Cellar Door

More about Cellar Door

Having explored the dining hall with minimal reward, the snow leopard continues its exploration of this ruined fort, nestled a remote, undiscovered corner of the snow capped mountains in Skyrim.

An acrid odour faintly lingers in the air. Unbeknownst to it, the scent is a blend of old alchemical ingredients, some remnants still powdered somewhere nearby in a mortar and pestle. Others merely dried residue left clinging to old vials, glasses, or even an old alembic, dusty from the passage of time since last use...

Sniffing the scent and following the trail, the snow leopard pads through an open doorway, presented with steps leading downwards into the dim, dank cellar. As it contemplates the dripping sound of water somewhere beneath in the catacombs no doubt, an eerie creak slowly begins, then increases in volume and pace as the heavy oak doors close dramatically behind it with a solid clunk, and heavy clang from the iron handles banging on the fittings.

A chill in the air sweeps down the stairs, enveloping the snow leopard, and passing around it, urging it onwards, downwards, into the depths beyond. Glancing briefly back to the closed doors atop the stairs, then slowly returning to stone stairs disappearing downwards before it, the snow leopard pauses in contemplation.

A faint growl in its stomach serves to remind it why it entered the fort originally - to seek sustenance, and perhaps shelter from the impending storm. Although wild, this snow leopard has a canny ability to appreciate the nordic humans beyond other snow leopards. Their wastefulness with food, drink, even life given their propensity for battle and war. All of which provides the leopard with opportunities for greater survivability in this harsh and foreboding territory. Something that has helped it reach the situation it is in today, where others have not been so successful or fortunate. Meditating on its family no longer travelling with the snow leopard, the resolve to press on and delve further reignites its determination, and to hide the trepidation it feels. Curiosity has served it well in the past (more often than not), but it is not without its dangers, and peril. Would this be one such venture...?