Nord Refugee Character Diary - Hrisskar III

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BIGwooly

Well-Known Member
- Sundas, 27th of Heartfire, 4E 201 -

Tonight I'm going to be cold, hungry and sleepless. I spent the entire day hiking south along the river. I was headed to a bandit hideout to fulfill another bounty I received from the innkeep in Morthal. I must be making a name for myself since this is my third contract.

I fully expected to be back in Morthal right now, eating a warm dinner and sharing my daring adventure with the patrons of the inn and my journal. Instead, I'm clinging to the face of a cliff as the sky turns black and the air turns sharp.

I managed well enough earlier in the day, dispatching a dozen or so mudcrabs and a troublesome wolf. I even killed a pair of frostbite spiders, although it did take me all afternoon. They nearly got the best of me several times, but I outmaneuvered them and prevailed. I could have ended my day on this battle, as it took several hours, but I just knew the bandit lair must be close. So I pressed on.

After killing the spiders and collecting their poisonous blood I discovered a nearby trail. At it's head was the body of a slain Khajjit and the rotted bones of countless other victims. There was even a skull from a troll. I've never seen a troll, but I've heard the stories. It would take a mighty foe to fell a troll.

But my curiosity got the best of me and I started up the trail. The entire length of it was littered with even more bones and spatters of blood. My own blood took on a chill, and I decided that whatever was at the end of the trail was more than my match. I felt much better after putting that gruesome path behind me.

Before I knew it the sun was setting and I still hadn't found the bandits. I was pausing to catch my breath after a laborious climb, when I spotted a band of four brutes running up a road on the other side of the river. They had their weapons out and fell upon a deer a few moments later. After killing the deer they ran back down the road and disappeared. I quickly forgot all about them.

No sooner had I done so then I heard several shouts behind me. I turned in time to see the four renegades charging towards me, and very close at hand as well! As they crashed into the stream with their axes and swords drawn, I considered using my shout of fear, but there were four of them. I recalled my previous experience where my shout was blocked and decided to hold off. The men closing on me were in a loose grouping and one of them could easily block the shout for those behind.

So I ran. I ran as fast as I could. But I'm geared for clearing out a bandit hideout not for evading a war party. So as I ran my mind raced as well. I knew I would be out of breath again shortly and would need to have a plan ready.

I hurdled rocks and dashed across another stream. I cheated a glance behind me and the brigands were still on my heels, calling for my blood. As I turned back around I froze in my tracks and my heart dropped. No more than twenty paces in front of me stood a giant sabre cat. It growled and I knew I had only moments before either it, or the band of thugs tore me apart.

I lept sideways and jumped into the stream. There was a small waterfall just ahead and I ran for it as fast as my legs could carry me. Over the falls I went and landed on a rock below. I didn't even look behind me, but kept running instead. The waterfall was a small one, and if my antagonists didn't go over it they would surely find a way around it very shortly.

Another thirty steps I was able to take before I arrived at the edge of a cliff. There was nowhere to go. The cliff was as steep as a castle wall, and I could barely make out the ground below. I spun around, hoping that my attackers had lost me. For a few moments it seemed I had lost them. I could hear nothing but the peaceful sound of water flowing and birds singing their bedtime songs. The grass whispered softly with the evening breeze and a few butterflies danced their last dance of the day.

I was just starting to believe in my escape when I saw one of the men appear over a rocky ridge, a heavy axe in his hand. He had a clear path to me, and within seconds I saw a second member of the group coming. I had to do something, and fast. Within seconds they would reach me and that would surely be my end.

I turned and examined the cliff face again, looking for any sign of salvation. My eyes strained in the dusk's pale light, while my ears were eager to remind me of the rapidly approaching footsteps behind me. Then I spotted it. A small outcrop of rocks that I could probably jump to without breaking my legs. It was farther than I wanted to try for, but I was out of time. I could hear an axe whistling through the air behind me, ready to remove my head.

I jumped ..... well .. I more fell than jumped. But it accomplished the same result. By the gods if I didn't land right on that outcrop and not a hair to either side, which would have ended me for sure. After realizing I had survived the fall, I immediately looked back up the cliff face. If my pursuers spotted me now, and they had a bow among them, I was going to be an easy target. I held my breath and crouched on my aching legs, willing myself to feel invisible. A minute passed. Then another. I heard nothing. I saw nothing. I had evaded and survived.

Now it's dark, though, and even if I wanted to try and make my way back to Morthal, I would certainly break my neck trying to get down from this cliff in the black of night. I don't even know if I can get down from here, but I'm going to at least wait until the light of dawn to attempt it.

If you should find this journal and this is the final entry, know that my body lies at the bottom of a cliff southwest of Morthal. Gods be with me tonight and in the morn.
 

Lemviticus

Member
For those of you following this journal, would you prefer shorter journal entries or are you happy with how it is now? Just curious.
Personally, I love the long entries! You really know how to keep a reader's attention, and I can't wait to hear more! :)
 

BIGwooly

Well-Known Member
- Morndas, 28th of Heartfire, 4E 201 -

It's barely mid-day and already it's been quite the day. Of course, I got no sleep last night. If it wasn't the bone-chilling cold or the eeriness of a night in the wild, it was the fact that I didn't want to doze off and fall from my precarious ledge. An eternity passed but the sun did finally rise. How welcome was it's warmth on my skin and it's glow on my eyes.

But surviving the night was only a small victory. With morning came the realization that I was in real trouble after all. In full light I had a better view of my situation, and it was wretched. I tried climbing back up, but there was nowhere to go. Down would be the only way.

And therein was the issue. For the better part of an hour I tried to examine every possible route. In the end, there were only two or three potential 'routes'. None of them good. To make matters worse, I couldn't determine which was the best to take. My current position limited my view too much. That left me with having to make a decision somewhat blindly, since each of the options required a full commitment with no way back.

For another hour or so I pondered my fate while my stomach rumbled. Finally I made a decision. I can't say I made it based on a good hunch or careful planning. It was just a choice. Simple as that. I may as well have been blindfolded and spun around three times before making my choice.

So down I went, and I made it to the next ledge of sorts. From there I spotted a line down the cliff that had a slight incline to it. This was good, as it would allow me to control my speed as I went down. Hopefully that would prevent me from breaking my neck.

A few minutes later the entire ordeal was over and I was safe. I stood there, looking back up at the cliff for some time. It's funny how a random string of events can lead to such dire situations. From my vantage point on the ground I could see that the other two paths would have left me permanently stranded on the cliff, with a choice of starving to death or falling to oblivion. Perhaps the gods intervened afterall.

I then decided against traveling back to Morthal. The trek to this point has been hazardous enough that I don't care to have to make it a second time. But my stomach has it's own demands as well. So once the jitters of escaping the cliff left me I set out to find food and the bandits .. in that order. And it led to one of the most amazing moments I've experienced to date.

I tried fishing in the nearby river. This of course meant dumping my weapons and armor so I could get in the water. I had to just dump them on the ground because there was nowhere else to stow it all. I only prayed nothing dangerous discovered me while I was naked.

I used some rocks to jump across the river to a small island. The water was freezing cold and I wasn't ready to get in just yet. Oddly enough, I found an old chest on the island and the sight of it warmed me up right quick. I checked it for traps and found nothing, but then discovered it was locked. What a disappointment!

Fishing didn't go so well either, so I went back and collected my gear. No sooner had I donned it when a large elk came up over the ridge. He was last night's dinner in my eyes. I quickly crouched and readied an arrow in my bow. The elk spotted me but ignored me. I loosed the arrow and it struck home, but the elk took off and sprinted past me.

For a moment I considered giving chase, but with all my armor I knew I'd never catch him. I quickly pulled the bow back out and notched an arrow. But by the time I was ready to fire the elk was quite some distance away, still sprinting up a hillside at an angle. The distance was easily twice as far as I had ever attempted, much less against a moving target .. and moving quickly at that. Furthermore, I was nearly out of arrows already and I hadn't even found the bandits.

But my hunger was insistent, so I lined up my aim the best I could, leading the elk by what felt like a huge margin. I let my fingers slip and the arrow took flight. For a full three or four seconds it was in the air. There was no way I could hit this beast. It was an impossible shot at best.

And then the incredible happened. The arrow struck home with a glorious thud. The elk crumpled to the ground in a lifeless heap. I jump and shouted out loud, "Wow! What a shot!"

And what a shot it was. No one would ever believe this one.

Despite my hunger and my excitement, I had the forethought to pace out the distance and it came to just over 80 paces. Unbelievable! The elk had been so far away, running uphill ... at an angle ... away from me .... and I still hit it! I can't fathom achieving a better shot, no matter how long I live. Best of all, I even got my arrow back.
 

BIGwooly

Well-Known Member
- Tirdas, 29th of Heartfire, 4E 201 -

Dawn again and still I'm lost in the wild with hunger in my belly. I'm a day behind on meals and two days behind on sleep and I'm feeling it. At this point I just want to get back to Morthal. But currently that's a problem. To my left I see a sabre cat. In front of me is a giant camp. To my right are a pair of bandits, perhaps members of the same party I slew yesterday.

Yes, yesterday afternoon was a trial. First, I ran into the sabre cat the I originally saw the day before. I had no choice but to use my voice against him and run. And run I did ... right into the band of bandits that had also chased me the day prior and left me on a cliff face to die.

So I ran from them too, up into some rocks and to the peak of a ridge. It was almost comical. I had a foursome of bandits out for my blood on one side of the ridge, and on the other side was the sabre cat ... after my fear had worn off of him of course.

In the end I had to decide which evil to confront. I couldn't just sit on top of a ridge indefinitely, and evening was approaching. After some careful deliberation I chose the bandits. I had less than a dozen arrows left and I used them all. This left me with one bandit alive and the other ... well, the other disappeared on me.

So I came down the ridge and met the bandit face-to-face. He wielded a heavy warhammer and I knew I couldn't take too many hits with that monstrosity. I pushed him back with my shield during his first strike, and then hit him with a powerful strike of my own. It sent him reeling backwards and I was able to get another hit or two in before he countered. After absorbing most of his blow on my shield I stepped past him and hit him with my shield again, then followed with two quick strikes. That put him down, to my utter relief.

I left his body where it lay and went to check on the other two dead bandits. I was hoping to recover some arrows and maybe score something worthwhile. So I was quite shocked when a warhammer slammed into my head and sent me flying forward. I spun around and there was the dead bandit, living again! We fought for a few minutes and finally I prevailed again, only to discover it was actually the fourth bandit. I chided myself for being careless and thank the gods that the villain wasn't able to rise from the dead as I thought.

To my dismay the bandits only had a few bits of gold worth collecting. That night, last night, I spent in the wild again. It was another long and cold and anxious night for me. My mind is desperate for sleep and my belly aches, and now my path back to Morthal is blocked. I don't know what I'll do, but do something I must.
 

Shadow Scales

New Member
This is great!

Dont want to steal your thunder but i am about to start something similiar, any tips?

do you take notes as you go or play a day and write it up?

My character will be very different from yours but i will try to give a detailed and interesting account as well.

Keep up the good work!
 

BIGwooly

Well-Known Member
- Middas, 30th of Heartfire, 4E 201 -

I just slept for eighteen hours straight at the Moorside Inn in Morthal. I don't think I've ever been so happy to see civilization again and eat a meal and lay in a bed. I was starting to think I would be forever lost in the wild.

Regarding my dilema the other day, I chose to confront the bandits and poisoned my mace with a paralyze potion before the fight. I was lucky and the bandits got separated, allowing me to fight them one at a time.

After putting them down I had to spend an hour or so navigating down a waterfall so as to avoid the sabre cat that has attacked me twice in the same number of days. I got down and headed downstream toward Morthal. I came across a trio of seedy-looking men standing amongst some fallen souls. The bodies on the ground were stripped, and I couldn't help but remember my earlier experience getting robbed by some 'imperials'. I skirted around them the best I could. One of them tried to approach me but I kept moving to avoid a confrontation.

It was while doing this and paying attention to the thief that I missed the real danger. I knew it soon enough. The heavy and hot breath of a bear hit my neck and panic set in. A bear would likely kill me with two swipes, and this one got one set of claws in me before I could even turn around. Once again I was off and running. I was able to cross the river by jumping on some rocks and continued sprinting once I reached the other side. I don't know if the bear lost sight of me or I just outran it, but either way I was relieved to finally see Morthal.

It's funny how a village that once looked so depressing suddenly looked like heaven itself.
 

BIGwooly

Well-Known Member
This is great!

Dont want to steal your thunder but i am about to start something similiar, any tips?

do you take notes as you go or play a day and write it up?

My character will be very different from yours but i will try to give a detailed and interesting account as well.

Keep up the good work!

No worries. Write away. I really just started doing this to amuse myself and never expected anyone to read it. The fact that even one person enjoys it is awesome by me. That so many seem to be enjoying it inspires me to keep it up. d;-)

As for how I approach it, I just write when I feel it's time. Often this means at the start or end of each day, but sometimes you'll notice several days go by without an entry. It's all part of the role playing for me. If I feel like my character would want to write, then I write. Otherwise, I don't.

To answer your other question, I don't take notes. I always write when the experiences are fresh in my mind, plus that helps me make sure I get the dates right. d;-)

Good luck! And thanks for following my adventures ... I mean .. Hrisskar's adventures.
 

Shadow Scales

New Member
Thanks for the fast reply ;) just working on the backstory now, if you played oblivion you might appreciate the lore behind this one.
 

BIGwooly

Well-Known Member
Thanks for the fast reply ;) just working on the backstory now, if you played oblivion you might appreciate the lore behind this one.

Right on. I played both Morrowind and Oblivion. Look forward to seeing what you come up with. d;-)
 

BIGwooly

Well-Known Member
- Turdas, 1st of Frostfall, 4E 201 -

A new month and a new city. Today I entered Solitude. The city is something else. I thought Whiterun was impressive, but Solitude has left me mostly speechless. Unfortunately, my arrival was poorly timed, but more on that in a moment.

My journey to Solitude came about when the advisor of the jarl in Morthal asked me to deliver a letter. I accepted, thinking this task might be an easier way to earn some septims than killing bandits. The advisor insisted that I not look at the letter. That was fine. I didn't care to.

The journey to Solitude was difficult, perilous and lengthy. I won't even get into it, but the crowning moment was being attacked by an assassin just outside of a place called Dragonbridge .. or something like that. I lured the assassin into the village but the guards merely called out that there was a fight and did nothing to help me. Typical legion loyalist swine. No matter, I managed to kill my murderer. Although I will admit I was about a hair away from death myself when he fell.

I found a note on the assassin calling for my murder. I have no idea who would want me dead, other than the usual lot of thieves and beasts. The note involved The Dark Brotherhood. I heard stories of them when I was growing up in Morrowind. My grandfather told me a few. It's unsettling that I'm involved with them in any way.

Anyways, I showed up in Solitude today just in time to see the execution of a local guard. Apparently it was this guard that allowed Ulfric Stormcloak to escape after he killed the high king. It took all my willpower to restrain myself as they dropped the axe on this guard's neck. Had I the ability I would have slain the executors and freed the hero, but it wasn't to be. Too many guards were around.

The head guard who oversaw the execution was the intended recipient of the letter I carried. I approached him with every intent of handing over the letter. But he was an imperial. I loathed him though he smiled at me. He was the type of scum that had murdered my father and torched my village. I decided in an instant that he would never see the letter. Instead, I found somewhere private and read the letter myself.

It seems the advisor in Morthal is preparing to overthrow the jarl. And he is enlisting the empire's help to do it. I won't be a part of that. In fact, I plan to deliver the letter to the jarl herself. Then we'll see what that rat gets for befriending the imperials.
 

Teritus

Giving it to you straight since 1869
Keep all the posts as long as they are now. Unless, of course, you want to split them in half to make two posts; but it's fine the way it is. Very captivating, no doubt.
 

BIGwooly

Well-Known Member
- Loredas, 3rd of Frostfall, 4E 201 -

Just when I thought my adventures couldn't be any more unbelievable ...

I'm not quite sure how to even begin with my latest. To be entirely honest, I'm not even sure what happened ... or if it did happen. It feels like it was some sort of surreal vision or dream.

It all started when I was stopped on the street by a delusional beggar. He was went on and on about his 'master' and even gave me what he claimed was Pelagius' hip bone. As if a common beggar would have such a thing. He claimed his master was on vacation in the Pelagius wing of the Blue Palace in Solitude.

My curiosity got the better of me once again and I decided to check it out. The door to the Pelagius wing was locked, but I was able to get a key from one of the maids. I told a bit of a lie, but I don't think it will hurt anyone.

Once inside I explored around a bit. The maid had mentioned seeing a ghost on occasion and I was nervous about that. The next thing I knew I was somewhere altogether different. i don't mean somewhere else in the wing ... I mean somewhere .... else. I don't know quite how to describe it.

It was here that I met Sheogorath, a daedra god. My knees were weak and I feared I had made a colossal blunder. The daedra was having a fairly insane conversation with ... well ..... Pelagius the 3rd. I kid you not it was true. I remember it clearly even now.

Eventually the conversation ended and Pelagius vanished. Sheogorath turned his attention to me. He's crazy and insane but in such a way that I couldn't help but cling to every word he spoke. I worried I was falling under some sort of spell or trance but I couldn't help it. I'll admit I was quite surprised that the daedra's madness was also so humorous and entertaining. It put me at ease and scared me even more at the same time.

According to Sheogorath I was inside the crazed mind of the dead and homicidal Pelagius. I couldn't really comprehend this but the daedra prince assured me it was true. I couldn't help but wonder how I ... a simple shopkeeper's son ... had ended up inside the mind of a dead emperor.

I was instructed to complete a series of tasks in order to leave, and after some time I was able to do so. Sheogorath gave me leave and allowed me to keep a special staff he had given me for the tasks. I sold it this morning because I needed the coin, but it was quite powerful. It seemed to possess the ability to transform man and mer into ... other things .... like a wolf into a ram, for example. But I needed the gold and the staff was too heavy for me to keep anyways.

I feel like I still need to recover from my encounter with Sheogorath, so I'll probably just poke around Solitude for a day or two and gather my wits. Then maybe I'll head back to Morthal to give the jarl this letter. It's burning a hole in my pocket.
 

BIGwooly

Well-Known Member
- Loredas, 10th of Frostfall, 4E 201 -

Been laid up at the Winking Skeever for the past week. I had planned to travel to Morthal but changed my mind at the last second. Instead I went searching for a cave called Wolfskull. There's a reward out for anyone that deals with it's denizens and I figured I could use some extra gold.

Things went well at first. I killed a pair of skeletons right outside the cave. Then I killed a draugr just inside. It all went wrong when I came to a room with a large wooden door. There were two men in robes off to the side, and I believe they may have been necromancers. I decided to poison an arrow with a paralyze potion and poison my mace with some frostbite spider venom. I put the arrow into one of the mages and then rushed the other with my mace. No sooner had I managed to kill them both when a very nasty draugr showed up behind me. I retreated back up the cave while weighing my options.

The draugr pursued me, and so did another pair of necromancers. I'm still not sure where they all came from .. perhaps through the wooden door. I managed to kill one of the robed fiends, but then the draugr got too close and I decided to shout my fear at him

I'm still not sure what happened ... or more correctly, what didn't happen. There was nothing between us but the draugr was unaffected by my words.

And that is why I spent the last week in a bed at the inn in Solitude. My injuries were quite severe. I haven't decided yet if I will just head to Morthal or if I will go back to the cave. My mind is set on Morthal but my heart is set on the cave. Oh decisions ....
 

Grey Fox

Active Member
You sir, tell a very enthralling tale!! Don't change a thing, just keep it coming...:D. I admire the role-playng restrictions that you placed on your character which have given me cause to start over with a few restrictions of my own.
 

BIGwooly

Well-Known Member
You sir, tell a very enthralling tale!! Don't change a thing, just keep it coming...:D. I admire the role-playng restrictions that you placed on your character which have given me cause to start over with a few restrictions of my own.

Thanks! Will do. Oh, and good luck with your new character. I think you'll enjoy some of the restrictions. d;-)
 

BIGwooly

Well-Known Member
- Loredas, 17th of Frostfall, 4E 201 -

Another week in bed has me reconsidering my abilities. I went back to the cave and the same draugr that turned me out last time turned me out again. The whole ordeal has cost me around 300 septims. Room and board isn't getting any cheaper apparently. So that's now two trips to this hellish cave followed by two weeks in bed and nearly 600 pieces of gold out of my pocket.

It would take a handsome reward at this point to make a third trip worth my while. Even if the reward was there I don't know if I have it in me. I think I might just spend the rest of the day drinking at the bar.
 

BIGwooly

Well-Known Member
- Sundas, 18th of Frostfall, 4E 201 -

It's morning in Morthal and I'm as depressed as this place looks. I decided against going back to the cave. I figured I had more to gain and less to risk if I just went back to Morthal. Surely the jarl would like to know her advisor is trying to sell her out to the imperials.

And just as surely I was wrong. She wouldn't talk to me about it .. wouldn't let me show her the letter. The old bat is crazy afterall maybe. If it weren't for the involvement of imperials I would just deliver the letter and be done with it.

So that's another 50 gold spent on a cart ride, plus another night at an inn and food, and I've nothing to show for it. I'm down to just 300 septims now, and my mace and bow are running low on magika it seems. On top of that I'm back in pitiful Morthal and there's no one here who will give me a ride out.

Curse the gods. I just want to be back in Helgen village with my father sweeping the store.
 
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