A few days ago Lydia and I again left Whiterun heading east. I was still aiming to make it to High Hrothgar, but I fully welcomed any distractions along the way.

As we had previously conquered many of the caves and towers on the path east out of Whiterun, it took us a while to reach unfamiliar territory. Out path kept leading us to higher and higher elevations when we reached a small village, Ivarstead. Like Riverwood, there wasn’t much to Ivarstead. We arrived at night so most of the villagers were asleep. The Vilemyr Inn was open and we spoke to a few locals there. Wilhelm, a Nord is the barkeeper and owner. He gave us some information about High Hrothgar and Ivarstead as well as a few jobs.

The next day we spoke with a family who runs Fellstar Farm. I helped reap their crops and made a little gold for it. Across from the farm was a lumber mill right on the edge of the river. On the other side of the river was a destroyed house. A local named Narfi calls this disheveled place his home but when I spoke with him he drunkenly rambled on about a woman. When I talked with Wilhelm again he told me that Narfi’s sister, Reyda, had gone missing a while ago and asked me to look into it.

A little while later I spoke with a local named Klimmek. He makes deliveries to the Greybeards but was getting tired of climbing the 7,000 steps all the time. I asked if he wanted me to make his current delivery since I was heading there anyways and he was very appreciative.

While in Ivarstead I also spoke with Temba Wide-Arm; she operates the lumber mill. She complained to me about the bear population and offered a reward if I brought her ten bear pelts. Well right outside of Ivarstead, just to the north, is a small cave, Pinepeak Cavern. There were a few bears inside and the corpse of a miner. From the looks of it he was mining the corundum when these bears took him by surprise.

Before finally heading to High Hrothgar I wished to take on some of the jobs Wilhelm had for me. The first one Lydia and I undertook was to look for Reyda’s remains on the islands near Ivarstead. On one of these islands was a Nordic tomb, Geirmund’s Hall. We trekked inside for a few hours fighting off many Draugr. We came upon the burial site of the tomb’s namesake, Lord Geirmund, Archmage of Windhelm, Lord Battlemage to King Harald. At the deepest depths of the tomb was another burial site, that of Sigdis Gauldurson. He was sealed here as punishment, unlike Lord Geirmund. There was nice loot inside, and an arcane enchanter where I made use of the soul gems we found, but Reyda’s remains were not here. I gave up searching when we exited but I just now thought I should search the other islands too!

Our next job was to clear out a tower, Nilheim that bandits had taken over. On our way there – a good distance to the east – we ventured into Honeystrand Cave. This was a small cave that a few bears lived in. Outside were many beehives, surely the namesake of this cave. Lydia and I also visited with two dark elf farmers. These women ran Sarethi Farm. After talking with them I agreed to keep my eyes peeled for any Jazbay Grapes.

Later on we came upon a man who said he’d been attacked by bandits. He asked us to protect him as he made his way to his camp. Curiously enough his camp was in the same location as the bandit-filled tower Lydia and I were tracking down. Sure enough, when we arrived he turned on us and his group of bandits attacked. We held our own and enjoyed the loot. Nearby was yet another cave, Snapleg Cave. It received its name no doubt for the large fall one would encounter if they were not careful when they entered. Many witches resided inside and they were hostile. There was a lot of good loot, including a Staff of Paralysis that I later sold for 1,000 gold!

Lydia and I returned to Ivarstead and admired the aurora for the remainder of the night.