Chereads / Into Skyrim, Elder Scrolls 8 Nirn's Beta / Chapter 54 - End of a Festival

Chapter 54 - End of a Festival

I found myself at the Khajiit Caravan. However I wasn't planning on to much talking. I picked up a Lute, it wasn't a guitar or anything, but I could play it. I tapped the string once and found it as expected. "I promised to play something special if you let me borrow your Lute."

Ri'saad smirked, "Yes, you did. So what is this music you wish to play?"

I began striking at the Lute. At first it was just sound, however slowly as I got used to it. The sound began to form into music. Introducing Rock music into the world caused people to take notice. Ri'saad's curious gaze turned into one of interest. The guards also snapped to watching me instead of the Khajiit.

As I played the music a crowd now gathered. The money-minded Khajiit's started selling their cookies. I smirked as I switched into a metal rift. I took it directly from memory of some more popular songs I knew. The rift sounded a little wonky on the wooden Lute, but I made it work. 

I ended it with a bow of my helmet. Holding it out several of the listeners scattered septims into my helmet. It wasn't long until the crowd itself scattered. Before I could speak to Ri'saad again. Viarmo grabbed my shoulders. "That was brilliant! How did you learn to play like that? Where does that music originate?"

I blinked, I figured something like this would happen. However I hadn't expected this instantly after my performance. I made up a plausible excuse, "I lived in a place where instruments were difficult to acquire. So instruments that I did use were made of minerals instead of wood."

Viarmo eyes sparkled. "That's increible! Do yo-"

Ri'saad interrupted Viarmo, "Could you make these instruments from memory?"

Viarmo paused and laughed, "That would be brilliant!"

Oh... I sighed, "I could, the instruments are pretty similar to Lutes. I assume you want to sell the instruments? The problem with that is most Bards wouldn't even use said instruments."

Viarmo frowned as he nodded, "You are right. I didn't even think about playing it for music."

Ri'saad nodded, "I agree with your assessment. However the music you played, I heard something like it when I was a child. I wish to send the instrument to Elsweyr for study. I will pay whatever you want for the instrument and any music that could accompany it."

That was unexpected, I rubbed my chin in thought. "That makes sense."

Viarmo looked at Ri'saad, "You have heard music like the one he played?"

Ri'saad nodded, "A long time a go I listened to a wandering Khajiit play something like it. A rare breed of Khajiit. Green Mossy Fur, Yellow Piercing Eyes, looking back I believe he was a vampire."

I held back my reaction, A vampiric green khajiit? Odine mentioned that, I'll have to ask who the hist heard it from. I laughed though, "A vampire rock playing Khajiit. That would certainly be one memorable wanderer."

Viarmo perked up, "That music is called rock?"

I nodded, "Though I mixed in a little extra."

Ri'saad rubbed his chin, "This one is also interested in this rock music. However I think it would be best we discuss this later. I feel the guards gazes are little harder than before."

I nodded, "I agree, I need to go handle some other things as well." The street was clearing up. Less people on the street meant the Khajiits would need to leave the city and set up their camp. Before I left Viarmo stopped me, "Do you want to see the Burning of Olaf? It isn't much, but we wouldn't be having the festival without your help."

I smirked, "You would've done it. You just needed the push, besides, with Lurbuk around you have a loyal questing dog."

Viarmo laughed, but he watched me walk away. I slipped by people and made my way to Odine. I spoke to the tree, "Plans are coming together. Soon my end of the deal will be complete. I think it is time for you to pay up."

Odine's branches twitched from the wind. It spoke, "I heard the whispers of those khajiits. You plan on selling my sap as a narcotic? How does this relate to the deal?"

I laughed, it's tone wasn't one of apprehension. Odine really did want to know how this related to our deal of helping it see the world. "Simple, when the Khajiit's sell the sap. You will be aboard the ship. I can't drag you along the land. So this is the best method."

Odine's voice echoed in my head. "I see, I will see the world through trade. My next question is do you not fear the possibility that I grow further and connect to the Hist Overmind resulting in the breaking up of your Sap trade?"

I smirked, "No profits equal no travel. Khajiit and other drug traders failed to please the Hist resulting in their failures. In this deal would you not be willing to uphold it?" I ended my response in a question, but Odine understood exactly what I meant.

Odine's telepathy was filled with emotion. "I will uphold my end of the deal then. You even gave me a guarantee. So I can freely give you what I promised without you backing out."

Odine went silent and I was about to say something, but the leaves Odine had grown fell to the ground. A second later a orange fruit shaped like a bell pepper. Odine spoke to me again, "Eat the fruit and you will receive what I had promised. I need to sleep a bit after growing a fruit."

The quest involving Odine was still not completed. So I still had some extra work to do involving it. I bit into the fruit and my journal gave me the notifications.

Three things were added, but Hist-Argonian Arts was the most immediate to figure out. A flood of varying techniques exclusive to the Argonian tribes flipped through my mind. I could already tell I likely wouldn't use any of them since most required ingredients or items from black marsh. However the martial arts, blacksmithing techniques and the magic spells. I opened my spell list and saw 11 spells added. That was more than I expected.

With my business involving Odine done I nodded, but Odine spoke up. "Color me impressed. You intergraded that knowledge faster than I expected. I hope it includes what you wanted, I need to sleep now."

Sure enough Odine's psychic connection disappeared. With the new gains I could actually feel the connection. It was interesting and I couldn't help smirking. I headed towards the winking skeever, though I couldn't help check out the newly acquired goods.

Wisdom of the Hist was a passive effect. It actually was just the connection I felt. The effect connected me to the Hist and allowed me to speak to them and them speak to me freely. The only other thing it did was increase natural regeneration. Though it didn't specify how much. Second effect was actually an active effect.

Umbrelic-Hist Blessing allowed me to absorb incoming magic by 50% while creating a spherical ward that decreases the impact of magic. I guessed this could stack with normal wards, I would have to test it. The whole thing lasted 120 seconds, and it had a 24 hour cooldown. So I had to admit it was a pretty good power. 

The last was something I had to obviously sort out in my head. I could feel the new knowledge swirl around. A good example of this was the techniques on how to make Argonian housing. Stuff like that was a tad useless to me, but I had the knowledge now and I also understood a little about how the Argonians work. It could be useful one day.

Lucky me that I had the internal journal. If I had to search through the knowledge for the Argonian spells, I would've screamed. I looked for the new 11 spells. I found 7 in the restoration tab. The rest however was spread out. I looked them over, two types of wards, three types of healing spells, a mana regeneration spell and some kind of communication spell? I sighed, not every spell would be straight forward. The other four spells proved that.

One destruction spell called Earthen Strike. A conjuration spell that was called Tide Bell. Illusion spell called Shadowblend. The last being an alteration spell called Zoonotic Shift. Each of them and their descriptions were less than helpful.

The destruction spell I was pretty sure was a rock or ground based attack. It didn't fit in the natural magic patterns though so it through me off slightly. The conjuration spell was... well I had no idea. The illusion and alteration were similar, but I had some clues to what they did. Shadowblend was likely something related to the shadowscale. While Zoonotic shift I think was some kind of bestial transformation magic. Khajiit and Argonian's both had more animal or monstrous bloodlines. Though I couldn't say for certain.

I stopped in my tracks and thought for a moment. As soon as I go to sleep. As long as the Belt doesn't trigger its effect. I will 100% start messing with these spells and looking at them in more detail. The question was do I leave Solitude for a day and test some magic spells or do I complete my newest quest. I took out one septim and flipped a coin. When I caught it, it landed on heads. Seems I was testing spells. What better place to do so than Meridia's shrine.