Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Book's and Reading pg 11



Atub called us to the alter the next morning, as we were heading out. A different Warhammer was sitting on the altar and Atub said that she thought we should take it. I took it down but then handed it to Shiamar, she got a huge smile on her face and she took off her harness and adjusted it so that the new one would fit.

She and Navitas walked out of the Stronghold admiring the workmanship on her new weapon. I thanked Atub and Gularzob for their hospitality and walked out to where Marcurio was holding Shyla, both women already in the saddle.

"Navitas, how are our funds? Do we need to work on a bounty or treasure hunt?" I had let her keep track of our gold, as she seemed to be better with the merchants than I was. She laughed.

"That's depending on how fast you want to buy your land. We have about half the money, the Chiss carry some very valuable items."  I caught the "we", as far as I was concerned that was fine.

"Half the money huh? Well, then we need to get a bit more. How many more chiefs do I need to talk to?"

"Three more, but I also had an idea, we should talk to the Librarian at the College, he's an Orc and knows our history better than anyone." Navitas looked over at me with a happy look, but just beyond her shoulder, Shiamar looked a bit confused.

"An Orc... Librarian? Books, you mean he can read? On Orc?!" Shiamar sounded very surprised, Navitas looked at me and narrowed her eyes in warning, and I wisely stayed quiet.

" Kurdan and I both can read, I can read  Nord and Imperial, Kurdan reads Nord and Orcish...."  Navitas had not even finished her sentence when Shiamar started speaking over her.

"My father had always said that books were useless, that there was nothing in them that I could not learn by listening to our Wise Woman, and that anything she did not know, I did not need to know."  Navitas started off with Shiamar right beside her the two of them had their head's as close as it was possible while on horseback.  I looked at Marcurio and shrugged, he shook his head and we rode in silence.

Later that evening we sat at the entrance of a Dwemer ruin only it didn't look much like it was in ruins, just disused. We debated on camping inside or outside but ultimately decided that it would be safer for us and the horses if we camped outside. The ladies were off to the side, talking quietly to each other. I pulled out the Chiss letter and opened it, then the ring and put it on, the ink on the paper was still a jumbled mess I could not read, so I handed it to Marcurio.  He opened the letter but shook his head, then I handed him the ring and told him what it was.

He read the letter and I could follow along because he mouthed the words as he read. He looked startled when he finished.

"How many times have you been attacked?"

"Because of the bounty on Navitas? That is hard to say, we have been attacked four or five times in the past couple of months, but twice by what we could term assassins or bounty hunters. Here, this is the first letter I pulled off of those that attacked us. I didn't give it to the Dunmer that read that letter to us, but if you're going to be part of us, you need to know." I handed the letter across to him and he opened it up. He read through the letter quietly and then looked up grimly.

" This one says that Navitas is to be brought in alive, for questioning if possible, dead if not."   It was as much as I figured, but did not make me any happier. Marcurio went to hand me back the ring and I told him to keep it, it didn't do me any good and he could read all the letters and journal's that we found.

We gathered a lot of Dwemer metal from the ruin, all of it loose or pieces of automated creatures, that had attacked us. Weapons, gems, and other things that Marcurio and Navitas said were worth money to someone. After two trips back to the surface to bring up our loot and to sleep, the last room had nothing in it of note, but a couple of the rooms right before that had much in the way of dinnerware, which Marcurio and Navitas both said we could sell for a very good price. I liked the look of it and maybe not these, but I would like to get a set for my table.

We headed to Windhelm to sell all our loot, the horses loaded down, so that we walked into town, stopping in a small town to camp. I said nothing when Navitas took Shaimar off to the side each night with a book and the two of them talked in hushed tones. It was good that Shaimar wanted to learn to read. Navitas told me that one of the Orc Strongholds was just up the path from the inn we stopped at, but that we should wait and go up after we had visited Windhelm.


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