JoS/Henriette/32nd Journal - Corruption
Second Seed, 1st, 4E 203
It seems that luck was on my side because instead of me trying to speak Haelga, she came to me. I had just finished serving my second customer for the day when she approached me in the hallway and told me to follow her. She said she wanted to give me feedback on my work.
She sat me down in her office upstairs while two of the guards stood behind me. I guess they wanted to make sure I wouldn't try anything stupid, like try to escape, because let's be honest, it's just two doors to the streets of Riften from her office, which is also her own bedroom.
She was thrilled that I'd been able to meet the cut every single day and even called me a hit. She walked up to me, placed her hand on my cheek, and caressed it, saying I'm making a lot of money and that it's a damn shame I'm only here for eleven more months. There was something off-putting about how she said it, almost as if she would be interested in having me here for longer, maybe even permanently. She all but confirmed that suspicion when she said that perhaps I'm having too much of an easy time and that she ought to toss some curveballs at me to get me in trouble. All I could say in reply was an uncomfortable, "please don't", and that "I'd rather stay on your good side".
I sensed that I didn't have much more time for this business evaluation as Haelga is a busy woman, so I politely asked her if she could kindly tell me something. "Only if it won't take long", she said. I pointed my finger at the tattoo on my crotch and smiled shyly. "You know something about this, don't you? I-I really want to know about it… I don't know what it is, but you were interested in it when you first saw it, s-so…"
She interrupted me there and there, suddenly seeming more serious. She immediately denied knowing anything, but I wasn't just going to give up.
"Oh, but you absolutely do… You have one yourself, don't you…?"
She was having a bit of fun until that point, but she wasn't smiling anymore. She immediately told the guards to go outside and guard the door. Then, as soon as we were alone, she sighed heavily and asked me if I really didn't know, even though I have the tattoo. I nodded and explained to her exactly how I got the tattoo. I was expecting her to ask me how I knew about her tattoo, but no, it didn't seem to matter to her.
She then admitted that there was no point in keeping it secret from me, especially since she was already ready to have me confront her about it. She asked me, am I familiar with the Daedric god Sanguine? I slowly nodded, and everything just started to click in place.
Apparently, there's this group of people loosely tied together in an ideology, kind of like a cult, but more decentralized with no leader. They all serve Sanguine by indulging in carnal sin, and the mark that Haelga and I bear is a symbol of this commitment to Sanguine. Sanguine is the god of debauchery, revelry, and hedonism, and his sphere of influence spans across many aspects of life people find pleasure in; drugs, alcohol, and in our case, sex. As you can imagine, it's not about love and sex as the divines intended it, but rather, simply for the sake of enjoyment without procreation.
I asked her if she somehow knew who had given me this mark, but she couldn't give me a straight answer. However, she had a good guess about how it could've gone down. According to her theory, someone in Markarth must've done it to me in an attempt to lead me down a highly promiscuous lifepath. I mean, I was on my way to serve a life sentence in Cidhna mine, which involved me being a sex slave with no rights of my own, so mission accomplished, I guess. Whoever that woman was, she couldn't have picked a better target! Haelga seems to agree with it being a roaring success since I still lead a life of promiscuity as a sex slave, and she even said that based on how I work, I must have an excessive history of being sexually active. I didn't want to admit to it, but I said that yeah, she's spot on. I've become quite a pervert, haven't I? Both boys and girls, young and old, animals and other monsters, even Daedra… I've enjoyed all kinds of perverted acts.
She just laughed and said, "It's good you like this because you better get used to this". After all, according to her, my days of adventuring are over. Her words confused me a little, and I tried correcting her. I reminded her that I wouldn't be here past my punishment, but what she said then kind of made my heart sink.
Haelga said it's entirely possible that Maven could try to pull some strings to try and extend my sentence, maybe even indefinitely. I then asked Haelga, is she really fine with this, and it just made her sigh.
Haelga doesn't personally care about letting captives go. In fact, she would be quite happy with this being just a regular brothel instead of a slave brothel, and it used to be that way when Haelga alone was in control of this place. She did this only to please Sanguine back then, and it's still her prime motivation. Haelga is a Champion of Sanguine, after all. One of many, in fact.
However, when Maven's influence grew and her stranglehold over the hold of Rift grew, she made sure that whatever moral code this place used to have would become obsolete. Maven loves slaves. Like, it's free labor, and that labor is also highly profitable, so why wouldn't she? For a person who doesn't care about individual rights, that's a good deal, isn't it? In that sense, it's kind of working against my favor here because I AM turning profit… Then again, if I didn't turn a profit, Maven would probably get me killed. It's one of those "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situations. And as a final point, if Sanguine has no problem with the current state of events, neither has Haelga.
I then asked her, was my place in all of this truly to just serve Sanguine myself as a slave, and her answer was a very clear yes. And, well… That sucks for me. At least Haelga's being honest, which is more than I can say about Maven. Also, according to Haelga, Maven doesn't know about Sanguine at all. To her, Haelga is a devout follower of Dibella, just like Haelga wants her to believe.
Since there really wasn't anything else to talk about, Haelga promptly called for guards to escort me back downstairs, urging me to get back to work. Not five minutes after that, I was back to serving customers.
So, as you can see, I walked straight into a dead end. Granted, I did learn something about myself and the true meaning of this sigil, but this isn't going to help me escape this place. The problem at hand has not been solved, and the road to freedom hasn't gotten any easier. I still have Svana to rely on though… Depending on how I approach this situation, I might land her on hot water… Not sure I would want any collateral damage by ruining her life… She's a sweet girl…
I must say though, getting rid of Maven would solve a lot of problems. I wonder if I or anyone else would be able to get away with killing her? I mean, I technically got away with killing an Emperor. Granted, that took a conspiracy and months, maybe even years of planning from a bunch of people a whole lot smarter than me, while I only did the work as instructed.
On that note, I'm kind of surprised there isn't a contract on Maven's head yet! I'm willing to bet there's a lot of people out there who would love for her to die or worse. I mean, I would take a contract to kill her in a heartbeat if the pay was good and the plan was safe! This also makes me wonder, is Night Mother selective when it comes to what she tells me and what she doesn't? Are there people who perform the Black Sacrament that she just straight up ignores? Surely not…?
Oh, whatever, I'm getting ahead of myself. I need to get out first, only think about what comes after that once I'm out.
Second Seed, 6th, 4E 203
Fast forward a few days from the last time I sat down to write. Days have been passing along like normal, but yesterday was special in two ways, the latter of which is way more intriguing.
I had a special assignment. So far, I had only worked by myself, but there was a whole group of men who were raring to go, all eight of them. I think they were mercenaries, bandits, or maybe just some random adventurers, but they obviously had money to waste. They rented all three of the kids - me, Runa, and Britte - for a night-long gangbang. I think those guys got themselves into trouble because they insisted on us getting drunk too, which is prohibited for us. I'm just glad that Haelga was smart enough to understand that we didn't get ourselves drunk. The men did.
The night progressed slowly at first, with them mostly playing around, but towards the later hours, it was just non-stop fucking. Every time one was done, another one took his place. I made out with both the girls too. Wouldn't have been a proper gangbang otherwise, after all. I don't really remember when it stopped, but it all continued well into my wet dreams as well.
Talking about dreams is a little boring to me because they're not real, and the real world is fascinating enough as it is, but this was again one of those dreams that didn't just feel real. I swear, it was real. I found myself in an unrecognizable plane of Oblivion, kind of like I did roughly one year ago when I was doing some work for the college and when I was looking for the Elder Scroll in the Blackreach. It was the same Daedric figure again, and he was doing me from behind. He also talked to me about how there's only one entity that truly owns me, and that's him; no other god does, and certainly no other mortal. In the end, it all circles back to him, to my lord. At that point, I realized who he was…
He also said that she gets where "that woman" is coming from by keeping me under her thumb, but also called it all so terribly dull. "I'm all about fun, y'know, and it isn't really fun when there are unwilling parties involved", he said. If his words are to be believed and taken literally, that would mean he's against slavery? Huh, is Haelga confused about his master's motives then, despite being his champion nonetheless? I'm pretty sure he appreciates plays involving acting, but for many of the girls in the brothel, there's no pretending involved.
The wet dream continued forward for a long while, for hours. It wasn't just like one of those dreams where you remember bits and pieces either, as I remember every single detail. It was just so much fun. I didn't want to even wake up… We went through so many positions too, I took his wine-red cock from all directions, and it felt so good no matter how we did it. It felt so real. Like I said, I swear it was real.
When it was all over, I just laid down on my side next to him, still hugging him, trying to catch my breath, wondering what was coming next. He looked me dead in the eyes and said that I'm so much more than someone's property. I pointed out a little contradiction I heard in his words, as he also earlier said that he owns me. If this is all about fun and not about forcing anyone into anything, why would he say he owns me?
"I guess you still don't understand", he said and sat up, urging me to do so as well. "Think of it like… Ah, whatever, you'll get it eventually. My point here is that there's someone you've got to prove wrong, and I think you know who I mean. I also think you already know how."
I had to think about it for a while, but yes, I do indeed know how I will prove my worth to her. My place isn't to be stuck captive in some slave brothel to be whored out… My place is out there in the world where I can make an impact as an adventurer. It's time for me to take back control of my own life.
Yes, I do truly think that I know how. I've already laid the groundwork to make my plan happen, so all there is to do is to execute it. And best of all, he said that he'll guarantee success by getting involved as long as I do my part.
Second Seed, 8th, 4E 203
The best way for me to prove my worth to Haelga was to do something that she herself hasn't been successful in doing, which was to corrupt Svana and bring her down to the dark side. Why would she be so madly in love with some selfish, rich prick who's in jail for murder anyway? What would she even expect from such a marriage? Well, that was the plan, and below are the results.
It began yesterday morning when Svana came to wake me up again, acting as if everything was normal, just like I had ordered. I asked her to sit down, and I stood up in front of her, and I leaned in to stroke her hair and sweet-talk her. I told her what a beautiful and amazing woman she is and told her that it's such a waste for her to be throwing her youth away like this, working seven days a week in a job like this, a job that isn't even rewarding. I then told her that it's also such a waste for her to chase that man, that she's wrong about Sibbi, that Sibbi is not the one for her, that Sibbi would just use her, hurt her, and that she should give up on him. She looked shocked, even saddened, but she had listened to everything I had to say quietly up until now. She admitted that I was probably right. It's just that Sibbi is so handsome, according to her. She didn't understand though, why was I talking about this?
I placed my forehead against her and pushed my knee against her crotch while simultaneously pressing my right hand against her lower stomach, still stroking her hair with my left. I told her to just surrender herself to pleasure and do the very same thing that all the other girls here do every day. Do it just for one night, sleep around, enjoy the pleasures life has to offer…
She then managed to shock me by saying that there was no way she could. It was strange because she was under my influence just a moment ago, but now she had completely snapped out of it. Or had she? I suppose Sanguine might've played a hand in it since he wouldn't want me to bring her to his side by relying on magic. Oh, but I wasn't willing to give up.
I insisted that she wouldn't regret it, insisting that she should look at me as an example. I truly and honestly enjoy sex, and even though I'm a slave, I've even gotten some enjoyment from work here. She told me that I shouldn't enjoy this since I'm a child and being manipulated, but I just laughed at her, saying she just doesn't get it. She can tell that I'm different from many others here in the sense that I have truly embraced this. I mean, just compare me to some of the other girls, like Runa and Britte. I'm very different from them because I'm happy here. Many come here out of their free will too, so can this really be all that bad?
Besides, is it truly me who's being manipulated, or was it you, Svana? How can you say that you're not being manipulated by Sibbi into thinking that he's actually a good man? Don't forget, Svana, he's a Black-Briar, part of the very lineage that's behind so much pain in this city, and he's a murderer too. You're the one who's being naïve and childish, Svana. I know you want to try being a little naughty and shed that inexperienced shell of yours, I whispered to her ear. It would make Haelga proud too.
I wasn't sure if it was going to work out since I was no longer controlling her, but it did. She said yes, but said that just for one night. She said she didn't want to do anything extreme, and I suppose I could respect that.
My next step was arranging a little bit of fun for her. I didn't want to just lure some normal customer to my room and make him bang Svana instead of me. No, I wanted to make it memorable to her. For that, I needed Haelga's help. When I told the guards I wanted to meet her to discuss business and an idea for special service, they led me to her, and she was happy to hear my proposition out.
I didn't waste time telling her that I was planning on leaving the brothel and I was going to make Haelga help me. She obviously thought I was out of my mind - even laughed at my face briefly - but then I said that I plan on leading Svana down a path of debauchery and mark her in the very same way Haelga and I have been marked by Sanguine. Her ears perked up, and she demanded that I explain myself because there was no way she believed I was capable of doing that.
So, I laid it down. I had already gotten Svana to agree, and I wanted Haelga not only to pick up Svana's first but also to witness it happening. If I could prove to her that I wasn't blowing smoke up her ass, she would let me leave this place and make it look like I managed to escape to trick Maven. If I failed, well… I would give up on escaping forever. "If I fail, I'm your and Maven's bitch until the end of time", I said. That's how confident I was.
Haelga laughed at my proposal and said that I've got guts to even suggest such a thing, but there was one more question for her to ask: why would she agree when I'm already effectively a slave here forever? Well, I had a perfect reply in waiting. I know that she knows that part of becoming a champion of Sanguine and finalizing a pact with him is to bring someone to the very cult you yourself have been brought to. "I've already got Sanguine's blessing in this", I said and stared Haelga straight in her eyes. "So let's just have fun, shall we? If you deny me this chance and deny US this fun, you will displease Sanguine."
After that, it was a done deal. It all sounded like fun to Haelga, and she knows just as well as I know that "fun" is ultimately what serving Sanguine is all about. All that was left to do was corrupt Svana, and Haelga had a perfect man in mind.
His name is Tythis Ulen. He's a Dunmer and, according to Haelga, great in the bed. I can testify to that because I've also served him once. Tythis is a regular in Bunkhouse and Haelga knows for the fact that he has been looking to get laid with Svana too, quite openly too. He's not one to make his advances go unnoticed.
When evening rolled in, I led Svana to my room and told her to get ready. Little did she know, Haelga was also watching, hiding under a cloak of invisibility. I'm pretty sure that Svana would've freaked out if she knew her aunt was watching.
When Tythis walked in, I could just see the nervousness in Svana's face increase tenfold, and I could just feel how hard her heart was pounding. Tythis softly called Svana's name, telling that he's been waiting so long for this. Svana nodded, and with a shaky voice, she admitted that she felt frustrated and unfulfilled, and that she'd been waiting too long to show the real Svana, and that she was ready to let loose and be herself, and I couldn't believe what I was seeing and hearing. Like, I was initially planning on revealing myself to pressure Svana to keep her promise and go forward with this if it looked like she was having doubts, but I didn't even have to intervene at all! She just straight up unbuttoned her blouse to reveal her cleavage, and after that, they got on with the cuddling and the foreplay.
I leaned back and watched. It was amazing to witness. I was getting so horny myself, just couldn't help but touch myself all the time, keeping myself on edge. I swear, they fucked like animals, both of them, and Svana was reacting so strongly, screaming and moaning "Yes". Like, she was BEGGING for him to fuck her harder, and she responded to him slapping her ass and squeezing her breasts with approval too. To think that she hasn't done this beforehand despite clearly enjoying herself. Man, I really did her a big favor with my encouragement!
Finally, just like I was marked with the magical sigil of lust on that fateful day in Cidnha Mine, I was able to mark and corrupt her. I guess this is what Sanguine meant by saying he'll get involved because it really wasn't me who cast any magic to place the tattoo, and it surely couldn't have been Haelga either. Together with Haelga, we left the room and left those two to have their fun in private. Haelga didn't congratulate me at all, and instead just looked shocked as she quietly told me to follow her.
She didn't say anything throughout the whole walk, making it a little hard for me to determine what kind of emotions she was feeling. In hindsight, maybe it was worry? I mean, she was going to let me walk free, and who knows, she could've been worried about Maven finding out about our little plot… It's not like she could now just go ahead and back down from the gambit either, considering that I already won the bet she agreed to. I was without a doubt going to cost her some money too…
Luckily, I was worried for nothing. The place she brought me to had my armor and weapons in it, and she just told me to pick them up and escape through the Ratway, warning me to be careful unless I wanted to fall victim to the bandits and other criminals who frequent the deepest reaches of the sewers. She wasn't going to help me with the restraints though, because she wanted to make this look like a genuine escape. "You're on your own now", she said and pointed at the door. I simply nodded and thanked her. She nodded back and thanked me too.
Thirty minutes later, after sneaking through the Ratway trying to avoid trouble, I found myself in the waterways inside Riften canals. From there, I made it out towards the lake and through the harbor into the wilderness. I took a deep breath to breathe it in and to listen to the quiet stillness of the night.
I was free once more, and there was no place I would rather be in than home.
Second Seed, 12th, 4E 203
It's good to be home. I've had a few days to spend home talking to my friends and telling them about my adventures, and I got rid of all the bondage gear too. I haven't had another encounter with Sanguine yet, so I'm not sure what to make of the situation. He's probably happy, but he hasn't explicitly told me that I'm his champion, and usually, the gods let it be known when we lesser beings have made them happy…
Besides, when it comes to Daedra, they very much enjoy the company of mortals in my experience, and he should not be any different. No, in fact… I'm sure he loves meddling in mortal affairs more than average, so it is a little bit strange from that angle too.
No, wait, I think I might have a theory. He helped me escape, that much is for sure. I'm not sure if I could've done it without him. Rather, I couldn't have done it alone… My friends could've helped me too, that could've worked… There's no way for me to know anymore because this is the path I chose. And because I did, my theory is that he's expecting more from me.
It could be that what I did wasn't enough, maybe because that whole plan was meant to get me out of a sticky situation. In that sense, it wasn't as much about my service to him as it was about him doing a favor to me. Why would he do that? I don't know… Maybe it was only about to enter his service as his champion. He may view me as worthy of whatever role being his champion consists of, but only because he's looking to use me for his advantage in the future. After all, being a champion of Daedra isn't simply about being gifted for your service. For them, it's all about our service to them.
So, perhaps he's just waiting to make his move, waiting for a good situation for me to pay my debt to him for helping me escape. It hasn't happened before with any of the other gods I've helped in the past, but that doesn't mean it won't happen.
Putting aside my thoughts about Sanguine and my potential future interactions with him, yesterday I got a letter from Maven, delivered by the always trustworthy courier. The letter itself was straightforward, and it only contained two short sentences: "I'm impressed" and "Let's meet". I didn't waste time traveling to Mistveil Keep, where the infamous Jarl of Riften sat on the throne, waiting.
She emptied the whole hall just so we could talk in private, and she admitted that she might've been wrong about me after all. There's still the issue of me botching one simple job, but that failure pales in comparison to the fact that I was able to escape from a place that, for all intents and purposes, should've been inescapable. She didn't press me about how I did it. Instead, she simply said that she'll forgive me and let me and Karliah walk away free, and even reinstated me back to the Thieves Guild, saying that I'm obviously way more valuable to her as a mercenary than as a whore.
I don't actually plan on being beneficial to her at all, not after all this… Like, fuck that. I know she doesn't pay shit, so it's not even profitable, so as far as I care, she can hire someone else to do her dirty work.
There was, however, one last job I did for her. She said that she still remembers what kicked this whole mess into motion, and that was the Stone of Barenziah she has in her possession. She asked if I still wanted it, to which I shrugged and said, I suppose. Karliah still needs it, and the collection can still benefit the guild greatly. She picked it up from her pocket and showed it to me, saying it's mine if I do this one last job for me. The job involved some rival Skooma business running in the docks, and she wanted me to put those criminals out of competition. She also warned me to not mess this up, or else I'd be sorry.
I had just one question to ask: did I have permission to kill? She gave me my blessing. No thieving around needed this time either.
Isn't that just perfect, my dear diary? Simple killing is what I'm good at. I was able to get fed and blow off some steam too.
I didn't even bother to hide from the guards inside the warehouse. They tried to jump me, wondering if I was out of my mind, telling me that I'd be sorry for trespassing, promising that they'd rape and torture the fuck out of me… But then one of them tried to grab me with just his bare hands, thinking I was an easy target. With one quick motion, I sliced his neck open. Blood covered my face and my armor, and I started breathing heavily. The rich smell of iron intoxicated me, and I smiled as I told the remaining two guards that they were going to die.
They never stood a chance. Every single living soul in that warehouse met my dagger, all five of them. The only one I spent my sweet time killing was the leader. I sliced his hamstring, his wrists, making sure he was in pain, making sure he was too weak to resist… Then I slowly sucked the life out of him… Ah, how great was that…
I returned to Maven in less than thirty minutes of receiving the job. I hadn't even cleaned up. She obviously looked horrified, as she wasn't expecting that from me. She must've thought I was just an average thief, that I wasn't capable of this. She only knows me through the Thieves Guild, after all.
"Done", I said and extended my hand for my reward, asking for her to part with the stone. That's precisely what she did. She called me a psychopath but thanked me for solving the issue quickly anyway. Before leaving, I apologized to her for making a mess in the warehouse. Not sure who was tasked with cleaning it up, but at least I know there won't be any repercussions. That's Maven's promise.
Feeling happy, accomplished, and also very well fed, I walked away from the Keep with the remaining stone in my hand. What a rocky road it was to get my hands on it. I swear, all this effort… It better be worth it to Karliah, or else I might just have to pluck a nightingale of its feathers, painfully and methodically.
Just kidding.
Second Seed, 14th, 4E 203
I wasn't sure where to find Karliah, so I turned towards the only Nightingale alive besides her, Brynjolf. He said he had no idea where she might be but suggested that I look for her in the Nightingale Hall, which was my best bet. Just because Maven's men couldn't find her there doesn't mean she can't be hiding there. He also showed concern towards me, asking if I was okay. He didn't scold me for what had happened, and he didn't question what was going on; he just seemed genuinely worried. I hugged him and thanked him, saying that everything's fine now. He was glad for it to be so.
Surely enough, I found Karliah in the Nightingale Hall. It was a bit awkward because we both felt responsible and guilty for what had happened. She offered me this job, but I was ultimately the one who failed it, which got both of us in trouble. She says she's so delighted that I succeeded in the end though, and was even more glad when I finally presented the last stone to her.
Now, the only thing we miss is Barenziah's Crown. That's right, the job isn't over, but I'm not upset. Oh, not at all. This might be just about the most exciting job I've gotten in ages! I'm happy to see it all the way to its very end.
You see, the crown isn't in Skyrim. It used to be closer by in a small cave between Skyrim and Morrowind, back when it was hidden with some refugee caravan that had gotten lost in a cave on the border of Skyrim and Morrowind. The Dunmeri refugees had their hands on it back then, but whatever came of Barenziah is not known. Maybe she was part of the caravan, maybe she's somewhere else, maybe she's dead… Who knows.
Karliah told me that she tried to get the crown for herself sometime back, but it was picked up from right under her nose by a Khajiiti thief they call Rah'jin "the Trade Prince", the infamous leader of Thieves Guild located in Elsweyr. To get our hands on the crown, we have to steal it from him.
Karliah wants me to do this. She said she's embarrassed to even ask it of me after sending me on a difficult mission once already and after everything that has gone down, but I simply interrupted her pleading.
Yes, I'll do it, I replied loudly, excited and giddy like the little girl I am. Like, are you kidding me? Of course I'll take on a mission like this! Stealing a crown belonging to a Dunmer queen of legendary proportions from a whole another province? Count me the fuck in!
Karliah's plan is one where patience is needed. Rah'jin's mansion, located in the city of Senchal, where the crown is being kept, is like a fortress according to Karliah. You can't just sneak in and steal it using ordinary means. Instead, the best way is to try to gain his favor and trick him, lure him into a false sense of security, and only then snatch it. This is also why Karliah needs help. She and Rah'jin know each other too well. Back when Skyrim's guild was run by Mercer, Karliah actually once had to seek Rah'jin out for help and for protection, but that's a story that's not for me to tell.
The point is, she can't join us on this trip, but she can help me with actually getting to Elsweyr. In fact, according to her, I've already helped with this plan without my knowledge before.
Remember when Tonilia asked me to deliver some goods to a Khajiiti caravan? Well, part of the motive in establishing good trade relations with them and offering our hand for them to work alongside us was actually so we could travel with them to Elsweyr. Traveling with them there doesn't raise suspicions as many of the caravans that travel between Elsweyr and Skyrim also have good working relations to the Trade Prince. Ahkari is perfect for this, and she's very much in with the scheme as well. She's making much more money thanks to us, so she's looking forward to stabbing Rah'jin in the back in the interest of making even more money with us. Best of all, Rah'jin doesn't suspect a thing about Ahkari wanting to betray him.
I'll meet Ahkari here in Riften in exactly seven days. Up until then, I'll rest and prepare for the journey, which is likely to be a long one.