale even for a Nord.

"You are wounded."

"Aye, lass, I ..."

"Hold still, I will heal you."

He nodded.

I crouched down and cast a healing spell. Through the rents in his armor I could see the wounds close up and disappear.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. What happened?"

"This is the Valbrandr barrow."

I nodded. And?

"Inside lies the Valbrandr draugr. In order for my tribe to recognize me as a man, I must slay that draugr. I went in there, just before, and it almost killed me. I fled outside. I was resting here, waiting to see if I would live or die, when you came by."

"Well, I can just clear that barrow out for you and ... "

"No, I must do it or I will never be a man!"

I raised an eyebrow.

"You are an Outlander, you do not understand our ways. Every boy in the Skaal must do this."

Reinhardt by the fort had mentioned the Skaal.

"They are my people," continued Ingmar. "We live far to the north of here, further north than Thirsk."

I nodded.

"How about this, sera," I said. "I go in first. It attacks me. You then come in and have at it while I keep it distracted. That way, you will have actually struck the death blow."

"Aye lass, it is a good plan."

I helped him up.

"Ready?

Ingmar drew his sword.

"Let's go"

I quaffed a potion, opened the door, and went in. A draugr had been waiting by the door and it attacked me. I blocked with an elbow and gave it a kick. My sword remained sheathed.

A battle cry behind me indicated that Ingmar had entered the barrow. Nimble for an undead, the draugr whirled and kicked me in the stomach. My cuirass absorbed the force of the kick. Ingmar's sword chopped into the creature.

A bone wolf appeared and attacked. Sword now drawn, I directed my attentions to this second attacker.

The draugr continued to rain blows upon me as I fought the bone wolf. It hurt but I endured it. Ingmar was certainly taking his time: I would have had the draugr killed by now.

As Chrysamere clove through the bone wolf, I saw the draugr's head fly past me.

I turned and saw Ingmar place his foot upon the fallen, now headless, draugr. "I did it!" he shouted.

He beamed.

I grinned.

"So, mission accomplished?"

"Yes Rashelle, thanks to you! Now I am a man!"

"Congratulations."

"Rashelle, I am going to leave all the barrow's treasure alone. Take whatever you want: it is yours. If you are ever in the Skaal Village, you must visit me at my house."

I was touched.

"Thank you Ingmar."

"Well, I'm off to the village."

I nodded. He left.

I took a few minutes to go through the barrow. We had only fought the creatures in the entrance area so I had to clean the rest of the place out.

That done, I took a healing potion and munched some food from my pack.

I curled up on a large flat slab of rock in the center of the chamber and fell asleep.







This post has been edited by blockhead: Jun 11 2007, 11:27 PM

[The Metal Mallet]

Ahhh Imperial Legionaires... they're all so lazy so they get Rashelle to fix all their little problems. Good thing Rashelle is so nice or else there would be a lot of disappointed Legionaires.

Excellent update, blockhead.

[minque]

Uncle sweethead..ehh no blockhead! It´s women like Rashie they need in Solstheim! An enloyable read as always, and I really like this Procius Catraso, hope we´ll learn more about him....

[blockhead]

Chapter 3. Marisa



When I left the barrow it was shortly after dawn. I admired the snowy landscape as I walked north. The morning sun made golden highlights on the snow-covered trees. Again I was overwhelmed by the beauty of Solstheim.

The first attack of the day was a riekling.

A few minutes later a familiar looking Nord woman attacked me. She could have been a sister of those two that had attacked me the day before. Like the other two, she wore a fur shirt and the brown pants. Her boots were leather.

Unlike the two women yesterday, she was wearing a cuirass made from the carapace of a druegh.

She cast a spell to summon an ancestor ghost. It was just too bad for her that the ancestor ghost is the weakest of all of the summoned undead. One slice of Chrysamere and it dissolved away to nothing.

Apparently she didn't have enough magicka to summon another one because she took out a dagger and came at me. The weapon was familiar: it was one of those frost-enchanted daggers.

The two women yesterday had not been a isolated incident. The appearance of this third woman indicated to me that there was a group or faction of some sort. This group seemed to consist of Nord women who were murderously hostile to me, or perhaps to outlanders in general. It was a puzzle.

I dispatched her and continued on my way.

Another one of those women, two berserkers, and a several rieklings later I came upon a lake that was entirely frozen over with ice. I stood there for a long time in silent awe. Ahead of me stretched the geometrically flat expanse of light grey with piles of white snow on it. I had never before seen this much ice in one place. The frozen river that I had crossed a day or two ago was nothing compared to this. From what I had been previously told, I knew that this was Lake Fjalding, whose surface remained covered with ice year-round.

From the directions I'd been given by Joleen, the fact that I had reached the lake indicated that I was too far to the west. I needed to go east to find Thirsk ... but the ice fascinated me.

I carefully took a step onto the lake. From the other day I had the technique of walking on it but I walked gingerly in case I fell through: the combined weight of my armor and sword was considerable.

The ice supported me. It did not even creak under the weight. Thus reassured, I took some more steps. Here I was, actually walking on a huge sheet of ice. I was enthralled.

There was a white creature that I first thought was a small mound of snow until it moved. I remembered Reinhardt Red-spear explaining the various creatures of this region: what I had mistaken for snow was a horker. Reinhardt had explained that horkers are one of the few creatures in Solstheim that do not attack on sight.

The horker had three tusks; two large ones jutting out from the underside of its odd-looking mouth and one smaller one jutting from the top. The mouth was a sort of pinkish tube, as it was the only part of the horker not covered by fur. The head of the horker was slightly lighter than the rest of the body. Two small black eyes peered out from the head. There was no perceptible neck. The body was a light grey color. From the location where one would expect forelegs to be, the horker had two flippers. The flippers were of the same light grey as the body aside from black "points" at the tips.

There were no back legs: instead the body just tapered down until it it formed a flat tail, resembling a fish tail but aligned horizontally rather than vertically. The tail itself was black, matching the tips of the flippers.

It was by a combination of the flippers and an undulation of its body that the horker moved. I had been told that they could swim far faster than they could travel on land.

I approached the horker. It was so cute! Since it did not attack I crouched down and began to pet it. It didn't seem to mind. It made a sound like a groaning but not exactly. It raised a flipper and rolled to one side. I rubbed its belly. It made the sound again, but in a way that indicated pleasure. It waved the raised flipper.

Horkers are adorable!

While I could have stayed longer, I had made a promise to find Marisa. With regret, I left my new-found horker friend and walked off of the ice and back onto the land. Looking to the east and up, I could see a building on top of a hill. I did not know what a mead hall was supposed to look like, but the building was certainly large enough to be a tavern or an inn.

I ascended the hill.

As I neared the door I did not hear the expected sound of Nords partying. Of course, that would be explained by the fact that it was still morning.

After pausing to admire the view from the hill down to the lake, I opened the door and stepped inside. The inside was dark, very dark. There were torches here and there but after the bright sunlight on the whiteness of the snow, my eyes needed to adjust.

"Greetings," said a Nord woman all in fur armor. Her helm concealed her hair. "I am Ulfrun. Welcome to Thirsk. You should speak to Skjoldr Wolf-runner, our chieftain, as he wishes to meet all new arrivals. He's the one back there in that corner."

She pointed to a corner. A Nord man stood there. Near him was a bar. A woman stood behind the bar.

"I'm Rashelle."

"Good to meet you Rashelle."

She paused.

"One other thing," she said in a much quieter voice, "Watch out for Erich the Unworthy. He's the one over there."

She discreetly pointed to one of the men and continued; "He's a swine."

"Is he, now?"

"Yes, he and I ... that is ... well, he's a swine."

I nodded and then, in my usual subtle way, got to the point.

"Have you seen a Redguard woman come here in the past two to three weeks?"

"I may have seen her," she said with a sudden evasiveness. "I'm not sure I recall."

I would think she would remember a Redguard Imperial Cultist in a Nord mead hall. Something was fishy here.

I thanked her and strode towards the back, to where the chieftain stood. I approached him and politely introduced myself. He welcomed me to Thirsk and even offered me a mead. I declined: it was too early in the day to experiment with new alcoholic beverages. I do enjoy drinking but I set limits to it. I would try mead some other time.

He confirmed that she had been here but had little else to say beyond "perhaps she left," while glancing meaningfully at one particular person: Erich the Unworthy.

I thanked him and walked to the bar. The woman behind the bar wore a Nordic ringmail cuirass, wolf greaves and wolf boots. Like me, her arms were bare. Her blond hair was shoulder length and her eyes were hazel. Leaning against the wall behind her, yet close by, was an axe of a type unfamiliar to me.

"I am Svenja Snow-song. What can I do for you?"

"I'm Rashelle."

She lowered her voice and said to me, "Watch our for Erich the Unworthy. he's a foul beast."

I raised an eyebrow.

She changed the subject. "Don't you get cold walking around like that outside?"

"No, I like cold. I love snow."

She put a hand on my elbow. She ran her hand along my arm, up to my shoulder. She said, "You've just come in from outside, yet you have no goose-bumps: you're not cold at all."

I grinned. Nope.

"You're more Nord than I am!" she marveled.

We both laughed.

"Rashelle, would you like some mead? My treat."

"No, but thank you. It's too early in the day for me."

Svenja and I seemed to be getting along well, so I asked her about Marisa. Suddenly her friendliness was gone. She was unwilling to discuss the matter beyond conceding that Marisa had been here.

The people here were not telling me something.

I had been warned about Erich but the hint from the chieftain and my own intuition indicated that in order for me to obtain any additional information on Marisa, Erich was the one I would have to talk to.

I approached him and asked: "Are you Erich the Unworthy?"

"Hey there, pretty little thing, I'm more than worthy! Let me keep you warm." he said and then leered at me in a manner most disgusting.

"I'm searching for an Imperial cultist, a Redguard woman named Marisa."

"Ha! Yeah, she came here a few weeks ago. She was preaching at us to stop drinking mead. I didn't like what she had to say: it made me very angry. She just wouldn't shut up."

The tone in his voice gave me a strong suspicion as to what had happened. I began to feel a red rage. I'm sure my eyes now had the hardness of obsidian as well as the color.

"I've got the little tramp locked in my room," he continued. "I like to go up there and smack her around a bit, throw mead at her, do other things to her. I have her whenever I want."

He laughed.

"Once in a while I feed her."

I was so mad I could hardly see. There were now only two reasons why this man was still alive. First, there were too many people in the room who could come to his aid if I attacked him. Secondly, he could be lying. I had to see if she was really in his room.

"How interesting," I forced myself to say. It hurt.

He leered at me and said, "Want to come up and see? Then I can pitch you some woo! Take that play sword and that armor off and I can make you a real woman, like I do for her. You know you want it. Then you and her can get some g ..."

"Yes. Show me the woman." I interrupted.

He hesitated. He hadn't expected that. I was supposed to act horrified and then flee. I was not playing that game.

"Err."

"You do have her? You haven't been making this up, have you?"

He looked around. I didn't have to turn my head to know that everyone in the room was focused on our conversation. Nords are a a proud people. I had called Erich's bluff and now he had to do something to save face. There was nothing he could do, save to show me the woman. He was trapped.

"Follow me," he said.

He walked to a set of stairs. Since they were in a dark corner, I had not noticed them before. I followed.

We ascended.

He stopped by one of the doors and said, "Here we hare."

He seemed unsure of himself now, a bit hesitant.

I waited silently. I arced an eyebrow as if it say, "well?"

He dug a key out of a pocket and unlocked the door.

He opened the door and waved for me to enter.

"After you," I said coldly.

He entered. I followed and I beheld a naked Redguard woman tied to a bed by strips of cloth. She'd been beaten and even now I cannot bring myself to describe her condition. She looked at me with eyes dulled by the weeks of her ordeal yet still defiant.

"Let her go, now," I hissed.

He whirled around and actually tried to hit me. Presumably he had intended to use the element of surprise and knock me out. Then he would have two women to abuse.

I batted his fist aside and planted my own in his jaw.

He took a step back, looking a little dazed.

Quick as thought, Chrysamere was out. Erich choked his last and collapsed on the floor. I extracted my sword from the now-dead body.

I rushed to Marisa.

"Marisa, I'm Rashelle. I'm here to rescue you."

I couldn't untie the pieces of cloth so I used my silver dagger to cut them.

Once she was freed I handed her a potion.

"It's a Restore Health potion. Drink it."

She did.

"I've been kept prisoner for ... I don't know, I could not track the time, at least two weeks. He beat me and ... he ... raped me."

She could not continue. She began to cry. I hugged her.

"It's OK. I've killed him, I'm going to take you back to the fort."

I handed her a second potion.

"This is a Morning After potion. I think you need to drink it."

"Thank you," she gasped before taking it.

She made a face. I knew it was a horrible tasting potion, but one does not drink it for the flavor.

"He made me drink mead, nothing but mead."

There was a sound behind me. I turned to look. Svenja Snow-song stood in the doorway.

"What do *you* want?" I snapped.

"I want to help."

"That man was beating and raping her for two weeks: why didn't you help then?" I hissed. "How could you let this happen? You, a woman?"

"Let her help," said Marisa.

I nodded, grudgingly, to Svenja.

"Marisa, where is your robe?" Imperial Cult priests always wear robes.

"That's what he tied me up with."

She held up one of the pieces of cloth.

Svenja and I improvised an outfit from Erich's spare clothing.

Marisa started to cry again. "These clothes, th-th-they smell like him!" she sobbed.

It was time to go.

"Marisa, please tell me you can cast the Divine Intervention spell?"

She shook her head. Silly Rashelle: if she could cast that spell she would have done so weeks ago! I recalled a similar conversation with a Temple priest in Mournhold.

"Well, here, I will lend you this."

I handed her my Divine Intervention amulet.

She put it on and invoked it. She disappeared.

I turned to Svenja, who started to speak.

"I'm sorry, I ..."

I slapped her.

"You don't understand," she said. "He was my clan brother. I could not speak ill of him or harm him. We are like a family here in Thirsk. There are traditions, there are rules. Although at times they are ... problematic. Every one of us wanted to stop Erich but we could not."

I remembered some of my own experiences in House Redoran. Things had been going on and everyone knew, yet no one would speak of them. I recalled a particular duty given to me by the House that I had been obligated to carry out ... though I found it both distasteful and shameful. It had involved a dual and a "slander" that happened to be the truth. This memory allowed me to see Svenja's lack of action in a more forgiving light.

My anger vanished.

"Oh Svenja, I'm sorry I slapped you. Here."

I turned a cheek.

"No Rashelle," she said as she took my hand, "I don't want to slap you. A very bad thing has happened and you are justifiably angry. This is understandable."

I turned to her and nodded.

"Rashelle, they will all be grateful to you for killing Erich. He was a swine and we all wanted him dead. You won't have any further trouble here."

I nodded.

I withdrew my hand and and said, "By your leave, I will teleport out."

"Rashelle, don't think too harshly of us. Normally Thirsk is a good place. Please come back some time; you'll see."

"Perhaps."

She nodded.

I cast a Divine Intervention spell. Now I was in front of the Imperial Cult chapel in Fort Frostmoth. Marisa was standing next to me. I was surprised she had not gone inside straightaway. She handed me the amulet.

"Thank you, Rashelle."

"You're welcome. I was glad to do it. Let's take you inside. Where is your room?"

"No," she said, "I want to see Joleen."

I opened the door and we went in. We walked past a trooper and turned left, to the area with the Cult altar.

"Marisa!"

She ran into his arms. They both looked so happy.

"I'm so glad you are here with me again."

I decided that there must be something I had to do elsewhere so I left them alone. Later on Joleen told me that he was canceling missionary activities in Solstheim: I wholeheartedly agreed.







This post has been edited by blockhead: Jun 11 2007, 11:30 PM

[The Metal Mallet]

That was quite the heart warming update. Excellent work.

[jack cloudy]

Heart warming? I don't really agree though it's probably because I focus on the deed rather than the outcome. Geez, family honor is really a messed up thing in my opinion if it means that things like this are simply allowed to happen.

And that unworthy fellow was unworthy of life, but definitely worthy of Chrysamere in his rotten flesh and worthy of being called a creep of the first grade.

[Dire Cheesecake]

Hm, and what about this organization of psychotic Nord women? Very suspicious.

This post has been edited by Dire Cheesecake: Jun 2 2007, 09:21 PM

[blockhead]

Chapter 4. Prohibition




Curious as ever, I decided to walk up the spiraling stairs and see what was in the rooms above the Imperial Cult chapel.

I stepped into a hallway that was unoccupied. One of the doors led to a room furnished as an office. The man there introduced himself as Carnius Magius and informed me that these were the offices of the Solstheim Branch of the East Empire Company.

"I hadn't realized you did business here."

"As yet we're doing nothing, but I've got a site in mind that looks promising. As a matter of fact, we could use some people to help with various aspects of this new project. Would you like to join the East Empire company?"

"Hmm, you have need of the adventurous sort?"

"Well, this is a somewhat dangerous area. Who better than a warrior adventurer to work here?"

I am a spell-sword, not just a warrior, but I saw no need to correct him. It was refreshing to talk to someone who did not know all about me: on Solstheim, almost no one knew or cared that I was the Nerevarine.

"What about Reinhardt Red-spear? He knows the area thoroughly and is literate as well."

"Feh, natives! No. This is an Imperial company."

I didn't like that attitude. Attitudes like this were the reason the Dunmer ... and others ... disliked the Empire so much.

If the East Empire Company were here, there had to be something of value to the Empire. Something like diamonds or glass or ebony. They would swoop in and extract whatever they could. They might do damage to the land in the process of said extraction. My first reaction was that I wanted no part of it.

I then had the thought that if I were involved with what was going at this early stage, I could find ways to protect Solstheim from the worst of it. I could not stop the East Empire Company, but I could certainly reduce the damage they did here.

"Tell me more."

"Well it would not be full time work. You'd be an employee but would only have random odd jobs from time to time, whatever needs doing. You would still have time to do ... err ... whatever it is you do."

I smiled and said, "Sounds good."

"Excellent. Now as it so happens, I already have a man at the site."

I looked questioningly at him.

"The Raven Rock site; here let me show you on this map."

From his desk he pulled out a parchment with a map of Solstheim. On it was drawn the outline of the island. There was not much on it aside from the locations of Lake Fjalding, the fort and a small number of other places. Comparing it to my mental map I could see that I still had a lot of exploring to do.

He pointed to a spot labeled "Raven rock". I had actually wandered close to that location at least once in my travels.

"My man Falco is there now, assessing the site."

I nodded.

"Some of the first workers have arrived here at the docks. They are waiting there now. I'd like you to escort them to the site. Protect them from the weird creatures around here."

"OK. I'm on it."

"Great! Let me write you a letter of introduction to take to Falco."

He jotted something on a piece of paper and handed it to me.

"Thank you, Rashelle ... and welcome to the East Empire Company."

I bumped into Procis Catraso on my way out of the building. His duties seemed to take him by the Cult Chapel often.

"Hey, Rashelle, do you want to eat here at the fort tonight? The food will be fresh: Trooper Secundus went fishing before and caught some crimson flounder."

"No, I have things to do today, but thank you anyway."

Once outside, I looked up: from the position of the sun it was around noon. I noticed that, on a clear day, the sky is a more intense blue in Solstheim than anywhere else.

As Carnius had said, the three workers were standing near the dock. I could see a ship moored at the dock. Perhaps it was the one they had arrived on.

I did not fancy shepherding these three through the forests of Solstheim. As I walked towards the workers, an idea occurred to me. I walked past them, without introducing myself, and then strode up the gangplank onto the ship. Her captain was on board. He was a Bosmer, which I thought unusual: they are not noted for nautical abilities. I asked him about chartering his boat for a trip to the future location of the Raven Rock colony.

"I will take you and the men there for free. I am going that way anyway because I need to learn the route."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Once the new Raven Rock colony is established, it will be part of my regular run."

How fortunate for me. After first ascertaining that he was ready to leave immediately, I walked back to the men.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen. I am Rashelle and I have been asked by Carnius to escort you to Raven Rock. Are you ready?"

"Yes, Rashelle. Lead on."

The trip to Raven Rock was uneventful. We arrived at a section of beautiful landscape, with ground partially snow-covered, dotted with those pretty Solstheim trees and some dark rock outcrops.

Sweet Azura, those were outcrops of Ebony! I'd never seen ebony on the surface before. I now knew why the Empire intended to build a colony here ... to mine the ebony.

Since the ship was as close to the land as it could get without running aground, the men disembarked by the simple method of diving into the water and swimming to the shore. I used a Water Walking spell: swimming in heavy armor is unpleasant and I did not want to get Carnias's letter wet. Upon reaching the shore, I waved to the captain. The boat was already sailing away.

I saw an Imperial man, sensibly dressed in armor. He had to be Falco.

"Are you Falco?"

"Yes I am; you are?"

"I am Rashelle, these men have been sent here to work under your direction."

I presented to him the letter from Carnius. He read it quickly.

"Hmm, hmm, yes, very good. Thank you, Rashelle."

I turned to leave.

"Rashelle?"

I turned to him.

"I need you to do a little favor for me."

I nodded.

He handed me a piece of raw ebony.

"This is a piece of raw ebony ore. Carnius wants samples of the ore from around here. Can you find four more pieces like this one and then take all five of them back to him?"

I nodded.

"Excellent. Thank you."

It was only a few paces to the nearest outcrop. I didn't have the proper mining tools but I was able to break off two pieces simply by tugging on them.

I strolled to another outcrop and broke off two more pieces.

In the meantime, Falco was busy talking to the men. They were all crouched down, clustered around a parchment that Falco had spread on the ground. He was pointing to it and then raising his arm and pointing in one direction or another.

I cast Divine Intervention and was returned to the fort. Carnias was pleased with the ebony.

"Yes, this is very nice ... and right from the surface you say?"

I nodded.

"Fascinating ... with the right deal, we all profit. Excellent work, Rashelle."

He gave me a piece of parchment. I looked and saw that it was an East Empire Company stock certificate.

"We like employees to own stock. It makes them feel more like part of the team. If the colony goes well, you'll be able to cash that in for a sizable amount."

Money was not a concern to me, but I nodded politely. Any time I needed money I could simply sell some daedric, ebony or glass weapons. Obtaining these weapons was a simple matter of finding and fighting the right daedra.

"I have nothing that needs to be done at the moment. Could you stop by in day or so?"

I nodded and took my leave.

I explored some of the fort for a time. I found the Armory. I went inside. From the smith there I obtained some extra repair tools. Curiosity then made me decide to finally go and meet this Captain Falx Carius.

His office was above the General Quarters, in the large building on the west side of the fort.

I introduced myself to him.

"A pleasure to meet you, Rashelle. Would you like to join the Legion? You clearly have the qualifications we need."

"Thank you, sera ... but no."

"Oh well, I understand, I guess. Say, could you investigate something for me?"

"Perhaps. What is it?" I did not want to commit to a task that might be against my principles.

"Rashelle, since I am the captain of the fort the men won't discuss certain things with me. This is normal, as I am their commanding officer, but it can be vexing at times: I cannot obtain information that I might need. As a civilian, they will most likely discuss things with you that they feel they cannot with me.

"I'm concerned about the morale here at the fort. The men are sullen and resentful. Tempers are short. A fight broke out the other day. Things look like they could get ugly. I would like you to find out why the morale is so bad."

"That's because you banned alcohol at the fort," I blurted out.

Oh Rashelle, you simply must think before you speak!

He looked surprised. "Oh."

He paused and then said, "really?"

I nodded.

He paused before continuing. "I didn't make this a dry fort. The shipments of alcohol just stopped about a month ago. Myself, I don't drink that often so I don't care either way.

"It is upsetting, however, that the men blame me. I wonder how that rumor got started? Look Rashelle, the only one I know of who is actually against drinking is the Imperial Cult priest."

"Joleen?" I said in surprise. When I had investigated the Moon sugar poisonings, Joleen had told me that he had been drinking a cup of wine.

"No, Antonius Nuncius is the head of the Cult here in Frostmoth. He is against drinking. Rather odd, that, as the Cult normally has no stance on the matter."

I nodded.

"Could you perhaps look into the matter of the missing alcohol shipments? I did not actually cancel any supply orders, so maybe the booze has just gone missing."

I nodded.

I returned to the Imperial Cult Shrine.

"Greetings Rashelle," said Joleen. "Marisa told me what happened to her, and what you did. I am supposed to be against violence but I am glad you killed that filthy fetcher. I can't thank you enough."

"It was my pleasure, but I have a question for you."

"Ask anything."

"I've heard about an Antonius Nuncius who is supposed to be ... your boss, but I have never seen him here in the chapel."

"Oh, he has various administrative tasks in addition to his Cult duties. He manages inventory for the fort, tracks incoming supplies, that sort of thing. He can often be found in the Armory. He has an office there, on the upper floor."

Joleen described him.

"Thank you Joleen."

I returned to the Armory. I rushed up the spiral stairs and almost bumped into an Imperial man in a brown robe.

"I'm sorry," I said.

"That's quite all right, You look like you have something on your mind. How can the Nine Divines assist?"

"Well ... sera, are you Antonius Nuncius?"

"Yes I am. How can I help?"

"I was wondering about the 'dry' fort."

"Ah, yes; a terrible thing. The men are very grumpy. It's a shame that the Captain decreed this."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Captain Carius," he said to me, "he's head of the fort."

He didn't know that I had already met Carius.

I said, "The captain says he didn't actually order the fort to be dry. He said the beverages in question just stopped appearing in the supply shipments about a month ago."

He looked annoyed.

"Well, certainly the shipments stopped. After all, since he declared the fort to be dry, he'd order the shipments to stop, right? Now if you'll excuse me, I have duties elsewhere."

I nodded absently and he resumed his descent of the stairs, in a bit of a huff. I guess I wasn't his friend now: I'd cope.

Something was up, and my gut feeling told me that Antonius was hiding something.

I continued to climb the stairs to the second floor. I found myself in a short hallway with two doors placed in opposite walls. I nodded to the guard patrolling and entered the open doorway in the left wall.

I chatted with a second guard as I explored a room full of supplies. It is amazing how much I can get away with in front of someone who is looking right at me, simply by talking to them as I am doing it. I acted as if I had every right to be there and it was not even necessary to make up a cover story. I lifted the lids on chests, peeked into crates, and peered into storage urns. I found nothing suspicious or out of place.

In the hallway, I chatted with the first guard. The topic turned to the wildlife of Solstheim. My back was to the door to the second room. Hands behind my back, I blindly picked the lock while I described to him the hostile Nord women with the unusual daggers.

"That sounds like the Fryse Hags."

From my pack I extracted the a small bundle wrapped in cloth while simultaneously I stowed my lock pick. He saw the former action and not the latter. I unwrapped the bundle to reveal the frost-enchanted dagger that I had taken the other day.

"They carried knives like this one."

He reached for it.

"Be careful of the blade. It is razor sharp."

He nodded as he took it. He held it and slowly rotated it. It caught the light.

"Yes, I've seen this type of dagger before. Those were definitely Fryse Hags that you encountered."

Looking past his shoulder, I could see the second guard leave the other room and head for the stairs.

"What do you know of them?" I asked.

"Not much. They apparently worship the Nord goddess Kyne. She is known as 'the mother of men' but I don't know anything else about her. These Fryse Hags seem to attack anyone not of their order."

He handed the dagger back to me.

He chuckled and said "Seems that since they kill everyone who is not one of them, they'd have trouble recruiting, eh?"

I nodded. That was a good point.

I thanked him for the information and he then walked away.

I slowly and carefully wrapped the dagger and stowed it in my pack. When I had completed this activity, the guard had disappeared down the spiral stairwell. I was now alone in the hallway.

I opened the door, now unlocked, and entered the second room. After closing the door behind me, I examined the room. It was lit by two candles. Most of the floor was covered by a rug. Imperial Cult tapestries hung from the walls. Against one wall was a large closet. A desk was placed in a corner, at an angle. It faced the door.

The closet was locked. It was an unusual lock in that I could not pick it. I could feel spells on it. Most unusual: this amount of security was more appropriate for the Redoran treasury than an office in a frontier fort.

The paperwork scattered on the desk confirmed that I was in the office of Antonius Nuncius. I picked the locks of the drawers in the desk. There were bottles of booze in almost every drawer. None of the bottles had been opened.

I opened a small bottle of mazte and took a sniff. It smelled like mazte. I raised the bottle and sipped. It was mazte; rather good mazte, actually. I took a bottle of flin and a Cyrodiilic brandy as well. This would be evidence enough for Carius. It was too bad I could not get the closet open: I was fairly sure that it contained a months' worth of booze for the fort.

I stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind me. I turned and saw a Antonius Nuncius stepping off the stairwell, glaring at me.

"What is the meaning of this!"

I took a swig of the mazte and smiled at him.

"Antonius, you have been a naughty boy." With the hand holding the bottle, I pointed to him. "You've been holding out."

His face reddened, his hands formed fists, though they remained at his side. He took a few steps towards me.

My eyes warned him not to try anything.

"I, I, I did it for their own good. Alcohol is Evil! It is Wrong! No one should drink."

I took another sip.

"Is that a fact?

"L-l-look, ah ..."

"Rashelle."

"Look, Rashelle: I'll give you the key to the closet. You can tell Carius it was all a misunderstanding. Say a shipment just now came in with the booze today. All the booze can go out to the men. This won't ever happen again. Just please don't tell him what I've been doing."

He was visibly nervous. I corked the bottle.

"Antonius," I hissed, "I don't like to be told what to do. I don't like to be told what to drink or not drink. I don't submit to that; no one else should, either. You decided on your own to force the men to stop drinking. It's not Legion policy, nor is it Cult policy. That is wrong. Trying to pin the blame on the captain is even worse. It's people like you that cause all sorts of problems.

"I've met people like you before. They enjoy telling others what to do. I know how they work."

I poked him in the chest with the hand not holding the bottle. He took a step back. I took a step forward.

"First they tell you what you can't drink. They say it's for your own good."

I poked his chest. He stumbled another step back. I advanced.

"Then they tell you what you can't eat."

I poked his chest again. He moved another step away. I stepped forward.

"Than they tell you who you cannot sleep with."

I poked his chest. His back was now against the wall.

"I don't like that, Antonius. I don't like that at all. I have a problem with that: a big problem."

"R-Rashelle, it's not just that ... I err ... "

I glared silently at him. He was sweating now. He swallowed.

"Well go ahead and tell Carius, then," he blustered. "At least I'll get shipped out from this god-forsaken place! I'll get a safer nicer warmer assignment at another chapel!"

I smiled. I'm sure it was a cruel smile.

"No Antonius," I said softly. "If I did that, you would try this same routine on some other group of people at another chapel. This ends now.

"Here is what is going to happen. I will relate to the Captain exactly what has occurred. He will now be wise to your antics, so you won't be able to pull this kind of stunt again.

"I am then going to recommend that he send a letter back to Cyrodiil. In it, he will praise your devotion to your duties and your excellent work. He will highlight your overwhelming desire to remain at this fort. Your assignment here will go on ... "

Poke.

"and ..."

Poke.

"on."

He was silent. There was a look of defeat and horror on his face. He spoke: "Stuck here, forever ... I'll die."

"Give me your office key."

He hesitated.

"Now."

He gave me the key. I locked the door: I did not want him disposing of the evidence.

Carius was surprised at the identify of the culprit, yet pleased that I had figured out what had been going on in such a short time. He thought my suggestion as to handling the matter was ingenious.

"Remind me never to cross you," he said to me.

I smiled sweetly.





This post has been edited by blockhead: Jun 5 2007, 11:01 PM

[jack cloudy]

Heh, I loved it. Totally, I loved it. Rashelle can sound so evil when she wants to. Just keep on poking.

[minque]

hehehe....just great! I really like Rashelle´s attitude!

I don't like to be told what to do. I don't like to be told what to drink or not drink. I don't submit to that; no one else should, either.

hilarious!

That girl really is special! Keep it up Blockie, it´s sheer awesome!

[The Metal Mallet]

Another fine update, Blockhead. I don't like being told what not to drink either!

Cept maybe if it was motor oil or antifreeze or something like that!

[Dire Cheesecake]

Hm, and part of the mystery of the psycho nord women with weird daggers is revealed!