//------------------------------// // Chapter 24: A League of Assassins // Story: The Equine Scrolls: SkyFiM // by FireOfTheNorth //------------------------------// Chapter XXIV: A League of Assassins “Sweet Nightmare, sweet Nightmare, send your foal unto me, that the sins of the unworthy may be baptized in blood and fear.” When I woke up, I was lost for a minute in remembering exactly where I was. I recalled I had gone to bed in Shor’s Stone, but that’s certainly not where I was now. I appeared to be lying on a bed in a one-room shack. Looking around, I realized I had absolutely no idea just where I was. “Sleep well?” a voice startled me out of my wonderings. I bolted straight upright and searched for the voice’s source. At last I found her, a lavender pegasus in black leather armor perched in the rafters. “Who are you?” I asked, still working on waking up. “I am Merrifeather,” she divulged freely, “Head of the Dark Brotherhoof.” I rolled out of bed and onto my hooves quickly, grabbing my sword from my saddlebags, which lay nearby. I knew I should’ve been pleased to hear this, after searching for them with no success yet, but at the moment I was too afraid she was sent to kill me. “Relax,” she said, still unmoving on her perch, “I don’t want you dead. If I did, why would I have had you brought from your room in Shor’s Stone only to lay you down here, unharmed?” “Where is here?” I asked. “A small shack in the Hjaaltrot swamps north of Marethal,” she answered, surprisingly forthcoming with information.” “So, what does the Dark Brotherhoof want with me?” I asked. “Well, you’ve been searching us out; we want to know why. Also, we’ve been watching you, and we saw what you did with Sage. It was, by all rights, a Dark Brotherhoof kill, which you stole, after all.” “I wasn’t going to let her beat that poor foal-” I started to defend myself. “Indeed not,” Merrifeather said, “And that’s just what drew our attention to you and made us consider you for membership.” “Oh no,” I said, “I wasn’t trying to find you because I wanted to join. I don’t have any intention of killing innocent ponies.” “Nor do we,” the pegasus replied plainly, “The ponies we assassinate are far from innocent, as I think you will agree based on your own experience. We aren’t common swords for hire that will go around slicing the throat of just anypony. We have morals too. Much like our brothers in the Thieves Guild, we too are misunderstood. The ponies we kill are corrupt, beyond saving. We punish those who would never receive punishment otherwise. What would have happened if you had brought your case regarding Sage before Splitten’s Jarl?” “She claimed she was a close friend of the Jarl,” I replied, seeing where she was going, “Nothing would have been done.” “But, now she has received her punishment; a punishment she deserved, but our corrupt society would never have given her. All our assassination contracts must first pass through the Nightmare. An ancient and wise leader, she decides which cases are to be taken, and which are to be ignored. Where there is a genuine need for punishment, we pursue. Petty arguments and cries for vengeance we do not. We are assassins, not murderers.” “Right,” I said, starting to see where she was coming from, “But really, the only reason I was trying to find the Dark Brotherhoof was to ask you a question.” “Your question can come later,” Merrifeather said, “If you choose to enter the Brotherhoof, there is a contract you must fulfill. Your task is to assassinate Captain Faeros of the Marekarth guard. Return to this shack when you are finished if you wish to join with us.” Before I could try to ask where Mephalda was, the pegasus swooped down and out the door. I was so close and still so far away from my goal. If I wanted any answers from the Dark Brotherhoof, it looked like I would have to perform at least one more assassination for them. At least I had been given a task that would be a little easier for me. I remembered Captain Faeros from the attack on Caprika Redoubt. I could already guess why he’d been sentenced to death. ◊◊◊ ◊◊◊ ◊◊◊ Everything Merrifeather had told me was true, at least regarding my location. The trek to Marekarth took a large portion of the day, but not as long as if I’d had to depart from Shor’s Stone. The city seemed just as I’d remembered it, except that the damage from the dragon attack was beginning to heal. Food grew in the scorched fields outside the city walls, and within them workers were busy repairing the ancient Minotaur buildings. I tried to remain inconspicuous, but several ponies remembered me from my last time here, when I had saved the city, and waved as I passed by. It was nice to be recognized for my deeds and overcome my last memories of this place, but it would be difficult to kill Captain Faeros without being detected if everypony knew I was here. As I entered the Jarl’s palace, I slipped into the shadows, becoming invisible. After waiting for a guard to pass, I snuck up behind and followed him, keeping out of sight until I could pass down one of the branching hallways. Truth be told, I wasn’t sure exactly where Captain Faeros’s room was, but I was going to find it. All the rooms I searched came up empty, just the quarters of nobles in Jarl Glamus’s court. I needed a new plan. Keeping to back passages, I slunk around until I found myself outside the back entrance to the kitchens. Carefully, I peeked around the corner to get a good look at the room. The kitchen was large and expansive, large enough to feed full grown Minotaurs, and now to keep Jarl Glamus and his court fed. Yet, at the moment there were only four ponies present. Hoping to pass through, I snuck into the kitchen, keeping out of sight. What I got instead from listening in was far better. “It’s your turn to feed the dogs,” one of the ponies on the staff complained, “I did it yesterday.” “Then you can feed them again today,” another said, “I need to bring Captain Faeros his soup. You know how he gets when it’s not delivered on time. He’s anxious enough as it is.” “Why can’t he just eat at mealtimes with everypony else?” “He doesn’t like coming out in public anymore. Have you seen him lately?” “No.” “Well, I’ll spare you the sight. Feed the hounds.” Sprinting around the kitchens as stealthily as possible, I was able to catch up with the pony carrying Captain Faeros his soup. Through the tunnels she trotted until she got to the end of one of the most secluded passage. I hid in an alcove as best I could as she brought the Captain his soup, showing me the door to his room. When she had gone, I trotted up to the door and quietly pushed it open. “I said I didn’t want to be disturbed-” Captain Faeros started to say as I entered before he stopped and took a good look at me, “Oh, it’s you.” “Were you expecting me?” I asked, trotting a little closer. “Not you specifically, but I guess it seems fitting,” he said, rising from his bed. Now that he was out from under the covers, I was able to get a good look at him. Three-fourths of his body was covered in terrible burns and blisters. As he moved, many of them cracked, and he winced with the pain. “The attack on Caprika Redoubt was a disaster,” he explained, “The trees there were truly alive, like in the old tales. They didn’t take kindly to us setting them aflame. They fought back. Half the Marekarth guard was wiped out in the attack. Another third died of their injuries later. I survived, but this isn’t living. These magical burns will never heal.” “So, why did you seem to be expecting me?” I asked him, bringing him back on topic and drawing attention away from his horrible injuries. “I assume you’re with the Dark Brotherhoof, here to end my life?” “How did you know?” “Because I’m the one who called out the hit on myself.” “You did?” I asked, astonished. “It wasn’t right what Jarl Glamus and I did,” he confessed, “Killing all those goats the way we did, and we were punished for it, but not enough. I don’t deserve to live, nor do I desire to. Put an end to my suffering; it seems almost fitting that you do it, as if the Equines planned this out.” “What about Jarl Glamus?” I asked him as I approached, Calcion’s Cleaver out. “I’d perform the Black Sacrament on him too, but he’s too necessary to the Empire and to this city. Without him, Marekarth would fall to the Cloven Hoof or the Stormclouds in weeks.” “Just get it over with,” he said, bowing his head, “I’m ready to die.” Shakily, I raised my sword, ready to fulfill his wish. Looking away, I quickly brought it down, slaying the guard captain. I looked down at him, and his burned face seemed almost peaceful. He had paid for his crimes and enlisted me to enact the punishment. I wasn’t thrilled to have done it, but I had all the same, and he had known what was coming. I carefully placed his body back in his bed before leaving. ◊◊◊ ◊◊◊ ◊◊◊ After killing Captain Faeros, I made my way back to the Dark Brotherhoof shack in Hjaaltrot’s swamps, stopping over to sleep the next morning in Dragon Bridge. When I made it back to the shack, I found Merrifeather there, perched in the rafters again. “It’s done,” I told her, craning my neck to look up at where she was lying casually. “Very good,” she proclaimed, “You are ready to join the Dark Brotherhoof. Follow me to the Sanctuary.” Before I could speak another word or ask about Mephalda, she swooped down from the rafters and out the door. I followed, trying not to lose her. She was already in the air when I emerged from the shack and began to fly south when she saw I was outside. I followed her, trying to keep up as she flew through the air. Through the whole day she continued to fly, and I followed along on the ground. Several times I thought I had lost her, only to have her double back and lead me on again. The worst part of the trip was the silence. Since she was up in the air and I was landbound, it made it impossible to talk to her or ask about Mephalda. I’d given up on asking her until she was ready, anyway. It seemed she wouldn’t give me a chance to ask, I would just have to wait. Dusk was falling by the time we neared Foalkreath. At last, Merrifeather flapped down and joined me on the path. She smiled a bit when I didn’t immediately try to ask her about Mephalda. Perhaps it had been a test in patience? “Soon we will enter the Dark Brotherhoof Sanctuary,” she said, “Once inside, I will show you around, then you may feel free to ask us whatever it is you so desperately needed to.” Yes, it was a test in patience. “You have proven you are worthy to join the Brotherhoof,” she went on, “But before we enter the Sanctuary, I must know you are willing. Are you ready to join us and help us in our quest to punish injustice where the system does not, to take the lives of ponies at the request of the Nightmare?” I had to think on this. After all, joining the Dark Brotherhoof was not something someone did lightly. I really needed to get in, so I could find Mephalda and save Steadfast. But, once I was in, would they let me out? My responsibilities so far to other organizations had been minimal. I could come and go freely as Thane of Whitetrot, as student under the Greymanes, and with the Thieves Guild. Would the Dark Brotherhoof be more demanding of me? “Before I do,” I said, deciding to ask questions before committing, “I need to know to what extent my commitment will be. Will I need to stay in the Sanctuary when not out on assassinations?” “All our members are free to come and go as they please,” Merrifeather explained, “So long as it does not endanger the others.” “Then I’m ready,” I said, intent on entering the Sanctuary and the Dark Brotherhoof. If everything Merrifeather had told me was true, and at least so far it seemed to be, the Dark Brotherhoof was not a band of ruthless cutthroats. Much like the Thieves Guild, they had a nobler purpose than most realized, and while I still didn’t much care for the thought of assassinating ponies, I wouldn’t mind quite so much being a part of it. “Very well,” the pegasus at my side said, trotting off the path and through the trees. At a point where the land suddenly jutted a bit above the surrounding hills, a hollow was carved into the rock. Within it was a carving of a skull the size of a full-grown pony. As Merrifeather approached it, she pressed her hoof into a hoof-shaped mark on its forehead. The mark glowed red briefly, as did the eyes of the skull, before the carving slid up and away, revealing a tunnel leading down. She led the way in, and I followed after her, the skull falling shut behind me and sealing us in. The tunnel was rough, and lit with flickering candles, providing an eerie feeling as we sank into the depths of the earth. At the end, it let out into a large cave, a chandelier hanging from the ceiling above filling the space with light. Much like in the Ragged Flagon, several ponies lounged around here, absorbed in varying tasks, though these ponies wore the same black armor as Merrifeather. There was a forge here, as well as some tables for dining. Across a shallow pond there was a wall decorated with dragons and draconic runes I would have to check out later. “My brothers!” Merrifeather announced, drawing the attention of everypony in the room, “A new member has joined us today. Welcome Sapphire into the fold and guide her as she assists us in acting out the Nightmare’s wishes.” I received a greeting from a few of the assassins, but mostly just perfunctory nods in my direction. “You must forgive us for not applauding,” a scruffy pale gray earth pony stallion said, rising from a nearby table, “The Dark Brotherhoof tends to attract the quiet type.” “The name’s Prominence,” he said, offering a hairy hoof to shake, “And before you ask; yes, I’m a werewolf.” He was certainly forthcoming about it, and though I wasn’t entirely comfortable being near a skin-changer, I shook his hoof anyway, not wanting to be rude. “I’ll let you get acquainted with some of your Dark Brothers, and we can talk later,” Merrifeather said, flapping off. “So, where’re you from then, Sapphire?” Prominence asked, “Seclusion? Winterhorn?” “Kvatch actually,” I answered. “Ah, from Unicornica itself,” he said, “I’ve been there once or twice, when we still had a Sanctuary there.” “There isn’t one anymore?” I asked. I’d read about the Legion’s raids on the Dark Brotherhoof, but with this sanctuary still in existence here, and well hidden, I wondered if maybe there was at least one still in Unicornica. “No, it was wiped out over a century ago,” Prominence explained, “Now this is all we have.” “A century?” I asked, finding it hard to believe that this pony had been alive back then. “Yes, my werewolf blood has given me increased longevity,” he explained, “Not as significant as, say, a vampire’s, but I would never go down that path. I am a servant of the Nightmare, not of the night.” “You keep mentioning the Nightmare,” I said, “Who is she?” I had heard horror stories regarding the Nightmare. She was believed to be the dark mother of the Dark Brotherhoof, and rumored to feast on foals. Personally, I felt it to be more a way to make children behave that to be an actual legend, but now I had somepony who might know the truth to ask. “The Nightmare is the head of our order,” he said proudly, “It is to her that ponies perform the Black Sacrament to summon Dark Brotherhoof assistance. And it is her that decides which causes to accept and which to decline. Millennia ago, she was just a normal pony, but when she pledged herself to the Void, she became much more. She can hear the pleas of the oppressed, and she can see nearly everything.” “Have you ever seen her?” I asked. “Oh no,” he admitted, “Though she is here, a mummified corpse contained within an elaborate coffin. But only the Listener is allowed to see and speak to the Nightmare, a privilege he guards zealously.” “Who’s the Listener?” I asked Prominence. “I am,” came a dark voice over my shoulder instead. I turned around to see a pitch black earth pony standing behind me. His coat and mane were so dark, they seemed to swallow the light around him. His eyes, in contrast, burned bright red with an all-consuming fire. The very feeling of death and despair seemed to radiate from him. “I am Shadowmere,” he announced, his voice chilling the blood in my veins, “Eternal Listener for the Dark Brotherhoof.” “So, you speak to the Nightmare?” I asked, forcing my tongue to work again. “I Listen,” he replied, “For I am the Listener. I relay the Nightmare’s orders to the Brotherhoof, as I have for millennia.” “We will see how you fare,” he said after sizing me up, “You seem . . . different from the rest.” Without another word, he stalked off down one of the tunnels, his gaze causing more than one shiver as he walked past the other assassins. “Cheery, isn’t he,” Prominence joked once he was well out of hearing range, “But he’s invaluable, the only pony who can hear what the Nightmare says. Also, he’s probably the most feared and greatest assassin who ever lived.” “He said he’s been around for millennia,” I noted, “Is he a vampire?” I wouldn’t have trouble believing it if it were true. “No, he’s just deathless, a truly timeless assassin, though that does make him a bit hard to speak to,” Prominence said as he led me over to some other assassins, “Hemlock here is though, aren’t you Hem?” The mare at the table turned around to face us. He coat was a supremely drab yellow, as if all the color had been sucked out of it. Two bat wings sprouted on her back, which she moved to keep her balance as she spun around. Her eyes peered deep into my own, the pupils split. “I told you Prominence,” she hissed, and I could see her fanged teeth as she did, “Don’t call me Hem.” “Sorry,” he apologized, though I could see he wasn’t sincere, “I just thought I’d introduce you to Sapphire, our newest recruit.” “Yes, welcome,” Hemlock said, smiling at me, which I found a bit unnerving, “I suppose Merrifeather has not gotten you your gear yet?” “No, actually,” I said. “I will be right back with it,” she said, her voice oddly monotone as she stood and trotted away from us. “So, are all of you . . .” I began to ask Prominence, trying to think of a more fitting term than outcasts. “Monsters?” he asked. That wasn’t really what I was thinking at all, though it seemed that was exactly what they would be considered to be. I started to protest him putting words into my mouth, trying to explain that wasn’t what I meant, but he cut me off. “It’s all right,” he said, “And no, we’re not all like Hemlock and myself. There’s only one other vampire here, the rest are all normal ponies. Well, as normal as they come when they’re in the Brotherhoof. Come, I’ll introduce you to some.” Following the stallion, I ended up near the Brotherhoof’s forge. Working it was a blue-gray pony with bat wings. At first I took her to be another vampire, but her lack of fangs and pallid complexion convinced me she was just a regular bat-pony. “This is Flies-through-Darkness,” Prominence introduced her to me, “She makes all the weapons for the Dark Brotherhoof.” “Pleased to meet you,” she said, pulling off a pair of goggles she had used while working the forge before shaking my hoof, “I’ll bet you need a blade.” “Oh, that’s all right,” I protested as she headed over to a chest near her forge, “I have several swords.” “Swords are all right,” she scoffed, returning with a dagger, “If you’re in a battle, but for quick and quiet assassinations, you can’t do better than a Fell Blade.” I took the dagger from her and examined it with my magic. It was a masterfully crafted blade, sharp and slender. I could see how easily it would be able to slip through any armor silently and easily, yet still have the length to pierce a victim’s heart. “Thank you,” I told her, placing the dagger in my saddlebags. “Here in the Brotherhoof, we take care of each other,” she said, before going back to her forge. “Now, there’s at least one more pony here you’ll need to know,” Prominence said, guiding me elsewhere in the Sanctuary. A short distance off the main cave was a small room carved out of the rock. In it was a table where a map of Horizon was staked down, multicolored pins jabbed throughout the province. Behind the table sat a sky blue unicorn paging through a record book. “Sapphire, this is Lapis,” he said, gesturing to the unicorn. “You need a job,” he said, putting his book down, “I’m your guy. The Nightmare may speak only to Shadowmere, but once he knows the jobs, I’m the one who decides who gets them.” “Are you ready for a job?” Merrifeather asked, flapping into the room. “Oh, I don’t know,” I said. “Oh sure you are,” the pegasus insisted, “And it can’t hurt to at least get one. You can always do them on your own time.” “Well, all right,” I caved. “Perfect,” she exclaimed, “Lapis, set her up with an easy one to start out with.” “All right,” he said, flipping through his records book and consulting the map every so often, “There’s a farm worker in Rearikstead who’s been stealing gold from his boss. And, he killed one of the other workers who was on to him. Name’s Narius: earth pony stallion.” “Great,” Merrifeather said, draping a wing over me, “May as well get some rest tonight. You can take care of that in the morning.” “So, what was it you needed to ask me?” she asked as she led the way to the sleeping quarters. “Vespers in the Thieves Guild told me that the Dark Brotherhoof was helping hide an ex-Blackwing named Mephalda the Meek,” I told her, “I need to find her.” “Well, I won’t deny she’s under our protection,” Merrifeather said with a frown, “But I can’t tell you where she is, at least not yet.” “Why not?” I asked, starting to get a little worried. Time was running out for Steadfast. “I’d love to trust you with this,” she said, “But as you’re a new member, I can’t exactly trust you with this kind of top-level information. After a few jobs, when you’ve proven you plan to stick around, I’ll be happy to tell you. I’ll even lead you to her if you want.” “All right,” I said, agreeing that this seemed sensible, “I’d better get some sleep.” I slept in the Dark Brotherhoof Sanctuary that night, resting up in preparation for the assassinations I would no doubt have to do to build up their trust in me. Six days would have passed by the time the sun rose in the morning. The time I had to save Steadfast was nearly half over. Level Up Health: 190 Stamina: 180 Magicka: 170 New Perk: Skilled Summoner [Conjuration] -- All Novice-level Conjuration spells can be cast for half Magicka. Gear added: Fell Blade -- This ideal weapon for silent assassinations is crafted by Flies-through-Darkness and is only available to members of the Dark Brotherhoof. New Quest: A Deadly Job -- Perform assassinations for the Dark Brotherhoof to gain their trust.