“How...” Brynjolf whispered. “This door was unpickable, how did he do it, how??” He turned to Karliah, who didn't even look surprised. “You know, don't you. You know how he got in on his own.”
“I have my suspicions,” Karliah confirmed. Brynjolf decided right there and then he was half sick of secrets.
“Is it do with what Gallus was writing about? The Twilight Sepulchre?” Brynjolf asked. “And... Nightingales? You don't mean to tell me they're actually real.”
“Nightingales?” Sapphire asked, scratching her head. “What, like in the stories? Sort of super-thieves that watch over the rest of us in life and in death?”
“That's right,” Karliah nodded. “There's three at a time, the Trinity. They serve Nocturnal, the Queen of the Night, Mistress of Shadows, and when they die, they become one with the shadows, guarding Nocturnal's Temple and protecting thieves here in Mundus. Mercer and Gallus were both Nightingales... and so was I. We served Nocturnal and got rich... and then Mercer got greedy. Like you read in that journal, he profaned the Twilight Sepulchre, Nocturnal's temple and conduit to our world. That's how he was able to open that vault – he took her sacred artefact, the Skeleton Key. That's also why the Guild's luck has turned – with the Key gone, Nocturnal's conduit to Tamriel was severed and the source of our luck dried up.” She indicated the remains of the Cistern. “You see the results for yourself.”
Brynjolf didn't want to believe it, but it made too much sense for it not to be true.
“But if our luck's gone, why... why'd the Embassy job work in the first place?” Brynjolf demanded. “It's the riskiest thing I've ever done, but it all worked, I got inside, the distraction went without a hitch, I got in and out with the goods. I thought I'd got away with it!”
“Well, the Thalmor got your name and allegiance and the Cistern's location out of someone,” Karliah returned. “Clearly not that lucky. But you did this job for a client, right? And you were able to carry it out without getting fingered, and when the Thalmor did come, you weren't here. I'm wondering if perhaps something else was watching over you. Some other source of good fortune that wanted you alive and the job doing.”
“Like what?” Sapphire asked, looking at Brynjolf suspiciously. Brynjolf was not a religious man, and belief in Talos was decidedly unhealthy right now... but he couldn't help but wonder if a certain dispossessed Aedra hadn't been involved. It was ridiculous but for the Blades work to go flawlessly and everything the Guild touched turned to ash... no, no good could come of this line of thinking.
“Couldn't say,” Karliah shrugged. “Not without knowing who Brynjolf's client was and what they were after. But maybe this is a discussion for another time. Right now, we've got a Guildmaster to find. He must pay for what he's done.”
“The Thalmor took him, I imagine he'll be paying soon enough,” Sapphire snorted. Karliah shook her head.
“You don't understand, he had the Skeleton Key with him. We need to find it and return it to Nocturnal, or we'll never get our luck back. Try and rebuild all you want, but without Nocturnal, the Guild's doomed.”
Sapphire digested all this, looking thoughtful. “Bryn, what do you think?” she asked finally. Both women were looking at him as if they expected him to mysteriously solve all their problems, but damned if he could think of anything. All the same, Key or no Key, Brynjolf wanted to chase down Mercer. Mercer couldn't have spent all the Guild's money, he had to have stashed it somewhere. The Blades could use that money.
“We need to find where the Thalmor may have taken Mercer – they took him alive, they want to interrogate him, they won't have gone far. Sapphire, where'd they take him, what direction?”
Sapphire indicated the ladder leading up to the mausoleum. As Brynjolf had suspected.
“In that case, there's a trail of blood leading away from the tomb gate. Follow it, both of you, see where it goes, ask around if the trail goes cold. The Thalmor tend to stand out if you get my meaning.”
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timeasmymeasure
Re: The Wolf Queen Awakens 17.5
Date: 2013-12-10 07:43 pm (UTC)“I have my suspicions,” Karliah confirmed. Brynjolf decided right there and then he was half sick of secrets.
“Is it do with what Gallus was writing about? The Twilight Sepulchre?” Brynjolf asked. “And... Nightingales? You don't mean to tell me they're actually real.”
“Nightingales?” Sapphire asked, scratching her head. “What, like in the stories? Sort of super-thieves that watch over the rest of us in life and in death?”
“That's right,” Karliah nodded. “There's three at a time, the Trinity. They serve Nocturnal, the Queen of the Night, Mistress of Shadows, and when they die, they become one with the shadows, guarding Nocturnal's Temple and protecting thieves here in Mundus. Mercer and Gallus were both Nightingales... and so was I. We served Nocturnal and got rich... and then Mercer got greedy. Like you read in that journal, he profaned the Twilight Sepulchre, Nocturnal's temple and conduit to our world. That's how he was able to open that vault – he took her sacred artefact, the Skeleton Key. That's also why the Guild's luck has turned – with the Key gone, Nocturnal's conduit to Tamriel was severed and the source of our luck dried up.” She indicated the remains of the Cistern. “You see the results for yourself.”
Brynjolf didn't want to believe it, but it made too much sense for it not to be true.
“But if our luck's gone, why... why'd the Embassy job work in the first place?” Brynjolf demanded. “It's the riskiest thing I've ever done, but it all worked, I got inside, the distraction went without a hitch, I got in and out with the goods. I thought I'd got away with it!”
“Well, the Thalmor got your name and allegiance and the Cistern's location out of someone,” Karliah returned. “Clearly not that lucky. But you did this job for a client, right? And you were able to carry it out without getting fingered, and when the Thalmor did come, you weren't here. I'm wondering if perhaps something else was watching over you. Some other source of good fortune that wanted you alive and the job doing.”
“Like what?” Sapphire asked, looking at Brynjolf suspiciously. Brynjolf was not a religious man, and belief in Talos was decidedly unhealthy right now... but he couldn't help but wonder if a certain dispossessed Aedra hadn't been involved. It was ridiculous but for the Blades work to go flawlessly and everything the Guild touched turned to ash... no, no good could come of this line of thinking.
“Couldn't say,” Karliah shrugged. “Not without knowing who Brynjolf's client was and what they were after. But maybe this is a discussion for another time. Right now, we've got a Guildmaster to find. He must pay for what he's done.”
“The Thalmor took him, I imagine he'll be paying soon enough,” Sapphire snorted. Karliah shook her head.
“You don't understand, he had the Skeleton Key with him. We need to find it and return it to Nocturnal, or we'll never get our luck back. Try and rebuild all you want, but without Nocturnal, the Guild's doomed.”
Sapphire digested all this, looking thoughtful. “Bryn, what do you think?” she asked finally. Both women were looking at him as if they expected him to mysteriously solve all their problems, but damned if he could think of anything. All the same, Key or no Key, Brynjolf wanted to chase down Mercer. Mercer couldn't have spent all the Guild's money, he had to have stashed it somewhere. The Blades could use that money.
“We need to find where the Thalmor may have taken Mercer – they took him alive, they want to interrogate him, they won't have gone far. Sapphire, where'd they take him, what direction?”
Sapphire indicated the ladder leading up to the mausoleum. As Brynjolf had suspected.
“In that case, there's a trail of blood leading away from the tomb gate. Follow it, both of you, see where it goes, ask around if the trail goes cold. The Thalmor tend to stand out if you get my meaning.”