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skyrimkinkmeme) wrote2011-10-29 12:36 pm
skyrimkinkmeme) wrote2011-10-29 12:36 pm
Meme Announcements!
ANNOUNCEMENTS: UPDATED 12/16/2017
Happy Holidays, fellow Kinkmemers! I have returned and have no reasonable excuse for my absence except LIFE. I will be working on updating the archives. If anyone sees anything amiss, please let me know.
I am also hoping to find another Mod and an Archivist.
The more dedicated people we have in this Meme the less chance of it dying. I admit that being the sole keeper of the Meme is not great for the fandom. If something were to happen to me, for good, this place would go the way of the Fallout Kink Meme. Let's not let that happen! If anyone would be interested in Modding/Archiving, please drop me a line. Thanks! <3
Re: The Wolf Queen Awakens 17.7
(Anonymous) 2013-12-10 07:46 pm (UTC)(link)They were still like that when Brynjolf found them, moving quietly towards them.
“What happened?” he asked, surveying the scene.
“Mercer used his Nightingale powers to make the Thalmor turn on each other and got away in the chaos,” Karliah explained, her voice shot through with bitterness.
“He can do that??” Brynjolf gasped, mind boggled. “But if he can do that, why not do it when they first attacked...” He stopped, inhaling sharply as he reached the same conclusion Sapphire had. “Son of a bitch.” He knelt by Sapphire, taking her off Karliah and holding her to him, stroking her hair as a distraction, to remind himself not to completely let his anger consume him.
“That does it,” he said, voice a low growl that would have sent hardened killers fleeing. “He dies. I don't care what he has to say any more. First Gallus, then ruining your life, Karliah, then stealing all we had, and now I find out he could have saved the Guild but didn't? We kill him. End of discussion.”
Karliah closed her eyes and bowed her head in acceptance of the judgement. “We need to find him first,” she said. “Any ideas where he'd go?”
“No idea, he could be halfway to Morrowind by now,” Brynjolf sighed. “But we can search this place, find out if there's anything here that might tell us where he's gone. This is his stronghold, his sanctuary, if he was making plans to flee, this is where he'd keep everything.”
Sapphire dried her eyes and let Karliah help her up and the three of them began searching. No sign, nothing of interest, a bit of miscellaneous loot but nothing to indicate any sort of heist or secret hideout.
At least not until Sapphire thought to wonder why there was a wardrobe in the side pantry, and Brynjolf took a closer look. Once he might not have noticed anything, but that was before meeting Delphine again and seeing the secret passage in her bedroom. Hidden in a wardrobe just like this one. Seconds later, he had the false back open, revealing the steps going downwards.
“A secret lair,” Karliah murmured. “Cunning. Very cunning. Of course, there'll be traps all over the place, Mercer wouldn't want to leave it unguarded.”
No doubt. But that also meant there was something down there to find. Steeling himself, Brynjolf entered the passage. Time to find what Mercer was hiding.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There were traps all right. Traps involving firejets in the floor, where all three had to take different routes over the room and leap over the final tile to avoid getting toasted. Then the long tunnel with the battering rams and swinging blades. Karliah told them to wait while she dropped to her knees and slunk underneath, dropping and rolling in precise co-ordination with the blades. Finally she made it to the other end where conveniently there was an off switch for the whole thing.
Re: The Wolf Queen Awakens 17.8
(Anonymous) 2013-12-10 07:48 pm (UTC)(link)Then there were the plans. Oh, the plans. Rather detailed plans, indicating Mercer was going after one of the last great heists.
“The Eyes of the Falmer??” Sapphire gasped. “Are those even real??”
“They're real,” Karliah confirmed. “Gallus was going after them before... but he never got the chance. He'd been planning and researching for years – I'd wager Mercer found his plans and has been building on them.”
The Eyes of the Falmer. Two large diamonds the size of a small baby. Said to have been the eyes of a great Snow Elf statue hidden somewhere in Skyrim. Worth a fortune, enough to both help the Blades out and maybe get the Guild back on its feet too.
Enough to make sure Mercer was set up for life if he got them first, and that made Brynjolf's blood boil.
“We have to find him,” Brynjolf said firmly. “Before he can get those gemstones and go to ground. It's our only lead – once he's got those, who knows where he'll disappear to. He's got a headstart, but he's injured, he'll likely need to hole up for a bit before he can get moving. We can catch him, we can do this...”
“Not as we are,” Karliah said quietly. “He's a Nightingale, he's used the Key to unlock more than just doors. He's powerful. If we need to bring him down, we'll need help. We'll need Nocturnal's assistance. We'll need to rebuild the Trinity.” She looked expectantly at them both.
Brynjolf looked at Sapphire to see if she was thinking the same thing he was. Had Karliah just offered to induct them both into the Nightingales?
“You mean... me and Brynjolf. Nightingales,” Sapphire gasped. Karliah nodded, actually smiling now.
“Inducting you both as Nightingales, yes,” Karliah said. “We won't have full access to Nocturnal's gifts until the Key's returned, but we can have the armour. I think you'll find it to your liking. What do you say?”
What was the catch, was what Brynjolf wanted to say – fortunately Sapphire wasn't born yesterday either.
“But there's a price, right?” Sapphire asked. “I mean, I wouldn't agree to a deal where I wasn't getting anything out of it – you're not telling me the goddess of thieving is going to.”
“You're smart,” Karliah said, nodding approvingly. “She's going to like you. Basically, it's a business deal like any other, a Guild contract in a way. We take the oath as Nightingales, and in return get given the armour and powers of Nocturnal. We can use these to do whatever we want. But we're sworn to protect the Twilight Sepulchre, Nocturnal's conduit to our realm, keeping it safe and open so her influence can protect us. In life... and in death. When we die, our spirits guard that temple, and eventually once Nocturnal's decided our time is up, we become one with the shadows, our influence and skills helping to guide and guard thieves still living.”
Enhanced thieving gifts at the expense of an afterlife. He knew it. Service to a Daedric Prince in the afterlife, what fun. At the same time... one with the shadows. Protecting his fellow thieves, along in spirit for every heist, ensuring things went their way when it mattered... there was something to that. He'd always liked mentoring the younger ones, spotting talent, helping them develop their skills, seeing his wide-eyed raw recruits go on to make something of themselves. He'd hated seeing them fail, seeing them get caught or shot by the guards, their luck running out. To be able to stop that from happening... and an edge against Mercer too.
Re: The Wolf Queen Awakens 17.9
(Anonymous) 2013-12-10 07:49 pm (UTC)(link)“I'm in,” he heard Sapphire say, and he found himself nodding along.
“As long as it doesn't take too long,” he told Karliah. “We can't risk Mercer getting away.”
“Spoken like a true thief,” Karliah laughed. “Don't worry, the place I'm taking you to is just outside Riften. We shouldn't be long.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nightingale Hall turned out to be barely fifteen minutes out of Riften, right near the mysterious stone monolith that generations of thieves had whispered was some sort of symbol of the Nightingales and might bring you luck. Some thieves whispered leaving an offering would bring good fortune, going so far as to leave septims and gems out here. Brynjolf had believed them once, as a young footpad just starting out, right up until Glover and Delvin had caught him doing it one night, nearly wet themselves laughing and told him brighter thieves just spread that rumour so they could lie in wait and help themselves to the goodies.
He'd avoided the place since. Now here he was ready to actually join the order behind it.
The entrance was hidden under the cliff – locked but he could tell on sight the lock was a puzzle one that would fox most thieves. Karliah, it seemed, had a key.
Inside, the place had a vast hall with a river running through it – a little rundown but not bad. Karliah led them through to where three stones which she called armour stones were waiting.
“Touch one, it'll give you your armour. Then get changed into it and follow me.”
Brynjolf glanced at Sapphire to see how she was taking this. Apparently in her stride.
“Saff, are you sure about this?” Brynjolf murmured. “It's a contract with a Daedra, they're not exactly trustworthy.”
“If it ends Mercer and gets us our Guild back, I'll do it,” Sapphire said, her face stony. “Why, having second thoughts?”
“Not exactly,” said Brynjolf, although he wasn't entirely sure about this. “I just... thieves and temples. Normally we're robbing the gods, not swearing loyalty.”
“It's not about religion, Brynjolf,” Karliah announced, emerging in her Nightingale gear. “It's business. We make this deal on behalf of all thieves, ensuring all benefit from Nocturnal's gifts. We don't do it, our entire business falls apart. But if you're not sure, go. Hopefully Sapphire and I will be enough.”
On behalf of all thieves... and on behalf of all spies too? Maybe the reason the Thalmor had been able to hunt down the Blades the way they had was because they were benefiting from Nocturnal too. Delphine, I promise, I'll make sure the Nightingales help you... or at least, this one will.
“Don't worry,” Brynjolf promised. “I'm still in. I'm just wondering, why me? You've not seen me in years and I was just a nineteen year old kid back then.”
Karliah's face was hidden behind her hood but he had a feeling she was smiling.
“In that time, you've gone on to be Guild Second, universally liked by everyone in the Guild by all accounts, a finder of many great thieves, very very good at your job, and now you tell me you managed to rob the Thalmor without getting caught? Of course I want you as one of us. As for you, Sapphire, you survived that Thalmor attack with barely a mark on you, and you came back fighting. You're strong, resilient and you're going to make a fantastic Nightingale. You both are. If you're willing?”
Sapphire emerged from where she'd been getting changed, face flushed as she prepared to pull her hood on.
“Never more so,” she whispered.
“Come on then,” Karliah said, leading them both to Nightingale Hall's inner sanctum. “Let's get you sworn in.”
~~~~~~~~~~
In the end, it was all a little anticlimactic. Nocturnal came at Karliah's summons but not in person – just taunting her almost. But she accepted the terms in the end, accepted both Brynjolf and Sapphire as Nightingale, and restoring Karliah to the same.
Re: The Wolf Queen Awakens 17.10
(Anonymous) 2013-12-10 07:53 pm (UTC)(link)“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.