Posted by
Paul M May 4, 2014 -
428 views
It's Tirdas 19th of Last Seed, and the time is 11:22am. I'm a young man with a shack in the wilderness, and I have a date with this alchemy table. Even though there's a lot of food in here, none of it is any use to an alchemist, and I'll need ingredients before I can make anything. Using some logical reasoning I figure that the reason the old lady moved out to this murderous locale was because it was rich with ingredients. I head out to see what I can find.
Heading down to the river I see a small camp and a boat on the other side. I cross and talk to a hunter, but she is so in to her hobby that she's actually a bit dull to talk to. I make my excuses and swim back across, no mean feat in this much pillaged armour.
Heading west I eventually come to a jetty that looks like it's used for loading and unloading. There must be something nearby then surely, so I start conducting a widening search radius at this spot. It doesn't take much looking to see a worn path, which leads to something I call the South Brittleshin Pass: a route through the mountain. I cautiously consider it, but turn back instead. I am still looking for ingredients, and I want to make use of the aloof lady's bed at least once before striking out into the wider world.
I turn back, and follow the path higher up the side of the mountain. I find some large bones, which I think are probably mammoth remains, long dead. In amongst them is a human skeleton, also quite aged, but curiously there are three patches of fresh blood. As I stand there musing on the mystery of the masticated mastodons, something injures me, but I can't find what it was. I think I will call this mountain Mammoth Rock.
I go south, which is indeed like going downhill, and then turn east to head back to the shack. So far I've got two thistles to show for my efforts, which isn't really going to make much of a potion. East is definitely the place to be, and I pick various coloured mountain flowers before spotting a dead body. As I approach a surly unseen gent tells me to get out of here, so I turn and head back to the river side. Riverwood comes into view so I follow the river back in that direction.
A stag stuck against a rock nearly gets killed, but manages to effect a good escape just in time. Maybe I should have got some tips from the hunter lady earlier. I bet she'd be wearing that stag's antlers by now. In the river I find slaughter fish eggs, and then by the rotting trees I collect a bunch of mushrooms. There is a noisy waterfall next to an iron ore vein, but I will need a pick axe to mine that. It's now 5pm, so I decide to pop to the tavern in Riverwood before turning back to the shack for the evening.
The Sleeping Giant Inn is a nice enough place, and I meet Delphine, who rents rooms for 10 coins, and Orgnar who cooks food. He is something of an Oscar the Grouch type, but he has an alchemy lab which I can use free of charge, and he assures me he has plenty of ingredients for sale. I may not head back to the shack after all.
I hear someone singing and meet Sven, the bard who is also vying for the trader's sister's affection. He gives me a counter letter "from the elf" to give to her. I get the feeling this is going to blow up in their faces, but I'll think about it later. I buy some ingredients and head over to the alchemy table, only to find the lady herself is using it. I give her Sven's letter, explaining the attempted deception. She asks me to let the elf know, but seems otherwise not too bothered.
I eventually figure out that I need to eat the ingredients with unknown effects, and then I use what's left to make a few potions. There's no one to sell the potions to though, so I rent a room for the night and turn in till 6:30 the following morning. Then it's a quick trip to the trader to cash in my potions, a brief word to the wandering elf returning home, and then I inspect the smith's forge. I can make a dagger, but I really want a pick axe to mine the iron I found before. No dice. I ask Alvor but he hasn't got one to give away.
To heck with it. There's not much happening here so I'll head to Whiterun, partly to get a pickaxe, but also there was that dragon and stuff. Alvor refreshes me on the directions and I set out. Just as I leave I think about Haldor. Because technically he was one of the soldiers in Helgan who was going to see me executed, for no crime and no good reason. Should I just let that go? I contemplate going and settling up with him, but then I think about Alvor, who I would almost certainly have to kill as well. I'll save my wrath for now, and see what happens down the road. But I will have some justice, when the time comes.
Down the road a ways I eventually come to a meadery within sight of Whiterun. A noble on a horse and a guardsman are ahead, and as I approach a large crab sidles up and is dealt with by them. As I try to search it I somehow steal the noble's horse, but quickly hop off and everyone is cool. I nonchalantly pick some flowers till they move on. It would be a bit awkward to hang around with them now.
I have a quick chat to Sabjorn at the meadery and buy some food to eat. I don't need to eat for any game reason, but I feel I should at least once a day. I might also start squatting in the woods for 10 minutes every day, just for the authenticity. I glance round the rest of the place, picking the lock to Sab's room but the one on his closet thwarts me. I'll have to come back another day to see what's happening there.
Outside three hired thugs confront me, here to teach me a lesson apparently. I wonder if this is because I stole the horse. I run off and they don't follow at first, but then decide to actually earn whatever money they've been paid. I fireball one of them but to no effect. I then really leg it, seeing some imperial troops ahead. They're cowards too it seems and they run off leaving me to the thugs. I pick a lock at some farm, hoping to hide within, but the thugs aren't that dumb, and I once again praise the quick save feature. When I come to the thugs are gone, and I leave the farm to proceed to Whiterun.
I can't see the wooden walls the guide book mentioned. I decide they must be round the back, and take a little detour before heading in. As I go I find the Battle-Born farm, and get some pocket money for picking leeks. I'm moving on to the wheat when I see someone setting a tree on fire on the other side of the river. Intrigued, I head over and find a dead body and an angry novice fire mage, which quickly becomes two dead bodies. Searching the angry man I find a shoulder of human flesh. The other body is a novice ice Mage. I'm sure there's a story here, but damned if I know what it is. I take all their belongings, hoping to use their robes to enchant something in Whiterun.
Except I can't just walk away for some reason. What is the story here? I look around and see a small stone plateau to the northeast, and decide to investigate that. As I approach a man says "that's close enough". I am at the ritual stone, with a cloaked man holding a dagger. In a flash of brilliance I change into one of the novice mage's robes, hoping to approach and see what's happening in a hitman sort of style. It doesn't work, possibly because I forgot to take my iron gloves and helmet off. Raising two skeletons, the man turns out to be a novice necromancer. He resists my fire magic, but is no match for the blade, and the skeletons drop when he does. I take his stuff and examine the ritual stone. I activate it and a trophy pops up, but not much else.
Taking in the view I slip over some rocks and discover Greywinter watch. I'm getting seriously off track here though, and decide that 5:40pm is a good time to head to Whiterun.
I cross the river and then circle the walls clockwise to find the entrance. A guard gives me some friction but I persuade him that I'm not a dragon, and am allowed to pass in to the city. For some reason I already don't like the place. The Drunken Huntsman calls to me, but it turns out its a hunting supply shop, run by Elrindir the cat like man. I'm after a tavern really, so I move on. At The Bannered Tavern I rent a room from Hulda, and ask her about magic. Winterhold and somewhere else is the place to go. Whatever, I'm tired and off to find the room I just rented.
