3rd of Hearthfire, 4th Era 201
I've decided to spend a few days exploring and camping in the wilds. Perhaps the blatant racism many of Windhelm's residents displayed is the cause, but I long for the quiet and solitude of the snowy forests. I gathered plenty of food and then headed out of Windhelm's side gate, off into the snowy north mountains.
There was a small dirt path winding it's way between large boulders, which I followed until I reached a paved road. Following it west for about a mile, the crumbling walls of an old fort came into view, crawling with skeletons and people in black robes rustling in the cold breeze. Dismounting Blacktail, I tied him securely to a tree out of view and walked to the fort on foot.
The skeletons all died with ease, but the necromancers proved much more challenging. They launched orbs of swirling frost that chilled my muscles and stiffened my joints, pelting me with bolts of ice as I tried to close the distance. Once withing range of my blade, though, they died as easily as any other man.
When I climbed to the top of the keep, through a ladder in what appeared to have been the commanders quarters, I discovered a grotesque sight. A horse, with it's neck slit, was lain in front of an alter. I was curious, however: how had they gotten such a massive beast up here?
The rest of the fort held little of interest; just a prison with several empty cells. I made my way back to Blacktail, depositing a few potions I had found into his saddlebags, and then we were back on our way. The wind had picked up some, blowing whisps of snow about, but the sun still shone brightly.
I continued along the main road, heading West until I noticed some standing stones before a cave. Tying Blacktail up to one of the stones, I headed down into the cave. It's walls were sheathed in slabs of ice, the sounds of slowly dripping water echoin throughout. At the entrance, a rusting great sword lay among a jumble of bones laying beside a chart containing a chest. I looted the chest of a few potions and continued into the cave, careful not to slip on the slick ice floor.
The frozen cave led past a pair of ice wraiths, ferocious creatures but not particularly deadly, and into some ancient Nord ruins. Draugr roamed the halls, but they are old and easily hacked apart by Dawnbreaker. Occasionally you might find one that's substantially tougher than the others, but for the most part they are a minor threat.
The only items of value I located in the first area of the ruins were eight silver ingots, and I slipped the small bars of metal into my haversack with a clink. The second area proved even less valuable; some potions and two more silver ingors were all that awaited me. When a draugr popped out of an important-looking coffin, with a chest set a few yards on a rise behind him, I thought I might be in luck.
Unfortunately I was to be dissapointed; upon slaying the draugr (Which proved to be a tough fight. At one point I had run away healing myself as he chased me around.) and investigating the chest, I found it held little more than some gold coincs and an axe of orichalcum.
I made my way back to Blacktail and decided to find a nice place to set up camp and nap for a few hours. This day hadn't been particularly lucky, and I hoped that maybe after a break my fortunes would change. Noticing a path heading up into a small canyon in the mountains, I directed Blacktail up it, hoping the elevation would allow me a better view. Perhaps I would be able to spot a good place to set up camp.
Much to my surprise, I discovered a frozen corpse huddled in a rock crevice. The corpse was unrecobnizable, dried from constant wind and withered from freezing cold. But wrapped around it was the most luxurious cloak I had ever seen; made of thick, midnight black wolf fur. I had never seen the like, and the entire cloak and hood seemed to be made a single fur; the beast it had come from must have been enormous.
The cloak was old, but in good condition, conserved by the cold and sheltered from the worst of the winds by the crevice. I unwrapped it from the dead man's body and shook it out, then took off my old wool cloak, rolling it up and strapping it to the bottom of a saddlebag. The black fur cloak went around my shoulders in it's stead, and it was then I noticed the feathers sewn and half buried into the fur.
They were shiny and black, from raven or crow. I wondered what their purpose was; merely decoration, or to add water resistance? Whatever the case, it gave the cloak a strange look. But it was warm, and very cozy, and I was glad to have it as the wind whipped around me whilst I looked back down the mountain I had just come up.
There was an inn, beside a steaming pond with a tiny wooden dock, but I had no desire to stay there. Thankfully a small ways off to the West of the inn was a decent stand of trees; enough to break some of the wind and provide ample firewood. I nudged Blacktail back down the path and headed that way.
A Kahjiit trading caravan was fighting an ice wolf, and I spurred Blacktail into a gallop to come to their aid, but they killed it before I could reach them. I hailed them and asked if any were hurt, but they said that they were fine and asked if I wanted to trade. I sold the few potions, scrolls, and soul gems I had collected and then got to chatting with them as they headed West along the road. One of the Khajiit, a male named Kharjo, mentioned that a moon amulet given to him when he was a cub had been stolen by some bandits.
When I offered to retrieve the amulet should I ever come across it, he said that it had been stolen when the caravan was South of Riften, and the bandits had flown East. If I am ever by there I shall need to remember to try and find the bandit lair. I bid the Khajiit farewell ("May your roads take you to warm sands", as they are fond of saying) and then dismounted Blacktail and led him by the reigns as I searched for a good flat spot to set up camp.
A light snow was falling as I built a small fire and sat on a log before the flames, finishing off a waterskin and some bread and cheese. I laid down for a nap in my bedroll, and it was so warm and cozy that I slept longer than I had meant to; by the time I awoke, the sun was beginning to set. This area was nice, though, and I didn't mind much; I simply decided that I would call it a day and rest here till morning.
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