Cat About Town Day Two: Part Two

Dar'Shavari has stumbled upon a mysterious City in the middle of a large grassland plain, she wonders if she should enter this new and wonderous place in search of fame and fortune, or continue with her good hunting run. As we continue this story, it is well past midday on a bright and sunny Morndas... I spot a fine travelling fellow in a carriage and ask him about this new City called Whiterun which is to be my next destination. He doesn't really divulge much about the City, but I decide to enter anyway. As I walk past the City's stables I spot a group of Khajjit with tents set up outside the city walls!! The first Khajjit I have seen in Skyrim!! I run up to my fellows and try and speak with them.

The fisrt Khajjit I speak to doesn't really seem that interested in me and I feel disheartened. Then I spot a fine young Khajjit male standing near a fire pit so I go over and say hello.

This guy doesn't seem that bothered either!! I thought I had found some new friends outside these City walls, but it seems that I will have to go elsewhere. A Khajjit female tells me that she can train in me in sneaking for a fee, but I have only 250 Gold on me and a lesson costs 300! Huh, I walk up the path to the City Gate feeling a bit down after using their tanning rack, but my excitement grows upon getting nearer to this new found City, and I am ready for a new challenge. As I stroll up to the gates, I am told to Halt! By the City Guard.

But I don't look shady!! I persuade the guard that I have sensitive information about a Dragon and he conceeds to let me enter. I have no intention of speaking about that damned Dragon! I'm sure some other survivor will notify this City, I am here to make a fortune for myself!! So, I enter through the City gates at last and see a man and a woman having a conversation. I hang around a bit, being nosy, and I ask the lady if she needs any help at the forge that she is standing next to. It turns out that she does and comissions me to make her an Iron Dagger. I craft the crude item with relish and she intructs me in other tasks such as using the grindstone, forge and workbench. This could be a fine job for me! She even mentions that she should make me her assistant! Go ahead Adrianna, it would make my day! She wanders off after the intruction and I continue to create some new weapons and armour with my new found skills, and the animal hides that I procured earlier. I try on some Hide Armour that I created and think I look pretty spiffy.

I probably wont wear the helmet though, as it is squishing my ears against my furry head! I enter the shop, Warmaiden's, and sell all of my old equipment and it seems that I have made a hefty profit, I am now at a solid 1060 Gold, not bad for a day's work! Adrianna, the shopkeeper in Warmaiden's suggests that I join up with the Companions, but I don't like the idea of that right now. I leave the shop and it is already getting dark outside, so I take a few steps over to the other side of the street and notice a sign that says "The Drunken Huntsman". Sounds like an Inn, I think as I walk up the path to the establishment. As I enter, the bartender refers to me as his Khajjit friend, and I am touched by his kind face and words. He goes on to regale me with a story about how this Public House got it's name which was quite hilarious, and I was ready to bed down for the night in this welcoming Inn, when he informed me that there were no vacancies for the night! Dang! So I cook up some of the raw meat I have in my possession and head out into the night to search for other lodgings. I stroll around for a while, no one seems to be outside at this hour, and find another Inn bearing the name "The Bannered Mare", now this seems promising! I walk inside to be greeted with a housefull of people, this must be the more popular hangout in this City. I sit down at the bar, and not a soul mentions my being a Khajjit! The atmosphere in this Inn is cosy and as welcoming as the last, and I find myself starting to like this City. I speak to the Barmaid and purchase a room, she then goes on to tell me a lot of gossip that I half listen to as I survey the rest of my surroundings. She then shows me to my my room, which is quite lovely right above the hall where music is being played! I may even eat my supper downstairs with the other revellers... I decide to do just that and plonk myself in front of the fire downstairs, chew on a chicken breast and drink my Honningbrew Mead, which goes really well with the chicken, I might add.

As I relax by the fire, random people walk past and tell me snippets about themselves, I feign interest and indulge in the live music from a Bard, who ceaselessy entertains us all for the night. After a long while, I retire to my room and tumble into bed feeling much better about my desision to come to Skyrim. I awake to the sound of soothing music drifting towards my ears from downstairs, and turn over in bed wanting to hold on to the last few notes of a sweet dream... Then I remember where I am, the Bannered Mare Inn in a brand new City, ready for me to explore! I jump up from my slumber and prepare for the day ahead. I casually stroll downstairs and take up a place at the bar. I purchase a fresh Apple Pie that is straight from the oven, a Boiled Cream Treat and a hunk of Raw Beef from the friendly barmaid, and holy crap!! I notice that I am down to 273 Gold!! That was an expensive shop! I will have to become more savvy when shopping inside Cities, otherwise I will soon be out of Gold coins, and that just won't do! I eat my Cream Treat for breakfast, but the taste is somewhat spoiled by the thought of how much that shop just cost me. I leave the Inn to be greeted with a dreary day, complete with lashing rain and thunder rolling across the skies.

The weather doesn't put me off wanting to explore this City though, and I stroll around for a while. I hear a man in rags shouting about how much he loves me! He has a crazy look in his eye and he's not directing the stream of babbling towards me, so I surmise that he is the local lunatic and take no more heed of him. I come across a couple arguing, so I stick around being nosy. The woman then storms off and the man turns to me and asks that if I find a certain sword on my travels, I will return it to him. Well ok, I think, but surely you should be running after your partner and making up? I walk into the Market Place, which by now all of the stall owners have taken up post and I spy a fresh meat counter! I will buy from this man next time, in the hope that his prices are better than in the Bannered Mare.

I enter a shop called Arcadia's Couldrin and mix up some potions from all the ingredients I have collected. I then sell these creations to Arcadia, while I am doing so, there is a loud clamour in my head and I am informed that I have risen a level. Hmmm, strange. Anyway I am back up to 780 Gold, so my potions must have been worth something! As I prepare to leave the store, Arcadia tells me that I look a little pale, me pale?? My fur is dark and spottled with brown! She must be mistaken, because no one has ever referred to me as pale! As I gaze up into the heavens (wasn't there a roof in here?) I choose to increase my health and gain a perk which increases the damage with my bow by 20%. I leave the store and spot two men arguing with an old lady, that hardly seems fair! Then more trouble makers join the men in harrassing the old lady! How rude!

I stand around and listen to their harsh mocking words for a while, it seems that the old lady's son has gone missing, and wonder why I have gotten so nosy all of a sudden? I take a deep breath and walk away from the group. I glance down at my intricately detailed map and decide on a plan to search for more prey or even mines. It seems that raw ore is very valuable in creating new armour and weapons, and with my newly learned skills, I will be able to profit from this natural resource. After planning a new route on my map, I head towards the City gates and out into the wilderness...