From reading the bounty letter, Avingard knew that he had to report the completing of his task to Proventus Avenicci in Dragonsreach. Proventus was the one who would pay Avingard the reward he was due.
Avingard walked through the market and then walked up the stairs heading North towards dragonsreach. He passed a large tree in and someone preaching, which at the moment didn’t interest Avingard.
Looking up, Avingard could see the large building of Dragonsreach, and after a few moments he climbed the stairs that lead to the building, walked down a long walkway and opened the door and entered Dragonsreach.
The inside of Dragonsreach was equally impressive as the outside. The main hall was long and ornate, with large pillars on both sides. A long tables was setup, and contained food and many place settings. Several people were conversing in the hall, and some stopped and watched Avingard as he passed by.
At the end of the hall was the Jarl, sitting on a throne, with several advisors around him. One of the advisors approached Avingard.
“Can I help you?” the advisor asked.
“I’m here to speak with Proventus Avenicci,” Avingard replied.
“I am Proventus. What is it that you want?”
“The bandit leader at the Silent Moons Camp is dead,” Avingard explained. “I’m here for the bounty.”
Proventus’ mood quickly changed to that of relief. “Excellent. You’ve done us a great service. Here is your reward.”
Proventus gave Avingard 100 gold as a reward for killing the bandit leader. “I have one question,” Avingard stated.
Proventus seemed nervous, thinking Avingard wasn’t happy with his reward. “What is it?” he eventually replied
“Why is the keep called Dragonsreach?” Avingard asked noticing relief on Proventus’ face.
“Long ago, there live a mighty hero of the Nord. Olaf One-Eye. Olaf did battle with a fearsome dragon name Numinex,” Proventus began to explain. “The struggle between Olaf and the dragon culminated in a might duel atop Mount Anthor, with Olaf the victor. Olaf returned in triumph to Whiterun. By his decree, the city’s keep was rebuilt as a prison for Numinex. And so, from that time until this, our great keep has been called ‘Dragonsreach.'”
Avingard smiled and thought about the reply. He was satisfied with the answer, and nodded at Proventus and then turned and walked through the main hall. He opened the doors to Dragonsreach and exited into Whiterun.
He made his way back to the Bannered Mare to receive his next task from Hulda. She smiled as he entered the inn.
“It is good to see you again,” she greeted him. “Did you manage to complete the first task?”
“Yes, the bandit leader is dead,” Avingard replied. “I have collected by reward from Proventus, and will accept the second task.”
“That’s good to hear,” Hulda said with a smile. “Here you go.”
She handed Avingard another bounty letter, which was similar to the first in almost everyway, with the exception of the bandit’s location. The letter read:
Bounty
By order of Balgruuf the Greater.
To all able bodied men and women of Whiterun. The bandits located in Redoran’s Retreat have been harassing, robbing and attacking citizens and visitors.
A reward will be offered to anyone who kills their leader.
–Proventus Avenicci
Avingard thank Hulda and then left the Bannered Mare. He then left Whiterun and began walking a little east until he say a large fire in the distance. Curious he slowly walked closer to have a look.
He heard thundering footsteps off in the distance not far from the fire, so he stopped when he felt they were too close and concealed himself behind a boulder.
Avingard peered over the large boulder and saw that the fire belonged to a giant’s camp, and the footsteps he heard was that of a large woolly mammoth, which giant’s like to herd.
There were two giants in the camp, with one walking about near the fire, while another was off in the distance keeping watch over the camp from the east. Avingard knows that most giants are docile, but they can become combative if they feel their mammoths or camp are threatened.
Not wanting to take any chances, Avingard climbed down from the boulder and continued along the way to Redoran’s Retreat.
A few minutes had passed when Avingard spotted a large mammoth lying dead at the side of the road. He looked around to see what could have killed such a large creature, but didn’t see anything. He managed to harvest the mammoth’s tusk and then left the carcass by the road as it was much too large to move.
Avingard cut across the tundra, killing a few mudcrabs on the way, and eventually reached the opening to Redoran’s Retreat. The doorway to the hideout was carved into a large rock and it different significantly from Silent Moons Camp in that it looked like a cave dug underground.
Feeling a little anxious about what was behind the door, Avingard opened the door and entered the hideout.