Hour 14: Into the Goblin Kingdom

I leave Skingrad by the East Gate this time, so head straight to the Derelict Mine instead of having to walk all the way round. There are skulls outside. Is this a skull mine?

Far from being comedy villains, Goblins are murderous and cruel.

The Goblins in the mine are more varied than before, and include Beserkers and even a Shaman. They also just seem more ferocious - I might be imagining it, but their attacks seem swifter and more hateful than previously. They're still a pushover, but I have to be careful if there's two or three together. I eventually come across a bridge, and on the other side is a gaggle of what looks to be at least six Goblins - possibly more!

This is sure to be an intense battle. I lure them to the bridge and summon my Zombie in front of it to block their path, then pelt their flank with fireballs. Unfortunately they attack the Zombie savagely and push him out of the way, leaving the path clear for them to gang up on me. What's worse, is that they actually manage to push the Zombie off the edge! Luckily a few of them plunge over with him. By the time the rabble reaches me I'm low on mana and don't have enough potions to restore it. I have to resort to my sword and sheild while my mana recharges. The experience is enough to put me right off hand-to-hand combat - as I clearly haven't been using it much, the measly Goblins outclass me utterly and I have to use a few health potions to outlast them.
I need to focus on my magic, and especially magicka regen, more, so that I won't be forced to dirty my hands like this in future.

Rooting through the bodies of the fallen, I discover the Goblin Totem Staff. It's worth over 7000 gold! Suddenly I'm rich!  It has a lightning spell with 111 charges, which does 20 damage. It also looks amazing - here I am brandishing it:

With the staff under my control, I hunt down the last few Goblins in the tunnels and slaughter them. Back in Skingrad, though, I find that the shopkeeper only has 800 gold. I definitely want to sell it, as if I use it I won't be improving my Destruction skill, but it looks like I'll have to carry it around with me for now until I can find a better shop.

I speak to a Bosmer names Glathir who seems unhinged. The other residents warn me off him, but I meet him in secret and agree to do some spying for him. This quest sounds like a fun diversion, and I begin spying in earnest. Somehow, exploring the cave and starting this quest has taken up a another hour. How?!