As one might expect from a vessel christened the [I]Courtesan[/I], it was a rough ride all the way to Winterhold. The seas, even on placid days, rocked the ship in a motion that many of the company were ill-prepared for, and a good percentage of them were offending the concept of nutritional value by upchucking their hard-earned meals over the sides, in buckets, or in unfortunate cases, all over the decks. Do’Karth mercifully managed to maintain his meals, largely by only nibbling small portions and drinking sips enough to fend off hunger pangs and thirst but not having enough to nauseate himself with the rocking of the wood coffin that was ferrying them to their assignment. It was an uncomfortable arrangement that threatened both sickness and harsh hunger pangs, but it was a line that was walked knowing it saved him from something far worse.

Instead, it was the fear of being on the vast, lethal ocean that bothered Do’Karth. At least floating on most lakes, or swimming, you could stay close to shore and it was quite placid compared to the massive waves that rocked the ship in the worst of the storms. The khajiit refused any invitation to go topside, knowing that the vast unknown surrounding him would suddenly become real, as would the thoughts of being tossed overboard by a rogue wave or simply the rocking of the ship and subsequently swallowed beneath the icy waters’ surface, never to be seen again as he suffocated. While the crew was distracted with the others, complaining loudly and often about them and making mocking jeers at those not fortunate enough to have sea legs, Do’Karth made due with pinches of Sugar to keep himself steady and distracted. Days passed, and other than having sparse conversation with some of his companions, Do’Karth kept solidary and tried to sleep as much as possible, finding lying flat was the best way to resist the sickening motion, although the fear of capsizing and sinking kept things from being restful in the slightest.

When land was sighted and the ship was not being rocked as much by the waves, Do’Karth steadied himself and after a few minutes of mental preparation, climbed the ladder to access the above deck hatch to step outside for the only occasion that wasn’t to take turns emptying out a shit bucket. Bracing himself with his staff, Do’Karth walked tepidly to watch the approaching Winterhold coast and found it incredibly foreboding; had it not been for the College, a magnificent looking structure perched somehow atop a giant rock spire, it would have been hard to imagine anything resembling a village was here before, save for the occasional wood and stone structure that had survived the collapse that Do’Karth had heard so much about. It was only a reminder that the sea was not a place that any land-dwelling being was meant to be, and the gods seemed fit to remind them of that when dark thunderclouds came rolling in. The khajiit’s heart was pounding so hard, he had almost forgotten to breathe. The command to “launch the boats” might as well been an order to dig one’s own grave. [I]There are many ways Do’Karth would have accepted as a means of dying, this is right near the bottom of the list of ways he does not wish to go.[/I] he thought as he followed the man ahead of him to his dinghy, forcing his legs to move as he stared wanting at the refugee of the fabric before him that was the only thing that could distract him from the predicament. 

He was relieved to see the man ahead of him was Sagex, and Tsleeixth, the friendly argonian with the impossible to pronounce name, were among those he’d be with. Do’Karth clasped the bench below him with a desperate grip, his claws digging in. Along with nearly dying after his failed assassination attempt of the Mane many moons ago, this ranked among the worst experiences in the khajiit’s life.

“Please assure Do’Karth he will touch foot on land again. Cold sands, fucking snow, this one does not care, anything is preferable to this plain of Oblivion of which he has found himself.” He groaned to the Imperial and argonian and anyone else who was in ear shot.