Suddenly, there's a thunderous boom, loud enough to shake the whole mine, and an explosion of flames and electrical arcs like someone set off a whole bunch of lightning and fire runic traps all at once! Once that clears away, there is a human (a bit of a muttish one pretty solidly in the grey area between imperial, breton, and nord features) man in some strange blouse and trousers and with an expression of shock and fear on his face who wasn't there a second ago.

Right, okay, what the fuck- she switches over to setting the spiders on fire instead of healing, downs a poison cure, and sprints over to the human.

Right, this person clearly also has no idea what happened, so-

“Are you alright?” she asks, already casting healing hands. “Do you have any idea what happened?”

Mjoll is standing guard against any leftover spiders. 

He shakes himself a bit, seeming to regain some control of his expression as he does so. He quickly checks himself as he responds. "I...uh...I think I'm okay. Nothing hurts, and I don't think that's just the adrenaline." He checks the numerous pockets of his trousers and seems relieved to find a small leather fold and odd glass rectangle. "Nothing missing either. Okay." He lets out a sigh. "I was driving my car, and I think I got t-boned...but, I have no idea how that lead to whatever that was, or why I'm here." He looks around the room, noticing the various mangled giant spider corpses and steps away from them. "Where am I?"

“Car, T-Boned? You’re in Skyrim, part of the Empire, on the continent of Tamriel.”

Mjoll, deciding that the area’s relatively secure, starts extracting frostbite venom.

Nathan does his best to ignore the sounds of venom extraction, and gives Hallana a confused look. "You don't know what a car is? And, I've never heard of a place called Skyrim, or Tamriel for that matter...Do you know where that is, in relation to America?" He quickly pulls up the glass rectangle again, and fiddles with it for a second before pocketing it again with some frustration. "No battery, damn. Well, I'll get a charging cord somewhere. And, uh...I guess more generally I was...driving a vehicle, like a carriage that doesn't need a horse or whatever, and another vehicle hit mine on the side, very fast. I'm honestly really surprised I'm not injured, normally that kind of thing would kill the person in my position."

“No, I’ve never heard of America - are you from the other continent, maybe? That would explain how we don’t know any of these locations… You weren’t injured at all despite all the fire and lightning, either. Is that normal for you?”

"I feel like I would remember if there was whole extra continent beyond the normal seven." He scratches his scruffily bearded chin. "I'm getting the feeling that I'm further from home than I first thought. I'll process that later. Uh...I didn't actually see any fire or lightning? Just, a bright light, though it did feel pretty hot. I would definitely not normally expect to be unharmed by fire or lightning."

“Uh- right. Bright light… That very vaguely indicates Meridia, but not enough to be anywhere even vaguely close to sure, and this seems really odd for her. *Seven?* Yeah, you’re further away than I thought as well. Do you… have a plan?”

"Uh...hm." He considers that for a while. "I don't know. I know I don't know the way out of this...mine? Or where to find a place to stay outside. Would it be alright if I went with you all, at least until I can find a room at a hotel or something?"

She frowns slightly. “Ye-es. Can you fight? If you can, I’ll get you a weapon, and if you can’t, stay near me, stay low, ask for healing if you need it, and don’t even fucking try to attack anything.”

He nods with the most confidence he's shown yet. "I am definitely not a fighter, and I can definitely do that."

And indeed he does, following along, staying close, and not provoking any of the presumably incredibly dangerous things in this place.

”Good.”

They reach Shor’s Stone easily enough; it’s very close by. She enters the tavern and sits down.

”So, there is an inn here, and not much else, although I suppose there’d be mining work with the mine cleared out. The closest city is Riften, which… can I perhaps recommend nearly anywhere but Riften?”

“Well, he could stay with Aerin in Riften, that’s something to consider.”

She nods acknowledgement of the point. 

“Fair. Do you know what work you could do? I’m afraid the Skyrim isn’t in a great place right now for odd interdimensional visitors, what with the civil war… which you don’t know about. Fuck.”

"Civil war..." He frowns. "That sounds pretty dangerous. Do you know where the fighting is, at the moment? I don't want to accidentally wander through a warzone, if I'm not staying in Riften. And, what's up with Riften, that you recommend literally anywhere else?"

“That… is such a complicated question. In short, the places with the most fighting are the places you’re least likely to get wrapped up in it, since they’re the places that are actually politically neutral. But of course both sides want to take those to turn the tide of the war in their favor, so…”

”Uh, Riften is…”

“A hotspot of crime and corruption?” suggests Mjoll flatly.

“Yes, that, thank you. Let’s say that my first interaction with the city was an official guard attempting to shake me down for my money, which colored the rest of my visit.”

He nods. "That doesn't too safe, especially since I already don't have any local currency on me, so I suppose I will need to find another place to go. Hm...I guess I could do work mining, but I don't have a lot of experience with physical labor. Do you know if there's any place that have need for someone of a more intellectual bent?"

“I… there’s the college, but if you’re not a mage you won’t have any luck there. There’s the Bard’s College, but trust me when I say that Skyrim has terrible prospects for bards. I came here originally to get work as one, and the first letter I got was from a friend telling me that the pay was bad and I should go back to Cyrodiil. Um… what work did you do previously, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Mjoll, while they’re talking, waves the innkeeper over and orders a three plates of goat cheese and baked potatoes for a few coins, along with two bottles of mead. She distributes the plates (or wooden trays, really, with simple metal two-pronged forks) between them, and hands one of the bottles to Nathan. She opens the other and takes a drink herself.

"I...uh...didn't do much, honestly. Work is a lot harder to come by in America than in Skyrim, it feels like. Mostly I helped my dad, who grew medicinal herbs and spices and such. If you know any...I guess, alchemists, who want help growing materials?" He raises a hand to the offered bottle. "Never had a stomach for alcohol." He does dig into the potato though. Mm, hard to go wrong with baked potato.

She nods, and tucks it away into some kind of backpack.

“Alchemy’s pretty profitable? I… wouldn’t say work’s easy to come by, not if you like decent pay and non-terrible conditions. Most don’t do much farming for their materials; the ones that grow well, or at all, are the one’s that are already pretty cheap. I… hm. You do seem sensible enough; I’m tempted to hire you on myself, honestly.”

On the one hand, going with an adventurer sounds pretty dangerous, especially since he really doesn't have much to contribute to combat at the moment and is not fond of getting shot or stabbed or bludgeoned. On the other hand, not going with these two doesn't guarantee he's not going to get attacked, especially since there's a war on. Plus these two do seem reasonably competent, and if he works with them for a while he might get a better grasp of this whole new world things. After this consideration he nods. "I'd be willing to work for you, if you'll have me?"

“Ah, not fighting, to clarify- I meant, more, how are you with childcare, because currently my housecarl is doing it and that is super not actually her job in any way.”

"Ah, well I've never done it as a job, but I at least like to think I'm good with kids. I'm decent enough of at cooking and cleaning as well, not amazing but not atrocious either?"

“Hm. Hire you on for a trial period, ask Lydia to interfere if you’re terrible, and see if you’re a decent fit? Might need to sort out living arrangements, but that shouldn’t be too much of a problem. I… hm. How about I let you see how much stuff costs before talking about pay, that seems for the best.”

"Sounds like a plan," he agrees. "Oh I just realized I never actually introduced myself. I'm Nathan."

Presumably after they finish their meals, Nathan can check out the tavern's prices, the cost of a room at the town's inn, and maybe talk with the town's blacksmith Filnjar about how much various items might cost, before finding his way back to the group.

An inn room is ten gold, which is apparently a standard guild price! Meals tend to be priced in the two to five Septims range. A good weapon at the blacksmith might be anywhere from thirty Septims to several hundred depending on quality. A set of good steel plate is around five hundred Septims. If he asks, iron ingots cost five per in bulk.

He briefly wonders why gold seems so inflated compared to his world, but figures that's a relatively small difference compared the jump in tech level and especially the presence of magic,

Still, equipped with this basic knowledge of prices, Nathan thinks he's reasonably prepared to talk with Hallana about the housekeeping/babysitting job, with the expectations of probably something like 40-ish coins a month.

“Hello!” she greets him cheerfully once he’s back. “Got the money worked out, then? There would probably be more expensive items in the big cities, but I think this should be fine to get a basic idea?”

Nathan nods. "Yeah, I think so! Assuming I live in the house, I was thinking that 40 Septims a month would probably be reasonable? Naturally I'm open to negotiation on that if it's unreasonable."

“…Right, that makes sense, but I *am* willing to pay for loyalty, and the cities often have more expensive goods.. Sixty a month, ninety after the trial period, plus a reasonable stipend for clothes, food, etc, I’ll sort out the specifics there later. If you get any bribes, tell me and I’ll deal with it, then give you double the amount.”

Bribes? He's a little surprised at the possibility, but tries to not let is phase him. "Oh, alright, I obviously won't turn down higher pay."

He guesses he has a job now? It's an odd feeling, and yet also nothing in particular has changed. Aside from being in a whole new world that has magic and dragons, of course. He's gotten the basic info, but maybe he could know a bit more about Hallana? Maybe also why people would be bribing him?

They’ll have plenty of time to talk! It’s a decently long walk to Riften, which they don’t enter, but instead purchase a carriage ride to Whiterun, which isn’t particularly pleasant but has the virtue of not needing to walk. They’re only attacked by wolves twice; apparently large parties tend to scare them off. Bandits, unfortunately, are not usually scared off by large parties.

”Get down!” Hallana shouts, before setting the person threatening to kill her if she doesn’t empty her pocketbooks on fire. Mjoll jumps out and hits the individual with her sword (it looks to be some kind of green glass?), and Hallana starts channeling some sort of spell, aimed near the bandit’s friends.

Nathan does indeed get down! Some part of him, unfamiliar to his conscious mind, attempts to reach out towards the cart and horses only to find itself painfully incapable. Despite the peculiar twinge, Nathan continues to keep himself away from the danger and avoid doing anything eye-catching.

The bandits are killed and looted relatively quickly; one does get close to the carriage, but the horse kicks her to death. A bundle of weapons, armor, and a few coins are placed in the back, and the ride continues.

Nathan tries very hard to not look at any of the dead bodies for very long. Crushed spiders is one thing, even giant ones, but dead people is whole other thing. He will probably be processing that for the whole rest of the ride and consequently be pretty quiet, though he'll still be responsive to questions and the like.

Hallana and Mjoll seem pretty content to ride in silence! Nothing else particularly eventful happens, and they reach Whiterun within a few more hours. Mjoll goes to sort out the living situation, inviting Nathan to go with her, while Hallana goes to report a bounty of some kind and sell the loot. 

“Right, I just need to sort out the rooming situation - we were saving up for a larger home, actually, so your timing wasn’t ideal… but I think we can divide off part of the loft for you, and put down some bedding easily enough. Hm, I wonder if getting an expansion would require a permit.”

Nathan is still a bit non-present, holding back the events of today until he's reasonably alone, but can nod to that. He isn't strictly speaking used to sleeping on the floor, but he's done it a few times before and it's never bother him.

Getting a mattress doesn’t appear to be a problem, at least. A privacy screen is set up as well, and Hallana reappears after a few hours looking extremely pleased with herself. She gives him two hundred Septims and tells him to by himself some clothes and whatnot, and to be back by midnight.

Nathan thanks Hallana and holds the coins with the hands of someone who has never held this much physical money, let alone solid gold, before. After counting them all (more just to experience their weight in his hands than out of any sort of mistrust), he'll stash most of it away, find a suitable purse for the rest, and head out into to buy a few outfits and some groceries. He'll be aiming for durable clothes rather than flashy ones, and cheap raw foods to cook at home.

It’s a good thing he’s aiming for durable clothes, rather than flashy ones, because there don’t appear to be any of the latter. Even the more expensive ones are more durable and flashy. 

Raw foods can be picked up at many of the streetside vendors for reasonably low prices, although either vegetables are more expensive or meat is less expensive, compared to what he’s used to. 

Another oddity. Maybe there's some weird tax situation, or just a lot of hunters selling game. Regardless, it seems like Nathan can still manage to get what he was looking for and not run out of budget. Once he's gotten it all, he'll head back to the house, probably well before midnight. Assuming no one else is using the cookpot when he gets there, he'll also cook himself a little dinner after putting on a new outfit and putting away the rest of his clothes.

Mjoll's slicing and various fish, but she's not directly using the pot, and she'll cheerfully make room. The clothes fit reasonably well for something that isn't tailored, although if he's not used to handmade items they'll probably take some time to get used to.

It definitely takes some getting used to then! This whole situation does though so Nathan is just going with it. He'll make some chicken soup on the fire and enjoy that for dinner. If Mjoll's up for some chat he might ask what the general living situation here in Whiterun (and perhaps more broadly Skyrim overall) is like. What the economy's like, the basic gist of the political situation, any easy-to-make social faux-pas he should avoid, that sort of thing. He's willing to trade stories about his homeland (or, homeworld?) if that makes the conversation flow any smoother, even if he's not sure it'll ever be relevant again.

Sure, she'll chat!

The economy's normally pretty good, with all the trade from the Empire, but the civil war means that it's currently in terrible shape. The dragon attacks really didn't help.

The political situation is... civil war, for reasons relating to religion, foreign influence, nationalism, and a few other topics thrown in for good measure. It's a mess. She can give him a basic rundown of the Empire's provinces, but she's not particularly knowledgeable about them past what you could get from a tourist guidebook.

You shouldn't wear an Amulet of Mara unless you're proposing marriage, Talos and Ulfric are both currently contentious subjects, to a dangerous degree, although you should be fine in Whiterun. Here are a colorful variety of racial slurs, please don't use them, even though it seems everybody else does. She can't think of anything else, but there's almost certainly more.

Tourist book-level info is definitely still more than what Nathan knows! He also commits the racial slurs to memory, since he agrees that it’s preferable not to use them.

He asks more about the local religion, out of purely personal interest. Also about magic, and whether there’s any relationship between the two, at least on a cultural level?

She grimaces slightly, but does seem willing to talk about it.

”Well, the war’s over the worship of Ysimir, or Talos if you’re Imperial. It’s banned in the Empire because of the Thalmor. If you want more information on the politics, you’d best ask Hallana - she’s forced to know that sort of thing.”

“The most common pantheons around here are the Imperial and Nordic ones. They’re different, but they share some gods. The Divines are the Imperial pantheon, which is Akatosh, Arkay, Kyne, Mara, Dibella, Zenithar, Stendarr, and Julianos. Kyne has a slightly different name, but I don’t remember it. Akatosh is god of time, rulership, and dragons. Kyne’s nature for them as well. Mara is of family, Dibella love, Zenithar trade and work, Stendarr mercy and justice, and Julianos wisdom and knowledge.”

”The Nordic pantheon’s less officially recognized, maybe, but plenty do still follow it. Kyne is the Mother-Goddess, the ruler of nature, and the bringer of storms. She first gave Nords the Voice. She’s the widow of Shor, the dead god, and Mara is her handmaiden. Shor was a great warrior, and now rules over the valorous dead after being slain in battle. Tsun, his thane, and the god of trials against adversity, died defending him, and now guards the gates of the Halls and tests those who would enter. Stuhn, his brother, is the God of Ransom, and taught Men to take prisoners. Alduin is the Worldeater, and not exactly worshipped.”

”Ysimir… Ysimir is a hero-god, and Talos, and my wife, who is definitely the one to ask if you want to try to understand that. I certainly don’t!”

“There’s an Imperial god of magic, Magnus. I don’t know anything about him, though.”

“Huh.” He’s not really sure why he’d assumed there was a connection. He supposed that in a world where magic is real there’s no particular reason to reason lump it in with the more ephemeral sorts of mysticism. He will definitely ask Hallana about apparently being a god, the next time she’s around.

Nathan will stay up for a while after dinner, even without a conversation. He’ll still end up going to bed pretty early though. It’s been a long day for him.