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tl;dr - I'm playing Skyrim as a random schmuck and documenting his story with text and pictures. The story starts in .

Hi everyone! This is something I wanted to do for a long time and finally started last year on a different forum (not related to Elder Scrolls). The project eventually died, but I've been thinking about it for a while and finally decided to continue where I left off here.

Very much inspired by , I'll be playing Skyrim as a nameless citizen. No dragon blood in my veins, no dreams of glorious adventures in my head, just trying to make a living and hopefully eventually fulfilling my Ambition. Most of the rules that Nondrick followed will apply to me as well, though my approach is more heavy roleplaying, not trying to blend in the strange world of an NPC:

- I will eat and sleep in regular intervals
- I won't exploit unrealistic aspects of the game for my own gain
- I won't fast-travel (Though unlike Nondrick, I will run around. Walking everywhere gets boring real fast.)
- I won't reload the game if things don't go my way. That includes death.

I may ask you to vote on some decisions from time to time, and I'll appreciate any kind of feedback. Feel free to let me know if you think there are pacing issues, lore mistakes, typos you noticed or simply to let me know you enjoy reading this.

At this time I have 9 updates from before, so I'll post a couple right away and then update daily. Depending on how long this backlog lasts, I'll later decide on a regular update schedule, though it's anybody's guess if I'll manage to actually keep it.

Here's the three characters I originally considered:


The good people on the previous forum went with Al'feek, so let's meet him:



Like many others of his race, Al'feek used to earn his crust as a travelling mechant. But travelling across Tamriel is hard work and that is not something he was born for. It's better to stay in a town, maybe have a little Skooma. That never killed anyone, right? Not anyone important, anyway. But cold hard reality soon caught up with Al'feek, and he had to find some craft to feed him. Nothing too difficult, surely. And a good supply of Skooma would be good, too. His ambition is to own a house and fill all its containers with said drug.

I've decided to switch between first and third person perspectives. Al'feek's own thoughts are written in italics. I realized that is important, since the Khajiit tend to speak in third person normally, so it could get confusing otherwise. Hope you enjoy the journey!

Contents:

Chapter 1 - Cold and Hungry








Chapter 2 - Days of Salmon and Skooma

Al'feek's Alchemical Adventure

Chapter 1 - Cold and Hungry

Day 1

Al'feek remembers the first day of his new life well. It was Sundas. 17th of Last Seed, 4E 201. Is the day Helgen was burnt to the ground, you know? The day the dragons returned, that's why Al'feek remembers. What he doesn't remember is the night before. There was shouting. Argument with caravan leader. Maybe a little Skooma. But that was in Bruma. Why is Al'feek standing in a smelly canal in Riften? Why is only nine gold Septims in his pocket? Why his head hurts so bad? Actually, that last one is easy.



Waking up in the late afternoon, Al'feek scrambled to his feet. He was hungry and cold after spending the night in nothing but a roughspun tunic and his fur. As luck would have it, the first thing he saw was an alchemist's shop, and the seed of an idea for his new occupation was planted in his poor, aching head. But first he slowly climbed the stairs out of the canal to look around the town.



Met a guy called Shadr. Was bragging about his job at the stables. That he will open his own stables one day and that he owes money to someone. Al'feek doesn't even have money to owe! Told him Al'feek can't help him and went to the market to buy something to eat. So hungry!



Everything is so expensive! Also they only sell raw meat. Well, there's a sweetroll for six Septims, but too expensive. Can't afford. Al'feek only bought it because he was so hungry. Before he could even have a nice bite, some shady fellow named Brynjolf interrupted him. Rude! Al'feek would tell him so, but he was talking about getting easy money, so Al'feek listen.



Turns out the job is to steal from one of the merchants. Al'feek is no thief! This guy sees Khajiit and immediately thinks thief. Al'feek was furious and told Brynjolf to stuff it. Didn't go for town guard only because he might reconsider the offer in the future. Is important to keep opportunities open, yes?

Riften is a drab and depressing town, so he was immediately drawn to the only welcoming place - The Bee and Barb Inn. They didn't start off the right paw with the Argonian innkeeper, Keerava: "If you've got the coin, you're welcome here. Otherwise, hit the road."



Not intimidated, Al'feek inquired about the price of a room and then inconspicuously changed the subject to what kind of work can be had in the area. Keerava slipped him a piece of paper and went back to tending the bar. It wasn't very helpful.



Ten Septims for the night. Al'feek still had hunger and still had empty pockets, but now he had a goal. He will pick flowers all over the town, bring flowers to the alchemist, get a lot of Septims and sleep in a bed this night, not in the canal. Good plan. But another stranger talks to Al'feek as he is leaving the Inn. "Looking for work?" he says. And Al'feek listens, even though he already has a perfect plan. Al'feek should know better.
He offers money to deliver a letter. Sounds easy! Letters are not even very heavy. But as soon as Al'feek nods that he wants to know more, this man spins a story longer than Al'feek's tail. It turns out by "deliver a letter" he means "steal a horse". A horse belonging to the Black-Briars even, the most powerful family in Riften. Al'feek wants to have nothing with this, no way. That can only be trouble. And surely enough, trouble found Al'feek anyway.



On his way from the Inn, a tough-looking guy, named Maul of all things, started to intimidate Al'feek. He said that he works for the Black-Briars and that they are not to be messed with. It looked like he wants to fight, but then he let Al'feek go.

Wandering the town, Al'feek found a lot of mountain flowers and even some mushrooms, especially near a . There was something even better in the cemetary, though!



Al'feek immediately recognized Nightshade. Mountain flowers may fetch a good price, but he's not selling Nightshade, Nightshade is for Al'feek. Every Khajiit knows that it is required to make Skooma. Now if only Al'feek had some Moon Sugar to go with it... Maybe this town is not that bad. Maybe Al'feek not only sells flowers to alchemist. Maybe he becomes alchemist. But for now the plan. Sell everything, keep Nightshade, sleep in bed and tomorrow find Moon Sugar.

On his way to the alchemist Al'feek found some barrels. Not his business, of course, but he's curious. Curiosity never killed anyone. Surely not a Khajiit. Maybe he just peeks in. Maybe he finds salted meat there, and what would he do with raw meat? Nothing, that's what. Maybe he finds some apples there as well and maybe he wants to have a bite? Is completely understandable, if that happened. But Al'feek is no thief, even if he's still very hungry. Al'feek goes to the alchemist now.



Maybe it was because he spent so much time considering the ethics of stealing an apple, but the fact is that when Al'feek arrived at the alchemist's shop, it was already closed. Just as despair began to take hold of his still-hurting head, he saw a travelling apothecary, who was just leaving the shop. Maybe he can sell his flowers to him instead.



Turns out flowers that grow in the city are not very valuable. The apothecary only gave him a Septim for each and didn't want to pay for the mushrooms at all. He offered more for the Nightshade, but Al'feek didn't want to part with it just yet, so he sold enough mountain flowers to be able to afford the room at The Bee and Barb and hurried there before they closed too, eating an apple on the way.



The room was not much, but it was warm and it had a bed. That was all he wanted at that moment. But tomorrow! Tomorrow is going to be a good day, he knew that. He set his precise internal clock to seven in the morning and went to sleep.

Day 2

Al'feek woke up shortly before noon. He was still tired as he made his way down the steps and out of The Bee and Barb.



Riften didn't make a great first impression on Al'feek, oh no. But he must admit it looks a lot better in morning's light. Al'feek liked the view. He liked the fresh air, and he was sure he could find at least one likeable person in the town, if he searched hard enough. That morning he could imagine himself living there, oh yes. Such thoughts went through his head. Al'feek should know better. Around the corner he discovered a murdered Dunmer woman.



Al'feek saw nothing! A crowd gathered and a guard started investigation. Al'feek joined the crowd and looked on as the guard briefly examined the dead. Al'feek noticed a dagger on the ground nearby, but didn't say anything. Best to let guard do the investigation. Or so he thought. Guard then decided to investigate Al'feek.



Sure, blame the Khajiit! Not only are we thiefs, but also murderers now? The guard asks many questions and Al'feek replies that he did nothing and saw nothing. The guard tells Al'feek to go to the captain if he remembers something and that he's watching him. Then Al'feek is free to go. Or so he thinks.
Oh, why didn't Al'feek just leave? But he's curious, and he wants to ask the other onlookers who was the woman. Except when he tries, he is interrupted by the guard and asked the same questions again. He still saw nothing and did nothing. Guard repeats his warning and lets Al'feek go. Then he interrupts again and asks the same questions again. This time Al'feek is angry already. Tells the guard he won't answer any more questions. The guards says Al'feek is going to jail, so Al'feek replies to all questions yet again and then runs away before the guard can stop him. This town may not be ideal after all.



Finally outside the city gate! Al'feek finds a lot of flowers and a lot of butterflies. Butterflies hard to catch, right? But Al'feek has Khajiiti reflexes and snatches many butterflies. Sometimes butterfly flies high. Al'feek cannot fly, but jump good. Catch butterfly. He chased a butterfly along the city wall when suddenly he ran into a pack of dogs.



Al'feek is not afraid of any dog, but they make his hair bristle. Best be careful around dogs, right? Besides, the butterfly was already gone. No need to go to the dogs, there is a path leading around them after all.
On the path Al'feek met a warrior. He wanted to have a little chat, but the warrior kept babbling about honor and duty and other nonsense. Al'feek doesn't care about warrior duty and walks away from anyone talking about it.



After following the city wall to the other gate, Al'feek made an awesome discovery! Khajiiti merchants were camped just outside Riften! Fellows from Elsweyr! Al'feek was so glad to see friendly faces! They were sure to have some Skooma! And Al'feek was a merchant before too. Maybe they sell to him cheap?



They talked for a long time. Dro'marash and Kharjo are guards. Kharjo told Al'feek a sad story how bandits stole his amulet. Maybe the same bandits that had the bounty on them? Al'feek was sorry he couldn't possibly help. He's not sure what Zaynabi does. Probably eye candy! But she didn't talk to Al'feek much. Maybe she's just shy.
Finally there was Ahkari, who handles the trade. What a big selection she has! Even some quality Redwater Skooma. But the prices! Al'feek's heart was broken when she told him how much she asks. Almost two thousand! And over one hundred Septims for the regular stuff. Al'feek has barely enough to eat. Al'feek ask about Moon Sugar as well, but she sells it for more than even the Skooma! Al'feek thinks she saw his potential as an alchemist and didn't want him to put them out of bussiness with superior product.



Not only could he not afford the Skooma (and he'd have to pay with butterfly wings and flowers), but the salmon cooking over the trader's fire reminded him that he didn't eat anything yet today, and the merchants didn't seem inclined to invite him to dinner, so he bid them farewell and ran back to Riften to sell all the alchemy ingredients he gathered.



The alchemist, Elgrim, turned out to be a nice old man. Right away he offered Al'feek lessons! And that was even though he already has an apprentice, Ingum Black-Briar. Maybe he forgot, even though he was sitting right next to her. Al'feek doesn't know. He does know he couldn't affort to pay for lessons, but at least Elfrim allowed him to use his alchemy lab. He also taught Al'feek to taste ingredients to learn their effects. Al'feek did not want to eat what he was gathering whole day. But he was hungry. It did not taste good. But now Al'feek was becoming a true alchemist!
Elgrim would buy all the flowers and butterly wings for one Septim each, but advised Al'feek to mix blue mountain flower with yellow butterfly wings. The result was a potion of healing worth five gold to Elgrim! Al'feek made a few more and got thirty gold for his work. His plan was working!

Ingum told Al'feek how she needs to replace some plants she destroyed during her studies. Deathbell, Nirnroot and Nightshade. Al'feek also needs Nightshade. He promised her to help and Ingum told him where to look for each of these. Maybe Al'feek will bring her the Nirnroot and Deathbell, but Nightshade is too important to his schemes.



Finally, Al'feek talked to Hafjorg, Elgrim's wife. She offered him payment if he brings some ore sample from a nearby village. Al'feek didn't want to promise anything, but it sounded like a fair offer. He would consider it. Right now Al'feek was hungry, though. His belly was protesting that he's talking to alchemists when he could be putting salmon into it. Al'feek had to agree that sounded like a good plan, so he went back to the Bee and Barb.

Al'feek finally had enough money. He bought a nice salmon steak and a bottle of ale to celebrate. The food smelled good, but the service in the inn was not very good, oh no.



Not one table was empty! Al'feek decided to help out and returned all the uneaten food to the pantry and the dishes to a cabinet. Al'feek only hoped the baked potato will not be missed.


There! Perfect table with a perfect steak and a perfect ale for a perfect alchemist. Al'feek finally had a full belly and the ale was strong. Then Al'feek realized he forgot to leave aside enough Septims for the room! Luckily, Keerava let him stay another night for free. Maybe Al'feek misjudged her the day before. Maybe she has a heart of gold. Maybe it was because Al'feek decided to head upstairs and was already too drunk to be argued with. Who knows?



Is strange how a single bottle of ale got Al'feek so drunk. Al'feek always gets drunk by a single bottle, but is usually the fourth or the fifth, not the first one. It was probably on account of being so hungry before. But now he fell on the bed with pleasant dreams of mixing potions.

Day 3

This time Al'feek woke up at 4 AM. He tried going back to sleep, but he was too thirsty. Unfortunately, Keerava was already up and didn't let him return to the room, so he went into the cold outside. The only building not locked and barred was the temple of Mara



Al'feek not religious. So many gods, Deadra and spirits to worship, how can one chose the best one? But that day Al'feek was a disciple of Mara, because he needed warmth. He flipped through a book someone left at the altar, but it was boring talk of gods. He hoped to learn something about Mara and her stance on squatters, but the book was just confusing. But maybe later, if times go hard, Al'feek can stay in temple overnight.

Eventually getting bored, Al'feek went to gather more ingredients to mix and sell once the alchemist opens. Today he decided to go all the way around the big lake, as that is where Nirnroot was supposed to grow and soon he found his first.



Al'feek crossed a bridge to a big island in the middle of the lake, but there was only a locked gate and a mercenary who refused to talk to him. Very rude. Whoever lives there must be a very private person, so Al'feek did not pry and went on his way.



There is not a lot of herbs along the lake. Al'feek only saw some foxes. Maybe foxes eat the best ingredients? Maybe they are secretly alchemists? While considering this, he heard shouting. Suddenly his hair started to bristle again. And then he saw a pack of wolves attacking a woman further on the road!



Al'feek immediately turned around and ran... not away! Al'feek is not coward, but he was weak and unarmed. He ran to the mercenary at the bridge. He explained what's going on, but the mercenary wouldn't budge. Perhaps he thought Al'feek cry wolf when there's no wolf? But the woods are full of wolves, as Al'feek later found out! No matter what Al'feek said, the guard didn't want to help. Al'feek hopes the woman escaped the wolves safely on her own.



Al'feek couldn't help more, so he just walked along the lake. Then he saw another Nirnroot on a small island, small enough so there would be no gate. Now, Al'feek is not a fan of swimming. Water is to be avoided. Ale much better anyway. But he did not wash in a long time and his fur was dirty. Besides, the alchemist would pay for the Nirnroot well. The sun has risen by then, so Al'feek counted to ten and jumped into the water.



Besides the Nirnroot, Al'feek got some slaughterfish eggs too! But as he was swimming back, he realized that slaughterfish eggs mean there are slaughterfish in the water as well. Al'feek loves fish! But he likes them on a plate. Al'feek does not want to be on a plate of a fish. That would be crazy and wrong. Luckily no fish showed up that day.



Still afraid of wolves on the main road, Al'feek went towards the cliffs instead. Climbing up some rock, he discovered a big abandoned tower. At least he hoped it was abandoned, because his curiosity was again dragging him into trouble.



Uh oh. Blood. Fresh blood. Heads on spikes. Blood from heads freshly put on spikes. Al'feek didn't want to have anything to do with the tower now. Not at all. He was going to return to town, but it started to rain.



Al'feek waited patiently for about two minutes, but the rain was not letting up and it was cold. Maybe it was warm in the tower? Maybe the blood was not as fresh as Al'feek thought? And it was goat heads, not Khajiit heads. Also, Al'feek was still curious. He should have known better, oh yes he should have.



He entered the tower as quietly as he could, but as soon as he closed the door behind him, he heard an angry woman's voice saying "Never should have come here!" He was terrified, but the voice was not speaking to him. Next he heard a loud thunder and then a thud. Exactly the kind of thud a dead body makes when it falls on a stone floor of an old not-so-abandoned tower. It took him a long time to forget the sound. Given the circumstances, he decided that the rain was not so bad after all, and he was already wet from the swim, so he ran out of the tower and back towards the town.



On his way he saw some more wolves run out of a cave and chase after a fox. That will teach it to steal alchemical ingredients! He considered having a look in the cave while the wolves were gone. Maybe there is a treasure? But he was too curious for one day already, so he made a big circle around the cave only to run into a terrified woman.



The woman looked even more miserable than Al'feek, and that's saying something! She told him of how she escaped from bandits. She even marked their tower on Al'feek's map, so he could avoid them. She was lost, so Al'feek offered to take her to Riften. She insisted she can make it on her own, but Al'feek was going in the same direction, so we went together. But when we reached the road, she suddenly began running in the opposite direction! Al'feek does not understand to this day. He even bathed earlier!



Near Riften Al'feek found a farm belonging to a guy named Addvild. Since it was still early and the field was tiny, Al'feek helped him with harvest and got thirty five Septims from him. He even got to keep two eggs which he, perhaps, wasn't supposed to pick, but the farmer was not angry and Al'feek was hungry.



Finally back in Riften, Al'feek went straight to the alchemist, but Elgrim was using the alchemy lab, so Al'feek talked with Ingum instead. She's really excited about alchemy! Her family doesn't approve. They are more into politics. Al'feek don't care about either. Al'feek is more into Skooma and salmon. When Elgrim was done with his work, Al'feek started experimenting on new potions. Most of them were a disaster, but he learned to mix Orange Dartwing and red mountain flowers to make a potion that drains magicka from whoever drinks it! Al'feek not sure why it is useful, but Elgrim bought it and others Al'feek made, getting him another 30 Septims. Just in time for lunch too! Before leaving, Al'feek promised to bring the ore sample from a nearby village tomorrow. He now had enough money to buy food on the trip and not eat it all!



Unfortuntely, Keerava no longer had any salmon, and all tables were full anyway, so Al'feek went to get some food at the market. He bought some better clothes from a Dunmer called Brand Shei, but couldn't find anybody selling food. Unbeknownst to him, that was the job of the murdered woman from yesterday. Grumbling, he bought a cheap wooden bowl and went to get some food from Keerava anyway. He bought some roasted beef with potatoes for lunch and another portion with bread for the trip, quickly and sneakily changed his clothes in one of the rooms and went to eat outside, on the steps to the temple of Mara.



With a full belly, clean clothes and still a few coins in his pocket, things were looking up for him. But it was still just after noon, and he had a trip ahead of him.

Before heading out, Al'feek gave his old, smelly clothes to a beggar. Al'feek thinks we should always give to the less fortunate. Especially because Al'feek is usually less fortunate. Then he was off to Shor's Stone to the north!



Wanted to hire a carriage, but the man said he only goes to the largest towns, and Al'feek didn't want to pay the fare for Windhelm only to jump out in the middle of the journey. Al'feek can walk.





There was a big fort on the road to Shore's Stone. Al'feek was afraid the soldiers would harass him, but they ignored him, so Al'feek began to pick some flowers on the courtyard. That only earned him the soldier's shouting, so he went on.



Shor's Stone was closer than he expected, and after a two hour walk, Al'feek arrived at his destination.



It was not difficult to find Filnjar. He was the blacksmith, and the first person Al'feek met in Shor's Stone. As soon as Al'feek greeted him, Filnjar said he hopes Al'feek didn't come to work in the mine. Al'feek hoped he didn't come to work in the mine too! But then Al'feek got the ore sample, which was thankfully not heavy at all, and went to find an Inn to stay through the night.



It was still early enough to make it back to Riften before nightfall, which was fortunate, because as Al'feek soon found out, there was no inn in Shor's Stone. Not even a temple of Mara. So he ate a piece of bread and went on his way, taking a different, slightly longer route this time.

There was a lot of flowers around Shor's Stone! Lot of ingredients, and a lot of animals, too! Al'feek liked it there. He saw deers and foxes and ... on my!



The bear didn't follow Al'feek. Probably just protecting its young ones. Still, Al'feek didn't want to risk it and he climbed on a rock near the road to be safe. He had a nice chance to admire the mountains while he waited for the bear to calm down!



Just a few hundred metres down the road Al'feek discovered a dreadful scene. A horse was standing above the body of a dead woman.
Did she fall off the horse and break her neck? Did the horse kill her intentionally? Maybe she attacked the horse and it killed her in self-defense? But why was the horse lingering there? Al'feek was a little afraid of the horse-hoofs, but he examined the body to see if he can identify the lady.



No identification, but Al'feek took baked potatoes, five Septims and a steel war axe to sell. Her hide boots would be nice to have - Al'feek wanted some just like that - but they would probably not fit him. Besides, Al'feek already feel bad for robbing from the dead, even if it was just baked potatoes, and he was quite hungry again.
He thought of dragging the body to Shor's Stone, to see if anyone knows her and let her have a proper burial, but then he remembered the bear and decided that it's not his obligation.

There was still the question of what to do with the horse. Al'feek never rode a horse before, but how hard could it be?



Oh yes! Take that, dead Redguard woman! Al'feek is the greatest horse-rider in all of Tamriel! Al'feek never ride horse before, true, but he used to ride on his Senche cousin Ambar back in Elsweyr. No wonder foolish Redguard woman fell and broke her neck without the Khajiiti grace, but for Al'feek riding a horse was not a problem at all!



Al'feek raced through the forest on Ambar - as he named the horse after his cousin - with no regard for direction, and he ended up at a mouth of a cave. The bloodstains and bone sculptures were enough to sate his curiosity this time, though.

Al'feek was a tiny little bit lost, but with Ambar he could afford to lose a bit of time! While riding through the forest, he attracted a pack of wolves. Normally this would be very bad, but his new friend was fast and we soon left the wolves far behind.



Finally the wolves lost the track and Al'feek found a lovely pond in the forest. Riding on Ambar was fun and it was fast, but Al'feek couldn't pick alchemical flowers like that. Also couldn't stop when chased by wolves. So he decided to have a little break here and see what he could find.



Unfortunately, he didn't find much, except for a lonely Nirnroot. He was getting hungry, so he looked for a nice spot to sit and eat, when he noticed Ambar was nowhere to be found! Then he saw him disappearing in the distance from where they came. Al'feek had to chase after him a long way before he caught up with him! Foolish Ambar, the wolves were waiting that way!



Al'feek was angry at Ambar and they rode back to Riften in silence. There Al'feek put him to the stables and went to mix potions for Elgrim. To Al'feek's surprise, Hafjorg paid Al'feek in potions for the ore sample, not Septims. So he sold them all to Elgrim along with potions he made and earned almost three hundred gold! Al'feek was starting to get rich, yes. Now if only the Khajiit caravan didn't leave with all the Skooma. Al'feek will look for other sources tomorrow, as he won't have to worry about being hungry for some time.



At the inn Al'feek's favourite table was free, so he unpacked his meal and bought some wine as well. He had to share the table with Maven Black-Briar, though, who proved to be rather rude to Al'feek. When he spoke to her, she told him she's too important to be talking to the likes of him and threatened to call the Black Brotherhood on him if he bothers her some more, so Al'feek just ate in silence and then moved to the bar to get more wine and chat with Keerava instead. But he'll show her. One day, Al'feek is going to be the important one!

That should do it for today, I'll post another update tomorrow. Let me know what you think, that is, if anybody even reads this =P

Day 4



As Al'feek walked around the town early morning next day, he overheard a Dunmer called Tythis Ulen mention the fishery. He wasted no time and headed to the docks.



So many fishies in the water! Al'feek's mouth was watering, but he really didn't want to jump in the water. Not only was it wet and cold, but he was still very afraid of Slaughterfish. There must be a place where he can buy some tasty salmon, right? Straight on the plate with no need for swimming. Al'feek can afford it!
Unfortunately, the fishery was closed. Al'feek unfortunate again, and that only made him think of tuna. But then he talked with a fishery worker Wujeeta and learnt some very useful things!



Wujeeta was a sugar tooth, always high on Skooma, afraid of losing job at the fishery because of it. Al'feek would love to work at the fishery! It smelled so good and he could eat as much tuna and salmon as he could. But he was more interested in learning where he could buy some Skooma.
Wujeeta didn't want to share her source with Al'feek, unless he brought her a potion that would help her beat he addiction. More Skooma, Al'feek suggested, but Wujeeta insisted she needed to get better. Luckily she was talking to the third best alchemist in town! Al'feek only needed some yellow butterfly wings and he could mix her the potion she needed.



He met a farmer called Dravin outside of the town, who complained some thief stole his bow. Al'feek wished he could help, but he had butterflies to catch. He at least helped him with harvest and earned almost sixty Septims.
It wasn't easy to find butterflies. Leaves were falling from trees and it confused Al'feek a lot! But eventually he found what he was looking for, he did. Had to jump high to get them and almost fell in the lake one time, but eventually he had enough butterfly wings for Wujeeta's potion.



He took a longer route back to town to pick some more herbs and saw a giant rat. Al'feek crouched, slowly approaching the rat, and then he pounced and scratched and clawed and soon the rat was dead. Al'feek is not only a great alchemist and rider, but also a great hunter! He took the rat's tail as a trophy, but just then Al'feek the hunter became the hunted.



A wolf rushed at him from the undergrowth! Al'feek had to run for his life! The wolf slashed at his back a few times, but Al'feek was faster and soon the wolf was lost far behind him. Al'feek stopped for just a moment to catch his breath, but then he saw a second wolf which cut off Al'feek's path to town.



Clever wolf! Very clever. Al'feek was afraid, but he couldn't run back towards the first wolf, so he charged at the second one, narrowly avoided its deadly teeth and cried for help as he neared the city gate. Luckily the guard at the gate was not afraid of the wolf. Few swings of his heavy sword and the beast was slain! Al'feek was saved!



That was enough excitement for Al'feek! He visited Elgrim and told him all about his adventures. He also mixed the potion for Wujeeta and experimented with some of his new ingredients. He mixed a few potions that had the power to make conjuration magic last longer for whoever drank them! Unfortunately, it was at the price of magicka regeneration. Al'feek is not sure who would need such a potion, but Elgrim still bought them for seventy Septims each! With a purse full of gold, Al'feek went back to the fishery.



It was already open, and as soon as he entered it, the lovely smell of fresh fish almost proved too much for Al'feek! So many fishes! Lovely, lovely fishes! But Al'feek was not allowed to take any and there was nobody who would trade with him. So sad! He even caught a rat for them, but did they give Al'feek a fish as thanks? No. Al'feek should have known better than to expect a reward for his heroism.



Although Al'feek was only alchemist for a short while, the potion was exactly what Wujeeta needed and she gave Al'feek a silver ring as thanks. Al'feek would prefer fish, but he still needed to get to her source, so he pretended he liked the gift.



What was the worst, even after all the dangerous things Al'feek did for Wujeeta she still didn't want to tell him about her Skooma source. He tried to persuade her, and eventually he had to pay her sixteen Septims for her to tell him! The Skooma dealer was somebody called Sarthis Iren operating from a nearby warehouse, which is always locked. Al'feek asked who has the key then, and Wujeeta recommended speaking to the Jarl. Al'feek thought it made sense that the Jarl would be the head of the Skooma traders. How else could they still operate in Riften? So he was off to Mistveil Keep, the seat of the Jarl of Riften.



When Al'feek arrived, Jarl had a meeting, so he waited patiently and humbly for his turn to speak. That's when he first heard that Helgen was destroyed by a dragon. Al'feek heard some rumours from the guards, but he didn't believe them at the time. But the whole Dragon affair never really felt very important to Al'feek.



When his turn came, Jarl greeted him very nicely, made him feel welcome in Riften, treated him as an important person, and not even once threatened to have him thrown out of her keep. Al'feek liked it. He was glad he bought his new clothes and bathed the day before.
Al'feek would prefer to discuss the matter of Skooma in private, but did not know if it was appropriate. With the rest of the court listening, Al'feek played it smart and pretended he came to end the illegal Skooma trade. The Jarl understood his game and pretended that she's outraged by the Skooma trade and gave Al'feek the key so he could chase the traders out of Riften. He liked the straightforward way she handled business and with the key in his pocket he went back to the docks.

()

I'm enjoying the adventures of Al'feek!
His narration is humorous and I've been chuckling at his observations.
Only thing that's a shame is that a lot of the pictures are very dark, so I can't see what's in them very well.

I'm on day 3 currently.

I'll keep that in mind when working on newer updates. Since the forum where I originally posted this didn't support image resizing, I had to make everything smaller and even though I kept the high resolution screenshots, I didn't bother to reupload those, at least not just yet. That might help a bit too.

I started messing around with FOV in the update I'm working on, so there's also that, but I'll definitely keep brightness in mind when doing night scenes from now on.

Anyway, glad you enjoy it so far and thanks for the feedback!

On the way to the docks Al'feek stopped at the pawnshop to sell the axe he took from the dead woman. He was not proud of doing that, no he wasn't! He just wanted to get rid of it. Taking things from dead people was not worth it. It weighed heavily on Al'feek's conscience. He was also paid only eighteen Septims! Not worth it at all. He swore he wouldn't take from the dead any more. He also considered selling the silver ring from Wujeeta, but as he would only get ten Septims for it, he decided he can afford to use it as a keepsake.



At least he finally bought a nice pair of warm hide boots! He threw away his old dirty footwraps and then made his way to the docks. He found the Skooma warehouse right away, yes, but there was that guy Maul standing on the way to its entrance. Maybe he was a part of the Skooma trade? Maybe he was customer? Either way, Al'feek didn't want to deal with him, so he took a walk around the docks, hoping he would leave in the meantime.



Talked with Asgeir Snow-Shod, hoping to raise his spirits with a nice chat, but he only heard a sad story how his sister recently died in the war. Poor Asgeir.



Not wanting to wait any longer, Al'feek snuck around Maul when he was turned around. Did he hear him? He didn't say anything anyway.



Al'feek had his game face on. He'll have to negotiate the price, and he couldn't look like a scared kitten in front of the dealer! But in front of the warehouse he saw something unexpected that gave him a pause. A bunny was standing there, not even a little bit afraid of Al'feek! He looked at it for a short while, then it ran away. Al'feek thought it was a good sign. Oh, Al'feek should definitely have known better!



Al'feek silently unlocked the warehouse door and meekly entered. Before he could even say anything, two rough-looking Dunmer ran towards him, drawing their swords. He thought he was prepared for everything. That they will intimidate him to get him to agree to a higher price. That they will try to find out if he's a real customer or trying to steal from them. He didn't prepare for being murdered!



He ran back outside. Bursting through the warehouse door he felt sharp pain in his left shoulder, as the sword of one of the Dark Elves slashed at him. Luckily his feet and voice were as of yet unharmed, so he ran as fast and shouted for help as loud as he could.



Turning a corner, Al'feek almost collided with Maul, who was drawing his weapon. He thought he was done for, but to his surprise Maul turned to his pursuers and, wielding only a small dagger stood against the two thugs with swords! Al'feek knew Maul won't stand a chance and ran for a town guard.



Al'feek saw a guard standing nearby. At first Al'feek thought the guard will not do anything, as he was not running towards the fight. Only then Al'feek noticed he was reading a shot from a bow. Al'feek only hoped that at this range the guard will not hit Maul on accident. And the guard was not the only one to join the fight, no! Al'feek saw poor Wujeeta running towards the attackers, also only holding a dagger!



Seeing so many putting their lives on the line to save him made Al'feek feel brave all of a sudden! He would go back and pounce and scratch and claw their dark Dunmer hearts out! That's exactly what he would do, if they didn't injure his shoulder earlier. Al'feek still went back to the fight to at least offer his passive support and saw that Maul managed fell one of the thugs already. The other one was getting ready to hit him, but then a surprise attack by Wujeeta's dagger pierced his heart and his lifeless body fell into the murky waters of Riften docks!



Al'feek knew the guards are going to be all over the place soon, but not yet. The guard shooting arrows went way, presumably to bring his superiors, so Al'feek used the moment of relative calm and snatched a key that hung from the neck of one of the Dunmer. Then he quickly ducked into the warehouse to get what he came for.



The warehouse was filthy and filled with broken crates and empty barrels. Al'feek was afraid but he had to move fast, before he was trapped there. A quick search yielded nothing, but there were stairs to a lower level. There Al'feek found a locked door.



With a pounding heart and little hope he slid the key he took into the keyhole and to his surprise it fit. The door opened and inside he saw a sight that by far surpassed his expectations!



There was more Skooma than Al'feek saw in his entire life, and Al'feek was born in Elsweyr! And not just Skooma, also some bowls of Moon Sugar! He allowed himself only a small moment to catch his breath and started filling all of his pockets with the tiny bottles. Yes, perhaps he was stealing, but the owners of the Skooma tried to kill him without provocation. His shoulder still hurt and his entire left arm was weak. Besides, they were dead. Al'feek knows. Earlier that day he said he will not steal from the dead any more, but the circumstances were different here!



With his pockets full, Al'feek ran back upstairs and out of the warehouse. As he was leaving it, his eyes met with those of a guard standing near the fishery. He was sure he saw him! Suddenly he realized he has his pockets stuffed with illegal drugs that belonged to the Jarl of Riften, after he caused her dealers to be killed. He didn't have a plan for this. He couldn't return to the inn, or to Elgrim. He can't ever be seen in Riften again. With the lack of a proper plan, Al'feek did the best thing he could think of: he jumped into the water and swam for the shore.



It was bad. Al'feek just wanted to get some Skooma. Instead they hit him with swords. He had to jump into the cold smelly lake again. The Jarl will think he double-crossed her. At least he had enough money to travel now, but where could he go? Maybe to Windhelm, or Solitude, or even farther away. Al'feek ran around the city wall all wet. He ruined his brand new hide boots and his clothes were ripped where the sword struck him and muddy everywhere else. He'd just run into the stables, he thought. Jump on Ambar and ride far, far away! That was a plan. A good plan. But Al'feek did not count on being betrayed again that day...



When he reached the stables, barely holding his breath, he found that Ambar wasn't there any more. Damn horse must have wandered off! He didn't have the time to chase after him, though. Luckily there was a carriage, ready to go. Al'feek jumped on the wagon and gave the startled driver twenty Septims. "Go! Al'feek doesn't care where, just ride as fast as you can!"

Chapter 2: Days of Salmon and Skooma

Day 5

The carriage rode throughout the night and a the whole next day, until they finally arrived at Markarth, a large city carved into the face of a mountain. During the journey, Al'feek carefully examined all the Skooma bottles he took. He had twenty four bottles in all, four of them very good high-grade Skooma. Excellent find, but dangerous to keep on him at all times. He'll have to find a safe place to store them as soon as possible.



Markarth is a big city. Easy to lose yourself, yes? And as far away from Riften as possible. Al'feek was still very afraid, but seeing the strong walls of the city, he realized Riften was little more than a soggy village. Surely the Jarl of Riften won't hold sway here, even if she knew this is where Al'feek fled.
As he was entering the large gate, one of the night guards assured him that Markarth was the safest city in Skyrim. Did Al'feek believe him? Of course not! Al'feek knew better than that, and very soon his suspicion would be confirmed. The first thing Al'feek witnessed after entering the city was murder.



There is a small marketplace right behind the main gate. Even though it was late in the evening, a lot of the stands were still open. Good, Al'feek though. That will be nice if he gets hungry for Salmon in the middle of the night. Then Al'feek heard a scream and saw a woman pierced with a hidden dagger.



Several guards ran towards the scene immediately, to which the murderer responded by shooting flames out of his palm. Al'feek heard about magic, but never saw it with his own eyes. He doesn't want to see it ever again. Al'feek was just glad the killer wasn't interested in him. He still had a nasty gash on his shoulder, which has just begun to heal, after all! Despite the magical flames shooting everywhere, after a short scuffle the guards prevailed and the assailant fell to the ground, dead.



Al'feek was glad that Malkrath was the safest town and that after he gets murdered, his attacker will be met with swift demise. Very assuring! He turned around to look for an inn, as he was tired and hungry after the long journey, but he ran into a man named Eltrys, who wanted to discuss the murder. Al'feek told him that he didn't really see much and that he doesn't know the victim, as he only just arrived in town. Eltrys let Al'feek go, but not before he pressed a piece of paper in his hand.



The Silver Blood Inn was a nice place, much more beautiful than Kerrava's place, but the price of a room was the same. Al'feek bought a salmon steak and a bottle of Alto wine and rented a room, as he didn't wish to dine in the company of other guests. The owner, Kleppr, showed him to his room and in the process cautioned him that the guards have the right to search his room. Al'feek was glad for the warning, but the Skooma bottles filling his pockets made him quite nervous again. He'll risk one night, but find a place to stash them first thing in the morning, he decided. And he must also taste it. With his hasty departure from Riften he didn't have the opportunity to do that yet.



Al'feek liked the room. It was a bit cramped, but a lot nicer than his old one in Riften. The bed was a solid stone slab, but that didn't matter to him. Khajiit can sleep in all kinds of places and wake up fully refreshed after all! Maybe a little box would be nicer, but it sure beat sleeping in a moving carriage.
First he examined the note from Eltrys. It said he wanted to meet him at the Shrine of Talos. Well, he can wait there forever, for all Al'feek cares! After a nice dinner, Al'feek was about to take the Skooma bottles and hide them in the room, just in case, when suddenly a waitress called Frabbi burst in his room without knocking! Al'feek only barely contained a shriek and threw her out of his room. "I should remind Kleppr to clean this place up", she said ominously as she was leaving. Great. Al'feek liked his new residence already.

Day 6

Al'feek did not really feel safe in his new room, but he slept well. In the morning he set out the look around the city.



Al'feek noticed the crime scene from yesterday was still undisturbed. What disturbed him was lack of guards in the area, but maybe they were all just busy writing reports?
The city of Markarth is as beautiful, as it is confusing. There are many stairs and many waterfalls and Al'feek found it hard to find what he was looking for. Walking up and down at random, finally he found himself in The Hag's Cure.



The alchemy shop was run by an old crone called Bothela. Al'feek was a bit afraid to talk to her at first, but then he found her to be a nice old lady. Either Al'feek was lucky, or alchemists tended to be fine people in Skyrim. Probably the later. Hearing that Al'feek is an alchemist too, Bothela allowed him to use her lab, so Al'feek bought some cheap ingredients to experiment and made a few Septims selling the resulting potions back to her.
In exchange, Bothela asked Al'feek to deliver a potion to the Steward, Raerek. Al'feek accepted, but he'll have to find a stash for his Skooma first. He didn't want to go to the Jarl's Keep with contraband!

Stopping on one of the many bridges over one of the many streams running through the town, Al'feek realized that he still has the keys to the warehouse in Riften, linking him to what happened there. He threw them into the water to be safe.



Circling all the way back to the main gate, Al'Feek found a general store tended by a Nord woman named Lisbet, who kept talking about werewolves. Al'feek hoped she was just crazy. He's had enough of regular wolves around Riften already! He bought a new pair of hide boots, but the only clothes Lisbet had that fit Al'feek were very expensive enchanted robes and a hide armour, which barely covered anything. Al'feek had to remain in his ripped and dirty clothes for now.
Lisbet explained that he poor selection is because of Forsworn attacks. Al'feek did not know who the Forsworn were at the time, but he would be hearing that name a lot in Markarth.



Not seeing any better option, Al'feek hid his Skooma in an abandoned bag laying in a deserted street. Better than nothing, he thought, and headed to the Understone Keep.



Entering the Keep, Al'feek overheard a priest arguing with someone. The priest didn't want anyone to come to the Hall of the Dead. That would be a much better hiding place for Al'feek's Skooma! When the argument ended, Al'feek talked to the priest and learned that someone or something was eating the corpses. Maybe it wasn't such a great idea, but priest gave him the key, so maybe Al'feek will carefully check it out.



As he went to see the Steward, a guard named Faleen asked him, rather forcefully, why he is approaching the Jarl. Al'feek didn't want to say he just wanted to talk to his Steward, so he made something up about being a traveller, which appeased her. Al'feek didn't really want to talk to Jarl Igmund, but he at least asked if it was possible to buy a house in Markarth. The Jarl made it absolutely clear that as an outsider Al'feek had little hope of acquiring a place of his own in his town, but sent him to his Steward who may think of something. Perfect!
The Steward was an older man, the Jarl's uncle. He gave Al'feek two hundred and fifty Septims for the potion and also forced a bounty letter into his hand. Forsworn again. Strange.



Leaving the Understone Keep, Al'feek was feeling quite curious, and since his current stash of Skooma was too insecure, he risked visiting the Hall of the Dead. As soon as he entered the crypt, a woman's voice addressed him, talking about hunger. Needless to say, he left immediately, locked the door behind him and never looked back. He decided it was time to scout out the surrounding and find a nice secluded spot.



Outside of town Al'feek met a couple of people talking about an attack in a nearby mine. Forsworn again! Al'feek did not like that at all. But the only thing growing inside the city walls was juniper berries, so he had to head out. Al'feek took a shortcut around small lake to look for Nirnroot. He saw a mudcrab. Horrible creature. Al'feek avoided it while he could.



Avoiding the crab, Al'feek followed the road up to the hills and found a nice quiet spot with a view of the river's valley. There he finally unpacked his Skooma pipe and decided to try the high-grade stuff first. He still had one regular Skooma and two doses of cheap Leaf-Skooma he wanted to try to sell to someone. Chilling among the juniper bushes, Al'feek was suddenly paid a visit by the mudcrab from the lake.



Al'feek didn't think to run at first. The crab was just standing there, so far from water. Al'feek thought maybe he was just seeing things. Then he got pinched by its claws and it hurt a lot. This could have been the end of Al'feek, but then a Redguard warrior came out of nowhere and started fighting the crab. Al'feek was still high, so he just watched. The fight, it didn't go very well for the Redguard.



As Al'feek finally realized what was happening, the crab was already moving towards him. This time he ran. He ran all the way to Markarth stables and the crab followed him. Eventually a town guard noticed it and drew a sword.



Al'feek warned the guard! He said it was man-killer! That it already tasted human blood. That he's following Al'feek wherever he goes and will never stop! The guard didn't want to have any of that and dispatched the crab with a few swings of his sword. Huh, Al'feek thought. Maybe he just imagined the crab killing the Redguard. He didn't want to return there to check, but he wanted to go for a walk. Or for a run. He had so much energy! Also, when Al'feek looked at the sky, he wasn't sure if what he saw was true or if he was tripping so much.



Al'feek walked and walked, only stopping sometimes to pick some ingredients, when all of a sudden he heard a whistling noise and felt warmth on his chest. Looking around for what it may have been, he noticed there's an arrow lodged in his chest. He couldn't understand why it didn't hurt, but on some level he knew it is going to hurt in the morning. He stood still, trying to find out where the arrow came from, when a half-naked savage swung a large spiky sword, barely missing his head. Al'feek didn't give him a chance for another attack and started running back to Markarth.



Al'feek already regretted leaving Riften. He'd take packs of wolves over half-naked lunatics - who turned out to be the mystical Forsworn he heard so much about. At least Al'feek was quick on his paws, and the Skooma helped a bit too. Soon he was back at Markarth stables and the guard who saved him from the mudcrab bravely stood in the way of the charging Forsworn. Al'feek's heart was pumping after the race. He wasn't sure if the guard can prevail. As the Forsword turned his back to him to face the guard, he creeped behind him and slashed at him with his claws. Tearing into his jugular, he killed him instantly.



Al'feek took someone's life! The Forsworn deserved it, of course, but it was still a lot to digest. Al'feek mumbled something to the guard and walked away. He knew just the thing to calm his nerves. After having a bit more Skooma, Al'feek remembers seeing colours everywhere. Also a windmill. Maybe. Maybe it was a giant. Hard to say.

Whatever it was, Al'feek stumbled towards it and then passed out.