Chapter 1
The second Sundas of Hearthfire.
The only day the Sun Troll appears from its den, located in the deepest reaches of the mine in Darkwater crossing.
The day Gronik Zaalon would finally vanquish this magnificent beast, tucked away in a labyrinth of musty mining paths and caved-in crevices, like a spider entangled in its own web.
On this very day, Gronik Zaalon would harvest the Sun Troll’s pelt and finally have enough gold to buy a place of his own, to stop sleeping under trees and rocks, and to finally have a roof over his head. But this day holds an unexpected twist for our troll-slaying traveler. But we are getting quite ahead of ourselves, aren’t we? Perhaps you would like to meet this man, this Gronik. Well, let me tell you all about him… and more.
Gronik Zaalon was a slight, fair skinned orc with black hair and blue eyes, hailing from a not-too friendly line of orcs dating back to the dragons and Tiber Septim. Unlike his foul family tree, however, Gronik was quite hospitable, and often helped anyone in need, no matter how sketchy they may be. This does not mean that Gronik was naïve, however. It was quite the opposite in fact. Naiveite does not make a troll hunter, after all.
Yes, as you might have guessed, Gronik was a troll hunter, and quite a good one at that. His name was known in all the nine holds of Skyrim; from Whiterun to Dawnstar, solitude to Falkreath, Markarth to Windhelm, Morthal, Winterhold, Riften and all the places in between. If you had a troll problem, you called Gronik Zaalon. He got the job done every time, for a reasonably fair price. However, Gronik charged such a small sum for his services that it barely made him a living, and all the reputation in the world would not buy him a place to rest his head. So poor Gronik slept under the shade of massive oaks, towering boulders, or, if he was lucky, an empty stable.
Gronik’s life was about to change, however. While he was looking for work in the Bannered Mare, a tavern in Whiterun, Gronik overheard one of Whiterun’s guards conversing with a bounty hunter about a troll whose pelt shone with the might of the sun. Upon further snooping and studying, Gronik found a wealth of information on this strange creature. Its name was the Sun Troll, a troll blessed by the gods to be immune to fire but banished underground by the first of the Nords that settled Skyrim. It was thought to be a myth, a story told to scare children at night, but Gronik had multiple eyewitnesses claiming to have seen it in the deepest darkest parts of Darkwater Crossing’s mine. According to the ancient legends, it only exited its cave on one day of the year: The second Sundas of Hearthfire. Needless to say, the pelt of a troll blessed by the gods was bound to fetch a high price, and Gronik, being in in need of money, knew that this was too big an opportunity to pass up.
In the days leading up to the second Sundas of Hearthfire, Gronik memorized all the twists and turns of Deepwater crossing’s mine and stocked up on supplies. If this troll was immune to fire, Gronik was at a disadvantage, as all other trolls were incredibly weak against fire. This battle would rely on skill, and skill alone. There was another thing bothering Gronik, however. There had been rumors of Stormcloak activity near Darkwater Crossing. Stormcloaks where almost exclusively Nords that fought to take back Skyrim from the Imperials. However, in these last few years, Stormcloak influence had grown, and the Imperials were doing all they could to prevent them from gaining the upper hand. Gronik didn’t care which side won or lost, but he hoped the Stormcloaks cleared out of Darkwater Crossing soon, or he might not get his chance to slay the sun troll. Thankfully, when the day came, there had been no reports of Stormcloaks or Imperials in the area, so Gronik went ahead with his plan.
Gronik made his way to Darkwater Crossing, where he scouted around it just to be sure there really where no imperials or Stormcloaks. Then, he took a long look at the outside world, and entered into the labyrinth that was the Darkwater Crossing mine. Navigating his way through seemingly endless twists and turns, Gronik was on high alert for any signs of movement, be they animal or man. Thankfully, Gronik was able to make it to the main chamber where he expected the Sun Troll to appear alive and intact. All was quiet in the chamber, for the troll had not awoken yet. He moved silently to the darkest corner, behind what looked like the rubble of an ancient building. The floor was littered with bones, and Gronik counted that to his advantage, as he would be able to hear where the Sun Troll was without looking. Finally, after what seemed like hours, Gronik heard the clink of the human and animal remains. Then, he saw it.
The Sun Troll.
It was beautiful. It really did shine like a sun. Gronik could barely contain his excitement, as the troll scanned the room with its 3 eyes, but he had to, or he would become like all the other people who had ventured here, whose remains now littered the floor. Peeking out from behind the rubble, Gronik drew his bow, took a deep breath, and fired. Had it been a normal arrow, the quarry would never have even touched the troll, as it would have burned to a crisp before it touched the troll’s flaming coat. But this was an arrow enchanted with an icy coating. Gronik had bought 10 of them with the last of his savings. He would have to shoot expertly if he wanted to make it out alive. The first arrow pierced the troll’s middle eye. The troll roared in anger, as Gronik loosed another arrow, this time hitting it in the chest. The troll knew where Gronik was now, and he had to move out of the way before it caught his scent. But it was too late. The troll lumbered towards where Gronik was hiding and let out a loud roar. Gronik left his hiding spot and ran further away, at the same time shooting arrows toward the troll. Only 2 out of the 5 arrows hit the troll. The others hit the wall, bent and useless. Gronik had 2 arrows left and was now out in the open. The troll barreled towards him, and before he could move, batted him to the ground with one clawed hand. The arrow Gronik had been readying flew off aimlessly into the room as he screamed in pain at the claw marks seared into his skin. The sun troll towered over Gronik, preparing to crush him with its massive clawed hands. Gronik had one last chance. He pulled out his last arrow...
and thrust it right into the sun troll’s heart.
The troll staggered for a moment, then fell backwards, blood dripping from its mouth. Gronik stood up, and cheered into the chamber, his voice bouncing back at him. After healing his wounds and harvesting the sun troll’s pelt, Gronik made his way out of the mine. What he saw when he exited, though, made his knees quiver in fear. A dozen imprisoned Stormcloaks where being loaded into carts, and a dozen more lay dead on the ground. Imperial soldiers watched the area to make sure none escaped. One spotted Gronik. “Hey! You forgot one!” The soldier cried, motioning towards him. 3 soldiers walked towards Gronik. “Aye! What are you doing here?” one asked. “Nothing! I was just hunting trolls in the mine! I had nothing to do with this!” said Gronik rather nervously. “aye, sure you were, Stormcloak scum”, said the soldier, “Load this one up, boys, and take anything you want.”
Gronik was stripped bare and loaded onto the cart. The last thing he saw before the cart rolled away from the mine was a soldier admiring the sun troll’s pelt, then tossing it into the nearby river. It was the first time Gronik ever shed a tear.
The second Sundas of Hearthfire, the day Gronik Zaalon slayed the Sun troll.
The day Gronik Zaalon’s old life ended,
And the day his new life began.
