VIII - Attack on Skaal Village

Night had fallen, thick and cold, upon Skaal village as Fen returned, tired and hoping for nothing more than a tisane and a bedroll with a heated pan beneath it. The village was quiet, no one outside save the ever-vigilant Honour Guards that greeted her with solemn nods as she passed. Candlelight leaked out from beneath the shutters of the wooden cabins, and smoke curled up serenely from their long stone chimneys. Fen stared up at the starless sky, dominated by the twin moons that threw diamonds of moonlight onto the untouched snow beyond the houses. Fen made her way past the well that marked the middle of the village toward the Great Hall, the only sound being the crunch of snow beneath her boots and the distant wind in the trees.

VII - A Test of Wisdom

Fen lived two full days among the Skaal after the death of Rigmor Halfhand, most of her time spent sitting across from Korst Wind-Eye and listening to him speak. He told her that the small blue men she had encountered were called Rieklings, and that they were thought to have descended from Falmer, ancient snow-elves that used to inhabit Solstheim and Skyrim.

VI - The Water Stone

Sorry again about the delay ;_; I had a very busy past couple of weeks, but things should be quieting down now. Thanks for your patience!

The following morning was grey and silent as Fen packed the tent away and started northwest along the Iggnir River, following her map toward the Tree Stone. It had snowed lightly during the night, and the powdered grass crunched under Fen’s boots as she walked.

V - The Warmth of the Sun

So sorry about the delay! I was planning on being home earlier last night. Enjoy today's chapter!

PS - happy birthday to Skyrim!

2 years, wow!

Hey everybody! You may have missed it (I certainly did), but Out of Mournhold's second birthday was on October 17th! It is really strange to think that this story I started working on three years ago because I was bored has turned into something like this.

I just wanted to thank you guys again for reading - it really means a lot to me that so many people look forward to updates on Fen's journey, even though they've probably played the game many times and know how it will play out. I love sharing my character and her story with you, and I am so grateful to have such lovely people following it.

OoM is definitely drawing toward a close, as we are in the final expansion pack for Morrowind. Fen's story will be done after Solstheim, but I have a few more projects in the works that you may be interested in. I will update with more info when we get closer to the end of OoM, which will most likely be in the spring of next year.

Anyway, hope you guys had a great weekend and enjoyed Saturday's chapter. As always, thanks for reading and sticking around with Fen and me for two whole years!!

Celestina

PS - stay safe this week if you're on the east coast!

IV - The Wind Stone

By the following morning, the blizzard had subsided into a dim, grey morning. Fen left the hunting lodge and found that, while the snow on the ground was deep, the Skaal had risen early to go about their business. Now she could see the intricate wooden carvings on the sides of the houses, the well where tightly-bundled children collected water for their families, the curls of smoke that rose from chimneys and up into the grim sky. People were not lingering outside long save for the guards, men that wore Nordic armour and patrolled the village borders with one hand always on the pommel of their blades. They glanced up at Fen as she passed, but remained silent, though she could feel their gazes on her back as she descended the hill atop which the village was perched.

III - Pale World

It was the screaming that awoke her.

Fen’s eyes opened suddenly, and she heard them filling the night air, high and shrieking. There was a sound like stone crumbling, and the canvas of Fen’s tent whispered as something raced past it, toward the forest.