Night Of The Hunter

The Hanged Man

As I entered the city of Whiterun, a man came running up to me "I was told to deliver this letter too you. Your hands only". The man handed me a small roll of parchment. Then he ran off again. I shrugged it off and stuffed the letter down into my pocket. I ventured further into the town of Whiterun and then went for the town's nearest inn.
The Bannered Mare it said on the sign. Oh well, it's an inn. So the name doesn't really matter that much.

As I entered I was met with music and people laughing. It was nice to be somewhere warm, but the noise, I could do without.
I went over to a woman, who I presumed was the owner of the place.
"Hello and welcome to the Bannered Mare, what can I get you" I simply ordered a cabbage soup.

As I was eating the woman came up to me again, she asked me if I was new around here, since she hadn't seen me before. I told her that I'm originally from Cheydinhal and that I had been wandering around Skyrim for the past couple of days.
"Oh so you're an adventurer?" She asked excitedly.
"Well... sort off." I didn't know what to say. You don't just tell people that you kill for money, so I simply nodded.
"It sounds so wonderful. I wish I could be an adventurer like you, but I have to take care of the Bannered Mare. Besides, it's not the best time to be an adventurer." I couldn't help but get curious at her statement. Why wouldn't it be a good time to be an adventurer? She lowered her voice "You see. There are rumors that they are back. They killed the owner of an orphanage just recently. Isn't it just terrible?!" I looked up at her from my soup. "Who is back?" I knew she was talking about my kill. But I couldn't possibly already be that notorious around here. So she had to be talking about someone else.
She leaned in a little closer and spoke in a lowered tone "The Dark Brotherhood"
She then stood up and looked around nervously, like she was afraid of someone attacking her.
But I thought there weren't any Dark Brotherhood in Skyrim. I didn't understand and the woman wasn't of much help anymore. I then finished my soup and rented a room with some of the money Cicero had paid me.

I laid down on the bed. It was soft and warm. Just what I needed after what felt like years in the cold with little to no sleep.
I couldnt stop thinking about the conversation I had had with the owner. Could the Dark Brotherhood really be in Skyrim?

I suddenly remembered the letter I received earlier. I took it out of my pocket and opened it.
On it was a black handprint and underneath was two words. Two simple words. But these words send shivers down my spine!
It said "we know."
What could that mean? We know... who knows what?
I examined the letter and tried to figure out who is was from and what it referred too. That was until I heard the sound of glass breaking.
I looked up from the letter and on the floor laid some broken pieces of glass and some weird dark purple liquid.

I stood up from the bed, leaving the note. I went over to examine the weird liquid, that was until the foul smell of rotting flesh filled my nose. There was no doubt, this weird liquid was made with Black Henbane.
I needed to get out of this room as fast as possible! The smell made me feel sick to my stomach and I quickly went for the door. But it was locked and wouldn't open.

My vision became increasingly blurry. I didn't have much time left. So I went for the window, which I couldn't open either. My whole body felt heavy and my legs went numb.
I felt my head hit something, but it didn't hurt.
I heard footsteps, they were so loud. But I couldn't see anything.

I opened my eyes but everything around me was pitch black. I looked down and there didn't seem to be anything wrong with me? But where was I? I suddenly see a woman running. The same woman I've been seeing in my dreams. She was beautiful. Her white hair was flying gracefully through the wind. Which was kinda weird, since there was no wind.
She was holding onto something. But I couldn't see what it was. A hooded figure approached her and she handed over whatever it was she was holding onto.
But they both suddenly disappeared. What was going on? I looked around. But there was nothing. Only an empty void. The woman and the hooded figure had simply dissolved into thin air.

The ground beneath me started shaking. I tried to keep my balance. A voice started speaking, a womans voice, it was low, like a whisper and quite raspy.
"Come home my child." It said and the ground suddenly gave away beneath me and I fell.

I hit the floor hard with a big thud. I sat up slowly, opening my eyes and rubbed my head softly, hoping I could stop the intense throbbing pain in my skull. I could feel my legs again but my whole body still felt heavy. Wow, what a.
"Nightmare?" A cold voice asked from behind me.
I stood up trying my best not to let my weak state show. I turned around and there was a woman sitting on the table in the corner of the room.

Then I noticed, I was no longer in the room at the inn. I had no idea where I was. I quickly went for my dagger. But it was gone, also the one Aventus had given me. "Looking for this?" I looked over at the woman who held up my dagger. "It's nice. But you will need a better one." She said while examining my dagger. I had no clue what she was talking about and my mind was still fuzzy from the toxins. I was grateful that the Old One had thought me a few things about Alchemy. It was never my favorite subject, but he loved it and he found it necessary for me to know the basics.

"Who are you?" I asked. Such a simple question. But my mind was too foggy for me to be creative.
"I'm Astrid. The leader of the Dark Brotherhood." She jumped down from the table and slowly walked towards me. Did she just say she was the leader of the Dark Brotherhood? I almost couldn't believe it. How stupid I was, I should have never doubted the Old One. "You stole a contract of ours. A kill. A kill that wasn't meant for you. A kill you will repay." Astrid was now standing right in front of me. Was she referring to Grelod? Would this be the end of me? This wasn't at all what I had planned.

"You will have to prove your loyalty to me and to the Dark Brotherhood, therefore you must find Adrianne Avenicci. She is a blacksmith in Whiterun." Astrid handed me both my daggers and a small vial. "Then what am I supposed to do when I find her?" I knew instantly that that was a stupid question. Of course I knew what I was supposed to do, this was the leader of the Dark Brotherhood, giving me a contract.

Astrid simply rolled her eyes at me "I don't know. You could drink some mead with her... or you could kill her, and remember to use the poison I just gave you." I just nodded, feeling incredibly stupid. "When you are done. Seek me out in Falkreath and you will get your reward." Astrid gave me the keys to the shack. I accepted the keys and went over to the door to unlock it.

I had finally found the Dark Brotherhood, or they found me. But this was great! Maybe I would finally find a place where I belong. I felt ecstatic about my mission. I then went for Whiterun. Sadly I didn't have a horse anymore. So it would probably take some time.