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, faring against the cave full of ice goblins was a lot harder alone, especially when you consider how 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.

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