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11th of Frostfall, 427 3E
The first part of this entry are my usual comments about the weather. I don't think I'll always do this, but at the moment the differences we are seeing from day to day are still rather jarring. Yesterday the island was covered with snow, but today it's all gone, allowing us to see the grass as well as what's left of the autumn leaves.
We returned to Laurenna's cabin after making our daily check around the island's forests. Appearing relieved to see us, she came out to meet us and said hopefully, "Welcome back! Have you spoken with Fjorgrin?"
Jumping down from our horses' backs, I answered, "Yes we did. He suggested we speak to Snorri the shaman. However, he doesn't feel Snorri will speak to us unless we have a token from you to prove to Snorri that we're your friends. Then he might be willing to shed some light on what happened to your white wolf."
Crossing her arms and resting her chin on her fist, Laurenna stared in the direction of Lokken Castle for a few moments before saying, "Yes, I know of a token I could give you...but...I'll have to reveal a secret to you. Please, swear that you will never tell anyone about this."
Without hesitation, Neldor replied, "Of course."
After hesitating a moment more, she said, "I hope this doesn't sound silly, but from the first time that you two rode over here to introduce yourselves, I felt that I could really trust you."
Figuring that trust didn't come easily for Laurenna after all she had been through, I replied, "Thank you. We haven't been here for long, but we've fallen in love with the island and care about what happens here."
A smile slowly appeared on her face as she said, "Yes, I believe you do. Now, listen to me; go into the wood shed. There's a trapdoor in the floor that leads down into my father's tomb. There, on his coffin, you will find an amulet. It might look plain and common, but it was really special to my father. I would get it myslf, but as you know, I need to remain where my mother can see me."
"And Snorri is aware of that?" Neldor inquired.
Laurenna nodded, then explained, "Yes. You see, Snorri's mother Gunna was also my father's wet-nurse, and she cared more for him than his own mother, who was a cold-hearted noble woman. Before she died, Gunna gave my father an amulet, and he kept it close to his heart as long as he lived. Therefore, I placed it on his coffin, together with his weapon and armor. Snorri will recognize the amulet and understand that I have sent you."
Inwardly finding it odd that the late chieftain's tomb was beneath a wood shed, I said, "All right. And I promise we will treat your father's resting place with respect."
Again she smiled as she replied, "I know you will. Another thing; the forest is dangerous and I couldn't bear the thought of you getting killed by evil berserkers or wild animals. Come back when you have the amulet so I can make sure you have the right one."
Berserkers? No one said anything about berserkers when Neldor and I took this job. Oh well. I suppose they fall under the categories of "bandits and other humanoid troublemakers" that rangers sometimes have to deal with. Thank goodness for area effect calming and demoralize enchantments.
Noticing that Gloria and Garland seemed a bit jittery, Neldor and I went into the nearby wood shed and carefully went down the spiral staircase which was hidden beneath the trapdoor. In a soft tone, Neldor asked, "Why in the world would Laurenna's father be laid to rest down here? I would have thought that the body of a chieftain would be laid to rest in a more prestigious place."
The tomb beneath the woodshed is admittedly impressive. The coffin lay in the center of the room and was surrounded by vases of flowers and elegant statues of a pair of women; probably representing a couple of the Nine Divines. Near the head of the coffin was a suit of armor that held a beautiful great sword between the gauntlets.
Even before we reached the coffin where Wulfgar had been laid to rest, I had the feeling of being watched. That was when the transparent figure of a white haired male Nord suddenly appeared near one of the statues. Raising his hands, the ghost said pleadingly, "Don't be scared. I'm not here to harm you. Instead I want you to listen to me."
Keeping his eyes fixed on the ghost, Neldor responded, "We will hear you out. Go ahead."
The ghost gave a deep, relieved sigh, then said, "I am Wulfgar the White, former chieftain of Lokken and the father of Wulfren and Laurenna. I love this island, I love each villager living here and every animal in the forests. And I love my wife and children. It makes me so sad to see the pain Sigrid and Laurenna are going through, and it raises my wrath to know that Wulfren has been falsely accused of having slain me."
I asked, "So Laurenna is right? Her brother is innocent?"
Wulfgar insisted, "He is! The man who thrust the sword into my heart was my own step-brother, Ragnar, the man who calls himself the new chieftain of Lokken. I don't know what has happened to my son, but I can feel that he is alive. If you care for Laurenna, if you care for the Lokken people, please try to find Wulfren. Only he could oppose Ragnar and claim his place as the rightful ruler of Lokken."
Still feeling uneasy even though the ghost of Wulfgar was not hostile, I said, "We have been hired as Lokken Islands rangers, and almost as soon as we arrived some of the island's residents warned us that things are not as they seem."
Following a slight nod, Wulfgar replied gravely, "Ragnar is a man of considerable power. I doubt that anyone could slay him with normal powers, but...with the Greatsword of Thorjan Bjorg, Wulfren might be able to defeat Ragnar. This incredible weapon is hidden in the tomb of Thorjan Bjorg. But, you cannot just pick up the sword and walk away with it. To get the strength to handle it, you also need Thorjan's gauntlets. And it is pointless to look for the tomb of Thorjan Bjorg without the gauntlets. Only when you have found them will you find the tomb."
Neldor pointed out, "Of course even if we find the gauntlets and the sword, they won't do anyone any good until Wulfren is found. This is his battle."
Wulfgar agreed, "Yes, this is something Wulfren must do to take his rightful place as the chieftain of Lokken. My friends, I will leave you now. I suggest that you try to locate my shaman, Snorri, who is hiding in the forest. He might know the truth about Wulfren's whereabouts. Bring Gunna's amulet. Then Snorri will know you are a friend. Please don't tell Laurenna that you have met me. I don't want her to get upset. May the Gods bless you, my friends."
And then in an instant the ghost disappeared. Carefully drawing closer to the coffin, I saw a plain non-enchanted amulet lying near one of the lit candles. Taking care not to upset the nearby vases of flowers or disturb any of the other offerings, I picked up the amulet, then headed back outside with Neldor to where Laurenna
When we came out of the wood shed, Laurenna smiled and said, "I hope you didn't find my father's tomb too scary. You have the amulet?" When I showed her the trinket I had taken from the tomb, she continued, "Yes, that's the right one. Now promise me that you will watch your steps in the forests. My father is dead, my brother has disappeared, and my mother is a prisoner in the castle. I am so lonely and scared, and you two have turned out to be such a wonderful friends. I couldn't bear the thought of something disastrous happening to either of you."
Neldor replied gently, "We can't promise that everything will be all right, but we'll do our best to help your family."
I nodded agreement before we went over to mount our waiting horses. In that moment I realized that we were being disloyal to the man who hired us, but the more we have learned about Ragnar the less inclined we feel to be loyal to him. It's the island, its forest, its wildlife, and its villagers whom we've come to care about. Not the usurper chieftain.
As Fjorgrin suggested, we followed the northwest road all the way up to Silverwood Lake and prepared to conduct our search from there, but something we found at the lake came very close to making us forget our current task. Before we even noticed the lake we saw the beautiful big cabin that had been built nearby.
In silence, we rode up to the property's front gate. The lot was surrounded by a well built wooden fence and contained a good sized barn as well as the gorgeous two-floor cabin. Large windows had been installed in what looked like every room which no doubt filled the cabin with plenty of sunlight.
When we were almost at the front gate I looked toward the lake and gave a soft gasp at the gorgeous view. Beyond the Silverwood we could see snow covered mountains in the distance as well as a waterfall that brought fresh, clean mountain spring water into the lake.
Turning my attention toward the gate, I then noticed the booklet that was chained to the mailbox; the sort of booklet that is usually left by those handling the sale of real estate. Not daring to hope that this beautiful place was available, I jumped down from Gloria's back and opened the booklet and saw that along with a For Sale notice, it contained floor plans for the cabin and the barn along with the property's history.
Neldor, who had just jumped down from Garland's saddle, commented as he looked at the property, "As far as I'm concerned, this place beats Lokken Castle. Whoever lives here got the best spot on the island."
Speaking in a tone that was just above a whisper, I replied, "No one lives here." As Neldor turned his gaze toward me, I added, "This place is for sale."
"You're kidding!" Neldor exclaimed as he stepped toward me to look at the real estate booklet I held in my hands. Together we read the cabin's history; it had been built by a Nord who had hoped to live here with his new bride; a young Breton woman from Wayrest. Unfortunately his wife could not adjust to Lokken's cold climate and was frequently getting sick. And so, for the sake of the wife's health, the couple moved to Wayrest and, with heavy hearts, put their dream home up for sale.
"How sad," I commented.
Neldor agreed, "It is. It was probably difficult for the previous owner to leave, but he put his wife first. He sounds like a good man. I hope they can both be happy and healthy in Wayrest." Flipping through the pages to learn more about the cabin, he continued, "We would certainly have plenty of room. The cabin has three bedrooms. Possibly five if one wanted to convert the study and the alchemy room into bedrooms." Grinning, he looked at me and added, "I assume you saw that part about the alchemy room."
Giggling softly, I answered, "I did. I'm also eyeing that balcony on the second floor. That would be a beautiful place to draw and paint. Perhaps the study could be turned into a music room."
"That would be easy enough," Neldor agreed. Returning his attention to the booklet, he added somberly, "The question is, can we afford it? I can tell already that this place isn't cheap, especially since it's furnished."
When we found the price of the property, which is of course up in the thousands, I stated, "We could do it. We would be left with only a few coins to our names, but we could do it."
Neldor agreed, "We would have to live off the land for a while, but we're wood elves. We can do that. We would have a lake full of fish right next to us. Plus we're going to be paid early next week so we'll have something to live on."
I pointed out, "We still have a lot of food left in the ranger station frost-box, so we won't need to get groceries for a while."
Opening the gate, he suggested, "Let's walk around the place and look in the windows and get a better idea of what we would be getting. We should check out the barn as well."
As I said, we were so smitten with the Silverwood cabin that we nearly forgot that we were supposed to be searching for Snorri's hideout. Walking around and looking through the ground floor windows made us love the place even more. As I looked through the glass into the alchemy room, I commented, "I can see us living here. I don't have the...Spinner sense...that you seem to, but I can so easily see us living here."
Neldor's "Spinner sense" was something he had told me about while we were still living on Vvardenfell. Admittedly I don't fully understand the lore of the Valenwood Spinners, just that they are the clan's healers and storytellers. According to Neldor, a trained Spinner can often see the past, present and future overlapping and will sometimes speak of the future as though it has already happened. Neldor is not a spinner, but he has some of a spinner's natural abilities, so he probably could be trained to become a Spinner if he were so inclined. He explained that this was the reason why there had been an odd moment when he had looked at me with surprise during our first meeting. Neldor had, as he described it, a "she's the one" moment. "The one" meaning that he felt that he had just met his life-partner.
In response to my saying that I could see us living in the Silverwood cabin, Neldor grinned and replied cheerfully, "You can see it because this is our house. Or it's going to be if we can get to the town hall and start the process for the sale before someone else decides to snatch it up."
I then reminded him, "We have got to find Snorri. Laurenna and the spirit of Wulfgar are counting on us."
Neldor replied, "I haven't forgotten, and we need to get back to that, but at the very first opportunity we've got to buy this property. It's perfect."
He tore the page containing the sales notice out of the booklet and put it in his inner pocket since it contained the needed information on the property that we wished to buy. Such information would be needed when we were able to go to the Lokken town hall. Needless to say, it was difficult to get back to the task at hand, but we got back on our horses and forced ourselves to go back down the road at a slow pace and look for any sign of Snorri's hideout.
After passing a small, isolated cottage on our left, we noticed an odd stone building on the right side of the road. Appearing neglected and run down, the building was surrounded by a crumbling stone wall as well as tall grass and weeds. At first glance the place looked like a forgotten tomb.
Bringing Garland to a halt, Neldor said, "This place is worth a look. It's certainly tucked away from everything and doesn't appear very inviting. Such a place would be well suited as a hideout."
Of course we had no idea what we would end up finding in there so we most certainly proceeded with caution. Leaving the horses tethered outside the stone wall, we entered the building and found it to be so run down that weeds were growing up through the cracked stone floor. The building's one room was empty and held nothing of interest except for a staircase that led down into a basement.
When we reached the bottom of the stairs, we saw a male Nord step from the shadows. With fear in his voice, he demanded, "Who are you? What do you want?"
Holding his hands up to show that he was not (at the moment) reaching for his weapons, Neldor asked, "Are you Snorri? We're friends of Laurenna."
As the Nord stepped closer to one of the lit lanterns that was nailed to the wall I noticed that the area around his eyes was painted with woad. Still fearful of us, the Nord repeated "What do you want? You say Laurenna sent you? Can you prove that?"
Holding out the amulet, I told him, "My name is Aeronwen, and this mer with me is Neldor. Laurenna told us that you would know this amulet. You are Snorri, are you not?"
The Nord took a couple of cautious steps toward us and peered at the trinket in my hand. He then relaxed slightly, then said, "Yes, I am Snorri, and that is my mother's amulet. The one she gave Wulfgar. All right, I do believe you. You are a friend of Laurenna's. Now, why are you here?"
I explained, "Laurenna is worried about the white wolf and thought you might know what has happened to him."
Gesturing toward the alcove behind him, Snorri said, "The wolf is right here. I found him just outside this building, wounded. I fear that he has been hit by poisoned arrows, as he isn't recovering. On the contrary, he is getting worse. I have started to fear for his life."
Disheartened at having to give Laurenna such grim news, I responded sincerely, "I am so sorry. Is there anything we can do?"
The old man answered, "Yes, in fact there is. If this wolf is poisoned, I only know one person who could cure him. It's old Granny Torunn. She lives up the road, on your right, as you are heading up to Silverwood Lake. Go to Granny Torunn and ask for a cure!"
We in fact knew which cottage he was referring to, having noticed it on our way to and from Silverwood Lake. The place was too visible to be a hideout, which is why we didn't stop to see if Snorri could be found there.
Leaving Snorri to continue to look after the mysterious white wolf, Neldor and headed back outside. Approaching our horses, I said, "What I don't understand is why Snorri hasn't gone to this Granny Torunn person for a cure already. She's not all that far from here."
Neldor replied, "The man is obviously very scared, and not just of us. Since Snorri was Wulfgar's shaman, Ragnar might want him dead as well." Pulling himself onto Garland's back, he briefly looked up the road before saying, "I don't want to seem like I don't care about any of this. I really do...but..."
Giving him an understanding smile, I said, "You want to get to the town hall, and two rangers are not needed to speak to Granny Torunn and hopefully bring a cure back to Snorri." Getting up on my mare's back, I continued, "You and Garland should get to the village. Gloria and I are more than able to see about getting a cure for the wolf."
Grinning, Neldor stated as he turned Garland toward the road, "See ya later, Gorgeous. Hopefully we'll both have good news at the end of today."
And so Neldor rode off toward the village while Gloria and I headed back up the road toward Silverwood. Moving at a canter, it didn't take long for us to reach the small charming cottage that was nestled among the trees on the right side of the road. My knock on the door was answered by a cheerful, gray haired Nord woman who at once invited me to come into her home.
Closing the door behind us, she said, "You must be one of the new Wood Elf rangers I've been hearing about. How may I help you? I am an herbalist and an alchemist. If you need medication I might have something good to offer." Gesturing toward a blonde teenage girl who was seated at the kitchen table, she added, "I'm sorry I can't offer you any cookies, but my granddaughter gave away the ones she was supposed to bring here to a wolf she met on her way here."
The girl, dressed in traveling clothes that included a bright red cloak and a straw hat, looked at me with a very visible smirk. It was obvious that she saw nothing wrong with feeding dangerous animals (which taught them to look to people for food).
Really hating to have to go into "ranger mode" when I had only just met Granny Torunn, I turned toward the granddaughter and stated gently, "Feeding the wildlife isn't a good idea. That will only lead to trouble later. I'm saying this for the safety of everyone on the island." Returning my attention to Torunn, I asked after introducing myself, "You don't happen to have a cure poison potion for wolves, do you?"
Granny Torunn answered somberly, "I can mix a batch, assuming I still have some mandrake root. If I don't I'll need someone to find some for me, which won't be easy since it's so late in the year. Please give me a few minutes."
While she checked her ingredient jars I thought regretfully that if I had my own laboratory I could have mix a bottle of Curing Elixir myself. All I would need need would be some red valerian root along with the mandrake root. This is when I thought that if Neldor managed to purchase the Silverwood cabin, perhaps in the spring I could plant an herb garden.
"Ah, I have just enough mandrake left to make the cure," Granny Torunn announced happily. She worked rapidly at the kettle that hung over her hearth fire, carefully stirring the mixture now and then before finally using a ladel to place the elixir into a bottle.
"Thank you," I said gratefully when she brought the bottle to me. Placing it carefully in my satchel, I asked, "What do I owe you?"
She answered, "Just one favor if you would. My granddaughter is staying here tonight, but tomorrow she'll be heading back to the village. She claims that a black wolf follows her wherever she goes, so I would feel better if you would escort her back to her home."
With a grim smile, I replied, "That's what happens when one feeds the wildlife; they start looking on people as a source of food. Very well, I'll come by here tomorrow and see that your granddaughter gets home safely."
There wasn't any more time for conversation. According the Snorri, the white wolf was weakening and needed the cure as soon as possible, and so I returned to my horse and went back down the road to Snorri's hideout at a gallop.
As soon as I returned to the basement beneath the abandoned building, Snorri asked hopefully, "Was Granny Torunn able to make a cure?"
At once handing him the bottle containing the curing elixir, I answered, "She just finished preparing this."
Taking the bottle from my outstretched hand, Snorri exclaimed, "Oh, thank you, thank you! I'm truly grateful for this. Please leave me. I've got to give the wolf this cure now and I think it's better if we are left alone. When you can, please tell Laurenna that the white wolf will probably recover."
Nothing more was said as Snorri went deeper into the basement to wherever he was tending to the wolf. Unable to do anything more for white wolf, I once again returned to Gloria and from there we made our way back to the ranger station.
Yet again Rey and Frost were nowhere to be found, having obviously gone off to roam the surrounding forests. Oliver, who had been alone in the paddock all day gave Gloria and I a happy bray of greeting. Rubbing his shaggy gray neck, I said softly, "I know; you were powerless to keep them here when they want to be out there. No one blames you."
I gave both Gloria and Oliver a brushing and cleaned their hooves before leaving them to graze in the small paddock. At that point I just went around tending to the station and checked the notice box at the front gate. Today at least there were no reports of poachers or dangerous animals near any of the farms.
Neldor and Garland came back to the station around an hour later while I was outside raking leaves. Immediately I noticed that Neldor's expression was somber and I had a sinking feeling that he had been too late; he had reached the town hall just as someone else was purchasing the Silverwood cabin.
As he jumped down from Garland's back, I asked, "Were you unable to buy it?"
That was when I realized that his somber expression was forced. Allowing a grin to appear on his face, he pulled a set of keys out of his pocket and said happily, "It's ours. We didn't even have to go through a waiting period because of our status as the island's rangers."
Dropping the rake, I happily rushed toward him and flung my arms around Neldor as I said, "I can't believe this! How did this work out so perfectly?"
Embracing me, Neldor answered, "It's like the fates are trying to make up for what happened to both of us." Stepping back from me slightly, he continued, "We can go tomorrow since it's already getting late today. We'll still need to come by here for work notices, but we'll do that anyway during our patrols. Now we have a private home instead of living at here at the station."
Of course for a moment I wondered about Rey and Frost and hoped that they would return before we left for Silverwood, but reminded myself that they would find us if they wanted to. At this point they probably know the Lokken forests even better than we do.
*~*~*
In the Lokken Mountain mod, Granny Torunn needs two wolf pelts in order to make the curing potion for the white wolf. While I love the Lokken mod, there are a couple of quests in it that make me feel uncomfortable from the character's standpoint. This quest is one of them, the other being the one that requires the player to kill a mother bear who is doing nothing but hanging out in her den with her cubs.
With this being a somewhat different Elder Scrolls universe, I changed this quest so that the potion only requires the plant-based ingredients. As much as Aeronwen wants to help Laurenna and her family, she wouldn't feel right about killing two wolves in order to save one.
*~*~*
The first part of this entry are my usual comments about the weather. I don't think I'll always do this, but at the moment the differences we are seeing from day to day are still rather jarring. Yesterday the island was covered with snow, but today it's all gone, allowing us to see the grass as well as what's left of the autumn leaves.
We returned to Laurenna's cabin after making our daily check around the island's forests. Appearing relieved to see us, she came out to meet us and said hopefully, "Welcome back! Have you spoken with Fjorgrin?"
Jumping down from our horses' backs, I answered, "Yes we did. He suggested we speak to Snorri the shaman. However, he doesn't feel Snorri will speak to us unless we have a token from you to prove to Snorri that we're your friends. Then he might be willing to shed some light on what happened to your white wolf."
Crossing her arms and resting her chin on her fist, Laurenna stared in the direction of Lokken Castle for a few moments before saying, "Yes, I know of a token I could give you...but...I'll have to reveal a secret to you. Please, swear that you will never tell anyone about this."
Without hesitation, Neldor replied, "Of course."
After hesitating a moment more, she said, "I hope this doesn't sound silly, but from the first time that you two rode over here to introduce yourselves, I felt that I could really trust you."
Figuring that trust didn't come easily for Laurenna after all she had been through, I replied, "Thank you. We haven't been here for long, but we've fallen in love with the island and care about what happens here."
A smile slowly appeared on her face as she said, "Yes, I believe you do. Now, listen to me; go into the wood shed. There's a trapdoor in the floor that leads down into my father's tomb. There, on his coffin, you will find an amulet. It might look plain and common, but it was really special to my father. I would get it myslf, but as you know, I need to remain where my mother can see me."
"And Snorri is aware of that?" Neldor inquired.
Laurenna nodded, then explained, "Yes. You see, Snorri's mother Gunna was also my father's wet-nurse, and she cared more for him than his own mother, who was a cold-hearted noble woman. Before she died, Gunna gave my father an amulet, and he kept it close to his heart as long as he lived. Therefore, I placed it on his coffin, together with his weapon and armor. Snorri will recognize the amulet and understand that I have sent you."
Inwardly finding it odd that the late chieftain's tomb was beneath a wood shed, I said, "All right. And I promise we will treat your father's resting place with respect."
Again she smiled as she replied, "I know you will. Another thing; the forest is dangerous and I couldn't bear the thought of you getting killed by evil berserkers or wild animals. Come back when you have the amulet so I can make sure you have the right one."
Berserkers? No one said anything about berserkers when Neldor and I took this job. Oh well. I suppose they fall under the categories of "bandits and other humanoid troublemakers" that rangers sometimes have to deal with. Thank goodness for area effect calming and demoralize enchantments.
Noticing that Gloria and Garland seemed a bit jittery, Neldor and I went into the nearby wood shed and carefully went down the spiral staircase which was hidden beneath the trapdoor. In a soft tone, Neldor asked, "Why in the world would Laurenna's father be laid to rest down here? I would have thought that the body of a chieftain would be laid to rest in a more prestigious place."
The tomb beneath the woodshed is admittedly impressive. The coffin lay in the center of the room and was surrounded by vases of flowers and elegant statues of a pair of women; probably representing a couple of the Nine Divines. Near the head of the coffin was a suit of armor that held a beautiful great sword between the gauntlets.
Even before we reached the coffin where Wulfgar had been laid to rest, I had the feeling of being watched. That was when the transparent figure of a white haired male Nord suddenly appeared near one of the statues. Raising his hands, the ghost said pleadingly, "Don't be scared. I'm not here to harm you. Instead I want you to listen to me."
Keeping his eyes fixed on the ghost, Neldor responded, "We will hear you out. Go ahead."
The ghost gave a deep, relieved sigh, then said, "I am Wulfgar the White, former chieftain of Lokken and the father of Wulfren and Laurenna. I love this island, I love each villager living here and every animal in the forests. And I love my wife and children. It makes me so sad to see the pain Sigrid and Laurenna are going through, and it raises my wrath to know that Wulfren has been falsely accused of having slain me."
I asked, "So Laurenna is right? Her brother is innocent?"
Wulfgar insisted, "He is! The man who thrust the sword into my heart was my own step-brother, Ragnar, the man who calls himself the new chieftain of Lokken. I don't know what has happened to my son, but I can feel that he is alive. If you care for Laurenna, if you care for the Lokken people, please try to find Wulfren. Only he could oppose Ragnar and claim his place as the rightful ruler of Lokken."
Still feeling uneasy even though the ghost of Wulfgar was not hostile, I said, "We have been hired as Lokken Islands rangers, and almost as soon as we arrived some of the island's residents warned us that things are not as they seem."
Following a slight nod, Wulfgar replied gravely, "Ragnar is a man of considerable power. I doubt that anyone could slay him with normal powers, but...with the Greatsword of Thorjan Bjorg, Wulfren might be able to defeat Ragnar. This incredible weapon is hidden in the tomb of Thorjan Bjorg. But, you cannot just pick up the sword and walk away with it. To get the strength to handle it, you also need Thorjan's gauntlets. And it is pointless to look for the tomb of Thorjan Bjorg without the gauntlets. Only when you have found them will you find the tomb."
Neldor pointed out, "Of course even if we find the gauntlets and the sword, they won't do anyone any good until Wulfren is found. This is his battle."
Wulfgar agreed, "Yes, this is something Wulfren must do to take his rightful place as the chieftain of Lokken. My friends, I will leave you now. I suggest that you try to locate my shaman, Snorri, who is hiding in the forest. He might know the truth about Wulfren's whereabouts. Bring Gunna's amulet. Then Snorri will know you are a friend. Please don't tell Laurenna that you have met me. I don't want her to get upset. May the Gods bless you, my friends."
And then in an instant the ghost disappeared. Carefully drawing closer to the coffin, I saw a plain non-enchanted amulet lying near one of the lit candles. Taking care not to upset the nearby vases of flowers or disturb any of the other offerings, I picked up the amulet, then headed back outside with Neldor to where Laurenna
When we came out of the wood shed, Laurenna smiled and said, "I hope you didn't find my father's tomb too scary. You have the amulet?" When I showed her the trinket I had taken from the tomb, she continued, "Yes, that's the right one. Now promise me that you will watch your steps in the forests. My father is dead, my brother has disappeared, and my mother is a prisoner in the castle. I am so lonely and scared, and you two have turned out to be such a wonderful friends. I couldn't bear the thought of something disastrous happening to either of you."
Neldor replied gently, "We can't promise that everything will be all right, but we'll do our best to help your family."
I nodded agreement before we went over to mount our waiting horses. In that moment I realized that we were being disloyal to the man who hired us, but the more we have learned about Ragnar the less inclined we feel to be loyal to him. It's the island, its forest, its wildlife, and its villagers whom we've come to care about. Not the usurper chieftain.
As Fjorgrin suggested, we followed the northwest road all the way up to Silverwood Lake and prepared to conduct our search from there, but something we found at the lake came very close to making us forget our current task. Before we even noticed the lake we saw the beautiful big cabin that had been built nearby.
In silence, we rode up to the property's front gate. The lot was surrounded by a well built wooden fence and contained a good sized barn as well as the gorgeous two-floor cabin. Large windows had been installed in what looked like every room which no doubt filled the cabin with plenty of sunlight.
When we were almost at the front gate I looked toward the lake and gave a soft gasp at the gorgeous view. Beyond the Silverwood we could see snow covered mountains in the distance as well as a waterfall that brought fresh, clean mountain spring water into the lake.
Turning my attention toward the gate, I then noticed the booklet that was chained to the mailbox; the sort of booklet that is usually left by those handling the sale of real estate. Not daring to hope that this beautiful place was available, I jumped down from Gloria's back and opened the booklet and saw that along with a For Sale notice, it contained floor plans for the cabin and the barn along with the property's history.
Neldor, who had just jumped down from Garland's saddle, commented as he looked at the property, "As far as I'm concerned, this place beats Lokken Castle. Whoever lives here got the best spot on the island."
Speaking in a tone that was just above a whisper, I replied, "No one lives here." As Neldor turned his gaze toward me, I added, "This place is for sale."
"You're kidding!" Neldor exclaimed as he stepped toward me to look at the real estate booklet I held in my hands. Together we read the cabin's history; it had been built by a Nord who had hoped to live here with his new bride; a young Breton woman from Wayrest. Unfortunately his wife could not adjust to Lokken's cold climate and was frequently getting sick. And so, for the sake of the wife's health, the couple moved to Wayrest and, with heavy hearts, put their dream home up for sale.
"How sad," I commented.
Neldor agreed, "It is. It was probably difficult for the previous owner to leave, but he put his wife first. He sounds like a good man. I hope they can both be happy and healthy in Wayrest." Flipping through the pages to learn more about the cabin, he continued, "We would certainly have plenty of room. The cabin has three bedrooms. Possibly five if one wanted to convert the study and the alchemy room into bedrooms." Grinning, he looked at me and added, "I assume you saw that part about the alchemy room."
Giggling softly, I answered, "I did. I'm also eyeing that balcony on the second floor. That would be a beautiful place to draw and paint. Perhaps the study could be turned into a music room."
"That would be easy enough," Neldor agreed. Returning his attention to the booklet, he added somberly, "The question is, can we afford it? I can tell already that this place isn't cheap, especially since it's furnished."
When we found the price of the property, which is of course up in the thousands, I stated, "We could do it. We would be left with only a few coins to our names, but we could do it."
Neldor agreed, "We would have to live off the land for a while, but we're wood elves. We can do that. We would have a lake full of fish right next to us. Plus we're going to be paid early next week so we'll have something to live on."
I pointed out, "We still have a lot of food left in the ranger station frost-box, so we won't need to get groceries for a while."
Opening the gate, he suggested, "Let's walk around the place and look in the windows and get a better idea of what we would be getting. We should check out the barn as well."
As I said, we were so smitten with the Silverwood cabin that we nearly forgot that we were supposed to be searching for Snorri's hideout. Walking around and looking through the ground floor windows made us love the place even more. As I looked through the glass into the alchemy room, I commented, "I can see us living here. I don't have the...Spinner sense...that you seem to, but I can so easily see us living here."
Neldor's "Spinner sense" was something he had told me about while we were still living on Vvardenfell. Admittedly I don't fully understand the lore of the Valenwood Spinners, just that they are the clan's healers and storytellers. According to Neldor, a trained Spinner can often see the past, present and future overlapping and will sometimes speak of the future as though it has already happened. Neldor is not a spinner, but he has some of a spinner's natural abilities, so he probably could be trained to become a Spinner if he were so inclined. He explained that this was the reason why there had been an odd moment when he had looked at me with surprise during our first meeting. Neldor had, as he described it, a "she's the one" moment. "The one" meaning that he felt that he had just met his life-partner.
In response to my saying that I could see us living in the Silverwood cabin, Neldor grinned and replied cheerfully, "You can see it because this is our house. Or it's going to be if we can get to the town hall and start the process for the sale before someone else decides to snatch it up."
I then reminded him, "We have got to find Snorri. Laurenna and the spirit of Wulfgar are counting on us."
Neldor replied, "I haven't forgotten, and we need to get back to that, but at the very first opportunity we've got to buy this property. It's perfect."
He tore the page containing the sales notice out of the booklet and put it in his inner pocket since it contained the needed information on the property that we wished to buy. Such information would be needed when we were able to go to the Lokken town hall. Needless to say, it was difficult to get back to the task at hand, but we got back on our horses and forced ourselves to go back down the road at a slow pace and look for any sign of Snorri's hideout.
After passing a small, isolated cottage on our left, we noticed an odd stone building on the right side of the road. Appearing neglected and run down, the building was surrounded by a crumbling stone wall as well as tall grass and weeds. At first glance the place looked like a forgotten tomb.
Bringing Garland to a halt, Neldor said, "This place is worth a look. It's certainly tucked away from everything and doesn't appear very inviting. Such a place would be well suited as a hideout."
Of course we had no idea what we would end up finding in there so we most certainly proceeded with caution. Leaving the horses tethered outside the stone wall, we entered the building and found it to be so run down that weeds were growing up through the cracked stone floor. The building's one room was empty and held nothing of interest except for a staircase that led down into a basement.
When we reached the bottom of the stairs, we saw a male Nord step from the shadows. With fear in his voice, he demanded, "Who are you? What do you want?"
Holding his hands up to show that he was not (at the moment) reaching for his weapons, Neldor asked, "Are you Snorri? We're friends of Laurenna."
As the Nord stepped closer to one of the lit lanterns that was nailed to the wall I noticed that the area around his eyes was painted with woad. Still fearful of us, the Nord repeated "What do you want? You say Laurenna sent you? Can you prove that?"
Holding out the amulet, I told him, "My name is Aeronwen, and this mer with me is Neldor. Laurenna told us that you would know this amulet. You are Snorri, are you not?"
The Nord took a couple of cautious steps toward us and peered at the trinket in my hand. He then relaxed slightly, then said, "Yes, I am Snorri, and that is my mother's amulet. The one she gave Wulfgar. All right, I do believe you. You are a friend of Laurenna's. Now, why are you here?"
I explained, "Laurenna is worried about the white wolf and thought you might know what has happened to him."
Gesturing toward the alcove behind him, Snorri said, "The wolf is right here. I found him just outside this building, wounded. I fear that he has been hit by poisoned arrows, as he isn't recovering. On the contrary, he is getting worse. I have started to fear for his life."
Disheartened at having to give Laurenna such grim news, I responded sincerely, "I am so sorry. Is there anything we can do?"
The old man answered, "Yes, in fact there is. If this wolf is poisoned, I only know one person who could cure him. It's old Granny Torunn. She lives up the road, on your right, as you are heading up to Silverwood Lake. Go to Granny Torunn and ask for a cure!"
We in fact knew which cottage he was referring to, having noticed it on our way to and from Silverwood Lake. The place was too visible to be a hideout, which is why we didn't stop to see if Snorri could be found there.
Leaving Snorri to continue to look after the mysterious white wolf, Neldor and headed back outside. Approaching our horses, I said, "What I don't understand is why Snorri hasn't gone to this Granny Torunn person for a cure already. She's not all that far from here."
Neldor replied, "The man is obviously very scared, and not just of us. Since Snorri was Wulfgar's shaman, Ragnar might want him dead as well." Pulling himself onto Garland's back, he briefly looked up the road before saying, "I don't want to seem like I don't care about any of this. I really do...but..."
Giving him an understanding smile, I said, "You want to get to the town hall, and two rangers are not needed to speak to Granny Torunn and hopefully bring a cure back to Snorri." Getting up on my mare's back, I continued, "You and Garland should get to the village. Gloria and I are more than able to see about getting a cure for the wolf."
Grinning, Neldor stated as he turned Garland toward the road, "See ya later, Gorgeous. Hopefully we'll both have good news at the end of today."
And so Neldor rode off toward the village while Gloria and I headed back up the road toward Silverwood. Moving at a canter, it didn't take long for us to reach the small charming cottage that was nestled among the trees on the right side of the road. My knock on the door was answered by a cheerful, gray haired Nord woman who at once invited me to come into her home.
Closing the door behind us, she said, "You must be one of the new Wood Elf rangers I've been hearing about. How may I help you? I am an herbalist and an alchemist. If you need medication I might have something good to offer." Gesturing toward a blonde teenage girl who was seated at the kitchen table, she added, "I'm sorry I can't offer you any cookies, but my granddaughter gave away the ones she was supposed to bring here to a wolf she met on her way here."
The girl, dressed in traveling clothes that included a bright red cloak and a straw hat, looked at me with a very visible smirk. It was obvious that she saw nothing wrong with feeding dangerous animals (which taught them to look to people for food).
Really hating to have to go into "ranger mode" when I had only just met Granny Torunn, I turned toward the granddaughter and stated gently, "Feeding the wildlife isn't a good idea. That will only lead to trouble later. I'm saying this for the safety of everyone on the island." Returning my attention to Torunn, I asked after introducing myself, "You don't happen to have a cure poison potion for wolves, do you?"
Granny Torunn answered somberly, "I can mix a batch, assuming I still have some mandrake root. If I don't I'll need someone to find some for me, which won't be easy since it's so late in the year. Please give me a few minutes."
While she checked her ingredient jars I thought regretfully that if I had my own laboratory I could have mix a bottle of Curing Elixir myself. All I would need need would be some red valerian root along with the mandrake root. This is when I thought that if Neldor managed to purchase the Silverwood cabin, perhaps in the spring I could plant an herb garden.
"Ah, I have just enough mandrake left to make the cure," Granny Torunn announced happily. She worked rapidly at the kettle that hung over her hearth fire, carefully stirring the mixture now and then before finally using a ladel to place the elixir into a bottle.
"Thank you," I said gratefully when she brought the bottle to me. Placing it carefully in my satchel, I asked, "What do I owe you?"
She answered, "Just one favor if you would. My granddaughter is staying here tonight, but tomorrow she'll be heading back to the village. She claims that a black wolf follows her wherever she goes, so I would feel better if you would escort her back to her home."
With a grim smile, I replied, "That's what happens when one feeds the wildlife; they start looking on people as a source of food. Very well, I'll come by here tomorrow and see that your granddaughter gets home safely."
There wasn't any more time for conversation. According the Snorri, the white wolf was weakening and needed the cure as soon as possible, and so I returned to my horse and went back down the road to Snorri's hideout at a gallop.
As soon as I returned to the basement beneath the abandoned building, Snorri asked hopefully, "Was Granny Torunn able to make a cure?"
At once handing him the bottle containing the curing elixir, I answered, "She just finished preparing this."
Taking the bottle from my outstretched hand, Snorri exclaimed, "Oh, thank you, thank you! I'm truly grateful for this. Please leave me. I've got to give the wolf this cure now and I think it's better if we are left alone. When you can, please tell Laurenna that the white wolf will probably recover."
Nothing more was said as Snorri went deeper into the basement to wherever he was tending to the wolf. Unable to do anything more for white wolf, I once again returned to Gloria and from there we made our way back to the ranger station.
Yet again Rey and Frost were nowhere to be found, having obviously gone off to roam the surrounding forests. Oliver, who had been alone in the paddock all day gave Gloria and I a happy bray of greeting. Rubbing his shaggy gray neck, I said softly, "I know; you were powerless to keep them here when they want to be out there. No one blames you."
I gave both Gloria and Oliver a brushing and cleaned their hooves before leaving them to graze in the small paddock. At that point I just went around tending to the station and checked the notice box at the front gate. Today at least there were no reports of poachers or dangerous animals near any of the farms.
Neldor and Garland came back to the station around an hour later while I was outside raking leaves. Immediately I noticed that Neldor's expression was somber and I had a sinking feeling that he had been too late; he had reached the town hall just as someone else was purchasing the Silverwood cabin.
As he jumped down from Garland's back, I asked, "Were you unable to buy it?"
That was when I realized that his somber expression was forced. Allowing a grin to appear on his face, he pulled a set of keys out of his pocket and said happily, "It's ours. We didn't even have to go through a waiting period because of our status as the island's rangers."
Dropping the rake, I happily rushed toward him and flung my arms around Neldor as I said, "I can't believe this! How did this work out so perfectly?"
Embracing me, Neldor answered, "It's like the fates are trying to make up for what happened to both of us." Stepping back from me slightly, he continued, "We can go tomorrow since it's already getting late today. We'll still need to come by here for work notices, but we'll do that anyway during our patrols. Now we have a private home instead of living at here at the station."
Of course for a moment I wondered about Rey and Frost and hoped that they would return before we left for Silverwood, but reminded myself that they would find us if they wanted to. At this point they probably know the Lokken forests even better than we do.
In the Lokken Mountain mod, Granny Torunn needs two wolf pelts in order to make the curing potion for the white wolf. While I love the Lokken mod, there are a couple of quests in it that make me feel uncomfortable from the character's standpoint. This quest is one of them, the other being the one that requires the player to kill a mother bear who is doing nothing but hanging out in her den with her cubs.
With this being a somewhat different Elder Scrolls universe, I changed this quest so that the potion only requires the plant-based ingredients. As much as Aeronwen wants to help Laurenna and her family, she wouldn't feel right about killing two wolves in order to save one.
