Skyrim - Ivarstead Beckons

I stumble out of the tomb, leaving Goldir's body with the rest of his family. Was he the last of the line? Did he have any children, brothers or sisters? I banish these thoughts from my mind - I must focus on the here and now, not on what could have been.

I return to Ivarstead, to sell my rich pickings and tell tales of my immense bravery, but mainly to have a sleep. The owner of Vilemyr Inn sells me a room for the night for ten gold pieces - I don't complain about the price, there is no where else to sleep and my feet are killing me after all the undead stomping.

After selling my gear, I walk out of the village. Just as I turn the first corner on the road, a bear attacks me. I am quite surprised by this, despite having learnt of bears being a problem in the local area. Once more I revert back to the tried and tested tactic of running back to the village and having the village guards give me a hand. By the end of it, I am standing over the dead bear, sword bloody, and bereft of any healing potions - most of my major organs would be on bear claws were it not for those magical elixirs.

After restocking at the local trader, and begin my walk of discovery once more. After some time, I find a fort called Treva's Watch. It looks abandoned, but there are bandits shooting arrows at me from the walls and ramparts. I sneak past, so as not to get anything in my eye, and see an encampment a safe distance from the walls.

A bearded man called Stalleo is sat there with what I can only assume are his bodyguards. The fort belongs to him and his family, he says, yet the last assault he made on it ended with most of his party killed. He asks me if I'd infiltrate the fort through the secret cave entrance, work my way up through the fortification, and open the front gate to allow him and his guards in to assist.

Any normal man would turn away from this clear act of desperation. But I am not a normal man. I am an adventurer. I am Hedron the Collider! So rather than use this not-so-secret passage, I scout around the edges of the fort.

Using my bow, I take down many of the bandits as they attempt to do the same to me. I then scale the walls, and see that there are a couple more which require swift action from my blade. Nevertheless, soon all is quiet on the exterior of the fort.

Once inside, it is altogether a different matter. The bandits are well dug-in, and hide behind booby traps. They seem to walk around in groups, making my life quite difficult in trying to cull them. The idiots must have been kept outside, as the crème of the bandit community dwell within. Once more, combined magic and blade is required to end them, and they all fight well.

Inside the main tower of the building, I find an arcane enchanter. It is essentially a glowing green table with an animal skull on it. Through various incantations and proficiency, I produce a new weapon for myself - Dwarf Cold! She is a gorgeous piece of work, combining dwarven metallurgy with the killing power of ice.

By the time I make it to the switch to lower the gate, the fort is clear. I walk over to the entranceway in a daze expecting to find Stalleo eager and waiting to rush in. But instead, he is sat back in his tent, having a chat. He gives me some gold for my troubles, but I'd rather have the thanks. I try to force the point, yet he has nothing else to say to me.

I walk off into the wilderness.