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"Oh, there once was a hero named Ragnar the Red,
Who came riding to Whiterun from old Rorikstead."
Tullius, true to his word, sent out the next morning a caravan of supplies: mostly new clothes, preserved foodstuffs, medicine and some gold.
"And the braggart did swagger and brandish his blade,
As he told of bold battles and gold he had made."
There were seven wagons in total. Just enough to carry the displaced citizens of Helgen to Solitude, should they wish. Two of which were empty, but the rest were filled with traveller's packs and crates.
"But then he went quiet, did Ragnar the Red,
When he met the shield-maiden Matilda, who said;"
However, Linnea got to stop and enjoy the scenery along the path to Riverwood from Solitude. She wasn't rushing to get Tullius back to Castle Dour, which she was only able to do in one day due to her undead horse's unlimited stamina.
"Oh, you talk and you lie and you drink all our mead,
Now I think it's high time that you lie down and bleed!"
This is why when they stopped the caravan to sleep the night away in a quaint little town called Rorikstead, her inner bard leapt at the opportunity to learn more about the region directly from the locals. And in the process, some songs. She even was willing to overlook the very obvious deadric stench from the farms.
"And so then came clashing and slashing of steel,
As the brave lass Matilda charged in, full of zeal."
So when the hungover soldiers started working up the energy to sing along with her, know it wasn't out of their own free will. They were most certainly charmed.
"And the braggart named Ragnar was boastful no more-
When his ugly red head rolled around on the floor!"
The undead woman laughed merrily as their dispassionate voices tried their best and failed to carry some zeal through the final verse. She knew they wouldn't get mad at her, though. They were trying to do so for her sake, after all. To welcome the new dignitary back to her homeland.
And that part was true.
Vigour-focused illusion magic is one of the few forms of illusion magic that practitioners are allowed to use on fellow civilians without repercussions for the simple fact that all it does is make people forget they're tired or drowsy. Most other forms, fear, frenzy, calm, and courage, gave the victim a false sense of reality on a grander scale.
Only the Divines know how many fights have started because a bard thought giving a drunk even more false bravado would be funny.
Masters of illusion know that the art's true strength doesn't come from spells, however. By passively altering the perception of their very presence not only increases the susceptibility to the caster's illusions and to the users themselves.
Vampires as well, are natural masters of the mind thanks to Vaermina's unknown influence with vampirism. Plagued with eternal nightmares as they are, her influence upon the undead husks should be more obvious.
Thus these soldiers, simple of mind and weak of will, would naturally be endeared to the master before them.
"You seem to be enjoying yourself, miss."
Linnea looked at the Nordic man who was driving the wagon next to her, Odmrand, she remembered. She nodded her head in response with a wistful smile. "Elsweyr, Morrowind, Hammerfell. Three regions of this land with beautiful cultures and history. Now I get to tour a region of equal beauty with just as much history. I can't help but feel wistful."
"Aye, I get what you mean," another responded, his skin noticeably tan, almost leather. "Was a sailor, went all over Tamriel. I'll never be able to forget my time in Hammerfell, even if most of the pirates in the world come from there."
"Can you blame them?" Linnea asked. "Their history with sailing is as strong as ours. From Akavir to Hammerfell. From Atmora to Skyrim."
"Agreed. They're our cousins to the southeast."
"Accept Hammerfell is a lot warmer."
"So much warmer!"
When the towering city appeared in the distance. Linnea trotted ahead just a little of everyone and turned to sit backwards on her horse so she could face everyone. "So, any of you lot got any local knowledge on Whiterun before I talk with the jarl?"
"Yes, ma'am," an unnamed soldier said. "We're coming up on the first district now, the Plains District. It's mostly farmland which is why it's outside of the walls. The last two are inside the gates. When you enter the city proper you'll be in the Wind District, where most of the markets and houses are. It's split into three, though unofficially. The lower is the seedier district, where the slums, skooma dens, and brothels are. The jarl keeps it as clean as the rest, so you wouldn't realise you're in the slums at first. The middle is the market area where the gates are. The upper is the more wealthy area where the Gildergreen Tree, Jorvasker, the Temple of Kynareth, and the Skyforge are as well as the more wealthy families."
"The Gray-manes and Battle-borns?" She asked.
"Yes. Finally, there's the Cloud District, where the jarl's court resides. There's also a statue of Talos in the same square as the Gildergreen on your way to the Cloud District."
"Don't forget Heimskr!" one of the soldiers in the back shouted.
"Ah yes, him."
"Who's Hiemskr?"
"He's a priest of Talos, stands in front of the statue and preaches to the open air all day long."
"He even bought a house right next to the shrine just in case someone defiled it," a woman riding in the back of the main speaker's carriage said.
"Have the priests of Kyne had any disputes with the worship of Talos?" Linnea asked with a barely perceptible bit of hope in her voice.
"Not that I've ever heard."
"Same here."
"Alright, let me rephrase that," she sighed. "Does the temple worship Kyne or Kynareth?"
"What's the difference?"
Linnea sighed as turned around on her horse, "That answers my question well enough."
===
Whiterun was a beautiful city. Rolling golden fields of wheat as far as the eye could see. Ornate wooden architecture frames the streets outside the city with wooden arcs. Beautifully carved knot patterns decorate the doors to every house, and you're immediately met with the scent of hot metal from a forge.
As you enter the market past the forge, the wind wraps the smell of metal away like magic. In its place, you're left with the smell of fresh bread, smoked venison, apples, and lavender. The ease with which the wind told you which area of the district you were in spoke to Kyne's presence within the hold's capital.
Linnea smiled at the children chasing each other around the streets. She smiled at the bustling nature of the markets, citizens haggling with each other as if a war wasn't actively going on. A smile that slowly faded as she ascended to the upper Cloud District. The Gildergreen, a tree that was known for its lavender beauty despite its age, looked like it was dying.
She was no pilgrim and her faith in the Divines was next to nonexistent these days, but as a Nord, as a daughter of Kyne, she felt sorrow at the sight.
But she was here in Whiterun for a reason, so she walked around the dying tree and up the stairs. She took in the sight of the swirling pools of water that met her on both sides of the stairs, and yet the clean smell told her that it wasn't the city's sewer system.
Guards passed her by with an appraising gaze, taking note of the Imperial colours and the blade on her waist, yet did not stop her as she made her way to their king. Her boots clacked on the wooden bridge as she made her way to the door, and her mind began to run through all the knowledge she had of the jarl.
'A direct descendant of the First Eran King Olaf One-Eye, a wielder of the Thu'um that was able to slay the dragon Numinex. As a Nord with a known ancestry, he would undoubtedly be proud of the legacy he carries. He is also a neutral figure in the conflict, not caring for either the Empire or the Stormcloaks, hence why he allows Talos worship in the square.'
'He has a sort of rivalry with Ulfric, likely stemming from their matching legacy as descendants of powerful warriors and being kings of equally historic cities to their ancestors. Windhelm, the city of kings and Whiterun, home to the Skyforge and the Companions. From there, it likely stemmed into something more personal.'
When she pushed open the large wooden doors to Dragonsreech she was met with a set of stairs that led to a large hall. Two long rows of tables separated by a large bonfire. Above it was a large chandelier big enough to hang over both tables simultaneously.
Opposite of her was the jarl, his steward, and assuming by the sword on her hip, a dunmer housecarl. All three were talking animatedly to each other.
'Like most Nord warriors, he wears his heart on his sleeve but has little patience'
As she makes her way past the tables and towards the jarl's throne, the dunmer walks forward and stops her right next to the fire. "What is the meaning of this interruption? Jarl Balgruuf is not receiving visitors."
"I have news about Helgen. About the dragon attack." Linnea spoke succinctly, but her senses were observing both the lean muscles of the dunmer in front of her and the discussion between the jarl and his steward.
"You know about Helgen?" she spoke with some shock in her voice that rapidly turned serious. "The jarl will want to speak with you personally then. Approach."
"My lord. Please. You have to listen," the steward said with near desperation in his voice, "I only counsel caution. We cannot afford to act rashly in times like these. If the news from is true... well, there's no telling what it means."
"What would you have me do, then? Nothing?" Balgruuf said with anger.
"My lord. Please. This is no time for rash action. I just think we need more information before we act. I just-"
"Who's this, then?" the jarl said, interrupting his steward without care for continuing the discussion.
"She said she knows something about the attack on Helgen?"
"So, you were at Helgen?" he asked with genuine interest. "You saw this dragon with your own eyes?"
"I did, sir," Linnea said as she took her hat off and held it behind her, her stature straight. "I had just arrived from Cyrodiil to oversee the execution of Ulfric Stormcloak when it occurred. One moment his head was on the chopping block, the next a dragon was breathing fire from atop a tower above us. General Tullius sent me to you to confirm the sightings as well as to tell you that the refugees were staying in Riverwood and that supplies had been brought over from Solitude to redress and provide for them, as well as bring them back to Solitude for further support should they wish it."
Balgruuf, however, seemingly ignored the latter half of what she had said. His hand firmly gripped the throne's arm as he tried to hide his frustration. "What do you say now, Proventus? Shall we continue to trust in the strength of our walls? Against a dragon?"
"My lord, we should send troops to Riverwood at once. It's in the most immediate danger. If that dragon is lurking in the mountains-" the dunmer chimed in.
"The will view that as a provocation! He'll assume we're preparing to join Ulfric's side and attack him. We should not-"
"Enough! I'll not stand idly by while a dragon burns my hold and slaughters my people! Irileth, send a detachment to Riverwood at once."
"Yes, my Jarl."
"If you'll excuse me, I'll return to my duties," the steward said as he politely excused himself.
"That would be best."
The two walked off to do their duties, letting the jarl collect himself before he addressed the woman in front of him.
"You said you were here on behalf of General Tullius, yes?"
"That would be correct, milord."
"Might I have the pleasure of knowing who I'm speaking with, then?"
Linnea smirked, moved her hat to her chest and threw her arm to the side in an exaggerated bow. "Legate Palatine Linnea of House Ravenwatch, at your service."
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A/N:
Sorry for the two-week break, but I'm gonna try to start uploading daily (at least 3 a week if I can't) until January anyway.
To make up for it, I have some fic recommendations!
First, for the Worm fans or those interested in Worm, we have;
Jester by Bored_MC, which takes place before the events of canon.
As well as its sequel which takes place in canon; Tear It Down
To put it simply, the main character is completely insane from the get go, and her trigger basically turned her into a ghoul from Tokyo Ghoul, with a focus on the Rc cells as the source of her powers. It's one of the few stories I've read with an insane MC that's done well. I cannot recommend this enough, even if you don't know much about Worm. You can find it on Webnovel, FanFiction, and Scribblehub
The author is currently on a hiatus from their Worm fic because they wrote daily for almost a year on it writing the fic, but they do plan to finish writing it.
For the Worm and Star Wars fans:
The Weaving Force by Ld1449. Glory Girl, Skitter, Alexandria, Clockblocker, and Miss Militia are all sent to a galaxy far far away, except not all of them remember everything that happened before the events of Ward. It's a great fic with great attention to detail and similarly cannot recommend it enough if you love the characters from both fics. Can read on A03, SufficientVelocity, SpaceBattles, and FanFiction.
For Cyberpunk fans I have;
Alternative by Rogojinen. Instead of being satisfied with the inevitable, V forced Alt to find a permanent cure. Takes place after the events of the main story and starts during Mikoshi. Very fun, very horny story that gives Cyberpunk an alternate ending. I know you can read it on A03 but I couldn't find it anywhere else (I also didn't look very hard).
And also;
Ghost in the City by Seras0. Girl gets reincarnated in the body of a 13-year-old in Cyberpunk a few years before canon. She's got a system. She likes seeing numbers go up. Has an overprotective older brother who likes screaming "MOTOKO!!!!!!!!" Pretty much it. Simple premise, the author takes it to 11. Can read on A03, RoyalRoad, SpaceBattles, and FanFiction.
For Marvel fans;
Marvel's Iron Lady by Dao_of_Heaven. Got tired of writing a synopsis, so here's a copy-paste.
"When Anthonia Natasha Stark, also known as Miss Stark, gains the memories of a parallel universe's Tony Stark, she learns of his ultimate sacrifice. Unlike Tony, Natasha Stark is determined not to give up her life for the greater good. Armed with the knowledge of what the future might hold, she leverages her unparalleled intellect, power and resources to forge a different path—one that ensures her survival without surrendering to fate." Pretty fun Marvel fic that uploads daily with long af chapters. Creates a universe where all the Marvel movies exist in one universe, so it's not just an MCU fic. Can read on WebNovel and NovelCools.
For One Piece fans;
One Piece: Dream of Immortality by ScarletArboretum. "An immortal cultivator is murdered by her master and finds herself reborn in the strange world of One Piece. She hardens her resolve to once more tread the path of cultivation, only to find it won't be as easy as she thought." 427 chapters that uploads daily, fun hijinks that don't start overpowered and still remain within the universe's strengths as of the current state of the Wano arc. Highly recommend. Can read on WebNovel, NovelBin, FanFiction (though this was not posted by the author).