Divines, I need to focus.

  We’re on the road south of Dawnstar, on our way to Windhelm, in a half-ruined fort called Fort Fellhammer and the mines it guards.

  I realized that I don’t like to work on the house too long. I get a bit bored going back and forth between the anvil and the supply chests and the workbenches, and I keep running out of lumber, too.

  I took one look at the spot where there used to be lumber, and said, “Let’s go look for my fiance/e.”

  The others were surprised, and asked why I decided to stop work on the house. Truth be told, part of it was because I didn’t feel like running back and forth to the mill again. But also… It’s been in the back of my mind since I woke up at the Winking Skeever with that mystery makeup smudge on my face. It was distracting, and that Sam guy still owes me a staff.

  Besides, I need to set the record straight with whoever I got engaged to. I know I’d feel terrible if someone proposed to me and forgot about it!

  So we geared up, filled our waterskins and set off for Morvunskar to try and find Sam Guevenne.

  The most direct route is towards Dawnstar, down through the mountains, then over towards Windhelm. We had a quiet trip to Dawnstar, unless you count the couple headed towards Solitude for Vittoria’s wedding. We heard their bickering before we saw them! I felt so bad for the Imperial guard they had escorting them.

  We stopped in Dawnstar to warm up (is it ever not bitterly cold in Dawnstar???) and so that Erandur could see how the people were doing.

  A week of actual sleep has really improved the town’s mood! We checked in with Jarl Skald, and he was arguing with his housecarl about giving more troops to the rebellion. He’s convinced that Talos is on their side, and that throwing bodies at the fight is the answer.

  I don’t know if I agree with that, but Erandur just nodded and said that he would offer some prayers.

  For who, he didn’t say.

  On the way out of the hall a courier walked up. He had an invite for us from Silus Vesuius about a museum opening in Dawnstar centered on the Order of the Mythic Dawn. Erandur rolled his eyes and scoffed. Another dead cult – Just what Dawnstar needs.

  I might give it a look when we get back.

  We walked down to the docks to the big boat moored there. I know some can be hired, so I asked Captain Wayfinder - he looks younger than me!- if he was going to Windhelm. He said he can’t go anywhere until he gets the order of fine-cut void salts that his drunken crew misplaced. He said he’d pay me well if I retrieved them, and marked the location of the cave where they’d been lost on the map.

  Lucky for us, it’s on the way to Windhelm!

  We stopped at the inn to warm up and resupply, but on the way out the same little boy that had nearly been eaten by the dragon burst in and slammed into me!

  He apologized, but stepped back when he recognized me. He looked a bit scared, but relaxed when Erandur greeted him by name.

  His name is Alesan, and he makes money by running food and supplies back and forth to the miners. I asked after his parents, and he sadly explained that he didn’t have any. His father had been a sailor. Alesan went with him on his last trip, but the man got sick, so the other sailors dropped the two off in Dawnstar and left. Before I could say anything else, he was called to the bar to pick up another bundle of goods for the mines.

  Erandur sighed as the boy rushed back out of the inn. He explained that Alesan’s been fending for himself ever since his father died. Erandur had been called in to try and heal the man, but by the time he got there, it was time to perform last rites. He’d offered to set Alesan up with a proper bed at the shrine in Nightcaller Temple, but the boy had refused. He was determined to take care of himself, and found himself a job almost right away.

  Erandur said he helps Alesan whenever he can, but the boy refuses charity, for the most part. He gestured to a small blanket, neatly folded by the fire. “That’s where the boy sleeps,” he said. He looked sadder than he did in Nightcaller Temple, surrounded by the bodies of people he'd once called friends, and Valdimar put a hand on his shoulder.

  I noticed that the blanket was the same warm yellow as Erandur’s priest robes.

  We all looked at each other, and I slipped a few Septims into the folds of the blanket before we left.

  I can’t get the thought of that poor kid out of my head. I mean, good for him taking care of himself, but that’s hard enough to do in a bustling city like the Capitol, with lots of food stalls to swipe from and rich people wanting to make themselves look good by throwing coins at beggars. He’s out here in the middle of nowhere, in the cold and ice!

  They really do grow them different here in Skyrim.

  We set off through the mountain pass, and it wasn’t long before we started to freeze again. Erandur said he knew of a small, abandoned keep nearby that once guarded a mine: Fort Fellhammer. The plan was to stop in quickly just to warm up, so we veered off the main road and walked through the gate.

  Erandur apologized immediately. The fort was abandoned last he knew. It was quiet when we first walked in, but the bandits that used to be on guard duty outside popped out when they heard us.

  It wasn’t a hard fight, and there were two doors to choose from. One went down into the mine, and the other into the keep.

  I figured there would be less people in the mine, so I picked the lock and we went in. Valdimar commented on that, actually. He’d seen how badly my hands were shaking, and was surprised that it only took me three tries to open it.

  Lydia came in last, and shut the door behind us. I heard her whisper to Valdimar, “That’s a tough lock.”

  I don’t think she realizes how much louder her helmet makes her voice.

  So down we went, and took out about half a dozen bandits in the tunnels below. It was hard fighting in such close quarters, but we did get a fair amount of loot off of them, and I took the time to mine all the iron I could!

  After all, I still have a house to finish.

  We left the mine and warmed up by the smelter before going up top to the other door. I was expecting even more bandits, but there were only two rooms and their leader up there.

  Even though it’s not very late, the weather has gotten worse, so we’re going to stay here for the night.

  I don’t know if any more bandits are going to show up, so we’re going to do a watch rotation. Besides, there’s only three beds.

  -----

  First watch is mine, as usual, and I can’t help bu t think of Alesan. The storm is terrible, and I know it’s even colder in Dawnstar, what with the sea wind coming right into town like it does. He should be safe and warm enough at the inn at this hour, and that blanket is thick, but it won’t do much against the stone floor.

  I know I left him enough to get some food, at least.

  Damn it. I need to make some space for him at one of the houses once I get this whole fiance/e thing cleared up. Who knows? Maybe I’ll actually like the person when I’m sober and they can take care of him?

  That’s a plan. Maybe not a good plan, but it’s something.

  We’re in Candlehearth Hall in Windhelm, and I wish I could say the city’s welcome was warmer than the weather.

  I’d take the bone-cutting wind any day.

  We left Fort Fellhammer and went down through the mountain pass. It’s more of a track than a road, but there are some spots with walls and cobbles that tell you you’re still going the right way.

  We found a cave not too far along, but it certainly wasn’t the one we were looking for with the void salts! It was full of bandits and Falmer! We went in a little ways, then turned around and left. It felt like it was more trouble than it was worth at the moment. I just wanted to get here.

  Along the way to the cave (actually called Shrouded Grove on the map) we fought a bunch of saber cats, bears, wolves, and even ice wraiths! We found a large shrine of Talos at a place Lydia said was called the Weynon Stones, too. I took the opportunity to get a blessing.

  We stumbled into the Shrouded Grove sort of by accident. Spriggans came out of the trees and attacked us! They’re sort of pretty, in a creepy way? I don’t know, I just think they would be nice to look at if they weren’t trying to kill us and didn’t sound like they were full of angry bees. We fought them off, and figured that the cave right there must be it. We were right, and found a bear, a wolf, and a bigger, angrier spriggan inside.

  On closer inspection it looked like the cave was actually a small, ancient tomb. There were a few dead bodies around, and the remains of a ruined sarcophagus and some stonework that was obviously carved by people. We found the void salts, along with a book and some gold before we left.

  I was starting to freeze again, so I built a fire once we got out of there. I’m glad I always keep enough firewood on me to build one! The wind kept it from warming us very much, so we had to pitch the tent and huddle inside.

  Poor Erandur. I’ve heard that Dunmer are resistant to fire, but get cold easily. I think he was bundled into his fur cloak more tightly than I was. Valdimar and Lydia were fine, and even offered their cloaks to us as an extra layer while we warmed up!

  Nords.

  Luckily, it didn’t take me long to feel my toes again, and we were able to keep going.

  I swear, it felt like every wild animal for miles decided to come at us while we headed for Windhelm. There’s a lake on the way, that turns into a river. I couldn’t tell which way the path went along the shore, so I picked Right and we kept going.

  Turns out, that was the wrong choice. We saw a few houses surrounding a mill across the water, but my luck, such as it is, held out and we spotted a shallow spot with some stones for a mostly dry crossing.

  Since we were right there, I went to order some logs from the lady running the mill but before I even got up to her she started to yell at me. I learned her name was Aeri, and she thought Jarl Skald had sent me. He’s getting impatient about an order of logs. I told her I wasn’t there for him, but agreed to let him know that they were on their way when we went back. I did order some logs for me, though. No rush!

  It was getting dark, so we started to hurry towards Windhelm. I could just see it through the blowing snow. There was a bridge up ahead, and we saw a pack of wolves attack and kill a group of adventurers on the other side.

  We took care of the wolves and kept going, but I Erandur and I were starting to freeze again. I was so tired. It felt like my boots were made of stone! Erandur asked us to step back, and was suddenly surrounded in an aura of fire, but it didn’t feel like magic.

  Then, everything went dark, and I woke up back by the mill, to the sound of whispers and the dog whining.

  We were on the ground, but I was mostly in Valdimar’s lap. He was holding me upright in one arm, and in the other he held a torch close for extra warmth. Lydia was next to me, pulling a warm mug of ale away from my lips, and the dog was on my other side, nudging at me with his nose. In front of me was Erandur, holding a glowing coal in the palm of his hand. The other he had over my heart, and his eyes were closed tightly while he whispered prayers. I was still groggy, and saw him switch hands with the coal. I had no idea what he was doing until I felt his almost-burning hand over my heart, and the heat radiating from it.

  I came to my senses with a gasp, and asked what happened. Aeri leaned over (I hadn’t seen her before) and said my friends saved my life, that’s what!

  Lydia had come bursting into her house in the middle of dinner and told her that I’d gone down. So, Aeri grabbed a skillet, scooped some coals from the fire, and ran out to me. She explained that bringing me into the house could heat me up too quickly, and actually do more harm than good.

  At this point my hands and feet started to hurt as feeling came back to them, so Lydia handed me the mug to drink from and warm my hands. She took the torch from Valdimar and started yelling at me, saying not to scare them like that again, and was I mad for not dressing warmer, and and and… You know, normal Lydia. Valdimar just wrapped me in a big, warm bear hug while I sipped, and put his chin on my head. I could feel him shake a bit in silent laughter at her as she chided me. With the way she was waving the torch around and gesturing, she looked like the mad one! Erandur took off my boots to make sure I still had all my toes. He ran his hands through the hot coals in the skillet before he rubbed at my feet, going back and forth to keep the heat until everything stopped hurting.

  I don’t think I’ll ever get the soot stains out of my socks, but it’s a small price to pay for working toes.

  Aeri let Lydia rant for a little, then said I was lucky to have such good people around me. She looked at Lydia and mentioned that they were lucky, too. Lydia asked what she meant, and Aeri said, matter-of-factly, that they wouldn’t have saved me if I wasn’t worth it.

  And that’s why she always keeps an old skillet by the fire, she said. Happens pretty often, even in the warmer months.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  By this time I was warm again, and Erandur had gotten my boots back on and laced up for me. We thanked Aeri for her help, gave her back her skillet, and headed towards Windhelm.

  Again.

  As we got close to where I had fallen – I saw a big dent in the snow - I remembered what I’d last seen before I blacked out, and asked Erandur about it.

  He explained that it was a Dunmer ability, something that all of his kind can do. The spell Flame Cloak is based on it. He was using it to warm himself up, and had planned to stand near me to offer some warmth, but he hadn’t realized how close I was to collapsing.

  Valdimar laughed and said that poor Aeri nearly dropped her skillet when she stepped outside. She came out of her house to see Valdimar running up, carrying me, with “Hot Stuff” next to him, still on fire!

  We had a good laugh at the nickname, and Erandur groaned and pulled his hood over his face. He was still next to me, though, and he was trying to look mad, but I could tell he was smiling – Maybe even blushing a little. When we were done teasing, the priest chuckled, and said there wasn’t much else he could do until we got there, anyway. “Might as well light the way, right?”

  We were still laughing about it as we got into Windhelm, but our mood quickly changed.

  Just as we passed through the main gate, we ran into some bigots shouting abuse and threats at a Dunmer woman in the street. They left as we got near. After I reassured her that I’m not like those skeever-faced goons – I’m sure it helped that Erandur was next to me - I asked if she was all right. Sadly, she’s used to it.

  Her name is Suvaris Atheron, and she said that while the men say they think the Dunmer are Imperial spies, it’s really just the latest excuse they can come up with to be arseholes. They like to get drunk and go into the Gray Quarter, where the Dunmer in Windhelm live, and be a nuisance. She invited us to visit the Quarter for drinks sometime, then she bid us a better evening before she went on her way.

  Part of me wants to give those men a talking to with my axe. The other part wants to let Erandur at them, but Valdimar and Lydia were looking awfully murderous, too.

  Well, if they decide to take a little walk around town after we’re done with dinner here, I’m not gonna stop them.

  But I’m ready to get some rest. The dog’s been glued to my side, and I’m glad for it. It’s chilly even indoors, here. I’ll see if I can get him to lay on my feet in the bed.

  Looks like I’m going to start tomorrow the same way I started today: by doing something Stupid.

  Maybe a blessing from Julianos would fix me?

  This morning we walked out to the main entry of Candlehearth Hall, ready to get some breakfast before finding the marketplace, and guess who was at the bar, slurring into his ale, first thing in the morning? That’s right - It was that same cow-brained mammoth’s ass from last night!

  He was going on about the Dunmer in the Gray Quarter again, and I’d had enough. It was too damn early for anything that wasn't breakfast, especially not that horse shit, and I told him that I didn’t like his attitude. He saw Erandur over my shoulder and asked if I was a friend of the Dunmer. I won’t put down exactly what words he used to ask that, they don’t deserve to be remembered, but just know that they were very, very rude. My response was “Yeah, what of it?”

  He challenged me to a fistfight, and I accepted before Erandur could say anything.

  That bastard bet money he’d kick my ass, too, but when it comes to scum like him I’d PAY for the chance to loosen his teeth.

  Yes, I won.

  While he handed over the gold and staggered upstairs with his friend, I could hear Erandur apologizing profusely to Elda, the inn-keeper. She waved him off and said that she was glad to see someone willing to knock Rolff down a peg. Maybe he’d watch his tongue from here on out.

  I also apologized for making such a ruckus this early, but she shrugged. I didn’t break any furniture, and she didn’t have to clean up much blood, so it was fine. I bought breakfast for us, and a bit more, then we headed out to find the market.

  As we wandered, Lydia commented that I had good form back there. I thanked her and laughed it off; he was already a little drunk, and I had a full night's sleep!

  She doesn’t need to know that I stopped counting the number of bar fights I’ve been in ages ago.

  It took us a while to find the market, though. Windhelm, if you’ve never been, is a stone maze of a place, with high walls close in on all sides that funnel the wind right through to your bones. Breathing hurts. I had to ask a guard where the market was.

  We first stopped by the smith to sell off what we picked up on the way here, then went to the other stalls to finish up our trading. We bought some food and such, and Hillevi Cruel-Sea, who sells produce, asked us to take some Nightshade Extract to the palace for her. It was a delivery for the Jarl’s mage, Wuunferth.

  Seeing as how it probably wouldn’t take long and extra gold is always welcome, I agreed.

  We got turned around a bit again, but soon found our way to the palace. There was a guard right by the door, and she told me where to find Wuunferth. She called him Wunnferth the Unliving.

  That was… Alarming, but we went in and headed left, like she said.

  The great hall is impressive, and I was about to go through the side door when I realized exactly who was sitting on the throne.

  Ulfric Stormcloak.

  I’d forgotten that he was a Jarl, and I had no idea he was the Jarl of Windhelm! Part of me wanted to talk to him and see if he remembered me, but then I recalled the rumors I’d heard in Solitude. Whether it was a fair fight or not, he was capable of Shouting. What’s more, he had trained with the Greybeards to do it.

  I don’t know what it means to be the Dragonborn, and he probably has no idea that it’s me, but I don’t want to take that chance. If he sees the Dragonborn as a threat to his status, I don’t want to get near him!

  So, we ducked through the door and went on our way.

  The others were confused, and I explained my reasoning to them. They agreed that there was no way to tell how he’d react to seeing me again, even if I didn’t tell him who I was. Valdimar pointed out that if Ulfric tolerates the kind of behavior in his city like we saw last night, he might not be thrilled to see an Imperial walk right up to his throne. Erandur added that he might be especially wary that it was the same mystery woman who, for no apparent reason, was thrown into his cart, and who somehow escaped Helgen when so many well-trained soldiers did not.

  We all agreed that was an excellent point, and quickly delivered the extract to Wunnferth before getting our tails out of there as fast as we could without looking suspicious.

  So you know, “Wuunferth the Unliving” seems to be just another old man? He looks plenty “Wuunferth the Living” to me.

  Anyway, we get out of the city and headed towards Morvunskar.

  It’s not far from Windhelm, but once again, I nearly froze getting there.

  It’s actually a fort on top of the mountain to the south of the city. I didn’t know what to expect as we approached, but a whole gang of Destruction mages was NOT it!

  The outer wall of Morvunskar is very thick, and there’s a longish tunnel going through it. I saw that the tunnel was trapped, and decided to try something.

  I Shouted down the tunnel, and it set off the triggers! Fire spouted from all sides, and the mages ran right into the flames! They didn’t last too long between the fire and us pelting them with magic and arrows.

  There were only two mages that didn’t rush out with the others, and they were still up on the walls, so I put my Conjuration practice to good use. I’ve been trying to Summon farther away from me, and I was able to put a flame atronach right behind them, and a flaming familiar in front. I hadn’t tried that one yet and learned something really fun about the familiars.

  They EXPLODE.

  The familiar is in the form of a wolf made of fire. All it does is run right to the enemy and explode!

  I love this spell! I’ll have to be careful of the dog and Lydia, but if I can cast it ahead of them we should be good.

  We went into the fort ready to bash some heads, but ended up in a room where they stored and prepared their food. So, not only were we able to resupply (There were empty wine bottles everywhere. It was actually little sad.) we were able to warm up and do a bit of cooking, too.

  We could hear a forge somewhere nearby, and when we were finished in the larder we went to look for whoever was hammering.

  It was a couple of mages, which we took care of before we kept on exploring. The only thing of note I found on the main floor was a door that was barred from the other side. We’ll have to get to that later.

  Aside from that, there was a long passageway leading down, as though to a cellar, but instead it opened up to a large room. There were only a few mages on the way down, and they weren’t hard to take care of, either.

  It looked something like a throne room, with a tall platform and a long flight of stairs going up it at the end. I could see some chairs and a chest up there, and when I went up to check for loot, a portal suddenly opened up to the right of me!

  I hurried back down the steps to talk with the others. There were obviously more rooms beyond the one we were in, and we have no idea where the portal leads to. We decided to check the other rooms before we made a decision.

  Under the tall stone platform is another little room, and in it are some barrels, a strongbox, and a chest! I went in to investigate, but I felt that same strange pulling sensation I felt next to the portal.

  I don’t know enough about portals to know how… Big their effects are. I mean, it must be right above the chest. Does it work if you’re just under or on top of it? Is it like a ball or a tube?

  I don’t want to find out just yet, so I left the chest alone and we checked the other rooms.

  They’re sleeping quarters, and there was one mage actually still asleep in one of the beds when we walked up. I felt sort of bad for killing him, but he woke up and instantly tried to fireball me in the face, so… Yeah.

  There's a big hallway that keeps going into the fort, but we're too tired to check it right now. It looks like it goes up past the corner, so it probably just leads to that barred door up top.

  We did find a lot of books and such in addition to the food and wine (so much wine) everywhere. So, we sat down and had dinner. We decided to sleep here for the night and try going through the portal in the morning. It reacted to my presence, so there’s a chance the others can’t use it, but there’s only one way to find out.

  I gotta do something Stupid.

  I think it took longer to calm Erandur down than it did to get the staff.

  So, before I forget or think that it was just an absolutely wild dream...

  We woke up, and I decided to try opening the chest before we checked out that hallway. Turns out, if you can feel the portal, it can work on you!

  I was reaching out to open the lid, and the next thing I know there’s a flash of light, and we’re all standing in the woods somewhere. It looked like it was evening. There was mist and torchbugs floating everywhere, and we could hear lute music coming from somewhere nearby.

  We were by a stream, on a little path next to a little bridge, and there was a lit lamppost next to us. I could see more lamps along the path, and after making sure we were all there and in one piece, decided to follow it.

  It wound through the tight ravine we were in, next to the water, and it was actually quite a beautiful sight! It wasn’t too cold or too warm, and the whole atmosphere felt... Friendly? I don’t know, it was nice, but I was still suspicious. It felt a little too nice.

  And I was right. The path opened up into a clearing, hung with lanterns and with a huge table in the middle of it. There were people seated there, having a party! Standing at the head of the table was Sam.

  All the admiration I’d been feeling at the beauty of the place vanished and I marched right up to him to demand an explanation! He turned and greeted me warmly, saying that it took me long enough to get there. I was about ready to tear him a new one when a red light surrounded him and he transformed into a Daedra!

  I swear I’m not making this up.

  I could hear the others take a step back, but I was too mad and confused to do more than blink before he said that I’d definitely earned my reward, and handed over the staff.

  Sam Gauvenne is actually Sanguine.

  Sam Gauvenne – San Guine. Ha ha ha. Hilarious.

  He was slurring a bit. I’m pretty sure he was drunk, but then again, is the Daedric Prince of Debauchery ever sober?

  He said he wanted me to go out and see the world, have fun, that sort of thing! I asked if it was just his idea of a prank, but he took offense at that. No, not just a prank. He wanted me to live a little, spread merriment and bring some excitement to Skyrim! He hadn’t been this entertained in over a hundred years! Clearly, I was worthy of his staff.

  I would have punched him in the face if I wasn’t so confused.

  Why me? He just shrugged and admitted that he didn’t always think things through, but he had a good feeling about me! Maybe my “Uncle Sanguine” could help me out from time to time?

  My head was spinning and all I could really do was thank him. I think I was in shock.

  Anyway, he said it was allllll his pleasure, and that keeping me cooped up with him would be boring.

  Next thing I knew, we were all back at the Windpeak Inn in Dawnstar, where Sam and I had first met.

  Once our wits came back to us, Erandur turned to me and very calmly asked… “Uncle Sanguine?”

  I hissed that he’s not my uncle, and Erandur, with a tight smile, asked Thoring if we could borrow an empty room for a moment to have “a little talk”.

  Neither Thoring or his daughter, Karita, seems to have noticed that we’d just teleported into their space, but that’s probably just a side effect of the portal magic. He said that of course we could, and offered the others some drinks. They quickly accepted, and Erandur dragged me by the back of my collar into one of the rooms.

  I don’t know how we managed to keep our voices down, but I eventually managed to calm him and explained everything I could remember, along with all I’d managed to piece out. We figured that I obviously didn’t actually have a finace/e, thank the Divines, and that this whole thing really was just Sanguine being Sanguine.

  We took a moment to look over the staff I was given. It’s called the Sanguine Rose, and it looks like a big rose with a thick, thorny stem. It can summon a dremora!

  Erandur wasn’t comfortable being near it – he certainly didn’t want to touch it - and to be honest, I don’t know how comfortable I am carrying the thing. I know I can’t just destroy it. We came to the conclusion that it’s not inherently evil, in and of itself. It can summon evil, but it’s harmless unless I use it.

  I suggested just hanging it on the wall back home. It’s pretty enough; it would just look like a decoration. Erandur agreed that was probably for the best.

  I asked him if he was ready to go get a drink, and he readily accepted. When we got to the bar Lydia asked if everything was all right.

  Erandur said, “My Lady is testing me,” and rubbed wearily at his temples after he sat down. Valdimar laughed, clapped him on the back, and ordered him a bottle of mead.

  I’m having some wine and a little snack at the bar while I write this.

  At least that drunken trickster did something right – He sent us back to Dawnstar and saved us a trip!

  -----

  We’re back at the Manor tonight. Today was fairly normal (for us) after talking with an actual Daedric Prince.

  We left Dawnstar after we finished our food and made the deliveries we needed to. I peeked at the letter Aeri had me carry to Jarl Skald. She was glad to give him his lumber, but not happy that he’d asked her to send her workers as troops. He was disappointed about that, but admitted that he needed the lumber more than the men, before paying me for my trouble and dismissing us.

  I gave the void salts to Captain Wayfarer, but was unable to hire his ship. Oh, well. Gold is gold.

  We set off for here, then, narrowly missing Alesan again as he rushed past.

  I did feel a bit guilty for forgetting to leave him something, and I said as much as we walked out of Dawnstar. I decided to try following the shoreline instead of taking the road, as it looked a lot shorter to me on the map.

  Turns out, I was right. The trip didn’t take that long and it wasn’t too exciting until we got close to the house. Just a frost troll and a bunch of wolves, but we did manage to dodge getting kicked by a mammoth!

  It had trampled some sabercats, and I got a bit too close to it while I was harvesting what I could off of them. Lucky for us, it gave up once we ran off and let us be.

  Nearer to the house, I spotted a shipwreck on the coastline, not too far north of High Gate Ruins.

  We decided to check it out, and while it was full of angry mudcrabs, it was also full of treasure! Lots of food, wine, books, gold – Even a variety of ores and ingots.

  I’m glad the goods were the only exciting things about it. It felt good to be doing something that’s become sort of routine for me after this morning’s surprise meeting with Sanguine.

  We emptied all we could find, and it took only a few moments to get here.

  It was still a bit early, but Aeri’s people had delivered the lumber, so I smelted the ore we’d picked up and did some building inside the house. Mostly bookcases, but I did make sure to put a chair and a small table in the library tower. Now I have my own cozy spot to read and write in my journal!

  It’s nice here, but I don’t know if Alesan would like it.

  I spoke with the others about my intent to adopt him if he was interested. Erandur was especially keen on the idea, but Lydia pointed out that growing up out here in the middle of nowhere, right by a swamp with a pack of surly horkers, a vampire lair and haunted ruins surrounding the place might not be for the best.

  Oh, she would have loved it, but Alesan deserved a chance to be a kid and have friends.

  That just leaves Whiterun... So far.

  I’ll have to see if I can make room for him at Breezehome. It’s not as spacious as here by far, but he’d have the whole town to run around in, and there’s a lot of kids there for him to play with. Not to mention he’d have the dog.

  I should probably name the dog, but I’m hesitant. Even though it’s obvious that he’s part of the -

  I almost wrote family.

  I don’t think that’s what this is. I’ve only been here a month. Hells, I’ve known Erandur for what? A week? Yesterday morning I bare-knuckle boxed a man on his behalf!

  But I’d do it again in a heartbeat. For any of them.

  I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Two months ago, I used to spend every night hanging out at the taverns with Dru and our friends, looking for easy marks or scheming to take down bigger ones. The only responsibility I had was to pay my tab at the end of each night. I didn’t have a place to live. We shared a barrel with a tight lid in the drain under the cobbler’s shop to stash our stuff in.

  Now I’m in my own house, taking care of my… Companions and my dog and planning to adopt a kid.

  What happened to me?

  Dammit, this is making my head hurt. Time for bed.

  In case you haven't guessed, I have all the mods I can find that make the game harder. This includes one where you can succumb to exposure. You can die from it, but if you have companions, the game will send you to the nearest known safe location, typically the closest tavern. If there's an inn, you'll wake up inside. In this case, I woke up outside, at the mill.No matter where you wake up, you get a little text box that starts with something like, "You companion smiles gently down at you etc etc..."Yeah, we know that's not how it's gonna go down, so I took the opportunity to write what would happen.

  I headcanon that the Dunmer are susceptible to the cold, given that they come from a warm climate. They do have an in-game 50% resistance to fire, and Nords have a similar defence against ice. This is probably how Nords can just bathe in the water outside without freezing to death. We don't ever see or hear of Dunmer just handling fire like that, but oh, well. If they're resistant to fire and can set themselves on fire for a solid minute each day, I think Erandur can brush his fingers through some coals without getting hurt. He could probably take a hot pan out of the oven without getting hurt.

  I also just find the idea of a cold Dunmer using their special power as a way to warm up when they're cold sort of hilarious.

  I'm embarraassed to admit that it wasn't until I was writing this journal entry that I made the connection between the names "Sanguine" and "Sam Gauvenne."