'I hope the consequences were not serious,' said Drelis. 'I wouldn't want to be an accomplice to you losing your job.'
'No,' Lalaine waved the matter away. 'The old hag was just annoyed because I might have seen her taking a sip of the good stuff when she thought no one is looking.'
Phane poured Lalaine some ale from the table's flagon. 'Sit down and relax,' he said. 'Now we get to hear what our orcish hero found at High Hrothgar.'
'Not so fast.' Drelis wagged his finger at Phane's impatience. 'There is still the journey before we hear about the destination.' Phane began to protest, but Drelis hushed him and opened one of the books he had brought. 'Again, this is the diary of Lydia the housecarl. If you remember, she had been given the duty of protecting Khargol. She was his bodyguard and loyal servant, a mark of honour from Jarl Balgruuf for his feats of bravery when he defeated the dragon at the western watchtower.
'Whiterun could have kept Khargol occupied almost indefinitely, but with dragons reappearing throughout Skyrim, and the threat of civil war looming on the horizon, it was time to seek out the greybeards and their counsel. Lydia writes that Khargol did not want to seem weak by asking for someone to protect him during battle, orcish warrior pride I would presume, so he requested her help as a guide. Skyrim was still largely unfamiliar to him, and Lydia would have more experience with the province's dangers; its fauna and pitfalls.
'The morning was clear and sunny, although I have no doubt that it compares with the late summers of Hammerfell, or even High Rock.
'As the duo made their way into the foothills, Khargol revealed that he had a bounty notice for the bandit leader of the Vathiem Towers. The towers flanked the White River that Khargol and Lydia had to follow to reach the Throat of the World. Lydia agreed that disposing of the bandits would make the road safer for travelers, but she also explained that Khargol did not need her blessing to venture into potentially dangerous situations - she was his housecarl and would follow him through the gates of Oblivion without hesitation. I am sure that such dedication to her oath would have impressed an orc, perhaps he was warming to nord culture.
'The bandits put up a desperate fight, but between Lydia's shield and Khargol's ancient nordic axe, they never stood a chance. Lydia writes that an archer marked them from the far tower and began harrowing them with arrows. Khargol took an arrow to the shoulder, at which point Lydia moved forward to protect him from any further harm. Since Khargol went into battle with a two-handed axe, he did not have the option of carrying a shield to block incoming arrows. But Khargol did not shy away or flinch at the wound, instead bellowing with rage and flying at the archer with all the speed of a maddened boar, hacking the bandit from shoulder to hip with a single, savage blow!
'With the last of the bandits defeated, Khargol and Lydia looted the towers for any provisions and gold they might need on their journey.
'Although a thick mist had rolled in from the river, the warm afternoon soon burned it off and our protagonists made good time. At the bottom of a steep hill, Lydia saw a hidden cave at the base of a waterfall. She suggested that they go inside and investigate. They had already been walking all day, and nightfall was not far off. Better to sleep in a cave than out in the open.'
'I imagine that Skyrim's nights are not of a temperature that promotes sleeping under the stars,' shuddered Phane. 'Can you imagine waking to find yourself buried in a sudden snowdrift?'
'Skyrim is known for its wolves too,' added Lalaine. 'Perhaps you would not wake at all.'
'Well,' Drelis continued, 'even as they entered the cave, Lydia whispered that she was already having second thoughts. I presume that the blood-splatters, ruined furniture, and gory remains of those who had last camped in the cave put her off the idea of spending the night there. "Look at the bones!" she warned her orc thane. But before they could retreat, they were set upon by a pack of trolls!'
'Trolls!?' Phane exclaimed. 'Oh no!' Lalaine breathed.
'Dark-skinned and hairy, with three black eyes and long, well-muscled arms. The trolls leapt upon the invaders to their cave, swiping and clawing, biting and roaring. Khargol felled one by severing its leg, Lydia slew another by driving her sword through its belly. The beasts kept coming, undeterred by their losses. Lydia recalls another trying to wrench her shield away, but she managed to retain her grip and bowled it over, hacking at its bestial face until her sword found purchase and the creature stopped moving. As she recovered, she saw Khargol wrestling with another troll that was trying to wrench his axe from his hands. He kicked and roared, but the troll would not let go. They moved so erratically that Lydia could not intervene without risking hitting her liege! Just as it seemed that the troll would triumph, Khargol butted it with his head.
'I'm sure I don't need to explain the effect of being struck in the face with a steel helmet propelled by a thick orcish neck,' smiled Drelis. 'The troll stumbled back onto Lydia's readied sword, twitching and convulsing as it fell.'
'Mara's mercy,' said Phane. I hope I never meet a troll as long as I live.
'The battle was not yet done,' Drelis revealed. 'Trolls have the disturbing ability to heal even the most grievous of wounds with an unnatural speed; it is one of the characteristics that makes them so dangerous. The troll that had lost its leg to Khargol's axe suddenly lurched upright as the heroes assumed victory. The monster would have struck Lydia in the back, but Khargol saw it moving in the corner of his eye and unleashed his mighty shout to blast it back with the force of the thu'um!
'Tired and sore from the day's efforts, the two of them unrolled their furs in the least-bloody corner of the cave. They would need all of their strength for the following day's trials on their journey to High Hrothgar.'
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