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Oct. 29th, 2011 12:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
skyrimkinkmemeANNOUNCEMENTS: UPDATED 12/16/2017
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The Wolf Queen Awakens 16.1
Date: 2013-12-01 02:48 pm (UTC)Summary: Elisif's got her freedom back but not without having incurred obligations. There's also the little matter of introducing her new allies to Delphine...
The little group fled through the night, not stopping, not looking back, although once out of sight of Markarth, the guards were no longer chasing them. Something to be thankful for.
Eola ran by Elisif's side, saying very little but smiling, always smiling. Madanach's child, and there was something about her that definitely reminded Elisif of her father. Same pragmatism and cunning.
Erandur was behind them, but he was getting old by Dunmer standards and was falling behind. It hadn't taken long for Madanach to catch up, Kaie alongside him and Borkul behind them both.
“Dragon-Queen, I take it the Dunmer's with you?” Madanach growled, narrowing his eyes at Erandur.
“He's my friend,” said Elisif firmly. “And he's one of my Blades, aren't you, Erandur?”
“Anything I can do to help, I will,” Erandur replied, looking Madanach over curiously. “You're a little old to be in the Forsworn, aren't you?”
“I founded the Forsworn, elf,” Madanach growled, and Erandur backed off on hearing that, moving closer to Elisif and wondering just how on earth High Queen Elisif had ended up working with the leaders of the Forsworn.
He didn't have a lot of time to wonder, as the Karthspire double bridge loomed up and Elisif led them over it. Then round the Karthspire itself and... Braziers were lit, torches were burning, tents were pitched and a group of Forsworn were approaching with magic going and weapons raised.
Elisif stopped in her tracks. The camp had been gone, they'd driven the Forsworn off and then they'd come by in the night to claim the remnants. She'd not expected a new camp to form so quickly.
“Names and business, strangers,” one called out, clearly hoping for an excuse to slaughter them all. He was to be disappointed.
“Madanach ap Caradach,” Madanach called, pushing his way to the front. “Here to lead us all to glory!”
Gasps from the warriors, at least one of whom dropped his bow from shock.
“It can't be...”
“Is it really him?”
“Old gods, it is!”
“We're sorry, sir, we had no idea...” the lead Forsworn gasped, motioning for him to enter. “I mean, er, welcome back, my lord!”
“Ah, don't call me that, leave all the milords to the Nords!” Madanach laughed, patting the man on the shoulder. “Come on, let's see what you've managed to put together at short notice!”
“He really did found the Forsworn,” Erandur whispered, drawing closer to Elisif and watching in awe as half the camp swarmed, all wanting to get a look at the king who'd been in prison longer than some of them had been alive.
“That's my dad!” Eola whispered, wiping a tear from her eye as her father stopped to shake hands with practically everyone, slowly making his way to the entrance to the Karthspire. Elisif followed after, unsure what exactly happened next, but she had Eola taking her by the arm, Erandur and Cicero behind her and the Forsworn from Cidhna Mine surrounding them all, Kaie leading the way and calling for people to clear a path, the Reach-King's guests were not to be held up.
“Reach-King! Sir! Are you going to clear the intruders out of the ruins?”
“Are we going to shed some outsider blood tonight, sir?”
“We'll follow you anywhere, sir!”
Madanach had reached the top of the steps by this point and was motioning for quiet. Elisif found herself right at the front of the crowd, Cicero bouncing up and down behind her while Erandur and Eola flanked her.
Re: The Wolf Queen Awakens 16.2
Date: 2013-12-01 02:50 pm (UTC)More cheering and half the camp was stamping their feet and chanting his name. Madanach laughed in the torchlight, let them get on with it for a few minutes before firing a thunderbolt over their heads, which got a few oohs and aahs but did calm everyone down.
“It is good to be free again!” Madanach laughed. “I was away too long, I know. But no more, my friends! Tonight, tonight sees the start of a new era for the Forsworn. Tonight we will start to truly reclaim what the Nords took from us twenty five years ago. Tonight we begin walking the path that will bring us victory! Tonight we broke Cidhna Mine, a prison they said no one escapes from... but we did it. Two days ago, there were three Silver-Bloods in Markarth who claimed half the Reach as theirs! Tonight, they're all in their graves!”
The cheer on hearing this resounded throughout the valley, but Madanach wasn't done yet.
“Last night I had one child left to me, Kaie ap Mireen, who most of you have probably met at one point or another.” Kaie at this point stepped to to his side and raised her fist in a salute, to much applause. Madanach smiled proudly before turning to Eola. “Tonight, I have two. My youngest child, Eola ap Madanach, finally came back to me. Come here, cariad, let them get a look at you.”
Eola looked a bit worried about this, but she went to her father's side anyway, smiling nervously at the massed Forsworn as Madanach put an arm around her and kissed her cheek, every inch the proud father. Gasps and whispers, then a slow smattering of applause that slowly spread out over the camp as the Forsworn welcomed their lost princess home.
“And finally,” Madanach announced, grin not fading as his eyes fell on Elisif. “We come to the matter of these new guests of ours who thought moving into the Akaviri ruins without our permission was a good idea.”
Elisif didn't like the sound of that at all. She looked around for Cicero and Erandur, because if this went south, she'd likely need them both. Fortunately, Madanach wasn't about to go back on his earlier promises.
“Now normally, we'd be putting them all to fire and the sword, but it turns out one of them can take a dragon's very soul. Turns out their leader is rather more important than any of us thought. It also turns out she can't resist meddling and ran afoul of the Silver-Bloods too, ending up with me in Cidhna Mine. Maia, get over here, show yourself.”
Elisif felt herself shaking as she walked over to Madanach, the Forsworn silent and no longer ready to cheer anything. The whole atmosphere felt like an execution about to happen. Was this what condemned criminals felt like? She could only guess, but she was a Nord, Nords were brave, Nords were warriors and if this was death, she would face it with courage. She approached Madanach, who still looked in a perfectly cheerful mood as he motioned for her to stand next to him and face the crowd.
“Maia owes us keteen for the loss of our camp, and she acknowledged this to me,” Madanach continued. “So we talked and we came to an agreement and so far she has lived up to her side. I told her my daughter was heartbroken from loss of her mother – and Maia brought Kaie back her sister. We told her our stories of loss and pain, then she shared hers and it seems she has her own grievance with the Bear of Markarth. I asked her for Thonar Silver-Blood's head on a pike – she gave me not just his but his brother's too. Maybe her people took a camp from us... but with her help, we will send the Nords packing and claim the Reach for ourselves! Prepare yourselves, my friends, for we have never been closer to a lasting victory! You will be receiving orders different from the ones you're accustomed to in the near future, and maybe they will seem confusing at first, but if you follow my lead faithfully, I will make you this promise. A year from now, I will be on the Mournful Throne or in my grave! A year from now, we will have our kingdom!”
Re: The Wolf Queen Awakens 16.3
Date: 2013-12-01 02:51 pm (UTC)Madanach had an arm around her shoulders, still that damnable smile in place.
“I think they like you,” he laughed. “They're not demanding Akaviri blood in payment for Karthspire any more at any rate. Let's just hope the rest of your Blades friends prove as reasonable.”
Elisif could only smile weakly. How was she supposed to persuade Delphine this was a good idea when she wasn't even sure of that herself?
~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Delphine, wake up.”
Delphine gasped, eyes flicking open as she started up. The door hadn't creaked, why hadn't the door creaked, there was someone in her room, someone in her room!
It was just Aela, arrived back from Jorrvaskr just in time, seeing an army of Forsworn approaching and only just escaping into Sky Haven Temple to warn Delphine, who'd sealed the Temple up. That had been this afternoon, and the only things stopping Delphine from climbing down the cliffside and fleeing were that she had nowhere else to go, she had to be somewhere Elisif would know to find her, and that this was her new home, dammit! An old Blades temple, hers by right. She'd been running too long already, she wasn't letting the damn Forsworn chase her out. Even if there were a lot of them, and the mood of the newly formed camp was not friendly, judging by the singing. Forsworn war songs were both catchy and incredibly violent, and when you'd heard a few rousing choruses of “What Shall We Do With the Captured Stormcloak?” and “Priests of Talos, Priests of Talos, We Shall Serve You To The Hags, To The Hags!”, all sung in harmony no less, it was enough to make even the bravest warrior reconsider.
Nevertheless, here she stayed, and she'd just about managed to sleep, Aela volunteering to keep watch in case anything happened, or indeed if Cicero and Eola returned. Seemed something had.
“What time is it?” Delphine whispered.
“About two in the morning,” Aela said quietly. “Delphine, you need to see this.”
“See what?” Delphine asked, climbing into her Blades armour, Aela helping her fasten it. Aela had a set now as well, and they'd found some old clothes belonging to a former Blades mage that fit Esbern and all in all they were looking very much the part now. Delphine wondered if that was a good thing, or if it would just antagonise the Forsworn more. “Are our friends still here?”
“Are they ever,” said Aela. “And they've got company. They, er, they've come to parley.”
Come to parley? Now that didn't sound at all like the Forsworn. The Forsworn didn't do negotiation, and even if they did, who would be negotiating? Who had the authority to sign any kind of binding agreement on behalf of the entire Forsworn?
Dear sweet mother of Talos. But he's supposed to be in a high security prison...
Aela led her out to the balcony overlooking Cyrodiil Court, and how the Forsworn had got this far in was ringing all sorts of alarm bells. Then Delphine looked down and her questions were answered... some of them anyway.
Re: The Wolf Queen Awakens 16.4
Date: 2013-12-01 02:52 pm (UTC)“Elisif,” said Delphine, doing her best to remain calm. “Why have you brought the Forsworn with you?”
“I'm sorry, Delphine, they weren't meant to be here,” Elisif said guiltily. “Only he invited himself along.” This was said with a pointed glare at Madanach, and the Scourge of the Nords barely reacted other than by smirking at her. All right, so not a captor-prisoner relationship then.
“And does he have a name?” Delphine sighed, hoping that she might get a sensible answer at some point.
“He does,” Madanach put in cheerfully. “Madanach ap Caradach, rightful King of the Reach. It's a pleasure to meet you. You'd be in charge of the Blades, am I right?”
“I'm the Acting Grand Master,” Delphine said tersely. “Can I ask why you're here and what you want with... with Maia?”
“It's all right, Delphine, he knows,” Elisif sighed. “He worked it out on his own anyway. Don't worry, he's not here to hurt any of us. He's on our side. Sort of.”
Madanach struck Delphine as the sort of person to be primarily on his own side first and foremost, but this was a story she had to hear.
“You've come to an agreement with the leader of the Forsworn?” Delphine asked. “How? And isn't he supposed to be in jail? By the Nine, did you end up in Cidhna Mine??”
“Thonar Silver-Blood realised who I was and threw me in prison,” Elisif admitted. “But when Madanach realised who I was, he agreed to help me escape. He had a jailbreak planned anyway, so here we all are. Don't worry about Thonar either, he's dead.”
“Quite dead!” Cicero giggled and that was all the confirmation Delphine might have needed as to who was responsible for that. Eola was patting his back, looking very proud of him.
“I'm very grateful to him. What was his asking price?” Delphine said dryly. Well, she could probably guess.
“A full pardon and my kingdom back,” Madanach said calmly, and of course it was, the Forsworn's objectives all along. Madanach would never have helped a Nord for anything less, would he? “Oh, and no more attacks on my camps either, hmm?”
“Your people fired first, Madanach,” Delphine growled at him. “Now you're here with an army laying siege to us – forgive me if I don't exactly trust you.”
“I barely have a hundred warriors out there, it's hardly an army,” Madanach pointed out. It was still more than she had at her disposal and they both knew it.
“Do I have your word you'll be leaving us alone?” Delphine asked. Not that she really trusted him, but she guessed he must have had to make a few concessions to Elisif too, and she'd never grant him a pardon if he wasn't actually going to keep his word.
“Said I wasn't here to fight you, didn't I?” Madanach said, shrugging. “Look, you destroyed Karthspire camp, we'd like to rebuild it, in fact we're going to rebuild it with Kaie here in charge of it. Don't look so shocked daughter, it's about time you had a camp of your own.”
The young woman who was presumably Kaie had squealed on hearing she was getting a camp of her own.
Re: The Wolf Queen Awakens 16.5
Date: 2013-12-01 02:54 pm (UTC)“You'll have safe passage,” Madanach promised. “We'll leave the ruins alone, you can do whatever you like in there, come and go as you please. If you're helping the Dragon-Queen here, then you need fear nothing from us. I'm hoping she and I will have our respective kingdoms within the year, a good working relationship between her people and mine benefits all of us.”
A year? That wasn't a lot of time... but there were possibilities. Delphine would need to think about this one. It'd be a challenge... but Delphine loved challenges.
“All right,” Delphine said, nodding thoughtfully. “I'm going to have to hear this story in more detail from the Dragonborn, and I'll be wanting my Blades there back... but we'll stay our weapons if you stay yours.”
Elisif, who'd been following this conversation carefully and looking as nervous as a young girl bringing her new boyfriend home, sighed in relief and Eola looked pretty pleased too.
“Agreed,” Madanach nodded. “Also, one last thing. I need half an hour of your time. A private conversation... without the Dragonborn being there. You can have any others of your people along as long as they're discreet, so not him either.” This was said with a glance at Cicero, who looked most put out by this. “Don't worry, I just need to talk to you.”
Delphine narrowed her eyes and Elisif didn't like it either, already protesting this.
“Whatever you have to say to her, you can say to me, Madanach!” Elisif demanded.
“Well, perhaps you can ask her later, can't you?” Madanach snapped. “I just want a private conversation with your Grand Master, that's all.”
Elisif stared back at him and the seconds ticked by... until she sighed and gave in.
“Fine. But I want her back in one piece.”
Delphine would wager she was more than a match for Madanach one on one, but it was nice to have Elisif get protective of her.
“Send your troops back to camp and I'll come down and talk to you,” Delphine promised. “I'll have Aela here with me, and young Eola too.”
Madanach nodded and began motioning to the others. “Kaie, Borkul, stay here. The rest of you, go. We're done.”
The massed Forsworn filed out, although a couple of the veterans took up positions just outside the courtyard, out of earshot of a quiet conversation but within call if a fight broke out. A wise precaution and Delphine made a note to have Cicero do the same at the end of the entrance tunnel to Sky Haven Temple. He wasn't terribly reliable, but he was fast, nimble and a force to be reckoned with.
Only once the courtyard had emptied did Delphine finally open the door and emerge.
“Thank Talos you're all right,” Delphine said softly, placing her hands on Elisif's shoulders. “I thought... we were afraid we'd lost you.”
“So was I,” Elisif admitted, shy smile on her face. “But Madanach looked after me and got me out of there. He's... he's not so bad as they say. But he's still a law unto himself, so please be careful and Madanach, I swear, if you hurt any of my Blades...!”
“You will tear me limb from limb, I know,” Madanach sighed, rolling his eyes. “Dragon-Queen, go on, get yourself home, have a bath and a decent meal and a long sleep, you deserve it.”
To Delphine's surprise, Elisif nodded before hesitating and then actually hugging Madanach, giving him a kiss on the cheek.
“So do you,” Elisif told him. “Thank you. For everything. Enjoy your freedom. I'll... I'll see you around.”
Then she was gone, giving one last wave before vanishing into the Temple. Madanach had actually gasped as she'd kissed him and was staring after her, rubbing his cheek and looking baffled. Very curious. Delphine filed that whole exchange away before turning to Erandur.
“You'd be Erandur, I take it. Elisif told me about you. You're a priest of Mara.”
“I am indeed,” the elf told her. “But I'm also quite happy to help protect Tamriel from dragons and help our friend Maia however she needs me.”
Re: The Wolf Queen Awakens 16.6
Date: 2013-12-01 02:56 pm (UTC)“He stabbed five people in twenty four hours,” Madanach put in cheerfully. Eola was patting Cicero on the back and Cicero had gone bright red, all coy embarrassment. Delphine just closed her eyes, not really wanting to contemplate this any longer than she had to, and wondering, not for the first time, if taking Cicero in had been a good idea.
“Five?” Aela said, her voice a mixture of being appalled and yet also strangely impressed. “Who were they?”
“Gabriella of the Dark Brotherhood, a witness to Gabriella's death, Thongvor Silver-Blood, a thief called Grisvar in Cidhna Mine and Thonar Silver-Blood,” Cicero giggled, still blushing. “Also a number of Markarth guards during the jail break but Cicero lost count of them. Er... Cicero doesn't think he's allowed in Markarth any more.”
“I'm not entirely sure you're allowed outside the Temple any more,” Delphine sighed. “Get inside and wait just inside the Temple – come back if you hear fighting, but otherwise just stay put, you hear? We'll be in shortly.”
Cicero scampered off, still flushed with pride, and how someone as sweet and ethical as Elisif kept attracting murderers like she did was a mystery to Delphine. She turned her attention from the undisputed psychopath to the fanatical insurrectionist.
“So, you wanted to talk to me. You have my attention.” Delphine folded her arms, waiting to hear what Madanach had to say. He'd watched Cicero go, seeming rather fond of the man, but as soon as he'd gone, he'd turned sombre again.
“So you're a Blade. Acting Grand Master. Not that senior then, not when there were still Blades operating anyway. You'd be the last of them.”
Damn the man for being so perceptive.
“Being persecuted by the Thalmor wasn't great for recruitment.”
“No one likes the Thalmor, Delphine, even other Altmer don't like them,” Madanach growled. “We've been persecuted by the Nords for decades too, it's been great for recruitment. Don't tell me there was no one willing to join the fight.”
“You were in a Nord prison for two decades, the Forsworn were still operating all that time, and yet Thonar never had you quietly silenced,” said Delphine, refusing to rise to the bait. “And here you are on the outside, able to pull together a fighting force at short notice and have them all here awaiting you, willing to obey your every command. You're still a man very much in charge, so why did the Nords let you get away with it for so long? I'd love to know the story behind that one.”
Madanach looked a little awkward and swiftly changed the subject. Delphine couldn't help but smile and file this away to discuss with Elisif later. Definitely a sore point and she knew she'd won that bout.
“So, the Dragonborn,” Madanach said firmly. “Chosen to fight dragons and has to destroy their leader or the world ends. You know, for a mighty dragonslayer, she doesn't seem that bothered about destroying dragons.”
“What are you talking about?” Delphine sighed. “She's killed three that I've seen, is learning the Thu'um, wants to save her country. She's doing her job well enough.”
“She's learning the Thu'um but not to kill dragons.” Madanach took a step forward, and she couldn't tell if he was angry or afraid, but he definitely was feeling something. “Ulfric, Delphine. She wants to kill Ulfric. Avenge her husband. Be better than him at Shouting, she might already be better. That's what she wants, Delphine. And I think she's going to go it alone. Walk right into Windhelm, challenge Ulfric and kill him.”
Re: The Wolf Queen Awakens 16.7
Date: 2013-12-01 02:57 pm (UTC)Madanach's eyes were boring into hers, and he did indeed have opinions and feelings on this topic, very strong ones and that wasn't anger, it was heartbreak and desperation.
“When we first met, we argued and I got up to... I don't know, I just wanted to intimidate her a bit,” Madanach said softly. “She must have thought I was going to attack, and she was unarmed. She didn't beg or plead or run. She just closed her eyes and told me to get on with it. Like she wanted to die and get it over with. When I asked her about it, she just said Sovngarde would await if she died bravely. Delphine, you do not have a fearless warrior on your hands, you have a grieving widow who lost a husband and miscarried a baby she'd only just found out about because of Ulfric. Honestly, if Nords didn't think suicides were cursed to roam Oblivion for eternity, I think she'd have taken her own life.”
Aela's hand on her shoulder, Eola looking pale and worried and it wasn't true, Elisif wasn't suicidal, she was sane and calm a lot of the time, she wasn't crazy, surely? And yet, and yet...
“She can't die,” Delphine said, fighting off the panic. “We only just found her – the world needs her! We need our Dragonborn!” What are the Blades without a Dragonborn?? Nothing, that's what, that's why we crumbled so easily, we didn't have a purpose. If we'd still had a Dragonborn, we'd have done like the Forsworn have – formed a resistance. But they hadn't, and if Elisif died, Delphine wasn't really sure the new Blades would hold on. Aela would go back to Jorrvaskr, Brynjolf to the Thieves, Cicero who knew where and Eola with him, that was if he didn't lose it completely and have to be put down, and Erandur she barely knew. They needed their Dragonborn alive.
“I know that, I need her too!” Madanach cried, fingers ghosting across his cheek again, or at least they did until he recollected himself. “She's the only one who can grant me a pardon and make me king, the only one who thinks of me as a friend anyway. I need her to stay alive long enough to do all that, and afterwards things will run a lot smoother if there's a ruler in Skyrim who actually understands us and who I actually like! So she can't die, Delphine, you need to keep her alive, you need to get her out of there afterwards, make sure that when she goes to face Ulfric, she's not alone!”
“This is what you wanted to talk to me about,” Delphine whispered. “You're worried about her!”
“Of course I'm-” Madanach stopped, looking away, still rubbing his cheek. “Look, you people are sworn to guide and guard a Dragonborn, so I'm told. So guard this one. Keep her alive!”
“I can't fight a city full of guards on my own,” Delphine sighed. “I don't have the people, even Cicero's not that good, and I don't think the Legion are going to lay siege to the city for us.”
“I'm not expecting you to take the city, just sneak people in there and cover her escape,” Madanach growled. Sneak people in there – a stealth mission then. But even that would only last until Ulfric was dead – once that happened, any guards with a brain would seal the city. Delphine couldn't rely on there being any Roggvirs in the Windhelm guard who'd do the honourable thing and let them out. No, their best option was to capture the city, but even if Delphine could exploit Windhelm's simmering racial tensions and persuade those dissatisfied with Ulfric's reign to spontaneously rise up in revolt, she couldn't rule it herself and she really didn't have the troops. Damn it, if only she knew someone who'd done this sort of thing before and had troops at his disposal...
Re: The Wolf Queen Awakens 16.8
Date: 2013-12-01 03:00 pm (UTC)“Around three hundred to rule a peaceful city, likely more if we had to seize it,” Madanach replied, looking very thoughtful as he began to realise just what she was suggesting. “We took Markarth with five hundred of us. But Delphine, that took years to plan, time spent putting people in place, slowly replacing the Nords' servant class with our people and the Nords never noticed because one Reachman's much like another, right? We had a whole slum neighbourhood in place full of disaffected people tired of Nord rule. We still do. But Windhelm?? Ulfric's stronghold? A city full of Nords where my people are going to stick out like a sore thumb? In a few weeks? You ask a lot, Delphine.”
“It's not just Nords live there,” Aela said, speaking up for the first time, eyes aglow. Clearly a topic close to her heart. “There's a whole quarter, used to be the Snow Quarter but they gave it to the Dunmer refugees and never bothered maintaining it again. They call it the Grey Quarter now – it's little better than a slum and it's full of disaffected Dunmer being horribly ill-treated by the Nords. Not to mention the docks – Nord sailors aplenty but the dockers are all Argonians who aren't even allowed in the city. You think Windhelm is all Nords who love Ulfric and Talos? Think again.”
Madanach had gone very still, eyes wide and a smile starting to creep across his face as Skyrim's undisputed expert on exploiting ethnic tensions to spur armed revolution began to process all this.
“If we snuck supplies and people in via the docks, got the Argonians and Dunmer to hide them for us...” Madanach began. “Only we'd need ships, Delphine, the Reach is landlocked, we're not sailors.”
“Now that we might be able to help with,” Delphine said, already plotting the first stages. “The East Empire Company has an office in Windhelm, but it's not doing so well of late. Something to do with pirates strangling the shipping lanes and Ulfric doing nothing because prominent Nord families in the city are doing very well out of it and the last thing he's going to do is help the Empire's traders. Do you know, I think the East Empire might be grateful for a little assistance. Grateful enough to bring in a few extra trading supplies for you – if we tell them you're a covert ops unit from High Rock there on General Tullius' orders to try and unseat Ulfric and administer the place until Tullius can get there.”
Madanach's grin broadened and he burst out laughing.
“All right, I like you, Talos-worshipper. Elisif's adorable and going to be a fine queen, but she's got no head for strategy. You, on the other hand, you're good. My – the Dragon-Queen's in good hands. Listen, keep plotting and I'll do likewise. See if you can send some people to Windhelm and find us a few allies, while I look into the logistics of sorting out five hundred or so Forsworn for a new uprising. I did promise Elisif I'd stop Forsworn attacks on civilians in the Reach while she got us our kingdom. I'll need something to occupy them in the mean time. This will do nicely.”
It would indeed, it just relied on Delphine persuading the Dunmer of Windhelm, Argonians of Windhelm and the Windhelm East Empire Company that everyone could profit from this. Good thing she now had a Dunmer at her disposal, not to mention the best scam artist in Skyrim. As soon as Brynjolf got back, Delphine would need to sit down and start planning this out. Just like old times.
He'd been gone a while. Delphine hoped he was all right out there. Maybe he was a flexibly-moralled charmer obsessed with coin... but he was her amoral charmer. If anything happened to him, they'd have her to deal with, and Delphine had very little forgiveness left to spare.
~~~~~~~~
A/N: And there you have it, the plotting has begun. Speaking of Brynjolf, he'll be back next chapter. You know I said I wasn't going to involve the Guild much? Change of plan. There's going to be a Thieves Guild subplot. Isn't it exciting?