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,
No comments:
Post a Comment