Traveling through The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim

Chapter 139 The Legend of Old Haldane

Old Haldane in the other world is a very small settlement, but considering that it is located in a narrow valley and it is very difficult to supply materials, it is not easy to have such a scale. Under the mist, houses of various shapes are scattered in the mountains, which reminds me of the Yunnan and Guizhou villages I visited in my previous life. However, the people living here do not live so comfortably, because most of them were deceived.

Not far to the north of Old Haldane is an abandoned mine, called Thorn's Sewage Pit. When we passed by there, we heard some not-so-interesting rumors. When someone discovered a vein of minerals here, the Silverblood Family of Richland immediately took over the development, and a large number of miners came here from Markarth City, ready to do a big job. Unexpectedly, not long after the excavation, they awakened the sleeping wights under the mine. The Silverblood Family organized two groups of mercenaries, but unfortunately they were all wiped out. The mine was then transferred to the Lord of Markarth City, Igmund, at a low price. The Lord himself did not have enough troops and financial resources, so he only sent a small team to station nearby to prevent the wights from going out and hurting people.

No one paid attention to the miners who moved here, leaving them to fend for themselves. Fearing the wights, people moved south and eventually settled in Old Holdan, forming a natural village. The last highlight of this place was last year. Because Lord Igmund wanted to attack the Spear of Cass camp on the Cass River Island, someone cleverly devised a two-wing attack tactic, planning to send a group of orc mercenaries to stab the enemy from behind through Old Holdan. However, the mercenaries and the regular army of Richland watched each other and failed to form a joint force. After the attack plan failed, the orcs vented their anger in Old Holdan and then dispersed.

The proprietress of the Old Haldane Inn was named Edith. According to her, her husband Ubbe had joined the Legion and participated in the battles of the Snake Cliff Ridge and Hofdilsted last year. He seemed to have made some contributions and was still developing in the army. Seeing that there were many of us, she strongly recommended the best room in her inn, which she called "Tiber Septim's Room". She boasted that the Battle of Old Haldane was the beginning of Tiber's unification of Tamriel, and that those barbaric Reachmen knelt at the feet of the brave Nord heroes and accepted their fate of being chopped by the axe.

"It was in this room that the great general spent the night on his bed after his conquest of Old Haldane. Everything has been perfectly preserved for thousands of years."

Speaking of the famous Tiber Septim, Sebastian Lott also became interested and hurriedly told us about the legend of this person who would later be deified.

"Old Haldane was once an important city of the Reachmen, perhaps even their capital. In the late Second Age, there was a young Breton officer in Falkreath named Yardi the Earlybeard. He led his army to besiege the city, but he did not expect the Reachmen to defend it so fiercely. Yardi tried many methods, even promising to become sworn brothers with the first soldier who broke into the city. As a result, some people did rush in, but they were torn to pieces by the humanoid beasts. Suddenly, one morning, Yardi came to the front alone, roared loudly, and the gates collapsed. In revenge for the resistance of the pigs, Yardi plundered for ten days, killing countless people, and old Haldane was destroyed. This Yardi later became Tiber Septim, and it was after this that the Nords called Tiber Talos, which means "Storm Crown."

Everyone, including the landlady, listened with great interest, except Helgi, whose face was so dark that water could drip out of it. Thanks to the efforts of Danger and I, the Nords and the Reachmen in Falkreath have been able to live in harmony. This was the first time she heard someone use words like "barbarians", "human beasts", and "pigs" to describe her people. I quickly paid for the room and changed the subject.

"Madam, can we kill the chickens in this village?"

Edith covered his mouth and laughed.

"The chickens you see running around in the village are all pheasants. The ones we raise ourselves are all kept in cages. There are wild animals nearby, and the chickens we raise at home are too stupid and will be eaten. Pheasants can flutter and fly for a short distance. If customers can catch them, they can catch them and eat them. If not, the store also sells roasted chickens."

Who do you look down on?

"Aigis! I leave it to you. Catch two pheasants. The fatter the better. I'll make something different for everyone. Madam, could you please prepare two cabbages, and some salt, onions, garlic, and wine? My master doesn't mind these small amounts of money."

The proprietress looked at the little cat girl's smug back and chuckled again. She twisted her no longer slender but charming waist and went to prepare the ingredients I mentioned.

"Helgi, follow me."

I borrowed two hoes from the inn's servant and walked around the village with Helgi. When we found a suitable place, I asked the little girl to dig with me. Helgi's eyes were red, and he swung the hoe vigorously at the ground, as if he wanted to smash all his grievances into the soil. Finally, the child couldn't bear it anymore and squatted down and cried. I was the worst at coaxing girls, so I could only look at her helplessly, wanting to persuade her, but I didn't know what to say. Fortunately, the little girl's emotions were like the rain in Falkreath, coming and going quickly. She wiped her face with her hands covered with mud, and immediately turned into a little cat.

"Brother, is what they said true?"

"Are you talking about the boss lady, or Sebastian?"

"Aren't they talking about the same thing?"

Good boy! As long as you are willing to speak, this will enter my comfort zone.

"Obviously, it's not the same thing. The landlady said that her house was once lived in by Tiber Septim, which is definitely nonsense. She herself said that Tiber's attack on Old Haldane happened at the end of the Second Era, and according to the Imperial calendar, it is now the 202nd year of the Fourth Era, which means there is a whole Third Era in between. The Third Era lasted for more than years. Have you ever seen a wooden house that can exist for more than years? Even if it's only years, I don't believe it. So what the landlady said must be a lie. This is just a gimmick she made up to attract customers."

Helgi's focus was clearly not on the house.

"So, what old Lotte said is true?"

The little girl even refused to use honorifics when addressing Sebastian.

"Yes and no."

To be honest, this question is a bit difficult. If we have to resort to a general, simple and crude answer, we can only draw a conclusion that is both true and false. Because according to the background setting of the game, what Old Lot said is indeed true. But I have been in the other world for several months and have more or less figured out a few things. For example, the story of us killing werewolves has become unrecognizable after being adapted and exaggerated by the bard. Then, according to this logic, the so-called history is probably "a story that has been polished by countless people." This actually explains one thing, that is: why the background setting of the Elder Scrolls is so obscure and full of contradictions.

As for Tiber's attack on Old Haldane, I didn't need any archaeological evidence to find many doubts. Helgi laughed at my answer, and I asked her to put the excavated soil on a deerskin while I explained my views in detail.

"Helgi, what follows is pure speculation. I have no way to confirm or disprove it. Just take it as my personal opinion."

The little girl blinked, and the corners of her mouth curved into a beautiful arc.

"Okay. But, brother, don't tell lies to coax me."

"When have I ever lied to you?"

I just don't tell the truth.

"Let's start with what I think is true. To the east of Old Haldane is Snake Cliff Ridge, and to the west is the Spear of Khas, both of which are large tribes of the Reachmen, so it is very possible that this place was once a settlement of the Reachmen. As for the Reachmen, I think I know something about them. They are tough and good at fighting, and they are not a people who would willingly accept slavery. So if Tiber really attacked the Reachmen, it is very likely that he would encounter stubborn resistance. And it is not surprising that he ordered massacres and looting to vent his anger. After all, Tiber himself was not a good person, but a hero. And he did later unify the continent of Tamriel and established a powerful empire."

Helgi almost cried again.

"Doesn't that mean everything they say is true?"

I patted the little girl's shoulder and helped her sit on the rock next to me.

"You can't say that, Helgi. Look at old Haldane, he's right on the hillside, and there's not even a decent piece of flat land around him. You've traveled with me around half of Skyrim, so you're pretty well-informed, but have you ever seen a city built in a place like this? Even if there was a city here, where would the city gate be? What's more, if I were to attack, I would definitely go around the mountain and look down from above. Otherwise, I would blow up the mountain and cause a landslide. No matter what I do, it's much easier than storming the city gate. Tiber has been in many battles and is already a general who can handle things on his own. How could his knowledge be worse than mine?"

"Could it be because you, brother, are inherently very cunning and cruel?"

I tapped Helgi's nose.

"That's just one reason. Second, the Reachmen lived as tribes, relying on fishing and hunting for a living, and never built cities. Building a city requires extremely complex engineering knowledge, and a stable food source to support a large number of workers who are no longer hunting. Old Haldane certainly didn't have enough arable land to produce food. I don't think a nation would completely forget about building cities and return to tribal life after having the ability to build them."

Helgi gazed at the mountains behind old Haldane and seemed to be thinking about what I had said.

"The last point is that the Reach tribes are not led by each other. Apart from the legendary Red Eagle, there has never been a recognized king. Since there is no unified regime, how can there be a capital? Even if Tiber faced a super-large tribe in the southern Reach Territory, it should be led by Snake Cliff Ridge or the Spear of Kaas. Compared with these two large tribes, what qualifications does Old Haldane have to be the capital? In summary, I personally think that Tiber only attacked a small Reach village, but encountered stubborn resistance. In order to cover up his own incompetence, the future emperor, or his lackeys, tampered with the real history and boasted that this tragic victory was the first great victory of his life."

Helgi nodded, then shook his head.

"But, brother, even if your inferences are correct, it still cannot change the fact that the Nordic emperor massacred the Reachmen, right?"

I sighed softly.

"Helgi, what I am going to say next may be difficult for you to understand given your current age and experience. You might as well write it down, and wait..."

"Help!"

Before I finished speaking, I heard the woman's cry, followed by a breathtaking tiger roar. Helgi grabbed the hoe without hesitation and ran in the direction of the sound. After climbing a hill, we saw a tiger. It was half crouching, its front paws gently digging the ground, ready to pounce at any time. The tiger trapped a man and a woman in the small valley. The man was a dark elf. Although his legs were shaking with fear, he still held a miner's hoe and protected the woman behind him.

The distance was too great, and I couldn't use the ice element to separate the tiger from its prey. Helgi yelled at the tiger, trying to attract its attention, but it just glanced at us and aimed at the dark elf again. A fishy wind suddenly blew in the mountains, and the treetops shook violently. The tiger's hind legs suddenly exerted force, and its bloody mouth was like a net, covering the dark elf's head. I couldn't do anything but run down the mountain as fast as I could, hoping that the elf would be like a real man and buy us some time, so that we could at least save the woman.

A black shadow shot out from the treetops and hit the tiger's waist like a cannonball. The beast was already in the air, and was hit by the collision, and immediately lost its balance. The black shadow was like a thorn in the bone, wrapped around the tiger's back, and no matter how it jumped, it couldn't get rid of it. The sudden change made Helgi and I run fast and each of us cast a summoning spell. After the two ice elements made a brilliant appearance, the originally majestic king of beasts didn't even have a chance to escape. Soon his spine was broken and he died on the spot. The black shadow turned over nimbly, stepped on the dead tiger's head, and spat out the pheasant in his mouth with a sound of "Puh".

That was Aigis. The little cat girl heard the cry for help just like us, but she was closer and came from the treetops, which is why she managed to save both of us.

The rescued woman took the dark elf's hand and walked forward to salute us.

"Thank you all for saving my life. My name is Kalan, and this is my husband Talver. Are you going to Markarth? Can you give us a ride?"

"We are guests staying at the Old Haldane Inn, and we are going to Whiterun. It is getting late, and it is unsafe in the wilderness. If you two don't mind, we can go back to the inn together and set off again after daybreak."

The woman looked flustered and waved her hands repeatedly. The dark elf just held her hand silently without saying a word.

"Then I'm sorry I can't help you."

I returned the greeting briefly and turned to leave.

"Sir, please wait a moment while I discuss this with Talver."

Kalan called me and then started whispering to the dark elf. They looked at the dead tiger on the ground, then looked at us, and seemed to have finally made up their minds.

"Sir, my husband and I hope to follow you to Whiterun. We can pay for the journey. However, I cannot enter Old Haldane, and please do not mention me to the people in the village. We will wait for you by the roadside south of the village tomorrow morning."

"Then please be careful, and we'll see you tomorrow."

I said goodbye to the couple again, but was stopped by Helgi again.

"Brother, we have to drag this tiger back. We can sell it for a lot of money!"