Man out

MC(Barry) pov

At the age of 16, I have been exiled from my town for 2 years, for the crime of insulting the noble family of jarl korrir of winterhold. I've got a good set up in winterhold though, I'm sure things will take care of themselves.

My logistics business is handed over to Birna and Isabelle. They run a logistics service between Dawnstar and winterhold, using my trained ice wolves and sleds to carry goods and people through the coastline. It's much faster and safer than horse driven carriages through bandit infested roads.

I've taught them some magic as well to help them protect themselves and retreat against any interference in their job. They have even joined the college as novice and gain quite a bit of contribution in college through my logistics business.

My Snowberry-wine business is completely handled by Colette and we've even got a snowberry farm set up in winterhold. We had planned a big expansion for our business, but pervious jarl korrir was hesitant to give any more land to wizards from the college, hence he had to go.

I had planned and executed his removal from office and planting lord kraldar as the new jarl. To satisfy honour code and protect the dignity of noble houses, I had to go in exile because of my actions.

But the new farmland that I got from jarl kraldar in the deal is going to be a boon for winterhold and make me a lot of money.

Winterhold is a land of always winter so it's already tough to grow anything here. But with college's help, me, Colette and my mother were able to use the two weeks between the Ascension of jarl kraldar and my exile to plan out the farm.

I used modern techniques of aquaponics to create an eco -system. The farm consist of a whole hill, the top of which has been dug out to create a volcano like effect, but instead of lava inside it, it holds fresh water.

In the water are various plants and fish that sustain off of each other creating a food chain. Most of the time, the top layer of the water is frozen, so it is isolated. It's plant life feeds fishes like Silverside Perch, which in turn feed carnivorous fishes like Slaughterfish.

We will harvest these fishes in huge quantities in summer when the top layer of the lake is not ice, turning them into smoked and spiced jerky to store for rest of the year or to sell to travellers. The spice blend consists of specially selected ingredient, combining the arts of alchemy and cooking to create different jerky's with different effects for consumer.

I've taken quite a bit of prototype smoked Siverside and Slaughterfish jerkeys for my own travel ahead. The silverback ones have similar effect to Restoring Stamina potions, acting a bit like coffee before or after workout. Similarly, Slaughterfish jerkey act like proteen shakes before workout, giving consumer more fule to work with and encouraging muscle buildup.

The rest of the farm is built on hillsides in a steps like formation, creating a terrace farm. While most of the farm produces snowberry, different plants and trees will add to biodiversity, creating a symbiotic ecosystem for the snowberry. We've even set up some honey bee colonies on some of the trees throughout the farm.

We don't even have to worry about irrigation after the first year, since the roots will dig up to the Central Lake's water. The lake's own biodiversity will create fertilizers as well. Only labour intensive task would be harvesting, which will provide work for destitute citizens of winterhold.

While Colette will handle most of its day to day, my mother will act in my place, representing my stake in the venture while I'm in exile. We've even built a hill-side lake-house on the property to better manage it. Colette often invites her novice students there, helping them train their restoration spells on the fishes.

While I'll be in exile from winterhold, I'll still be a member of the college. I've discussed with my Godfather and the archmage about correspondence with the college while I'm out. I'll keep them up to date on my location and they might send some missions my way.

My first destination is windhelm, since it is the closest City to Winterhold. My mother had already confessed her true story to me before my exile, so this stop has even more emotional significance to me.

I enjoy my first time in a big city and act like a rich tourist. I visit all the stores and stalls, looking for anything useful. I find an interesting character in Nurelion of the White Phial. I introduce myself as the owner of the newest drink in town, Enchanté. A snowberry based wine.

He recognises the wine and appreciates my endeavour as only a master Alchemist and a master trader could. He says that me bringing the alchemical effects of snowberry in a wine form is ingenious and I'm sure to earn massive profit as the drink gains more notoriety.

He still didn't know how I did it but had some pretty good guess that gave me ideas for future drinks. Recognising his talents, I ask him to join the college and my endeavours at Enchanté wines. To tempt him further, I even shared some of my Alchemically enhanced smoked fish jerkys, fascinating him further.

He told me that he was very old, even for a Mer, only his unfulfilled quest was keeping him alive. He Explained his quest " the legend of the 'White Phial'." A legendary bottle which can replicate any liquid placed in it.

He had narrowed it's location to near windhelm. He was trying to narrow it down further, collecting any information regarding the White Phial. I told him I am not just a scholar from the college but a brute as well. I can help him look by trying of different caves and crypts for him. He is grateful and says he'll let me know when he has a good enough guess.

After exploring the city a bit more, I left the city to explore the nearby countryside. I met a few hard working farmers and become fascinated by their dedication and skill. It's not easy farming wheat in such cold conditions.

I myself had faced such a situation in winterhold. We had bought a lighthouse between Dawnstar and winterhold for my logistics company. I had invested a lot of money to turn that light house into a green house, using the flame at its top to heat pipes that run through gardened area, allowing us to grow food in tundra.

The lighthouse used to be a tower, but after my modifications, it is more like a ziggurat with step like walls. We had planted many juniper trees, creating a multi level juniper orchid. It's ground floor even acts like a sheep barn to house many mountain goats.

The lighthouse, along with the ruins of sarthal act as waypoints for my logistics company for its route from winterhold to Dawnstar. The ruins of sarthal are already being explored by the college and hence is protected by them. I have to put a small team in the light house to trade and harvest it's resources, and protect it .

Looking at windhelm's farms gave me a lot of inspiration for other businesses. I interact with farmers and stable hands for rest of the day and retire to the candle hearth in by night.

During this time, I make a name for myself as a big spender and a curious guy who would offer mead and wine for personal stories, charming everyone I met asking the way. I even tried looking for an argonian named barrel pusher in the docks, but couldn't find him or what happened to him.

I spent the next few months coordinating with Nurelion, helping him cross off caves, ruins and crypts from his list by exploring them.

My excursions into various crypts ruins and caves had reduced banditry and necromancers in the area. This had bought me a lot of fame. People had even started talking about my story from winterhold, having found out about my exile from there through various rumours.

Eventually I got an invite from Jarl Ulfric . His recent freedom and unjust incarceration in Markarth are fresh on everyone's mind. The stormcloaks faction had already been created to resist aldmeri dominion but they have still not declared war on Empire yet.

Jarl Ulfric praises me for my hard work and bringing more security to his realm. He talks to me about winterhold, Jarl korrir, jarl kraldar and about my time at Windhelm.

After hearing my stories, he offers me the position of a Thane and I accept. I am offered a housekarl but I ask him to hold on. I told him that I wanted to choose my own housekarl from anyone willing in Windhelm and I needed a month to do so. I further asked him if I could buy land and property in the city and surrounding area.

Once I was given all the permissions, I started buying Sawmills and wheat farms near the city, along the river. I had already talked with Ulfric that I don't plan to just own this land forever, my plan is to develop the area and sell/rent it to people. I even took Ulfric's blessing to expand my logistics business to here.

He hesitated because of influence of clan Shatter-Shield, a noble clan of Windhelm, they own the biggest shipping business in Windhelm. I ask him to invite their clan head to a meeting and we become quick friends. Although we will cater to same routes of Windhelm-winterhold-Dawnstar, our offerings were very different.

My pack of dogs couldn't carry near enough weight as ships do, but they cover the route in much less time than ships do. My dogs can distribute their goods anywhere in land, while ships can only load and unload from dock to dock. It's like comparing trucks to ships.

That night, Torbjorn Shatter-Shield invited me to his house to meet his family and celebrate our dealings. The dinner is attended by his wife and twin daughters. I have a great time as a leave his house drunk, with both his daughters , who escort my drunk self to an inn, since Torbjorn himself was too drunk to do it himself.

Next day I wake up with Shatter-Shield twins - Nilsine Shatter-Shield and Friga Shatter-Shield. The bloody bed tells me that I took their virginity last night. I kiss friga on her head to wake her up. I tell her that yesterday was one of the best nights of my life and it's a shame I don't remember much of it. I ask her if we should repeat it, just for memories sake. We wake her sister up and make it a morning to remeber.

That morning I shower them with gifts of clothes and jewellery while talking a bit about Isabelle and Birna. Can't have them thinking too possessively. They seem a bit jealous about how they are self made independent women, while looking down on their own luxurious and pampered upbringing.

Looking at their ambitious eyes, I propose an opportunity to them. I reminded them that I am a Thane in Windhelm and that I plan on investing a lot in nearby lands. I will need a housekarl to protect my investments and a steward to manage them. They both thought that I'm offering then stewardship but I explained that I'm instead offering them to be my housekarl.

They are both privileged and pampered noble ladies. They are educated but lack skills in anything perticular. They will need extensive training to be useful with anything. If I'm gonna train them anyways, them why not train them in everything rather than just one.

I told them that I have been given one month to find my housekarl or I will have to accept whichever loyalist Ulfric gives me. I go to meet their father while they return to their home. Their father didn't know that they left with me last night so I keep such things to myself while telling him about my

adventures.

I ask him about his surname. Shatter-Shield sounds like a warrior's surname, not a trader's. He tells me about his legendary ancestor who established the family. He further told me about his legacy, Agisbane. A warhammer that causes anything stuck by it to become icy brittle and shatter.

I tell him about my own stories, including my ventures into various caves and crypts as well as facing many bandit gangs alone. These are the feats that earned me the title of Thane at 16 yrs old. I tell him that with such a legendary legacy, there should be more legendary figures in his family. Afterall, Agisbane should be on the battlefield, not hanging like a showpiece.

He told me of how much he wanted a son. How he imagined his son would have been a legendary warrior, much like I am right now. He told me how he himself had crushed many thalmor with Agisbane in the war.

I told him that he still has hiers to his legacy in Friga and Nilsine. I told him that they had impressed me with their mind last night and that I saw a lot of potential in them.

I had to use subtle magic to make him more pliable to my suggestions, but I was able to convince him that in a month's time, I can give him a worthy wielder for Agisbane among his daughters. All I needed was his permission to train them as warrior. He was still hesitant, so I asked him to think about it and talk about this with his daughters.

That night, I am invited to Shatter-Shield house again for dinner. Torbjorn Shatter-Shield told me that his daughters had not only agreed, but were excited for their training to become warriors. I told him that we will usually be training under the bridge of Windhelm, in the icy waters. He was always welcome to come and see our progress.

Next day, I took both my students to get them some Heavy Iron Armor. We had to make do with some Ill fitting pair since they don't usually make Armor for women. I even got a set for myself. Total cost came to about 900 gold, but It included charges to get them custom fitted over time.

We crossed the bridge to Windhelm and came to the river's Bank. Here I offered them both some Slaughterfish jerkey , since it has alchemical properties that will support muscle growth and prevent injury. It will also have minor resist Frost effect.

After this, I ask them to jump into the water, as I jump myself, heavy Armor and all. They were very scared but seeing me not struggling against the current, they jumped too.

I then start my training, which is to swim against the current in heavy Armor. This will build muscle as well as act as cardio while familiarising them with their Armor. They will also get used to the cold, while the child helps them avoide muscle fatigue. With their Nordic Heritage and me constantly feeding them some food with resist Frost effect, the cold is secondary problem at best.

They obey at first but are soon tired. Heavy Armor making it impossible for them to float, they have to constantly swim upwards to not drown. I feed them Siverside perch jerky, wich has coffee like effect, as it restores their stamina. We continue this same exercise for rest of the day, swimming in cold water, in heavy Armor. From 8 Am in morning to 4pm. Whatever break we take to eat and replenish energy, we still remain in water.

After 4pm , I get them out of water and they don't even have the energy to walk. I decide this is a good time to learn magic. I ask them to sit in a meditative pose. They help each other sit straight by sitting with their spines touching, so as to provide back support to each other.

I teach them the most basic healing spell, aptly named 'healing'. Restoration Branch of magic is the only respected branch among close minded Nords. For half an hour, they meditate as they practice this spell, while I answer any doubts they have as they make progress. I am constantly using the shout 'LAAS' , to monitor their health, making sure they don't make any detrimental mistakes.

After this, by 5pm we go back to the blacksmith, where the girls learn to adjust their Armor to their custom size under instructions of Oengul War-Anvil. The blacksmith recognised the noble girls and knew it to be an opportunity to increase his own standing in Windhelm. I had already paid for him to help anyways.

This will help them understand their own Armor better, as well as learn about effects of Frost and fire on different materials. I leave the girls in his care as Torbjorn will pick them up from here as we had already discussed.