Day 183 – Returning victorious

I have to say that that was one of the easier tasks I've been sent on.  There was no undead trying to eat my face off.  No strange traps.  Just a few bandits trying to mine some iron.  On top of getting the task done, I walked out of there with a nice bag of iron ore to smelt and sell.

The Jarl was quite happy to hear the news that the bandit leader was dead.  He not only opened up the possibility of buying a house, but he said that I could become a Thane of Falkreath if I helped out the people of his town.  His indiscretion to hand out titles to anyone – even honorary ones – made me feel uncomfortable.

I tracked down the steward in one of the upper rooms of the building.  She told me that there were no homes available in the boundaries of Falkreath but there was property outside of town that I could buy and then build my own home.  I bought it – 5000 septums – with the thought that it would be an ongoing project to work on when work is slow.  This should be interesting….

I walked out to the building site later that afternoon.  It is quite a walk from town but I like that.  It's secluded and away from both roads that access the area, giving me some privacy and it has a nice view of the lake.  And best of all, it's far away from the young Jarl's schemes.  The perfect sight for a vacation home, if you know what I mean.

As I stood there, three men and a wagon arrived with some preliminary building supplies from the Jarl.  Along with a drafting table and work bench, he had been nice to include a chest with enough materials to make a simple cabin.

Though it was nice of the Jarl to include such materials, it still doesn't change my feelings about the man.  After being here for just two days and meeting the Jarl, I can't help but feel uncomfortable about the situation.  I'm wondering if, once my little cabin in the woods is done, I shouldn't return to Whiterun and the Companions.    My only other option is to stay here and see what I can do to right things here.  At least I have plenty of time to decide.  Building this cottage by myself is going to take some time.

Day 182 – Arrival at Falkreath

For all of the carriage rides I've taken in the last few months, today's was one of the worst.  I think that driver aimed for every bump and rut in the road.

It was mid-afternoon when the carriage dropped me off at the gates of the town.  I headed straight for the Jarl's longhouse – the largest building in town.  When I approached the throne, I was surprised to see that the Jarl was a young man about my age.

The task he has for me is a strange one – he wants me to kill the bandit leader in Embershard Mine, a mine halfway between Whiterun and Falkreath.  When I asked why, he mumbled something about how they were not paying him his cut.  My eyebrow went up at the mention of "paying his cut".  Aren't Jarls supposed to think more of their people than of the septums in their pocket?

But as Falkas once told me, "A job is a job."  So, I will go out tomorrow, track down this mine, and take care of these bandits.  Even if it's not for the "good" of the Jarl, at least I will be taking care of some more annoying bandits who raid our towns and rob people.

Day 181 - Decision Made

Kodlak came to see me this morning.  "I heard you received a letter."

I was surprised he had heard anything about my letter and then I realized Falkas is one of his most trusted advisors.  Of course he would hear about it.

I pulled the letter out of my trunk and handed it to him.  When he finished reading it, he looked up at me with tired, wisdom-filled eyes.

"When do you leave?" he asked.

"I don't know," I replied, "I don't even know if I'm going to accept the offer."

"Of course you will take the offer!  You do not turn down the summons of a Jarl!"

"But Whiterun is my home and I am a Companion.  My job is here, helping you."

"Whiterun will always be here.  The Companions will always be here.  A personal invitation from a Jarl asking for your help is a fleeting dream.  You should grab onto it and let it take you to new heights.  And when you come down, you will always be welcomed back here at Jorrvaskr.  Once a companion, always a companion."

I guess my decision is made.  I leave tomorrow morning.

Day 180 - Jarl of Falkreath

A courier tracked me down at the apothecary house this afternoon and handed me a letter from the Jarl of Falkreath.  The letter was a request for me to come to Falkreath and do some work for him, I was surprised that the Jarl had even heard of me.  The kicker is he even said that I could have a house down there.

Though I love living in Whiterun and I enjoy being a Companion, I can't help but wonder if I should take part in this invitation to see a new part of Skyrim.

When I showed the letter to Falkas later that night, he told me to go.

"Being a Companion doesn't mean that you have to live the rest of your life in Whiterun," he reminded me, "This is the time for you to travel and see the world.  Take advantage of that.  We will always be here for you, Shield Sister."

And still, I can't help but feel guilty for up and leaving my new friends here in Whiterun.  I know Companions come and go as they please – many have left and come back in just the short time I've been here – but this was the first place that really felt like home.

I don't know what I'll do.  Maybe I'll think about it for a couple days and see.

Day 175 - Birthday

Today is my birthday.  I'm 20 now.  Funny, I don't feel any older or wiser.

Just think, it's been almost six months since that day Pa walked me to the ship at Windhelm and just a month and a half since I left the Bards College.  So much has changed since then.  I can't help but wonder how much more change there will be in my life.

Day 173 - Saved

As of today, four days after the attack, I have had no signs of the vampire disease.  I feel completely relieved.  I should stop by the shrine in the morning and drop some more coins into that donation bucket.

Day 170 - When Vampires Attack!

I just had the scare of my life last night.  I was returning to town after an overnight trip to Riverwood (long story which included breaking up a love triangle and diving into a local barrow for some stolen goods) when vampires slipped through the gate behind me and attacked the city guards.  At first I wasn't sure what was going on – they looked so normal from afar – but when one jumped at me, I knew he wasn't right.  Those glowing red eyes and strange teeth scared me.

I drew my sword and smashed in his head….but not before he bit me.

The moment the city guard saw the bite mark, they all turned a sickly pale color.

"You best be getting yourself to the temple," one said.

"Why?  Am I going to get sick?  Am I going to look like one of those monsters?" I asked, my voice climbing with each word.

"There's a chance you might," one of them said, "but if you hurry, the priests in the temple might be able to fend it off.  Hurry now!  Run!"

I turned and dashed for the temple, mowing over any unfortunate soul standing between me and that building.  The lone priest on duty looked up as I ran in and paled at the sight of the bite.

"Hurry," he said, leading me to the shrine, "Lay your hands on the shrine and pray, my child.  I will be back in a moment with something to clean the wound."

Though I had never been religious before, I prayed like I really meant it tonight.  There was no way I would want to become a vampire.

A moment after I began to pray, the shrine began to glow and a bright, warm light encompassed me, invading every pore of my skin.  A feeling of total peace washed over me and I knew everything would be okay.

The priest came back as promised and cleaned the wound before slathering a good deal of sticky medicine on my hand.

"Stay here as long as you want, my child," he said, "Donations are taken at the door."

I stayed for another half hour before rising and heading home, dropping 10 septums in the donation bucket as I left the temple.  Even then, the sight of those red eyes haunted my dreams and made me toss and turn all night.

I really hope that priest was right and that I'm not going to turn into a vampire.  My mother would kill me!

Day 166 - Letter From Ma

I found a letter from Ma waiting for me at the tavern this afternoon.    My hands shook as I tore open the seal and read what was inside:

Dearest Patrycia:

I'm glad that you are doing okay and settling in well in Whiterun.  I understand why you had to leave.  Not everyone can stand your aunt.  Anyway, as you said the night before you're left, you are almost 20.  It's time for you to find your own way in this world.

Please let me know how you are doing.   If you're ever in Riften, please stop by and say hi.  Your brother and I miss you.

Love,
Your mother

Day 161 - Dustman's Cairn

Doesn't he look thrilled?

Farkas and I met up early this morning at the Dustman's Cairn, just a hop skip and a jump from town.  As you can see, he didn't look too thrilled about escorting a female "welp" to get the fragment but I don't think he had much of a choice.

The Cairn...

It wasn't long before we discovered that the Cairn was literally crawling with draugr.  They crawled out of their crypts and attacked us at every turn.  At first, Farkas was running ahead, acting as though he had to protect me, but once he saw that I knew how to handle the undead, he relaxed a bit.

My old friends...

And then the gate room happened and everything changed between us.  See, I walked into an alcove and accidentally triggered a gate that locked me in.  Thankfully, was still outside of the gate.  After chewing me out for doing something that stupid, he told me to be patient, that he'd find a way to get me out.

Suddenly, four intruders appear and surround Farkas, threatening to kill him.  I got a little worried at the sight of those men.  I'd seen Farkas take on two people at once during training but never four.  I feared what they would do to them.

And then all broke loose.  One moment Farkas looked like his normal self…

…. And the next, he looked like this!

Holy shit, Farkas is a werewolf!

While my brain was trying to grasp this concept, Farkas wipe out the strangers and found a way to open the gate.  I stumbled back at the sound of the gate opening, fearing that I would be next….but when Farkas appeared, he was back to his old human self again.

"What in the hell was that?" I asked, trying to keep the fear and surprise out of my voice but failing horribly.

Farkas scratched his head and looked sheepishly at the ground, "Well, now you know our little secret but that wasn't quite the way I wanted you to find out."

"Are all of the Companions werewolves?"

"Not everyone," he replied, "but all the members of the Circle are. It's a secret to everybody." He unsheathed his weapon, "Are you ready?  We must continue on."

I stared at him, not sure what to think.  Was it safe to continue on with this…monster?

"Don't worry," he said, giving me a wolf-like grin, "If I suddenly get the urge to gnaw on something, I'll just grab a draugr legbone."

His joke made me smile. "Fine.  Let's continue on."

We followed the cave system until we reached the inner crypt, fighting back an array of living and undead.  As we walked, he told me about who the men where that attacked him.  They were known as the "Silver Hand" and completely devoted to hunting down and exterminating werewolves.  As such, they were the sworn enemies of the Circle.

When we entered the crypt, I was surprised to find it empty of any draugr.  I walked up to the center pedestal and found the fragment just sitting, surrounded by various potions.  I picked up the fragment and studied it for a moment, surprised that something so small and dusty-looking could be so important to the Companions.

I was tucking in and the potions into my bag when Falkas gave a cry.  I looked up in time to see four crypts located along the wall burst open and draugr pop out.  I ran towards one group while Falkas ran towards the other.  We barely had them down before another set opened up, spewing forth more undead evilness.

This continued on for quite a while – as one waved died, another one came to be.  When it finally ended, we found ourselves surrounded by a bones of the undead draugr, swords drawn, both panting for air.

While Falkas looted the bodies, I broke the lock on a nearby chest and took everything I Found.  Then we headed out, both covered in dust and tired of fighting undead draugr.  As we walked back to talk, we discussed who would get to have the bathtub first.

Vilkas was waiting for us as we approached Jorrvaskr.

"Were you successful?"

I nodded and pulled the fragment out of my pocket.  Vilkas' eyes lit up at the sight of the old piece of weaponry.  He took it from my hands and cradled it as though it was a fragile baby.

"Excellent.  Excellent," he said, caressing the stone, "Come with me.  Someone wants to speak with you."

"Actually, I was hoping to get cleaned up before-"

Vikkas turned and shot me a look that silenced me.  I glanced at Farkas and noticed that he was grinning from ear to ear.  He nodded for me to follow the man.  I shrugged and followed, as requested.

We walked through the meadhouse and into the yard where a group of Companions were gathered.  I was surprised to see so many gathered in one place.  What was going on?

As I approached, Kodlak began to speak, "Brothers and sisters of the Circle, today we welcome a new soul into our mortal fold…."

And with that, I edged up to being a full member of the Companions, with all rights and privileges (and work) that is associated with it.  YES!

After the ceremony, everyone gathered in the mead hall and drank themselves into Oblivion, or at least tried to, and recounted stories of great fights that each had been through.  I snuck away after a couple glasses of ale, electing to take a good soak in the tub while everyone else was preoccupied.

Now that all of that is over with, I'm exhausted.  I lay here in my bed in the basement but can't seem to fall asleep.  I'm not sure if my sleeplessness is because of the excitement of being a full Companion or the sounds of the party above.  Either way, I have a feeling I will be sleeping in tomorrow morning….

Day 160 - Trials

As I returned from the apothecary shop this afternoon, Farkas caught my attention and told me that Skjor had a job for me. 

When I found Skjor sitting at the large table, having a mug of ale with Njada, he didn't waste time telling me what he wanted.   A scholar has discovered the location of another fragment of the legendary battleaxe, Wuuthrad. He said that it would be my job – my trial – to retrieve it from its current location in the Dustman's Cairn, just northwest of town. 

He also said that Farkas would be coming with me to serve as my Shield-Brother to ensure I complete the mission "honorably". Of course, Farkas doesn't seem that thrilled about coming with me on this little errand.  I don't think he know what I'm capable.  He'll learn tomorrow.

Day 158 – Life as a Companion

I got my first job with the Companions today.  Hearing about my background as a bard, one of the other Companions, Farkas, asked me to do a job for him this morning.  He said that a customer requested that a Companion pay a visit to the local inn and rough up the bard named Mikael.  He said that the man had been harassing local women and someone finally had had enough of him.

It felt so strange walking into an inn with the intent of beating up one of my fellow bards.  But let me tell you, it didn't take long for me to see why he had it coming.  The man made a pass at me just mere seconds after meeting me!  It felt good to smash him his nose and knock him to the ground.  By the time I left, Mikaul the Bard was curled up in a ball, crying his eyes out.

The "tough" bard

Yes, I could get used to this sort of work….

When I'm not doing jobs for the Companions or being trained in the finer art of combat by one of the higher ups, I spend my time collecting herbs for the local apothecary.  In return, the shopkeeper gives me septums and training.  I can make quite a few potions now and with her help I know more will be added to my repertoire.

Some of the other Companions laugh when they heard of my alchemy achievements but stopped when I told them how many septums I made selling those potions back to the apothecary shop.  This work won't make me a millionaire, but I'll at least be able to support myself.  Maybe someday I'll be able to buy a house of my own.  Wouldn't that be nice?

The Mead Hall

I dropped a letter in the mail to Ma this morning, explaining where I was and that I was safe and doing well.  I'm sure she'll be relieved to hear from me.  I've been wary about writing her until I was sure that Whiterun was really where I wanted to stay.