3rd of Morning Star, 3E 428
"Although I can't imagine why you are here," the Argonian continued. "Asciene sent you, I imagine? Well, I think it's time for you to go back."
No, it wasn't. If he sent us back now, we would never find out why the Dark Brotherhood attacked me. And then they would probably try and do so again. And again. And as many times as it took until they got results. Who knows…maybe someone else might get hurt during all of this.
He was about to cast a recall spell on us, but Shani let out a cry of protest (I knew she was in no hurry to be recalled again so soon), before I raised a hand.
"I was attacked by the Dark Brotherhood," I said quickly. "And I came here to find out why."
The Argonian's expression changed from annoyance to fright and then he pointed towards one of the guards who entered the room, wearing bright red and gold armor.
"Dark Brotherhood, you say?" The Guard sounded shocked.
"I guess you heard us, then," I said blankly. "I need to find them."
The guard snorted his contempt and disbelief.
"Trying to find them, eh? It's your funeral," he remarked.
"Watch it," Julan snapped. "You're talking to –"
The guard seemingly heard nothing Julan had to say, and instead turned towards me with a grim expression.
"Look, you never heard it from me, but I've heard rumors that they have a hideout in the ruins of Old Mournhold," he said.
Old Mournhold? I had no idea that there was an old Mournhold. I barely even knew much about the current one.
"You can get there through the sewers in the Great Bazaar," the guard continued. "I'd wait until morning, however. You look exhausted."
He was right. I was exhausted. I needed to rest before taking my next plan of action, and so did Julan and Shani.
"Where is the nearest inn?" I asked.
"The Winged Guar is in Godsreach," the guard told me, before taking his first few steps away from me. Considering that he knew I was being targeted by the Dark Brotherhood, he probably wanted to stay as far away from me as possible. I had so much more to ask, but I knew I shouldn't keep the guard from doing his job. I turned to Julan and Shani.
"We'll figure out where to go from here tomorrow," I told them. "Let's get to the Winged Guar and get some rest."
That was easier said than done, if I'm being completely honest.
Rest didn't come easily that night, and I tossed and turned beside Julan. When I had eventually had enough, I got out of the bed and sat by the windowsill, overlooking Godsreach. The city still seemed fairly busy, despite the late hour. I saw what looked like Ordinators patrolling the streets, and a few civilians running around. The most notable one I can think of was a hooded figure that seemingly disappeared into a small crowd. Considering the nature of this city, I thought it a bit strange that no one seemed to notice whoever that was. But I decided not to pay much mind to that when I saw a shadowy figure creeping around on the window tops.
Who would be crazy enough to leap across the roofs of buildings?
The next day turned out to be a fairly long one.
After breakfast, Julan, Shani and I left the Winged Guar, and I decided that for what we were to do, we had to leave the Winged Guar and go on a little expedition of our own. Mournhold was beautiful. I adored the Indoril architecture, which made the city seemingly glamorous. It seemed like a nice place to take a holiday. It was a shame, really, because I knew at one point that was what I had intended to do; come to Mournhold and find out as much information about my parents as possible. And maybe make a holiday of it for good measure. What with all of the sights to see in this city, I imagined it would be worth it.
"Have you thought about what you plan to do after we deal with these assassins?" Shani asked.
I sighed. I really hadn't. And that wasn't a good thing.
"Not really," I answered truthfully.
Julan scowled.
"No offense, but I think we should just find these bastards and leave," he said. "I mean, do we really have any reason to stick around after this?"
I was about to open my mouth to speak, but Shani shot me a warning look. She seemingly knew what I was going to say. But after a moment's contemplation, I decided I really didn't care. I refused to let such a thing remain buried.
"I want to find my parents," I said. Julan raised an eyebrow. Shani buried her face into her hands. "I mean, my real parents. I know you probably won't like this, but it's not as if they could have just disappeared into thin air. They have to exist."
"Ai, but…Ulina, what if you were never meant to find them?" Julan responded. "I mean, knowing what you told me about your parents, maybe they never wanted you to find them?"
I sighed.
"Look, it was just a thought I had," well, maybe more than a thought but that wasn't the point. "But right now, I think we should focus on those assassins."
Eventually, after roaming the Great Bazaar for what felt like hours and passing through large crowds of people, we eventually found the entrance to the sewers. As soon as I stepped down the ladder, the most repugnant smells filled my nostrils. I should have brought clothespins. But then again, what the hell else was I expecting?
"Well, we're in the sewers," Julan remarked as he climbed down himself, before quickly looking around. "Sure, it's a fancy sewer, but..."
I knew what he wanted to say.
"Yes, I'm well aware that it stinks, Julan," I replied irritably, just as Shani quickly followed. I saw her grimace, just before she quickly tied her long braids back so they no longer trailed on the floor behind her. I think we were all trying hard not to gag just then.
I suppose the two of them should have thought twice before coming with me, if for that reason than no other.
"But we need to find the Dark Brotherhoo –"
I was interrupted by a loud, unpleasant sound. The three of us turned around and saw three large, and incredibly ugly looking creatures. I vaguely recognized them, but I knew I hadn't really faced such beasts before. They didn't look any more formidable than a wild scamp you'd face in the wilderness of Vvardenfell.
"Just what are those?" Julan asked.
Shani scowled.
"Some kind of daedra…I think, anyway," she added.
It didn't matter what they were to me. I just knew they were armed, with large fangs bared and ready to storm towards us and try to kill us. I'm sure I'd find out later. I drew my sword, Julan started to ready a spell and Shani lifted her bow.
I thought I saw a flash of darkness move forwards, stabbing one of them in the stomach with what looked like a spear (admittedly, it was so badly made I could hardly tell), and then I saw who it was. The hood fell off her face and I saw the face of a Breton girl not much older than Shani or I, with long, blonde hair tied back into a bun. She had clear blue eyes. All the better to see us with and stare at us blankly, I'm guessing.
I had no idea who this woman was. Or what her intentions were. But even after Julan and Shani took out the other two beasts, I still held my sword up. She also still held up her spear.
Fair enough, I suppose.
"Who are you?" She demanded.
I snorted.
"Who am I? Just who are you?" I also demanded. "And why would I tell you?"
She sighed.
"Alright, fair enough," she said. "Let me try this again. What in Oblivion is someone like you doing down here?"
For some reason, I thought she sounded different from the usual Morrowind fare. She wasn't from Cyrodiil, I knew that much. But she wasn't from around here, either, clearly. Her accent was more like that of someone from Western Tamriel. Made me wonder what she was doing in the sewers.
"Trying to find the Dark Brotherhood," I said, without thinking, which only caused Julan and Shani to scowl heavily. Yeah, I supposed I ought to have thought twice about just blurting that piece of information out.
She raised an eyebrow.
"You're not trying to hire them, are you?"
She didn't seem impressed by the idea in the slightest. Who could blame her?
"Gods, are you crazy?" Julan bit out. "No!"
"They tried to have me killed," I explained. "I need answers as to why."
She blinked slightly, but then lowered her weapon. I later found out it was crafted from an old branch.
"My name's Fin," she told me. "And I can tell you're not from around here."
Neither are you, I thought, but said nothing.
"Those things," Fin gestured towards the bodies of the small beasts from earlier, "are not daedra. They're goblins."
Ah. Goblins. So that's why they seemed so familiar. I had once read about them in this old, Cyrodiilic children's book. Supposedly, some lived under the sewers of the Imperial City sewers. But as I had never ventured into the Imperial City sewers (and honest to Gods, who would?) I couldn't say for sure.
It seemed Cyrodiil wasn't the only place that had goblins, however.
"Well, gee," Shani kicked the unmoving corpse of one of the goblins, "wasn't expecting that."
"You don't seem to be expecting much of anything," Julan pointed out. Shani threw him a glare, but said nothing.
Fin turned to me, and we continued on with her.
Honestly, I would have hesitated had I thought to at that moment. Accepting help from a strange girl in the sewers didn't really seem like the smartest idea, but really, I'm glad I accepted Fin's presence.
Because from that day onwards, Fin became my friend. And even if I later said otherwise (and being entirely disrespectful of the time I spent with this wonderful girl as well), it is likely I am the better off for it. Even today.
We continued onwards, with Fin eventually ending up taking the lead. Considering I didn't know the sewers that well anyway, I wisely decided not to object. Soon enough, we stopped just before a large body of water.
I hated water.
"The assassins supposedly make their home down this end," Fin told us, before quickly adding, "if the rumors are true, anyway."
Fin then turned to us skeptically, narrowing her eyes.
"When you do find them, what exactly is it that you plan on doing?" She demanded. "There will be more of them than there are of us now…and to make matters worse, they're all trained assassins."
Shani snorted.
"Are you kidding me?" She let out. "Little boys who wear black and hide in sewers aren't nearly as scary as we are. Nope. Not since we have the Nerevarine on our side."
I resisted the urge to let out a groan. Fin smiled slightly, but then turned to me.
"I was referring to you, as amusing as your companion might be," Fin told me, but she flashed Shani a grin regardless. I thought I saw Shani's cheeks tinge purple.
"I thought it'd be simple," I heard Julan say. "We go in, they attack, we kill them all, the end."
"I think it'll be a bit more complicated than that," I admitted, before turning and diving into the murky waters. I could hear the other three follow behind, and as soon as we reached the surface, I knew we had found the place. The four of us eventually stood before a door; the door had the most frightening looking images I had ever seen. A bone white skull, a dark handprint, a ghostly looking woman surrounded by several skeletons…
"What is one's eventual fate?"
I turned to everyone, before I heard Julan clear his throat and answer.
"Death," he replied, and just like that the door opened, and the four of us were looking upon what looked like a small village in the sewers. A small village for Dark Brotherhood assassins, wandering back and forth, conversing with each other.
I suppose the sewers weren't entirely uncomfortable, then.
"Did they build all this?" I asked aloud. Fin merely shook her head.
"I seriously doubt it," she replied. "We're in Old Mournhold; this used to all be apart of the city."
"What happened?" Julan asked. Fin merely shook her head.
"Something happened with that Goddess or something," Fin replied in an undertone. "Almalexia. It happened eras ago, though."
I turned to Shani, who was scanning the area, before she shook her head disdainfully.
"I can't believe these s'wits really call themselves the Dark Brotherhood," I heard her mutter. "I mean, seriously, could a bunch of assassins get anymore pathetic?"
"No," I replied, firmly.
Shani snorted.
"Maybe I'll call them the Spooky Boy's Club instead," she finished, before pulling out an arrow and aiming for the head of the nearest assassin. It only just occurred to me that we had spent most of our time hiding and bloody talking rather than taking down the Spooky Boy's Club.
That's it. From now on, the Dark Brotherhood shall forevermore be known to me as the Spooky Boy's Club.
I began to ready a spell, and I thought I saw Julan do the same. Fin stayed nearby, holding out her hand-crafted spear, just in case any of the assassins came nearby.
Eventually, it turned into a bloodbath, with all the assassins trying to attack. Fortunately for us, I had the feeling most of the members of the Spooky Boy's Club were better at the arts of stealth and secrecy. And murdering individuals in their sleep. They didn't really know that much about actually fighting dirty.
And even though I really hated to brag, I'm pretty sure I could take out a bunch of assassins if I could take down a "God."
Soon enough, most of the SBC members were either dead, or unconscious. I suspected the latter, to be honest. I noticed that several of them were still breathing, even if they lay on the ground with broken bones and bloody leather armor. Fin quickly noticed one of the still living, and quickly drew a knife out of one of her boots, lifting it towards their throat.
"Fin!" Julan cried, before running over to her. Shani and I followed, while Fin ignored us and continued with the knife.
"Your leader," she hissed, "where is he?"
She quickly lifted the mask, revealing the battered face of a relatively young Dunmer girl, with messy, dark hair and red eyes. Red eyes usually aren't an unusual sight among the Dunmer; I'm fairly certain we're all supposed to have them. But these eyes were…unusually bright red. It was unsettling.
"What makes you think I'm going to tell you?" she spat, before proceeding to cough up blood. "I made a promise…an oath."
I winced went Fin brought the knife closer to the assassin's throat.
"Because I may just let you go," Fin replied. "Now…where?"
The girl pointed towards the North Building. I let out a sigh of anticipation.
Now…now hopefully I could gain some answers.
Fin kept her word; she let the young assassin go, with Julan and Shani warning her she was likely to regret that decision. I decided to let it go. It was unlikely we'd ever see the girl again.
The four of us eventually found our way to the North Building, where very few assassins roamed the halls. There were several rats, however. I couldn't help but wonder if the SBC kept them as pets.
"We'll split up," I said to the other three. Fin and Shani merely shrugged. Julan hesitated, and then I rolled my eyes.
"Oh, come on, Julan, I can take care of myself. Besides, this place isn't very big. We'll find each other in no time."
So I patrolled the hallways of the North Building alone, trying not to trip over the various objects that were left lying around. Old parchment, dusty bottles…and piles of what looked like something distinctly unpleasant. I'm not even going to bother writing down what it is, because I'm sure you can guess, given they were all in such close proximity to rats.
Good Gods, I knew these s'wits were assassins, but did they have to be such slobs as well?
Eventually, I made a wrong – or right, depending on how you see it – turn and came face to face with an older Dunmer male, with dark but greying hair. He was unmasked, but otherwise appeared more or less the same to the rest of the SBC.
When he saw me, he smiled. It was...rather unsettling. As if his grin was made up of a thousand of so maggots, still squirming across his face. And even then, that metaphor made me even more uncomfortable.
"You would dare enter the lair of the Dark Brotherhood, little one?" He began with a very noticeable sneer.
Well, hello to you too.
I felt myself scowl, and my hand instantly went to my weapon.
"Why did you try to kill me?" I demanded in a low tone of voice.
The Dunmer snorted.
"Because we were contracted to do so, by the will of the Night Mother," he responded, as if the answer was as obvious as the sky being blue. Understandably, this only caused my scowl to deepen. "And by the will of Sithis. We will complete our mission here and now."
"Oh yeah? Well, take your best shot," I challenged.
Of course, the guy took that challenge on gladly.
He took out a bow, and readied an arrow so quickly I wasn't sure if I had actually seen it. I pulled out my sword, but otherwise did nothing. Making a move this quickly would be foolish.
Alright, I really need to learn to shut up.
"A speedy death to you, Ulina Therayn," he finished, before letting the arrow go.
I ducked. The arrow landed against the wall, and I took this as my chance to strike. Unfortunately for me, it seemed this guy was no idiot; this guy seemed like he knew almost every trick in the book as he gracefully dodged every single attack.
I was beginning to get frustrated.
"Impressive," he told me as we fought, "I would consider offering you membership, had you not just killed most of my brothers and sisters. And the fact that your death has already been promised to Sithis."
"Shut up," I snarled, starting to hold my sword towards his neck. I had no interest in joining this pathetic little club of murderers. "Tell me who wanted to have me killed."
"I value the privacy of my customers," he spat back.
The battle continued, with each of us dodging each other's attacks. Soon enough, I heard a cry from the other side of the room.
Fin.
My opponent turned around, and he looked shocked by her presence for reasons I didn't understand. Nor did I care to, either. While he was distracted, I stabbed him in the stomach, watching as his body fell to the floor. I watched as blood spilled onto the floor, soaking the mer's body.
The fact that I'm getting used to such events really isn't a good thing. Honestly.
"No...Tell my liege…"
My eyes landed on the broken body of the SBC leader. He was coughing up blood by this point. As unpleasant as it was, I knelt beside him and narrowed my eyes.
"Who?" I demanded. "Who is your liege? Is that the one trying to kill me?"
For several moments, the man didn't respond, instead coughing while trying to grab a piece of parchment from his pocket, and then grasping my hand tightly and handing me the note. The note had some bloodstains here and there, but it was still likely readable.
"Tell my liege…" he insisted, "tell him I have...I have…failed h..."
The Dunmer didn't say anything more, he just stopped breathing. Fin entered the room and shook her head.
"His name was Dandras Vules," she told me. "I saw him often in the Bazaar. Never pegged him as the assassin type."
I said nothing, and instead began to read through the paper.
The Bearer of this document, under special dispensation of the Night Mother, who has entered in a contract in perpetuity with H, is given special dispensation to execute Ulina Therayn, a Dunmer recently residing on the island of Vvardenfell. In accordance with all laws and traditions, the afore-mentioned personage will be executed in the name of H in the most expedient manner possible. All services of the Dark Brotherhood are at the disposal of the Bearer of this binding and non-disputable document.
H? H? Really? Honestly, while Mournhold wasn't the largest city in Morrowind, it certainly wasn't the smallest, either. Hundreds – if not thousands – of people likely lived in these streets. How was I going to be able to track down someone with just one initial?
This was going to be worse than the case of my missing parents. Because this situation was much, much more dire situation.
Oh, Divines…I had my work cut out for me.