“It is, but some things are best off left alone,” said Karliah, hand going to the Skeleton Key in her pocket. Yes, it had helped jailbreak an innocent woman and Karliah didn't really feel too guilty for that... but Nocturnal's Key really needed to go home.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“What do you mean, escaped??” Ulfric roared at Yrsarald Thrice-Pierced. “An Imperial agent in the employ of the Dragonborn and you let her get away??”
“She had help, sir,” Yrsarald protested. “There was this Dunmer pickpocket that got thrown in with her, and she's gone too. The guard on duty last night's been found dead, neck broken, and it looks like a professional jailbreak. We think there was a third man involved, a red-haired Nord – he was seen talking to Gunjar beforehand. He might have been the one to kill him, I don't think Da Silva or the Dunmer would have been strong enough to do it that cleanly.”
So the Dragonborn had agents, special agents capable of masterminding a jailbreak. Worrying. Very worrying.
“Descriptions of everyone involved to the guards here, and I also want Jorlief writing to our friends elsewhere and alerting them,” Ulfric growled. “Whoever they are, I want them apprehended or eliminated. Anything we can do to stall the Dragonborn's operations will help.”
Yrsarald nodded and left to find Jorlief – at least he was until Galmar walked in, fuming.
“Don't bother with writing to Thonar,” Galmar barked. “I just had word in from the Reach. All Oblivion's just broken loose out there, Ulfric. And by Oblivion, I mean Madanach. Son of a bitch just broke out of Cidhna Mine, killing Thonar in the process.”
“He what??” Ulfric grabbed the table, fighting the dizziness that had just threatened to overwhelm him. “Thonar told me he had the Forsworn under control! A knife to Madanach's throat, was how he put it to me.”
“Well Madanach just put the knife into Thonar's from the sounds of it,” Galmar growled. “Bastard escaped with some of the most dangerous criminals in the Reach at his side and it gets better. Thongvor's dead too, stabbed in the middle of Understone Keep before all this happened by someone who might be an Imperial agent. Or Dark Brotherhood assassin, we're not sure, but definitely a Cyrodiil man. Half-crazy fool from the sounds of it, but a violent one. He got slung into the mine and they didn't find his body in there so looks like Madanach's recruited him.”
Ulfric waved for Galmar to go on – one lone psychopath didn't bother him, and even joining the Forsworn didn't really matter, Madanach already had many such psychopaths at his disposal. The loss of the Silver-Bloods was regrettable, but when the Stormcloaks took the Reach, he was sure he could find someone in his army who was a capable administrator to take over the place. From the look on Galmar's face, he was saving the worst news until last.
“And there was someone else in there too. A mercenary called Maia. Thonar had had her thrown in there to keep her out of trouble – I daresay he was going to notify us in due course to come and collect her, but she was only in there a day or so before the jailbreak happened. She's gone too, and someone stole all her things from the guard barracks. I guess our Dragonborn's in Forsworn hands now.”
Ulfric could weep. The Dragonborn at Madanach's mercy – while Ulfric had no doubt the jailbreak had been in the works for weeks, the fact it happened a day after Elisif's arrest was no coincidence. Maybe Madanach didn't know who he had and had just decided to abduct a pretty young Nord to be his plaything. But that her things had been taken too struck Ulfric as the fruit of some sort of joint effort.
He really couldn't see Madanach voluntarily helping a Nord Queen out. And Elisif didn't have the power to forgive Madanach's crimes and sign off on him becoming King, not before the Moot, not without Imperial backing. And Tullius had far too much sense to ever agree to that, not when Madanach had rebelled once before. All the same, this was potentially worrying. Past time to make his next move, even if he didn't entirely believe it was going to work.
Re: The Wolf Queen Awakens 19.9
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“What do you mean, escaped??” Ulfric roared at Yrsarald Thrice-Pierced. “An Imperial agent in the employ of the Dragonborn and you let her get away??”
“She had help, sir,” Yrsarald protested. “There was this Dunmer pickpocket that got thrown in with her, and she's gone too. The guard on duty last night's been found dead, neck broken, and it looks like a professional jailbreak. We think there was a third man involved, a red-haired Nord – he was seen talking to Gunjar beforehand. He might have been the one to kill him, I don't think Da Silva or the Dunmer would have been strong enough to do it that cleanly.”
So the Dragonborn had agents, special agents capable of masterminding a jailbreak. Worrying. Very worrying.
“Descriptions of everyone involved to the guards here, and I also want Jorlief writing to our friends elsewhere and alerting them,” Ulfric growled. “Whoever they are, I want them apprehended or eliminated. Anything we can do to stall the Dragonborn's operations will help.”
Yrsarald nodded and left to find Jorlief – at least he was until Galmar walked in, fuming.
“Don't bother with writing to Thonar,” Galmar barked. “I just had word in from the Reach. All Oblivion's just broken loose out there, Ulfric. And by Oblivion, I mean Madanach. Son of a bitch just broke out of Cidhna Mine, killing Thonar in the process.”
“He what??” Ulfric grabbed the table, fighting the dizziness that had just threatened to overwhelm him. “Thonar told me he had the Forsworn under control! A knife to Madanach's throat, was how he put it to me.”
“Well Madanach just put the knife into Thonar's from the sounds of it,” Galmar growled. “Bastard escaped with some of the most dangerous criminals in the Reach at his side and it gets better. Thongvor's dead too, stabbed in the middle of Understone Keep before all this happened by someone who might be an Imperial agent. Or Dark Brotherhood assassin, we're not sure, but definitely a Cyrodiil man. Half-crazy fool from the sounds of it, but a violent one. He got slung into the mine and they didn't find his body in there so looks like Madanach's recruited him.”
Ulfric waved for Galmar to go on – one lone psychopath didn't bother him, and even joining the Forsworn didn't really matter, Madanach already had many such psychopaths at his disposal. The loss of the Silver-Bloods was regrettable, but when the Stormcloaks took the Reach, he was sure he could find someone in his army who was a capable administrator to take over the place. From the look on Galmar's face, he was saving the worst news until last.
“And there was someone else in there too. A mercenary called Maia. Thonar had had her thrown in there to keep her out of trouble – I daresay he was going to notify us in due course to come and collect her, but she was only in there a day or so before the jailbreak happened. She's gone too, and someone stole all her things from the guard barracks. I guess our Dragonborn's in Forsworn hands now.”
Ulfric could weep. The Dragonborn at Madanach's mercy – while Ulfric had no doubt the jailbreak had been in the works for weeks, the fact it happened a day after Elisif's arrest was no coincidence. Maybe Madanach didn't know who he had and had just decided to abduct a pretty young Nord to be his plaything. But that her things had been taken too struck Ulfric as the fruit of some sort of joint effort.
He really couldn't see Madanach voluntarily helping a Nord Queen out. And Elisif didn't have the power to forgive Madanach's crimes and sign off on him becoming King, not before the Moot, not without Imperial backing. And Tullius had far too much sense to ever agree to that, not when Madanach had rebelled once before. All the same, this was potentially worrying. Past time to make his next move, even if he didn't entirely believe it was going to work.