JoS/Henriette/18th Journal - Payback

Sun's Height, 20th, 4E 202

I arrived at Karthwasten at the break of dawn. It's a small town, maybe half the size of Riverwood, not really any kind of travel destination, as they don't even have an inn. It used to be bigger in the third era when it was considered an important trading hub for the Empire in the area, and there are even some allegations of the Stormcloaks and genocide, but nope, I'm not going there! These days, the residents rely on ore for their wealth, and now those Nords are here because they want to take that revenue from them. Damn Silver-Bloods were picking on the locals when I arrived. Meanwhile, these people living here also get trouble from the Forsworn, effectively being picked on by both sides. Man, do I sympathize with them! Most of them are Bretons too.

I approached the village leader Ainethach and asked if there's any way I could help them, to which he simply commented that there's probably not anything a puny little girl can do… But in an off chance that I could do something, he asked me to get rid of them by any means necessary. I don't think they really knew who he was dealing with, so I asked, "that means I can kill them, right?" He said I'm welcome to try but warned me not to do anything that'll get me killed.

I had been waiting to pay back to those scumbags for a long time…

These men were pretty well equipped, and their chief, in particular, had one of the most impressive Nordic steel armor sets I've ever seen. No matter, I snuck into the mine and killed them one by one. I saved their leader for the last and pressed my dagger against his neck, telling him that he had made a mistake in allying himself with the Silver-Blood scum. He shouted for help, but when he quickly realized that everyone else was already dead, he just asked what in Oblivion do I want, that he would do anything to please me. He said he's just a mercenary, and that he's not even part of the family. He just works for them. He doesn't know what my problem is with them, but he's not part of it.

"Guilty enough", I told him as I bit into his flesh. I feasted on every bit of blood I could muster out from his pathetic body, and as soon as I was done, I took his head off his shoulders. I then carried it to Ainethach, who seemed a little horrified by the sight of a severed head hanging by the hair in my hands and the blood running down my jaw. "These guys won't bother you anymore", I said. I then told him to forget about paying me, as killing those guys already satisfied me in more ways than a purse of gold ever could. Instead, I asked him to shut up about me being me. I didn't outright tell him that I'm a vampire, but something tells me he realized it.

I think I had impressed one of them as he approached me, talking something about Forsworn kidnapping his daughter. Really, a daughter he says? Her name's Fjotra, and apparently she's the only young woman in this entire village, so she's obviously the girl I'm looking for. I said that I'm actually here looking for her, that she's a Sybil of Dibella. Well, the father was absolutely ecstatic about the news, and told me where she could be held hostage. If I were to save her, he would personally reward me handsomely.

So, I will set on a journey to the tower captured by the Forsworn… Talk about reopening old wounds. I have to deal with the Silver-Bloods and the Forsworn all over again.

Sun's Height, 22nd, 4E 202

I was told that this is a tower, but really, it's a fortress. Well, a tower is a part of it, so close enough!?

Sadly, my infiltration didn't go as planned because they managed to ambush me. The Forsworn lured me in through what I thought was a simple, unguarded back-door and got caught. I'm not sure how they saw me coming, but it's really not like me to make mistakes like this.

Immediately after taking away my weapons and tying my wrists together with a pair of tiny handcuffs, they started joking about how it's not every day that whores just march in from the front door, usually they have to go raid villages to get them. It was about to get really ugly really fast with them planning on raping me right there and then, but one of the men told his friends to wait, and that he knew me. I immediately recognized him too. "That's the girl", he said, "the one who was imprisoned with us in Cidhna Mine."

He's Braig. As he himself said, he was with me in that prison, and he was one of my favorites down there. Now, he has apparently climbed some ranks, as he's the second in command here, right under the Briarheart. He wondered what I was doing here and scolded me about coming here. He reminded me that Forsworn are my enemies now, that Madanach still longs to have me in his harem. He himself has no problems with me, but he said I should've stayed away from the Reach.

This castle is one of the most important bases of operation for the Forsworn, a lot of slaves and sacrificial lambs move through this place, young women who are either destined to live in slavery or be butchered for the gods. I immediately asked him, which one was Fjotra. He asked me, how do I know that name, and I answered truthfully that I've been sent here to save her and that she's a Sybil of Dibella.

After that, it was silent.

Braig sighed deeply and tried to explain to me that Madanach himself has an interest in this kid. So wait, I thought, she's a child? Indeed she is, about my age actually. Madanach isn't as hot about children as he is about teenagers and young adults, but he has a longing for certain someone, and that he likes to get them young anyway so they can be raised into fine bitches… I didn't have to ask him to clarify that this someone was me. I just knew.

It had only been him and me talking for a while, but then one of his men suggested that they should let Fjorta go and take me instead. Braig said that he disagrees, that it should be me getting out of here and let it serve as a final warning, but unfortunately it's not for him to decide, but instead their leader. After that, they took me up to the tower.

There was an old, giant Dibellan statue here along with a shrine, now completely ruined and covered in blood. Was that just a coincidence? I'm not sure. There were actually five women there already, four of who were already in their late teens or early twenties. It wasn't hard to figure out who Fjorta was. The Briarheart never even let Braig speak. He just laughed, tapped him on the shoulder and said "good job" to him, and dismissed him immediately. Then, he yelled that they have a new one, and let them have it at me.

I was let off pretty easy… Well, considering that it was still a gang rape. Most of the men here were already satisfied, for the most part anyway. They took their sweet time, pinned my back against the floor, and held me down with all their weight… One by one, they did me in a missionary position. They didn't even feel like using toys or bondage equipment. They didn't have any drugs either. They kept laughing about how wealthy I was, talking about how I must be some kind of successful adventurer, but not successful enough! According to them, my life as an adventurer is now over, and all my earthly possessions now belong to them along with my body… Same old bandit drivel I've heard before…

Then, they threw me into the cell with Fjorta. She asked me if I was okay, and I nodded slowly. I told her that I was actually sent here to save her, that she might be a Sybil of Dibella, and I'm supposed to take her to the temple. She wouldn't believe me, but she was at least happy that people are trying to save her. I said that I still intend to do just that… How? I don't know…

Sun's Height, 24th, 4E 202

So, my dearest diary… It seemed near impossible for me to even figure out how to get away from here, on my own anyway. I ended up getting some help, and although I didn't see it coming, it wasn't entirely unexpected either.

Braig came to me in the morning because he wanted to do me again, just like he used to do in the past. He was just as fantastic as always… He may have dressed it as rape in front of his friends, but we really were just making love for real. All of this was merely a chance for him to relay his plans to me without anyone getting suspicious. He said that Madanach will probably be visiting here in the coming days, and once he does, my days might as well be numbered because there's no chance he would be willing to let me slip past his fingers. Braig said that he wants to prevent this.

He actually wants to get away himself since he doesn't want to ally himself with the Forsworn anymore. He's mostly stayed around because he has no family to go to, no place to call home, but that doesn't mean he wants to waste his life serving Madanach. It's a bit strange because, in my opinion, he has every right to chase revenge if the story he told me back at the Cidhna Mine is true, but he sees things a bit differently. He said something along the lines of: "I know I'm a victim, and Madanach took advantage of that to convince me his cause is good, but I don't see him as any better. He's looking to commit crimes equally as reprehensible as those that were committed against my family." And now, he is caught in a vicious circle he just can't seem to break.

I guess to put it short, he wants to start over, but he doesn't know how or where. That's where I came in. He asked me, how do I manage? How am I, a convicted and a wanted criminal, someone well-recognized in many parts of Skyrim, able to stay free and out of trouble for the most part?

I told him that first of all, I don't. I have many enemies. Many want me either dead, imprisoned, or enslaved, but I also have some good friends to rely on. Most of these friends aren't law-abiding citizens, and my situation might not actually be much different from his honestly… Except for the fact that I also have a family in addition to having friends. When he wanted me to clarify, I told him that I wanted him to join the Dark Brotherhood. He could stop living his life in the wilds as a mere bandit, he could start over, he could feel much safer, and more importantly, he would feel accepted instead of feeling used… I put my personal guarantee on that. He was a little hesitant to jump from one group of criminals to another, as it necessarily isn't what he had in mind for his future. It was a little tricky convincing him, but he said he'd do it in the end.

It was a done deal, but there was still the minor issue of actually breaking out. For that, we had to stage an uprising of our own.

Its first stage was getting weapons upstairs. Some of the women in the tower were adventurers in their own right, and they all wanted to get out. It's not like we were going to be ambushed on our way out either, because the Briarheart and his men couldn't possibly figure out our plan.

The next plan getting the keys to the chains, to which only the Briarheart had the keys. Braig said that he was too mighty a foe for him or me to challenge alone, and we needed to use stealth to our advantage instead. That's where I came in. Fortunately, my hands had been tied in front of me, but I still couldn't use them for much else than writing and pleasing men. Fortunately, come night, Braig could help me out with that by cutting the chain between my cuffs with a swing of an axe. I was a little scared about him actually missing his hit, but that swing was as accurate as it needed to be.

Now, how do you assassinate a Briarheart? I didn't know this before Braig told me, but there is actually a straightforward way. In case you're not aware, the Briarheart isn't merely a title, but also a description of what keeps them going. They are born with their human hearts ripped away from their chest and replaced by these "Briarheart" fruits. Braig doesn't know what kind of magic goes into it; only Hagravens do. Nevertheless, since they have a hole in their chests, the new heart can be ripped out just as quickly. All I had to do was wait for a time to find him without his armor, sneak up to him, and murder him.

This opportunity came when he came upstairs to abuse us. Braig was dry-humping me while blocking the Briarheart's view of my body, so he couldn't figure out my hands were "free". The Briarheart himself went for Fjorta, who he said he wanted to bang as long as he still had an opportunity to. That poor little girl was scared, but didn't do anything to resist. All she could do was stick her butt out while she got pounded from behind. That, if anything, gave me an ample opportunity.

After I had the keys, Braig pulled his sword and attacked the nearby Forsworn, who now knew what was going on. There were only three of them there, and they were no match for us. Next, we released every prisoner we could from chains, asking which of them could and wanted to fight and which ones didn't. We had the tower for ourselves really quickly, and we even outnumbered the enemy, killing most of them and causing some to retreat.

As soon as me and many of the other prisoners recovered our stuff, I went out to meet Braig, without whom this all would've been impossible. I hugged him lovingly, thanking him, and said that we should go different ways for a little while. I told him to meet me in Dawnstar, and that I needed to deliver this little lady to the priestesses in Markarth. I promised to follow him as soon as I could.

Well, fast forward to me now being in Markarth. The priests thanked me for my service, and Fjorta thanked me for saving her from those savages. Everyone's happy, except maybe Madanach, who will arrive at one of his outposts only to see everyone inside murdered without even knowing who did it. Okay, he might figure it out later, thanks to the few Forsworn who escaped, but by the time that happens… What can he really do about it anymore?

The priestesses also let me commune with Dibella. Well, it's wasn't as much of a communion as it was just me praying to her. I was a little doubtful of if she would even answer my prayer, considering that I'm probably nothing more than Daedra worshipping filth in her eyes… I've heard she's not too fond of the undead either, but she managed to surprise me. I could feel her touch and her blessing… Probably the last blessing I'm ever going to receive from her. Well, as I might've said before, I do have a lot of respect for this particular Goddess, even though the sentiment is probably not shared back. She's not that bad. She likes art, love, and sex, so… Yeah…

I'll be leaving towards Dawnstar tomorrow. I'll also visit Karthwasten on the road to bring news about Fjorta being safe to her parents. After that, it's straight towards Winterhold.

Sun's Height, 25th, 4E 202

Well, now Braig is part of the Brotherhood. He was a little surprised to hear that I'm actually the Listener. He was in shock and in awe! …Oh, who am I kidding, he doesn't know much about how this family runs, and he probably still doesn't understand just what it means. He'll learn in due time. No rush!

Braig went through the usual spiel of Nazir, who told him he'll probably end up dead in two or three weeks, but I just tapped him in his back and said that's Nazir's way of showing love. He'll do fine. He's a capable man, I know it.

Braig thanked me once again, and admitted he didn't even know how to express his gratitude through words. Joining a group of assassins wasn't what he had in mind, but based on everything he's seen so far, he feels this'll prove to be a better decision than staying with the Forsworn. Lastly, I instructed Nazir to try and only give him jobs that don't involve him going anywhere near the Reach. It's for the best for him to stay as far away from that place as possible.

After that, I completed my usual tasks: took the contracts from the Night Mother, meditated at the altar of Sithis, shared banter and stories with the members… Mostly with Babette. She always keeps telling me to visit more often, to which I simply replied, maybe she should visit me in the mountains! After all, she knows where I live, so there's literally no reason for her to not come by if she's in the area!

I'll be spending a night here as usual. This time though, I won't be spending it alone. I'll make love to my daddy through the night… Yeah, Braig is still my daddy. He still likes that roleplay with me. I like it too…

Sun's Height, 26th, 4E 202

I've finally made it back to Winterhold. I met Enthir in the Frozen Heart Inn, and Karliah was there too. They were worried about something happening to me because I didn't return as soon as possible, and I admitted to getting into some trouble, but it was completely unrelated to this matter at hand. Then, I handed Enthir my research materials, and he went through them really quickly. Like, this guy must be some kind of genius to be able to read this simply by looking at the rubbings I took from the stone tablet.

Revelations from the Journals were nothing short of shocking. It had evidence about Mercer's crimes against the guild, which involved stealing money from its treasury for his own personal profit and fortune. He has been able to do this with the help of a treasure called the Skeleton Key, a Daedric artifact he has stolen from a place called the Twilight Sepulcher, which in turn is an ancient temple devoted to the Daedric Prince Nocturnal herself. I was a little confused at first as I didn't understand the significance of all of this, but to quote Karliah, it's way worse than she thought. Nocturnal is not only a Goddess who views thieves of Tamriel favorably, but is also directly linked to the Nightingales in some way, and that Mercer's betrayal of her is way more than just a betrayal of the guild. Mercer has pissed off the very Goddess he was supposed to serve. She stressed that we must go comfort the guild immediately with this evidence.

She's going ahead, but I'll catch her in hours, I'm sure.

Sun's Height, 27th, 4E 202

The guild members weren't interested in hearing Karliah out at first, but they trusted me and at least were willing to give her a chance after I told them Mercer tried to kill me, and Karliah saved my life. Still, they wanted hard evidence, to which Karliah simply said to open up the vault, as it would prove Mercer's been stealing from the guild.

Why was this enough proof is because the safe supposedly cannot be opened with only one key. It's a treasury that should be impossible to break into for all intents and purposes, and Delvin said that Mercer damn sure hasn't asked him to open it without his consent and hasn't been able to swipe Delvin's key either. You cannot believe how surprised they were to confirm the vault to be as empty as a beggar's purse. The rage within the cistern was palpable.

Mercer apparently hasn't been around since we left on our little trip, so nobody knew what he - or me for that matter - was up to. It was almost as if he knew he was going to get caught and disappeared accordingly… Well, that's exactly what has happened. He may be a backstabbing son of a bitch, but he's perhaps the most ingenious enemy I've ever encountered. Okay, probably not… As I said, if he was actually as bright as he should be, I wouldn't be alive.

In order to find out about his plans, I was tasked with infiltrating his apartment here in Riften. The only problem really was getting in, and I was on my own on that, but let's just say… My plan worked perfectly!

The place had few people guarding it, out of which the most notable one was Vald, Mercer's personal bodyguard. He used to work for Maven too, but that isn't important to me. I can't believe that he didn't recognize me for a member of the guild. He was so dumb, or maybe he was just too horny to care. Either way, a big oaf with a tiny brain. I walked up to him, calling him from behind the gate. He obviously got very interested in this seemingly innocent little girl talking to him. I told him that I'm a little short on cash and that he's allowed to do anything he wants to me for a small price, all while I flashed my panties at him. As soon as he opened the gate and started reaching for my body, I rolled behind his back and slit his throat. I wanted to drink his blood, but I didn't have time to indulge myself, especially not in the middle of the day. After that, I proceeded to infiltrate the house through the balcony.

Mercer's house was connected to the Ratway, which was accessible through a poorly hidden secret entrance inside a wardrobe. The place was filled with traps, but nothing that I couldn't avoid. He had a little office at the end of the long corridor, where I found all kinds of treasures he owned, along with his journal and plans to go fetch some sort of precious treasure called "Eyes of the Falmer".

As soon as I took this information to Brynjolf and Karliah, they were convinced he must be stopped. Lucky for us, we know where he's going, and we might just be able to catch up to him, but before that, Karliah insisted that we have to go prepared. She had a place to show both of us.

Not too far away from Riften, near an old standing stone of the Shadow, was a secret hideout dedicated to the Nightingales. Karliah wanted us to become Nightingales just like she was and insisted that this would provide us with weapons and powers to take on Mercer… But I wasn't having it, no way, not after hearing what this deal is actually about.

Karliah told in no uncertain terms that those who become Nightingales strike a deal with Nocturnal to serve her in life and even in death. The full details of this deal aren't important, I'm not interested in even going through them. The point is, I gave her a strict and unconditional "No". I didn't tell her the whole story about me being the Listener, being devoted to my Dread Father Sithis, but I told her that I only have one Lord I serve, and there's no room for Nocturnal there.

Karliah and I got into an argument after that. I can't blame her since she's as devoted to her Goddess as I am to mine. She said we need to do this, it's the only way, but I insisted that I have my principles and I won't violate them. Never.

Brynjolf didn't care all that much, as he was sympathetic to how I was feeling, but it's clear that I offended Karliah. She was SO pissed with me, and hadn't it been for Brynjolf trying to act as the middle-ground here, the plan would've probably fallen into shambles. In the end, only Brynjolf took the oath with Karliah while I waited for them to be finished. I told them that I still intend to help them defeat Mercer, because let's be honest, that guy tried to fucking kill me, and I will send his soul to the void as a payback. I told Karliah to not think badly of me because of this, to which luckily she said that she's willing to forgive me, but only if I can actually carry my weight in the same way she and Brynjolf will.

We'll begin our pursuit as soon as the sun sets. We all have a long night ahead of us, so the best we can do is get a little bit of rest.

Sun's Height, 29th, 4E 202

The place where we met is called Irkngthand, and it's an old Dwemer ruin in the mountains west of Windhelm. I've been near it before, and I think I've even seen it from afar, but never did I think it would house a treasure of the caliber that Mercer was hunting.

The ruin itself was massive, leading deep underground, where as enemies we mostly had just Falmer and Chaurus. Mercer was ahead of us, and he had been able to sneak past most of the enemies, but he had also killed quite a lot. The Bandits camping outside the ruins and inside near the entrance, for example, had suffered massive damage at his hands. We were also able to confirm we weren't too far off behind.

What these ruins had in store was no match for me, Brynjolf, and Karliah. Hell, I'd probably do well here, even alone! I think I managed to convince Karliah that joining forces with her precious Goddess never was necessary for me, as I was more than capable of holding my own. I'm not as good a shooter as she is, but hey, she's got many decades of practice behind her! I'll surpass her one day!

We caught up to Mercer in the main chamber of this ruin, where a massive, ancient statue of a Snow Elf was located, with eyes made of giant gemstones larger than any precious gems I'd ever seen. He had just finished looting them, but he, of course, wasn't going to escape without confronting us. He probably couldn't, not with us blocking the path. What ensued immediately after he was done wasn't a clash of blades though, but rather, a clash of words.

He congratulated us, congratulating us on finding and catching up with him. More importantly, he focused on me, praising me for my promise and skills. He said that maybe he had made a mistake in trying to get rid of me, and that perhaps he should've tried to befriend me from the start and made me his ally, maybe even his lover… The way he said it was obviously intended to piss me off because he knows well I don't like him back. I didn't take the bait, though. Instead, I told him that there was only one way to find out whenever what he did was a mistake or not, and that was by facing us in this final battle… Or, facing me, only me. Brynjolf and Karliah had been locked out of the room by magic. How had Mercer done it, I do not know.

He then gave me one final chance. He could help me escape, he could spare me. We could start over, let bygones be bygones, and we could escape Skyrim together. "We could be legends", he said, "the greatest pair of thieves to ever grace Tamriel". I told him there was no way I could trust him after what he did to me last time around. I reminded him that he had tried to already kill me once, and there was just no coming back from that. Whatever bridge there was for reconciliation between us has long been burned by him to the ground.

His final reply was simple: "That's a pity because I was actually being dead honest with you." Whether that's true or not, I will never know… Not that I would've wanted to escape Skyrim with him anyway.

He could cloak himself in shadows and turn himself invisible, but I could do the same with my blood magic. He possessed weapons more potent than I did and had a considerable size and strength advantage over me. Meanwhile, I had speed, and I could even detect his very lifeforce during his invisibility, something that he could neither anticipate nor counter, nor replicate for that matter. With my accuracy, I was able to take aim despite his invisibility and fire my arrows straight at him, but he could block most of them, and I only hit him with a couple of first shots. I guess he realized the hits weren't mere flukes rather quickly.

The battle was difficult, and I knew I wasn't going to be able to beat him with a bow. I had to get close. I knew I would have only one opportunity to surprise him. Lucky for me, it was enough for me to hit him once… But the cut wasn't deep enough. He was able to tackle me to the ground and wound me. And let me just tell you, that injury hurt more than I ever expected it would! That has to be the most potent frost-enchantment I've ever had the displeasure of being attacked with! Mind you, the cold doesn't usually even bother me!

He thought that was it and laughed at me, saying that a mere flesh wound wouldn't take him down, and that now that I was within his grasp. I guess he was too dumb to consider that I had coated the blade with a very special brew of poison… When you ally yourself with the Dark Brotherhood, you tend to get your hands in all kinds of nifty ingredients. You see, I didn't write about this when I met with Babette on my last trip, but I actually asked if she had a particular poison to provide me with. She had no idea what I needed Langourwine for as it's not really used for killing, but she didn't mind parting with the bottle she had. For the price, she said that I'd have to pay her back in the future with a favor of her choosing. What'll that be, I'm not sure yet. Hopefully something fun!

Oh, but that's indeed what I had coated my dagger with. I had learned how effective it was first-hand after all! A simpler paralyzing potion could've also probably done, but hey, this poison is far more potent, and based on my experience, far more painful too! Sure enough, unable to defend himself properly and writhing in pain, he fell to his knees. I struggled to my feet and laughed, saying I won. I then told him that I would do what he should've done to me when he had a chance, and I drove my dagger through his heart. Then, I took his priceless treasures; the Eyes, his fancy little swords, and most importantly, the Skeleton Key.

The cave was collapsing on us, and the ruin was being filled with water. It must've been a trap, perhaps a defense mechanism created by either the ancient Dwemer or the Falmer to protect this treasure. There was no way for us to escape from where we came from, and it didn't look like there was any other exit here either. We were sure this would become our watery grave, but fortunately, through the collapsing cave, we were able to find a path out of that predicament and out from the ruins.

I handed one of the eyes to Karliah and Brynjolf. I kept one for myself, but they didn't seem to care all that much. Maybe they thought it would be a suitable reward for me. It should fetch a reasonable price on any kind of market, and I'm pretty sure I can even get away with selling it without any back doors or shady deals. As for the Key… Well, I would be a big stinky liar if I said I didn't want to hold onto it… But I thought I'd do the right thing. It has to be returned to its rightful place within the Twilight Sepulcher according to Karliah, and even though I refuse to serve Nocturnal, I can at least respect her wish. I can't complete this task myself, as only the Nightingales can enter the Twilight Sepulcher, so I gave the key to Karliah. She thanked me for all I've done and said that she would go return it posthaste.

As for Brynjolf, he asked me what's next for me? Truth be told, I haven't decided. I have a long, long path behind me, and I just can't wait to get back home and relax for a bit, especially now that I'm carrying this painful injury caused by his enchanted blade. He said that he understood my needs and wished for me to return to the guild soon. He's sure - they're both sure - that there will be a lot of people waiting there for me. It's unclear what will happen to the guild and who will take the mantle of leadership. My guess is that Brynjolf will take it. He at least would be more suitable, in my opinion! Or maybe Delvin. Either one would make a great boss.

After that, I decided to walk to Nightgate Inn, which happened to be nearby. I rented a room, and here I am now, drinking mead to drown my pain in alcohol. Karliah was able to help me with my wound just like she did the last time, but I guess there was more damage this time around or something because the pain is just not going away. I need rest.

Tomorrow I'll return home, and hopefully, I don't have to worry about doing anything for the foreseeable future.

• 19th Journal - Odd Jobs