Day Ten - New Thu'um, New House

While I was settling up with the innkeeper at the Frozen Hearth, I incidentally asked him if he knew of any work available in the Hold. He told me that a band of thieves had set themselves up in Fort Fellhammer, an abandoned outpost to the west. Apparently a bounty had been placed on the bandit leader's head by the Jarl, and anybody willing to visit the fort and clear out the squatters was eligible for a sizeable coin purse filled with gold. I stopped by Birna's Oddments, the local general trading store, to pick up some potions before heading for Fort Fellhammer.

No sooner had I arrived at the fort than I came under a hail of arrow-fire. Using my shield as cover I was able to make it inside the fort's walls without taking any hits, and then ascended the ramparts to take down the archers at close range. The leader of the bandits had shut himself away within the fort itself, and did not seem to have heard the commotion outside, so I was able to sneak up on him and slit his throat with my blade. While searching his body, I found a key for the mine beneath the fort and quickly pocketed it - it seemed like an ideal opportunity to mine some more ore for smithing. Another group of bandits had locked themselves away in the mine, but they proved little more than an inconvenience to be dealt with, and I was able to mine a great deal of iron ore before returning to Winterhold.

When I arrived back in the city I called in at the Jarl's Longhouse and gave news of my activity to a Dunmer named Malur Seloth. He graciously thanked me and paid me for my trouble. With the night rapidly drawing in, I walked across town and back to the Frozen Hearth, where I once again hired a room for the night. Before turning in to sleep, I counted out my earnings since I arrived back in Skyrim ten days ago - a reasonable total of just over seven thousand septims. This, coupled with the almost unbearable weight of my pack, led me to the decision to return to Whiterun the next day and buy myself some property. A small house would provide me with somewhere to store my valuables and keep them from weighing me down whilst adventuring. I remembered Proventus Avenicci, the Jarl's advisor, mentioning a house called Breezehome that was available for a modest five thousand gold coins.

I slept well, and woke early. Seeing as this was likely to be my last day in this Hold for a while, I resolved to tie up one last loose end before heading back to Whiterun - to ascend Mount Anthor and discover what my nameless correspondent intended me to find. The mountain proved unscalable from the north face, forcing me to move around the range and approach from the south instead. As I reached the top of the mountain, another dragon swept overhead, obscuring the sun and plunging the peaks into darkness. I drew my bow and managed to drive some well-placed arrows into its head and neck, forcing it to the ground. Once it had landed, it proved much easier to subdue, lasting only seconds against the cold, sharp edge of my Skyforge steel sword. As I'd expected, the fallen dragon yielded its soul to me, and I absorbed its power.

Mount Anthor, as it turned out, is also the site of yet another inscribed shrine. This 'wall of power' (as I've since come to know them) taught me a third power of the Voice - the ability to encase my foes in ice with a simple shout of "Iiz!". Satisfied, I silently thanked the anonymous writer of the letter and climbed back down the mountain to continue my trek back to Whiterun Hold.

It did not take me long to get back to Whiterun, and I arrived back in the city in the early hours of the afternoon. I found Proventus Avenicci at Dragonsreach, and he confirmed that the house he'd told me about before was still available, if I wished to purchase it. I handed over the septims immediately, as well as a little extra for some furnishings and improvements, and thanked him for his help. As soon as I walked through the door, I emptied the contents of my pack onto the floor and began to organise it. I placed my alchemical ingredients in a chest in the laboratory, my unused armour and robes in a dresser in the bedroom, and a wealth of collected novels and tomes on the bookshelves in the living room.

By the time I'd finished making the new house a home, I noticed that there was still a little time to spare before the shops closed. I ran down the street to Warmaiden's and used some of my remaining gold to buy some smithing materials. With the items on offer I was able to fashion a new suit of armour, helmet and shield, all in the traditional Dwemer style and refined to a perfect fit. I sold my old steel armour back to Arianne Avenicci just before she shut up shop, and returned home. "Home". It feels strange to be saying that word after so long, and especially in relation to Skyrim, but I feel content and comfortable here. Tomorrow, I intend to visit my old hometown of Karthwasten. I have heard it remains under the influence and control of the Imperials, and so I expect nothing good to come of the journey, but I feel as though it is a pilgrimage I must undertake. Until then,

Ever Honest,

Lenah'd Retsmek

---

Previous Episodes

• Day Nine - Retrieving the Star
• Day Eight - Azura's Champion
• Day Seven - Wuuthrad and Werewolves
• Day Six - Kynareth's Will Be Done?
• Day Five - The Companions and the Sleeping Tree
• Day Four - Duelling With a Dragon
• Day Three - The Bandit, the Wife and Her Lover
• Day Two - The Golden Claw
• Day One - Escape from Helgen
• Day Zero - Here Begins My Journal

Day Ten - New Thu'um, New House

While I was settling up with the innkeeper at the Frozen Hearth, I incidentally asked him if he knew of any work available in the Hold. He told me that a band of thieves had set themselves up in Fort Fellhammer, an abandoned outpost to the west. Apparently a bounty had been placed on the bandit leader's head by the Jarl, and anybody willing to visit the fort and clear out the squatters was eligible for a sizeable coin purse filled with gold. I stopped by Birna's Oddments, the local general trading store, to pick up some potions before heading for Fort Fellhammer.

No sooner had I arrived at the fort than I came under a hail of arrow-fire. Using my shield as cover I was able to make it inside the fort's walls without taking any hits, and then ascended the ramparts to take down the archers at close range. The leader of the bandits had shut himself away within the fort itself, and did not seem to have heard the commotion outside, so I was able to sneak up on him and slit his throat with my blade. While searching his body, I found a key for the mine beneath the fort and quickly pocketed it - it seemed like an ideal opportunity to mine some more ore for smithing. Another group of bandits had locked themselves away in the mine, but they proved little more than an inconvenience to be dealt with, and I was able to mine a great deal of iron ore before returning to Winterhold.

When I arrived back in the city I called in at the Jarl's Longhouse and gave news of my activity to a Dunmer named Malur Seloth. He graciously thanked me and paid me for my trouble. With the night rapidly drawing in, I walked across town and back to the Frozen Hearth, where I once again hired a room for the night. Before turning in to sleep, I counted out my earnings since I arrived back in Skyrim ten days ago - a reasonable total of just over seven thousand septims. This, coupled with the almost unbearable weight of my pack, led me to the decision to return to Whiterun the next day and buy myself some property. A small house would provide me with somewhere to store my valuables and keep them from weighing me down whilst adventuring. I remembered Proventus Avenicci, the Jarl's advisor, mentioning a house called Breezehome that was available for a modest five thousand gold coins.

I slept well, and woke early. Seeing as this was likely to be my last day in this Hold for a while, I resolved to tie up one last loose end before heading back to Whiterun - to ascend Mount Anthor and discover what my nameless correspondent intended me to find. The mountain proved unscalable from the north face, forcing me to move around the range and approach from the south instead. As I reached the top of the mountain, another dragon swept overhead, obscuring the sun and plunging the peaks into darkness. I drew my bow and managed to drive some well-placed arrows into its head and neck, forcing it to the ground. Once it had landed, it proved much easier to subdue, lasting only seconds against the cold, sharp edge of my Skyforge steel sword. As I'd expected, the fallen dragon yielded its soul to me, and I absorbed its power.

Mount Anthor, as it turned out, is also the site of yet another inscribed shrine. This 'wall of power' (as I've since come to know them) taught me a third power of the Voice - the ability to encase my foes in ice with a simple shout of "Iiz!". Satisfied, I silently thanked the anonymous writer of the letter and climbed back down the mountain to continue my trek back to Whiterun Hold.

It did not take me long to get back to Whiterun, and I arrived back in the city in the early hours of the afternoon. I found Proventus Avenicci at Dragonsreach, and he confirmed that the house he'd told me about before was still available, if I wished to purchase it. I handed over the septims immediately, as well as a little extra for some furnishings and improvements, and thanked him for his help. As soon as I walked through the door, I emptied the contents of my pack onto the floor and began to organise it. I placed my alchemical ingredients in a chest in the laboratory, my unused armour and robes in a dresser in the bedroom, and a wealth of collected novels and tomes on the bookshelves in the living room.

By the time I'd finished making the new house a home, I noticed that there was still a little time to spare before the shops closed. I ran down the street to Warmaiden's and used some of my remaining gold to buy some smithing materials. With the items on offer I was able to fashion a new suit of armour, helmet and shield, all in the traditional Dwemer style and refined to a perfect fit. I sold my old steel armour back to Arianne Avenicci just before she shut up shop, and returned home. "Home". It feels strange to be saying that word after so long, and especially in relation to Skyrim, but I feel content and comfortable here. Tomorrow, I intend to visit my old hometown of Karthwasten. I have heard it remains under the influence and control of the Imperials, and so I expect nothing good to come of the journey, but I feel as though it is a pilgrimage I must undertake. Until then,

Ever Honest,

Lenah'd Retsmek

---

Previous Episodes

• Day Nine - Retrieving the Star
• Day Eight - Azura's Champion
• Day Seven - Wuuthrad and Werewolves
• Day Six - Kynareth's Will Be Done?
• Day Five - The Companions and the Sleeping Tree
• Day Four - Duelling With a Dragon
• Day Three - The Bandit, the Wife and Her Lover
• Day Two - The Golden Claw
• Day One - Escape from Helgen
• Day Zero - Here Begins My Journal

Man, this really makes want to get back into Skyrim, though the likelihood of me getting back into it deep is slim. Too many other games.

Really enjoy reading these. Keep it up.

@Alaska_Gamer said:

Man, this really makes want to get back into Skyrim, though the likelihood of me getting back into it deep is slim. Too many other games.

Really enjoy reading these. Keep it up.

I keep saying that I should play other games, but I eventually end up playing Skyrim instead.

@spazmaster666: Yep, same here. I keep popping into games for a while, and then inevitably, I end up playing more Skyrim, even if it's just for a few minutes.

@dankempster: Housing storage is great, isn't it? I know it's not new to the series, but it felt like I was picking up way more junk in Skyrim than ever before. I must have at least ten or so dragonbone armor sets in various places, just because I thought they were awfully shiny.

@Alaska_Gamer: @spazmaster666: Glad you're enjoying the series. Thanks for the supportive comments :)

@Sparky_Buzzsaw: Housing storage is a damn God-send in Skyrim, and I think it is because I find myself wanting to pick everything up just because it looks so awesome. Strangely enough, I never felt the need to buy a house in Oblivion. I'm not sure if that's because I built a thief-type character, so most of my "possessions" ended up being sold to fences, or because I didn't do many side-quests for unique items, or maybe just because Oblivion didn't seem to have a lot of great unique loot. Back when I played Morrowind, though, my house in Balmora was absolutely chock-full of unique weapons and armour that I wanted to put on display. The fact Skyrim actively encourages hoarding for display purposes is absolutely brilliant.

@dankempster: As completely unmanly as it sounds, I hope they take that decorating to the next level in the next Elder Scrolls/Fallout game. It would be neat to get rare trophy drops from mobs, and be able to display them. And being able to put more than a handful of books on shelves would be nice, too. That's what I usually end up hoarding most of all.

@Sparky_Buzzsaw: Now that's something I would love to see - hunting trophies on the walls of your house, similar to the weapon plaques. Throw a pelt up onto one and hey presto - there's the head of that Sabre Cat you slaughtered, hanging over the fireplace. As for books, I would love to see some kind of Library incorporated into Skyrim - maybe by way of a future DLC pack. A building where you can deposit all your books, then come back whenever you like and read them at your leisure. I'm going to presume you're like me, and love reading the books in Skyrim, but know that if you read every single one you picked up, you'd spend more time reading than actually playing the game. Being able to leave my collected tomes with a curator, then come back later and pick from a catalogue of hundreds of titles - that would be fucking awesome. Make it happen Bethesda!

@dankempster: Oh damn, I'm drooling now. Figuratively AND literally - hey, I'm half asleep and I have cheeseburgers on my mind... mmmm.... delicious cheeseburgers... ohhhmmmm....

No, seriously, though, that is a spectacular idea. And while trying not to spoil anything for you, there is already a perfect location - the library at the College in Winterhold.