Fredas, 5th of Sun's Dusk, 4E 201

  This is the longest day I've had in a while. We're all exhausted, but Thank the Nine, we're alive.

  We're

  in an old Nord crypt that's partially a cave that we found hidden

  behind a bookcase in the cellar of a little house in the woods.

  And that's how we're ENDING the day!

  All

  right, I'm practically dead on my feet but if I don't write down what

  happened I know sleeping will be useless. It'll be full of nightmares, I

  know it.

  This morning we left the Vilemyr Inn, and as we followed

  the road towards Orphan Rock, I mentioned the bounty Wilhelm told me

  about last night. It wasn't far away, so I convinced the others that we

  should take care of it.

  The fact that the bandits were in a Dwarven ruin had nothing to do with Valdimar's eagerness to go, I'm sure.

  It

  was practically right next to an Imperial camp, so I sold what I could

  to their quartermaster (he didn't have a lot of gold on him) and we went

  to the ruin.

  As luck would have it there was already a party of

  adventurers there, and they killed the bandit chief, but then they just

  left. We killed three bandits, so who does the bounty go to?

  The others weren't sure either. I'll just ask the jarl whenever we end up going to Riften.

  We

  got back on the road, and soon came upon a little shack just off the

  road. I poked my head in, and it was obvious that an alchemist lived

  there! There were ingredients everywhere, and even a butterfly in a jar.

  We didn't see any sign of them, but there was a journal. I read it, and

  the alchemist was excited to be staying here, and having good luck with

  their garden. I looked out back and saw their workstation.

  I

  didn't touch anything, although I was sorely tempted. I'm not an amazing

  alchemist, but I felt a bit of professional courtesy was in order, and

  the others nodded in approval.

  Okay, I did take ONE Deathbell from their garden to use in a poison, but they had six or something. One wouldn't be missed.

  As I was making potions, Valdimar pointed out that it was getting on noon, and we still had a ways to go.

  I was aware.

  I

  finished up, then we kept going through a split in the mountain. It

  started to get snowy, and steep, and I had to get out a torch and use my

  spells to keep myself warm. The rocks press in close on both sides

  through there, and we stayed quiet to avoid an avalanche. Aside from a

  few dead travelers, with no sign of what killed them, nothing happened.

  I tried to shake the thought that I might have been there before, but I think the cold would have woken me, then.

  Which way did that wagon bring me?

  Anyway,

  the snow stopped as we got out of the cleft in the rocks, but Erandur

  and I were still starting to freeze. We were getting close to Orphan

  Rock, but I could hear the sound of an anvil nearby, too.

  Anvils

  mean fire, so we hurried to the sound. We found a Stormcloak camp not

  far from where we were going, and I took some time to warm up and do

  some trading with their quartermaster, too!

  Here's a secret - I

  bought some Ebony armor for Lydia at the Imperial camp, and they had

  another piece here, so I bought that, too. She's very happy now to have a

  full Nordic set, so I'm going to wait on giving her these until I have

  all the pieces.

  Once we warmed up a bit, we continued on our way to Orphan Rock.

  Orphan

  Rock, true to it's name, is a small rocky outcrop with a hagraven hut

  and altarspace on top that you can only reach by crossing a fallen log

  that connects it to the mountainside. We ran into a trio of hags as soon

  as we approached, and apparently they forgot about the Frost Rune

  they'd laid down because one of them stepped right on it as they charged

  us!

  They weren't too hard to take care of, and we continued

  around the base to find our way up to the log. Another hag jumped out

  from behind a little bit of wall at us, but she wasn't expecting a dog

  to lunge at her face!

  I let the others handle her, and ran

  straight for the hagraven. I don't know what came over me then, but now,

  I'm pretty sure I was just trying to get rid of the mounting panic any

  way I could.

  I'm pretty sure I caught a glimpse of Helgen before we left the road.

  Lydia asked what I was doing while I ran across the log bridge, and I just yelled back, "Something Stupid!"

  It

  actually wasn't stupid, but it sure as hell didn't feel like it! I

  summoned a Flame Atronach behind the hagraven, and poisoned my dagger

  with a paralysis poison while she was distracted. We were both exposed

  up there, but with no hags to defend her, she was an easy target for the

  others while I mostly concentrated on blocking her claws once the

  poison wore off.

  I'm still not good at wards, but I'm getting there.

  We

  got her, and she had Nettlebane. It's a strange knife. It's similar in

  shape to my Ebony dagger, but very rough. The others said it was Ebony,

  but it's not forged. It's got a chipped edge, like a stone axe.

  It feels as old as it looked. It reminds me of Old Magic.

  I'll be happier once it's out of my pack.

  There

  was an enchanting table there, and I took a moment to get some practice

  in - We'd picked up a few items I didn't know the enchantments on - and

  Valdimar once again pointed out the time. It was mid-afternoon, now.

  We'd have to hurry if we wanted to make it to Falkreath.

  I said I

  knew, and I felt the chill start to hit me, again. There was a little

  tent for the hags off to the side, and they had a fire, so we went over

  there and I pulled out the cookpot.

  The others were thankful for the warm food, but they were looking at each other in a way that said they wanted to say something.

  Finally, Lydia sighed and said I was stalling.

  She was right, but I wasn't happy about it, and I admit, I snapped at her when I told her as much.

  I'd been stalling all day.

  They

  knew, and offered to turn back. We could just go around the mountain.

  There wasn't a time limit on us or anything, but I was wound too tight

  to listen.

  I think I should've. It feels like a mistake coming here, but oh, well.

  I insisted that we keep going, and they reminded me that they were with me. I did apologize for snapping, and they understood.

  I'm glad I have them. I couldn't have made it through what happened next without them.

  We went back to the road, and started towards Helgen.

  You

  know, I can't remember much of what happened next. Cooking by the fire

  did warm me up a bit, but I do know that as we got close, I was starting

  to freeze again. Damn Liar's Sun.

  I remember going up to the gates, and I turned to look, and there was…

  There was a body on a stake RIGHT THERE.

  I think the horror was just too much and it got to me. The gate was locked, but locks don't mean anything to me!

  I

  flung the gate open and there were bandits. I remember fighting them,

  but I was so very cold, and there were charred ruins all over the place,

  and some burned bodies, and with the bandits yelling and screaming my

  sight narrowed into a tunnel.

  I was too panicked to go down, though.

  I

  know I fought, but I ran while I did. I think I was retracing my old

  steps, but I was confused because I wasn't sure how to get out without

  going through the tunnels, and I remembered the cave-in, so I couldn't

  leave the same way.

  I don't know how I got there, but I ended up

  tripping over the headsman's block. I was alone and confused and cold

  and scared and all I could hear was that terrible roaring in my ears

  that I now know was speech and I can't brea-

  /\/\/\/\/\

  Valdimar, here.

  Your

  spirit wound opened up again, and you were wheezing and it woke me.

  Don't feel bad, lass, it's fine with me! I'm always happy to help, you

  know that.

  I'm not one for writing - I normally just read - but you asked me to write what happened next for you, and it's no trouble.

  Well, we couldn't find you, and you weren't answering when we called out, but Septim led us straight to you.

  We

  found you by the executioner's block, Shouting at a bandit that was

  running up to chop you in half! You did that scary one, the one you used

  on that wizard, and he ran, but Septim chased after him and came back

  later looking mighty pleased with himself.

  He's a good dog.

  But you were shaking and near frozen to death! Erandur only lasted longer because he used his Ancestor's Wrath to warm up.

  He taught a bunch of bandits a quick lesson on why you don't mob a Dunmer in a fight!

  We found a brazier outside the main keep. We got you to the fire and offered to take you inside, but you refused.

  Erandur was calming you down - He's good at that - and once you started to come back to yourself you saw that he was cold, too.

  I know I laughed then, and I'm laughing now.

  Good to hear you laugh about it, too.

  I'll finish this part, then hand the quill back.

  You

  started to fuss over him being cold, and when he tried to tell you that

  he would be fine and you should worry about yourself, you grabbed him

  by the collar and said that if you thought any more about how you were

  feeling you'd lose it, and that fussing over him was the only thing

  keeping you from thinking too hard about the fact that you're sitting by

  a fire in Helgen surrounded by burnt-out buildings and charred corpses!

  He held up his hands and said that yes, he was cold, and you could fret away. Worry all you like!

  You

  got out some soup to heat up for all of us, and just fussed over

  Erandur in general to keep your mind off of Everything. I stood there

  with you two while Lydia and Septim went back the way we came to find a

  way out.

  You know, she calls him Stupid, but whenever it's her

  turn to cook she always gives him one of the good cuts. Plays Fetch with

  him, too, when she's out patrolling. I don't know if you knew that.

  You seemed a lot better once you'd had a chance to warm up, and Lydia came back to let us know she'd found the way out.

  We got in formation and you kept your head down, and we got the hell out of there.

  \/\/\/\/\/

  He's a good man. I'm really glad Idgrod assigned him to me.

  He

  got me a drink of water and some food to eat. He was surprised that I'd

  "let" him write in my journal, but I couldn't write any more about what

  happened there.

  Okay, the look on Erandur's face when I grabbed him by his cloak and pulled him almost to my nose was pretty funny!

  Anyway, we left Helgen, and went as quickly as we could along the road. It was getting late, and we found this place.

  At

  first it looked just like any little homestead by the road, but I was

  curious and wanted to stick my head in. I don't know why. Maybe I just

  wanted a distraction.

  The door was locked, but we got in and a bandit rushed up the cellar steps, swinging a huge axe!

  We

  fought him, and I looked over the room. There was a note stuck to the

  wall with a dagger. It was a warning from "Rigel Strong-Arm" saying that

  Roras was dead because he tried to get into her treasure room, and that

  if anyone else tried it, they'd end up dead, too.

  Treasure Room sounded good to me, so I went down to the cellar to investigate.

  The

  top floor is very plain, but the cellar is nice! There's a bed,

  shelves, a fireplace, and a suspiciously chill breeze coming from

  underneath a bookcase.

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  We also found a note on a table there from

  Rigel to "Rhorlak" - probably who we just killed - saying something

  about a mold(?) but that he'd have to keep selling wood to keep up the

  front.

  Pretty good setup, actually. Knock over carts that pass by,

  and just pretend you're a normal woodcutter living by yourself out

  here.

  There's a button on the wall by the bookcase, and when you press it the bookcase opens to reveal a tunnel.

  It

  leads down here into the ruins. There's a large main room with pillars

  and wooden walkways between them, and some dead bodies that were clearly

  victims of the bandits. There are some side rooms and tunnels going off

  it. It's pretty maze-like, actually, and easy to get turned around.

  We also found more bandits, but they were mostly just in pairs, and not hard to get rid of.

  While

  we picked up what loot we could - It was mostly supplies, but I'm not

  complaining! - I found several notes from Roras on a few bandits,

  looking for their help to break into Rigel's treasure room. Said he knew

  a guy whose cousin knows a guy…

  Yeah, I've heard that one before.

  Anyway,

  we kept going into the next area, and that's where things got serious.

  It was the middle of the night, and we found their bunk area. As you can

  imagine, all Oblivion broke loose, but I came up with a plan, and I'm

  pretty proud of it!

  The tunnel that leads to their sleeping area

  is only wide enough for one person, and has a bend in it. I summoned a

  Flame Atronach into the sleeping area, then got us all back in the

  tunnel. Erandur went first, casting spells and firing arrows at them

  until he got too tired to keep going. I stayed right behind the bend,

  completely safe from their arrows, and just kept healing him until it

  was time for Lydia and Valdimar to take over. I did the same for them

  while they cleared out the rest of the bandits who were coming after us.

  Once

  the fighting stopped, we went back into the sleeping area (here) and

  then on to the next room, which clearly belonged to Rigel, their chief.

  She

  was awake, and she was fuming. She fought like a mad sabercat! I bolted

  and led her out into the little dining area to the side here so we

  could surround her.

  She's dead now, and I know there's more to

  explore, but we're too tired to go on. I don't care if we sleep until

  noon. We're just going to rest up and get going when we get going.

  The treasure will be there tomorrow.

  Loredas, 6th of Sun's Dusk, 4E 201

  We're in Falkreath, and Sweet Mara, do I have NEWS!

  Lydia's a NOBLEWOMAN!

  Not just because her family is rich, but she's actual nobility! As in, royal blood.

  Right now, Her Ladyship is sleeping off at least four pints of ale and two bottles of strong mead.

  All right, before I get ahead of myself - Morning:

  We didn't sleep in until noon, but it was about then by the time we had breakfast and got ready to find the treasure room.

  We didn't have to look far.

  Rigel

  wasn't kidding in her warning note about the traps! I actually lost

  count of how many there were. I nearly set one off when I almost missed

  my jump over a trap tile, too.

  Her treasure room was a crypt, and she kept her loot in a sarcophagus surrounded by bodies in niches.

  There was a trap there, too, probably to discourage grave robbers, along with a chest.

  When

  I pictured hoards of pirate treasure as a child, that is what I was

  thinking of! The sarcophagus was partially filled with grave dirt, but

  on top were gold and silver ingots, precious ores, gems, potions, a nice

  enchanted helmet, and bags of coins with lots of loose gold pieces

  scattered around.

  All that was missing was a crown and a strand of pearls.

  Erandur nodded approvingly as we looked it over. He said, "You know, for a bandit, the lady had style."

  That

  she did! She could've just used the chest that was right there. There

  was plenty of room in it, but she made a satisfying pile of loot,

  instead.

  I should do that in my room. Bowl of gems, at least.

  We emptied the treasure room, and got back on the road.

  Not

  far down the road we could see a trio of bandits (probably connected to

  Rigel's group) manning a rockfall trap hung over the road. We got ready

  for a fight, but a dragon showed up and started in on them!

  I

  decided to let the beast be the bandit's problem, and gestured for the

  others to follow me. We ran past the bandit's trap and down the road,

  and left the fight behind us.

  Soon enough a mist began to creep over the road, and the weather went from clear and bright to dark and gloomy.

  Valdimar said that we must be almost to Falkreath, and laughed.

  I

  asked what he meant by that, and he told me how he'd been there a few

  times on behalf of Idgrod. The town is known for its cemetery, and

  everyone there sort of latched on to the theme.

  As we walked up to the gates, a guard stopped us and asked if we'd seen a dog. Lod, the blacksmith, is offering a reward for it.

  Aside from Septim, we hadn't seen any, but said we'd keep an eye out.

  When

  we got into town and walked down the street, I saw what Valdimar meant!

  There's Dead Man's Drink, Grave Concoctions, Gray Pine Goods,

  Corpselight Farm… It's actually a bit impressive!

  It wasn't that late, so we decided to get all of our trading taken care before going to see the jarl.

  We

  went to the smithy first, and sold off our extra weapons and armor to

  Lod. He's very keen on getting his hands on that dog. He's looking for a

  good guard dog; Falkreath's a nice town, but the hold is mostly

  wilderness. That's smart! Septim's saved us more than once.

  I

  chatted with Lod while we traded, and told him how we'd found Septim

  battling a pack of wolves in the mountains above Solitude. He was

  impressed, and handed us some meat so I could hopefully catch that dog

  for him. Maybe having another dog around will tempt it?

  Worth a shot.

  I

  finished up there, and went into Gray Pine Goods. The owner, Solaf, was

  talkative as we bargained, and told me about how he used to be a

  Stormcloak until he was injured near Windhelm. He said his brother

  Bolund wasn't as friendly as he was, and that we shouldn't be offended

  if we have business with him at the mill.

  I need to order some lumber, so I thanked him for the warning, and we went on our way to the next shop, Grave Concoctions.

  The

  alchemist who runs it, Zaria, is a Redguard woman who moved here from

  Hammerfell because her family didn't approve of her interest in poisons.

  She loves it here in Falkreath, and feels right at home in the gloom!

  She's

  got some interesting stock, that's for sure. She's got the usual run of

  potions, but more poisons than I usually see. Strong ones, too. As for

  ingredients, well… She had TWO Daedra hearts! Erandur shot me a look and

  I bought them immediately. They were expensive, but he said they make

  for very strong healing potions.

  I made a note of that, and we went on to the mill.

  Bolund

  doesn't seem too bad. He said hello, and asked if I needed anything, so

  I ordered some wood and left. Nothing special, but Bolund did cast a

  sideways glance at Erandur. Maybe he was just being polite because he

  could smell gold coming his way.

  Anyway, this is where Lydia started to act strange. I don't blame her for it, either.

  As

  we walked to the Jarl's longhouse, she mentioned that she'd heard

  Dengeir was a good Jarl, if getting on in years. Valdimar gave her a

  strange look. Dengeir stepped down not long ago, he said.

  Lydia's

  eyes went wide and she demanded to know when that happened. I've never

  seen her look so… Shocked? I don't know. She can be hard to read,

  sometimes.

  Valdimar said Idgrod received notice of it about a week or so before he joined up with us.

  Lydia looked irritated, and said that she'd stay outside to "guard the door".

  Erandur

  pointed out that there were already two guards stationed outside, but

  she gave us a look that could scare a Death Hound, so we went inside and

  left her there.

  I'm not going to even try and be polite about this. There's no point.

  Siddgeir, the Jarl, is awful.

  I

  know his type. I can spot them a mile away; I've had to put up with

  enough of them back in the Capital. Rich boys like him would come to my

  part of town, looking for a wild time slumming it so they'd have a good

  story to tell their friends later. They make excellent marks, because

  they don't have a clue about what things actually cost, so conning them

  out of days worth of gold for a single meal and a rented room is easy.

  Add a bit of flattery, and I usually have them eating out of my hand

  within the hour.

  Sometimes literally! HAH!

  As much as they

  make my skin crawl, men like him do have their uses. So, I put on all

  the charm I could, given that I'm dressed in bloodstained mage robes and

  haven't had a bath in a few days, and bade him a good evening.

  He

  asked what I wanted, and when I mentioned his letter, he looked

  surprised. Yes, I'm the Bronwen he's heard about. He made no secret of

  looking me over, and while I was able to fall back on my old habits, it

  felt strange, like putting on shoes I haven't worn in a while.

  He

  said he summoned me because there were some bandits causing him

  problems. He beckoned me closer before he continued (why do they always

  wear the worst-smelling perfumes?) and said that he couldn't ask just

  anyone because he had some "dealings" with those bandits in the past. At

  first, they gave him a good cut, but they stopped paying once he became

  jarl.

  I told him not to worry about it, and then made some small talk. I wanted to know exactly how rotten he is.

  He

  said he became Jarl because his uncle, Dengeir, was sadly feeling his

  years and had to step down. He's now a Thane, and Siddgeir feels that

  his takeover is of great benefit to the hold.

  I asked him if it

  was difficult being a Jarl, especially with his inexperience, and he

  said it was the easiest job in the world. He gets to enjoy the finest

  food and drink on offer, and spend his days hunting with the finest

  hounds in the wilds of his hold. His steward handles everything to do

  with "the smallfolk." He said I should try it sometime!

  I smiled

  and laughed, and said I just might "try a jarl"! I made sure to give him

  a little wink, before bidding him good evening and walking out.

  Erandur

  and Valdimar had been hanging back, but within earshot, the whole time.

  They looked astonished as I turned around, but didn't say anything

  until we rejoined Lydia and got away from the guards.

  They asked why I'd agreed to help him - Money - but more than that - Was I actually flirting with him?

  Lydia

  actually cussed and spat at that, and I started to cackle. I explained

  my experience with guys like him, and how I was just trying to get all

  the gold out of him I could. Besides, as we've seen, the bandits around

  here have some good loot!

  They admitted that I had a point, and I asked Lydia what her history was with Siddgeir. She obviously knew him!

  She looked uneasy before she sighed and said that she'd tell us over dinner and drinks.

  "Lots of drinks."

  Once

  we were settled around a table in Dead Man's Drink and had rooms

  squared away for the night, Lydia told us that she was "acquainted" with

  Siddgeir.

  I asked how well "acquainted" they were, and she must

  have caught the insinuating tone in my voice, because she glared and

  said what she meant was that her fist was well acquainted with his face.

  We

  burst out laughing, and she said that she punched him in the face at a

  party in Whiterun two years ago. Valdimar asked why Irileth didn't skin

  her alive for laying hands on a Jarl's nephew while on duty, and Lydia

  chugged the rest of her ale before she said she wasn't there on duty.

  She was a guest.

  Now it was my turn to be confused. How did she get invited to a fancy party like that?

  Lydia

  ordered some mead, and drained half the bottle before she had us huddle

  in and whispered that her full name is Lady Lydia Clawthane.

  She was at the party with Siddgeir because her mother's been trying to marry her off to some noble or other for YEARS.

  When

  I heard that, so many things made sense. Her knowledge of how to run a

  household, history, maps, tactics, her manners… Everything a noblewoman

  would be expected to know. I asked her to tell us more, and she

  explained that the whole reason she and her little sister, Elfa, were

  born is because their big brother didn't "work out" like their parents

  planned.

  Valdimar interrupted here, and asked if her big brother

  was the same young Clawthane who used to stop by the College of

  Winterhold with a bunch of attendants to take tests and gather study

  materials every so often.

  Lydia said yes, that was him! His name is Onfin.

  Valdimar

  never actually met him, but watched some of his tests and helped put

  together study materials for him. He said Onfin was a natural!

  Absolutely terrifying, too.

  Lydia laughed and nodded. That's why

  he didn't work out! Their parents had hoped for a strapping youth they

  could turn into the most eligible bachelor in all of Skyrim. Instead,

  they ended up with a son "built like a Spriggan" who was more interested

  in magic than anything else.

  That didn't stop them from trying to

  turn him into a warrior, she said, but he rebelled "like a true

  Clawthane". He rigged up a weighted greataxe and used it to cut off his

  right hand when he was only nine years old!

  I've said it before and I'll say it again - They grow them different here in Skyrim.

  Valdimar

  was shocked. All the students wondered what was wrong with his hand on

  account of the enchanted glove he wore. They had no idea there wasn't

  even a hand in it!

  Lydia explained that his glove moved like a

  regular hand, but since there was no substance to it, he couldn't use it

  to hold on to things or even write with it. It was so he could cast

  spells with both hands.

  I couldn't believe it! He has a special glove made just for spell-casting!

  Anyway, since he couldn't swing a sword any more, he was free to practice magic, and that's how she and her sister came to be.

  Erandur

  grumbled about that. Having children just to use them as political

  bargaining chips was hardly what you would call "loving", he said, and

  Lydia half-agreed. Her parents love them and want the best for them, but

  they can't accept that their children might have different ideas about

  what "best" means.

  At least her sister didn't disappoint them. She

  said Elfa was more than happy to pursue life as a noblewoman, but not

  because of duty or anything like that. Elfa wanted the power, influence,

  and money. She had plenty of that as a Clawthane, but to get more she'd

  have to marry. Lydia said she'd even fallen in love, but their parents

  wouldn't allow it until Lydia found someone and got married, first.

  Isn't that awful? I can't imagine forcing someone's hand like that!

  We were all saying as much, and Lydia nodded as she started to kick back a new bottle of ale.

  She'd had at least four drinks by that point, maybe one more, but she needed it.

  She

  confessed that she didn't join the Guard because she loved upholding

  the law or had any special loyalty to Whiterun. She did it because she's

  good with a sword and wanted to get away from her mother! She also

  figured that if she joined up her parents would finally leave her alone

  and let her sister get married.

  While they did let Elfa get

  married, they didn't leave Lydia alone for long. Her mother was an

  absolute pest around Dragonsreach, apparently, and used to drop by to

  check on her. She would make sure Lydia had certain nights off to attend

  fancy parties, and was constantly asking after her guard postings to

  make sure they weren't "too dangerous". Irileth didn't care what she

  said and posted Lydia where she pleased, but having Lady Clawthane stop

  by and send letters so often was a nuisance.

  I could tell Lydia

  was starting to get a bit grumpy at this point, so I asked her about the

  party where she punched Siddgeir, and she brightened right up.

  Apparently

  her mother was really pushing for her to get to know him because they

  all knew he'd be Jarl of Falkreath someday, and he's considered quite

  the catch!

  I said I'd rather kiss the catch of the day, and Erandur almost choked on his wine.

  Anyway,

  Siddgeir said something to Lydia about how much he liked "conquering

  wild territories" and "hunting in the bush". (so gross) She said she was

  just going to walk away, but he put his hand on her waist and tried to

  pull her back!

  So, she broke his nose and laid him out flat with one hit.

  Valdimar pointed out that was nice of her. At least his organs were still on the inside!

  Lydia cackled, and ordered us another round.

  I

  whispered to the guys that we should probably start winding things

  down, and they agreed. Lydia was red in the face, and getting to that

  sleepy, giggly stage of drunk. I wanted her to still be mobile so I

  could get her to bed!

  I went up to the bar and chatted a bit with

  Valga, the owner of Dead Man's Drink, while she got me some bread for

  Lydia. I don't want her being too hungover in the morning! We've got

  work to do.

  Valga had caught on that we were adventurers, and told

  me that people have been going missing lately. She'd even heard that

  some of their hunters were gone. They'd been hunting bear up north of

  Falkreath, and she asked if we could look for them.

  I said I'd be

  glad to, and she showed me roughly where she thought they would be. She

  said the leader of the group is a man named Valdr.

  Right before I

  left to go back to our table, an old man with long white hair and

  wearing a set of leather armor that looks like its seen more battles

  than I have days came up to order a drink. He told me that unless I came

  to Falkreath to bury someone, I came to the wrong place.

  I said I

  wasn't planning on burying anyone anytime soon, and he said he just got

  done giving his old war companion, Berit, a proper Nord burial on a

  pyre.

  I paid for his drink to show my condolences, and he

  introduced himself as Thadgeir, the Jarl's other uncle. He said I seemed

  a decent sort, and asked if I'd be willing to do him one more favor. He

  asked me to deliver his friend's ashes to Runil, the Priest of Arkay.

  He'd know what to do with them.

  Of course I said I'd be honored,

  and took the ashes to our room before I headed back to the table with

  the bread for Lydia. Luckily, she ate some of it before she declared

  that she was getting too warm and sleepy, and wanted to go to bed.

  I'm so glad she's a happy drunk. I'd hate to see what sort of damage she could do if she was one of the fighty ones!

  I

  got her into bed and grabbed this thing so I could write out here,

  where it's quieter. Lydia snores like a horker after she's had a few,

  even though she'll swear from here to Secundus that she doesn't.

  Even Septim left our room to sleep out here by the fire.

  Anyway,

  Erandur and Valdimar have gone to bed. They spent most of the time I

  was writing pointing out all the little things about Lydia that hinted

  at her background, and now I'm one of three patrons left.

  I feel

  like I didn't do a lot today, but I'm dead tired. We have three things

  to do tomorrow, and with luck we'll be back here by nightfall with a

  nice haul.

  Poor Bronwen. Can't blame her for stalling, can we? Sometimes pushing yourself to do the Hard Thing isn't what you need.

  In the game, when I got to Helgen, I took one look around and

  thought, "Yeah, nah, Bronwen wouldn't be able to take this," so I

  literally closed my eyes, spun in a circle, and ran in a random

  direction. I kept jumping, too, running away from any threats I could

  hear, and eventually I found myself "stuck" running against the chopping

  block! The bandit came up so I Shouted him away (I had the "Marked for

  Death" shout ready to go) and waited for the rest of the party to find

  me. Septim actually did kill that bandit, and I really did almost freeze

  to death, too.

  The battle plan I came up with in Pinewatch actually worked! I was

  hoping the party would do as I wanted, and they did! I love moments when

  playing the game feels like playing a regular table-top, it's so good.

  ^_^

  Why yes, I normally play a Cleric, why do you ask?

  As for Riften, something about Lydia's always screamed "Nobility" to

  me, and I've had the headcanon that she was secretly (or in this case,

  not-so-secretly) a noblewoman ever since the game came out. Maybe it's

  the fact that every other housecarl is polite, but she'll snark at you? I

  dunno, she just always struck me that way. She feels like she treats

  the Dragonborn as an equal and not a Thane, and I'm going to say that's

  because she outranks you, or is at least on the same social level.

  And as much as I love the whole "noble runs away to disappear and

  live as a commoner" trope, joining the Whiterun guard makes secrecy damn

  near impossible. There's no way Jarl Balgruuf and Irileth wouldn't know

  her face, and even if they tried to keep her identity a secret, Lydia's

  meddling mother would make it painfully known.

  But the foreign woman from Cyrodiil? She didn't even know what a

  housecarl WAS, so Lydia could keep her secret and let herself be treated

  like a normal person because Bronwen only cares about rank when gold is

  involved.

  I took Lydia's last name from Lore around the god Tsun, and how he

  guards the Whalebone Bridge to the Hall of Valor in Sovngarde with his

  pack of wolves who've been accepted into Sovngarde, known as Clawthanes.

  I also wanted to give her a family that she would care about and not

  outright hate, but who were still... Intolerable enough for her to want

  to get the hell out of there, and impressive enough that she's sort of

  the family embarrassment. Of course, she doesn't care about that, but I

  can see how she'd rankle at being essentially nepo-babied into the

  position of being the Dragonborn's Housecarl. That's a position worthy

  of a Clawthane!

  Never mind that she's literally the best person for the job. I say

  Lydia didn't go with Irileth to the Western Watchtower because she was

  Irileth's star pupil. If the worst happened and Irileth died, Lydia

  would replace her as Balgruuf's housecarl.

  Of course, being assigned to the Dragonborn also means that Lydia's

  mother, Lady Clawthane, is now Bronwen's problem, not Balgruuf's.

  Aside from all the knowledge and training that Lydia has befitting a

  noble, I hope I was able to drop hints about her relationship with her

  family. She's familiar with magic because of her brother, and I'm sure

  she could tell instantly that Bronwen was no trained magic user right

  from the start! She's also no stranger to keeping an overly headstrong

  girl out of trouble, so being assigned to Bronwen was basically like

  making sure her little sister didn't get into anything too far over her

  head. I have a feeling that Elfa's the one who got them into trouble,

  and it was Lydia's job to get them out.

  Honestly, Lydia's the most sane of the Clawthane siblings. Her older

  brother's a powerful wizard obsessed with magic and her little sister's a

  noblewoman as cutthroat and power-mad as Potema. Lydia's like Bronwen.

  She just wants to be happy, and happy for her is doing her own thing and

  having fun!

  And I love having Valdimar somewhat connected to both Erandur and

  Lydia. I love when side characters have a history together, even if it's

  just something small like "Oh, hey, we went to the same college!" or

  "My aunt lives in that town." Makes the world feel more real, you know?