Conflicted. That’s how I feel now. Too many choices have crossed my path the last four days, as well as a lot of doubts.
I decided where I was camping was not ideal because it was miles from any stream or river. Screw plentiful game and nice forests. I needed to keep water so I packed up and checked my map for rivers and found what looked like good spot to camp half a days walk south west I had to swim to cross the river so I camped on the other side when I finally got to the crossing and waited for the sun to come tomorrow so that the water may be warmer to cross.
The moon wasn’t out that night. And I was raided by bandits! Even though the moon wasn’t out I felt itched to turn. And BY CHOICE I TURNED INTO A WEREWOLF!!!
I have never done this before! I had full control of my senses and body! The turning wasn’t painful it was exhilarating! My sight was blood red but my sense of smell was enhanced and I could smell… I think it was fear from the bandits. When I roared from excitement they ran. I chased after them and clawed them from two feet. Then the next one went down. Then another. I felt hungry, I ate. It was unbelievable… and then I heard the snap of a bush and smelt deer. I hunted that down and then turned back!
By choice! How the fuck I did all of that I do not know. The moon was shining bright when I returned and I did not feel the gutwrenching feeling of wanting to turn. I could go by choice! Was this a blessing from Hircine because I had survived five years? Or because I had become the Dragonborn?
Either way my adventures didn’t end there. I crossed the river next morning after a more restful night. Set up camp on the other side. It was a lovely shaded copse with a good view of the river. I refilled my water skin and some bottles with some of the river water before boiling the water to clean it.
After that I spent a full day hunting. A few bandits disrupted my hunting but there were a bunch of imperials that saved me from an imminent end by an Argonian’s bludgeoning. You see my favoured weapon is the bow but I sure do know how to flurry two axes in a dance of death. But that warhammer… I was staying the hell away from that.
However I am furious with what the empire has become now they are the Thalmor’s pets and I still hold that grudge for their immediate execution sentence. As well as the fact they banned worship to Talos. The temple of the one for Talos’ sake!! I am wondering if they are really the tyrannical empire the Nords here make them out to be. The imperials I have met on the road are friendly while the stormcloaks are paranoid.
That night even though the moon was out I did not turn. I could go about my business and even sleep.
Yesterday morning I carried on with my favourite activity: Hunting. There wasn’t much game and the first deer I had found was by tracking a pack of wolves and letting them kill it. I decided to cross the river and found competition from other hunters. I used that to my advantage. I let them track the deer and then I would kill it as well as the oblivious hunter. Double profit! While on the other side of the river I cam by a wrecked shack and it had a small hatch in the floor that was written: Redwater Den.
I decided to explore and found myself in a skooma dealing den! I killed everyone there! This was wrong. And it just went from bad to worse. As I went deeper into the factory underground Vampire thralls, Death Hounds, and Vampires themselves guarded it. I have a feeling that Orc in Markarth was right.
If vampires are running a skooma den then it is getting out of hand. I decided to clear it. The cave went on forever with more and more vampires and their hounds. AT one point there were three hounds, a master vampire and two lesser vampires. I turned right there and then and slaughtered them all before turning back. One of them had a beautiful Orcish war axe and I took it to replace one of my steel ones. As delved deeper into this damned cavern system I found a Journal from a certain Venarus Vulpin.
It turns out he was a vampire that had come across rumor of a red water fountain, a blood fountain. He wanted to keep it as a source of food by adding it into a skooma mixture for cattle because he needed some odd chalice to drink from the “red water”.
I delved deeper and finally found this Vulpin and took him out once more as a beast. And turned back right away. I am starting to love this –curse- gift. The blood fountain was horrific. At this point in time I was swimming in coin. About 4000 septims from these vampires and decided to return to my camp for one more night before returning to town to sell my spoils from hunting and routing the Redwater Den.
This morning I headed off to Riften and on the road a dragon was terrorizing a farmstead and something urged me to help out the poor family and I slew the dragon absorbing its soul again. More of its memories rushed to my head and one word was branded in the back of my head again LAAS. I remember now that it was from when I was the beast and had climbed the mountain from Shor’s Stone.
It was late when I arrived in Riften and the shops were closing so here I am in the Bee and Barb relaxing. But pondering.
Maybe I should head west to Ivarstead and accept my fate as the Dragonborn, whatever that may be. Or I could fight this vampire menace that the Orc mentioned and head east to fort Dawnguard.
I am going to be considering these options through the next few hunting trips. Good Night Journal!
I hope you enjoyed, comments would be appreciated.
Next chapter
