Fire On The Mountain (A Skyrim Quest)

Sleep

There are virtues to the room Do'azda has in the Sleeping Giant Inn.

First, it has plenty of furniture. Much of it is rough and crude, but there is a dresser, a chest, a chair, a bowl of water, a bucket, and even a basket on top of one of the dressers. All of them look as cheap as an official's gratitude, but they're probably less easily broken.

Second, it has a lock. Even Do'azda, no expert at lockpicking, figures out that if any assassin or thief truly wants in it will take a second--perhaps two if they are drunk--to get through it, but there is a lock and that'll discourage curious drunks.

Third, she doesn't have to share the bed with anyone.

This is about where the advantages run out. The room is narrow, the bed is straw with a dirty looking fur as the blanket, and a stuffed sackcloth for the pillow. She's slept in worse conditions, including on the grass itself, but…

When she was with the caravan, she could get a room this barebones in the capital for a Septim, maybe two if they are in the gouging mood. Then again, Riverwood is not all that big. They probably barely even use the two rooms that are open for rent. She closes the door.

Another problem: the room is on the same level as everything else. Faintly, through the sturdy wooden door, she can hear the sound of voices, talking about the usual problems of their day. No doubt around dinnertime those without a spouse or any skill at cooking might show up for a meal, if they could afford it. She's seen inns a lot like this before, and even the smallest one can be remarkably busy in the evening.

Do'azda, meanwhile, is planning on getting to sleep just as soon as she can. So she stretches, movements lit by the light of a candle resting in a tusk, and begins to take out the rings in her hair. She knows it'll be tough to get it all together in the morning, but she can see what she can do. A Khajiit sometimes travels with a little bit of wealth on them in a way… but she likes her braids, and her rings, and she doesn't want to get rid of them if she can. Getting them back in after a night takes a little work, but she's used to it.

(If only she has a brush, or a mirror.)

Once those are out, she sets them on the table where the candle is and stretches. It's a small room, and a small bed, but Do'azda is safe at last.

...she has privacy, at least. She slips out of the robe, and makes sure to hang it up as best she can, until she's in an undershirt, breast band, underwear, all of that and hoping that the fur will be enough. The walls at least don't let in much chill at all, but it's a cold place, Skyrim. Too cold.

Thus far its people have also been cold, but she's hardly met many of them. Perhaps her luck will turn.

She crawls into bed, trying to ignore the itching, and the faint scent of bad beer, and the sweat, and everything else. She pulls the fur over her and resolutely snuggles into the pillow and spends an hour valiantly fighting to find sleep.

At last, she is victorious.

******

XP:
Unbound: 15xp
Speech Check: 10xp

25/25

Skills (Choose 3 to increase by +5 for each, cannot increase anything more than five points at a time this level.)

Alchemy: 25
Alteration: 5
Archery: 5
Block: 5
Conjuration: 25
Destruction: 5
Enchanting: 5
Heavy Armor: 5
Illusion: 25
Light Armor: 10
Lock Picking: 0
One-Handed: 15
Pickpocket: 5
Restoration: 10
Smithing: 0
Sneak: 15
Speech: 10
Survival: 5
Two-Handed: 5



Perks (Choose 1)

The number in brackets is the requisite skill level to take the skill.

Conjuring Efficiency (10): Do'zada knows how to be careful with her Magicka without losing any power when she's Conjuring, and can use such magic more freely and easier when fighting or in other circumstances.

Eye for Details (10): Illusions require a sharp eye that can take in the little details, and Do'azda has experience to help improve her ability to do just that, increasing the 'power' of her Illusion magic.

Healer's Heart (10): Restoration is a sort of magic that takes real focus and the right mindset for the spells to work well: while Do'azda only knows how to make a healing potion, perhaps she can work into that mindset a little bit.

Armstrong (10): Do'azda's experiences with one-handed weapons have helped her to gain just a little bit of stamina, enough to be able to swing a sword, or axe, or indeed a shovel more regularly without exhausting herself… which means fighting better in general.

Agile Defender (10): Armor is often hard to get used to, so figuring out how to move with light armor so as to reduce how bad a hit is is something you can only learn by doing… and Do'azda has begun to 'do.'

Quiet Does It (10): With Catlike Tread, Do'azda is a little subtler and a little better at not being noticed.

Haggling 1 (0): Everything in Skyrim is far more expensive, and so Do'azda should probably try to figure out how to make do with what little gold she has.

In a Pinch 1 (10): One of the key facts of Alchemy was that you had to have the right ingredients to do anything. Well, there were many formulas and the more skilled an Alchemist was, the more that they could make with a box of herbs in a cave. This is the first improvement to that capacity.

Concentrate (10): There are all sorts of tricks to Alchemy, but one way to stretch things further and either make more or begin work towards making stronger potions is how to concentrate down potion ingredients down into something more potent.

******

She doesn't sleep eight hours, of course. What sort of person didn't wake up part of the way through the night? Except, when she woke up she realizes at once that it's not two in the morning where the pious cat prays, the horny cat… has congress, and the lonely cat wanders beneath the moon.

No, she cannot know what time it is, but it can't be that long after dark. She can hear laughter in the distance, and the sound of clinking and clanging and stomping that might be dancing. She knows she can't just get to sleep, and so she stretches.

She's sore. Where? Everywhere. her tail twitches. She slept on it, even, and all of the hurts and bruises and exertion of hours past has come to face her once again.

"Do'azda," she says to herself, "What happened." If someone went back to tell her even half of what had happened just a full day ago, she would have assumed they were Skooma Cat, there to mess with her.

In moments like this she can only cling to the duty: she is needed in Whiterun, sooner or later. But for now…?

She's awake, but at what cost? (What do?)

[] Huddle in the bed and desperately try to sleep again and ignore the world. Perhaps groan every so often.
[] Pray, and try to think about her situation a little more. The Gods can grant wisdom, or at least show the path, sometimes.
[] Get dressed and go out and join them. She can't afford to spend money on drink, but if there's dancing and merriment perhaps she could try to get herself into a better mood.
[] Get dressed and slip outside to walk under the moonlight, get some night air and hopefully feel a little better.
[] Write-in.

******

VM AN: Laur wrote this one! I like it a lot. Let us know if the levelling isn't clear enough and we can try to answer whatever questions you have on it.

TL AN: The rooms are a weird combination of very small and yet very full of furniture in the base game. It's kinda fun.