Hour 3: Lost Knives

I head for the Hideout. On the way there I come across a warrior named Dasturn, wearing an incredibly cool-looking set of ebony armour:

What's up with his face? It looks like the helmet is empty. Anyway, he seems powerful and therefore cannot be tolerated to live. I surround him with my skeleton horde and he's cut down - although he shatters my skeletons in a single blow, I can raise them faster than he can slay them, and he's whittled down bit by bit. It turns out to have been a very worthwhile endeavour, as the ebony armour's worth a good bit of gold, and what's more, he's carrying 2000 ebony arrows, worth 2 gold each. I'm rich!

I pass by some 'revelers' further down the road, but rebuff their requests to join them. They then wander off across a bridge and I watch as an enraged River Troll charges out of the bushes and tears them to shreds! I surround it with my skeletons and it too succumbs eventually, though it smashes aside two at a time with its powerful swipes, and it's all I can do to re-raise them fast enough.

Shortly before the Hideout, I pass by Fort Amol. There looks to have been a massacre here, with dozens of bodies strewn about.

I enter the fort but find it populated by mages. I manage to just about slay the first one, but when 2 more arrive who easily slay my skeletons from afar and kill me with a single firebolt, I reload and beat a hasty retreat. These pathetic mages will suffer the wrath of my undead horde in good time.

Finally, I reach the Hideout, and easily slay all the bandits within, as my skeletons charge forward and seek out foes. The cave is one of the more impressive ones, with a large central cavern with bridges fanning out from a central 'hub'.

I decide to walk back to Windhelm, across the strange, acidic 'hot springs'-type landscape which lies to its south:

I pass by Bonestrewn Crest, wherein my skeletons trounce a few enemy skeletons. I thought a Dragon Mage would appear here, but it didn't. I was disappointed, but it's probably for the best as I doubt I'm powerful enough to face one yet. I also stumble across Witchmist Grove, but my skeletons slay the witch before I even realise what's happening.

I reach Windhelm and collect my reward from the sea-captain Kjar - 500 gold. Not enough in my opinion - he has insulted me with a paltry sum, and next time I'm in Windhelm I'll immolate him for this insolence

For now, though, I sell off my loot for a good bit of gold - several thousand, in fact, and decide that it's high time I improved my repetoire of spells. I'll go and see Farengar in Whiterun.