Relatively naive as she tends to be, it takes a moment for Ellia to put two-and-two together, the knowing glances you exchange with Bjormund and mentions of how they had met before you and her father. When it finally does click together, her eyes widen briefly, and you swear you see some color drift up across her pale cheeks to match the fiery red locks atop her head. Mentioning that you have no shortage of stories of times like those you shared with the beefy woodsman only seems to worsen her embarrassment, and she pointedly looks away as if refusing to acknowledge anything you had just said.
"Mother, you shouldn't be saying those sorts of things!"
While Ellia proves none too pleased by mentions of your youthful exploits, her reaction gets a good guffaw out of Bjormund, who is quick to fill the silence that might've otherwise been present in the wake of Ellia's pouting.
"Good to see some things are universal. I doubt my boy'd like to hear about what his old man got up to when he was still young enough to be spreadin' oats, even while he's scurrying after the skirt of that pretty li'l blonde friend of his," The mirth in his eye was likely to fade if he ever learned what befell his son in pursuit of such thrills, though in a roundabout sort of way, he did find some pleasure out in those woods, "You've already done us a kindness in bringing them both back in one piece. If you're willing to offer us more by trying to remedy our ills, my door is open to both of you, free of charge."
With the subject shifting away from your premarital frolicking and returning to a subject she is more than interested in, Ellia brings her gaze back over to Bjormund, considering your words for only a moment before nodding her approval.
"Your hospitality is much appreciated, Bjormund of Ivarstead. It was always my intention to drive off whatever evils prey on Riften's people. It would dishonor my father's memory to do anything less."
Bjormund's brows quirk for a moment at the mention of Ellia's father passing, though he thinks better of saying anything at the moment, instead offering her a broad smile, gesturing towards the Vilemyr just a ways off toward the center of the village.
"Good to hear! Why I help you get settled in, and we can talk a little more about this barrow that's been bothering everyone so much?"
____
The Vilemyr, despite its rustic appearance, seems to be a sturdier building than you'd imagine: it looks almost exactly as you remember it. Sturdy, roughly hewn timbers hold up the roof in the common's room, a great stone hearth crackling gently in the mid-day lull, its smoke joining the thick layers of soot on the rafters high above. There are but a few patrons, a few older gentlemen, locals by the looks, and perhaps a traveler seated further to the back, nursing a horn of some ale or mead. A young blonde woman, perhaps a few years older than Bjornolfr, tends the counter off to one side, regarding you and Bjormund with vague interest. The red-bearded man is quick to gesture to her.
"My daughter, Brina. She minds the inn while I'm off helping at the mill. Always in need of capable hands around these parts," The burly innkeeper leads you to a free table, pulling up a chair opposite two others and gesturing for the two of you to sit, "Would that we had more, perhaps we'd have the manpower to sort this out ourselves."
Brina, a pretty young thing, makes her way over with a few clean horns and a pitcher of something dark and sweet. A brief sniff tells you it's mead, the sort made of wild honey that's popular out in the more rugged parts of the hold, more floral than higher quality stuff. Ellia doesn't seem to mind the taste at all as she takes a good swig. Bjormund does the same.
"To tell you the truth, I don't know what exactly is going on at the barrow. It's been there long before Ivarstead, and it'll be there long after the forest swallows us up. Never bothered no one for as long as I've lived. Then, a few months back, maybe a year, the stories started. Wailing in the night, livestock coming up missing, travelers disappearing on the road up the Throat. Used to be that the Greybeard, they caught wind of something preying on pilgrims, they'd come down the mountain and sort it all out themselves. Not that way anymore. Haven't heard a peep in years."
He shakes his head in exasperation, though you know well enough that the Greybeards were an enigmatic sort. When they decided to offer help to outsiders, it was on their own terms, for their own reasons, that few outside their Order understood.
"To tell you the truth, I haven't even been up there. Not since I was a boy. As far as I know, the entrance is sealed tight. Nothing getting in and out. But either something must be, or something else, maybe, is using it to cover their tracks. Somethin' bad," He takes another sip of his mead, putting it down against the table with a decisive clack, "Truly, I'd love to look into it. But we've only so many able-bodied men, these days. Most young folks get sick of the isolation. Catch the first caravan out of here, off to Riften or Whiterun or Solitude. The men who remain are tough as tough gets, but they've got to keep busy to keep food on the table—its a rough life out here, and we can't afford having a dozen or more good, hard workers combing the woods for weeks on end to root out bandits or draugr or man-eating bears. Not as long as it isn't impacting the town directly."
You wonder how much longer such a policy would hold if he knew there were man-fucking bears prowling about the woods, and that at least one of the town's residents had been thoroughly impacted by their lust, but you manage to keep that to yourself. You know enough about Riften and its surrounding province to understand the truth in his words, at least: most of the more isolated hamlets can't afford to form proper militia of their own under all but the most dire circumstances, given the subsistence level of living they undertake. It falls to the Jarl's Thanes and their Housecarls to handle the heavy lifting on such matters, and this far from the Hold, enforcement can be spotty at best.
"I can't afford to drag the other men off into the woods for weeks at a time, aye, but things aren't so bad that I can't put the two of you lovely ladies up for a while. If you're half as sharp as you were twenty years ago, and she's half as fierce as she looks, I'm sure you'll turn something up sooner rather than later; I'd start around the Barrow and work your way to the road. Your thoughts?"
In Her Father's Footsteps (LazyKitsune)
25 posts
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Re: In Her Father's Footsteps (LazyKitsune)
by Ze Blitzkrieg » Tue Jan 21, 2025 2:19 am
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Ze Blitzkrieg - Joined: Mon Oct 31, 2016 10:42 am
Re: In Her Father's Footsteps (LazyKitsune)
by Lazy Kitsune » Tue Jan 21, 2025 5:52 pm
I can't help but laugh at Ellia's reaction to my remarks. To think that someone born from her father and me could grow up to be so reserved on such matters. Though I suppose me being her mother colours the situation somewhat, though I've never known her to flaunt her natural charms the same way I used to when I was her age. I suppose she's just too used to me being a priestess of Mara. She probably still believes our little lie about wild dogs being trained just outside our house at night when she was growing up. Easier that finding a palatable way to explain that her father fucks like a beast.
"Children do prefer to see us as having always been their parents, don't they?" I say to Bjormund, laughing once again as we make our way to the Vilemyr Inn. "We greatly appreciate that, Bjormund. I'm sure Ellia's as eager as I am to have a real bed under her tonight. I enjoy the outdoors well enough, but a warm hearth and clean bed are always welcome."
The warmth of the inn's interior helps to ease the aches of the long journey right away. Before we're seated, Bjormund draws our attention to the woman tending to the inn at the moment, his daughter Brina. Blonde... suggesting that Bjormund may have a type if Brina took after her mother. Although blonde was hardly an uncommon hair colour among Nords. Still, its not hard to imagine I left quite the lasting impression on Bjormund when our paths last crossed. "You have a lovely family, Bjormund." I say as we find our seats.
I thank Brina as she brings us some drinks. While life in Riften might have refined my pallet a little bit, the Windblade's were never the sort to turn their noses up on mead of any kind and I drink as deep as my daughter does before wiping my lips of the slight sheen of spill.
"The Greybeards?" I say, surprised to hear that whatever odd happenings that were impacting Ivarstead seemed to also be impacting High Hrothgar. Potentially. It was hard to tell with those mountain hermits. They tended to have little contact with the outside world beyond the occasional pilgrim that makes up the Seven Thousand Steps or those who deliver their food and supplies. And even then that contact is often extremely limited.
"I was thinking much the same. If the barrow was the first sign of things being off then, assuming these incidents are all connected, that makes the most sense as a starting place for our search." I clear more throat for a moment before adding. "Of course, its ultimately Ellia's call. She's the one who heard about your troubles and decided to come out all this way to help. So I'll let her decide where we start." I take a drink to let Ellia say her piece, if she had anything to add.
"Children do prefer to see us as having always been their parents, don't they?" I say to Bjormund, laughing once again as we make our way to the Vilemyr Inn. "We greatly appreciate that, Bjormund. I'm sure Ellia's as eager as I am to have a real bed under her tonight. I enjoy the outdoors well enough, but a warm hearth and clean bed are always welcome."
The warmth of the inn's interior helps to ease the aches of the long journey right away. Before we're seated, Bjormund draws our attention to the woman tending to the inn at the moment, his daughter Brina. Blonde... suggesting that Bjormund may have a type if Brina took after her mother. Although blonde was hardly an uncommon hair colour among Nords. Still, its not hard to imagine I left quite the lasting impression on Bjormund when our paths last crossed. "You have a lovely family, Bjormund." I say as we find our seats.
I thank Brina as she brings us some drinks. While life in Riften might have refined my pallet a little bit, the Windblade's were never the sort to turn their noses up on mead of any kind and I drink as deep as my daughter does before wiping my lips of the slight sheen of spill.
"The Greybeards?" I say, surprised to hear that whatever odd happenings that were impacting Ivarstead seemed to also be impacting High Hrothgar. Potentially. It was hard to tell with those mountain hermits. They tended to have little contact with the outside world beyond the occasional pilgrim that makes up the Seven Thousand Steps or those who deliver their food and supplies. And even then that contact is often extremely limited.
"I was thinking much the same. If the barrow was the first sign of things being off then, assuming these incidents are all connected, that makes the most sense as a starting place for our search." I clear more throat for a moment before adding. "Of course, its ultimately Ellia's call. She's the one who heard about your troubles and decided to come out all this way to help. So I'll let her decide where we start." I take a drink to let Ellia say her piece, if she had anything to add.
~Yawn
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Lazy Kitsune - Joined: Mon May 16, 2016 2:30 pm
- Location: The Land of Fluffy Naps
Re: In Her Father's Footsteps (LazyKitsune)
by Ze Blitzkrieg » Tue Jan 21, 2025 7:06 pm
Ellia had, for the most part, seemed content to listen to Bjormund as he laid out the situation in Ivarstead. When you address her as the driving force behind your expedition, however, she seems to remember herself well enough. For all of her courage and youthful rebellion, she does seem to defer to you on certain matters, not least of those being business with previous... partners... that you might have had in the past. Straightening up a little, she gives a nod of agreement with your assessment.
"I agree with my mother. Wandering the woods without direction will get us nowhere. We'll start where we know things to be foul, and work our way out to wherever the source is."
Bjormund seems to find that agreeable, nodding his head in turn and taking a deep drink from the horn of mead his daughter had poured for him.
"Aye, then that's how it'll be. Don't let me keep you any longer than I already have; Shor knows I've still work to do myself, and it won't get done chattin' with pretty travelers all day," He flashes a cheesy, if endearing grin your way before he drains the remains of his horn in a single go, placing it down on the table to be collected, "We ought to catch up more thoroughly tonight, Astria. Been far too long since we last got together."
Knowing how bold he's wont to be, you know well enough what he means by 'catching up', given the lascivious way he looks at you before standing and heading off to the door of the inn. You can't help but wonder whether or not the mother of his children is still about, with how eager he seems to remake your acquaintance, though given how guiltless he seems at the prospect, you can't imagine she still inhabits these halls. He's quite familiar with how loud you can be in the throes of passion. Ellia stares, cheeks hot, as he leaves, perhaps trying not to imagine just how much catching up the two of you might get up to whenever she's out of earshot. Thankfully, she's got plenty to occupy her mind with in place of your nocturnal activities.
"Well, there you have it. The barrow's as haunted as they claimed back in Riften. Easy as that bear was to handle, I'm not quite looking forward to fighting ghosts, but it can't be that hard, hm?"
The girl's confidence is so much like her father's it almost hurts to think about, but it is confidence well-earned, given how she had weathered a rain of blows from a powerful, enraged mountain bear with nary a scratch to show for it.
"Of course... he did say that the barrow hasn't much impacted the town. Travelers, aye, but how many of them make for the Ivarstead or High Hrothgar on a given day? It might be better to look into... well... the bear situation, instead. Lots of families around these parts make their living off hunting and lumber. It's only a matter of time before another bear comes down the mountain looking for... well... you know..." It's almost cute, how flustered the poor girl gets on carnal matters, though that cuteness is somewhat hindered by the ferocity of the acts described, "Maybe the townsfolk might know more about it? Bjormund mentioned the mill has been feuding with the bears for a while now: the miller might know more."
A reasonable line of thought as well, if the bears and the barrow are unconnected phenomena. Bjormund seemed quite the busy man, handling the Vilemyr and picking up the slack all across Ivarstead. He might not have known much about the worse happenings in town, but some of the other townsfolk might have contributions to make if you were to do some information gathering before heading out.
"And... I think we should check on Bjornolfr at some point. Maybe not now, not soon, but... before we go. That bear, what it did to him... he'll need someone to work through that, I think, and I don't want to saddle him with it alone."
A sweet girl, under all her heroic bluster and shield-maiden grit, you have to remember. It'd be easy enough to simply cast off the events of the afternoon with disgust and carry on, but it seems her concern for the victims she saves is just as strong as the thirst for glory that sees her charging headlong into the danger that ails them.
"But... What do you think? You've done more adventuring than I have. Surely you've got an opinion. You usually do."
____
Questlog & Decision Points
(The land of Skyrim is one full of dangerous deeds and those who seek them out. The Questlog will be updated with narrative threads that can be pursued at your leisure, though the order in which certain quests are handled can impact the way future quests unfold. Each quest will contain a small description that is updated as it goes, as well as a few tags to describe the sorts of content it contains.)
(Ellia is a tenacious girl, but still new enough to the world of adventuring that she's liable to listen to her mother—attitude or no—on important matters. When the story reaches a point where a decision will alter the direction of the plot, a decision point will be thrown up for you to decide upon. While Ellia will ultimately be the one driving the story, the direction it goes in will be decided in part by Astria's judgment.)
Questlog
Decision Point: Select a questline to pursue.
[ ] Haunted Hills
[ ] A Bear of a Time
[ ] Broken Buck
"I agree with my mother. Wandering the woods without direction will get us nowhere. We'll start where we know things to be foul, and work our way out to wherever the source is."
Bjormund seems to find that agreeable, nodding his head in turn and taking a deep drink from the horn of mead his daughter had poured for him.
"Aye, then that's how it'll be. Don't let me keep you any longer than I already have; Shor knows I've still work to do myself, and it won't get done chattin' with pretty travelers all day," He flashes a cheesy, if endearing grin your way before he drains the remains of his horn in a single go, placing it down on the table to be collected, "We ought to catch up more thoroughly tonight, Astria. Been far too long since we last got together."
Knowing how bold he's wont to be, you know well enough what he means by 'catching up', given the lascivious way he looks at you before standing and heading off to the door of the inn. You can't help but wonder whether or not the mother of his children is still about, with how eager he seems to remake your acquaintance, though given how guiltless he seems at the prospect, you can't imagine she still inhabits these halls. He's quite familiar with how loud you can be in the throes of passion. Ellia stares, cheeks hot, as he leaves, perhaps trying not to imagine just how much catching up the two of you might get up to whenever she's out of earshot. Thankfully, she's got plenty to occupy her mind with in place of your nocturnal activities.
"Well, there you have it. The barrow's as haunted as they claimed back in Riften. Easy as that bear was to handle, I'm not quite looking forward to fighting ghosts, but it can't be that hard, hm?"
The girl's confidence is so much like her father's it almost hurts to think about, but it is confidence well-earned, given how she had weathered a rain of blows from a powerful, enraged mountain bear with nary a scratch to show for it.
"Of course... he did say that the barrow hasn't much impacted the town. Travelers, aye, but how many of them make for the Ivarstead or High Hrothgar on a given day? It might be better to look into... well... the bear situation, instead. Lots of families around these parts make their living off hunting and lumber. It's only a matter of time before another bear comes down the mountain looking for... well... you know..." It's almost cute, how flustered the poor girl gets on carnal matters, though that cuteness is somewhat hindered by the ferocity of the acts described, "Maybe the townsfolk might know more about it? Bjormund mentioned the mill has been feuding with the bears for a while now: the miller might know more."
A reasonable line of thought as well, if the bears and the barrow are unconnected phenomena. Bjormund seemed quite the busy man, handling the Vilemyr and picking up the slack all across Ivarstead. He might not have known much about the worse happenings in town, but some of the other townsfolk might have contributions to make if you were to do some information gathering before heading out.
"And... I think we should check on Bjornolfr at some point. Maybe not now, not soon, but... before we go. That bear, what it did to him... he'll need someone to work through that, I think, and I don't want to saddle him with it alone."
A sweet girl, under all her heroic bluster and shield-maiden grit, you have to remember. It'd be easy enough to simply cast off the events of the afternoon with disgust and carry on, but it seems her concern for the victims she saves is just as strong as the thirst for glory that sees her charging headlong into the danger that ails them.
"But... What do you think? You've done more adventuring than I have. Surely you've got an opinion. You usually do."
____
Questlog & Decision Points
(The land of Skyrim is one full of dangerous deeds and those who seek them out. The Questlog will be updated with narrative threads that can be pursued at your leisure, though the order in which certain quests are handled can impact the way future quests unfold. Each quest will contain a small description that is updated as it goes, as well as a few tags to describe the sorts of content it contains.)
(Ellia is a tenacious girl, but still new enough to the world of adventuring that she's liable to listen to her mother—attitude or no—on important matters. When the story reaches a point where a decision will alter the direction of the plot, a decision point will be thrown up for you to decide upon. While Ellia will ultimately be the one driving the story, the direction it goes in will be decided in part by Astria's judgment.)
Questlog
Spoiler (click to show/hide):
Decision Point: Select a questline to pursue.
[ ] Haunted Hills
[ ] A Bear of a Time
[ ] Broken Buck
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Ze Blitzkrieg - Joined: Mon Oct 31, 2016 10:42 am
Re: In Her Father's Footsteps (LazyKitsune)
by Lazy Kitsune » Wed Jan 22, 2025 12:30 am
Being a priestess of Mara, it was not exactly my way... anymore at least... to intrude upon a marriage without the consent of both parties. Bjormund, however, the strong community man that he was showing himself to be, didn't strike me as the type to act behind his wife's back. Signs seemed to indicate that the mother of his children was, for whatever reason, no longer in the picture. A tragedy to be sure, and one I was deeply and personally familiar with. Such similar experiences made for strong sources of comfort.
"Too long indeed. I look forward to it." I say to him with a smile as he parts ways with us and bring my mind back from thoughts of reconnecting and comforting Bjormund all night long to focus more on the matter at hand.
"Don't worry, Ellia. You're traveling with the best healer in the Hold. The Restoration School is good for more than just patching wounds and blocking attacks. I have a fair few spells for dealing with the undead as well." I say. Easy to handle, she called the bear. Goodness, nothing will deter my sweet El, will it?
She's not all just bravado, however. She's clearly been thinking about this situation a great deal. It's quite impressive really. Not only is she considering things from as many angles as possible, but she's even taking the time to consider the well being of Bjornolfr with everything else going on. Plenty of adventurers of some renown that I had travelled with in the past would pay little mind to someone's recovery as long as they had been saved from immediate harm. This is the kind of consideration that swells me with pride at the kind of woman my little Ell was growing up into.
"You're quite right, Ell. On all accounts. Although I think the lad should have a bit more time to rest and collect his thoughts before we bother him some more. But you raise many good points about the bears. They might be connected to the happenings in the barrow, might not. Either way, we know they have been a problem already and could be again soon. Perhaps you're right. At the very least, we should ask at the mill first. If the miller knows anything that can help with our investigation, then we can pursue that first. If not, then I think we should return to investigating the barrow first." Maybe a part of me was making the decision because I at least saw first hand that Ellia was ready to fight a bear. A ghost... if the Barrow was really haunted... did concern me a bit more. Not to the point that I would drag her away from there, but perhaps enough to add weight to starting with another issue to tackle first. "Are you ready to get going?"
[X] A Bear of a Time
"Too long indeed. I look forward to it." I say to him with a smile as he parts ways with us and bring my mind back from thoughts of reconnecting and comforting Bjormund all night long to focus more on the matter at hand.
"Don't worry, Ellia. You're traveling with the best healer in the Hold. The Restoration School is good for more than just patching wounds and blocking attacks. I have a fair few spells for dealing with the undead as well." I say. Easy to handle, she called the bear. Goodness, nothing will deter my sweet El, will it?
She's not all just bravado, however. She's clearly been thinking about this situation a great deal. It's quite impressive really. Not only is she considering things from as many angles as possible, but she's even taking the time to consider the well being of Bjornolfr with everything else going on. Plenty of adventurers of some renown that I had travelled with in the past would pay little mind to someone's recovery as long as they had been saved from immediate harm. This is the kind of consideration that swells me with pride at the kind of woman my little Ell was growing up into.
"You're quite right, Ell. On all accounts. Although I think the lad should have a bit more time to rest and collect his thoughts before we bother him some more. But you raise many good points about the bears. They might be connected to the happenings in the barrow, might not. Either way, we know they have been a problem already and could be again soon. Perhaps you're right. At the very least, we should ask at the mill first. If the miller knows anything that can help with our investigation, then we can pursue that first. If not, then I think we should return to investigating the barrow first." Maybe a part of me was making the decision because I at least saw first hand that Ellia was ready to fight a bear. A ghost... if the Barrow was really haunted... did concern me a bit more. Not to the point that I would drag her away from there, but perhaps enough to add weight to starting with another issue to tackle first. "Are you ready to get going?"
[X] A Bear of a Time
~Yawn
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Lazy Kitsune - Joined: Mon May 16, 2016 2:30 pm
- Location: The Land of Fluffy Naps
Re: In Her Father's Footsteps (LazyKitsune)
by Ze Blitzkrieg » Wed Jan 22, 2025 1:22 am
In agreement with your assessment, Ellia gives you a little nod and finishes off her mead, rising to her feet and preparing to head out of the smoky common room and out into the humble hamlet beyond. Given its relative size and isolation, it doesn't take the two of you very long to find the lumber mill. Positioned right along the river running down from the high peaks of the Throat, you can hear the water-powered saw splitting some great piece of lumber or another long before you make your way through the roughly hewn fence of stacked stones to survey things. Up near the blade, two burly-looking men hold the tree fast while the mill does its work, and nearby, a tawny-haired woman not so much younger than yourself seems to supervise, her arms crossed tightly over her modest chest.
Always the bold one, Ellia clears her throat to catch the woman's attention, and giving you both an appraising look, the woman gestures to one of the men and heads down from the mill to better address you. She looks the hardy sort of woman, not exactly thin but neither especially thick, a dust-coated apron trying to keep the worst of the mill's production from sticking to her plain clothing.
"Well? Who are you two then, and what business have you with the mill? It isn't a particularly safe place, you know."
The woman seems a tad sour, perhaps to be expected given the two of you are intruders on land that must be owned at least in part by her. Not much reason for a woman to be hovering about a place of such difficult labor otherwise.
"We've come from Riften, looking into rumors about the barrow," Ellia is quick to answer, squaring herself just a little tighter against the woman, as if answering her challenge of posture, "But it seems to us that barrow isn't the least of your concerns these days; we were assailed on the road by a pair of bears, and they nearly took two of your people in the attempt."
Nearly being something of an understatement, Ellia keeps her composure all the same, while the woman's expression only seems to sour all the more at the mention of the bears.
"Shor's Bones, I've just about had it with talk of bears. They've always been a problem, this far out. Especially when the season starts to turn and food gets scarce. How am I meant to turn a profit out here when I've got those great beasts stuffing their noses into my business?"
As expected, Ellia does not seem especially worried about the woman's bottom line, given what she had witnessed from the bears themselves. But her admission of previous dealings with them is at least a foot in the door, and your daughter is quick to follow it up.
"Always been a problem? You haven't noticed them getting any more... aggressive, lately?"
The woman scowls at the inquiry, tightening her arms around her chest a little more as she does, but she doesn't seem intent on rebuking Ellia, no matter how irate she seems. Rather, it seems her irritation is more directed towards the words she speaks next.
"The fact they attacked four people in broad daylight isn't enough to tell you that? I've had three parties attacked just this season. Usually, it's one bear alone, and the men can drive them off well enough, but it's enough to keep them from heading off in anything shy of a group. Five or six men fell a tree is a little excessive, around these parts. Fewer trees coming in, fewer pieces of lumber out, fewer septims flowing in," She sighs her tone just a little softer as she continues, "I'm sure I sound like a cutthroat, speaking like that, but if I don't fulfill my orders, the holds start going to someone else, and business dries up. We can't grow everything we need out here in the woods: this town needs the gold from the mill to keep folks in good stock."
So it seems the bear problem was a bit deeper than just a few randy animals looking for some quick relief with the wrong sort. Ellia's brows knit at the scale of it all.
"Why hasn't word of this got to the Jarl? Surely, if he knew such an important mill was being impeded by this problem, he'd send men."
The woman nearly spits in response.
"Pff. You think the Jarl has time for us? Ivarstead isn't nearly as important as I make it sound, and with all this talk of rebellion, the Jarl has been keeping his men close to the Hold. He couldn't care less what happens to us."
A bitter sentiment, but understandable, perhaps, for people to whom outside help is a rare luxury. Still, Ellia seems vexed, if not out of loyalty towards the Jarl who her father had served loyally for years, then for worry of what would become of the town in the absence of his protection.
"Mother, what do you make of all this? Surely, our... acquaintance's situation isn't isolated, if this has been happening for so long. And if it is, then things are only going to get worse for the town..."
Always the bold one, Ellia clears her throat to catch the woman's attention, and giving you both an appraising look, the woman gestures to one of the men and heads down from the mill to better address you. She looks the hardy sort of woman, not exactly thin but neither especially thick, a dust-coated apron trying to keep the worst of the mill's production from sticking to her plain clothing.
"Well? Who are you two then, and what business have you with the mill? It isn't a particularly safe place, you know."
The woman seems a tad sour, perhaps to be expected given the two of you are intruders on land that must be owned at least in part by her. Not much reason for a woman to be hovering about a place of such difficult labor otherwise.
"We've come from Riften, looking into rumors about the barrow," Ellia is quick to answer, squaring herself just a little tighter against the woman, as if answering her challenge of posture, "But it seems to us that barrow isn't the least of your concerns these days; we were assailed on the road by a pair of bears, and they nearly took two of your people in the attempt."
Nearly being something of an understatement, Ellia keeps her composure all the same, while the woman's expression only seems to sour all the more at the mention of the bears.
"Shor's Bones, I've just about had it with talk of bears. They've always been a problem, this far out. Especially when the season starts to turn and food gets scarce. How am I meant to turn a profit out here when I've got those great beasts stuffing their noses into my business?"
As expected, Ellia does not seem especially worried about the woman's bottom line, given what she had witnessed from the bears themselves. But her admission of previous dealings with them is at least a foot in the door, and your daughter is quick to follow it up.
"Always been a problem? You haven't noticed them getting any more... aggressive, lately?"
The woman scowls at the inquiry, tightening her arms around her chest a little more as she does, but she doesn't seem intent on rebuking Ellia, no matter how irate she seems. Rather, it seems her irritation is more directed towards the words she speaks next.
"The fact they attacked four people in broad daylight isn't enough to tell you that? I've had three parties attacked just this season. Usually, it's one bear alone, and the men can drive them off well enough, but it's enough to keep them from heading off in anything shy of a group. Five or six men fell a tree is a little excessive, around these parts. Fewer trees coming in, fewer pieces of lumber out, fewer septims flowing in," She sighs her tone just a little softer as she continues, "I'm sure I sound like a cutthroat, speaking like that, but if I don't fulfill my orders, the holds start going to someone else, and business dries up. We can't grow everything we need out here in the woods: this town needs the gold from the mill to keep folks in good stock."
So it seems the bear problem was a bit deeper than just a few randy animals looking for some quick relief with the wrong sort. Ellia's brows knit at the scale of it all.
"Why hasn't word of this got to the Jarl? Surely, if he knew such an important mill was being impeded by this problem, he'd send men."
The woman nearly spits in response.
"Pff. You think the Jarl has time for us? Ivarstead isn't nearly as important as I make it sound, and with all this talk of rebellion, the Jarl has been keeping his men close to the Hold. He couldn't care less what happens to us."
A bitter sentiment, but understandable, perhaps, for people to whom outside help is a rare luxury. Still, Ellia seems vexed, if not out of loyalty towards the Jarl who her father had served loyally for years, then for worry of what would become of the town in the absence of his protection.
"Mother, what do you make of all this? Surely, our... acquaintance's situation isn't isolated, if this has been happening for so long. And if it is, then things are only going to get worse for the town..."
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Ze Blitzkrieg - Joined: Mon Oct 31, 2016 10:42 am
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