C.o.t.D: Chapter 3 - Leaving Dawnstar

• Posted by A-Pocky-Hah! January 15, 2016 - 1,269 views

  Chapter 3: Leaving Dawnstar

  

   12th First Seed, 4E 201

  Axius was sitting by the firepit, eating a loaf of bread with snowberry jam and hot herbal tea for breakfast in the Windpeak Inn. The innkeeper said it was free of charge for what he did for the town.

  As he was munching, Axius recalled his brief conversation with Erandur last night before he went back to Dawnstar.

  “Axius, I thought I could give you a rumor of sorts before you go.”, Erandur offered as Axius was about to head back to Dawnstar. Strong gales of wind blew through the two as the Imperial clutched his wolf skin cloak with his right hand.

  “What kind of rumor?”, Axius asked as he shot a look of curiosity at the Dunmer.

  “Well... I heard that some bodies in the Hall of the Dead in Markarth were discovered... eaten.”, Erandur nervously said.

  “Eaten?”, Axius was spooked when he heard the word. What or who could of eaten the bodies of the deceased?

  “Yes, my friend. There were bite marks on what was left of the bodies.”, Erandur continued. “The priest of Arkay there is trying to keep it from spreading to the public. Maybe you should offer your assistance to him.”

  “I will. So where is this... Markarth?”

  “It’s located at the western edge of Skyrim in the Reach, near the border of High Rock.”, Erandur marked the location on Axius’s map.

  “Do be careful, Axius. The hills of The Reach are home to the Forsworn, savage natives of the land who will kill anyone. And there’s only two things that flow through Markarth, Blood and Silver....”, he warned.

  “Blood and Silver?”, Axius muttered to himself as he munched the crispy bread bits inside his mouth.

  Infront of him was a young woman, about 3 years younger. She was sweeping the floor, humming a tune. Karita was her name as Axius remembered. She was the innkeeper’s daughter and a natural born singer. Her mother passed away two years ago and she is deeply concerned about her father, working around the clock without even going out.

  “Poor girl, she reminds me a bit of myself”, Axius thought as he eyed the girl while taking a slow sip from his tea.

  He wiped his mouth with the back hand of his now healed left hand that was injured after stopping Thorek’s sword from swinging down on him. He was lucky that the sword wasn’t sharpened or else he would of lost a good shield arm. Speaking of shields....

  Axius put on his gauntlets, fastening the leather straps, making sure it’s secured tight and  headed outside but not before saying farewell to the innkeeper and his daughter.

   

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  Axius breathed in some fresh cold air as he stepped outside The Windpeak Inn. However, the smell of the air was tainted by the smoke coming out from the two smelters located at the opposite sides of the town. Axius moved his hand into his black satchel on his left, opening it. He took out a list and begin browsing it.

  “Two days supply of food? Check. Fur tent? Check....”

  Dawnstar was strangely quiet today. Townsfolk were taking a day off to sleep after the nightmares had ended. Guards were still patrolling although only a few were on duty, they would soon be replaced by another guard after a few rounds. The waves from the Sea of Ghost calmly crash into the shores, creating a scene of tranquility in the area... until a loud noise interrupted it.

  “Look out! Coming through!”, shouted a childish voice followed by a guard yelling.

  Axius looked at his left, as his reading was cut short by the voice. He saw a small boy in green clothing, running as fast as the wind, his face was blocked by the assortment of mining tools he was carrying. Axius realised that he was standing in front of the boy’s path and step backwards, up the stairs before the boy ran past him and gave the Imperial a faint “Thank You” as he ran. Axius gave one last look at the boy before continuing browsing his list.

  “Where did I left off? Oh right, shield...”, Axius said to himself bitterly.

  Nightcaller Temple didn’t have much loot as most of them were either destroyed by the Orcs or burned down. The only thing to proved to be of value was the Mace of Aevar Stone-Singer and a light purple cloak which seems to be well preserved as well as a few gems found in a drawer. Axius was grinding his teeth due to the fact that there’s not even one shield inside the temple.

  He walked to the Blacksmith’s house to buy a new shield. It was just in front of the Inn just below the hillside, near the small dock. As he approached, the Imperial could see the blacksmith at his station with 2 crates of swords piled near the corner.

  “You’re here for purchase or repair?”, announced the blacksmith in a monotonous tone as he was busy sharpening a sword.

  The blacksmith was a middle aged Nord. His forehead had small wrinkles as sparks from the grindstone shower across his face, his hair was gray like his clothes and by the looks in his eyes, he seemed tired.

  “Purchase. I’m looking for a shield”, answered Axius.

  “...shield? I think I got one somewhere..”, the blacksmith yawned before he walked toward the counter where the shield was. He stumbled when he nearly reach it only to regain his balance.

  “Are you okay? You should be resting. There’s no more nightmares left to haunt you.”, Axius said worryingly.

  “I wish I could do that, but Jarl Skald has ordered me and my wife to double the production of arms for the Stormcloaks. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t let us get some sleep even for a few hours before starting. Seren is currently taking a nap so she could take continue my job later.”, the blacksmith told the Imperial when he gave him the shield.

  “I’ll go talk to the Jarl. Perhaps I could convince him to give you two a break.”

  “You would? I would appreciate it, stranger. Just don’t try to get on his bad side. Skald really hates the Empire, especially elves and Imperials.”, the blacksmith thanked Axius before resuming his task.

  Axius now has to deal with another problem in Dawnstar. This time, his weapon is his tongue.

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  The White Hall was a large two-storey structure of traditional Nordic design. Roofs made out of straw with wooden walls and a tall roof that was build on top of the first roof. Inside, was the main hall where the Jarl holds court. Each side had stairs which leads up to the second platform. At the center, were two round firepits, providing warmth and light source for the room.

  Axius entered the White Hall with ease as there was only one guard standing at the door and he only had to reveal who he was. He saw at the other end of the hall, the Jarl alongside his housecarl, arguing with Brina Merilis.

  "This isn't over. I catch you sending one letter to General Tullius, I'll have you both executed.", Skald’s voice echoed through the room when he threatened her. Brina’s only response was a sigh before walking away from the elderly ruler.

  Axius then caught Brina’s attention as she neared him. She was much more awake than yesterday. She walked like an Imperial Officer with armor, showing no signs of feminine movement.

  “It’s good to see you again. I heard you and that priest of Mara have solved our nightmare problem. Dawnstar will never forget what you did.”, she congratulated him before asking about why he’s here.

  “Business.. you know.”

  Axius’s answer was short and simple to which Brina could understand. She then walked out of the hall, leaving only Axius with the Jarl and his housecarl. He approach the Jarl who sat on his throne, scanning the Imperial with his wrinkly eyes.

  “I hope your a sellsword, because I already have enough problems with the Empire today.”, Skald gruffly said. He was old as shown by his bald hair and thin arms, exposed from his sleeveless noble clothes.

  “I’m here about the blacksmith.., my Jarl”, Axius lowered his voice, trying act modest to pacify the already agitated Skald.

  “Ah yes, Rustleif and his wife. I suppose your here to tell me that they have finished making 50 swords for the Stormcloaks. It is a noble cause, to help Ulfric reclaim what is rightfully ours.”, Skald exclaimed in pride, showing his support for Ulfric and his militia.

  “No, my Jarl. I was wondering if you could give them… a break”, He gulped before finishing his sentence, awaiting what comes next.

  “A break!? Just who do you think you are boy? I ordered them to make 50 swords for the Stormcloaks and by Talos, that is what I want.”, Skald raised his voice, bringing it back to where it was when he was arguing with Brina, his face reddened with rage. The housecarl had his hand on the pommel of his sword, waiting for further orders.

  “Forgive me, my Jarl. But these people have been suffering from nightmares for countless of days, even you. Just give them a few hours of rest. You could have your swords and even perhaps more by the end of the week.”, Axius informed Skald about the recent event which left him thinking.

  “Alright, I’ll give them 2 hours of rest just because you saved us from those nightmares. But that’s it, I’ll expect the swords to be finish by the end of the week.”, Skald calmed down before Axius removed himself from court.

  “Thank Zenithar, that was close..”, Axius sighed in relief.

   

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  Rustleif was relieved when he saw the Imperial walked out of The White Hall, not accompanied by guards.

  “The Jarl has given you and your wife two hours of rest. But the Jarl would want his swords before the end of the week.”, he spoke to the Nord when he approached the station.

  “Thank you, stranger. Two hours is better than two minutes.We could finish it by then. Please, keep the shield as a token of our gratitude.”, Rustleif smiled in content.

  “So, are you staying here for any longer?”, he added

  “No, I’m off to Markarth. There’s some problems there that need to be dealt with. ”, Axius replied.

  “Is there a faster way to get to Markarth?”

  “As a matter of fact, yes. Harlaug, the ferryman just arrived. He could take you to Solitude and from there, you can use the horse carriage and head south-east. He’s just over there just beyond those two houses.”, Rustleif pointed out.

  “Thank you. And the name’s Axius, should we ever meet again”.

  “I’ll remember that, Axius.”, Rustlief replied as he went inside his house.

  Axius headed for the shoreline, passing through the two houses. He could see the ferryman sitting on his boat, waiting for passengers. “Looking to hire a boat?”, Harlaug greeted.

  “I need to get to Solitude, I’m sure this would suffice”, Axius said as he dropped a small bag of gold onto the ferryman’s rough hands.

  The ferryman smiled as he counted the shiny gold coins.

  “This will do indeed. Climb on in and let’s get this over with.”, he hastily said.

  “I hope you brought some fur cloaks, it’s gonna be a chilly voyage”, Harlaug commented as he pushed his boat into the Sea of Ghost.

  “Oh gods, as if that ride through the Pale Pass wasn’t cold enough…”, Axius muttered to himself, lifting his head up in frustration.

  Table of Contents

  

  Author's Notes:

  This one is slightly shorter than the previous two as I'm planning to split the journey to Markarth into three chapters. If there's a problem with the blog's format... I blame Google Docs.