Skyrim: Memories

Krii is to Kill

I wake up around dusk and grab the reins, letting Cicero get comfortable in the back of the cart before grabbing his map and setting off into the moonlight.

It takes a long while, but eventually I find myself near some ruins, we should be close now. I just need to wake Cicero an- What's that buzzing? I tie the reins to a tree so the horse can't leave, and walk closer to the ruins. The buzzing is louder now, almost like a swarm of bugs.

Suddenly, a spirit made of wood and green magic confronts me, the buzzing is almost unbearable now on my ears so close. It raises it's hand and swipes me across the arm. Guess it's not friendly like I was hoping, so much for that.

I jump back and raise my own hands, looks like I have claws. I dart in an out, turning it's arms and side to splinters, but it's not dead. Finally, I remember I have magic and raise my left palm, facing the wooden nymph. Fire licks at my fingertips and shoots forward in a jet of flame, killing it. Just then, Cicero walks up.

"So a spriggon, best get the taproot."

"It's called a Spriggon?"

"Yes, nature spirits, very agressive. Poor Cicero once almost lost his arm to one. The taproot is their heart, relativly rare and useful in potions and poisons."

"Huh." I went over to the corpse and reached in, it was no more than a humanoid bundle of wood, and grabbed the heart, which still glowed green. "well, on that note, these are the ruins you said to head for. Now where do we go?"

He untied the reins, guiding the horse and I to a place nearby. It had a small pitch-black pond, and underground it had a door that looked like the one in Dawnstar. Cicero walked up to it.

"What is the music of life?" I jump, where did that voice come from? Cicero chuckled and said to the door, "Silence my brother."

He turned to face me, "Never tell anyone about this place, or whats behind the door. Here is where your new family is, treat them well."

We walked in, Cicero lugging his mother's coffin inside with ease. I guess somewhere in here will be her new resting place. The inside is dimmly lit, and we go down some stairs to a room with selves, two doors, a table and map, and a woman dressed in a black-red suit who turns when we enter.

"Cicero," She said, taking note of him and then resting her eyes on me. "We got your message, your room is prepared. Who is this? You of all people know our line of work is to be kept secret!"

Cicero gently set down the coffin, "This Astrid, is a new family member, named Moon. Found her passed out after a storm outside where I was making camp once near dawnstar. She has amnesia, no memories, not of family at least. All she remembered was the Tower of Mzark and some falmer. She has an intresting veiw of death. Besides, as the last running sanctuary we need more members! And magic, she can do magic! Took down a spriggon a few minutes ago! Now, do you have any sweetrolls? Perhaps a carrot?"

Astrid raised her eyebrow, "Don't think this is over yet jester, I'll decide if she becomes part of the family. Go find Nazir if your hungry, he spends the most time in the dining room, he'll know where they are."

Cicero skipped off, leaving me and Astrid in the room, "So what kind of views of death was he talking about?" She asked.

I told her the same thing I told Cicero and she nodded sagely, "Alright, your in. Welcome sister, to the dark brotherhood."

"So what do you guys do anyways?"

"Well sister, we're assassins. People preform a ritual called the black sacrament when they want someone dead, normally the Night Mother would tell someone called the 'listener' about it, then someone would go accept the contract-and the gold-then kill the target, sometimes in a special way if specified. There hasn't been a listener in a while, but we still after time find out about it. Here in the brotherhood we are a family, I'll introduce you in a minute. Any questions?"

"Who is the Night Mother?"

"She's in that coffin Cicero brought. In the beginning, the Night Mother had the children of Sithis, Daedric prince of the void, and then killed them in his name. Now she's a corpse, but the keeper, that jester, has the job of keeping her preserved. She only speaks of the contracts or at all really to the listener, but as I said there hasn't been one in a while. Of course, she can't actually talk, it's more like telepathy in the listener's brain I guess. Before I forget, here. Only wear them on contracts, around the sanctuary, or on missions though, don't want you getting captured or killed for wearing our symbol."

She handed me a black and crimson masked cowl, as well as the same colors in mages robes. The robes had a black handprint on them, likely the 'symbol' of the brotherhood. Based on how she spoke I guess I call everyone brother or sister now. Just hopefully not Cicero it feels...Weird, to think of him as a brother, although I do care for him. We walked into a large room, with a small pond and waterfall, as well as a forge, targets, and training dummies. Above the waterfall is a stained glass window, where I can see Cicero setting the Night Mother's coffin in front of.

I am introduced to Babette, a child-looking vampire who has a spark of recognition then a look of being confused about me for some reason, Festus who says I can call him the Grouchy Uncle and not brother, Gabriella who seems very nice, Arnbjorn who is Astrid's werewolf husband and pretty much seems to hate me, Veezara an argonian, and Nazir.

After they all leave to go so their own thing, I hear chanting to my left. There are scratches in a wall, and one small bundle of them is glowing. Based on the fact everyone else is carrying on, I don't know if they can hear the chanting, but as I approach the glowing gets brighter. Eventually people realize somethings happening and come to check it out. I can feel it pulling to me with power, calling to me.

What's happening?

I get closer and run my fingers along the wall. I can read it, but that should be impossible since it's just claw scratchings on a wall yet I can. Tracing my fingers in the scratches I feel and see threads of power and light surging from the wall and into me.

"What the heck just happened? Explain." Says Astrid, she doesn't seem mad. She just looks curious and slightly annoyed at not knowing, not that I did either.

I didn't look at her, just the wall in front of me, The word wasn't glowing anymore but if you looked closely there was still a slight blue shine on it. "I don't know. Somehow I could read it and it surged power into me. I don't know how though."

Uncle Festus stared in surprise, "But that's the language of dragons! Likely story, what does it say?"

"Krii," As I spoke the word my voice was suddenly loud and there was a rush of purple/red tinted air in the direction I was facing. My brain offered a meaning for that word, "It means kill. Wait, how did I know that?" I turned back to them and looked at Festus in shock, "How the actual heck did I know that?"

"I don't know, but if it's in the language of dragons and raised your voice I'd say it was a shout! A special form of magic only used by the Graybeards. All shouts are made of three words, each one adding to the power. Since it means kill, I'd say its a good thing you weren't facing any of us when you said it. But...how can that be? even the smallest and weakest of shouts requires years of training. You just looked at a wall and did it!"

"Ok...maybe I visited them in the past? It's not like I can remember what my life was like before, so maybe I trained with them once?"

He grunted, "I suppose anythings possible at this point. Alright everyone, shows over. Gabriella, show her to her room please."