“I don't feel any different,” Sapphire said, fingering her armour. “Was something supposed to happen?”
“Normally new Nightingales would be taken to the Ebonmere, there used to be an entrance to it from the Hall,” Karliah replied. “You'd get your new powers there. But with the Key gone, none of us have them, not even me. It's how Gallus knew the Sepulchre had been defiled, our gifts vanished, and only another Nightingale could have got as far as there. Which is why we have to find Mercer – he's stolen more than coin.”
“The plans said the Eyes of the Falmer were in the Dwarven ruin of Irkngthand, up near Lake Yorgrim in the north,” Brynjolf recalled, remembering the plans left on Mercer's desk. “If we go there now, we might be able to catch him before he can get away with the Eyes. Or we can lie in wait if he's not there yet.”
“This is one daedra of a slim chance,” Sapphire snapped. “And if we don't find him, what then? I've sold my soul to a Daedra for nothing? I want coin and power, Karliah!”
“We'll find him,” said Karliah, eyes flashing darker than usual. “Nocturnal came to us, I don't think she'd have come if the situation was hopeless. I think we still have her favour, I think there's still a chance Mercer can be caught.”
“There'd better be,” Sapphire muttered. “In the mean time, I'd better go steal myself a sword, this dagger's nice but it won't do me much good in a Dwemer ruin.”
Karliah sighed, and unbuckled her own sword, handing it over.
“Here. Take mine. It was Gallus's once. I don't really need it, I always preferred the bow. It's the Nightingale Blade. I think you could put it to good use.”
Sapphire actually whimpered as she admired it, and Brynjolf let out a low whistle on seeing it.
“Nice! I'd appraise it for you, but I don't think you'll be wanting to sell that in a hurry.”
“No way,” Sapphire breathed. “This baby's mine.” She gave it a few experimental swings before sheathing it. “All right, Karliah, if being a Nightingale means more shiny toys like this, I'm in.”
“You're already in,” Karliah laughed. “But thank you. I assure you, when the Key is restored, we'll all have the chance to heist as many shiny things as we could ever want. But for now, we have a job to do.”
“We do,” Brynjolf said, fingering Chillrend's hilt. “Come on. We've got a renegade thief to find... and punish.”
~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: And that's how to do the Guild questline in a hurry when your Dragonborn's not actually a thief. I'm so sorry about the Guild though. It'll rise again in time but for now, the Nightingales are it. Pretty badass Nightingales though.
Hope you like it so far, insofar as you can like a plotline where virtually all the Guild got massacred by the Thalmor. I'm so sorry, but it felt sort of inevitable that the Thalmor would want revenge and Bryn is a bit of a high-profile thief, he's not some underling the Guild can just sacrifice. As it is, I saved who I could, principally magic-resistant Bretons and half-Bretons who inherited their dad's magic resistance.
Next up, the Nightingales hunt down Mercer, and then it's time to start working out where they all go from here.
Re: The Wolf Queen Awakens 17.10
“Normally new Nightingales would be taken to the Ebonmere, there used to be an entrance to it from the Hall,” Karliah replied. “You'd get your new powers there. But with the Key gone, none of us have them, not even me. It's how Gallus knew the Sepulchre had been defiled, our gifts vanished, and only another Nightingale could have got as far as there. Which is why we have to find Mercer – he's stolen more than coin.”
“The plans said the Eyes of the Falmer were in the Dwarven ruin of Irkngthand, up near Lake Yorgrim in the north,” Brynjolf recalled, remembering the plans left on Mercer's desk. “If we go there now, we might be able to catch him before he can get away with the Eyes. Or we can lie in wait if he's not there yet.”
“This is one daedra of a slim chance,” Sapphire snapped. “And if we don't find him, what then? I've sold my soul to a Daedra for nothing? I want coin and power, Karliah!”
“We'll find him,” said Karliah, eyes flashing darker than usual. “Nocturnal came to us, I don't think she'd have come if the situation was hopeless. I think we still have her favour, I think there's still a chance Mercer can be caught.”
“There'd better be,” Sapphire muttered. “In the mean time, I'd better go steal myself a sword, this dagger's nice but it won't do me much good in a Dwemer ruin.”
Karliah sighed, and unbuckled her own sword, handing it over.
“Here. Take mine. It was Gallus's once. I don't really need it, I always preferred the bow. It's the Nightingale Blade. I think you could put it to good use.”
Sapphire actually whimpered as she admired it, and Brynjolf let out a low whistle on seeing it.
“Nice! I'd appraise it for you, but I don't think you'll be wanting to sell that in a hurry.”
“No way,” Sapphire breathed. “This baby's mine.” She gave it a few experimental swings before sheathing it. “All right, Karliah, if being a Nightingale means more shiny toys like this, I'm in.”
“You're already in,” Karliah laughed. “But thank you. I assure you, when the Key is restored, we'll all have the chance to heist as many shiny things as we could ever want. But for now, we have a job to do.”
“We do,” Brynjolf said, fingering Chillrend's hilt. “Come on. We've got a renegade thief to find... and punish.”
~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: And that's how to do the Guild questline in a hurry when your Dragonborn's not actually a thief. I'm so sorry about the Guild though. It'll rise again in time but for now, the Nightingales are it. Pretty badass Nightingales though.
Hope you like it so far, insofar as you can like a plotline where virtually all the Guild got massacred by the Thalmor. I'm so sorry, but it felt sort of inevitable that the Thalmor would want revenge and Bryn is a bit of a high-profile thief, he's not some underling the Guild can just sacrifice. As it is, I saved who I could, principally magic-resistant Bretons and half-Bretons who inherited their dad's magic resistance.
Next up, the Nightingales hunt down Mercer, and then it's time to start working out where they all go from here.