Morrowind Mod:Tamriel Rebuilt/Nadael Illulivad, Vol II

Nadael awoke to the sound of Hirvok, the innkeeper of The Deepening Pool, (which would, years later, become Arrille's Tradehouse) yelling at the top of his lungs. From what the young thief could discern from the sputtering and spitting, it was something about counterfeit gold pieces and the nerve of some people.

He turned over and pulled the scratchy wool over his ears. He'd been tracking his foster parent's murderers for four days, and got as far as Seyda Neen before losing their tracks to the sea. Exhausted, and with not a bent coin to his name, he went to The Deepening Pool and traded a week of hard labor for a place to sleep.

Unfortunately, Hirvok had not promised good sleep, and as Illulivad lay amongst the empty apple barrels and dirty dishes, restless, he happened upon a plan. He would work until he had earned enough money to get him on a ship heading for the mainland, and there he would resume his search.

Of course, it was hopeless. He had to work his hands to the bone merely to get a place to rest at night, and travel was so expensive...

He could swim, of course, and was even proficient at it, but swimming all the way... it was preposterous! It couldn't be done! There were some small specks of land, tiny isles and inlets between Vvardenfell and the mainland he could rest on, but the chances of finding one of these was about the same as finding an underground tunnel to Skyrim!

A chance came at the end of the week in the form of a large ship bringing supplies for Seyda Neen - food, clothes, and weapons to protect against the mudcrabs that frequented the area. When it docked and the crew left the confines of the boat to get something other than salted hound meat, he made his move.

Nadael crept from The Deepening Pool, now filled nearly to the brim with sailors resting their sea legs on solid ground. Their drunken laughs and Hirvok's roars of anger would continue until the boat left the following morning.

The night watchman sat on the rail surrounding the edge of the ship, singing a merry little song to himself. A tossed stone was a good enough distraction for him and the young thief pulled himself up over the rail and snuck down as far as he could go in the ship. He tucked himself into an empty barrel and fell asleep.

The next morning, Illulivad awoke from his light sleep and rubbed his eyes. On the deck above, the captain was yelling.

"Welcome back, landlubbers! Fetch up and man your posts! We're headed to Ebonheart, so look sharp!"

Nadael smiled to himself and fell back asleep, dreams of the mainland and finding the people he was searching for in his head.