Collecting Bounties page 5

I had fallen asleep right in the middle of my thoughts, but that was fine, the next day dawned sunny and cold, but no ice lingered on the ground. We were able to leave the tower and head back to Whiterun. The pack's of loot we carried were heavy and I missed Shyla, but it wasn't a long walk and it gave more time to think.

I liked the Tundra, the wide open vistas, the grassland would be perfect for a small horse herd. I would have to see about some land, but first find the right area. Water, good soil for planting. a good ore vein for mining, wood for harvesting and easily defensible, that was very important. I would keep my eye's open.

We stopped as we rounded a bend, two mages were fighting each other, one throwing firebolts the other ice spikes. Navitas stopped right beside me and chuckled, then said five septim's on the fire mage wining. So we watched as the two went back and forth, neither seeming to get the upper hand. About the time we both started shifting, getting tired of waiting a roar from above drew our attention.

The dragon flew in from over the mountain and hovered above the two mages and spat a green goo at the two of them. The Ice mage as slightly quicker and put up a shield that caused the goo to pass around him, the Fire mage was covered and soon fell to the ground dead.

Navitas and I looked at each other and backed up slowly, trying not to draw the dragon's attention. We made it to a huge hollowed log when we heard the dragon coming closer, Navitas hurried into the log, pushing her pack ahead of her. I went in backwards and kept my pack in front of me in case the dragon landed, I could protect us at least partly.

When I felt her hand on my hip I stopped and hunkered down. When the dragon flew overhead, I watched and then crawled toward the opening and watched as it swooped down by the river and then kept flying in that direction. I sat down where I was and rested my head against the tree.

Navitas crawled up beside me and looked out. We both heard the dragon in the far distance, I moved to get out and then helped her out also. When we got to where the mages were we looked at them both, Naviatas elbowed me in the rib's and said the Ice Mage lasted longer, I laughed when she handed over the five septims. We hurried on our way to Whiterun, walls may not stop a dragon from flying overhead, but they would make us both feel a bit safer.

We sold off our loot, went and got the bounty money for the bandit's and told the Steward about the Chiss being there. He shook his head and said he would let the Jarl know, but was glad we had taken care of them, as they were worse than the bandit's.

I grunted at the prospect of another night on the floor when Hulda said she only had one room, but it would be warm and dry if not the most comfortable. We took our meal on the balcony that overlooked the common room and talked about what we needed to do. Running or hiding was not an Orc's way to deal with anything, but in that case it was the prudent thing to do, Navitas agreed with that, though I still felt the coward.

We decided to work on our armor and to get some charm's and wards against the things that we felt the dragons might use. Fire, Frost, Lightning and Poison, we had seen that one in action. Those would of course help us with mages also.

We came out from our bargaining with the Court Wizard and I had to laugh we both had more gold, silver and jewel's hanging off our bodies than a Chief's favorite wife. Navitas had even had her ear's pierced to get more charms. I felt the fool enough with what I was wearing, but the wizard said each charm had to touch the body and should not be to close to another. Well most mercenaries did carry their wealth around their neck's, what wasn't invested in armor and weapons. We were acting the Mercenary by taking bounties, so.

We left town with another bounty and hope that we would not run into anymore dragons. I had never seen any at home and how many of the large beast's could Skyrim carry and not be stripped of game?

Working Together pg 4

After speaking to the Steward and getting my bounty money, I stopped and talked to the Jarl's brother Hrongar. We discussed the arrival of these Chiss, he and his brother were both worried about them, though the Jarl had more pressing matter's on his hands. He and a few others were tasked with keeping an eye and ear out to see what they were up to, he asked me to do the same and let him know.

I was about to take my leave when a female Orc walked up, she was wearing the armor of the Dawnguard. Hrongar introduced us and when Navitas told him that is was actually me she wished to speak with, he took his leave. I asked what it was I could do for her.

She like I needed someone to watch her back, the Chiss were attacking travelers indiscriminately and it was getting so that they were more dangerous than the Vampires that she was hunting for the bounties. It turned out the her "Sister of the heart" had been turned and she along with another of her Heart Sisters had been bounty hunting, like me. The three of them doing very well, but now, the other two were headed for Cyrodill  Azul  knew someone there that knew of a cure, she did not trust the man in Morthal.

They would be back, but it might take some time, with the Empire stopping everyone at the border. We came up with a plan, they had already gotten a bounty, some bandits hold up in a fort that was meant to safe-guard the road where harassing travelers for a toll. The four of us would go clear the tower, but the other two would hang back and only help if Navitas and I needed the help.

A strange sight, we stood off at a distance and watched the Chiss attack the bandits. I rolled my shoulders and looked back at the Ladies and asked Navitas what she thought. She lifted one shoulder elegantly and dropped it, then said that we should give them a moment and then approach the tower, if they attacked, well the bounty did say "clear the tower".

And attack they did, even though I held my hand's up and tried not to startle the man turned, with his weapon drawn and came at me with blood in his eye for Orc. Navitas stepped out to the side  and put a crossbow bolt right between his eyes and then the real fight began.

The Nic and Azul hung back, Nic firing arrow's at the Chiss across the bridge in the other tower, Azul lobbed fire balls at them. My swords dripped red blood by the time not a Chiss breathed. I did not feel bad about it and helped the women to loot the corpses and pack up the items.  Nic and Azul took the lightest of the loot, as they had a far piece to travel.

Navitas and I hunkered down, the other two thought they could make Darkwater Crossing, before a storm we could see on the horizon hit. Then, they were heading  in the direction the storm was going, we in the one it was coming from.

I stood in the doorway and watched as the storm rolled in off the plains, it was fierce and I only hoped the other two made it to town or a good cave, the lightning was striking hard. Navitas had made us some dinner and I ate it with gratitude, but quickly as I could feel the air getting damp and cooler and did not want the food cold. When finished I thanked her and picked both our plates up and washed them in a bucket of water.

We both looked at the bed with a grimace, neither of us wanted to chance the vermin that might be crawling around in it. So I found an ax, battle axe and chopped it to pieces.  She had found a broom and swept the area and then threw some kind of herb around, said it would deter the bugs. We spread our bedrolls out and the storm hit, if felt like the temperature dropped to near freezing.

I walked back to the doorway and watched for a moment, what had started as a light rain, was now a mix of rain and ice. I thought for a moment and felt Navitas come up beside me and look out at the storm. We stood there for a good long time, she said she hoped her friends were warm and dry at an Inn. I looked down at her and nodded, when she said she thought it would be snowing before mid-night.

We might be dry, but it would be freezing before morning. I thought about that for a moment, the walls were stone, but the floors old dry half rotted wood. Obviously lighting a fire on the wood wasn't a good idea, but the first floor with the stone floor, was a stream. The fire needed to be off the wood, I had an idea. I gathered the items I wanted.

First thing I did was put down some leather and  some of the plates I found around down, upside-down, then nestled a large shield so that it was stable and the "bowl" was up. I filled that with water and placed a large kettle in the bowl, the feet kept the kettle out of the water. I lit the fire inside the kettle, which was not far from where our feet would be.

Navitas looked at the fire and nodded, saying that was a clever way to keep us warm. It left a warm glow in the pit of my stomach to know that she approved of my innovation, not everyone would.

"You are not a traditional Orc?" I thought about that for a moment, what was tradition.

"No, I don't suppose I am, not in the way of most Strongholds." But I wanted a stronghold of my own, didn't I? I mulled over that in the silence, watching the shadow's play on the ceiling as the fire flickered.

"So Kurdan Gro-Olar, why did you come to Skyrim?"  That was an easier question, but the answer was no simpler.

" I came to make a name for myself, so that I could provide a home for my Heart-Mother and youngest brother. I have no doubt that I could, in the traditional manner kill my older brothers, but I have no desire to do so. That is not what I want to do. " She was quiet a minute and then said.

" Kurdan, at least you are thinking. Do you know what is most wrong with the Strong-holds? The Males fight, the strongest or most clever male is chief and has the right to take wives. But the most strong willed females, leave, sometimes to return, but more often than not the best of us don't"

I thought about that, she was right, how many Orc females left the Strong-hold, because they had no wish to be a third of fourth wife and treated like trash by their mate. I would not want that for a sister or a daughter, so where did that leave me? I got up and put more wood in the kettle and laid back down.

"Kurdan, other Mer and the Humans the males live together, with one chief or as they call them Jarl's, he rules but allows other males to have wives, if the woman will have him. I would not mind being part of a Strong-hold that allowed me to choose my own mate, weather it be the chief or a guard."

"That's a lot to think about, but I think you are right. All of my sisters left the strong-hold, most of my Aunts. My Oldest brother had two wives, both of them from other Strong-holds, neither very strong willed. My Birth-Mother and Heart-Mother were the most Strong-willed and they were both younger daughters of other Chiefs that had been brought up to want to be wives, have children."

She nodded and rolled over so that she was facing one of the doors and I rolled so I was facing the other. I didn't fall to sleep right away. I had much to think on, I wanted my Birth-Mother and younger brother to come to my home, but would she come to a non-traditional Strong-hold? I know it would be better for my Brother if he didn't have to fight me to get all those things we males were brought up to want to expect. If he was knew, because he saw, that he could earn those things on his own.

It would require much thought.... The Code of Malacath, this is something I would have to think about. We Stronghold bred and raised Orc's were the strongest of our peoples, of most peoples really. We fought for everything, that is the way we where raised, is it the right way. I did not want to change our people, I wanted them to be strong, but I also wanted a home that I could leave and not worry that I had to fight kin to get back into.

Huh.... that was something, my oldest brother couldn't leave the strong-hold unless he took the other two with him, for fear that they would set a trap on his return, but at the same time he had to take other warriors with him, that were loyal to him, so that neither brother could kill him. This is exactly the thing I did not want in my home.

Hmmm Also, my home Strong-hold was dying because the game had been over-hunted. My strong-hold or fort would need to be more self-sustaining. Just mining wasn't really working, Farm? Yes farm,  not just food to eat, but also food to sell and herbs. We Orc's had some of the best alchemists in our wise-women, why could they not, if they had enough ingredients , sell potions to help along with healing,

My First Days in Skyrim

I had been in Skyrim ten days, from the first look to now, the dangers had only gotten worse. And what a first look, one of the old barrow's, I had seen movement and thought that humans were down there up-keeping the tomb's of their ancestors. I was wrong, almost dead wrong, what I had seen was the walking dead. These Nord's should burn their honored dead and place the ashes in tombs, that way they stay were they belong.

I had removed their head's from their shoulders and then burned them, as I did not know which tomb they belonged to . The dead should stay dead. I never entered the Barrow, so I can only hope those dead aren't walking around.

Shyla and I camped not to far from the barrow, but as I had hoped far enough away that we were not disturbed during the night. Markarth was the closest town according to my map and that is where I had went first. I did not like the feel of the town and listened to the Innkeeper as I ate dinner and drank some ale slowly. I went over what I had heard as I lay on the hard bed, I did not like any of it. I did not think this was the Hold for me and my family, with one Orc Strong-hold already here and problem's with the people called Frosworn it did not look like a good prospect.

A civil war and two Set's of invading people, I had thought about joining the Legion, but I wanted more information on these others before I signed with the Empire. I got a description from one of the local Mercenaries, who also told me that doing bounties was a good way to make a name with the Jarls. He told me these Chiss, were as blue as I was green. This was an odd thing, as I had never heard of a people with a blue tinged skin tone.

Were these people from Atmora perhaps? It had been long, a century or two since the last invaders from there. I looked at my map first thing in the morning and decided that Whiterun would be the best place to go and listen for information, The town was central to the province, trade many travelers would go through the town. Plus I had heard that the Jarl was neutral in the civil war and he above others was trying to keep his people out of needless wars.

It was a beautiful land and I found the wide open space of the tundra to my liking, Shyla seemed to like it also, it gave her the room and flat land to run full out and she did, when I let her have her head. Her nose to the wind, her ear's flicking back and forth, listening for me to tell her to slow. I let her slow on her own, as we came up one of the watch towers and I didn't think a run into town was a good idea.

I put Shyla at the stables giving the man enough coin to give her grain for the next few days. I walked around the town and got the lay of it, listening to the locals talk. Their seemed to be at least two different guards here in town. I asked one of the men with what looked like the Jarl's crest on his uniform and he said the others where Dawnguard, they were specialized vampire hunters. Their would be more of them at night, but a few always on guard during the day, as a few different types of vampires could walk during the day.

That gave me food for thought, as that might also be a good way to earn a Name among the people. I hung around town for a day or two just listening to the peoples gossip and deciding what it is I should do. It was expensive though and I needed to get some work. I decided that the next day I would go and speak to the Jarl's steward.

The bounty the Steward gave me was simple enough and I found that some of my people had turned bandit here as well. The Bandit Chief I had been sent to eliminate was a fellow Orc. On my way out their I had noticed some Giant's and a couple Mammoths and having never seen either up close I decided to cut across the Tundra and get as close as those massive being's would allow.

Good choice or bad, I can't say, but as I got closer to them some people attacked me, they were four to my one and two of them were magic users.  I felt as well as heard the arrows that hit Shyla and her scream of pain wrenched my heart. I jumped off and  hoped that they would turn their fire to me as I hit her on the rump and she took off at a limping run.

I never got my sword drawn, as I was hit with two arrow's and two separate spells. As I started blacking out, I could only think of my Birth-Mother and younger brother and how I had failed them. I felt the ground shake as the Mammoth charged at the intruders to it's territory and hoped it would not trample me before I lost consciousness.

I woke to soft lips ruffling my hair and opened my eye's to see Shyla's head fill my whole vision. She whuuufed at me and I struggled to sit up. I looked around and saw by the sun that it was early morning, I had been out the whole of the night. Off a bit to my right I saw a huge bon-fire and one of the Giant's standing near it, I could hear the breathing of one of the Mammoth's close by.

I slowly climbed my way up Shyla's stirrup til I was standing, Using her has a crutch I walked around her and looked at the two arrow wounds. I pulled them out and she almost jerked me off my feet both times, but I persisted and then dug into my packs and got two bottles of healing potions out. I rubbed some on the wound's themselves and then made her drink the other, she was not happy about it. When I downed the other, I knew why, they tasted awful.

I saw one of the bodies laying on the ground and winced at the state of it, the man's head was crushed, as was his chest. Not much was salvageable from his pack, except a few trinkets and some papers, I put those in my pack and then went to the next body that I saw, it lay at the bottom of a huge boulder and from the blood stain high up, I could only assume that a giant or Mammoth had slung him there. I got more item's from her, but the armor and weapon's were broken and no good to anyone.

 I did not see the other two, the mages, but I didn't look in the direction of the Giant's camp and their was a good bit of ground in that direction where they could be or they may have gotten away. I leaned against Shyla and read the papers that I had found. They were looking for someone, that was evident, but it didn't say who.

I am not sure why these Chiss would attack me and I didn't want to stop one and ask them. I'm an Orc, we are outcast enough, I could see that I would need some one to watch my back, these people didn't mind an ambush and that is something I couldn't always be prepared for.

I lead Shyla back to town, I would get my bounty money from the Steward after I sold the item's I had salvaged. Then I would look around and find someone to watch my back.