There were about 10 pools in all, I select the biggest one and spend a few minutes enjoying the boiling mud, and then hop out and trek on. Luckily, it seems to be ultra-slipprey mud, because there seems to not be a drop on neither my armor nor my clothes. What a reversal of fortune! People pay fortunes for mud baths, and I got my own set all to myself.
The landscape begins to change as I get closer to Seyda Neen. The rocky rolling hills slowly turn to swampy marshlands. I know that I'm almost close when I pass my shrine to Tarhiel. I consider taking his silver enchanted long sword that I had made part of his shrine, but I don't want to start my adventures by desecrating a dead man's belongings. Moving past the shrine, I make it over a few more hills and then arrive back at square one, Seyda Neen. Despite being 3AM, everyone seems to still be awake! I admire their endurance and make a beeline for the tradehouse.
Arrille does not seem very pleased to see me. He whines, "Spare me to the formalities, and get to the point." Must be due to his lack of sleep. I let it slide and tell him about my plight. He thinks to himself for a minute, and then shows me a silver shortsword. It's a nicely made blade, but not the type of weapon that I am proficient in using. Drats... I begin to head back towards the door when he calls back, "I do have one other thing... A one-time use scroll, 'Drathis' Winter Guest'"... Sounds potent. For lack of any better ideas, I decide to purchase it. Deciding to, and actually purchasing are two completely different things however. I nearly choked on the crab meat I was munching on when he said it was going to be 88 gold. What a rip! I remember the unpleasentries he initially greeted me with and give it right back to him, cursing him out while storming out the door.
Now what am I going to do? Why can't anything be easy? I don't know anyone on this blasted continent, and no one will cut me a break. I grab a hold of myself, and determine that I'll just keep wandering the countryside, looking for caves and picking ingredients. Worst comes to worse, I go back to Glonogath and try and get a job herding Netch. I shudder at the horrible though as I head out of town the opposite way I entered. I go over a small rise just outside of town, and lo and behold! A cave!
Recounting my recent track record with caves and other natural dwellings, I'm a little hestiant to enter... but I think what's the worse that can happen? Probably impalement, but that's a risk I'll just have to take. I preemptively take out my mace and enter Addamasartus. I enter the cave on a small ramp, and look around myself. Down below me is a campfire, an unaware dark elf, and a giant row boat... It appears that this dark elf is an underground rowing enthusiast. She apparently heard me laughing at her, because she whips out a small dagger and storms towards me. This is it I said... No running from this one, it's do or die time! She begins stabbing me repeatedly, but the dagger doesn't do much damage. My mace crushes her internal organs and grinds her face to a bloody pulp in a matter of seconds. When her body crumbles to the ground in a pool of blood, I yelp in joy at finally having done something right! I quickly rifle through her belongings and acquire the chitin dagger she was using, 5 gold, and a key! What a stash! I kick past the body of Traniese Verethi, as I learned she was called, and head deeper into the cavern. My footsteps echo thunderously through the cavern as I creep forward. It's not long before I head around a corner and stumble on to two more dark elves. I already proved I could take one, but two? One begins to casting spells, while the other begins throwing throwing stars at me. I turned around and head for the doorway I just went through, figuring that it'd be easier to fight them one at a time. The plan works wonders as the dark elf broad runs out of throwing stars and pulls out the same type of dagger as the Verethi girl. I lay into her as her colleague rockets spell after spell right into her back... Some friend, huh? I make short work of the wannabe ninja and head over to the spellcaster. He puts up less than a fight than his female counterpart did. What a wimp! The fight is over quickly, and I move to loot their bodies. I strip their crappy weapons, and also find a lockpick and a probe on the body of the female. Not my type of tools, but something that I can sell for sure!
I look around looking for more enemies, but it appears that I've cleared the cave. It finally gives me a second to relax, and look around to see if there is anything I can use. I go up a ladder and find a stash of boxes and barrels. I check in side and find a whole bunch of goods. Shoes, a sword, booze, plants, and ut oh... drugs. Moon sugar, and skooma, the scourge of the empire! These chumps were simply drug-pushing deadbeats, no wonder they were so weak, they were probably high! Moon sugar and skooma are illegal to possess in the empire, which leaves me with a tough choice. They're worth a good deal of cash, and I'm sure there'd be plenty of buyers. On the other hand, is it worth going against my morals, and breaking the law? I figure the best way to think about it is by putting it in my pocket and move on. Thinking I reached the cave, I head back towards the exit. I take one last look around and see a small pool of water... Upon investigation, it turns out that it is an underground waterway. My curiosity is piqued, and I dive in. I get about 10 feet in when the bajesus gets scared out of me by a skeleton floating in the water. Luckily, it's not alive. I investigate further, and it appears that this guy died while having a picnic and going fishing. Which reminds me of my golden rule, never do drugs and go fishing underwater.
I snag his fishing pole, and keep on swimming. It appears that the path doesn't go any further, so I surface and confirm my suspicion. Against the wall however, is a rusty old chest. I swim over to it and look inside. I'm greeted by a huge magical axe, and a scroll of Ondusi's Unhinging... Neat-o! I knew this adventuring would pay off. I grab my new belongings, and head for the exit. I'm next to the door, when I see one more path that I haven't taken. I head up the stairs, figuring to find a dead-on, but I stumble on a locked cage full of slaves. Oh boy I think to myself, I'm in way over my head. The door is locked, the key I found apparently doesn't unlock the door... I think for a second before whipping out my new scroll. It makes quick work of the lock, and I head inside the cage to the shock of the slaves.
They recoil in fear, thinking I've come to hurt or kill them. I let them know that I'm there to help as I take out the key I found and find that it unlocks their bracers. I unlock all their bracers and tell them they're free. They thank me... but then they don't leave! I just helped the bastards, and now they want to stay? Oh well, fine with me. I leave them in possession of the cave and head out the door. When I finally get out, it's the middle of the day, and I'm absolutley exhausted. I wander over to the side of the road and fall asleep feeling fulfilled. What a day!
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