20: Day lost to the storm

The ashstorm raged all day. At least I know my manor will be able to withstand the worst. This storm may not have been the worst, but I hope my head never suffers so badly again. How can Orcs drink so much sujamma, then be up before dawn pounding with hammers? Bugdul gro-Kharbush seemed sympathetic, but that didn't keep him from driving his crew at full speed.

Ashstorms. They seem to be getting progressively worse. A substantial part of the Redoran territory, including my own lands, is on the verge of becoming uninhabitible. When the temple allotted districts of Vvardenfell back to the Dunmer great houses it is clear that the Redorans got the tailmeat of the guar. I suppose that at the time, with the ghostfence promising to hold back the blight, it didn't seem so bad, but the current circumstances show it in a poor light.

Bolvyn Venim, in his youth, led the house to Vvardenfell. The conflict over that decision ended with Venim as the leader of the council and the former leader dead in the arena. On one hand I'm hoping the Hortator question does not require bloodshed to get an answer. On the other, there must be a growing undercurrent against Venim's leadership now that the weakening ghostfence has placed the house directly in the path of Dagoth Ur's wrath.

Bugdul gro-Kharbush gave me a view from another, unexpected, side of the situation. The powerful Orc has been assembling his crew over the last few years, but has been doing construction work for the Redorans since shortly after his arrival in Morrowind, an opportunity that he would likely not have had without the renewed threat from Red Mountain. In the more hospitible lands of the Hlaalu construction relies on the labor of slaves, and of course the Telvanni build by using their magic to warp living plants to fill their needs. In better times the Redorans also used slaves, but the Khajit, even though they long for the warm sands of their homeland, are ill suited to the harsh ashlands, and the amphibious Argonians even less so.

The hardy Orcs, as evidenced, can actually build shelter against the blowing ash in the midst of the storm. Their nature makes them useless as slaves though, obstinate in the face of even the harshest abuse, and equally impervious to kindness and any other gentle motivation. Bugdul filled a growing need as conditions deteriorated, and without him construction of my stronghold would be impossible. He has given me a new respect for Orcs that might give me a different experience tomorrow in Gnises, hopefully tomorrow. Most of the legion there are Orcs, a situation that I now understand a little better.

I must continue on my mission. If the unrest in the house cannot be relieved, it must at least be directed. Bolvyn Venim led us here; it can be laid at his feet if need be.