Day's Ending #16

 The shadows were long as I mounted the watch tower, looking out over the tundra to the herd of horses below. Shyla's latest colt was frisking about, chasing butterflies, he was exactly what we had been breeding for all this time. His coloring matched his damns, his lines as clean, his legs long and tough, meant to plow through the deepest of snow.


I smiled grimly as I caught a glimpse of my mate as the mare turned to keep her rambunctious son in her sight, the black of his armor blending into her body. I could almost see the twist to his smile as he laughed at their antics. The simultaneous movement of all the horses at once, lifting their heads and turning towards the East, had me looking hard at the darkening ground.

A short minute later, the horses all heading to the walled-in overhang, and Shyla and my mate heading towards the stronghold.. the Herd Stallion nipping at the rumps of any slow-moving mares, I heard it.  The roar of a dragon off to the East, echoing off the hills.

As I looked around for the dragon, I heard our warning horn sound, taken up by the watch tower,  letting all know that they needed to head into the mine or the other tunnels we had dug for safety from the flying menaces. As the roar got closer I looked down and saw that both man and mare were making a heavy time of it. The winter and stress of carrying her foal had made the tendon injury to her right foreleg even worse. This would be her last foal, the next breeding season, we would put her in the barn, none of us could bare the thought of losing her, though we knew time would take its toll.

I  next looked at the man, I could tell that his leg was paining him as well and I shivered as I remembered first seeing the injury which caused his limp. The years had taken their toll on him as well, but he was as tough and independent as when we first met.

I narrowed my eyes and recalled the day he returned to us, we had not heard from them in months, not since the day that Kurdan had sent me with his Mothers and Clan to the house of Navitas's friend. The sound of Shyla's hooves striking stone, the birds sounding in warning, many things were the same. The horns had been sounding, letting us know that someone was coming up the path, the blasts for a friend.

The next blast let us know a healer would be needed and Kurdan's Heart mother went back inside and got her bag of herbs and potions, her apprentice had a similar bag. Then we heard the sounds of boots and hooves but could tell that neither was a normal stride.

As the scouts came into view, so to did Shyla, she limped hard, bandages wrapped her right-fore and right-rear legs. I remember feeling the tension, we could all see that only four people approached, one of our scouts leading Shyla and the other two with a cloak-shrouded figure between them. As the figure stumbled over a rough patch of road, the scouts on either side steadied him, but let go quicker than one would have supposed.

As they got closer I could tell that the figure was male, for Navitas had been a full head and shoulders shorter than Kurdan and a head shorter than Marcurio. It wasn't til they were almost upon us that I realized that the male was too thin to be Kurdan, who had been rather wide at the shoulders.

As the Scout stopped with Shyla, Marcurio walked up to her left side and pulled two wrapped packages from her saddle bags. He unwrapped them as he walked and stopped right in front of Kurdan's Mothers and handed his Birth-Mother one of the swords, then he turned and handed me the other.

His voice when he spoke, was not the smooth cocky tones that I had gotten used to on our travels but was rough and barely above a whisper and was filled with pain, both physical and other.

"We had left the Jarl, having just gotten the deed to the property and permission to build a Stronghold/ village, when we heard cries for help from a small mining community. When we got there, a large group of Chiss was harassing a woman to make her tell where she had hidden their gold. Kurdan ran ahead and that soldier's head parted from his shoulders, but it had been a trap. They were ten times our number, with battle mages and some of their elite troupes. "  He paused and the wind blew the hood from his head, what could be seen of his face around the bandages, was burnt and still oozing blood. No few of the warriors turned their faces aside, I did not turn, though I fought to keep my stomach from losing its last meal and fought harder to keep my face still.

" At the height of the battle, Kurdan yelled at me to get the woman away and I did, then returned to the fray. I was blasted off my feet and into a snowbank and I knew no more until Shyla licked at my wounds. Lady, Kurdan fought well, your son was a warrior til the end, last I saw he was standing over a mortally wounded Navitas. When I found him, from the blood on the ground, he took out quite a few of them." He looked to the ground.. " I am sorry I could not do more, I..." with his last word his eyes rolled in his head and he would have fallen to the ground had not the scouts caught him.

We almost lost him that night and it was touch and go for the next month.. Infection then pneumonia set in.  With the loss of blood and skin and the mental stress, at times I did not think he wished to live. In one of his lucid moments in that first week, he nagged and fretted until we would get the pouch in the saddle bags.

He pulled out one paper and told me to read it, which I did, I did not understand fully what it said and I told him so.

"It says that, Kurdan, Navitas, and I are the owners of the deed and that only our children or spouses may inherit the land. Find a Priestess of Mara and have her marry us Shaimar, it's the only way for Kurdan's family to keep and work the land." In the end, it was not a Priest of Mara, but Kurdan's Heart-Mother that married us.

What had been meant to secure the land for Kurdan's Clan, turned out to be a marriage of respect and love. Marcurio and I adopted Kurdan's youngest brother as a child of bodies and heir, in a tradition that Orcs follow when no male child is born to the Chief, the Jarl had not been up on his Orc customs. It took the better part of a year for Marcurio to heal enough to travel to our land.  By then the Stronghold palisade was up and the large main hall, the overhang had been walled in for our horses and cattle.

As Marcurio came even with the Stronghold gate, he looked up, the scarred right half of his face in the shadows of the night, the perfect left side, smiling, with all the warmth and love that I ever wanted from a mate... I did not have to travel far outside tradition, but Kurdan was right, I needed to become my own woman before I became some males mate.

Dragons, Jarls and Chiss, we had taken them all on and won... In memory of those we lost on the journey here, we planted a tree, each year as it yielded it crop, we thanked the person for their sacrifice.

Reunion and parting pg 15

Shyla felt my excitement and arched her neck and pranced sideways to the spot right in front of my Brother and Heart-Mother who had joined him. The rest of those them in a half circle behind them with three of the warriors sideways, watching behind us as much as all of us.  I looked but did not see my Birth-Mother and felt a lump in the pit of my stomach.

I got off Shyla and walked slowly up to my Heart-Mother, placing my hand on her cheek. She did the same then pulled my head down to hers, resting my forehead on hers.

" I missed your Wisdom, Mother of my Heart." She made a grunting laugh sound.

"We all missed your hunting until we got three days' fast walk from the Stronghold. The game was much more abundant. Those warriors who were on the fence, they have since changed their minds about staying, with you."  I nodded and then asked where my Birth-Mother was.

"She is in the Tent, her ankle is broken in such a way as to hurt much when standing on it." I headed for the tent and said we could buy either a wagon or some horses for transport. When I got to my Birth-Mother I knelt at her side, placing my hand on her cheek, like my Heart-Mother she put her hand on mine, but then pulled me so that our other cheek's rested against each other, an overt show of great affection.

Some of the Warriors, pulled up the sides of the tent, making it into a very large canopy, that way all would be out of the misting drizzle. I sat upon a chest so that all might see me as I spoke to them. The warriors at the back did not sit but stood in such a way as to be able to see in all directions.

"Son we wish to hear of your Stronghold, how far you have come in seeing it come to pass, and what you have to say about the differences you talked about." I nodded and stood to one side, a place that had been left open for me. Navistas, Shaimar, and Marcurio came to stand beside me, with many surprises from my "family".

"First I wish to thank all of you for bringing my Mothers and sibling this far. As for the Stronghold, I have the gold for the land purchase, though have not yet asked to buy." I held up my hand as I heard grumbles. " Yes, traditionally we Orcs just take the land and dare the Jarls to take it away. It is only because we have always taken land no one else wants..poor land for everything but mining, that they had not asked the Imperial Army to take the land back. I do not want that kind of land, for us." I paused to let that sink in, but as I did so Navitas spoke up.

"I have been with the Imperial Army, as many Orcs do. Kurdan is correct, they could take back all the Strongholds if they wanted, just by putting troops at our door and waiting to starve us out, it would not take long." I saw the Hunters nodding, they more than anyone but the Hearth-Wife knew how fast the gathered food went. She had made the point that they might not have believed from me.

" What I do want is a different kind of Stronghold, yes a Stronghold, no one will call us "city Orcs". We will be even more self-sufficient because we will have the support. We will keep to the tenants of Malacath, for he does keep us strong. With some changes, the first is that we all will have the right to take a mate and have children. This has not made the Nords weak and I think our way is making us so." I held up my hand when I heard grumbling, an Orc will complain about being hit with a new ax.

 "Navitas said it, Traditionally only the Strongest male breeds, but what is he breeding to?" I could see I had their attention. "Many of the strongest and most intelligent females, leave the strongholds to go into the Imperial Army or to some other place. Not all, but enough, enough that we are starting to get weaker as a people, though many do not see this. I want each of us to have the right to choose our own mate, to not have to fight for that right. I want our females to want to stay, to not have to be traded off to another stronghold, because they are "too close in family", that is the real reason, for the trading. The only females IN a stronghold are generally related to the Chief. "

I knew I had them and I went on to explain about finding farmers and craft people to help round out our Stronghold. Plot's for wheat and other staple plants, pen's for animals, near a river for fish. If they were not Orcs, well, they would teach us and we would protect them. Then I had to get to the most complicated part, Leadership, our people were used to an iron fist ruling them, with no say, the disaffected leaving.

"At first we will have a Tribunal, Myself, Navitas, and Marcurio, with My Heart-Mother as first Adviser and my Mother as Chatelaine, which will be the same thing she does as Hearth-wife. Eventually, we will find a Steward, who has contacts in the area he or she will be able to get those thing's we can't make or grow. Eventually, the Tribunal will be voted on and will be supported by advisers who are people from different areas of the stronghold, chosen by those who work with them. So Hunters will choose a Hunter as their adviser," that was enough of an explanation for now. Each of them would decide if my vision of a Stronghold was for them, or they would move on elsewhere.. they could not go back.

I would plan on leaving in the next day or so, but I needed to give them time to think. I talked to my Mother's and Brother and told them that I had asked Shaimar to take them to the house of Navitas's friends. My Mother's were disappointed but when I explained why, they understood.

Two days later as we left Markarth,  With my Birth-Mother riding and newly purchased horses packed heavy with supplies. I watched them head south, very few of the Orcs had decided to go their own way, most said they at least wanted to see what I could do and if it would work.

Marcurio, Navitas, and I headed toward Mor Khazgur, we still had a book to track down for the Librarian, but we were now not in a hurry. We were also careful, the hills and peaks were full of Forsworn and they would attack us are readily as anyone else.

As we sat around the campfire, Navitas asked me why I had not asked her to take my Mothers to her friend's home. She sounded somewhat angry about it, so I choose my words with care and tried to explain what I had in mind.

"Navitas, did you notice how many young Orc males were with My Mothers? Including my brother." Marcurio got it before she did and started chuckling. Her brow furrowed, then I could see when she really figured it out. "Yes, she's a sweet young thing, but I much prefer a woman who's old enough to know her own mind. With all those young bucks, she ought to find one that she likes, if not, then at least she will have some leadership ability by the time she gets to the house, and until we get there, My Mother's will see to that."

I saw her cheeks grow a darker green and a quirk to her lip's that let me know, she understood what I was saying, but now was not the time.

"So you hope that she will find herself with your Mothers to show her?"

" I told my Mothers who she is and what they wanted her to be and that it wasn't her choice. They agreed to help her grow into the kind of Strong female Orc that our Stronghold needs, the kind that you are."

"Kurdan, I am trying to figure out why me as part of your Tribunal?" Marcurio spoke up for the first time, a frown on his face.

"Marc, I chose you, well because you are human, Navitas because she is a strong female Orc. I want the males and other females to get used to the idea and might as well start as I mean the Stronghold to go on. You may step down when you train your own replacement. Your replacement must not be Orc, but a human or another Mer is fine. Navitas, your replacement needs to be female, Orc, Mer, or human. I will have to decide how to pick my replacement, as I do want an Orc male. I have some ideas, but I need to think about them more." With that, I stood up and stretched.

"Marc, you take the first watch, I'll take Midwatch, Navitas, you can have the morning watch. Because you cook the best and I like my morning meal not to turn my stomach!" Marc threw a small piece of wood at me, which I batted away.

"It was only once! and how was I to know the eggs were bad, they didn't smell!"

I chuckled and held the tent flap for Navitas. Marcurio was placing runes and a circle ward around our camp, as I fell asleep.

Bandit's, Taxes and Family... pg 14

"Kurdan, have you given a thought to how your charter is going to read?" Marcurio's voice reached me as we rounded a bend in the road.

"Charter? I'm afraid I don't understand."

"How is the Stronghold going to be set up, the charter needs to be written so that the Jarl knows what kind of holding you have. Think of it like a contract, which it is, the Jarl's part is the selling of the land and anything you are entitled to. Your part tells him what kind of holding you are looking at. A mining operation, farm, family holding, village... that kind of thing."

I motioned Shyla to a stop and watched the commotion going on at the palisade that crossed the road. From the looks of things, a group of Chiss were taking exception to the bandits in the fort. The others lined up beside me, with Marcurio on my right and Navitas on the far left, Shaimar between us.

"Hmmm well, I would rather be a village, if we have to put anything." I shaded my eye's with my hand and realized it wasn't a two-way fight, but a three-way. " To get more Orcs to come I know it will have to be set up more like the strongholds they know, but I think a Tribunal and as the Stronghold gets larger then add in counselors, so the people have a say.  But why is all this necessary?" I turned Shyla back down the road and headed for a shallow water crossing, no point in being attacked from three different sides.

"Taxes.", I looked  over  at Marcurio

"What? Taxes?!  Why?"

"Well, depending on how your charter is written is how the Jarl will expect you to pay taxes. Obviously, a Mine is a business, and a farm is also, but taxed differently. A Village is set up so taxes depend on individual people."

I grumbled to myself, I could not remember our Chief paying taxes, but then again He held the stronghold through might, constantly at war from without and within. I wanted our stronghold to be strong, stronger than those of "traditional" Orcs.

A bandit jumped out from behind a boulder and I relaxedly drew my sword and kneed Shyla towards the man, one slice of my greatsword and his head was rolling back down the hill we had just climbed up. Shaimar and Navitas, off their horses, ran past and took out two more bandits, while a spike of Ice took out the last. We looted the bodies and left them to rot, the scavengers would feast well.

Once we were back on our way to Markarth, I thought of the courier that had intercepted us on our way back with Urag Gro-Shub's books. The Fort one of the books had been in had been infested with Necromancers, the other with Bandits, neither was much of a challenge. I re-opened the letter that my Heart-Mother had sent.

Son of my Heart, Kurdan,

 We are just arrived in Markarth, your Heart-Mother had a mishap in the mountains and we had to make camp until she could be moved. A hunter found us a cart that we pulled until we bought a horse from a traveler. Your Mother is healing as well as my skills allow. We will camp here until we hear from you and you can arrange transport to the house of your friends.

 We are safe and out of the weather, our hunters and guards have all said that they wish to stay. That is they are all young and wish to join your Stronghold. They think you are not only strong but wise and will test you to see what each one of them thinks is most important. Do not lose your temper with them or treat them as children and that includes your Brother.

Keenya Gra-Olar



I folded it back up as we turned a corner in the road. My Heart-Mother, was never the most physical of females, often having given up her share of food for siblings and children. I urged Shyla into a fast jogging walk, a gate that would allow her to speed past the miles, while not exhausting herself, I did not wish to stop early.

We camped that night on a cliff overlooking the valley that lead down to Solitude and the Sea of Ghosts. I watched the fae lights sweep across the sea, ever-changing and I thought about the best way to get my Birth-Mother to the Cliff house.  It would have to be the long way around, via Iverstead, the shorter mountain trail would be much too steep and narrow for a cart or wagon.

I hear the swish of the tent flap being pulled back and the soft hissing sound of leather on grass and then a hand on my shoulder.

"Don't brood, you will give yourself a headache. Your Heart-Mother would have said if it had been worse, something as simple as a twisted ankle could make trekking up and down mountains impossible for one the age of you Birth-Mother"  I patted Shaimar's hand, she was correct, but I was still going to worry.

"Shaimar, I would ask a favor of you. As the only one of us born in Skyrim, could you lead my Family to the Cliff house?  I need to return those books to Urag and see if he has any further information. I would prefer to do so myself, but it will take a very long time to get there and I need the information."  She seemed to hesitate and frowned. " I am trusting you with my Birth-Mother and my Heart-Mother, it is no easy thing for me, but I have much to do. It will take twice as long if I have to make a huge circle of Skyrim." she looked startled, then frowned.

"Oh no I was hesitating because Navitas is the better warrior, but you are right, I know Skyrim better. I would be honored to take your family to the House and show the hunters the best places to hunt and perhaps take a trip to the area that you want the Stronghold to be in."

"Thank you Shaimar, It will still be a few days to get to Markarth, so we have time to discuss where the Stronghold will be and what may be needed in the way of supplies, but really we won't know until we see who it there." With that I said goodnight and went to get as much sleep as I could, I felt I would need it.

Three days later we crested a hill and could see Markarth a short ways off. As we hit the bridge I saw a gangling figure of a half-grown Orc male wave, then run to the Khajiit camp, less than five minutes later the figure came running back and this time stopped at the edge of the bridge, but I could see Orc's come out of the tents, It was not a Khajiit camp, but my family.

The Storm Break's on a New Day pg 13

I woke to the feel of a hand snaking down my chest towards my dagger, when it was almost at my hip, I reached up and grabbed and found a wrist, which I twisted and pulled across me as hard as I could, sending the person flying over me. The female screech told me I may have made a tactical error in flinging her. Marcurio lit up the tent with a spell and we all sat up to see Shaimar rolling to her stomach and trying to climb out of our baggage.

I exclaimed "What the..." as she got to her knee's, took one look at the three of us watching her and went a very dark green.  I could see it in her eye's, she was going to bolt, I yelled "Marc!", figuring he knew a spell that might stop her, but he launched himself at her and held her tight when she started wiggling and bucking.

 Navitas crawled over and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Sister, stop, your making it very...err difficult on Marc." noticing the strain on his face. "What where you doing?" Shaimar started sobbing, huge gulping sobs that were heart wrenching to hear.

" I  I thou..ght if I pleased him, he would ma..make me his fir..first Wife, not you." I closed my eye's and thought hard for a moment, but Navitas beat me to it.

"Now who said I was going to marry Kurdan? Who said he wanted to marry me in the first place? Hmm?" Well it's not the direction I would have went, but it was a good one. I crawled over so that I could sit next to Marc on the opposite side as Navitas.

"Shaimar, it will be year's before I even think to marry, the Stronghold must be built, self-sufficient  and all those with-in know that they are as important as I. The women know that they can marry as they choose, any male they choose and have children. The men to know the same and that they don't need to challenge to be Chief to do so. If I marry right away, it will look like I want the same things I left."

I put my hand on her chin and lifted her face.

" Never be shammed because you think you have to do the thing's your mother said.. that tradition dictates. I will take a wife, IF that is what you want after you do some growing and know your own mind, then I would not be ashamed to call you wife. That is year's from now and I think you need to quit squirming on Marc's lap or he may think your interested."  I had seen that Marc was biting the inside of his cheek and his face getting more and more strained.

Shaimar fairly leaped off Marc's lap and sat beside Navitas. " Urag said that he thought I should follow my heart to what I want to be the most." She looked at Navitas, "and that is to be like you, but I..well I don't think I could be a single warrior among men."  Navitas shook her head.

"Oh, Sister. You must not have understood, I have two Heart-Sister's  that would love you. When they get back, we will talk about you joining us, IF you want to." Shaimar tilted her head and had a very contemplative look on her face.

"I do not understand exactly what it is you mean by Heart-Sister, if they are not of your clan?" Navitas shook her head.

"Azul is an Imperial, Nic is a Bosmer, they went to the Imperial City to see if they could find a cure for the Vampirism that Azul caught. Then they may go to Valenwood to visit Nic's family. We started out in the same Imperial training company and have been together through vampire hunts, bounty hunting and many other things. We decided that if my mate can't except them, not necessarily as wife, but as Sister and the same for their perspective mates, then we would not marry." Shaimar's smile lit the tent.

"This is what I want, yes to have a family that Love's me for me, not because of my body proportions."  I coughed and got their attention.

"That is one of the thing's that I want in my Stronghold, the ability for everyone to do as they wish, not as tradition dictates. The only thing traditional I want is the Strength, Honor and sense of self that the Stronghold's give. Our people are strong, but they will not stay so, not with our strongest women leaving and sometimes it isn't the strongest male that win's, but the one with the most cunning."

" Our crafting skill's are among the best and highly sought after. But how many of our best smith's never return to a Stronghold? They don't want to be one wife among many, but they want children, so we call them "City Orc's" and all in the Stronghold's think them weak. I do not think City Orc's are weak and I think we will prove to the other Strongholds that "tradition" has many faces"

"For now Ladies and Gentleman, I think sleep is in order. Marc, I think it's your watch, wake me in three hours and I'll take over." He nodded and understood, I knew it would be a while before he'd get back to sleep, I had been in that state before.


The storm lasted another two days and in that time we went over the notes that we had written, reading them to each other, Navitas or Marc taking notes. Each of us coming up with idea's that would work with the concept that I wanted in a Stronghold. Tradition, tempered with innovation, Strength with honor and compassion. How we would go about making ourselves even more self reliant that most "traditional" Strongholds, they had blind spot's, that we would open to the light and chase the cobweb's out of.

I knew I had chosen rightly, having Marc along, having him as a core member of our Stronghold. Having Navitas and her Heart-Sister's was one of the most important thing's that I will work towards. I knew i needed the kind's of people that could do the thing's that a town or village could do. That was one of the major problem's with the "Traditional" Strongholds, the touted being self-reliant but had to get food-stuff's and cloth from outside. We would change that.

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.

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.

A Different kind of Tribe pg 10

We spent the day in Windhelm at the Candle Hearth Inn, Navitas needed some time to heal and rest, the horses needed new shoes and I used the time to mend and upgrade our armor. I also worked on some new Armor for Navitas, it would not be done by the time we left here, but I crafted all the pieces that I could and the links to piece them together. I went and inquired about hiring the carriage to Riften, that would be easier on Navitas and I could work more on her armor.

The end of the week saw us at the Riften Gate, as it was early evening, we decided to spend the night at the Inn instead of heading straight to Fort Dawnguard. Navitas talked to the Innkeeper and rented us rooms and a meal and asked if I was still interested in hiring a mage. I nodded yes and told her that I thought the old Dunmer's idea of fighting magic with magic was not a bad Idea. She got up from the table and walked over to an imperial in fancy robes, they chatted for a moment and then walked over to our table and sat down.

"Kurdan, this is Marcurio, he's a wizard. Mercenary by trade" Navitas looked at the Imperial and nodded toward me.

"With the Chiss around, I won't contract on as a single guard, it's just too hazardous. A great many of the merc bands have either left or been absorbed into a city guard, they don't want more than one wizard right now. Navitas says that you want to start your own Stronghold, very admirable and something that I would not mind helping with." he paused for a moment, looked me with an odd look, and then finished with " If you are willing to allow a Human as a full member of your tribe, I would be willing to use my skills both now and in defense of that Stronghold."  Before I could answer Navitas started talking again.

"Kurdan, I never outright said that I would join your Stronghold, mostly because I won't be a part of a "traditional" one. My Heart-Sisters are a Bosmer and an Imperial, I could never be a part of something they were not.  You seem to have some ideas that are not traditional, does that extend to non-Orc's being part of the Stronghold, not just tolerated as "blood-siblings" but as full members?."

I looked down at the table for a moment and thought quickly, I knew I did not want "traditional", but allowing non-Orcs as full members of my Tribe. I looked back up at Navitas and realized, that was exactly what I wanted and more to the point, needed. I needed the diversity that many different peoples would bring.

" Marcurio, you have yourself a new home, when it's built of course. Welcome to the Tribe. Navitas, you and your Heart-Sisters are more than welcome, even if Azul does not manage to cure her Vampirism, of course making snacks out of her family would not be nice. You may marry or not as you wish, I can only ask that you bring in a male that will contribute to the good of the Tribe."

The trip to Fort Dawnguard and back to Riften was quiet and mostly uneventful. Marcurio was ready to go with us by then, having found and bought a horse. We headed to Largashbur, as Navitas had heard that they were having some difficulty and that the Chief was not inclined to listen, had in fact told all the Tribe on threat of exile that they could not leave the stronghold.

We met with Atub and she said that she needed some supplies to perform a ceremony to find out why Malacath was angry with them. Navitas had already informed me of what she would need, because the Chief would not allow us back in once we had those things, better to bring them in the first place.

We ended up agreeing to help the Chief clean some giants from Malacath's shrine, which I would have done anyway, but it seemed a test of the Chief's honor, but we agreed to meet him at the cave entrance. We camped for the night but noticed that the Yamarz and another Orc left in the middle of the night.

When we got to the cave entrance, Chief Yamarz was already there and my eyes almost fell out of my head, when I saw the female standing next to him. The bits of metal she was wearing could not really be called armor and barely covered her considerable assets. I must have been staring more obviously than I thought because Navitas came up from behind me and thumped me on the shoulder and said I was going to end up in a fight over a female with the Chief if I didn't quit drooling. Marcurio coughed as Navitas went by us both and said, " If ever there was a female Orc to drool over, she would be it."

We made it to the chief who put his arm around the girl and gave me a look that said "Mine".   I shrugged my shoulders, the girl had the right to be with whoever she chose and obviously, she was with him at the moment.  I had the feral urge to knock the smug look off his face as they turned around and walked into the cave.  I could not help but notice, the lack of... of... well anything but a couple leather straps, that held the bits of metal to the front, as she walked away.

"That is one fine ass". Marcurio whispered to me. I grunted and silently cursed the part of my anatomy that noticed how the leather disappeared between the muscled curves of that very fine ass. He had not whispered low enough, Navitas came up between us and smacked us both on the back of our heads.

"Hey, I didn't say anything!" She looked at me in disgust.

"It's not what you didn't say, it's what you were thinking! Males.. that girl is barely old enough to be out hunting, but her father gave her to Chief Yamarz like a prized heifer!.

"Fine, he comes out of this alive and I'll kill him for you and you can invite her into our tribe as another Heart-Sister, to come and go as she pleases." Marcurio was snickering.

The look she cast over her shoulder, had it been a fire spell, would have left me one crispy Orc. We followed her into the Cave and killed a couple Giants in the first area. The girl was standing on a ledge, looking deeper into the cave, and we could see Chief Yamarz nowhere. At our footsteps, she turned and looked at us.

" He left me, He drank some kind of potion and was gone.. he left me to fight that giant all by myself. I am glad you came in when you did, it was more than I could handle by myself." Navitas walked over and gave the girl a hug.

"You can come with us, we promised to help him clear the shrine, but the promise was more to Malacath than to the Chief.  Why are you here with him? I know your father sent you to Chief Yamarz, but you don't look like a trained warrior." She looked down and her shoulders drooped.

" I know, I look like a Chief's favorite wife, his young play toy, the one every other wife hates. I can not help the way my body is formed." she plucked at the armor, " Chief Yamarz said he would allow me time to learn a warrior or guard's profession if I would wear the armor he brought and watch his back this day."

Naviatas dug into her pack and pulled out her hunting armor and handed it to the girl. " It isn't as protective as full armor, but it will probably be warmer than what you are wearing. You can use that hammer yes? Oh, and we can't just call you girl, what is your name?"

"Thank you, yes I can and my name is Shaimar."

"Well Shaimar, I am Navitas and this is Kurdan and Marcurio."

Shaimar proved that she could use her Warhammer, in fact, she was very good with it. The Armor Navitas had given her, did not hide all of her umm charms, but they did cover them much better. We killed four or five giants with no sign of Chief Yamarz, Marcurio said he must have taken an invisibility potion. When we finally saw him, he was standing on what looked to be the final trail down to Malacath's Shrine.

He wanted us to kill the last Giant, but I refused, not for any amount of gold, this was his challenge from Malacath himself, not ours. We stood on a ledge overlooking the pocket valley the Shrine was in. Shaimar had her hand fisted and against her mouth, I looked at Navitas and then at the girl and she walked over and put her arm around her. I edged Marcurio and I a small distance from the women and heard Navitas start talking to Shaimar in a low tone.

The Chief failed, we did not, but all of us let the girl get the last blow in. Malacath started talking to us and said that we should take Shagrol's Warhammer back to Largashbur. I told Shaimar that she could carry the hammer back, she was happy to do so, but upon giving it to Atub, who rewarded us well. Atub said that Shaimar could stay as a warrior or first wife to the next chief if she choose to. She shook her head and said no.

" No, I think I will travel with my new Heart-Sister and become a member of Kurdan's new Stronghold."  I smiled at the girl when she turned and looked at me.

"Welcome to the tribe Sister."  She gave me a coy look through her lashes.

" I would not go that far...Chief".  It seemed I had at least eight members of my new stronghold and it wasn't even built yet.