|Chapter 2| Of mages and spells and caves.

Another day of freedom... I woke up very early in the morning, and left the inn.

Bleaker's Way seemed like a ghost town at this time of day; everyone was asleep or out hunting. I decided to postpone my mission to Weynon Priory for yet a little longer, and explore the local wildlife while I still had time.

So I left Bleaker's Way and walked around a bit, when at some point I noticed a deer eating some plants. I hadn't eaten for 2 days myself, so I decided to do something about it. I grabbed my mace from my waist, snuck up to the deer and bashed it quickly on it's neck, killing it instantly. I did my best to save the deer from feeling any pain, but killing it was necessary; I can't sacrifice my own well-being for a creature that is bound to get eaten sooner or later.

I continued wandering around the hills, occasionally climbing them to improve my physique. After all, 8 years of prison tend to make a person weak and weary. Looking around, I noticed that Cyrodiil has a varied floral system. Some of these plants and mushrooms I had never seen before, as the flora in Solstheim was quite limited to comberries and some common plants. I gathered some samples I deemed useful for the future. My mother being a mage, she was quite skilled at alchemical matters and as a child she used to teach me various recipes for potions.

As I was digging out a mushroom near a big log, I suddenly felt a spiking pain in my left leg. I looked back and saw this big grey wolf taking a chunk right out of my leg! I turned around, kicked the wolf in the face with my other leg and quickly launched a fireball at it. The wolf gave off a painful howl as it rolled down the hill, still smoking from the fireball. I sat against the log for a while to rest and recover from this attack. I looked at my leg; that wolf had actually bitten a chunk out of my leg. With my restorational incantation I was able to patch the wound up, until only some small fangmarks were visible. I laid my head to rest on the log. However this would only be for a few seconds, as I heard a series of terrifying howls and roars. I looked and saw a pack of wolves eyeing me up, as if I were to be their best lunch ever.

I swiftly got up and ran without a second thought. I ran and kept running until my legs felt like they were going to break with my next step. As I ran, I looked back and saw the wolves nearing each and every second. I then realised that I wouldn't be able to shake them off; they were wolves after all, and me being such a bulky Nord, there was no possible way I could outrun them. All this thinking during my getaway got me so distracted that I ran and tripped over some groundvines, and proceded to roll of the hill. At that moment, my instincts seemed to shout "Move!" at me, and I wasn't even able to think HOW to move, so I simply kept rolling off that hill just so I wouldn't stop moving. Finally, my panic came to an end when I fell from a small ledge and landed on a patch of soil in front of worn out wooden door to cave. What I also noticed about this door, is that it had a huge "X" carved in it. An unmarked cave.

The guards over at the Imperial Prison were never friendly to me, in fact, they would even refuse to feed me and the other prisoners if they felt like doing so. However, they DID allow us to read books, specifically, lore books of Cyrodiil and of Tamriel in general. It was in one of these books that I had read about "unmarked caves and caverns". These would be set up by locals to store dead bodies and their possessions until officials would come to claim them. This was one of these caves. What bothered me though, was the fact that these places are supposed to be guarder by powerful undead warriors. Yet, I opened the door and entered - anything is better than being eaten alive by wolves.

Once inside, I was joyfully surprised by the lack of guardians. A few rats here and there, but no undead warriors, no vengeful spirits, no lurking Daedra - nothing of that. No dead bodies either, just 2 chests in the entire cave. Now, grave looting is against my principles, but necessity beats ethics. So I made off with 25 drakes, enough to get me a bed in the next inn.

I decided to rest up a bit against one of those huge roots, before continuing the exploration of the local wildlife.


When I left the cave I headed to a nearby settlement to have a drink and a decent meal. I looked on my map and noticed that the nearest settlement was a place called Aleswell. So I headed off to Aleswell.

On my way to this place, I stumbled across a cave which was marked as "Fingerbowl Cave". This sounded quite peculiar and I decided to enter; after all, it didn't show any signs of an unmarked cave so I figured it should be safe. Was I wrong.

Upon entering, the murky smell of rotting wood and the dampness made it an uncomfortable visit for me. As if that wasn't enough, there was this constant rattling, which I decided to look into. And I should have known better, as I came to discover that this skeletal warrior was the source of all the rattling.

Now, if there is one thing my father had taught me, it's how to fight these things. I can still remember his thundering voice, comforting me and telling me to either aim for the neck if I use a blade, or to go for a direct hit to the ribcage if I used something blunt. Ribcage it is then, and I pulled out my mace. As the thing game running for me, I held my mace back and swung at the thing's ribs as it approached me. Multiple simultaneous cracks were heard and the skeleton collapsed at my feet. I kept this on for 3-4 hours, and had pretty much beaten up anything that was supposed to be dead in the first place. I also made off with a nice sum - around 200 drakes scattered in various chests. I turned and left, hoping to get to Aleswell before nightfall.

I was happy to reach Aleswell less than an hour after I had left Fingerbowl Cave. It seemed like a very nice settlement, but awfully quiet and empty for that hour. Oh well, I only needed to be there for a meal and a bed anyhow, so I went to the Aleswell Inn. I opened the door, stepped inside, and saw..nobody. I was sprung however when an invisible figure started talking to me! He or she told me that they had become invisible because some mages spell, and he or she asked if I could find the mage and find a way to reverse the spell. I must admit I was kind of shocked to hear that the mage was over at Fort Caractacus, the very same place where I had almost lost my life. But now it made sense; the books, alchemical tools, the bedroll... The mage was there all along, but he was invisible.

I want back to the Fort, my legs and hands shaking all the way because I knew that if I was to meet up with that conjurer again, it would be my end. However, I was comforted when I realised the mage was standing near the entrance, and not in the fort itself. We had a little chat, and after some convincing he handed me a scroll to reverse the spell. I headed back, cast the spell and walked back to the inn. Everyone smiled and thanked me, and the innkeeper told me that, as a token of his gratitude, he'd let me stay for free, whenever I wanted to. Pretty good deal if you ask me. But I must rest now, because tomorrow I will be heading to the Weynon Priory.

|Chapter 1| A life for a life.

I find myself in a dusty bed of some inn. This is as much I can think of, and possibly the only thing I can comprehend, out of everything that happened today.

It has nothing to do with my longtime incarceration - 8 years until now - my cognitive abilities have not been diminished or altered in any sense. It's just, what happened today is of such magnitude, a weaker man would have collapsed if confronted with the same situation.

I saw the Emperor being murdered. It happened in front of my very eyes! As a means to put all my thoughts in order, I need to recapitulate...

Noon...I was waiting for my meal, which was late as usual. However, the guards suddenly barged into the dungeon. I couldn't make out much of what they were saying, but it sounded pretty serious. Something about "dead sons" and "assassins". Figured it was another captive being brought in to rot away. I was however surprised that this was not the case. Instead, I was ordered to stand underneath the window, if not, they'd cut me down. The cell door opened and the guards walked in escorting Emperor Uriel Septim. At this point, my confusion started as the Emperor claimed to have seen me in his dreams; that I would play a vital role in the destiny of Tamriel. I suppose that is why the guards decided to let me tag along. During our little walk around this secret route, we were assaulted by men wearing some kind of armor that looked like daedric. They started appearing out of nowhere, attacking us with blades. The Emperor's guards managed to eliminate them though, and we walked on.

But of course, guards will be guards; I was ordered to remain behind, under the threat of a blade. They left. I stayed. I sat down to reflect upon my next move. Suddenly, a small part of the wall I was facing crumbled, and a couple of huge rats leaped out. Being a hunter in my pre-prison life, I quickly dispatched of both by smashing their spines. I peeked into the hole that had opened up, and decided to go and have a look.

Afternoon now, and I still find myself wandering these damp caves. I did score some leather armor, specifically a cuirass and a pair of boots, both untouched. I also found a spiked club, which I took in case these caves threw anything at me that was bigger than those rats. I came upon a big clearing in this very cave, one seemingly inhabited by goblins. One charged at me with sword and shield. I quickly killed him by making him run into my club first, then smashing him in the ribs with al my might. The goblin flew a few feet away and landed against a wall, leaving a huge bloodstain in the process. Then another one came at me, that went down even quicker than the first one; as he raised his arm to bring down his axe, I smashed him right underneath his armpit. The thing flew into some kind of rat's nest and was feasted upon instantly. I headed for the exit, when suddenly I heard a loud crack and saw the rock next to me get blown to pieces by some kind of lightning bolt. I looked back and saw this goblin mage waving a staff around. Couldn't do much except raise my club and bring it down on his skull. What followed, a loud cracking sound from it's skull, and then silence. I turned around and left.

At some point, my path with the guards crossed again. Assassins appeared again, and I assisted the guards with killing them. Not that it was necessary, the guards turned out to be Blades. They were the most rigorously trained order in all of Tamriel, so my help would be like contributing a grain of sand to an unfinished castle. These assassins kept on coming, and the Blades decided to hole up the Emperor in a room somewhere in that area, along with me. I was even instructed to guard the Emperor with my life.

And then it happened..One assassin appeared behind the Emperor and thrusted his blade through his heart. I was powerless... I think I must have been in some kind of confused state, as I don't remember what happened next; I just found myself outside. I found myself tasting freedom.

Now what? The Emperor told me something about some Martin character at Weynon Priory. Near Chorrol he said..Luckily I studied my geography extensively in my youth, and I can pretty much find my way around Cyrodiil. So I decided to head to Bruma first.

Along the way I encountered a fort. I decided to go have a look; if it was safe I could use it as a haven to rest until the next dawn would break. I entered Fort Caractacus, as it was called. I didn't advance a few feet, and I was already attacked by this lady conjurer. She seemed quite feeble, and decided to have a skeletal minion do the work for me. After all, I do not wish to stain my hands with the blood of a female. I raised my hand, closed my eyes, recited the first encantation my dear mother ever taught me... A small portal appeared, and my boney servant appeared with a small axe in his long-dead hand. That moment, the lady raised her hand, and seconds later an entity known as a Dremora appeared. I had never seen one before, and before I could control my awe I was struck by a fireball from it's hand. The burns scorched my chest, and I could barely stand up and run away. The burning pain made it impossible for me to focus on what had happened, so I had to rely on my instincts and make myself scarce from their sight.

I got out, and it was only a few moments later when I heard the door burst open. I looked back and was terrified to see the Dremora and the Conjurer come after me in full pursuit, so I reflected quickly upon my options. I ultimately decided to summon another Skeleton to keep them busy, so I could run. And I lost them..Finally. However, I kept running and running and found myself in Bruma without even realizing that hours had passed since that encounter.

Upon entering the city, the pain dissapeared. I felt like I was home again, in Solstheim. Snow, mountains, cold rocks, wooden houses..All this reflected home. I wandered around a bit, and found this store called Nord Winds. I entered, as the name seemed quite attractive to my ears. The Nord couple running the store stared at me as I ran inside. They seemed to be examining me from tip to toe, and they soon showed me a gentle smile.

"Can I help you?" asked the female, Skjorda. "Perhaps...What do you offer exactly?" was my reply. "Well, at the moment we've only got some clothing in stock. We had a break-in 3 days ago and the thief made off with all the armor we had stored."

I was tired, and not really intrested in the lady's ramblings, so I bought a new pair of pants and left. My next move - get a decent weapon. The club had served me fine in the caves, but I'm sure I'll need something stronger in case I come across anymore Conjurers and Dremoras.

"Hammer & Axe?" I muttered to myself as I read the billboard hanging outside a wooden building. "Must be a weaponshop, then." I thought, and went in. No conversation ensued, I traded my club for a steel mace and went along my business.

I left the exploration of Bruma for another day, and headed eastwards.

This is pretty much my day then...I stumbled accross a small farmer settlement named "Bleaker's Way" and found this inn.

Today... I was granted freedom after eight years of unjustified incarceration. I witnessed the Emperor spill his blood in front of my eyes. I avoided death at the last moment. All this on my first day of official freedom.

I will sleep now, I must rest if I want to get anywhere tomorrow.

[Introduction]

This is the story of Hrovitnir Frostfist, the Nord Battlemage. Hrovitnir was born and raised in Solstheim. His parents were both of Nordic descent. His father was a powerful warrior who served as a mercenary and hunter for the locals, and his mother an adept mage in nearly every School. This variety in his family has led him on the path of the Battlemage.

In his younger years, he used to practice his melee combat with his father and some magic with his mother. He developed quickly, and became very strong. He had always been a man of honor and respect, and their opposites were the only things that could "harm" him.

His training was rigorous from both sides, and didn't come without their own set of accidents. During this one practice session with his mother, he accidentally jolted a frost bolt toward his mother, who cunningly reflected it. The reflection, however, happened at such an angle that it simply backfired at Hrovitnir, freezing him entirely. His mother was able to treat him back to wellness, but Hrovitnir would carry the pale, frozen skin with him for the rest of his life.

One day, after returning home from from a training session in the nearby woods, he found his father dead in his bed with a dagger in stuck in his chest. When he saw this, he ran toward him and pulled the dagger out of his chest. That very same moment his mother walked and gasped, thinking Hrovitnir was the murderer. Naturaly, she yelled and attracted the attention of some Imperials who were nearby, who barged in and arrested Hrovitnir without a second thought. Hrovitnir was shocked and confused, did not realize what was going on and didn't utter a single word.

He was shipped off to Cyrodiil, imprisoned without trial and left to rot in a cell. Until...