In a Hostile Country: The Saga of Cahmel (Let’s Play Morrowind, Part 10)

I'm in the south end of nowhere, I just killed two people, I'm tired, I'm angry, and I'm wearing a stupid outfit. Not my best day ever.

When we last left our hero, he’d walked away from his lucrative tour guide, bodyguard, and murdering people positions. Now, all he wanted for Christmas was to walk the remaining, like, half a mile to Ald-Ruhn without bumping into any more

Oh hai.

OH GOD DAMN IT.

Alright, pal, let’s get this over with. What’s your story, huh?

Apparently, he was paralyzed by a witch, robbed, and left for dead. Gee. Seems like an epidemic. Well, good news is, I can actually solve this one right now. I give him one of the potions I got from the witch, and he’s cured. And hey, he gives me a magic frost resist helmet for my troubles! See, I like this guy. He made it easy for me to help him to help himself, and gave me a nice little somethin-somethin for my troubles.

Witch I Just Killed, you should be taking notes.

Well, that’s dealt with. And as I walk over the next hill, I see it—holy mother of sacred nacho cheese, I’ve actually made it to Ald-Ruhn’s walls! Oh thank god, I was beginning to think I’d never finish wading through this morass of

RAAAAGGHH

Okay. You. Follow me. Shut up.

Over there. With no Nix Hounds anywhere around her. There she is.

Happy?

I SAID HAPPY?

Good! Now run along!

Criminy.

That finished, I enter Ald-Ruhn.

As tricky as it is for a civic minded traveling violence salesman such as myself to get to it, Ald’Ruhn really is one of my favorite cities in the game. It’s got this exotic feel to it that sets it apart from Hlaalu towns, but it’s not as strange and convoluted as the Telvanni cities. The shell-like aesthetic of the buildings really works in the blasted ashlands, and the main citadel, Ald Skar, is pretty damn cool.

What’s more, there’s a lot of good traders in Ald’Ruhn. Several good armorsmiths, which I don’t need, guilds, who I’ve given a miss, enchanters, who I can’t use because I’m broke…

Yeah, okay. I might not need Ald’Ruhn’s services now. But in previous playthroughs, it was a godsend.

(Also: I forgot to see if they had a Resist Magicka potion in this city, which I might have been able to use to cheat the Boots of Blinding Speed. Oh well.)

Right, enough of that dithering around. To business. I get my game face on and enter the Redoran Compound.

CUT TO: Internal Monologue of Redoran Councilor.

Oh, god, is it already evening? It’d be nice if there was a clock in here. Or windows. Or any way of telling what time it is. Must be close to quittin’ time, though—my dogs are killing me. I must have been standing here working for…for…at least…huh. Like, as long as I can remember, actually. Did I skip lunch? I’m hungry. I could go for an ash yam. Or some rat meat. Or some Scrib Jerky, whatever the hell that is.

Who’s that guy? Crap, this is awkward, I should know his name. Didn’t I meet him at the House Redoran picnic? They had those ash yams. God, I could go for an ash yam…

Oh, dang, he’s talking to me. Wow. I must be tired, because for a second I thought that sounded like a murderous redguard spy for House Hlaalu who’s carved a path of violence and justice across a couple miles of territory to get here. Must be my imagination.

Did he just say he  wants those super duper top secret document that are vital to the operation of our Houses?

Maybe I should ask for proof of his identity. Or double-check his allegiance somehow. Or ask him to take his full-face mask off.

Eh, screw it. They’ve been cluttering up my desk anyway.

…stewed. In, like, saltrice and comberry. Yeah. That’d taste good right now.

Okay, full disclosure: there are some justifications for why she trusts you. Apparently, the person you’re impersonating was disfigured in battle, so he or she (it flips depending on gender) always wears a helmet. Still, that’s a pretty damn big hole in security when the distinguishing feature of your high-security personnel is that they never show you their face. Oh, and there’s a security phrase, but Hlaalu obviously got their hands on it. Not that secure, now, is it?

Okay, whatever. I shell out for a strider on my way back. I’m paid 500 drakes for my trouble, and even get to keep the hat. Not bad.

And my next assignment is:

Steal an alchemical formula.

Oh boy.