Middas 9th of Hearthfire 4E201
It was raining as I was sharing a bread and tomato breakfast with Lydia this morning. Afterwards I quickly grabbed two days worth of potions and provisions, as I wanted to leave before dawn.We turned right after the main gate, cutting across the tundra heading North alongside Whiterun's walls. We had to tread carefully, as the mossy rocks were slippery, and visibility was poor. We had just climbed a small hill, and I was straining to see through the rain to get my bearing, when something suddenly ran up to us, knocking me over.
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| Poor visibility |
I immediately recognized the smell of the wet sabre cat's fur, and scrambled for my axe and shield, still laying on the ground. Luckily Lydia was with me, and she hacked away at the oversized cat while I blocked its snapping mouth with my shield, my elven armor preventing its claws from ripping me apart. Only after Lydia finished off the sabre cat was I able to regain my footing. That sure was a lucky escape!
The fight had disoriented me, and only after a while I saw a red shimmer protruding the dark rain filled haze. I recognized it as the bonfire at the giant camp which I had seen days earlier, so at least now I knew we were indeed heading North as I had intended. We came across a stream, and decided to follow it towards the North-East, killing a few oversized mudcrabs along the way. Then, barely visible in the rain, Lydia pointed out a camp, with wooden reinforced walls.
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| Halted Stream Camp |
Just as we managed to descry some silhouettes on the walkway behind the wooden walls, the doors of the camp swayed open, and 4 bandits came running at us swords drawn. I barraged them with arrows as Lydia darted at them, impressively swaying her enchanted battle axe about. The bandits had little chance and soon we were searching their camp, looting any food and valuables. A skinned mammoth carcass was laying in the centre of the camp, so it seemed these had been poachers. In the back of the camp I discovered a set of doors leading to a cave entrance marked as 'Halted Stream Mine', and I waved Lydia over to investigate.
We both stealthily entered the cave, sneaking upon a bandit outlaw busy mining some ore, oblivious of our presence. A simultaneous attack of our bows brought him on his knees really quick, and I finished him off with my ancient Nord war axe of cold. The place was littered with mammoth tusks, which I all loaded into Lydia's backpack. The cave continued past a gate, which I unlocked with a key I had found on the outlaw.
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| Poacher's lair |
In the next room , we managed to kill three more bandits, one of which seemed to be their leader judging from his age and elaborately adorned armor. They were indeed poachers, as there was a freshly killed mammoth corpse in the middle of the room, and we found an abundance of mammoth tusks as well. I was just wondering how they had gotten the mammoth in there, when I noticed a large corridor in the back of the room. It led up to a large pit which had been hewn out in between the rocks, lined with large wooden spiked beams. So this was how they caught their game, a mammoth sized pitfall. I skinned the deer that had found its death in the trap, then we retraced our steps and left the camp.
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| Deathtrap |
I climbed a hill for a vantage point to see where about we were, and I could just make out Whitewatch tower to what should be our East. I headed West with Lydia for a bit, killing a wolf and an elk on the way.
Taking shelter under an overhanging rock we ate some horker loaf and apples, and I tended to a wound the wolf had caused me. After continuing West we stumbled across a large circular stone structure, set at the foot of the mountains. We both snuck behind what looked like the backside of the building, when I heard a roar up above. Then things went very fast, and I must say both Lydia and me were lucky to survive.
A dragon soared straight at us, scorching us both with large waves of fire as it flew overhead. Both Lydia and I tried our best to hit it with our bows, but the enormous creature barely seemed to be bothered by our arrows. Then suddenly the dragon seemed to be distracted by something and flew off to the other side of the stone structure. I hugged the wall and went through my knapsack looking for some potions of health.
Just as I was gulping down a potion, I heard another roar, a different one. I completely froze in fear as a large black bear came charging around the corner straight at me. I couldn't move, while flashbacks to the bear attack in County Cheydinhal plagued my mind. Thank Talos Lydia was quick to react, striking the bear with one after another arrow, and just before the bear reached me it turned its attention to Lydia. Finally regaining my senses I grabbed my axe and charged the beast from behind, only managing to kill at after it had badly injured Lydia.
I cursed at myself, and quickly handed Lydia two potions of health to stop her wounds from hemorrhaging. And just as we both stood there, unarmed, our hands full of health potions, I heard yet another roar. As I turned around a bandit came charging at us, brandishing a huge hammer. It was like all energy from my body gathered when I released the shout; YOL!!!! The bandit blasted backwards, engulfed in a ball of fire, being instantly killed. Both Lydia and I took out our axes, now we both understood what had distracted the dragon!
We circled around the stone structure, scaling some rocks, and choosing a high vantage point on the building. Below us we could see a group of bandits fighting the dragon. Both Lydia and I started to barrage the dragon with arrows, and as soon as we noticed the dragon started to grow weaker, we turned our attention to the bandits. The dragon took advantage of his turn of fate, and flew up, passed straight before us, then settled on top of the stone structure. As my shield got struck by arrows my attention turned towards the bandits once again, I grabbed my axe and shield, and jumped down below, charging at the remaining bandits. Lydia soon followed, and the already badly injured bandits fell quickly. When the battle was over I turned to look for the dragon, but it was nowhere to be seen, and only the constant dripping of the rain could be heard.
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| Silent Moons Camp |
After catching our breath we both scaled the stairs leading up to the stone building, and just as we reached the top part, large strands of energy protruded from the building, entering my body. I recognized what was happening, I just had absorbed another dragon soul! That meant the dragon was actually dead! I scaled the roof of the structure, then I saw what had become of the dragon. It had actually fallen through a large opening in the roof on top of a forge, which had by now burned most of its body away.
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| The Moon Forge |
After entering the forge area, I found several weapons glowing with enchantment. I also looted a chest, and on a table I found a book; 'The Moon Forge Book'. After leaving through the book I understood that weapons forged here would have additional powers when being shone upon by the moon. That's when it hit me, this had to be Silent Moons Camp. I remembered the bounty letter Orgnar had given me at Riverwood's Sleeping Giant inn, it was still in my bedside end table. I asked Lydia to remind me to look at it when we would be back home again.
We left the forge towards a door I had seen on our way up the stairs. As we entered we got attacked by three bandits, but they were no match for us. After having searched the bandit lair I lockpicked a door, and we scavenged the entire place thoroughly for loot, and there was plenty; weapons, potions, food gems and jewelry. Both Lydia and me were pretty tired from the constant hours of fighting, so we settled around the fire and ate some seared slaughterfish and salmon steak, washing it down with some wine we had found.
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| Whiterun viewed from Silent Moons Camp |
Once back outside we looted all bandit corpses we could find, and went around the back of Silent Moons camp to skin the bear we had killed earlier. By now our backpacks were overloaded with loot, and we struggled back across the waterlogged tundra towards Whiterun. When we arrived at Breezehome it was already well after sunset. We sorted the loot, stowing away what I wanted to save, and gathering all other stuff for selling tomorrow. Lydia has just gone to bed, and I've had a look at the bounty letter. It says the bounty can be collected at Proventus Avenicci in Dragonsreach. Ha! How convenient! Looks like I'll be adding some gold to my money pouch again tomorrow...
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