(2) - The Hunter

Lake Ilinalta

"Think Gwenneth, think... First I need to get off this path. I'd better tiptoe over those rocks, or any imperials coming out of that cave will see my footsteps in the snow. Careful now..."

Gwenneth makes her way off the path through the forest, heading for a nearby rock formation. She circles it, then finds a suitable spot under an overhanging rock, well out of sight of any possible travelers. There she takes off the knapsack she took from the keep, and starts to check her belongings in the faint moonlight.



Gwenneth makes her way off the path...

"Good thing I found those fur boots and gauntlets, and this hood I took off that dead spellcaster in that cage, it's pretty chilly. I'm not too happy about wearing this Stormcloak cuirass, since I bet it will get funny looks from any Imperial, but for now I'll just stay off the beaten paths, it'll have to do. Got my iron war axe and hide shield, and a longbow with arrows, so weapons is good too.

Now let's see what I got in my knapsack, cause it's pretty heavy...

First let's get this iron mace out, it barely fits. It's pretty heavy, not sure if I should keep carrying it along, but it might get a decent price at a trader, and I can use all the gold I can get... Oh yes, the gold, let's see how much I gathered in the keep, I recall collecting quite a few money pouches..."


As Gwenneth goes through her knapsack, she discovers she did a pretty decent job at looting the keep while running and fighting.

• 104 gold pieces: not bad at all, but barely enough to bribe an Imperial soldier with
• 2 iron daggers + 1 steel dagger: having some spare weapons never hurts, and they should be easy to sell
• footwraps: not needed anymore, and Gwenneth discards them
• novice robes: taken from the dead spellcaster, they look quite fancy, so might be worth quite a bit, definitely keepers
• roughspun tunic: Gwenneth decides to keep it and roll the potions she has in it, the less rattling from her backpack, the better
• several potions of minor healing, magica and stamina: the healing ones always can come in handy, the others she can sell
• 2 bottles of alto wine: always good for keeping you warm on a cold evening
• black briar mead: Gwenneth hasn't had any mead in a while, so that's a keeper too
• a bunch of food; bread, 2 cabbages, 5 potatoes, 3 apples, don't leave home without it
• 2 bottles of cheap wine: well, she's got to drink something
• bear claws: Gwenneth insisted on getting them from the bear she killed in the cave. She once almost got killed by a bear years ago, as the scars on her cheek still remind her of, so this time she wanted a token of her victory
• a sack filed with salt, enough for at least a dozen salt piles: good for selling and seasoning food
• 2 um, well,  tails of something: She got this from the spider cage, but she has no clue what they are. They smell funny, but it's meat, so saving it for now
• 7 spider eggs: alchemists use these, they are light, so good for selling
• a lantern: hmmm, turn's out there's no candle inside. Discarded
• a handful of lockpicks: Ralof gave her these when he asked her to open a cage in the keep. Gwenneth actually had a lock and lockpick toy as a kid, but she never played with it much. Luckily the cage had a very simple lock, and she only broke two picks before she managed to get it open. Definitely keepers, you never know
• The Book of the Dragonborn: This book was lying around in the keep, and it attracted her attention. It seemed like an unusual thing to lie around there, so she took it. Will save for later reading
• Spell Tome: Sparks: Gwenneth recalled the spell tome books from when Leanawen taught her the fireball spell. Now she wasn't planning on spending months on learning a new spell, but it might sell well. Keeper

Gwenneth quickly repacks her knapsack, pretty satisfied with what she collected in the keep and beyond.

However, she won't be searching for a town now to sell stuff. Even though it's well past midnight, she pushes on to what should be North, towards the place she hasn't seen for so many years. Then she sees the shimmering reflection of the moon. Could it be? Yes, it is. Lake Ilinalta, where she spent over 15 years of her youth, her birthplace, where her home used to be. Trees have grown and fallen since, and the shoreline seems to have changed somewhat. But the dark contours of the rocks and mountains in the distance still look oh so familiar.
A chill runs down her spine as her memory replays the fire, and the death of her father and 3 of her brothers and sisters. Then she descends towards the water.



Lake Klinalth in the dark


Just as she tries to see through the darkness across the water where her birthhouse used to be, she notices the small rowboat below her. The side of the boat seems to be lit by a fire. She decides to check it out.
Next to the fire she notices a human figure. As she sneaks closer she hears the man say: "Get closer, I mean you no harm, as long as you aren't fish or game, you're safe to sit by my fire."


It turns out the man is a hunter who has been camping on the shore of the lake for a while. To show her good intentions, Gwenneth sells him most of her salt for a very reasonable price. He eagerly accepts, as he can use it well to preserve the abundance of salmon he has caught. Then he catches Gwenneth glancing at his bedroll. "Want to have a lie down?"; he says. "I've slept during the day to prepare for some night fishing, so feel free to use my bedroll. I'll be right here with my fishing rod."


Gwenneth lies down, her knapsack tucked in her arms. Exhausted, she falls asleep within mere seconds...