Passing north out of Riften, the road takes us through Fort Greenwall, and as we approach a battle is being fought between Imperials and Stormcloaks! I don't remember anything like this from my previous games, so perhaps it's one of the mods. Either way it's awesome. We stay out of the way and let them duke it out.
The road takes us through Shores Stone, and eventually back across the acidic cratered flatlands that lie to the north of Darkwater Crossing. Marching across this arid terrain, I accompany a patrol of guards evidently on their way to Windhelm. Again, I don't remember anything like this from before.
As the night wears on, we reach the inn at Kynesgrove, just south of Windhelm. Another patrol crosses our path, just as several imperial soldiers launch a surprise attack outside the inn! Decimus would normally side with the Imperials, but being massively outnumbered and clearly deep in Stormcloak territory, I hedge my bets and help the guards slay the imperial attackers, before turning in for the night.
We set off on the last leg of the journey very early the next morning. As we near Windhelm, we're greeted by this awesome sight:
What the hell! I'm lost for words. This is largely thanks to the Surreal Lighting mod I think, and has to be one of the coolest shots I've ever seen in this or any game. I believe the additional defences and guards may also be due to a mod - it's been many years since I visited vanilla Windhelm, so I'm not sure. I total, five guards stand watch or nearby, and as we cross the awesome bridge into the city, another four guards march towards us on patrol. Yes! THIS is how the original game should have been! The immersion is becoming overwhelming.
Before I reached the city I was a bit apprehensive, as I remember it being quite boring and bleak. Well take a look at this:
New favourite city! I deliver the note to the alchemists from Darkwater Crossing as requested, and the senior alchemists gives me another quest, to retrieve something called the White Phial.
The journey north to Windhelm, while superficially fairly uneventful, took about an hour, and has deepened my appreciation for the game even more.
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