Chapter 2.1 – Finding My Way
I have no idea how long I slept. I opened my bedcovers and sat up. Before I stood up, I examined all of the wounds I had received the day before. There were scars from blade strikes and rat bites on my arms and legs. A particularly tender scar on my right side. But all the wounds had healed. Memories of potions and incantations and tangible health flooded my head. On the tails of those, memories of assassins, goblins, and rats closely followed. I had to get a handle on this situation. I still have no memory of anything at all before waking up in that cell. This was going to be a problem. It was one thing to walk into a crowded inn and procure a bed for the night. It was going to be quite another to move forward from here. I sat on the bed and thought about my dilemma.
Think of what you know. You are a Wood Elf, according to the only person that would identify you. You are at an inn. You are in an area known as the Market District, which is part of an even larger city. You have some money. You have a necklace with a large red stone that someone claiming to be your Emperor has given you charge over. You see writing on signs and bottles that are of an unknown set of characters. But you can still read them. You have the ability to incant powers, from within yourself and through at least one staff, by speaking words that sound like gibberish. But you know the meaning of the words. You can use a bow and sword as if you have been doing it all your life.Can dreams last for days?I stood up and went to the table. There was still food left from the night before. I sat down and began eating as I considered my options. I had two…stay here or not stay here. Staying meant paying twenty gold pieces a night until I ran out of money. Not staying meant interacting with the residents of this city and possibly revealing how vulnerable my current position was. I frowned at the thought of not even being able to introduce myself, or answer a simple question like what my name was. I finished eating, stood and dressed, grabbed my belongings…and sat back down on the bed. I needed a plan.
I could go out and just try to remain unnoticed, studying the people and actions around me. Figure out how to blend in that way. Yes! That was the plan. I left the room and went downstairs. The common room was quiet. Only the innkeeper was there, wiping down the bar with a clean towel. He looked my way but said nothing as I walked toward the door. When I stepped outside, I was face to face with a man in dull brownish armor. We stared at each other for a minute, neither of us moving.
“What is it citizen?” he said.
I just stared back at him, dumbstruck. His expression began to change and I knew I better say something fast.
“I have some things I want to sell,” I blurted. I couldn’t think of anything else to say.
So much for unnoticed...“Well, you’re in the right place then, eh Bosmer? Just look around. Shops everywhere. You might want to buy some proper clothes with the money you make. Those look like they came from a grave. Heh, heh, heh.”
Bosmer? Did this man know me? Was my name Bosmer?With that, he walked away, still laughing. He must have been a guard, armored and armed as he was. I looked at myself. The guard was right. These articles still smelled, even after my dip in the lake. I stepped into the street and looked at the shop sign that was closest to me. “A Fighting Chance” it said, with a picture of a sword beneath the writing. I walked to the door and tried the latch. It was unlocked and I entered. All around were swords, daggers, and archery equipment. A stout woman wearing a metal breastplate stood behind the counter.
"Welcome to 'A Fighting Chance'. I'm Rohssan, proprietor. I sell the best swords in the City, and I offer Advanced Training for Armorers," she said.
I walked toward the counter. She was dark of complexion, muscled with obvious years of work with metal. At one time, she may have been pretty. The plan was to watch other people and mimic their actions. Unfortunately, she and I were the only ones there. I would have to wing it.
“Do you buy iron arrows?” I inquired.
Chuckling, she said, “Of course I do Bosmer! I’ll buy any weapon you have for the right price. And I do mean it
will be the
right price. Let’s look at those arrows.”
Bosmer again. Does everyone here know me?I pulled my quiver over my shoulder and dumped all of the arrows on the counter.
“I’d like to keep 30 of these, but I’ll sell you as many of the rest as you want,” I said, trying to sound like I knew what I was doing.
“Well then,” she said, “let’s say you count out 30 of those and return them to your quiver while I examine the quality of these arrows, hmmm?”
I did as she said while she examined one of the arrows, looking down its shaft for straightness, feeling the fletching, gauging the weight of it by feel.
“I’ll give you one gold piece each for the lot. That
is the
right price.”
“It’s a deal,” I said.
She carried the arrows off and left me standing at the counter. I glanced around at the weapons she had on display. There was a very nice iron longsword lying on the counter, along with an impossibly large steel sword, and an iron shortsword. Rohssan returned and tossed a small pouch on the counter with a clink.
“It’s all there,” she said, “You can count it if you like.”
“That’s okay. I’ll trust you. How much does a sword like this go for?” I asked, gesturing toward the fine iron longsword.
“For that sword I’ll take back that pouch and a bit more, Bosmer.”
I frowned. I didn’t want to spend everything in the first shop I entered.
“Maybe I’ll come back later for that,” I said. My next question was a risk.
“Say, do you think you could remove these?” I asked holding up my wrists and exposing the irons clamped over them.
“You wouldn’t be the first parolee that I released from a pair of those.” She chuckled. “Step on back here.”
I walked around the counter while she picked up a chisel and a large one-handed sledge.
“Put your wrist on the counter,” she ordered.
No sooner was it on the counter than she placed the chisel between the cuff halves where they were pinned together and brought the sledge head down on it with a high arched swing. Visions of a horribly crushed wrist flashed briefly before my eyes. But it wasn’t to be. She deftly snapped all four pins in mere moments.
“There ya go Bosmer, free as a bird,” she said with a laugh, “Will there be anything else?”
“I think that will do it. Thank you very much,” I said, and smiled genuinely at her as I grabbed my quiver and left the store.
Well that wasn’t so bad. Let’s see what else I can sell.I had a small collection of gems. There was a sign across the street that read “Red Diamond Jewelry”. Shrugging, I walked over to the jeweler’s shop, digging the gems out along the way. There was a stocky, pale skinned man behind the counter at the far end of the shop. I figured I’d play it the same way as the last shop. Expecting the same type of greeting, I strolled casually up to the counter.
“What?” was all the man said in a gruff tone.
“How much will you give me for these, my good man?” I said, trying my best to sound worldly as I placed the gems on the counter.
He just stared back for a moment, and then started perusing through the stones. He held the clearer ones up to the light and looked through them.
“Not the highest quality here. Many of these stones are flawed,” he said, pausing and tapping his forefinger to his chin.
“Tell ya what. I’ll give you 76 Septims for the entire pile. That offer is non-negotiable.”
I hope a septim is a gold piece.“Deal.”
I continued this course of action at every shop that looked like it dealt in the goods I was carrying around in my shirt-bag. Some of the shop owners complained about a shop owner named Thoronir. I didn’t bother asking what their beef with the man was. I was too busy just trying to get in and out of these shops as quickly as I could. I found one shop called “The Best Defense”. The proprietor, a gentleman by the name of Maro Rufus, told me I hadn’t found him a moment too soon when he saw my armor. When I left his shop, I was had a brand spanking new leather cuirass, some new boots, and greaves made from fur pelts that were infinitely more comfortable than the over-sized iron pair I had walked in with. “The Gilded Carafe” bought all of my potions, except for the healing potions. I kept those. A place called “Rindir’s Staffs” was my next port of call. I walked in the door, and for the first time, I saw someone that looked like me.
“Hail fellow Bosmer! This is ‘Rindir’s Staffs’, and I’m Rindir. I sell magical staffs. Imagine that.”
Fellow Bosmer? So much for the chance that Bosmer was my name.“Hail Bosmer,” I replied in kind, thinking it must be the right thing to say, “I found this staff and wondered if you might be interested in buying it. It shoots lightning out of the end of it. Well, you have to say a word first.”
I started to utter that gibberish sounding word –
“STOP!” he yelled, “We don’t want that thing going off in here now do we? Let me see it.”
He studied the staff for a minute.
“258 Septims,” he stated.
My jaw dropped. It was more than everything else I had sold combined.
“Do you think it is worth more than that?” he asked.
I closed my mouth with a snap and then said, “No. That will be fine.”
“Great! I’ll be right back.”
Rindir scurried off and returned with a small chest. He counted out my 258 gold pieces, thanked me and bid me a good day. As I walked out of Rindir’s shop, I stopped for a minute and looked at the people walking up and down the street. Very few of them were wearing armor. The guards were of course, but most of the common folk were dressed in clothing rather than armor. If I was going to fit in, I would need to dress accordingly. I found a shop called “Divine Elegance” that had just what I needed. Most of Palonyria’s goods were very fancy, fancier than I cared to wear. I wanted to blend in, not stand out. I settled on a brown quilted doublet, some linen pants, and a pair of moccasins.
I headed back to the inn. I was hungry and I wanted to change into my new clothes. When I entered, the innkeeper informed me that it would be another 20 gold to keep my room. I paid him the 20 and 5 more for his service. His demeanor immediately changed and he asked if I was hungry. After a delicious shepherd’s pie and a bottle of ale, I went up to my room and changed.
So far so good. Let’s go see about that sword.As I left my room, I saw a book lying on a shelf in the hallway. Curious, I walked over and picked it up. “A Guide to Imperial City” was the title. I knew that I was in Imperial City from my visit to Rindir’s shop. Being a fellow Bosmer had caused Rindir to be a little chatty. This was perfect! Exactly what I needed. I went back in my room, kicked off my moccasins, and reclined on the bed to read.
The book was written by someone named Alessia Ottus. According to this, the man I had seen murdered in the underground was indeed this land’s Emperor. He was descended from someone named Tiber Septim, whom she also calls Lord Talos, “The Holy God of State and Law in our Blessed Nine Divines.” I paused for a minute. If the elderly man was The Emperor, then I needed to get rid of this necklace, this “Amulet of Kings”, before someone discovers that I have it and assumes I was responsible for the Emperor’s death. But information is valuable, especially for me right now, so I continued to read.
It seems that Imperial City is quite large. There were ten districts in all, of which I had seen only one. Well, that was not entirely true. I had seen the Imperial Prison District, albeit from inside an eight by twelve cell. I read on, trying to stifle that memory. This author doesn’t think very highly of any part of this city except for the Temple District, where she lives with her husband. The only other district she has anything nice to say about is the Arboretum. And even then, she complains about Talos taking up space where Akatosh should be. Every other district she describes as dirty and a place not to be. The guide ended with the line, “May the Nine bless you and keep you.”
The Nine. Religion is a powerful force. It binds people together that might not be bound otherwise. “The Nine” was obviously a reference to The Nine Divines that she spoke of. Evidently, the religion of this land is centered on these Nine Divines, be they Gods or Saints. A good way for me to fit in around here would be to become better acquainted with this faith. But first things first. There was a particular sword that I wanted to buy, and I have to get rid of this amulet. As I closed the book, I noticed a folded sheet of parchment wedged into the jacket of the book cover. I removed it and unfolded it. It was a map. Roughly in the center was Imperial City, with the districts labeled. Directly on the spot labeled as The Market District was a point of light, as if a beam of sunlight was shining on it through a knot hole in a barn wall, only smaller. I rubbed the spot, moved the map, even shook it, but the highlight remained.
How odd.More important to me was the fact that this map showed another location. Just north of due west from Imperial City was the place Baurus had mentioned. Chorrol. Jauffre was near Chorrol, at a place called Weynon Priory. I could not tell how far away Chorrol was as the map had no scale. I folded the map and placed it in my pocket. I was formulating a plan of action as I moved. Having resigned myself to the fact that I was stuck in this strange place, I decided that continuing to try to blend in and find my way around was best. First, I would pay “A Fighting Chance” another visit to procure that sword. If I had learned nothing else about this place, it was that being armed was beneficial to one’s health, and survival. Then I would try to get rid of this amulet, even if it meant journeying to Chorrol to do it.
** mALX was found dead in front of her PC **
). The trouble with long posts is that they invite skimming - and you don't want that! You would have been well served to just post your prologue, then wait a few days between each subsequent update. Then because of the length of 1.1 for example, it would have served well as two or three posts - again, with a few days in between each. You get the idea. Small delicious bites well-spaced. 
A sincere thanks to you for seeing to it that I found the brake pedal that mALX had pointed out, along with your advice. That was exactly what I wasn't getting at the "other" forum.
) he is proving himself a very good asset to helping get Talendor off on an even keel... I still don't know if I trust him, though. Must be his demeanor. But still, he's being very good to Talendor, so I'll give him a chance.