Day Twenty - Search for the White Phial
After waking and leaving Candlehearth Hall, I decided to return to the White Phial, where I had purchased some potions the day before. I'd witnessed an argument between the proprietor, an Altmer by the name of Nurelion, and his assistant, the Imperial Quintus Navale, and was curious to know what it was about. Nurelion explained that he was in the final stages of a debilitating illness, but had found a potential way to cure himself. He had reason to believe that in a nearby cave, there was an enchanted alchemist's phial - the White Phial he had named his shop for. Unfortunately, his failing health made it impossible for him to search the cave. I offered to help him, and he kindly pointed me to the correct location on my map - a cavern to the west named the Forsaken Cave, that I had passed many times on my trips to and from Winterhold.
Like many of the other caves and dungeons I've searched through in my time back in Skyrim, the Forsaken Cave was full of Draugrs determined to impede my progress towards the Phial. Thankfully none of them posed any significant threat, and I found myself using my new Slow Time Shout several times as I moved through the subterranean crypts. At the dungeon's deepest point I did battle with an extremely powerful Draugr, and during the fight I was unfortunate enough to lose the Skyforge steel sword that has served me so well ever since I received it from Eorlund Grey-Mane all those days ago. My reward for making it through was the learning of another new Shout - 'Marked for Death' - and access to the chamber containing the White Phial. Unfortunately, its years in that hole seemed to have damaged it somewhat, rendering it unusable.
I picked up the damaged Phial, made my way up and out of the Forsaken Cave and back towards Windhelm. When I arrived back at the alchemist's store and presented the Phial to Nurelion, he was broken-hearted to learn of its broken condition. He thrust five solitary septims into my hand and asked me to leave. I could not hold a grudge against the man for giving me such a small reward - believing life finally to be back in one's grasp, only to have it snatched away again, must be a painful experience. As I pushed open the door, his assistant Quintus called me back in. He thanked me more formally, and gave me five hundred additional gold coins for my trouble. I left him with my thanks, and asked him to send for me if there was anything I could do for Nurelion to ease his final days.
Once again, I spent the night at Candlehearth Hall and rose early the next day. Eager to take a break from the pressures of adventuring after the heavy-hearted conclusion of my latest quest, I decided to quit Windhelm for Whiterun. I took a slow walk back to the city, stopping a few times to do something I had not done since first arriving back in Skyrim - take in the scenic beauty of my homeland. By midday I was back within the walls of Whiterun, and eager to make the most of my afternoon of leisure. I spent much of my time smithing at Arianne's forge, smithing the ore and ingots I'd amassed on my travels into jewellery and weapons, which I then sold on to Arianne herself and Belethor at the general store. It was wonderful to finally sink some time back into the old art of smithing, and although my materials were limited and my skills rusty, I was happy with most of what I forged this afternoon. If nothing else, it has earned me a healthy sum of septims for my trouble.
After smithing all of my collected materials, I chose to spend the evening wandering about Whiterun and actually getting to know some of my neighbours. For the first time, I became aware of an on-going feud between the Battle-Borns and Grey-Manes, and learned that the Redguard Amren was searching for his father's long-lost sword, supposedly holed up in Swindler's Den. Finally, just before retiring home, I paid the local Hall of the Dead a visit and spoke with a priest named Andurs. He'd recently lost his amulet of Arkay within Whiterun's catacombs, and asked me if I might retrieve it for him. I agreed, on the condition that I might first go home and rest for the night, returning to handle the matter in the morning. He bade me farewell, and I made my way back to Breezehome. Between retrieving Andurs' amulet and searching for Amren's father's sword, tomorrow is likely to prove an interesting day. Until then,
Ever Honest,
Lenah'd Retsmek
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Previous Episodes
- Day Nineteen - Siding With the Stormcloaks
- Day Eighteen - Two Sides of the Same Septim
- Day Seventeen - Tracking the Telvanni Line
- Day Sixteen - Finding Lost Books and Lost Words
- Day Fifteen - The Axe and the Masque
- Day Fourteen - A Daedra and His Dog
- Day Thirteen - Treason and Betrayal
- Day Twelve - Counsel from the Greybeards
- Day Eleven - Old Towns, New Faces
- Day Ten - New Thu'um, New House
- 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
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