Chapter 7: Nightmares

Meanwhile, in Riften, crime had risen since Valen and Inigo escaped prison. The city was used to robbers trying to squeeze as many septims as they can from law-abiding citizens and honest merchants. It is home to the Thieves Guild after all. But without Valen watching the streets and keeping people safe, they were free to steal whatever they wanted, from whoever they wanted and whenever they wanted. Matter of fact, J'kar recently managed to frame Brand-Shei for theft and terrorise the whole town by extorting from Keerava, Bersi Honey-Hand and Healga. And the Guild, it seems, had finally made its' comeback, they were making more money than usual (a lot more) and Riften was well within their grasp once again. Now you might be thinking to yourself "But isn't J'kar dead?"

Actually, he never died. The cat merely faked his death to trick half the town into thinking Valen was a murderer. He had Brynjolf to thank for coming up with that scheme.

Although violence and murder rarely happened in Riften, the attack in the market had caused quite a bit of bloodshed. Several civilians had been stabbed to death and a few others were left injured and needed the help of the Priests of Mara at the temple, as well as the town's alchemists. The stalls were smashed, the goods from those stalls were stolen along with most of the gold the owners had made from selling them, and they were left with nothing. A few guards had also received a dagger in the chest or hacked to pieces by citizens carrying knives and other sharp, deadly weapons.

Thankfully, it didn't last too long. It wasn't supposed to. Mercer just needed to distract Valen so he could get away. After all, his plan worked. He framed the Dark Elf for murder and put him in jail. And he didn't much care for the carnage he caused so long as it didn't affect the Guild directly.

Maven Black-Briar, however, was understandably displeased with Mercer to say the least and summoned him to her family's home to discuss the matter in private while she sat at the dinner table and ate with her family. "We had a deal, Mercer." She chided him. "You were supposed to help me keep the people under control, not turn them into wild animals!"

"I can assure you, that wasn't my intention at all" Mercer calmly replied. "I just needed to create a distraction so I could get away. Besides, everything went according to plan. We pinned the fake murder of J'kar on Valen and threw that insufferable Dunmer behind bars. Now we don't have to worry about him anymore"

"Be that as it may, you still put my family in danger. Good thing your spell didn't last long; or the entire city would have fallen into chaos because of you! And as for Valen: surely you must be aware by now that he has escaped our grasp?!"

"Does it matter?" Mercer asked a rhetorical question. "He won't be coming back to Riften any time soon. Half the town thinks he's a murderer, and he ever sets foot in the city again, we'll have his head on a spike. And with him gone, J'kar has managed to make the people fear us again and bring us more wealth than usual. Riften is now back under our control once again after all these years"

"Riften was already under my control." Maven corrected him. "It was you and your Guild that was losing your grip in the first place"

Silence filled the room as Maven thought carefully about what she'd say next. Only the sounds of the Black-Briars eating their food and drinking their mead could be heard in that brief period of time. When that moment passed, Maven broke the silence by concluding the discussion with "I'll overlook the incident in the market for now. But if you pull another stunt like that again, it will be your head I put on a spike first. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Maven. I understand"

"Good. You are dismissed"

At these words, Mercer turned towards the front door and walked over to it. On the way out, he saw a tall woman wearing a unique set of armour that he was immediately able to recognise. It was black and red and her face was covered by a crimson red mask attached to the hood she wore over her head. Mercer knew the guild she belonged to and sensed he knew why she was here. He looked at her for a moment, and she looked at him. "Astrid. Good to see you again, my dear."

"You too, Mercer" she replied. "How have you been?"

"Well enough." Astrid answered. "But as I'm sure you're aware, I didn't come here for idle chit-chat. I'm here on Dark Brotherhood business"

"Of course you are." Mercer agreed. "Say, maybe after you're finished doing Maven's bidding, you and I could go and get a drink sometime. Catch up. If you're not too busy. What do you say?"

"Perhaps. Now if you'll excuse me…"

"Go on. Don't let me keep you"

Mercer then left the building and Astrid went to the dining room to speak with Maven. "Ah, Astrid. There you are!" the latter greeted the former. She turned to the rest of her family and dismissed them by saying "Leave us"

At her behest, Ingun and Hemming left the room and let their mother speak with the Dark Brotherhood representative. "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes. I've been trying to contact you for some time. It seems the Night Mother no longer hears the pleas of her children. I had to send a courier instead"

"Yes, about that…"

"But enough of that. You're here now, and that's all that matters." Maven interrupted her. "And you know why you're here, yes?"

"You want me to kill a certain Dark Elf who has been a thorn in your side for years?"

"Yes. Until he escaped prison. No one has seen or heard from him since, and he hasn't dared set foot in Riften given that my associates in the Thieves Guild managed to frame him for murder"

"What's his name?"

"Valen Telvanni." Maven answered. "I must warn you that he's quite dangerous and more than capable of defending himself. And he's not alone, either. A Khajiit whose fur is an unusual shade of blue named Inigo went with him. Both of them are armed to the teeth. Valen is the target, but you might have to contend with his new friend too, so for Sithis' sake, be careful!"

"Got it. Where can I find him?"

"Like I said, no one has seen or heard from him since they got out. I must admit, he is a clever one. Valen would have had to leave the Rift in order to escape justice, and cover his tracks. Never staying in one place for too long and he'd be constantly looking over his shoulder. He won't make it easy for you to find him, but I'm confident you will nonetheless. You should try searching for him in Windhelm."

"Understood. Valen Telvanni will die"

"Of course he will, for I have commanded it! Now go, and do not come back for your payment until the deed is done!"

Astrid then left the house and eventually, the city. Shadowmere was waiting for her outside. She climbed on his back and spurred him on to the city of Kings.

Meanwhile, her target and his blue friend had finally made it to Dawnstar and sought food and shelter in the Windpeak Inn. But as soon as they entered the tavern, they saw several people gathered around each other and talking about nightmares.

One of them was a Dunmer priest, and he said "Everyone, please! I'm doing what I can to end these nightmares. In the meantime, all I ask is you remain strong and put your trust in Lady Mara!"

At these words, the crowd dispersed. Valen and Inigo stood there for a moment, looking at them and wondering what's going on. Given one of them was an Elf and the other was a Khajiit, they both had very sensitive ears, so they both heard loud and clear that the priest had specifically mentioned something about "nightmares" (not that they needed to have such good hearing, of course) but they both thought the idea of bad dreams plaguing an entire town to be rather ridiculous.

Valen bought them both a meal and they sat down at a bench. While they ate, they discussed their thoughts on Langley and the prophecy he spoke of.

"My friend, do you mind if I ask you something?"

"I know what you're gonna ask." Valen prefaced. "You want me to give you a full description of Langley? Sure, go ahead"

"He is a very interesting man. He knows a lot about me and there is a great deal of evidence that his visions usually come to pass. All that said, we have only just met him. In your heart of hearts, do you think we can trust him?"

Valen didn't answer right away. It was a very important question, clearly, and he needed a moment or two to think about his answer before he gave it. "I…" he began. "I don't know. Maybe, maybe not. We barely know him, and we should not judge a book by its' cover. Perhaps you are right about him and I am wrong. I certainly hope that is the case, but let's not get our hopes up. Still, I suppose I must give him the benefit of the doubt."

"I feel the same way. He has many flaws, but who doesn't? Even though we have just met, he has been a part of my life for years. He is a good man. Hearing your opinion has eased my mind. Thank you, my friend." Inigo replied. "There is something else I am compelled to mention"

"What is it?"

"When you were outside collecting eggs, I told Langley about how you spared my life and my debt to you. He questioned my memory."

"He what?"

"He said my mind has been through a lot with the skooma, the grief, and the endless battles and so on. He suggested that maybe you are not the person I remember"

"Inigo, I've been meaning to talk to you about that…"

"What do you mean?"

"I think Langley was right. I'm not the man you think I am"

"What? Where did this come from? No. You agreed to let me come with you so I could pay my debt by killing your enemies. Remember?"

"I never agreed. You insisted on coming with me to pay your non-existent debt. The man I have a score to settle with is not you. He's not even a Khajiit at all. He's a Breton, and a member of the Thieves Guild. He set me up and accused me of murdering one of your people – a Khajiit named J'kar – and then he used some kind of spell to cause most of the townsfolk to go crazy and slaughter each other. I tried to calm them down using a Master Illusion spell called Harmony, but then a guard shot me in the leg, disrupting my concentration and preventing me from doing so. Then he knocked me out, and when I awoke, I found myself in a jail cell with you. Then, well…you know the rest"

The two adventurers paused for a minute and Inigo reflected on this information. Valen then broke the silence by saying "That is a good thing, Inigo. It means you don't have to beat yourself up anymore over something you didn't do. It means we have no quarrel with each other and our pasts can stay in the past"

Inigo sighed. "I guess you're right, my friend." He admitted. "And so was Langley. But if I do not owe you anything after all, then I am no longer compelled by my own conscience to follow you around and watch your back"

"You are free to leave if you wish, Inigo. I will not stop you, if that's what you want to do" Valen prefaced. "But if what Langley says is true, you still need my help. And forget about the debt, okay? It doesn't exist, and even if it did, it doesn't matter. We have more pressing issues to worry about"

Valen then remembered something he said to Inigo when he first met the Khajiit in jail and commented "Oh, by the way, I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier"

"What do you mean?"

"Remember when we first met? I tried to tell you I'm not the man you shot, but you wouldn't listen to me. I called you a stupid cat"

"Oh, right!" Inigo recalled. "Do not worry about it, my friend. It does not matter now"

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. And in my defence, I wouldn't have said it if you weren't being so stubborn" Valen told him in a somewhat light-hearted manner and Inigo laughed. He then looked to his left at the priest and said "Hey, let's go talk to this guy"

They both then got up out of their seats and walked over to where Erandur was sitting at the bar, having a drink and thinking about what else he could do to prevent Dawnstar's suffering, or at least make it suffer a little less. Valen sat down by him and greeted him by saying "Ah, a fellow Dunmer. What is your name, friend?"

"I am Erandur, my son. Priest of Mara. What troubles you?"

"First things first; my name is Valen Telvanni" the elf in scaled armour replied. "I overheard you say something about nightmares, correct?"

"The entire town is being plagued by horrible nightmares" Erandur began. "They're in serious danger but I'm afraid there is little I can do about it"

"What can you do anyway? Dreams aren't real"

"These dreams are manifestations created by the Daedric Lord Vaermina. She has an awful hunger for our memories. In return, she leaves behind nightmares not unlike a cough marks a serious illness. I must end her terrible influence over these people before the damage becomes permanent"

Upon hearing his mentioning of the name "Vaermina", Valen paused. He was very well-educated on the subject of Daedra. After all, he was a Dunmer. And it was then he realised the issue was worse than he thought. "So, what are you going to do? Just sit here and drink until you figure something out?"

"I need to return to the source of the problem, to Nightcaller Temple. Perhaps you would be willing to assist me in that regard?"

"What do you mean "return"? You've been there before?"

"I've already said too much. If anyone overhears what we're saying, it could start a panic. I would simply ask that you trust me"

Valen paused again to think about it. Erandur seemed to genuinely want to help the people of Dawnstar, but he also appeared to be hiding something. If his suspicions were correct, Erandur is either a priest of Vaermina in disguise, or he used to be but then out of guilt for the terrible things he did, converted to the Priesthood of Mara. And now he's trying to make up for the sins of his past. Besides, it didn't matter much to Valen that he was or used to be a Daedra worshipper anyway.

"Trust is hard to come by" Valen said. "But I'm willing to give you a chance to prove you are worthy of mine."

He then turned to Inigo and asked him "What do you say, my friend? Should we trust him?"

"Benefit of the doubt, remember?" Inigo reminded him. "Mara be praised! Nightcaller temple is only a short walk from Dawnstar. Come, we must hurry!"

"Very well" Valen agreed. "But I'm warning you, Erandur; if you even think about double-crossing us, you'll be sorry!"

"I understand. Like you said; trust is hard to come by. But I assure you my intentions are indeed honourable"

Erandur then led the elf and the cat out of the inn and into the street. He then pointed at a stone tower on a snowy hill overlooking Dawnstar to the east. "The tower on that hill is our destination. People around here call it the Tower of the Dawn. I'm not familiar with the tower's history, but it was deserted for quite a long time before Nightcaller Temple was established inside. When the temple was active, the priests would rarely be seen in Dawnstar. They preferred to live a solitary existence. The temple's been abandoned for decades now. Ironic, isn't it? A ruin within a ruin? There's a small shrine to Mara I established inside the tower's entry hall. I was hoping to seek spiritual guidance from her. Perhaps my prayers were answered and your reason for stumbling across Dawnstar is more than a mere coincidence. Follow me. It's this way. I'm glad to finally get a chance to help these people. Helplessly watching them suffer has been difficult"

He then started leading them up a hill towards the tower, and Valen didn't hesitate to voice his disagreement. "Actually, Mara didn't send me. I came here of my own free will" he said. "Neither of us knew about these nightmares until we arrived here and met you. But now that we do know, we might as well give you all the help we can"

The entrance to the tower was guarded by several frost trolls. Dangerous beasts, they were. Large, immensely strong. Quite challenging in combat, and they are able to heal from most attacks fairly quickly. And if one troll wasn't bad enough, there were three of them. However, Valen knew they had a weakness to fire – which was arguably his deadliest weapon as he was born in the fires of the Red Mountain. And with is incredibly vast knowledge of the Destruction school and extremely large amounts of magicka, Valen told his two companions to "Stay back and let me handle this" and then proceeded to step forward and annihilate all three trolls with fireballs before they could even touch him or his friends.

"Trolls have a weakness to fire" he said. "Keep that in mind if you ever run into any more of them"

With the trolls now dead, the three heroes approached the tower entrance. "Before we head on inside" Erandur prefaced. "There is something else you must know"

"What is it?"

"Years ago, this temple was raided by an orc war party seeking revenge…they were being plagued by nightmares just like the people of Dawnstar"

"Were they successful?"

"No, knowing they could never defeat the orcs, the priests released what they called "The Miasma" and put everyone to sleep"

"The Miasma? What's that?"

"A dangerous gas created by the priests for their rituals. Because the rituals would last for months, or even years, the Miasma was designed to slow down the aging process"

"Why is sleep so dangerous?"

"I'm concerned that when this place is unsealed, the Miasma will dissipate and they'll awaken; both orcs and priests alike."

"And the gas itself?"

"Sadly, yes. The longer an individual is exposed to the Miasma, the more the mind can become damaged. Those who've been under the effect of it for extended periods of time have been known to lose their minds entirely. In some cases, a few never awoke at all" Erandur explained. "Be careful. We don't know what for certain what might happen once we're inside"

He then entered the building and Valen and Inigo followed him inside.