Tuesday, August 2, 2016

The Calm Before the Storm pg 12


We sold our loot in Windhelm and then got word of a bounty on the road to Winterhold, so we bought what supplies we might need and headed out. Some Bandits had taken over a Fort that was left with just a bare crew, because of the Civil War. When we got there we found some Chiss had already taken out the bandits. We had been hired to clear the fort and it really didn't matter who was in it.

It was a very hard-fought battle and even though we cleared the Fort, we were all wounded pretty badly. Marcurio healed Navitas but gave the rest of us potions, she was the least wounded and went off to find the Imperial camp that was close by and have them come and re-occupy the Fort.

Shaimar, Marcurio, and I piled the Chiss bodies on a pyre and Marcurio made sure it burned so that nothing was left but ashes. What Imperial bodies we found, we covered with tarps and took to the cellar so that they might be identified and sent back to their relations.

I set one of the room's up as a bathing room, using a huge mead vat as a tub, we built a fire that would stay well below the water line and melted blocks of Ice that we used the horses to skid in. When it was nice and hot, Shalimar tried it out first and then Marcurio and I.. changed out the water for when Navitas came back and she was more than thrilled to take a hot bath in the warm room.

We left early the next morning after getting the bounty paid off by the Captain that took over the Fort. It was still a couple days' ride to Winterhold. The ride to Winterhold was pretty uneventful after that, a couple Snow Bear's, that Marcurio threw calm at and one close flyby of a dragon, who decided that something along the coast was more interesting.

An Elf woman stood at the gate to the College and said that I could not pass unless I had something to offer the College. I told the woman I didn't know any spells and as far as I knew had no magic at all. I told her all I wanted was to speak to the Librarian and that if I could not go to him, could she leave a message with him to come to us at the Inn?

The next thing I knew Marcurio was pushing past the four of us, the Elf took one look at him and went, "Oh, the Orcs are with you?" Marcurio said yes, but that it shouldn't matter, it was a college, not a coven, unless they had changed over the years. The woman's skin went a darker gold, which I guess was the way Altmer blushed.

We followed Marcurio through the college grounds like a pack of wolves, some of the students flattening themselves against the wall as we passed by. I looked at one of the frightened students and smiled at her in reassurance, but she made a sound of a frightened mouse and fled in the opposite direction. Marcurio stopped and looked at us, he grinned like a fool, but in a firm tone said that we probably shouldn't smile at the children.

We got to the Library and talked to Urag Gro-Shub who had much to tell us when I finished explaining what it was that I wanted. Shaimar had a very contemplative look on her face, she asked Urag many questions as he walked around gathering some books. He was very patient with her and answered everything. When he was done walking about he set the book's on the counter and said that these were all he had on our people.

We were not allowed to take them out of the Library, Navitas, Marcurio and I spent the next week reading the books and taking notes. Shaimar sat next to Urag and asked many more questions, when she was not asking him questions, he would ask her questions, which lead to her asking more. I think she learned as much about our people now, as we learned about our people's cultures and how each differed and each was similar.

Urag asked us if we could do him a favor and collect some books that had been "borrowed" and not returned, we could send them back by courier if we had no plans to come back soon. He would write to the Librarian in The Imperial City and ask if they had any further information about Orc culture. We agreed and set off the next morning to retrieve some books, the payment, and information, which was priceless.

We traveled the coastline and had made it a day past Dawnstar, with Solitude still two or three days away, when Marc said we needed to make camp early and gather as much firewood as possible. He pointed out to sea, and I noticed the waves, grey heavy looking and rolling in huge swells beyond the breaks, but the sky was a clear blue, the wind almost non-existent.

I shook my head but then noticed a thin line blacker than the water, a thin blur on the horizon. It got bigger as I looked. We headed at a faster pace up to the tree line, where I could see some large boulders above the highest of water lines. When we got there I could see they were just large enough for both tents to be set up. After stripping the packs and saddles off two of the horses, I gave some direction to get us all moving.

"Navitas, take the horses back to the spring we saw I think if you go a bit upland, it will flow faster and be clear. Shaimar go with her but see if you can use your bow and get us some fresh meat, we have a lot of dried stuff, but fresh will go over better. Marc, you and I will set the tents, first let's dig a pit and line it with some of those stones."

 Marc and I set to and got the fire pit dug and set the tent's up to face each other with the pit in the middle. Both sides of the tents were close to the boulders, but one side was far enough off to get the horses through one at a time. After thinking about it, Marc set up a privy in the horse's tent, as we had not put the floor down, he also put up a ward to keep the top of the overlapping tent canopy's from burning as we had put in half log's first and you could see the flames spread out along the ward.

The women came back with water and a deer, which would hold us through the worst of the storm with fresh meat, the storm would supply some water, even if it had a slight salt tang. We were all set, after that, we threw sand up against the ends of the tents and then some beach stones. Navitas and I then headed up with Shyla and quickly cut some of the tall grass, piling it in two canvas pieces then rolling it all up and placing it like a pack over her back. It would keep them for a day or so, hopefully, the storm would blow out before then.

We got Shyla into the tent and the final "wall" up between the tents,  just as the storm hit. We all hunkered down and I finally had a chance to ask Marc how he know about the storm. His mouth Quirked to the side and he said, " I would love to say magic, but truthfully, I spent time as ships mage as an apprentice. One of the things that I learned was the signs of a storm at sea, the bigger the storm, the longer one has to prepare or go around. On shore, it isn't exactly the same, but some of the signs are there."

We ate dinner and decided to sleep early, each of us taking turns keeping the fire going.


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