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23rd of Last Seed, 427 3E
Yesterday's rain finallly tapered off around five-thirty in the late afternoon, so last night, for the first time, I was able to hear the sounds of the Bitter Coast on a clear night. As I lay on the narrow bed, staring at the ceiling, I could hear frogs, various insects, and the water from the Inner Sea gently hitting the shore. Normally I would have found such sounds comforting, but I was unable to get the image of the Altmer corpse out of my mind. The knowledge that there was a body of a forgotten person lying along a muck pool, not all that far from Hla Oad, kept me awake long into the night. At some point however I must have drifted off, for I suddenly opened my eyes and realized that the sun was up and another day on Vvardenfell had begun.
I wasn't so sure that I wanted to go out and once again search the wilderness around Hla Oad, but I did because, like everyone else who is trying to earn a living, I had to. Clear days cannot be wasted, so once again I headed out with my chiton bow, chiton short-sword, and a basket to hold my catch.
As I was locking the shack's door behind me, I suddenly heard the shipmaster yell angrily, "Get off my ship! Get out of here right now before I throw you both to the slaughterfish!"
Surprised, I looked toward the dock and saw a male Breton and a male Khajiit scramble off the boat followed by a very angry looking female Dunmer. Both the Breton and the Khajiit had a disheveled look although their clothes appeared to be clean.
The Breton exclaimed to his Khajiit companion, "Just look at this place! There's hidden treasure everywhere! We're going to be rich! Filthy stinkin' rich! Right, RiData?"
The Khajiit replied in a deep voice, "Mooooooooon sugaaarrrrrrr!"
"Get out of here!" the shipmaster repeated, and away the pair went. As I pressed myself back against the door of the shack to avoid being run over, the Breton and Khajiit tore across the docks, bumped into a female Dunmer who was getting water from the well, then ran off into the Bitter Coast wilderness, moving in a zig-zag with their arms flailing about.
"Fetchers!" yelled the Dunmer at the well who gotten water splashed all over herself.
The shipmaster then called to me, "Did they bump into you, sera?"
Appraoching her, I answered, "No. I got out of their way just in time. Those two seemed...."
When my words trailed off, the shipmaster said, "Skooma-addled. Erandre and RiData showed up on Vvardenfell a little over a month ago. Frankly I'm amazed nothing has killed them yet. They must have incredibly good luck. And no, I didn't allow them on my boat. They stowed away in a couple of barrels. I only just discovered them. Anyway, enough of that." She smiled and continued, "I'm Baleni Salavel, Hla Oad's shipmaster."
"I'm Aeronwen," I replied, not sure what else to say.
Baleni said politely, "Nice to meet you. Don't let Erandre and RiData put you off of Hla Oad. Normally the place is very quiet."
After hesitating a moment, I told her, "Actually I had a worse scare than your pair of stowaways. Yesterday when I was gathering reagents I came across the corpse of an Altmer not far to the east of Hla Oad. I've been wondering if I should tell the guard."
Following a shake of her head, Baleni replied, "Don't bother. That sort of thing happens out here. It was either a hapless adventurer or someone who crossed the Camonna Tong."
Caius had mentioned the Camonna Tong the day I delivered the parcel to him. He said that Camonna Tong is Vvardenfell's organized crime syndicate. Alarmed, I asked Baleni, "The Camonna Tong is out here?"
Appearing mildly perplexed by my question, she answered, "Of course. The Bitter Coast is riddled with caves; perfect smuggler lairs. Just be sure to keep your head down and mind your own business." She studied me a moment more before adding, "Don't give them a reason to notice you. You don't want the Tong to take an interest in a pretty girl like you."
Repressing a shudder, I told her, "I came out here because I heard that hunting mudcrabs is a fairly good way to earn a living."
Baleni replied, "And so it is. There is always a demand for crab meat. When the nests around here start to thin out, you can go further north to Gnaar Mok and hunt around there, or go south along Seyda Neen, then come back to Hla Oad when the mudcrabs resume spawning around here. As I said, just keep your head down, hunting mudcrabs and minding your own business and the Cammona Tong won't think of you as anyone to be concerned with."
Forcing myself to smile a bit, I said, "All right then. I really don't have any desire to bother anyone. I'm just trying to earn an honest living."
Gesturing at my attire, she commented, "With all due respect, you might want to get yourself some sturdy garments. Those clothes aren't going to last long if you spend your days trudging around the Bitter Coast."
Nodding in agreement, I explained, "That on my list of things to get when I have built up some savings; hunting leathers and a better bow. There is an Altmer at the Fighters Guild who sells some nice leathers."
She suggested, "You might also want to try Pelagiad. There is a Bosmer there who has a nice assortment and you might be able to get a set that's dyed the same shade of green as the Bitter Coast. That way you would be almost invisible while you are out hunting."
"Where is Pelagiad?"
Gesturing toward the southwest, Baleni answered, "Down that way in the Asacadian Isles. No form of transportation goes there, so no matter where you are headed there from, you're going to have to do some walking. The quickest way would be to go to Seyda Neen, then follow the road east out of there. Fort Pelagiad is right next to the town. You can't miss it."
We chatted a little longer until one of the residents of Hla Oad, a male Bosmer paid the fare to be taken to Vivec. Baleni and I wished each other a good day before parting ways.
The rest of the day was far better than yesterday. Once again I had no trouble of making my quota of twenty pounds of crab meat. I also made some extra money by selling some wooden goblets I had made to a traveling merchant who was doing business alongside her mule a short distance outside of Hla Oad. From the merchant I purchased some armorer's prongs, for I noticed my bow is starting to show some wear. Since Hla Oad does not have a blacksmith, I had better learn how to make at least minor repairs to my weapons myself.
A bit further south of Hla Oad, across from where the Odai River meets the Inner Sea, is a small stretch of beach from where I have a view of the mainland. That area is a peaceful place for me to sit down and enjoy my lunch while looking out over the Inner Sea.
Normally I'm nervous when I am out in the wilderness alone, but that particular stretch of shoreline is fairly clear of the Bitter Coast's dense trees and ground cover, making it difficult for anyone or anything to sneak up on me. Nonetheless, I always need to remain alert and pay attention to my surroundings. I don't want to end up like the corpse that's sprawled in the dirt to the west of Hla Oad.
After a lunch of bread and crab meat, I noticed some barrels and crates that had washed up on the shore and decided to cautiously look to see if they contained anything useful. One of the barrels contained some eggs and saltrice, none of which had spoiled and were still good to eat, so I took them to add to my personal food stores. I also found a nice oil lamp and within a chest I found a silver sword. The sword is a bit heavy for me, but I took it with me anyway. Perhaps with some training my strength will increase enough that I'll be able to carry the sword without getting winded. It's certainly a far better weapon than the chiton dagger I'm currently using. Lastly, within a hollowed out tree stump I found an old tattered sack that contained one hundred septims. I felt bad taking the money, but from the way the sack was deteriorating it looks like the septims have been there for a very long time, making it unlikely that whomever put it there will be back for it.
So, that's how today went; much better than yesterday. I earned another five hundred septims (six hundred if I include the money I found in the tree stump) so I'm on my way to have enough money to upgrade my equipment when I go to Balmora at the end of the week. Or to Seyda Neen and Pelagiad, depending on which direction I feel inclined to go.
*~*~*
Yesterday's rain finallly tapered off around five-thirty in the late afternoon, so last night, for the first time, I was able to hear the sounds of the Bitter Coast on a clear night. As I lay on the narrow bed, staring at the ceiling, I could hear frogs, various insects, and the water from the Inner Sea gently hitting the shore. Normally I would have found such sounds comforting, but I was unable to get the image of the Altmer corpse out of my mind. The knowledge that there was a body of a forgotten person lying along a muck pool, not all that far from Hla Oad, kept me awake long into the night. At some point however I must have drifted off, for I suddenly opened my eyes and realized that the sun was up and another day on Vvardenfell had begun.
I wasn't so sure that I wanted to go out and once again search the wilderness around Hla Oad, but I did because, like everyone else who is trying to earn a living, I had to. Clear days cannot be wasted, so once again I headed out with my chiton bow, chiton short-sword, and a basket to hold my catch.
As I was locking the shack's door behind me, I suddenly heard the shipmaster yell angrily, "Get off my ship! Get out of here right now before I throw you both to the slaughterfish!"
Surprised, I looked toward the dock and saw a male Breton and a male Khajiit scramble off the boat followed by a very angry looking female Dunmer. Both the Breton and the Khajiit had a disheveled look although their clothes appeared to be clean.
The Breton exclaimed to his Khajiit companion, "Just look at this place! There's hidden treasure everywhere! We're going to be rich! Filthy stinkin' rich! Right, RiData?"
The Khajiit replied in a deep voice, "Mooooooooon sugaaarrrrrrr!"
"Get out of here!" the shipmaster repeated, and away the pair went. As I pressed myself back against the door of the shack to avoid being run over, the Breton and Khajiit tore across the docks, bumped into a female Dunmer who was getting water from the well, then ran off into the Bitter Coast wilderness, moving in a zig-zag with their arms flailing about.
"Fetchers!" yelled the Dunmer at the well who gotten water splashed all over herself.
The shipmaster then called to me, "Did they bump into you, sera?"
Appraoching her, I answered, "No. I got out of their way just in time. Those two seemed...."
When my words trailed off, the shipmaster said, "Skooma-addled. Erandre and RiData showed up on Vvardenfell a little over a month ago. Frankly I'm amazed nothing has killed them yet. They must have incredibly good luck. And no, I didn't allow them on my boat. They stowed away in a couple of barrels. I only just discovered them. Anyway, enough of that." She smiled and continued, "I'm Baleni Salavel, Hla Oad's shipmaster."
"I'm Aeronwen," I replied, not sure what else to say.
Baleni said politely, "Nice to meet you. Don't let Erandre and RiData put you off of Hla Oad. Normally the place is very quiet."
After hesitating a moment, I told her, "Actually I had a worse scare than your pair of stowaways. Yesterday when I was gathering reagents I came across the corpse of an Altmer not far to the east of Hla Oad. I've been wondering if I should tell the guard."
Following a shake of her head, Baleni replied, "Don't bother. That sort of thing happens out here. It was either a hapless adventurer or someone who crossed the Camonna Tong."
Caius had mentioned the Camonna Tong the day I delivered the parcel to him. He said that Camonna Tong is Vvardenfell's organized crime syndicate. Alarmed, I asked Baleni, "The Camonna Tong is out here?"
Appearing mildly perplexed by my question, she answered, "Of course. The Bitter Coast is riddled with caves; perfect smuggler lairs. Just be sure to keep your head down and mind your own business." She studied me a moment more before adding, "Don't give them a reason to notice you. You don't want the Tong to take an interest in a pretty girl like you."
Repressing a shudder, I told her, "I came out here because I heard that hunting mudcrabs is a fairly good way to earn a living."
Baleni replied, "And so it is. There is always a demand for crab meat. When the nests around here start to thin out, you can go further north to Gnaar Mok and hunt around there, or go south along Seyda Neen, then come back to Hla Oad when the mudcrabs resume spawning around here. As I said, just keep your head down, hunting mudcrabs and minding your own business and the Cammona Tong won't think of you as anyone to be concerned with."
Forcing myself to smile a bit, I said, "All right then. I really don't have any desire to bother anyone. I'm just trying to earn an honest living."
Gesturing at my attire, she commented, "With all due respect, you might want to get yourself some sturdy garments. Those clothes aren't going to last long if you spend your days trudging around the Bitter Coast."
Nodding in agreement, I explained, "That on my list of things to get when I have built up some savings; hunting leathers and a better bow. There is an Altmer at the Fighters Guild who sells some nice leathers."
She suggested, "You might also want to try Pelagiad. There is a Bosmer there who has a nice assortment and you might be able to get a set that's dyed the same shade of green as the Bitter Coast. That way you would be almost invisible while you are out hunting."
"Where is Pelagiad?"
Gesturing toward the southwest, Baleni answered, "Down that way in the Asacadian Isles. No form of transportation goes there, so no matter where you are headed there from, you're going to have to do some walking. The quickest way would be to go to Seyda Neen, then follow the road east out of there. Fort Pelagiad is right next to the town. You can't miss it."
We chatted a little longer until one of the residents of Hla Oad, a male Bosmer paid the fare to be taken to Vivec. Baleni and I wished each other a good day before parting ways.
The rest of the day was far better than yesterday. Once again I had no trouble of making my quota of twenty pounds of crab meat. I also made some extra money by selling some wooden goblets I had made to a traveling merchant who was doing business alongside her mule a short distance outside of Hla Oad. From the merchant I purchased some armorer's prongs, for I noticed my bow is starting to show some wear. Since Hla Oad does not have a blacksmith, I had better learn how to make at least minor repairs to my weapons myself.
A bit further south of Hla Oad, across from where the Odai River meets the Inner Sea, is a small stretch of beach from where I have a view of the mainland. That area is a peaceful place for me to sit down and enjoy my lunch while looking out over the Inner Sea.
Normally I'm nervous when I am out in the wilderness alone, but that particular stretch of shoreline is fairly clear of the Bitter Coast's dense trees and ground cover, making it difficult for anyone or anything to sneak up on me. Nonetheless, I always need to remain alert and pay attention to my surroundings. I don't want to end up like the corpse that's sprawled in the dirt to the west of Hla Oad.
After a lunch of bread and crab meat, I noticed some barrels and crates that had washed up on the shore and decided to cautiously look to see if they contained anything useful. One of the barrels contained some eggs and saltrice, none of which had spoiled and were still good to eat, so I took them to add to my personal food stores. I also found a nice oil lamp and within a chest I found a silver sword. The sword is a bit heavy for me, but I took it with me anyway. Perhaps with some training my strength will increase enough that I'll be able to carry the sword without getting winded. It's certainly a far better weapon than the chiton dagger I'm currently using. Lastly, within a hollowed out tree stump I found an old tattered sack that contained one hundred septims. I felt bad taking the money, but from the way the sack was deteriorating it looks like the septims have been there for a very long time, making it unlikely that whomever put it there will be back for it.
So, that's how today went; much better than yesterday. I earned another five hundred septims (six hundred if I include the money I found in the tree stump) so I'm on my way to have enough money to upgrade my equipment when I go to Balmora at the end of the week. Or to Seyda Neen and Pelagiad, depending on which direction I feel inclined to go.
