The morning came gray. Not bright. Not warm. Just gray. Like the sky itself had given up trying.
When I stepped out of the inn, the fog was even thicker than last night, clinging low to the ground. I could barely see across the main path, and every shape in the distance blurred like it didn't want to be recognized. The swamp stank of rot.
Meridia walked behind me, her steps deliberate, her posture perfect as always. Even out here, in the muck, she carried herself like a queen among beggars. People noticed her too. They didn't approach—they just stared, then quickly looked away, whispering among themselves.
I caught bits of it."Not from here…""…unnatural eyes…""…bringing more trouble."
Yeah. Subtle bunch.
"Seems we're already the talk of the town," I muttered.
"Let them talk," Meridia said sharply. "Moths whisper when the flame arrives. It is their nature."
"Pretty sure that's not how moths work," I replied, but she ignored me, of course.
I made my way toward the Jarl's longhouse. If this was like the game, that was where the burned house questline started. Except something told me this wasn't going to follow the same script. The closer we got, the more uneasy I felt.
The guards at the door barely looked at me. Their faces were pale, eyes ringed with exhaustion. When I asked to see the Jarl, they just shrugged and let me in, like they didn't care either way.
Inside, Jarl Idgrod Ravencrone sat slouched on her throne, her eyes half-lidded, staring at something I couldn't see. She looked ancient, older than she should've been. Her hair thin, skin like paper.
Her son, Aslfur, stood at her side, arms crossed, looking more like the one holding the place together.
"You," Idgrod rasped the second her eyes landed on me. She leaned forward slightly, her gaze distant but sharp all at once. "I've seen you. In the mists."
Great. Right off the bat, cryptic grandma vibes.
I glanced at Meridia. She didn't flinch, didn't react, just stood tall and quiet behind me.
"I'm just passing through," I said carefully. "Heading east."
The Jarl shook her head slowly, her eyes still locked on me. "No one just passes through Morthal. Not anymore."
Her son sighed. "Mother, please. He's a traveler, nothing more. Don't burden him with—"
"Silence," Idgrod snapped, her voice sharper than I expected. She leaned further forward. "There is a shadow over this town. Something that crawls in the swamps, whispers in the fog. It feeds. And you—outsider—you've brought its gaze with you."
The room went colder. I swallowed hard, trying not to look as rattled as I felt. "Brought its gaze? Lady, I didn't bring anything. I just got here."
Idgrod's lips curled faintly, not quite a smile. "Perhaps. Perhaps not."
Behind me, Meridia finally spoke, her tone cutting through the tension like steel. "Your swamp festers because you allow it. Fear is your worship, and something has claimed the offering. Show me where this rot festers, and I shall cut it clean."
Idgrod's cloudy eyes locked on her now. For the first time, the old woman looked afraid.
"You… You are not mortal."
Meridia tilted her chin upward, smug as ever. "And yet, you see me."
The silence that followed was heavy.
We left the longhouse after that. Aslfur had practically pushed us out, muttering about his mother's visions and insisting we don't trouble her further. But the damage was already done. People outside were whispering louder now, watching me, watching Meridia.
It didn't feel like suspicion anymore. It felt like fear.
As we walked down the narrow planks between the houses, I caught sight of something at the edge of the swamp. A shape, just barely visible in the fog. Human-sized. Standing still. Watching.
When I blinked, it was gone.
Meridia stopped beside me, her voice low. "You see it too."
"Yeah," I muttered, my throat tight. "And I really don't like where this is going."
She smirked faintly, that infuriating mix of pride and challenge. "Good. Fear sharpens the blade. Keep it close."
I wanted to snap at her. But I didn't. Because deep down, I knew she was right.
Something was watching. And for the first time since stepping into Skyrim, I wasn't sure if I was the hunter… or the prey.