JoS/Henriette/6th Journal - Hunt

Sun's Dusk, 15th, 4E 201

Well, today turned out to be an interesting day at the Sanctuary.

My dear boss Astrid has grown suspicious of Cicero, who she believes to be conspiring against the Brotherhood with someone, and suspects this someone could be another traitor in our midst. Why is she distrustful of him? She claimed that she has heard him speaking in hushed tones to someone, and to be honest, I've noticed that as well… But isn't that because he's a little… You know… Off? Anyway, she asked me to spy on him to "expose him". Why me? Maybe she doesn't suspect me of being the traitor because I haven't actually been at the Sanctuary.

She had an outrageous plan of me hiding in Night Mother's coffin to eavesdrop on him, which is why I initially refused to go along with it. It felt wrong, and I made my opinion heard, but she insisted on it being necessary and for the best of all of us. I felt like I had no choice, so I went along with Astrid's crazy plan and entered the Night Mother's coffin.

Well, I soon came to find out that there's no traitor. Cicero does indeed talk alone in hushed tones, but he's just talking to the Night Mother. Oh, but that's not all. She spoke to me. Night Mother spoke to me and relayed a task to me, basically choosing me as her Listener. That's actually a super big deal, isn't it?

After that, stuff went down for a moment because Cicero opened the coffin. Of course, he was livid with me, he was probably pretty close to snapping and attacking me, but when I revealed to him that I'm the Listener and even proved it to him, he had no choice but to express happiness. What a mood reversal… This man is truly insane.

Regarding that task, by the way… If she has relayed it to me, that means that someone is trying to contact us. Someone has prayed to the Night Mother, and someone needs our help. I tried to explain this to Astrid, but she, for some stupid reason, seems to be against me visiting this contract. I so want to just go against her orders at this point, but defying her is not in my best interest. Instead, she instructed me to take on two minor civilian targets, both given to me by Nazir. I'll worry about one of them later, but another one was sadly someone I have already gotten previously acquainted with, a vampire called Hern.

To me, Hern and his wife Hert came across as an innocent couple just trying their best to hide and live their lives in peace. From the standpoint of man, mer, and beast alike, I can definitely see why they would see those two as a problem to be eradicated. They've probably killed people, feasted on their blood and flesh, just like I have, but would it not be hypocritical of me to kill them for something that it's in their nature, something that's also in my own nature? I… I really don't know… As an assassin for the Dark Brotherhood, I should stay impartial when it comes to targets and just carry the orders out as instructed, but I guess that will inevitably lead to these kinds of situations as well…

Regardless, what's done is done. I didn't want to do it, but I did. I first assassinated his wife - which I tried to do as quickly as painlessly as possible, mostly because I didn't want to leave her alive to grieve the death of her husband - and then I faced Hern himself. I was able to surprise him too, but I couldn't kill him off in one hit. It gave me a chance to tell him I'm sorry, I had to do this. Then, he took his final breath, and I took him down once and for all. I returned to sleep in the Sanctuary and to report my success to Nazir. Astrid still hasn't made her mind up, so I'll have to kill the other target too.

I think I need to take a break now and travel back to Riverwood to meet Sofia. It's been a while since I've met her, and I'm a little worried about her, and she probably shares the sentiment. I hope to see her in better spirits because I kind of want to travel with a companion once more.

Sun's Dusk, 17th, 4E 201

It's easy to forget you're a Dragonborn when you don't actually get to fight dragons that often, but today I found one which was looking for a fight.

I had just left Riverwood with Sofia to continue our journey together when a huge, flying, ice-breathing lizard swooped down on us. There was just two of us, but still, the difference between our first encounter and this one… We've gotten strong. We really have, both of us. It was a lengthy fight, but at no point did we feel like we were against an invincible foe. I took its soul and grew in power a little bit.

Anyway, it sure does look like Sofia is in good spirits! We shared some stories, with her explaining how she's been training and me explaining what I've been up to, and it ended with her declaring that she needs to be on my side, so I don't end up in trouble again. She sounded like she said it jokingly, but she's right. Together, we're stronger, and that can't be denied. I'm so happy to travel with her again, and if how she fought against the dragon is anything to go by… I think we'll do great!

Sun's Dusk, 22nd, 4E 201

I received a letter from the courier the other day, surprisingly from Lord Harkon, summoning me to the castle immediately. He finally had an important task for me.

I've been tasked to fill an item called Bloodstone Chalice at Redwater spring, a Skooma den operated by some vampires in the Rift. I am expected to fill it using any means necessary, and I've been instructed to kill anyone who stands in my way. Sounds like my kind of adventure. The reason for why it must be filled is because you can actually draw vampire-power-enhancing magic from the spring. The chalice itself probably has some magic in it as well, or else you could just fill any ordinary bottle up with this magical "Redwater".

It'll be a while before we reach our destination, but we're getting close.

On our way there, we ended up helping a Nord named Golldir, who was camping near an ancient Nordic tomb. At first, I actually thought he was just a common bandit and saw him as nothing more than a mortal to be victimized, but it seems like he's another law-abiding citizen here on a mission. It's a good thing he saw me first because had I approached him completely undiscovered, I would've just killed him off like a regular bandit.

Yeah, I may be a psychopath, but I have little to no interest in directing my murderous urges towards people like this. He may be capable of fighting, but he's just an average civilian who's just trying to live his life the best he can. He's not part of the same world I reside in, a world that's full of crime and evil. I'd much rather feast on those who would deserve death, even in the eyes of the mortals. It's not a principle I hold, but if I can choose, I do. Besides, he needed help, and in return, he offered Sofia and me a fun adventure in an old Nordic crypt.

In the end, he sadly ended up being just about the most pathetic weakling I've ever had the displeasure of teaming up with. In other words, he died before we even made it to the end, ambushed by Draugr. At least he can rest in peace without regrets as I saw the task given to me to the end and killed the necromancer who was performing his dark arts on Golldir's ancestors.

Bandits holed up in Fort Amol nearby provided me with enough food to last one whole adventure through the enemy vampire's den, so I should be good to go tomorrow! Don't think I will be doing a lot of neck-biting in a lair full of Vampires after all!

Sun's Dusk, 24th, 4E 201

I entered the den alone, with Sofia being left outside to wait. I was only meant to survey the area a little, leave, and formulate a battle plan with my bestie. This was the plan, anyway. It didn't end up going well.

This Redwater Skooma is supposed to be some kind of exquisite luxury product based on how the dealer marketed; "Best Skooma produced outside Balmora", she said happily, even offering me a free sample. However, I wasn't too interested in taking a sip. You see, in the Skooma bar, my ears were assaulted by constant, painful coughing. I've never seen anything similar in any of the dens I've visited, suggesting that this Skooma is absolute garbage! I'd also rather not touch that stuff if you know what I mean. I already was forcefully drugged once, and it ended up being a very costly and unfortunate series of events.

I stayed for a moment, surveying the area further. Amongst the addicts were some wealthy folks, some poor folks, and even folks similar to the ones I once came across in Riften, folks who resort to selling their bodies to afford more Skooma. Goes without saying that there were customers who only came here for whores as well because what better place to get laid for free than a Skooma den? I also figured out a backdoor leading to the distillery, as evident by the large sign that read, "staff only". You couldn't have made it any more obvious! Lockpicking it shouldn't have been too complicated, but I wasn't gonna go through just yet. First, I needed to get back to Sofia and tell her exactly how we're going to infiltrate the distillery.

I was about to leave when I saw an Imperial Soldier down there who I recognized, who recognized me. He used to be stationed in Helgen, and he couldn't believe his eyes when he was me. In his eyes, I used to be just another playful little girl, but there I was, standing in front of him. We exchanged a few words; he talked about the pain he went through and how he's using the Skooma to cope with it while I told him my story about how I made it out. I didn't tell him all the details, but I explained that I had decided to become an adventurer.

That's when a pair of hands grabbed me from behind and breathed in toxic fumes from a soiled cloth. The only thing I remember seeing before I passed out, paralyzed, was the Legionnaire standing up to panic, only to be knocked down by another guard.

When I came to, I was naked. The vampires had taken me inside the staff area, and they were locked together with me inside a small prison cell, dug to a small enclave that seemed like a natural part of the cave. They had me tied up to what I can only call an examination table, meant either for surgery or some deadlier forms of dissecting. One of them wanted to know what an enemy vampire was doing, snooping around their den.

I should've known they would recognize me as a vampire. Maybe it would've been better for Sofia to do the spying, but there's no point in worrying about it anymore. They had guessed correctly why I had been sent, but they didn't know by whom. That's what they wanted to know, and they said they're willing to do anything to get that information.

Honestly, I was fearful that they could cause pain, but no, they wanted to torture me by raping me. Of course, rape is painful in a different manner, and I knew it wasn't going to be easy, but let's just say… I did try to act a little more outraged than I actually was. The possibility of physical torture is even worse! So, rape me they did. They lowered the table with one of them climbing on top of me, mocking me and saying something along the lines of "my dick is only the taste of what will happen to you if you don't reveal who sent you". None of them had actually asked me any direct questions until that point, but he forced his dick inside of me anyway. Kind of suggests that he just wanted to fuck me!

When they eventually started asking direct questions about who my master is, I, of course, didn't say a word. I tried to play tough by spouting lines such as "I'll never betray my master", "My lips are sealed", and even some real cliché shit like "You can try to break my body, but you will never break my heart". Their second method of "negotiation" was impregnating me, to which I simply said, "Do your worst". That's what the first one did, followed by the second one, and then the third one too. Only after this did they show frustration by actually slapping me and threatening to hurt me for real, but I wasn't going to spill the beans quite just yet. It wasn't so much about my loyalty to Harkon - even though I would consider myself loyal - but rather about keeping them preoccupied.

Now the plan was for me to survey alone, but that wasn't the whole plan, as there were some "ifs" and "buts", most notably being what'd happen "if" I didn't emerge from the Redwater Den. In this case, it was Sofia's job to enter next and to figure out what had happened to me, and that's what I was waiting for. My only question was, what was keeping her? I honestly was getting even a little worried because seriously, what the fuck was keeping her!? Had she gotten caught as well!?

Time was running thin for me, with the three vampires honestly getting angry at the fact that they hadn't been able to extract information from me through rape. I heard them whispering around about how they didn't wish to hurt or injure me because I would be much more valuable to them unharmed, so they wanted to save that to be their last resort. They were debating what to do next, and one of them came up with an idea. He left for a moment, and when he came back, he had a damn Death Hound with him.

They released me from the table, only to then chain me to the wall. They guided the hound towards me and told me that he would be getting his dibs next. I got a glance of the beast's already erect member, and the thing must've been at least a foot-long with enough girth to match! I honestly thought about caving at that point, but I decided to brave through this as well. I mean, it shouldn't be that bad, right!?

Of course it was bad, because it hurt! Nothing that big had ever come even close to penetrating me, yet there this hound was, sticking its throbbing cock into me in one quick, painful clap. My stomach must've literally deformed a little from how big that thing was, and it was eager to copulate hard from the get-go. The vampires realized from my agonized scream that I wasn't having a good time, so they gave me a chance to give in and tell who sent me now, so they would stop the beast. A while longer, and they wouldn't be able to stop it anymore! I was still hopeful that Sofia would come for me, and I wanted them to be distracted for a while longer, so I just told them to go fuck themselves, and rather loudly at that. They just told me to have it my way and said they'd enjoy watching me cry and scream.

That shout wasn't meant only for me to mock them, but also for Sofia to hear where I was, just in case she was looking for me… She actually was nearby, and she was able to save me! She snuck inside the cage and assassinated the first of two vampires, then went on to kill the second when he turned around. Against the third, she had to fight, but she won anyway. After that, she was able to kill the Death Hound as well and release me.

What was keeping her? Well, she had decided to actually resort to stealth and to combat. At no point did she think about the possibility of surveying the area, and instead, she went on to kill anyone who stood in her way. It also took a while for her to actually find me because, according to her, this cave system isn't exactly a small one! Lastly, she smilingly said that this is exactly why we should stick together from now on. And yeah, she's right. Alone, I would've been fucked.

After resting for a bit and recovering my stolen stuff, we realized that the den was now on high alert. The vampires knew about the infiltration, but they didn't know where we were hiding. It did make things a little more difficult for us, but not so difficult that we would've failed together. In fact, finding the spring itself proved to be the most difficult task! The vampires? Not so much.

And lastly, after we found the spring, we had one last roadblock in our way. Or, actually, two, to be specific.

I immediately recognized these vampires as ones from Castle Volkihar. I hadn't spoken to those two before, but they had been sent by Vingalmo and Orthjolf. Remember? Those power-hungry bastards both want to overthrow Harkon, and they both hate each other. Why these two - Salonia and Stalf - were working together, I do not know. In fact, I don't even know which one of them served the which! All we cared about was that they wanted to interrupt my plans and that they needed to die. I was sent here by Lord Harkon, and he's the one I work for, not anyone else. Besides, the instructions given to me were quite clear, I am to kill anyone who stands in my way. So… Yeah.

Now, with the chalice filled, I'm ready to return. It'll be a long road to travel with a chalice like this. Hope it doesn't spill.

Sun's Dusk, 26th, 4E 201

I now have a much better idea about what Lord Harkon wants. It's about fulfilling some ancient prophecy and plunging the world into darkness or something. Sun is obviously our greatest weakness, but his plan sounds very grandiose and crazy. I find it hard to believe that such a thing would even be possible, or if it's what's best for vampires as a whole, but what do I know?

The prophecy might be written in Serana's Elder Scroll, which also explains why he was so happy about getting it back. Nobody here can actually read it though. Only Moth Priests can. Finding one is a very tricky task, but there might be one in Skyrim right now. We, as in the whole Volkihar clan, need to find that priest.

I'm not holding my breath about finding one, but I'll do my best. My peers will probably do a better job. Who knows.

Serana then approached us and said that since she's also been instructed to go on this search, she wanted to travel with us. She was a very welcome addition to our little group last time around, so there's no doubt in my mind that she will be useful on our future adventures as well. Besides, I really like her and would love to spend more time with her anyway! Maybe she's more open now as well, so I can get to know her better.

Sun's Dusk, 27th, 4E 201

We mostly stopped by Morthal to buy supplies and lighten our load. Getting to relax here was kind of fun after a long while. I ended up buying a gorgeous set of armor for myself. Oh, I love it so much, it looks so nice on me! Finding armor that is both cute and suitable for adventurers is hard for a girl of my size. I just hope the first group of bandits I meet doesn't rip it to tatters from my skin! I need to train my skill in tailoring and leathercrafting.

Anyway, I also came here to get some actual work done. When I last talked about those two small contracts I was given by the Dark Brotherhood, I neglected to mention who my second target was.

By Sithis, I have never been happier to carry out a murder before.

Lurbuk, the bard who is wanted dead, is just about the worst singer I've ever encountered. Combine that with his obnoxious personality, and you can see why someone would pay to see him die. I could've probably stabbed him in the middle of a busy street and had people cheer me on. Not that I have anything personal against him, but look, if someone's paying me five hundred Septim to butcher this Orc alive, I'll do it gladly. I'd even travel to whatever plane of Oblivion his soul might wander and kill him again if there's good money involved.

Interestingly enough, a woman named Alva in the inn, immediately after seeing me, recognized me as a vampire. Well, she made it known that she's one as well, and she wants me gone from her hunting ground. I guess vampires can be pretty territorial.

Disappointingly though, I couldn't find any information regarding a Moth Preist in this inn. Serana reckons I should go ask the mages at the College of Winterhold. I've never been to that city, so it might be a good idea to visit anyway.

As a final thing, I want to discuss something strange that happened to me today. Some cultists wearing odd masks attacked me, asking if I was a Dragonborn. They had a letter on them that talked about me being a false Dragonborn and about another true Dragonborn on a small island called Solstheim off the coasts of Skyrim and Morrowind… Someone called Miraak? I have no idea who that is, but if I ever mind myself journeying there, it might be interesting to investigate, not that I care about what they think of me. I know that I'm a Dragonborn, and that's all that matters.

Sun's Dusk, 30th, 4E 201

We finally made it to the Winterhold. This city used to be massive back in the day, but there was some accident or disaster which caused most of the city to fall into the sea. Some claim it was an aftershock from the eruption of the Red Mountain, while others blame the mages because the only thing left standing where the old town with all of its pretty Nordic buildings used to be suspiciously happens to be the College.

Oh, and the trip itself was pretty fun and eventful. In a nutshell, we saw a lot of snow, ice, and glaciers, but not a whole lot of people.

Our first stop on the way here was a fortress taken over by a group of Necromancers. Not much to talk about that place, but we did spend time sleeping and resting there.

Next, we found a cave full of Falmer and Chaurus. I was immediately reminded of my last and fortunately only encounter with them. We didn't feel like going inside. My gut told me that there was nothing but misery and rape inside. Basically, a whole lot of trouble with no reward.

And finally, we decided to take the scenic route to climb to the Shrine of Azura. Well, now I know why people speak so highly of it. It's certainly a sight to see. Leave it to the Dunmer to build a giant statue of a voluptuous goddess on top of a mountain.

We'll be saving our trip to the College for tomorrow. Well, just me and Serana, to be honest. Sofia isn't allowed inside. She has history with them, for lack of a better word.

Evening Star, 1st, 4E 201

I ended up having to work my butt off just for a potential of maybe gaining helpful information from the College. Well, let me spoil the fun and say it was worth it! …Kind of.

Outsiders aren't allowed inside, so I first had to demonstrate my expertise in magic. I tried to explain that I didn't come here to study but rather to look for information as a guest, but that just wasn't enough. Faralda, a master of Destruction magic, the one keeping track of who enters, wasn't gonna allow this. I had to offer something to these guys in return. I regret doing what I did, but because I really have no clue how to do any practical magic, I showed the lady looking at the entrance my expertise with voice. Let's just say, after that, it was her who was insistent on me actually joining the College, saying there's so much they could learn from the Dragonborn!

Serana aced the practical exam, for her expertise in Destruction magic is deep. Faralda even said it's been a while since she's seen such a promising student, especially at such a young age. Now, Serana actually isn't that young… Or is she? I never asked. She must've been bitten when she was like nine or ten, but how old was she when she went to, uhh… "Sleep"? I actually asked her about it, but she doesn't seem to like to talk about how or when she became a vampire. It's a touchy subject or something. I guess it doesn't matter.

From there, we were dragged into a tour, some lesson, given even a task to go to some old Nordic ruin we have no intention of visiting… Okay, they might've talked me into it, I might go see what this is about later, but not today, not while I have more important things to do. Their excavation of that place isn't going to end in days' time, or probably even in a week or a month. They'll wait, I'm sure of it.

When I finally got around to speaking to the headmaster of the Arcanaeum, an Orc named Urag, I found out that I had just missed out on my chance to meet the Moth Priest. He had been studying here but has now left towards Dragon Bridge on the other side of the province. That place is just a rock's throw away from Morthal, so it's going to be a round trip back. Great…

On a different note, before I left the Arcanaeum, I ended up checking the books it had to offer. Didn't want to waste an opportunity to look around when there's no idea when I'm able to return. I found a peculiar note along with a key on a table, which talked about a forbidden bookshelf. I obviously had to look for it. Turns out, it had all kinds of perverted books on it, mostly about bondage and other adult toys. Urag caught me reading that stuff, and I thought he would be angry. I was so embarrassed I couldn't even look him in the eyes. He said it's alright, it's understandable for a child to be curious, and I can even loan the books if I want. I ended up doing just that, but only one of them seems to be of any value to me, as it contains all kinds of blueprints for how to actually craft these devices and, more importantly, how to create tools that can be used to get rid of them. Needless to say, this knowledge is something I need to know. It'll save me a lot of money not having to deal with blacksmiths ripping me off.

Well, at least we have a direction now, and I'd be foolish not to follow it at this point and time.

Evening Star, 2nd, 4E 201

Well, we found what we were looking for. However, we weren't the first ones to find them. We weren't even the first vampires there, as some of them had taken him to their lair and sealed him away in an attempt to break his will. I'm not even sure if these vampires are allied with us… Not like it matters since they were all dead.

Dawnguard were also ahead of us, which means that they must know something about what Lord Harkon is up to. Exactly how much does the Dawnguard know Lord Harkon's plans? I'm not sure, but it sounds like trouble for us. They were trying to get to the Moth Priest, who'd been sealed inside a magical barrier set up by the vampires. We needed to put a stop to that.

The three of us were able to surprise them. I took out one of the guards, after which they were fully alert but not sure where the attacks were coming from. It wasn't an easy fight even after that, but I feel that we ended up being a little bit lucky too. Two of the Dawnguard were far too busy trying to release the Moth Priest to even see their allies were under attack. Had they joined the fight earlier, we might not be alive anymore. They even had an armored troll fighting by their side. I never knew those beasts could be tamed and trained.

So, the priest wasn't pleased to be saved by the likes of me. Or, maybe he was just scared. Either way, he intended to die fighting. I wasn't going to allow that. Honestly, if he wanted to die, he would've had a better chance at trying to kill himself.

After taking him down, I used my powers to seduce him and permanently turn him into my thrall. It's strange how I can use some vampiric powers so easily, while the other abilities, like those that rely on magicka, are way beyond my reach. It's not a power I'm willing to use lightly, but I had no choice. It's the first time I had ever used that power too, and I'm surprised how well it worked out. The Moth Priest just straight up kneeled before her new mistress, promising to serve me to his death. Like really, this ability to turn people into thralls is scarily powerful. Granted, it takes a lot of preparation, and it takes a toll on me, but if used correctly, the rewards it offers are immense.

I hope to report back to Lord Harkon soon.

Evening Star, 3rd, 4E 201

Oh, my lovely little diary, I'm a little disappointed.

I ordered my new thrall to read the Scroll, which he was happy to do. He has probably waited his entire life for a moment like this. The words he read were short and… Well, not what we hoped for. We found out that we need an Aedric Artifact, a weapon called Auriel's Bow, but apart from that, we don't know much! The only additional information revealed by the Scroll was that we need two more of them. Isn't that just great? They don't exactly grow on bushes like Snowberries.

Serana has an idea about where one of them could be. It's with her mother, who's been in hiding for a long time. She needs time to think about where her mother could be, so we'll be splitting up to do our own independent work. It's a shame as she's an excellent friend to have, but we all have our own goals. I promised to return to her once I found the other one, maybe even earlier if I start missing her.

For tips regarding the third Scroll's location, we turned to Lord Harkon. He talked about how the Dwemer used to study the Elder Scrolls here in Skyrim, so finding one inside one of the many ruins is a distant possibility. I should probably consult Urag about this, as he might have some books on the subject. He's my best bet, and finding information about where to begin.

This is going to take a while.

Well, I might as well keep myself preoccupied with other things for the time being. Lord Harkon doesn't expect me to find the scrolls in a day. Like, he has looked for them for what, a thousand years himself? What's a hundred more years to him at this point? He's one patient man.

All these adventures have kept me well-fed, and I've been very safe, but my hormones have gotten the better of me. I haven't exactly felt satisfied or fulfilled lately, and even young girls have needs. I'll be heading to Solitude, Skyrim's capital to enjoy some sweet recreational time. You know, talk to people, spend time shopping, find a handsome young man to seduce… It's going to be a fun change of pace.

• 7th Journal - The Ultimate Crime