JoS/Henriette/38th Journal - Hirstaang Plains

Sun's Height, 13th, 4E 203

As we were returning to Raven Rock, we came across strange humanoids attacking two guardsmen with House Redoran. We rushed in to help, but unfortunately, we weren't fast enough. One of the guards died.

The sole survivor Veleth, captain of the guard here, thanked us dearly, and when we asked what was going on here, he explained that monsters are called Ash Spawns. He doesn't quite know what they are or where they're coming from, but they're kind of like zombies or something, some sort of undead maybe, or maybe being manipulated by some strange magic. They've been terrorizing the locals here for quite a while, and the guards aren't really sure what to make of it. All Veleth knows is that it's costing him lives and that he's not at all pleased with the situation here. "We're stretched thin as it is and can't afford to leave the town defenseless to search for the root of the problem."

He said if I'm willing to help, he's ready to spare with some coin. I'm not sure what I can do to help, but since I'll probably come across those aggressive monsters in my travels anyway… Who knows, maybe I can find some clues about what they are and where exactly they're coming from. This ain't exactly on top of the list of my priorities, but these things seem dangerous, so they should be dealt with as well!

Next, we quickly figured out that destroying the one close-by was necessary for us to even be able to conduct business in the town. Like seriously, all the fucking shopkeepers were chipping at the bricks, building a nasty altar around the stone! My shout shredded that thing to pieces, and another giant creature emerged from inside. We fared a lot better against this walking horror since we knew what we were dealing with, and the guards also realized that we were here to help.

Let's just say we were able to boost our disposition inside this village. It's kind of refreshing, really, considering how hard it's to make friends for a girl like me. Everyone either sees me as a criminal, worthless, or someone to take advantage of.

We then decided to call it a day and returned to Glover's shop, where he asked me about that ancient pickaxe again, saying that he saw the guy who stole it today, telling me to go talk some sense to him. He's been working non-stop with something around the abandoned ebony mine, which used to be the source of this island's wealth hundreds of years ago. Hopefully, he won't be difficult to deal with.

Maybe tomorrow we can also travel north of here to look for the Water Stone on the island's western shores. Yes, we really should also go to Tel Mithryn, but we've figured out it's in our best interest to "free" these stone pillars from their Daedric influence as soon as possible. Besides, if I'm reading the map correctly, the Water Stone isn't in an easy-to-reach place, so that's a good reason to get this shit done quickly too.

Sun's Height, 15th, 4E 203

That whole episode with the Nordic pickaxe ended up being a lot more trouble than I bargained for, so I'll just skim through it quickly. It's not like anything exciting happened.

This Crescius guy, who was obsessed with something deep inside the mines, had dropped the pickaxe when he was attacked in the barrow beneath the old ebony mines. This led to his wife being mad at him and him not being able to continue his work until he had recovered. He was also rambling about his old great-great-grandfather, but honestly, I didn't even listen that much. All I cared about was doing that favor for Glover that I promised I would do.

Thinking there would be money in this for us, we decided to explore the barrow, thinking it wouldn't be too much trouble… Well, the barrow belonged to some weak-ass dragon priest, and we found another one of those Black Books underneath too. Still haven't opened it though, as I don't imagine anything good coming out of that. That ended up being the only price we got as well, as Glover said that he wanted me to keep the pickaxe as he just wanted to teach Crescius not to steal from others - which again, is ironic coming from a member of the Thieves Guild - and Crescius didn't have much wealth to part with either. Fifty drakes! That's barely enough to afford two jugs of Sujamma!

Oh, but with the undead all gone, maybe the mine can be reopened. Maybe there's still ebony down there somewhere? If there is, WE are expecting a hefty chunk from the profits because this is all thanks to me and the girls!

That was yesterday; today we headed north, took a little stroll by the beach… I had a feeling we should've reached the stone by then, but the only thing we found ahead of us were bandits. There are many ships along the coast here, but not many signs of actual civilization. I'm guessing they're using this coast for smuggling something, maybe stolen goods or drugs or something. It's not our business, and we decided to steer as clear as possible to avoid any unnecessary bloodshed.

Then, we found tiny people or beasts… Something, I'm not sure what they are, but they're very noisy, very stupid, and kind of chubby little blue men. I guess they're goblins of some sort, maybe some distant relatives. They weren't skilled fighters either. Even though we were outnumbered one to five when we first encountered them, we had no trouble killing them. One arrow, spell, or cut of a blade was usually what it took. Worth noting that many of them use tiny little hunting spears as weapons, small enough to be arrows fit for my bow, and they even threw them at us. One of them even celebrated merrily after hitting me on the shoulder and wounding me, which honestly just pissed me off more. He ended up dying just three seconds after that for his insolence.

We also learned that they are highly fascinated by our civilization and our creations. They like collecting trash and building trashy little contraptions out of them. We got kinda curious as well, and against our better judgment, we braved their little village tucked away in some cave. Serana and I stayed several paces behind, while Sofia was excited by the prospect of cutting down some little blue men, feeling overconfident about how well our last fight went. Wouldn't you know it, she got outsmarted by these dumb little things and fell prey to their schemes by walking straight into a trap and an ambush. The little fuckers were hiding in barrels, underneath the snow, and even underneath the junk in some old treasure chest. I tried to cut them down, but one guy behind me tied my feet together, causing me to lose my balance and drop my weapons. It's good they were more interested in capturing Sofia and Serana… Well, not good, but you know… I was still free, and they escaped with their loot, with my two best friends…

I've got to admit that faring against the cave full of ice goblins was a lot harder alone, especially since they like to resort to cheap shots and tricks. I'm not criticizing, as I often do the same thing against my opponents. Who cares about honor; it's smart, highly efficient fighting!

Finally, deep in the cave, I found their little breeding nest, or a barn, whatever you want to call them. I've heard about how goblins reproduce like rabbits, how they mature very fast, and their incredible sex drive… My friends were experiencing this first hand. When I found them, they were both surrounded by half a dozen goblins, being used as fuck-sleeves, being viciously raped by them. With their weak little hands tied, they had never stood a chance. They weren't the only prisoners either, as there were three adult women there too - two Dunmer and a young Nord - and one of them had been mounted by a tusked bristleback for the creatures' entertainment. In case you're unaware what a bristleback is, they're wild boars, native to the cold climates, and a bit larger than their Cyrodiilic cousins. That poor woman's stomach was so bloated… I hear that a boar's ejaculations are quite intense, for the lack of a better word.

I somehow fared okay against an underground village full of boars and blue bastards, but then again, I caught them off-guard in the middle of an orgy. I've really grown a lot, haven't I? I took on an entire clan and didn't so much as lose a single piece of clothing! I took three cuts while failing to dodge or block, but these kinds of wounds heal fast. I saved my friends and the three other women too. They said they're pirates, not that I care. They had nothing to reward me with but said they'd talk with their captain about being saved, so maybe something good will come out of this.

After that, we headed back south towards Raven Rock, and even found the Water Stone we were looking for. Tomorrow, we'll finally travel to Tel Mithryn.

Sun's Height, 16th, 4E 203

Out of all the subregions of Solstheim, the southeast fared the worst after the Red Year, which is not at all surprising, as you can see the Red Mountain really well on the other side of the narrow strait between this island and Vvardenfell. The eruption leveled everything from small buildings to Fort Frostmoth, and from ancient Nordic landmarks to every damn pine tree in the area. The area still suffers from regular ash-storms, so there's not much vegetation here. Very few plants thrive here. Tel Mithryn is an exception, and it's quite a sight overall.

This "settlement" belongs to the House Telvanni. I don't know much about them, so don't expect a lecture from me, but it's some kind of local Mages Guild. Apparently, they make their buildings out of fungus, which sounds kinda weird to me. Neloth is some kind of big shot in that organization, and the guy is really fucking rich. I mean, he kind of has to be, considering he owns this entire place and employs everyone in it.

Getting to meet him wasn't easy, as the two people I found outside advised against it. One of them was Neloth's apprentice Talvas, who was practicing some kind of Conjuration spell, and the other one was the local mycologist Elynea; both told me that Neloth doesn't wish to be disturbed. After I explained who I was and even showed the Black Book I had on me, they decided to let me in, but only me.

I was able to levitate - or float - up the tower using some kind of magic stream, after which I was face to face with the master wizard himself. He's that man I met at Raven Rock, the one who was confused at how the people were acting near the crystal, the man who showed great interest in my butt with his eyes. He also remembered me very well and even remembered me having looked for Miraak, after which I was happy to explain to him what had happened and showed him the Black Book as proof. I explained that I was now looking for more information and perhaps even information about learning Miraak's secrets in hopes of eventually defeating him. Neloth, however, wasn't willing to just help a stranger out of the blue.

"Can't you see I'm incredibly busy?" he first remarked. "First of all, what's even in it for me? You don't simply ask a favor from a master wizard of House Telvanni without having something to offer in return."

I had a feeling his help wouldn't come easy, but that's when I remembered something, as I thought we had a mutual friend! I ended up twisting the truth a little, but I guess telling him that "Aliya told me you could help me if I mentioned her name" was the wrong card to play because he actually got mad.

"That talentless fetcher? I never want to see her or hear her name again unless it's to put that stupid brat in her place once and for all." He then continued rambling about something I didn't even pay much attention to, something more about her talents and the position which she should've never been given, and some colossal debt of thirty thousand septims she still owes him. Well, they have history, alright. Yet, despite all his anger, I could see him smiling when describing her, so maybe they're not on that bad terms despite Neloth acting all offended over me mentioning her name.

"Okay, okay", I said, profusely apologizing for daring to take him for granted, "I'm not expecting help for free…"

He still had no idea who I was, but now since I've been here for a while causing a ruckus, he has figured out something about me, like me being a Dragonborn, about what I did north of here at the Skaal Village. He said, "Maybe we can work something out", and asked me what I knew about the Black Books.

I admitted "not much", as the Skaal didn't reveal anything to me about them, but I told him who I think the books are connected to. "They have something to do with Hermaeous Mora, right?"

"You're right", he said. "Since you were able to figure out that much, I assume you're familiar with Hermaeous Mora?"

I told him about that one time with Septimus, about how I helped him open that cube, about how this Daedra had taken an interest in it, in me, and the contents inside. His eyebrows raised up when I uttered the words Oghma Infinium. He said he's been looking for it himself and would like to see it. Maybe some other time, as it's at my home.

This brought us back to the topic of Black Books. There are many of them in this world, but nobody really knows how many or where all of them are located. All over Tamriel, presumably. On Soltheim, there are maybe like half a dozen of them, so quite a few! He also said that some of them could be from the future, which sounds just insane. I mean, isn't time linear? Or, if not linear, then at least cyclical? That's if you believe in the "kalpic cycles"… I better not get too deep into that because it doesn't really matter and because it's confusing my pea brains…

These books are feared and sought after, as they contain "forbidden" knowledge, and merely being exposed to their contents can be dangerous. Neloth even has a Black Book of his own, but it won't help me, as the knowledge stored in that book has nothing to do with dragons, the Dragonborn, the cult, or anything of the sort. However, he thinks he knows where the book I'm looking for is.

"So, you won't tell me where it is because you want a price for that information?" I asked him.

"If retrieving it was as simple as sending someone else to fetch it, I would've gotten my hands on it already", Neloth said, and quite condescendingly, might I add. "No, what I'm suggesting is that we go fetch it together. I'm going to need multiple sets of hands at my disposal to acquire it, which is where you are going to help me, and you are going to need my brains and knowledge, which is how I'll help you."

"Sounds fair", I said.

"I'm not done", he said, sounding annoyed. "I'll let you read the book to acquire the knowledge you require, but after that's done, I'm keeping the book. Any objections?"

"None whatsoever."

"Good."

Now, that's where I was expecting us to plan our little trip and set on our journey, but he can't leave yet, or so he says. As he said when I first met him, he's quite busy with his current research, and he can't just leave his tower without a master for an extended period before first making some preparations. I suppose that's reasonable, and I even offered him my help. This made him stare me down and said something about having me help him personally after he was done with lunch. Seeming distracted, he called for his personal steward. "Where has that useless little bitch gone…" he muttered under his breath. "You, go fetch my little Varona. Tell her I want canis root tea and apple-cabbage soup, piping hot, and holly berry tart for dessert. Hurry up."

"As you wish", I said and shrugged.

"And you will refer to me as "Master Neloth"", he added, smiling as he eyed me up and down.

"Y-yes, Master Neloth." It felt a little weird, but I played along. Is he coming onto me? Well, he's obviously into little girls, and based on the fact that he referred to Varona as "his little Varona", I'm guessing she could be young herself. Yeah, if that isn't a clue, I haven't found her yet. Talvas the apprentice said that Varona is visiting Raven Rock for supplies, so we should just wait for her return. Neloth disagreed and said that he didn't care where she was, as his instructions to me were crystal clear: "go fetch my little Varona!"

I didn't have much choice…

Sadly, it doesn't seem like Varona's been to Raven Rock, so maybe something must've happened to her on the way? I sure hope not… Neloth looks a little worried now, but the mission still hasn't changed. Well, now on top of having to fetch her, I also have to figure out what happened to her. Great! I suppose I should try looking around the main road from here to Raven Rock again? Maybe see if we can find some clues on the roadsides…

That's all for tomorrow though. We've been up all night, and I decided to try making Neloth the tea he wants himself. It shouldn't be too hard, right? I've never brewed canis root tea, but I don't imagine it being too tricky…

It also seems that I'm still the only one allowed in Neloth's tower. Serana and Sofia are staying in Ulves Romoran's cookhouse, where they used to have an inn until they closed its operations thirty years ago. I guess this place doesn't get enough visitors? Either way, they're allowed to stay in those rooms as long as they keep them clean by themselves and help around the kitchen. I kinda would rather sleep down there as well, but Neloth insisted on me staying here in his tower…

Oh, I think the tea is just about done, so I'll just have to close my diary now…

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