Eastmarch

Eastmarch

A region almost consistently dominated by snow year round which recedes only as far as the river on the good years. On the bad years, the snow can pile up so high in one night that it blocks the main gate into the city of Windhelm.

After our recent victory in Shadowfens, Serena and I were asked to guard a special package on it's way to Windhelm by ship. The cruise itself was rather satisfying for me as we plowed through the waves. For Seren... not so much. She immediately took a distaste for being on a ship with the constant sway. After her stomach eventually settled at the end of the first day, I proceeded to sit her down in the least swaying part of the ship and pull out several books that the captain had in his cabin that related to the country Skyrim, advanced techniques on blacksmithing and local nord customs.

Seren was an avid reader, but found it extremely difficult to focus with the rocking and the unstable condition of her stomach.

Having finally arrived at the docks of Windhelm, Seren was the first off the ship, now finding that her slow acclimation to the ship made her even more unsteady on land. Most of the ships crew laughed but I held myself back, full in the knowledge that over the past few months, Seren had developed quite a deathly pale glare that sent most grown men and woman running. Walking past her, I saw her turn back towards the ship where the crew were still laughing. I didn't need to turn around to see the looks on their faces. Their silence told me everything.

"You should lighten up. We won't be going back on any ships for a while" I said after she eventually caught up to me.
"And you should have warned me about all that swaying" She said bitterly.
"I didn't know you hadnt ever been on a ship. And now that we are back on dry land, your smithing training can resume." I replied firmly. Seren groaned.
"This armor does me fine!" She whimpered. "It worked very well back in Shadowfens!"
"Yes. Now it's battered, bruised, slashed and that's just the metal itself. The leather underneath the metal is strained to it's limits and is probably worn down to the point of tearing itself to pieces." I said, pulling on a loose string on her armplates which came away freely, causing her right pauldron to almost completely fall off. The only thing keeping it on was a small sliver of broken leather.

Seren rolled her eyes.
"Besides. I know you like being around the forge. And the nords have the best forges in the world" I said in a more uplifting tone. I could see a small spark in Seren's eyes. She truly was at her best when wielding a hammer.
"Just what sort of quality are we talking about here?" Seren asked.
"We both know from experience what sort of armor the Nords like wearing" I said. "If it's big, looks strong and is made of metal, they'll buy it. I'll find you some buyers if you get straight into it. We'll be here a while"

Seren's mood had been sour for the past week and a half. It was good to see it now so much brighter. It was always good to see her in a good mood.
She was turning out to be so much like someone I used to know, it was actually beginning to frighten me a little.