Much Labor, Little Reward

Sundas, 27 Heartfire

At long last, after considerable effort, I succeeded in discovering the location of Bilegulch Mine and claiming the bounty Jarl Siddgeir of Falkreath Hold offered for the removal of its bandit occupants.  It was not as satisfying as I had hoped.  The mine itself had proved singularly difficult to find.  In the end I had to return to Falkreath and work my way there from that direction, as the way was blocked by a sheer cliff when I came at it from Roriksted. 

As I set out on my latest attempt, I had an interruption - by the arrival of a dragon.  It swooped down on us as if it had been seeking me.  Lydia and I are seasoned companions now and experienced warriors, but that does not make fighting a dragon any easier.  I felt a good deal of pride that I was able to vault onto its head and chop at it with my axe until it finally fell still and burst into flames.  It must be something about the magic that resurrected them that causes the dragons to burn when they die.

Having absorbed its soul, I set off again for the mine in better spirits.  But I was soon feeling less pleased when I found myself overlooking Lost Valley again.  Every route I tried seemed to take me back to that place.  I'm surely destined to go there.  But I resisted the desire yet again and determined to fulfill my mission to eliminate the bandits before indulging in this personal quest.  

While Lydia and I were seeking a path, we heard someone call out to us begging for help.  At first I couldn't see who was speaking and feared it was some trick by bandits or rogue necromancers.  But after a moment I glimpsed a man sitting on a fallen tree trunk in the shadows near the mouth of a cave.  He introduced himself as a hunter from Falkreath, Valdr by name.  He and two companions had been hunting for bear in the cave when they had been set upon by spriggan.  His friends had been slain and he was badly hurt.  I called upon my magical skill to heal his injuries and offered to help him reclaim the remains of his two companions from within the cave.  

The cave itself proved an interesting experience.  It was impossibly green within, filled with ferns and mushrooms and other living things, not at all what I would anticipate in cave.  There were several openings in the roof admitting sunlight, and a mountain stream formed a sparkling waterfall.  But when we first entered we had no time to enjoy the scenery.  A large and fierce bear met us, and when we had dispatched it we had to deal with two spriggan.  I was delighted with a spell I had acquired that allowed me to summon a flame atronach to serve me, for it was most useful in combating the spriggan.  When we had emptied the cave and found what was left of Valdr's companions, he presented me with an enchanted dagger as a token of his gratitude for our aid.

This must have been a sign of good fortune.  It was not long after we parted from Valdr that we found the mine.  The bandits proved only a minor niusance.  Lydia and I easily disposed of them and returned to Falkreath to collect the reward.  When the jarl's steward gave me the gold I realized with some disappointment that I had collected more gold from the bandits' ill-gotten loot than what the jarl had been prepared to offer for getting rid of them.

Still, the effort had not been without worth.  I was able to sell the bandit chief's armor for a fair amount, as well as the bones and scales of the dragon.  Afterward we made our way back home to Whiterun and I spent some time brewing potions and practicing my smithing.  I've learned enough of smithcraft to be capable of crafting the kind of armor made by my people.  Now I only need to acquire some quicksilver with which to forge some.

My next goal in mind, I decided to return to Falkreath again.  I recalled that I had agreed to do a favor for Lod the blackmith; he wanted a dog, and had asked me to lure a stray that had been seen in the vicinity of the town.  When we first arrived in the town I thought we might have to fight another dragon, as we caught a glimpse of one circling overhead.  But after a short time it flew away.  We discovered the dog just outside the town - and to my amazement it spoke to me!  It claimed to belong to one of the daedric princes, and asked me to help it settle a disagreement between itself and its master.  A talking dog was disturbing enough, but the thought of an encounter with one of the daedra made the decision easy for me.  Let some other fool follow a talking dog into the clutches of the daedra.  That is not my path.