fh_trips | Riften, Skyrim, Thursday Afternoon/Evening

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fall break 2014: skyrim

Riften, Skyrim, Thursday Afternoon/Evening

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The Bee and Barb is considerably larger than Frostfruit, warmer, and built out of sturdy wood. Its rooms are larger and more lavish as a result, provide a tub of their own - though you'll have to go downstairs to get heated water for it - and even have their own small walled-off bucket-toilet area. Said bucket-toilet actually has a comfortable seat and is cleaned out twice a day, so that's a step up, isn't it?

There are either two twin beds or one queen bed to a room. Minor healing and resistance to frost potions are provided in the room, and the maid makes sure there's lavender flowers in each room, providing a pleasant smell.

[ check here for your room assignments! if threads threaten to go NSFW, please move them to a post in your personal journal. ]

The Bee and Barb's common room is larger than Frostfruit's, and while it doesn't contain a central fire pit, there are sconces everywhere keeping the place at a comfortable level of heat. It doesn't hurt that Riften is further south than Rorikstead, either.

Serving you is the Argonian Talen-Jei and his equally-lizardlike barkeeper Keerava. Neither peddles in dog meat, but many of the other delicacies of Skyrim are available. The local specialty is cheese. And fish. Lots of fish. Also, Talen-Jei is a connoisseur of cocktails, so if you want something really special to drink, ask him for suggestions!

Most notably, the warrior Mjoll the Lioness likes to sit here during the evenings, telling tales of her travels in Riften.

There are more excursions planned during the afternoon, or you can simply go for a walk yourself in the area. The Autumnal Forests are quite beautiful, after all.

Mzulft* is an ancient Dwemer city north of Riften. Nord guides from Riften accompany the students up there; the story they tell of how the ruin could not be accessed until the Dragonborn passed by is one some of you might have already heard about Blackreach.

Mzulft itself is a maze of stone tunnels dug into the mountain. The Dwemer were craftsmen and scientists, and they have filled the space with pipes and machinery. Some of it still works, keeping the area nice and warm. Occasionally, the guides point out a trap that shouldn't be triggered - mostly, though, the area is full of broken Dwemer automatons, some not yet looted of gemstones and metal. Some parts have fallen into disrepair entirely-- some earth tunnels link certain parts of the city, covered in smaller versions of the glowing mushrooms from Blackreach.

There are abandoned tents on the way, and inexplicably, a room full of cabbage - then the ceilings get higher and the halls more opulent.

True crown of the trip is the Oculory, a gigantic round device that contains many lenses. These lenses channel bright beams of sunlight around - they come together to form a large map of Skyrim on one of the walls. It's a magnificent sight: the Dwemer were well beyond the Nords in their explorations of technology.

* yes, we spelled that right

This trip is carved up into two parts. First, the two Nord guides lead all those who follow them to the small town of Ivarstead...

You could easily choose to stay in Ivarstead. It's a beautiful town, built around the same river that courses through Riften many miles down. There's an inn where you can catch your breath and have some mead, a mill, some homes and beautiful countryside. Not only that, but you can meet Nords from all around Skyrim here - they gather here as pilgrims.

From Ivarstead, pilgrims and the Fandom visitors who choose to do so must take the Seven Thousand Steps up to High Hrothgar. It's a long journey that takes you all the way up this enormous mountain. This journey is one that holds great spiritual significance to the Nords, and periodically along the way you will find small shrines with inscriptions that, one by one, detail the history of High Hrothgar.

The Nords were created on this mountain by their god Kyne when the sky breathed onto the land, the guides say. That is why they call this place the Throat of the World.

At the top stands the fortress of High Hrothgar. There, you can warm up and have a meal. But be sure to step outside again, as this mountain holds the best view of Skyrim possible - and you might just find the monks practicing their Voice or Thu'um, breathing fire and ice and performing other magical miracles simply by shouting in the Dragon tongue.

It's not too cold out here, and the forest surrounding Riften offers quite a nice walk. And if that's not quite your speed, well, for the more shopping-minded, there's a Khajit caravan camped right outside the gates. The management cautions against ingesting too much Skooma.

While there are no giants near Riften, there are certainly dragons, and the many forts in the area are host to bandits. Even walking in the forests can turn out badly thanks to the local wildlife, such as bears, wolves, and Frostbite Spiders.

By the time all excursions come to an end, it's late enough that it's dark out, and most of the stores have closed down. Still, the city itself is well-lit, and there's plenty of opportunities for entertainment to be found.

Don't want to dine at the Bee and Barb? You can find food elsewhere. Most of the stalls are closed, but in the fishery district, there are still plenty of places where you can buy grilled salmon steaks or mudcrab legs. You can find tables overlooking the water and the far-away forests around the district, too.

Or maybe you'd rather see what else Riften has to offer in terms of drinking and amusement. The Black-Briar Meadery is famous throughout Skyrim; grab a few bottles here and then retreat to the balcony, where you can party with the hard-working workers of the meadery.

Or you could explore the city itself. Half of Riften - the Dryside - is built on the banks of the Lake Honrich, near the beautiful Autumnal Forest. In fact, the forest itself encroaches on the city, as you can find many beautiful trees throughout the Dryside. It's separated from the Dockside region by a large canal. The Dockside itself has been constructed on top of the lake, sitting on large poles well above the water.

No one in Riften is going to just point you here, but the Ratway is an important part of the city's infrastructure. It's a complex maze of tunnels underneath the city that can be accessed through doorways in the lower areas of the canal. Here, you'll find the Ragged Flagon, the pub that is a popular destination for most of Riften's thieves and mercenaries.

Aaaand ping here if you need help or fixings!

Throwback Thursday: my first IC post in the game ever.

Edward had found out about the Ragged Flaggon early that morning - of course he had. And he hadn't spent nearly enough time with his mates of late, so clearly something had to be rectified.

"I'm tellin' you, this tavern's something else!"

Celia had, shockingly enough, never had mead, so Thursday evening seemed like a perfect time to rectify exactly that. She bought a few extra bottles -- they seemed like they were intended to travel, and she'd like to have something a little less harsh than whiskey on hand at home -- and found herself a relatively quiet corner to people-watch.

Gwen had thought she'd just go for a little walk and see if anything looked interesting. The problem was that she didn't consider how nervous she'd be walking alone at night. She didn't remember actually dying, but she knew that's how it happened, and so she wasn't enjoying the scenery as much as she kept looking over her shoulder just in case.

If anyone wanted to walk with her, she'd love you forever.

And after spending time checking out the local street toughs in jail, Johnny decided that what he really wanted to do was fight a dragon. He had waited this long! It was go time!

The flying fire versus fire fight was pretty epic if you asked Johnny, mostly because he would absolutely embellish a little. But even without that it was cool.

It ended up a draw because even though the dragon was a freaking dragon, Johnny still had the better flame. He liked to think that both of them learned something about the other. Mainly how awesome they both were.

Flick didn't really feel like going too far but it wasn't freezing so he wanted to get out of the inn as well. So, he found his way along some of the stalls and grabbed some unfamiliar looking food before taking a seat at a table overlooking the water.

This place was kinda nice.

Travis had spent way too much time listening to people talk in the Temple of Mara today. He had to get some fresh air and get some place that wasn't reminding him of marriage and...other things.

So, it was time to take a walk again and clear his head.

Kitty had started a tradition on these trips. Being that her primary job these days was the bar, she liked trying at least one drink in each new place just in case she ever wanted to bring it back with her. So she got one of the cocktails and sat back to hang out for a while.

Travis wasn't walking with her but he was walking towards her, at least. He had been enjoying the scenery though and even gave her a quick wave when he spotted her.

"Out for a moonlit walk, huh?"

"Hey," she said, and if that sounded a little startled, well, she was jumpy. "Yeah, thought I'd see if it was like, pretty out here."

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Riften, Skyrim, Thursday Afternoon/Evening

(frozen comment) The Bee and Barb Inn

The Bee and Barb Inn - Rooms

The Bee and Barb Inn - Common Room

(frozen comment) Outside Riften

Outside Riften - Mzulft

(frozen comment) Outside Riften - Ivarstead and High Hrothgar

Outside Riften - Ivarstead

Outside Riften - High Hrothgar

Outside Riften - Explore The Area Around Riften

Outside Riften - Adventuring

(frozen comment) EVENING: Exploring Riften

EVENING: Exploring Riften - Dining

EVENING: Exploring Riften - Drinks

EVENING: Exploring Riften - Go For A Walk

EVENING: Exploring Riften - The Ratway

OOC: Riften Thursday Evening

EVENING: Exploring Riften - The Ratway

Re: EVENING: Exploring Riften - Drinks

Re: EVENING: Exploring Riften - Go For A Walk

Re: Outside Riften - Adventuring

Re: EVENING: Exploring Riften - Dining

Re: EVENING: Exploring Riften - Go For A Walk

Re: The Bee and Barb Inn - Common Room

Re: EVENING: Exploring Riften - Go For A Walk

Re: EVENING: Exploring Riften - Go For A Walk