There were a lot of stereotypes about Nords, well, most races had a plethora of stereotypes hanging around them, but one thing that was often repeated was that Nords knew how to hold a grudge.

I never felt that was more true than when we were slowly plodding westward back towards a settlement.

I knew mixing a sleeping and a stamina potion was going to wreck me. I also had been counting on my companions to keep me safe while I recovered, and to be fair they were, they were also just giving me hell in several small ways.

Nothing overtly noticeable. And nothing that I could call out without looking stupid. But they made sure to speak just a little louder into my ears, shake me around when securing things a little more, or just ensure I was downwind of any strong scents from spices or food.

They only showed a bit of mercy when I vomited all over my boots for the fifth time today. From then on they focused more on the road than torturing me.

“Morthal should be close by. Maybe we should find an inn there instead of camping out again.”

“Hm?” Damn, I had been zoning out trying to keep my stomach under control. So when Erikur actually said something to me instead of trying to mess with my headache, I completely missed it.

“Morthal, logging town. Could stop for the night.” Jordis repeated for me.

“Oh, that sounds like a good idea.” I decided. Anything to get off this horse for a few hours.

“It’s a nice place for a small city.” Erikur commented. “The last time I ventured out to it was on the hunt for a bandit group that had earned Jarl Torygg’s ire. Humble folk. Very close to each other and they seemed distrustful of strangers, but even then times were troubled.

Of course things may have changed now, I haven’t been there in some time now. But while they may not welcome us with a hero’s feast, they should not turn us away.”

He then went on to tell us about the area, his hunt for the bandit, and the drinking competition he had with a few of the locals.

Somehow he missed Jordis’s darkening mood when he went on to compliment how impressed he was with one of the girls there for drinking nearly twice more than everyone else and still managing to help him track down the bandits the next day, the unobservant fool.

-o-

“You weren’t kidding when you said they wouldn’t be welcoming.” I muttered as we walked through the streets.

Appearance wise, Morthal wasn’t anything impressive. Sure there was a bit of unique charm because of the riverway, but that didn’t coverup the fact the locals were staring distrustingly at us from afar. Or how they would usher children back into houses as we passed or avoid us in the streets.

Friendly bunch.

“It was much more welcoming the last time I was here.” Erikur protested.

“People change. Not your fault.” Jordis said supportively.

“Well, there’s the inn.” I said as I spotted the building. “Let’s find a place for the horses and see if we can get a hot meal and a room for the night.”

On the way there I noticed there was a gap between some of the buildings. It looked like one of the houses had been burned down somewhat recently but there were no signs of anyone trying to clear it out so far. It was just…left there.

Erikur and Jordis also noticed, but beyond some questioning looks there was not much to say. And it wasn’t like the locals were going to walk up and volunteer information.

We stabled the horses and entered the Moorside Inn. Like the rest of Morthal it wasn’t exactly a shining example of culture and architecture, in fact it looked like someone had simply modified their house instead of building an inn, but the fire was warm and the greeting from the bartender made it the most welcoming thing we had come across here.

“Finally, someone comes in. Kick off your boots, stay awhile. Let me know if there's anything I can help you with. I got nothing but time these days.” A Redguard woman said as they walked in.

Looking around I saw no one else in the place. Odd for an inn, especially this time of day. Even if no one was renting a room, they might stop by for a meal or a drink.

“Slow day?” I asked, approaching the bar and ordering a bottle of wine for myself. The Nords predictably ordered mead.

“You’re the first new faces I’ve seen all week.” The woman said. “So what can I interest you in?”

“I don’t suppose you have a couple rooms available then?”

The woman cocked an eyebrow skyward. “Do you see anyone else here?”

“Just asking.”

After a bit of halfhearted haggling we settled on a price for two rooms and some food. It was actually pretty good considering the inn owner, Jonna, wasn’t actually expecting customers to stop by and order every night.

But once we were full it was time to turn in for the night for all of us. Jordis and I sharing a room and Erikur getting one to himself. We all agreed the Jarl deserved to know about the vampire activity nearby and to keep a lookout even if it seemed strangers weren’t exactly just passing through.

-o-

I was really glad we decided to visit a town the next day. A storm had swept by overnight and it had been just warm enough to be rain instead of a nice gentle snow. Now everything was wet, cold, and dreary with little sign of that changing. Camping would have been miserable.

“Your friends not up yet?” Jonna asked, leaning over the bar across from me after she appeared from one of the other rooms.

I closed the book I was reading and shook my head. “They’re already out. Wanted to give the Jarl a warning about what we’ve been dealing with recently.”

“You didn’t join them?”

“No reason to. Erikur is perfectly willing to tell her and is a Thane of Solitude. If your Jarl doesn’t take him seriously they aren’t going to be convinced by me.”

“I wouldn’t worry about that. Jarl Idgrod will listen. Don’t know if she’ll do anything about it, but she’ll listen.”

I shifted to look at her a little better. “You sound like you know her pretty well. Speak to the Jarl often?” Innkeepers didn’t often know people like that personally. It happened. But it was rare.

Jonna shook her head though. “No, not me. But my brother, Falion, works as her court wizard. He talks about her sometimes.”

“Oh? Did he learn around here?”

She scowled. “No, we used to travel all over the place. Wound up at the Mage’s College for a little while, but Falion didn’t like what was going on there so we left. Then we came here and he decided to stay. So here we are.”

That wasn’t terribly surprising. A lot of mages tended to wander from place to place looking for things to learn. Many of them only settled down once they couldn’t travel anymore or found something specific to study. But a normal woman…

“You never felt like leaving?”

“Not really. Sure I miss going to new places but Falion’s family.” She said simply. And for some people that was enough.

I felt a pang of envy that this woman was strong enough to decide that settling down in a place she was clearly bored in was more important than continuing to travel just because of her brother.

So I shifted the conversation to more mundane things.

“We noticed a house burned down nearby on our way in. There a story behind that?”

If Jonna looked mildly annoyed about settling in Morthal, now she looked outright disgusted.

“Yeah, there’s a story behind it alright. Used to be Hroggar's house. It burned down not too long ago. It's a real pity about his wife and kid. The screams woke half the town. Most folk won't go near it now for fear it's cursed.”

Which meant the two hadn’t survived. Poor man must be devastated.

“How did it start?”

“Hroggar claims it was a hearth fire. But some folks say Hroggar started it himself.” Jonna said darkly. “Hard to figure out who to trust though. Many of those folk like accusing Falion of sacrificing children or eating human hearts.”

“They think he would murder his family though?” I asked aghast.

“That's what they say.” She shrugged. “See, he's living with Alva now. That started the day after the fire. It ain't right, movin' in with a new love the day after your kin die like that."

Maybe he wasn’t so devastated then. But then again…

“Maybe she was just helping out a friend? He needs a place to sleep after all.” I pointed out but the innkeeper didn’t hesitate to disabuse me of that.

“Not likely. Alva is… very free with her affection. Hroggar was stepping out with her long before the fire. Showering her with gifts and affection. His wife… well I guess it doesn’t matter anymore.”

The mood had clearly turned far too heavy for so early in the day, especially with the weather like it was.

So I had Jonna tell me about her time traveling and shared some of my own stories in return while I waited for Erikur and Jordis to get back. Something about Jonna’s story regarding Alva stuck out to me though. I just couldn’t put a finger on it though…

-o-

“The Jarl hired us for a job.”

I waited a few seconds for Jordis to expand on that statement, but when she stayed silent I sighed and turned to Erikur.

“We talked to Jarl Idgrod Ravencrone about the nearby vampires and she says she had seen something similar happening in visions of late. She is apparently a mystic of some power. When we bid her to be on guard for more troubling things happening in the area she mentioned the burned house nearby. There is rumor –” “Hroggar killed his family to be with his new lover. I heard a bit about it from Jonna. The Jarl wants you to investigate?” “Yes, she cannot leave the death of a child uninvestigated but the locals have made up their minds regardless of the truth. She cannot move without understanding if this was an unfortunate tragedy or the work of a murderer.”

And a Thane from another hold would be perfect to investigate without bias, as long as he didn’t just make a decision on rumors.

And if he did that anyway, the Jarl could hardly be blamed for her decision based on unworthy information from an outsider now could she? The more bitter side of me added.

“Okay, do we have a plan?”

-o-

The answer turned out to be ‘yes, but not much of one’.

We went and tried to investigate the area, the people that were woken by the fire, and whatever information on Hroggar we could. Well, I said ‘we’ but it was mostly Erikur and Jordis. The townsfolk were much more likely to talk to a Nord than a Bosmer.

As a Thane, Erikur had actually been a part of investigations in the past but that was when he had the support of the locals. Here, whenever we approached someone we were met with suspicion and distrust. It made actually collecting facts difficult to say the least.

Those that were willing to talk were not always the most helpful either. Some were more willing to spread stories about what happened than actual fact. Thankfully Jordis was remarkably skilled at picking out lies.

We were told stories that ranged from simple accidents such as Hroggar’s wife spilling bear fat into the fireplace to the man deliberately setting the fire out of lust for Alva. Some were convinced it was Falion’s fault, caused by unnatural magic. Oddly no one seemed to think Alva would have been the one to set the fire or the type to have even suggested it. Whenever the possibility was brought up people immediately denied it as unthinkable.

So after a day of learning little, we returned to the Moorside Inn.

Conversation between the three of us was limited. We were all frustrated at our lack of progress.

Then, the door to the inn opened and a woman glided inside. I’m not particularly vain or self conscious about my looks, you really can’t be too hung up on your appearance when you delve into forgotten tombs and ruins for a job, but this woman was easily one of the most beautiful humans I had ever seen. If this was Alva, no wonder people weren’t surprised Hroggar would be willing to kill his family to be with her.

“Why, good evening Jonna!"

"What can I getcha, Alva?" The innkeeper returned.

"What can't you get me, sweetie?" The dark haired Nord purred.

Well, if that’s how she spoke normally I shouldn’t be surprised people considered her ‘free with her affection’. Made a bit more sense why they thought she wouldn’t be behind the fire either. Alva didn’t immediately strike me as the jealous type. More likely to invite others to join in than demand exclusivity.

"Umm... Did you want somethin' to eat?"

"Eat? No, I don't think I'm... hungry. Not now, at least."

"Right. Okay, tell me if you change yer mind."

After that interesting, if short, conversation Alva walked up to our table, swinging her hips the whole way.

"Well, aren't you the handsome one. You and I should spend some time together." She said, immediately securing Jordis as an enemy. “It’s not often we get interesting visitors.”

“We heard you were with Hroggar from the townsfolk.” I said first, mostly to prevent Jordis from doing something violent. “Even say he burned down his house for you.”

"Do they? How delightful! I'm lucky to have a man that is so devoted to me." Alva said happily. “But he’s always so tired lately. I need someone with a little fire in their blood. He wouldn’t need to know if we spent time together. Or drink together. I doubt he would even care."

“You won’t find that here.” Jordis snarled.

“That so? Too bad. But then again maybe the elf would be more open to a friendly invitation?” She started reaching out to caress my hair. “You’re so pretty. I’m sure all the men chase after you.”

I grabbed her wrist before she touched me and firmly moved her hand away.

“Flattered, but it’s late and we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.” I said politely. “Perhaps another time.”

Something flashed in Alva’s eyes but it was gone before I could recognise it.

“Of course! I heard you were the ones looking into the fire. Terrible accident, such a shame. I’m sure you will clear Hroggar’s name soon. When you do, you must join us for a meal. It’s the least we could do as thanks.”

“We would be happy to, Miss Alva!” Erikur said out of nowhere. “The duty of a Thane is to see the people of Skyrim safe.”

“Wait a se-”

“Now, now fair Thalin.” He interrupted me by placing a heavy hand on my shoulder. “It would be rude to reject such an offer.” He turned back to Alva. “But our friend is right. Excuse us for now and have a pleasant night.”

Neither Jordis nor I said anything as we headed back to our rooms while Alva waved us goodbye. But the second Erikur closed the door, Jordis rounded on him.

“You're worried. Why?”

Erikur looked grim.

“We spent all day asking about her and Hroggar yet we couldn’t find hide nor hair of them all day. Yet, she approaches us soon as night falls? We have seen a lot of activity from vampire’s lately. I do not like the coincidence.”

“It might be precisely because we have encountered so many vampires you feel that way.” I pointed out. Mostly as Daedra’s advocate. “According to the townsfolk she grew up here all her life and never left for any long stretches of time. If she was a vampire there should be more incidents regarding people going missing.”

“Recently turned?” Jordis questioned.

“Possibly, but who would have turned her?”

“Fair points, both of you.” Erikur nodded along. “But no matter our concerns, we are unlikely to discover the truth with the little information we have now. We should sleep, and tomorrow we will investigate the ruins of the house. Perhaps we will learn more there.