» Fri Feb 13, 2015 9:14 pm The time I spent in the city of Northpoint was one of great joy to me, and not one I shall forget soon. The locals were very hospitable to a foreigner in their lands, and the ladies of the city were even more welcoming.
I wish to tell you about an elderly man I met at the docks at Northpoint, and his peculiar friend. He told me that his mother had given him the name of Raelle, and he had worked the docks all his life.
As much as this man's life story interested me, what really caught my attention was the squeaking noises coming from a small box that sat on his boat. When I enquired as to what could possibly be making that noise, he calmly replied "An Azurian Sea Squirrel."
Now, dear reader, if you have read the previous volumes in this series, which I trust you have, you will know about my experience with the bees and the Direnni Boar on the isle of Balfiera, and to say that this 'Azurian Sea Squirrel' captured my imagination moreso than that beautiful pig may come as a bit of a surprise to you.
"An Azurian Sea Squirrel? You must be mistaken, my dear fellow. I can assure you, from my own experience back home in the Great Forest of Cyrodiil, that squirrels do not come from the sea."
Raelle shook his head at me. "No my friend, I believe it is you who is the mistaken one here. The Cyrod Squirrels you have seen back home indeed do not come from the oceans. But the squirrel that rests on my boat; she is from the Azurian Sea." As the man finished his sentence, a little head forced it's way out of the box, and I must say reader, it was the most beautiful sight I dare say I will ever see. It was indeed a squirrel, but not like any squirrel I had seen before. Her head was a deep shade of azure, much like the sea she had come from, and her eyes were as bright as rubies like the Dark Elves of Morrowind. After she squeezed herself out the box, she scampered up to Raelle and sat on the Breton's shoulder.
"By Mara's grace Raelle, I think I may be in love."
"She is a beautiful creature, isn't she? My pa used to tell stories of his father sailing out to the Azurian Sea on the *Hyuket* to try and find lost Yokudan treasures to sell to the Queen of Sentinel. They must have gone out to those waters maybe a hundred times to come back to Northpoint with nothing but sea sickness. They became a laughing stock in the city, and although my grandfather's friends moved south to find work that would actually pay them, he would continue to go out there by himself, determined to find something that meant he and his future children would never had to work another day in their lives."
"And did he ever find anything?"
"You're looking at the greatest treasure he ever found right now. These type of squirrels only come into existence when the Dragon breaks. This one must have been waiting a long time for someone to find her. I guess she was lucky that my grandfather was sailing by."
"I must say, I have never heard of these before."
"Aye, I don't think many people have. The only Azurian Sea Squirrels that Mnem here knows for certain are still alive, live with the three Dunmer Gods in Morrowind. She tells me that she hears echoes of one who lived with the Empress, Hestra, but the echoes seem to be become quieter every day."
"If Mnem was the treasure your grandfather found that meant that his family never had to work again, why are you here on the docks?"
"Mnem loves the sea, Niben, and so do I. And if the Dragon ever breaks again, you can be sure that Mnem and I will be the first to set sail to the Azurian Sea to find her a friend."
The sun was beginning to set on the horizon, so I shook the man's hand and bid he and Mnem a fond farewell. As I made my way to the crest of the hill, I looked back to the docks to see the silhouette of Raelle and Mnem looking out to the sea, and it will be an image that will stay forever in my heart.
