Tes4Mod:Stirk/Guide to Stirk

ay the Nine have mercy on you and your kin. My name is Alessia Ottus, and I'd like to tell you all about the isle of Stirk.

Viewed from a distance, Stirk appears to be a dull island of no value. This is partly true, as the isle has not served a real purpose since the early days of the Empire. However, while there are few on the island who actively contribute to the defense of the Nine and the Imperial way, for the most part they are of decent descent, having in them the blood of many who fought the wicked Elves during the Tiber War.

Only one ship in Cyrodiil will take you to the island. A dirty, boastful, and in all likelihood drunken Redguard named Jafan sails a ship he over-confidently calls "The Magnificent" between the decedent port of Anvil and the charming docks at Stirk. His ship is anything but magnificent and most certainly hosts a number of vicious rats. Also try to avoid his wife, Aria. While he will tell the most remarkable tales about the woman's origin, it is rumored that the blood of nearly every race of man and elf runs through her veins.

After enduring this two hour journey, you will arrive in Stirk and be happy to depart. Your first sight may be the Basilla Lighthouse, designed by the brilliant architect Sostratus Basilla, who also designed much of the architecture in the once-beautiful Anvil. His descendants still operate the lighthouse, though good old Iallus Basilla has not been seen in many years and I have heard that his daughter Julia is immodest and far too restless.

After departing the docks, you will probably come upon the beautiful Fort Stirk, built under the authority of His Honorable Armondian Stirk I, Servitor of the Red Dragon,   namesake is the island. It is built into the southern hills of the island and near it lies a small garden centered on a statue of Armondian. This fort, once used to protect our Empire and the ideals of the Nine, has now fallen into disuse and is barely inhabited. Captain Cassius Stirk III is, by all accounts, a greedy businessman who has neglected his duties, and has yet to return from Daggerfall, where he left on business many months ago. In his stead, his brother, Interim Captain Cartello Stirk, has put enormous amounts of effort into reviving the fort, but it is of no use. The few still in his service (lessened still by the call for troops to return to Cyrodiil) show no motivation.

In roughly the center of the island lies the small community of Stirk. It is filled with people of noble blood, the largest manor belong to the Stirk family themselves, though most of them are lazy and uninterested in their service to the Nine. While many of them pray at the nearby chapel, run by the elderly and kind Father Ambrogio, they do not hold any particular Imperial values. Morihatha Stirk is rumored to have consorted with riffraff, and the Amatiuses are air-headed painters. Two sons of the ancient Eulius family, Amarius and Alenius, run a book shop out of their home. This is a noble employment, but Amarius has the audacity to brag of having "adventures," looting ancient ruins and things of that sort.

Also on the island is the prosperous Polle Gold Mine. Owned, founded, and operated by Therander Polle, a Breton in service to Zenithar, it has turned quite a profit in recent years. The honorable Mr. Polle has hired poor vagabonds with no inspiration and given then good work in the mine, feeding them, sheltering them, and turning them into a productive part of Imperial society. Though I doubt they offer any thanks to their employer, this is far better than for them to be littering the streets of the island.