The Dark Brotherhood, Part 5 (The Silence Has Been Broken) (Katnys)

By the time Katnys returned to the Sanctuary, Astrid had decided on a course of action.  While she still didn't trust Cicero, she could not deny that the Night Mother had indeed spoken to Katnys, and it would therefore be foolish to ignore the message. With Astrid's blessing, Katnys was now to travel to Volunruud in order to meet with Motierre and see why the Night Mother might be interested in him.

Before she could go, however, she needed to report her contract completions to Nazir. The news of Lurbuk's death brought the usual sarcasm with the gold, but when Katnys confirmed that she had killed Hern as well, Nazir dropped his sardonic veneer to offer his sincere respect for facing down a vampire.  He then suggested that she check for signs of vampirism herself, making reference to the Brotherhood's own resident vampire, Babette.

That's when it dawned on her: the ambush at Half-Moon Mill, the strange draining attack, that nagging thirst on the way home...Katnys had contracted Sanguinare Vampiris! She knew enough to understand that if she didn't act quickly, she would become a full-blown vampire before the week was out.  Katnys found the Cure Disease potion she had picked up somewhere along the way, opened the vial...and stopped.

Vampirism was bad, of course.  Katnys had encountered vampires before; she witnessed a vampire attack in Whiterun, and even though she didn't help the town guards and citizens put the monsters down, that one Dawnguard soldier took her aside and invited her to join his band of vampire hunters. At the time, she was too focused on avenging her sister and the whole "Dragonborn" business to get involved.  Now that she was infected, she was involved whether she liked it or not.

As she held the Cure Disease potion to her lips, she thought about those vampires; they were powerful, they could enthrall people, drain health from afar, even become invisible. But most of all, they didn't grow old and die.  Nazir mentioned Babette; look at what she had accomplished through this "disease."  What if Katnys needed more power, more time to exact her vengeance on the Empire? Wouldn't becoming a vampire actually help?  What did she have to lose?  She would talk it over with Jenassa on the way to Volunruud; Katnys had grown to really love and trust Jenassa during their travels together and her opinion meant more than anyone else's.

Once outside the Sanctuary, Katnys told her companion everything.  Jenassa, for her part, had little to say, but the little she did say decided the issue for Katnys: "We're one of the same kind, you and I. I'm glad to have met you. I am a lethal instrument, yours to command. Blade and shadow, silence and death - these are my arts. I'll make great art for you.  I am the shadow at your back.  Let's get going."  Jenassa would be beside her, no matter what.

Glowing from Jenassa's expression of acceptance and loyalty, Katnys led the way to Volunruud.  Once inside the tomb, she found a tattered journal next to what was, presumably, the author's skeleton.  Katnys opened the journal, fearing that she had failed to reach Motierre in time, only to discover that the journal belonged to some foolish explorer named Heddic; she pocketed the journal (there would be time to follow up on that later) and followed a noise to her left that sounded increasingly like muffled conversation.  In front of a large closed door lay the bodies of several vanquished draugr.  If Motierre was behind that door, he was someone to be reckoned with.

As it turned out, Motierre was indeed in the chamber beyond, but it was most likely his hulking bodyguard, Rexus, who had dispatched the draugr.  Katnys startled and raised her bow upon first laying eyes on Rexus in his Imperial armor -- was this some sort of Imperial trap?  Motierre, however, rushed forward to put her at ease.  He was obviously still shaken from performing the Black Sacrament, and was eager to get down to business.  Katnys, however, was not prepared for the target he was to offer: the Emperor!

It was all Katnys could do to keep the cold, silent demeanor she had begun to adopt as an assassin.  In an instant, in that stinking Nord crypt, listening to veiled insults of a Breton fop and his Imperial pet -- everything suddenly made sense.  How did Motierre put it?  The stars had aligned.  The dragon attack at Helgen, the Aretino boy, the Brotherhood contracts that tugged at her conscience, the Night Mother's revelation: it had all led to this.  With this contract, Katnys would finally avenge her sister.  The Emperor himself would pay for Prym's blood!

Quickly remembering herself, Katnys took some items from Rexus (she hadn't really been paying attention -- Motierre said something about an amulet, a letter, and killing some other people) and made straight for the Sanctuary.  Astrid was, of course, taken aback by the news, but then gave Katnys a quick history lesson and embraced the challenge Motierre had put before the Brotherhood:

She said the magic word.

The next step for Katnys was to get the amulet appraised.  For that, she'd have to make her way to Riften and connect with another shadowy group: the Thieves Guild.  Finding the Guild wasn't too hard -- it was a bit of an open secret -- but before she and Jenassa could enter the Ragged Flagon and speak with the fence, Delvin Mallory, they did have to kill a few thugs in the Ratway.  While the skirmishes in the Ratway were of little consequence in and of themselves, Katnys noticed that a few things had changed for her.  First, she could smell blood much more strongly, and it was now an appetizing aroma.  Second, she realized that, if she concentrated, she could see in the dark much better than before.  She even dared to try to make a thrall, and succeeded...even if it only lasted a few minutes.  But, there were more important matter to attend to.

Once inside the Ragged Flagon, Mallory confirmed that the amulet belonged to a member of the Emperor's Elder Council, and gave Katnys the letter of credit Astrid had mentioned. Upon her return, Katnys delivered the letter, and in exchange, Astrid revealed that to her that Katnys would carry out the first assassination herself: Vittoria Vici, manager of the East Empire Company's holdings in Solitude, was to be killed at her own wedding.  Slaughtering an Empire lackey in front of a crowd of Imperial dandies-- what a lovely opening act!

The Dark Brotherhood, Part 4 (The Silence Has Been Broken/Kill Lurbuk/Kill Hern) (Katnys)

Having just earned The Brotherhood's trust and respect, Katnys was not about to allow an interloper to threaten her new-found family.  Therefore, Astrid's paranoia regarding Cicero's secretive meetings in front of the Night Mother became Katnys's fear as well, and she immediately agreed to eavesdrop on the jester and his accomplice while hiding in the Night Mother's coffin.

Concealing herself in the coffin with the desiccated corpse of the Night Mother was unpleasant, to be sure, but Katnys had had to do unpleasant things before in order to protect her family; this was no different.  Sure enough, Cicero entered the room and began gibbering to someone, but it soon became clear that he was muttering to the Night Mother herself.  In and of itself, this was harmless nuttery, but he then began to suggest that some in the Brotherhood were "coming around" to his point of view.  Could this be the treachery Astrid suspected?

Katnys would have little time to ponder the question.  Gradually illuminated by some dim, unwholesome light, the Night Mother spoke directly to Katnys:

More like iron womb, amirite?  Also, enjoy your nightmares.

Katnys was not a particularly devout Dunmer, but it's hard to ignore a talking corpse. The unearthly conversation with the bride of Sithis served to confirm something Katnys had already begun to suspect: she was destined to restore this family.  She did not yet fully understand what being the Listener meant or why she needed to meet with Amaund Motierre, but in some strange, deep way, her communion with the Night Mother felt more real, more vital than any of the Greybeards' lofty ramblings.

Once she shared her epiphany with Cicero and Astrid, Katnys deferred to Astrid's judgement; after all, Katnys may be the new Listener, but Astrid was still the head of the family -- and the head of the family needed time to think about this Amaund Motierre business.  In the meantime, Astrid ordered Katnys to get new contracts from Nazir.  Honestly, Katnys was relieved; Astrid wasn't the only one who needed time to process.

As it turned out, however, both of the contracts brought new complications.  The first, an Orc bard named Lurbuk, presented a even greater moral challenge than Nilsine Shatter-Shield. The contract on Lurbuk came with no story other than the fact that he was the worst bard in Skyrim -- surely not a capital offense.  Even if she imagined that there might be more to his background, Nazir pointed out that multiple people had put out contracts on Lurbuk, presumably for his musical incompetence.  Killing the Orc would be a pure act of cold-blooded murder -- no vengeance, no dark justice, no putting someone out of his misery, no preemptive end to a conflict that might spill out into the community...just murder.

Whatever her misgivings, the reality of the situation was this: Katnys was now the Listener of the Dark Brotherhood, and Astrid had ordered her to fulfill Nazir's contracts.  How could she say no to the Black Sacrament?  She was in far too deep, and this family was far too important to her for Katnys to turn back now.  Besides, who was the Orc to her or her people?  No one.  Not her concern.  Regardless of the reason, her family wanted him dead.  Thus ended poor Lurbuk, with a single, well-placed arrow in the back.

The second contract was on Hern the miller who, unbeknownst to the general population, was a vampire, along his wife Hert.  After the moral conundrum Katnys faced with Lurbuk, killing a murderous vampire almost felt like a vacation.  Katnys and Jenassa approached Half-Moon Mill very stealthily, and kept their distance while waiting for an opportunity.  They decided to wait until nightfall; even though the target might be stronger at night, breaking into the house would place them in a confined space where Katnys's bow would not be of much use.  Soon after the sun went down, Hern emerged from the house as Hert was about to go back inside...and that's when everything went south.

Apparently, the happy couple had been tipped off about the hit; before Katnys could get a bead on Hern, she heard a commotion behind her, followed by Jenassa's battle cry.  Before she could turn around, Katnys felt something -- a force of a kind she hadn't felt before -- hit her.  She wheeled around to see another vampire and his two thralls descending on her and Jenassa.  Even though she hadn't been wounded yet, Katnys's whole body suddenly ached, but there was no time to wonder what was happening; both Hern and Hert were now converging on what had obviously been a trap.  While Jenassa kept the ambush party at bay, Katnys ducked to the side and Shouted at Hern and Hert to buy herself some time.  With their attack disrupted, she quickly fired an arrow into Hert, killing her instantly.  Hern, unfazed by is wife's death, rushed at Katnys.  Before he could land a blow, she smashed his face with her bow and, while he staggered, lodged a shaft into his heart, putting him down for good. Katnys then turned her attention back to Jenassa, who had been holding her own: the thralls were down, and she had almost finished the third vampire.  Katnys waited for Jenassa to stagger her opponent before dispatching him with her bow.

Once the dust settled, Katnys took stock of the situation.  The contract had gone wrong -- really wrong -- but they managed to finish the job anyway.  It was time to return to the Sanctuary, both to report back to Nazir, but also to see if Astrid had come to any conclusions about Amaud Motierre.  Katnys felt uneasy, but she couldn't exactly figure out why.  She had been named Listener, she had been taken into the confidence of both Astrid and the Night Mother herself, and she had upheld the Brotherhood under difficult circumstances.  So what was this new, unsettling sensation coursing through her veins?

The Dark Brotherhood, Part 1 (Innocence Lost to Sanctuary) (Katnys)

[Canon violation disclaimer: The Dark Brotherhood questline was one of the primary motivations for my second playthrough.  I therefore needed to balance my eagerness to complete this line with my dedication to authentic role-playing.  In order to achieve this balance, I decided to imagine that when Ulfric gave Balgruuf's axe to Katnys, he told her to hold off on delivering it until he gave the order as a way to maximize the Stormcloaks' readiness in case Whiterun sided with the Empire after all.  This change to the canon allowed Katnys some "breathing room" to complete the Dark Brotherhood quests while maintaining the Civil War as a priority.]

While waiting for Ulfric's order to deliver the axe to Whiterun, Katnys and Jenassa decided to explore Windhelm -- the Gray Quarter in particular.  It was during this "hiatus" that they encountered Grimvar Cruel-Sea and Idesa Sadri discussing the Aretino child, which reminded Katnys to follow up on the rumor she had heard at the Sleeping Giant.  Now that she had some time to kill, she decided to investigate.

Even for someone so young, Katnys had seen a lot, so the sight of Aventus performing the Black Sacrament did not phase her much.  When she heard the orphan's story, however, her nonchalance became a kind of vengeful pity.  Katnys remembered all too well the abuse she suffered at the Imperial orphanage in Anvil, so she gladly borrowed the mantle of the Dark Brotherhood in order to exact some vicarious justice for her and her late sister.  After seeing Grelod's outrageous behavior for herself, Katnys waited for nightfall (no need to traumatize the kids any more than they already had), snuck back into Honorhall, then woke Grelod up; she wanted the hag to be fully awake when she killed her.  Katnys used her Serpent Stone power to paralyze Grelod before driving an arrow in her gut and leaving her for Constance to clean up.  Being able to tell Aventus that his nightmare was finally over gave Katnys a modicum of peace...for a little while anyway.

Shortly after killing Grelod, Katnys received a note from a courier which, if she hadn't been so caught up in both the Civil War and her own orphanage memories, she should have expected.  In fact, the Dark Brotherhood had been in the back of her mind since Riverwood.  From her parents' stories, she knew the Dark Brotherhood, like the Morag Tong, took their kills very seriously, and didn't look kindly on "poachers." 

The next morning, after she and Jenassa spent another night in Candlehearth Hall, Katnys woke up alone and groggy on the floor of an abandoned shack.  The mysterious figure questioning her -- her "host," apparently -- reminded her a bit of Jenassa in the way she spoke so matter-of-factly about killing.  Finally faced with a genuine member of the Dark Brotherhood, Katnys knew she was at a disadvantage, so she listened to Astrid's offer: kill one of the anonymous captives or else...but which one?

Katnys interview Fultheim first.  He reminded her of the kind of mercenary she sometimes encountered with the Alik'r: fighting other men's battles in order to keep food on the table.  By his own admission, he had done some underhanded and cowardly deeds, but was that worth killing?  Next came Alea, the shrew whom Katnys eventually wanted to put out of earshot, but not to death.  Vasha the Khajiit, however, was a different story.  While she could care less about his criminal activities, one phrase he uttered stopped her cold:

Guess which phrase.

After their parents' death, Katnys and Prym encountered more than their share of "defilers of daughters," both in and out of the orphanage.  Normally, she would have shot him right then and there, but having him tied up and helpless like that, she decided to get up close and personal with her dagger.  She wanted him to feel it.

As good as Katnys felt about executing the Khajiit sexual predator, she felt even better when Astrid invited her to join the Brotherhood.  While she had certainly fantasized about assassinating her way through the Imperial Legion, she had not really expected to join the ancient band of killers, nor had she anticipated the stirrings aroused by Astrid's talk of family.  As soon as she left the shack, she rejoined Jenassa, explained where she had been (though Jenassa seemed relatively unfazed by Katnys's disappearance -- her trust in Katnys was sometimes unsettling), and together they traveled to Falkreath.

When they reached the Sanctuary, Katnys was a little put off by the fact that Jenassa was not permitted to enter.  While she understood that she, not Jenassa, had been invited, she had begun to think of Jenassa more and more as her own family.  Still, Jenassa was willing to wait outside while Katnys got to know the Brotherhood.

The first thing she learned was that the Brotherhood clearly lived up to its name.  The Stormcloaks were men and women bound tight by shared beliefs and a common goal, but the Brotherhood acted like a real family -- laughing, teasing, sharing as her own family had done while they lived among the Redguards.  Even Nazir's initial surliness felt familar and avuncular.  She loved this band of misfits and freaks almost immediately and wanted to please them -- anything to stay within the warm embrace of this Brotherhood. 

So, without hesitation, she accepted her first contract.

Main Quest (Katnyss): Before the Storm to Dragon Rising

Having survived the chaos of Helgen and Pinewatch, Katnyss took stock of her situation.  She was alone in an unfamiliar place and on the run from the Legion.  While she had certainly been in some tough situations before, this time was different.  Until now, Katnyss had focused her efforts on providing for her little sister and keeping her safe.  With Prym gone, all Katnyss had left was a rage that was as aimless as it was intense.  Of course she wanted revenge on the Empire, but she had barely managed to handle a gang of thugs.  Although Katnyss was not exactly a "people person," she had learned the value of allies from her time with the Alik'r. She needed to make some friends, and fast.

Upon reaching Riverwood, Katnyss made her way over to Gerdur and Hod’s house.  There, she caught up with Ralof and finally got some clarity on the Imperial ambush that killed her sister and led her to the executioner’s block.  During her conversations with Ralof and Gerdur, Katnyss began to feel a new sense of purpose – more accurately, her vengeance began to find a shape.  While she could care less about Talos and the cultural identity of the Nords, she certainly identified with the Stormcloaks’ sense of betrayal.  Joining the Rebellion would give her the opportunity to avenge, at least in some way, her sister’s murder at the hands of the Legion.  She decided to set out for Windhelm as soon as she feasibly could.

Katnyss’s experience at Pinewatch had taught her that Skyrim was going to be a dangerous place to travel alone, so she decided to spend a day or two in Riverwood in order to get some supplies and make some friends.  She took an immediate liking to Faendal, owing to his status as an archery trainer and fellow “fish out of water” in the Nord homeland.  She agreed to help him out-maneuver Sven in A Lovely Letter; Katnyss had no qualms about deceiving a Nord “bro,” nor did she really care that they were fooling Camilla – if Faendal wanted this Imperial girl for himself, so be it.

Now that she had a friend and follower in Faendal, Katnyss set about seeing how she could be useful to the people of Riverwood.  One of the many important lessons she had learned during her time in Hammerfell was that proving one’s usefulness could be the difference between life and death.  The Alik’r warriors were not about to play nursemaid to two Dunmer girls, but Katnyss demonstrated a willingness to do whatever they asked in exchange for their protection and provision.  As a result, she had not only saved herself and Prym from the abuse they suffered at the orphanage, but had also learned a little bit about alchemy, destruction magic, and combat - -especially archery.

Gerdur had already provided one important task: go to Whiterun to inform the Jarl of the dragon menace.  Katnyss would certainly do that as she travelled to Windhelm.  She was also smart enough to learn some basic smithing from Alvor, which gave her a little extra money to work with as well.  Furthermore, she agreed to assist Lucan by retrieving his golden claw from the bandits.  She had already managed to take out an entire gang by herself; with Faendal’s help, she could surely handle this job and thereby gain the favor of the owner of the general store. 

Getting the golden claw back proved to be more eventful than Katnyss had anticipated.  Aside from encountering her first draugr, she had no idea what to make of the word wall and her obvious connection to it.  How could she know a word in a language she’d never seen before?  Why didn’t anything happen to Faendal, who was standing right next her, looking at the very same thing she was looking at?  Prior to her adventure in Bleak Falls Barrow, Katnyss saw the dragon attack at Helgen as a happy (though dangerous) accident, of which she was going to take full advantage.  But it now began to dawn on her that there might be some kind of link between the events at Helgen and the word wall.

It was with these thoughts in her head that she returned to Riverwood, collected her reward from Lucan, and decided to spend the night at the Sleeping Giant Inn before heading to Whiterun in the morning.  While relaxing at the bar, the keep let slip some gossip about an orphan in Windhelm who was trying to employ the Dark Brotherhood, and another piece fell into place for Katnyss.  Her parents had told her stories about the Morag Tong and the Brotherhood to keep her in line while they lived in Hammerfell, and hearing the name again – in connection with an orphan like herself – inspired the next step in her plan.  She would report to Whiterun as promised, then make a bee line to Windhelm to join up with the rebellion and to see if she could learn more about the Dark Brotherhood.  The Stormcloaks and the Brotherhood were going to help her avenge her sister one way or another.

Katnyss and Faendal set out for Whiterun the next morning.  Along the way, just before the bridge outside the city, they encountered a small band of Thalmor Justiciars transporting a prisoner.  While she certainly hated the Thalmor for killing her parents, she had little trouble holding her tongue while the leader of the group condescendingly described his duties to her.  As awful as the Thalmor were, they hadn’t betrayed or abandoned their people the way the Empire had.  With the Thalmor, you knew what you were getting.  This particular group, however, had no idea what they getting in return.  Katnyss managed to slip the prisoner a weapon, then all hell broke loose.  When the dust cleared, the Justiciars were dead, the prisoner had bolted, and Katnyss was now in possession of the perfect disguise to fool any Legionnaires whom they might encounter.

Upon entering the city, Katnyss decided to stop off at The Drunken Huntsman to buy arrows and maybe sell off some Thalmor loot.  After transacting her business, she turned around to see something she had not expected in this Nord stronghold: a fellow Dunmer relaxing in the alcove.  Katnyss approached her, introduced herself, and within a few minutes became smitten by Jenassa’s dark, almost nihilistic banter, which made a refreshing contrast to the hale and hearty conversational habits of the Nords.  Talking with Jenassa felt good in way that Katnyss had not felt before – almost like being with her sister again, but different in some way she couldn’t put her finger on just yet.

Excusing herself for a moment, Katnyss turned to Faendal and realized that she would have to let him go home.  Faendal was a good guy – he had taught her a lot about archery and had even gone along with her foolhardy attack on the Justiciars – but things were about to get a lot darker, and Katnyss needed someone by her side who would be at home in the shadows.  Promising that she would return to Riverwood someday, she bid Faendal farewell and hired Jenassa on the spot.

The irony, of course, is that once Katnyss and Jenassa paid Jarl Balgruuf a visit, they met yet another Dunmer – Irileth, the Jarl’s housecarl.  The fact that this accomplished Dark Elf warrior had placed herself in Balgruuf’s service out of a sense of loyalty spoke volumes about this Jarl, and immediately placed him in Katnyss’s good graces.  He continued to impress her by being more concerned about the safety of his own people than about the politics swirling around him, but the fact that he seemed to favor the Empire a bit troubled her greatly.  Putting aside the latter misgiving, she agreed to join Irileth in defending the Western Watchtower; she had fulfilled her promise to Gerdur and was eager to get to Windhelm, but deserting these people just as a dragon was attacking their city seemed wrong.  And, if Katnyss was being completely honest with herself, she was curious about the dragon after her experience at Bleak Falls Barrow.

The battle with Mirmulnir thrilled Katnyss.  Fighting alongside her kinswomen inspired her to take risks she would never have before.  Knowing that her strength was in her bow, she ran to the top of tower to get more clear shots at the dragon.  While this position exposed her to attack far more than she liked, the danger was a fair exchange for the clearer vantage point.  When the combined efforts of the Whiterun guards and the trio of dark elves brought the dragon down, Katnyss raced down to get a close-up look at her first dragon.  Needless to say, she was prepared for neither the dragon's soul entering her body nor the thunderous call of the Greybeards.

Strange things were afoot, and Katnyss needed answers. Windhelm would have to wait a little longer.