Assignment Skyrim Borders—Day 1 17th of Last Seed 4E 201

  • My name is Forrest Pingham, Second Lieutenant, Imperial Geodetic and Coast Survey. My assignment is to survey the borders of Skyrim with particular interest in caves, military ruins and shipwrecks.  The list of things my commanders did not tell me about this assignment has grown as long as my arm, and I’ve only been in-country one day.

    1)   No one told me tobacco was a controlled substance in Skyrim.  Sure, I had heard it was damn hard to find; that’s exactly why I was carrying so many smokes as I crossed the border.  Nobody said I could get arrested for that!  And damn those Legion grunts who won’t recognize my commission just because they’ve never heard of my Service!  The IGCS has a long and illustrious military history.  Many times, we’ve gone into enemy territory ahead of the Legion to make the maps upon which they rely.  Yet today we get no respect at all.

    2)   By. The. Gods! Nobody told me about the megafauna!  I escaped from the Legion only because some massive Skyrim monster destroyed the entire town.  Then, while bugging out through the lower levels of the keep with a rebel, we came across poisonous spiders the size of bears, and a bear the size of… well, a bear.  Is this what I can expect from every cave I survey?

    3)   No one mentioned bandits.  I was walking through the moonless night until a half hour ago, and it did not feel good being alone.  I kept conjuring up Old Rusty, just so I would have some company. Suddenly, shhhhhunk! There’s an arrow lodged in the embankment next to my knee!  I ran until I was exhausted and then ducked into the underbrush and stayed there until I was sure no one was following.

    The Needs of the Service… right?  I know, I know.  I should be used to it.  You never walk into any assignment with all the intel you wish you had. It’s just been a long day.  It’s currently One in the Morning, and I am sitting in a room at the Dead Man’s Drink in Falkreath enjoying a couple of puffs on a cigarette from a tin the legionnaires did not manage to find.  Reluctantly, I wet my fingers and pinch it out, putting the butt back in the tin to save for later.  I don’t know how I’m going to get through this assignment without my smokes.

    The Legion not only confiscated my supplies, but they also took my surveying gear.  What in Oblivion did they think it was, anyway?  Tomorrow, I’ll sell some of this armor and weapons I picked up on the way out of Helgen to the blacksmith, and see if he can put together a decent level with a sighting scope and a surveying rod for me. I’ll also need a compass.  I still have my map, thank Kynareth!  After that, I think I’d like to hire an assistant—someone who can hold the rod and also fight off the megafauna.  Then, it’s straight south to the border, which I will locate by triangulation off the local mountain peaks.  Time for some shut eye.

     

Comments

4 Comments
  • Kynareth
    Kynareth   ·  April 17, 2012
    The whole concept of this character is very refreshing and enjoyable to read, along with your trademark crisp writing style.  I like that Forrest is a "normal" company man...I look forward to reading your posts in order, as I have been absent and now is m...  more
  • dovahreid
    dovahreid   ·  April 4, 2012
    haha great post..cant wait for next installment....
  • ricardo maia
    ricardo maia   ·  April 4, 2012
    The Imperial service is no longer the efficient machine it was in the good times of Septim dinasty. How can the legionnaires not recognize a IGCS officer? Fortunately some characters are still guided by that old sense of honor and duty, even if they have ...  more
  • Guy Corbett
    Guy Corbett   ·  April 4, 2012
    Excellent this is going to brill. I can't wait for him to run out of smokes he's going to lose his mind lol It should be interesting to see which companion he goes for. Nice first post. I like the little touch of him bumming out the smoke and saving it till later