Chirurgeon
Active Member
I want to give a special thanks to Jakarius who made the mod that incorporates elements of the Ranger's Apprentice series of books into Skyrim. It is the basis and motivation for this work
There are other mods that I use as well. Almost a hundred of them. I will list those later as I am purging ones I dont use.
Table of Contents:
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Prologue
Faendal surveyed the road ahead as swayed ever so slightly in the saddle of his horse. Rugot was a faithful companion and Faendal smiled as he rubbed the horses neck.
“In a few hours we will be in Riften ol boy,” smiling slightly as he said it.
The journey that Faendal was taking was one that he had been thinking about for some time. He knew that this was the right time. Willow, the Riften ranger, had sent word that it was time to pick up his package. That was code of course and he knew what it truly meant.
As he rode the great pines outside of Helgen swayed in the spring breeze. Skyrim was awaking from its winter slumber and another year of sowing, growing, and harvesting would begin in earnest. Of course there were many places in Skyrim that did not receive a respite from the cold and he was approaching one of those areas now. The road from Helgen to Riften was a popular rout for travelers but that didn’t mean it was comfortable. Faendal wrapped his fur cloak around himself and hunkered down under its protection.
As he rode he had another pair of eyes keeping watch. Rugot was not just a mode of transportation but a carefully trained horse. Rugot and other ranger horses were trained to alert their riders to various dangers. In fact the instincts and distance that the horse could detect danger was truly remarkable. Rugot would whiney and would tense up under his rider. He was a dependable companion and on several occasions has actually defended his rider.
The climb was steep and Faendal let out a bit of sigh as he saw the swirling snowflakes ahead. Rugot, which was the old tongue for “storm”, didn’t seem to mind. The horse was found wild wondering around in a winter storm and seemed oblivious to it. It was only natural to name him Rugot.
The climb leveled off and the swirling flakes reached their intensity at the top of the pass. Faendal gave a nod to some legion soldiers who were shoveling the snow to the edges of the pass. He thought of the irony of how the men were sweating despite the cold. Later they would be cold as the sweat chilled their clothes. The men moved out of the way. Faendal was an Imperial Ranger and all rangers had the utmost respect from the soldiers.
The Imperial Rangers had a member in every hold of every province in the empire. Whiterun hold was Faendal’s assignment and he had the Jarl’s ear at just about anytime. Things had been quiet here in Skyrim and the young King Torryg had not faced any serious challenges. However here in Skyrim there was always the possibility of trouble. The Rangers acted as the eyes and ears of the Emperor. It was a lesson learned from the great war. The empire had been nearly blind in the attack from the Thalmor. Faendal shook his head as he thought about it. Those were not pleasant memories. The spring snows that were raining down on his fur cloak were not pleasant either and he could not wait to finish his descent into the Rift. Falkreath hold, the Rift, and Whiterun hold all came together here at the top of the pass. As he descended he was entering the Rift.
The snow began to abate and Faendal felt a little better. The mild climate of the Rift would be a welcome sight. The trees were bursting with color after their long sleep. This was due to “Rain’s Hand”, the month after the sowing of seeds throughout most of the empire. The weather this time of year could be quite wet.
Faendal also noticed how swollen some of the streams were. The snowmelt was underway and the Jerrel mountains were discharging water at a phenomenal rate. Lake Geir would be swollen with water and the great volumes of water would eventually find their way to the sea. Hamlets like Ivarstead would have to deal with the constant roar of the spring snow melt as the water raged towards the sea.
Along lake Geir some locals were taking advantage of the Salmon run and their predators the slaughterfish. Both were caught and then smoked, grilled, or dried for winter. Even now people would be putting aside meats and vegetables in their cellars for the long hard winter that Skyrim endured.
Faendal, as well as all the other rangers, made it a point to get to know the people that resided in their holds. Sneaking up to a bandit camp or a bear den was made a lot easier if local city folk and villagers could offer information. In exchange the rangers would often hunt and bring back some of their spoils for the local people. The idea was to build trust with the local people so that a Ranger was always aware of what was happening.
He looked at the locals with their families out fishing and watched the children jumping from boulder to boulder, and knew that the ranger of The Rift would know most if not all of their names. Willow was a wood elf just like Faendal. Wood elves made superb rangers and the empire eagerly recruited them. She would take great pain to make sure that every village and hamlet was visited in her hold. It would be good to see a fellow ranger so that information could be exchanged as well as stories.
Shifting himself in the saddle, and Rugot’s ears twitching as he did, he could see the children running next to the road. They would run from one birch tree to the next and try to hide behind it as they did. It was common for children to do this because ranger’s were renowned for their stealth. They would play hide and seek games as he would pass. Faendal could not help but smile.
He passed a small farm and then nodded to the city guards as he rode around the high walls to the northern gate. Here he saw the stablemaster and paid him some septims to bed , feed, and brush his horse down. As much as Faendal knew Rugot would miss him, he also knew that the pampering he would receive would help him forget.
The guards at the gate nodded politely and opened the great wooden doors. As it creaked open one of them swore how they needed new hinges. The other one mocked that he was just getting weak from all the boring duty. “Guards will be guards, “ Faendal said thoughtfully just out of earshot.
Inside the city it was filled with its usual activity. Faendal made his way to the Bee and Barb and even in this afternoon hour there were patrons and music. The argonian proprieters worked diligently to satisfy the patrons. There was no way to hide what this place was. Even the wood in the floor reeked of ale.
Faendal spotted Willow across the room as she was sitting at a corner table. Faendal smiled and greeted Willow. “Hello fellow ranger. What news of the Rift?” Faendal was trying to be official but he could barely contain his smile. Wood elves were cheerful naturally so it took a lot of composure. Willow smiled back, “Bandits, drunks, and bears.” She said with a grin. Her eyes seemed to sparkle and Faendal pulled up a chair. The barmaid came over and Faendal ordered a meat and cheese platter with some Blackbriar mead to wash it all down. He offered to Willow but she waved him off. “I am completely full thank you.”
They sat and exchanged information in their quiet almost riddle like way. No one could hear them over the din of the people in the bar but even if someone heard much of the Ranger language was codelike. They stopped talking when the food was delivered and then continued.
“Will you have to pay his bounty to get him out of jail?” Willow asked as she stared at the mug of ale in front of her, fhr fingers idly tapping on its side.
Faendal grimaced a bit and nodded. “This is the third time he has been caught trying to steal something. “ Faendal shook his head, “and the thieves guild wants money from what you told me so I suppose I can give you that.”
Willow looked at Faendal and said “That has been taken care of. Just get him out of that jail.” She seemed genuinely concerned. Faendal was taken aback but he thanked her anyway. “We know we have to take care of him so I wanted to do whatever I could.” She took her hands off the mug and rubbed them together. “Well I suppose you need to take care of this?” She told him in a way that seemed to indicate the conversation was over. “The sooner the better,” Faendal thought.
Faendal got up from his seat and looked down at the young ranger. “I will be back to give him a proper meal. Will you be here?” He asked hopefully. There was no way to hide the attraction Faendal had for Willow. “I am afraid the Jarl wants to speak with me about some things.” She frowned as she said it. Even after a year of being here she never quite got used to standing in front of the Jarl and the rest of the court.
Faendal nodded and told her that he hoped to see her again soon. And with that they did a quick search with their eyes to see what had changed in the environment. It was years of training. Some people had been watching , as it was rare for two rangers to be seen together. For the most part they worked alone, unless of course they had an apprentice with them.