day 6 - The outlaws are put down

Turdas, 22nd of Last Seed 4E201 

Early at dawn after having breakfast I put on my armor and sword. It was time to try out my new equipment and earn some gold in the meantime. I decided to explore around Whiterun and search for bandit hideouts. 

Ready for fight

As I exited the gate I turned West, then later to the North-West. I have not been walking for too long when I found s suspicious camp, right at the side of the hill the city is located! As I approached I saw a wagon which did not seem to belong there. I was right, it was a bandit camp.

Bandit hideout at the side of Whiterun hill

 Two outlaws were talking near the campfire. It took but a few moments to cut them down both. Then I examined the camp and found some loot there. I also found Skooma! These thugs were smuggling it to Whiterun. As I was looking around, the rest of the gang returned and I was attacked. 

The first two thugs went down quickly

Two Nord swordsmen and a spell-caster did their best to rid the place of my presence.  It could have been a nasty situation if these bandits had been more experienced in team and formation combat. But they were not. Their spell-caster instead of staying back, charged with the rest. He was the first to go down. The other two put up a hard fight attacking me at the same time.  The fight dragged on a bit longer and I had to block a number of blows with my shield before I could strike another outlaw down. The last of them was badly bloodied already by then and went down quickly after.

Two angry young men charging

It was time to move on and I went to the North. After a time, I reached an outlaw camp named Halted stream camp. There were many bandits in there. It would have been a bad move from my part to move in there by myself. Instead I tried to lure some of them out and finish them off farther from their camp. 

Halted Stream Camp

I am a sword and shield man, however during the years I had to learn to use the bow to a certain level. My bow attacks were quite successful.  I downed two archers with arrows, and wound a third Nord that was charging at me swinging a huge two-handed steel axe. I finished the later off with my sword in no time. Then I approached the camp entrance. Another pair attacked me a spell-caster and a swordsman. I stroke down the spell-caster first then the swordsmen. An archer remained inside of the camp. I approached him with my shield in front of me treading carefully not to take an arrow in my knee.  After I cornered him he offered not much of a resistance. The camp was cleared.

A dead spellcaster

I found an entrance to a mine and obviously the camp was built to protect it. My good old Aerius, my old mentor was right when he insisted on me learning the use of bow. It saved my days countless times during my service in the Legion and it aided me well today. I will never master it as well as the expert archers though. I am more passionate about sword fighting.  

I collected all the loot and placed it in a cache in the camp so I could move more easily. Then I entered the mine. The shifty brigands trapped the entrance of the mine and I was fool enough to spring it. Being on my guard saved me though and I jumped at the side by the moment I heard the rocks rolling. My armor saved me from the few rocks that landed on me. One man was guarding the entrance wearing a full set of heavy iron armor. That did not save him I struck him quickly in the side. I found a key which opened a door leading deeper in the cave. I found a cart full of mammoth tusks as well. That paid well after taking the loot to the Whiterun traders and later I gave one to Ysolda as she asked. Deep in the mine in the biggest hall, there was the bandit chief a spell-caster and a fierce Ork with a two handed hammer. My plan was to weaken the chief with arrows then retreat to the entrance tunnel and kill the chasing thugs one by one starting with the spell caster. This did not work the way I intended. The chief was in full set of iron armor but he moved very fast and dodged my arrow and closed on me very quickly as did his fellow bandits. I was in trouble.

The last fight was the toughest

I retreated at once to the tunnel leading upwards and fled till the entrance hall. There the thugs caught up with me. Their spell caster was smart and let the chief go in front. I had no choice but start exchanging blows with him while the hedge wizard was attacking me from behind. The chief was a tough one and I had to land on him many blows before he succumbed. Then I finally reached the spell-caster. In the meantime that blasted brigand almost cooked me with her fire spells in my own armor. A few cuts and she was down but I was also nearing my end. The Ork with the hammer was approaching and I quickly drank a few health potions in order to be able to press on. The Ork was strong and ferocious but he was slow and the place was tight. I stopped him with cuts to the side and a final stab to the neck. 

The mine graveyard of mammoths

After having recovered I went down again and inspected the place. There was a mammoth corpse in the middle of the hall. The gang was hunting mammoths, I believe without the permission of the Jarl. I found books and other loot in there. There was an exit at the end of the hall which led to the mammoth trap. An unfortunate Elf has met his end in there. I collected the loot and went up in the camp where I also took the items previously hid in the chest, leaving only the very heavy items there. With the tusks and the other loot found I will make decent gold today.

I was loaded with as much loot as I could carry. I stared to go on my way back to Whiterun, this time approaching from the Eastern direction. On the plains north of the city I did not expect any serious encounter. A huge sabre-cat thought otherwise. The beast was hiding very well in the tall grass and surprised me completely. It was my heavy armor that saved me from being torn apart from the initial blows of the huge cat. It took a moment for me to recover and I quickly stepped aside and stabbed the beast several times. I again needed to drink health potions to restore my strength. After some rest I skinned the sabre-cat and started approaching the Northern watch-tower. 

A sabre-cat wanted me for dinner

Three bandits attacked the guards at the tower, but the Whiterun guards quickly slew them. It was no need for my help fortunately.  I descended the hill and reached the Loreius farm. The farmer was angry with the jester named Cicero who persistently was asking him to help fix his cart. That clown was surely an eccentric fellow but he also was a man in need. I convinced Loreius to help him and he finally agreed.

As I was nearing Whiterun I met an old Ork who was asking me to give him a good death. I knew about this tradition from the Orks that served in my unit during the war. I did not wish to be the executioner of an old man, nor did I want to perish by his expert hands. I was wounded and tired. I respectfully declined. Near him was a strange Khajit named M'aiq who was talking nonsense. Are all the eccentric people gathering near Whiterun nowdays? 

Finally home.

I finally made it back to Whiterun. I sold my loot and bought health potions. I gave Ysolda the mammoth tusk she asked for.  She was very happy to finally get one. I hope she will use it well. I am staying now at the Banned Mare and too tired to go down and chat with people. At the end of the day I ended with 1300 gold and that is a fair sum at the moment. In the next days I will explore the surroundings of Whiterun more.