10 - Victoria - To the Coast:

Spending the night at the mages guild, I rose at seven, and, exiting via the west gate - with which I am now rather familiar - I began to follow the south westerly road to Anvil.

I had a long walk ahead of me, for Anvil was a coastal town – but I tried to make the best of it through gathering plants as I went. Before long I noted a mine just off the path, and I decided to investigate. The presence of a bandit outside served as notice that perhaps all was not well, and following her defeat I entered, cautious of any possible dangers.

The mine was riddled with the marauders, however in many ways it was rather dull; at least in comparison to the Elven Ruins I had previously explored. Advancing using my detect life abilities, and when necessary the use of my faithful minion, I swiftly cleared the multi tiered mine of its unwelcome occupants. The only real risks I suffered were from traps which had been laid, for at one point I barely checked my step in time upon sighting a tripwire. Triggering this from a distance with an arrow, I beheld a pile of logs fall where I would have stood.

On a different occasion I was using my minion for cover as we advanced upon an archer, when the blind creature triggered a trap – causing a spiked sphere to swing towards me. Fortunately I was alert, and, realising I had no time to move aside, I swiftly cast a fireball against it; draining much of its inertia.

The mine transpired to be a silver mine, as was evident from the silver nuggets to be found - and ultimately a raw vein of the metal I discovered at the base of the mine. Unfortunately I came across no singularly valuable items in my search, and so took the opportunity to rest a little upon disposing of the occupants.

Returning to the path following my comparatively unrewarding expedition, I decided to proceed directly to Anvil without pause – for the day was passing, and I had yet to make any significant progress.

My journey was relatively uneventful for a time, broken only by the occasional intrusion of a wolf or bandit, who were swiftly dealt with. However upon reaching the branch turning towards Kvatch I beheld an Altmer running down the path. Turning I saw that he was being chased by an Imp, whom I promptly dealt with – however even then I thought it an unexpected encounter.

Returning now to the Altmer, I found him yet in a state of high panic. His name was Hirtel, and he claimed Kvatch was now a smoking ruin – destroyed by a host of Daedra. He would not stay, and fled into the night, leaving me to consider his tale. Could he be believed? It seemed unlikely, yet his panic had appeared genuine. Ultimately I decided that I would investigate the status of Kvatch at some later and more convenient hour, and simply pressed onwards towards Anvil. Here the path twisted around the countryside in a most inefficient manor, and I concluded it would be faster to cut across the open countryside. Short cuts make for long delays, as the saying goes, but not in this case – and standing upon a tall rock I beheld the coastal town in the distance.

Approaching the exterior of the castle, I asked the posted guard whether there were any rumours, and was very interested to hear that one 'Velwyn Benirus' was selling a property cheaply - a manor no less. I suspected there must be a catch of some kind, or simply their definition of 'cheap' differed markedly from my own, however it was certainly worth looking in to. Even if the manor turned out to be a dump I could simply pay for renovation, as and when I had the spare capital.

Entering the town proper, I found it to be a most pleasant location. The breeze blowing in from the coast carried the scent of the sea, while the faint sound of braking waves could be heard. The architecture meanwhile was no less pleasing; large and well spaced, with much artistic decoration.

Moving through the town I spotted the local mages guild and, without pausing to greet those present, I tracked down a bed, and slept for a number of hours; the road had been long and wearying. Upon rising I decided to track down Velwyn, and, asking around, I heard he could likely be found at the Counts Arms.

Entering, I found I had not been mislead, for the young man could be found dining at a table. He appeared most pleased upon hearing of my interest in the property, and said he would sell it for five thousand gold; but I could view my property first if I wished - which could be found opposite the chapel.

Returning the way I had came I beheld the manor; it appeared of a gratifying scale, if a little run down, and I decided that I would indeed have to buy it. The catch would doubtless present itself in time, but I would deal with that as and when it did.

However I could hardly ignore one blatant problem with my plans; I had a mere two thousand gold – and while the sale of my recently acquired silver would perhaps net me a further five hundred or so, I could still only cover half of the asking price. Further, my current plans regarding the mages guild, while likely to pay well in the long term, would yield little in the short. I sat upon a bench opposite my future manor in thought for a time. How could I raise the money swiftly? Perhaps I should return to the Arena and fight for glory now the rewards were greater. This would also serve to make a name for myself, and so seemed perhaps the best course of action. The long road back to the Imperial City beckoned...