Tales of Warrog: Chapter 4

The tales continue with Warrog, the not-so-sneak thief.

Day 10
In retrospect, I should have just grabbed a carriage, but it did not occur to me until I had reached my destination of Riften. I did find that the wolf population is thriving, or was thriving, in the south, as well as the number of giant spiders. I was accosted by three spiders and three wolves. They may have been planning the attack knowing what I had done in the north.

When I arrived at Riften, the guards tried to tax me for entering the town. Not wanting to leave a paper trail that I had been in town for what I was about to do, I stared menacingly until he let me pass. I was hardly 25 feet inside the town when a guy named Maul stopped me and started asking questions. I tried acting tough, but he was having none of it, but at least he left me alone.

I was on my way to the Orphanage for my contract when I was stopped by another guy, claiming I had not made any of my money the honest way. First of all, the Golden Claw is pretty. Secondly, all other money I've made has been from my primary source of income: loot. Still, he offered me money for a job. I was worried the guards might take my claw away, but it all worked out in the end. I stole a ring from a locked box and planted it on another merchant. The guy was so impressed, he said I should meet him in a secret location, but the path there was dangerous. I was going to regal him with my exploits, but in the end, told him yes. I did a pretty good job getting my Golden Claw, so I figured I'd try my hand at more.

What I didn't tell him was I had other obligations. When I walked into the Orphanage, the old hag was too busy telling the kids how she would not feed them and beat them a lot that I was able to slip past into a small room that looked to be used for torture. They forgot about me as I sat down and waited until they all went to sleep. By two in the morning, she was fast asleep. I snuck inside her room, and while I thought about using my large axe, I figured an arrow was more silent. The arrow was, her screams of death were not. The kids awoke and ran in to see. The hag's assistant freaked out. I think I scared her enough that she won't go to the authorities. Now back to the other job.

The tunnels under Riften were filled with guys looking to kill me. The first two were no problem. After I killed a giant rat (more on that later), a guy opened the door ready to punch me to death. I sunk my blade into his skull and looted his body. The gloves he wore looked brutal for punching someone. It's a good thing he didn't get a hit off on me.

I found one last guy who fell to my blade before I arrived at my destination. It looked like some underground port with a bar. I found my contact there; he told me he had another job. This time, people owed money, and I was to go get it. Some woman, an Argonian, and a guy.

When I was outside, a courier delivered a message from the Jarl of Falkreath. For how slow news gets around, I'm surprised he's even heard of me. Still, maybe I can get to sit in his throne. Note to Warrog: sit in the Jarl's seat in Windhelm on the next visit.

It was nighttime, so I visited the pub and found an Argonian. I guess it was the wrong one--they all look alike. He said he wanted to marry my target, but he needed some gems. I offered them to him since I had little use. There was a Priest of Mara talking about drunk people were. I asked him what Mara was all about and he explained she was about love. He said he could marry me if I ever found someone to settle down with. Flashbacks of Camilla and Lydia flooded through my mind, and I told him no. He offered to sell me an amulet of Mara, but I wasn't looking to spend 200 gold for something I didn't need.

What I did need was 100 gold from this Argonian woman. She wasn't forthcoming until I mentioned her family in Morrowind that I had gotten from her fiance, then her coin purse opened. She shouldn't feel so bad, she got a marriage out of the whole deal.

Day 11
It was nighttime when I made it outside. My next stop was the guy at the Pawned Prawn. I'm not supposed to kill these people, so I put my fighting gloves on. Sure enough, he wanted a fist fight. I promptly beat him into the ground. This was going faster than I thought. My last stop was some woman who ran an inn. As soon as I showed up, she paid me. Her face was angry, but her language sounded inviting. I asked if she wanted to have a good time, but she told me no. I was about to ask the other worker there, but she was even less inviting. I guess after retrieving payment is a bad time to ask for sexual favors.

I delivered the 300 gold and was given two potions to help my speechcraft, and increase my health for a short time. I was still waiting on this money I was promised, so I asked for another job. This one sounded difficult. I had to burn down some bee hives, and steal the contents of a safe. Thankfully, I had obtained a fire spell before, and I made my way to an island where the bee hives and the house were located.

Day 12
I waited until nightfall before I swam across, scaled a rock ledge, and snuck around to burn the beehives. I almost made it away clean until I was spotted. They must not be able to swim as I lost them by the the time I swam around to the house. I scaled another rock ledge and picked the lock to the front door.

Quietly as I could, I moved around a corner and a mercenary spotted me. Him and two of his buddies tried to jump me, but I hacked at them until they stopped moving and stopped burning from my enchanted blade. For being mercenaries, they didn't have any money. Downstairs, I found a couple more sellswords. Using my patented wait-around-a-corner-then-smack-them-until-they-die maneuver, I killed them as they fell on top of each other in a lover's embrace. I won't judge.

The safe gave me some difficulty unlocking, but I managed to snag a document out of it. I looked around until I found a sewer infested with giant rats. It led outside of the island. I was tempted to go back inside and fully loot the place, but I didn't want to get caught and have my Golden Claw taken away.

For my whole ordeal, I was given 100 gold. I think these thieves guild guys don't really know what wealth is. I did get some enchanted armor that is useful in some situations, but it's all light armor. I decided to give them one last chance. They said I had to talk to a Black-Briar woman in the pub. I found her, and she wanted me to check out a brewery in Whiterun because they can actually make money. Someone's jealous. I think I'm done with these guys.

Day 13
I made my way outside where an Orc told me about a group called the Dawngaurd, vampire hunters. Being an Orc, I told him yes, I'd be willing to join, but being Warrog, I didn't tell him when. Instead I headed north instead of south to Windhelm, where I told the kid the hag was dead. He paid me with a silver platter. It didn't sell for much even with my new gear. You try to make some money, and no one is willing to actually pay you anything. I think it's time I go back to my original money making plans: find loot, sell loot.

Maybe this Jarl in Falkreath has a job for me. I'll stop over in Whiterun since it's on the way, but that Black-Briar lady will have to wait her sweet time before I come back to Riften.