Chapter 90

Storn knelt by the hearth in his hut, warming his hands over the dying coals. The wind had subsided from the night before. Now there were the sounds of his people working the forge, and of the children running between the buildings in merriment. In spite of the raised spirits his fellow skaal felt, his brow was furled in thought. He found himself worrying over the events of the previous night, and the woman the adventurers had summoned.

True, she may have helped Gaeolin through his perilous condition. But at what cost? If there was one thing he was sure of, it was the certainty of the prince to collect on his debts. He wondered what might have made the party so willing to agree to a cost they knew nothing of. He shook the words from his head as the sound of approaching feet met his ears. “Come in, Dragonborn. I have been expecting you.”

Gaeolin opened the door slowly, poking his head inside with an expression of embarrassment. “I hope I am not disturbing you, Storn.”

“Young man, out of all that is happening to my home and my people, I assure you that you are among the least disturbing things in my mind. I knew from the moment you returned to our village that you would soon be seeking me out.”

“I found part of the Thu’um I need to defeat Miraak. Hermaeus Mora has offered to teach me the last word, but…”

“The demon has named the price for his knowledge.” Storn watched the bosmer with world weary eyes. “I know that it is likely our only chance to stop Miraak, and I know that without it, you cannot hope to match him. What has Mora demanded in exchange?”

Gaeolin felt his chest begin to tighten. After all that Storn and his people had done for him, he couldn’t feel any less than peccant. “He demands the secrets of the Skaal. Only then will he share the word of power.”

Storn’s head fell. “So, after our long years of protecting our knowledge from him, he forces our hands?” The man turned to look Gaeolin in the eyes. “I will help you. However, I ask first that you free all of the stones of Solstheim. Before I offer our tribes secrets, I want the All-Maker’s land to be free again. Or at the least, as free as possible while Miraak still lives. Could you do this for me, Son of Valenwood?”

The look he gave Gaeolin made it impossible to deny the request. “Of course, Storn. It is the least I can do after all that your people have done for my friends and I. If it is alright, I have something else to discuss with you.”

The shaman raised an eyebrow. “Really? And here I was thinking you were a man of few distractions.”

“Even I can spare time for matters aside from my work.” Gaeolin smiled. “I was going to ask you about your daughter, Frea. She has asked to help us, and I didn’t want to tell her she could join us until I knew your feelings about it.”

The man smiled. “I thank you for your thoughtfulness. I confess, I doubt any amount of disapproval on my part would keep her from your group if it is what she wished to do. She wishes to help her people. It makes me proud to see her strive to face the troubles of the world head on. I have no objections to her helping you bring Solstheim into balance again. I only ask that you promise to do everything you can to keep her safe. If you will do this for me, you may count on her help.”

Gaeolin agreed with a silent nod. “I will do all I can.” The elf looked at Storn with curiosity. “How long have your people lived on Solstheim? I thought the island was part of Morrowind.”

“That is a long and old tale. The Skaal people were, at our beginning, followers of the dragons. We built the temples they were worshiped in, and raised the ancient tombs that to this day hold the bodies of their priesthood.” He smiled when he saw Gaeolin’s expression. “The dragon cult was not always bad to those they ruled. It was Miraak’s rebellion that truly set them on the path of cruelty. Even for a time after he was struck down by the Guardian, our people lived in peace under the rule of the cult. After our overlords’ empire fell, we continued as we always had. The teachings of the All-Maker helped our people thrive for many years.”

“You say that as if there was a time that your people didn’t hold true to that way of life.”

Storn’s expression fell. “Of course, even we were not immune to the treachery of the Adversary.”

Gaeolin frowned. “You mean Mora?”

“No, not exclusively. The Adversary has many faces through the ages. Perhaps Herma Mora fills that role at this time. On the other hand, Miraak may well be another incarnation of the Adversary. He is the opposite of the All-Maker. I personally believe that he takes whatever form he needs to sow descent among the people of the world. Long ago, when the Skaal were living in a time of peace and prosperity, we began to take the All-Makers gifts for granted. We thanked him less and less as the years passed. During that time a man came to the village. As you have seen, the Skaal have always been willing to welcome men of many walks of life. We allowed him to stay with us, never questioning his motives. He came to be known to us as the Greedy Man.”

“What was his name?” Gaeolin asked.

“We do not speak his name. To do so would surely bring ruin on the Skaal. He lived among us for many months. Perhaps when he first arrived, he was just like any man. But when the Adversary entered him, he became the Greedy man, and that is how he has been remembered to our people.

“It came to be one day that the All-Maker’s powers left the Skaal. Our warriors could no longer lift their weapons to defend our lands, the shamans could no longer summon the beasts to their sides. Even the Elder felt that we had angered the All-Maker so greatly, that he had abandoned us forever. It was then that the Greedy Man appeared and spoke to the Skaal.

” ‘You of the Skaal have grown fat and lazy. I have stolen the gifts of your All-maker. I have stolen the Oceans, so you will forever know thirst. I have stolen the lands and trees and the sun, so your crops will wither and die. I have stolen the Beasts, so you will go hungry. And I have stolen the winds so that you will live without the spirit of the All-maker.”

Gaeolin felt compelled to point out the problem with the Greedy Man thinking the Skaal would be drinking salt water, but managed to hold his tongue as Storn continued the tale.

” ‘And until one of you can reclaim these gifts, the Skaal will live in misery and despair. For I am the Greedy Man, and that is my nature.’”

Gaeolin knew that this was probably not what the man had actually said. Assuming, of course, that the story was rooted in fact, and not just some cautionary tale passed down to provide a moral lesson. Regardless, he found himself beginning to have a strong distaste for the Greedy man. He shifted position on the floor as Storn continued with the story.

“After he disappeared, the members of the Skaal spoke for many days and nights. They knew that one of them must retrieve the Gifts of the All-maker, but they could not decide who it would be,

“‘I cannot go,’ said the Elder, ‘for I must stay to lead the Skaal, and tell our wisdom, and law to the people.’

“‘I cannot go,’ said the warrior, ‘for I must protect the Skaal. My sword will be needed in case the Greedy Man reappears.’

“‘I cannot go,’ said the shaman, ‘for the people need my wisdom. I must read the portents and offer my knowledge.’ The discussion went on and on, none able to come to an agreement as to how they should proceed.

“It was then that a young man called Aevar lifted his voice amid the cacophony. He was strong of arm, and fleet of foot, though he was not yet a warrior of the Skaal. ‘I will go,’ spoke Aevar, and the Skaal laughed.

“‘ Hear me out,’ The boy continued, ‘I am not yet a warrior, so my sword will not be missed. I cannot read the portents, so the people will not seek my council. And I am young, and not yet wise in the ways of the law. I will retrieve the Gifts of the All-Maker from the Greedy Man. If I cannot, I will not be missed.’

“The Skaal thought on this briefly, and decided to let Aevar go. He left the village the next morning to search for the Gifts.”

Gaeolin wore a sad look. “That seems cruel of them. To let him go, confirming that they too felt that he had no importance in their lives.”

Storn considered the statement. “True, one could see it that way. Though I prefer to think that they were giving the boy a chance to prove his worth. Aevar was certainly not one to let the doubts of his peers stay him from the task fate had set before him. He chose first to seek out the Gift of water.

“He traveled to the Water Stone, and made the offerings and rituals that his people had done since the beginning. It was late in the evening when he first heard the All-Maker speak to him.

‘Travel west to the sea and follow the Swimmer to the waters of Life.’ And so Aevar walked to the edge of the ocean. He found the Swimmer, a black Horker, sent by the All-Maker. The beast dove into the frigid water, swimming far, and even farther still. But Aevar was strong and swam hard. He followed the Horker to a cave. He dove deeper and deeper, until his lungs began to scream for air. His arms grew heavy as exhaustion began to set in. At last, just as he thought he had failed, he broke the surface.

“He found himself in a pocket of air beneath the sea. It was dark, but he knew that he had found the waters of life. Gathering his strength, he took the waters and swam them to shore. The All-Maker greeted him when he returned to the stone. ‘You have returned the Waters to the Skaal. The oceans again will bear fruit, and their thirst will be quenched.’

“Aevar then traveled to the Earth Stone, where the All-Maker spoke to him again. ‘Enter the cave of the Hidden music, and hear the Song of the Earth.'”

The sudden sound of raised voices came from outside, making the men pause in their story sharing. Storn smiled at the curiosity on the wood elf’s features. “Go, see what has the people excited. I will continue the story for you when you return.” Gaeolin nodded his thanks, making his way out into the bright day.

The source of the commotion was in fact the return of a hunting party. The warriors pulled a sled, fashioned out of roughly hewn logs. On this sled rested the corpse of what was surely the largest Horker Gaeolin had seen in his life. Some of the children were walking alongside the sled to exclaim their amazement. Most of the village had begun preparing for the arrival of the animal. Several of the men and women were setting large posts around the skinning hutch.

Gaeolin was so caught up in the spectacle that he had not noticed Auroth coming to stand beside him. The Skaal were getting the beast ready for skinning. One of the hunters removed his gloves, gathering a large handful of snow to hold over the open mouth of their kill. He held a ritualistic pose while letting the water drip into the orifice. Gaeolin wondered aloud, “Why are they doing that?”

“They are honoring the spirit of the Horker. In Skaal tradition, when you kill a Horker, you must let it’s soul drink, so that it has the strength to return to the ocean and inhabit a new body. It is a way of satisfying the spirits, and encouraging the creatures to return and be hunted again. In ways it is similar to the beliefs that your people have in the form of the Green Pact. Though, the Skaal may not be quite as diligent in their devotion to such traditions.”

“There is a big difference between honoring a spirit, and having to fast before battle so you are sure you can eat everything you kill.”

Auroth smirked. “True enough. I still say it is something worth knowing. There is nothing to be lost from learning all you can about other ways of life. The more we know and understand one another, the better the world will become. I wish more people lived like the Skaal.”

There was silence between them for a while. The air, though cold, seemed to be more refreshing than they had been breathing since they had left Skyrim. “I’m so ready to put all of these problems behind me. It is painful to know that even once we deal with Miraak, I still have Alduin to take care of when we return. I’m sure Delphine will want me to meet her in Riften as soon as possible.”

“We rarely have much choice with how our lives unfold. I know how you feel if it is any consolation. Perhaps after we find the old man, we can take a few weeks to rest. but now is not the time to worry about our own comfort. Miraak aside, I am worried about what Mora is planning. I know of no point in history when a Deadric prince has done this much tampering where they weren’t poised to take advantage of it.”

Gaeolin knew he was right. He himself had been turning the potential plots that Hermaus Mora might be putting into motion at their expense. “As much as I would like to avoid delivering myself into waiting hands, I can’t see many good alternatives . The more I think about it, Mora has us exactly where he wants us.”

Auroth gave a grunt of affirmation. “Sometimes, the only course of action is to ride the tides of fate. But remember that you always have the choice to steer your own course, even with the waves that try to strike you down. I have faith that you will find a way to turn this situation to our advantage.”