I started this awhile back as a journal of my current character. The start may be a bit shaky because I haven't gone over it again. If there's interest, I'll post more of it.

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16 Last Seed:

Jiub told me that we've reached Morrowind and that we may be freed soon. He was proven correct when the guards came for me, unfortunately they left him behind. I have grown to respect and admire the Dunmer and will miss his stories. I hope to see him again, but I feel that our paths will take two very different paths.

The guard led me up through the bowls of the ship and I tasted my first taste of freedom in many months. The sun shone down on me, causing me to blink as I exited the trap door and set foot on the deck of the ship. The guard posted there directed me to a waiting officer at the end of the dock, an unfurled scroll in his hands and a blank expression on his face. I knew that expression well, using it to my advantage more than once. I hurried down the ramp as fast as my unsteady legs could take me and stopped before the Imperial, answering his questions about my past to the best of my ability, though it pained me to remember why I spent so much time on that ship.

The officers in the Census and Excise office were quick and thorough. I quickly made my way through their processing before finally meeting with the captain, who handed me a sealed package and directions to one Caius Cosades. I tucked the package and note into my shirt and stepped outside.

To call Seyda Neen a town would be a misnomer, it is a slightly built up fishing village, with both shacks and stone houses. There were few people on the streets: mostly Dunmer fishermen, their wives, and a small garrison of Imperial soldiers. A Bosmer accosted me and asked me if I had seen a ring of his that he claimed was stolen. I gave him one I found in a rain barrel in the Census office because it fit his description and I had no use for it. He was pleased and said that he would speak to Arrille, the local goods proprietor. Smiling at my luck, I bid him a good day and sought out Arrille to purchase the supplies I would certainly need for the long journey to Balmora.

I saw the Altmer Arrille today and must say that I was rather surprised to see a Mer that tall and...golden. I had heard stories of them in Hammerfell, but never thought I would actually see one in person. He was a nice fellow and gave me a discount on his wares due to my helping his friend, Fargoth. I spent what little release money I had and asked Arrille if he knew of any work in the area. It seems that one of the guards upstairs was interested in recovering some money, but when I spoke to him about it, it didn't sound right and I turned the offer down. I see even in this distance province, greed and corruption are alive and well. I shall have to remember to be on guard against them, lest I have a repeat of what happened almost a year ago...

I talked to the other patrons of the trade house: an older Dunmer named Tolvise who said she offered comfort and kindness. I had to turn her down due to my lack of funds; a Dunmer bard who told me of his many adventures; an Imperial Battlemage who had little to say, which surprised me because I thought Imperials always had something to say, even when they didn't say anything; a bald Nord who wouldn't tell me what he did and a pretty young Redguard female named Elone. Elone and I chatted a bit until she mentioned that a friend of hers went missing the other day and she was worried. I rear end her that I would look for her friend and let her know if I discovered anything. Elone told me her friend said she was going to explore a reputed cave of smugglers just outside of town, but that was almost two days ago. I checked my gear and set out to explore this cave for myself. If they really were bandits in this cave, the law would be glad I rid the cave of them. Besides, after I was finished with them, they wouldn't need their gear anymore.

Well, it's a bit dry. It reads right now as a journal NOT intended for public consumption--which I suppose was how you started it. If you do continue with this (and I hope you do, because I see some potential in some of the little offhand observations and remarks, like about the imperial battlemage) you can do more to bring out Torlin's personality, and maybe throw in a bit o' dialogue so the reader gets a chance to set their own judgment of NPCs versus Torlin's perspective.

Well, it did start out as a journal. But I changed my style a little as I continued with it.

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The cave was mostly dark when I entered it, but the light from a fire burning in the center of the room and a few torches stuck into the ground illuminated the area enough for me to see. A silhouetted figure knelt before the fire, stirring something in a pot. The faint trace of cooking meat teased my nose as I crept down the stone ramp leading to the floor with my bow drawn and knocked. I knew I would have to take the figure out quickly before they could warn any others in the cave. I drew back on the string and sighted along the arrow. Just as I released the string, the figure turned around towards me. My arrow flew harmless over her shoulder and shattered against the wall. She let out a scream and charged at me, drawing a chitin dagger. I threw down the bow and drew my swords. From her clumsy strikes, I could tell she wasn't a very experienced fighter, but I knew that one lucky strike could end my life. I deftly parried her thrusts with my wakizashi as I tried to bring my katana to bear in the cramped quarters. We fought like this for a few moments until she over-extended her reach and I quickly attacked her exposed side. A quick slash across her belly felled her at my feet. I stared at her eyes as they lost their light. She had few possessions - the clothes she was wearing, her damaged dagger, a key of some sort and a handful of drakes. I pocketed the drakes and took the key, thinking it may be the key to the slaves' bracers. I listened for a few moments for movement inside the cave before I explored the room I was in.

The room yielded little of use. Aside from the fire and pot, which appeared to be a stew of some type with plants and what looked to be crab meat, there was only a bucket for water and two overturned rowboats. At the far end of the cave was a closed wooden slate door. I quickly looked it over for traps and pushed it slightly. It opened quietly on greased hinges, revealing a corridor with stairs to the north and south. I readied my blades and started up the northern stairs. As soon as my foot touched the bottom stair, I heard a gravely voice behind me chant. As I spun around, a flaming ball of magic struck me in the chest and knocked me against the stairs. I lay there stunned for a few moments before checking myself for damage. As I started to rise, another ball streaked towards me. Not wanting to be struck twice, I rolled off of the stairs and hit the stone ground hard. I quickly rose and ran towards my attacker: a Dunmer male in a brown robe. He glared at me as his hands wove another spell. I struck at him, causing him to drop his spell. He cursed and pulled out a dagger. His casting proved to be better than his melee prowess as I easily knocked aside his blade and drove mine into his abdomen. He crumbled to the ground as I withdrew my sword. I bent down to clean the blade on his robe and to ensure that he was dead. As I bent over him, something whizzed by my ear and exploded against the wall, showering me in debris. I quickly turned around as I saw another Dunmer loaf of bread her arm back to throw what looked to be a chitin shrunken. I sprang to my feet and lunged at her, but not before she released her missile. The missile slammed into my shoulder, causing me to stagger slightly, but I pressed my attack and was soon close enough for her to abandon the shrunken and to draw her dagger. My left shoulder was near useless, so I dropped the katana and drew my wakizashi. We traded blows, most of hers sliding easily off of my armor, but one cut deep enough to draw blood. I slashed her across an eye before reversing my blow and finding her neck. I backed away as she fell to prevent her from landing a final blow with her dagger. As she lay dead at my feet, I drank a healing potion and sighed as I felt its magic flow through me, mending my wounds. I looked around the short corridor we were in and saw the crates stacked on one side. A quick glance through them yielded money, clothes, plants, skooma and moonsugar, as well as pillows and a few pieces of jewelry.

My investigations of the crates over, I explored the rest of the cave. Behind me, the cavern led to a locked door, but the key I picked up from the first Dunmer I felled easily unlocked it. I went in a short way before coming to an underground river. I debated for a few moments before entering the water carefully and wading. The river led to a wall, but underneath the surface, I saw an opening I swam through. I came into a large pool with a stone ramp leading out of the water. Walking up it, I jumped as a rat skittered away from me. I exited warily, keeping an eye on the corridor the rat ran up before shaking myself dry as best I could. The rock tableau I stood upon was illuminated by mushrooms growing in the corner. Amongst them, I found a few drakes and bones that looked like they had been chewed on. I heard the rat skittering behind me just as I felt its teeth trying to bite at my ankle. I kicked backwards, knocking it into the water. It quickly swam to the ramp and charged up to me. I waited until it was close and gave it a swift kick, knocking it against the far wall. I left it as it slid down the wall into the pool.

The corridor led to a rock shelf overlooking the main part of the cave. I carefully jumped down and made my way back to the stairs heading up. At the top, I saw a slatted door illuminated by torchlight. Behind the slats, I saw movement. I gripped my katana and carefully edged towards the door, pushing it open with my free hand, my other hand holding the sword ready to strike. I'll never forget the sight before me...