"Shor's bones... what monster could have done something like this?"
A grim thunderstorm dominated the skies this day, as a large crowd surrounded the gruesome scene in the forest just west of Whiterun; three members of a Thalmor patrol unit, sent by the Embassy to keep watch over the Hold, had been found viciously murdered just the other night by a lone guard. Each member had been killed by a singular arrow wound to the skull, with no other signs of struggle or injury. The bodies were then skinned, strung up and hanged by the ankles from high in the treetops, and put on display as a grotesque trophy by the murderer. Finally the Whiterun guards managed to cut the corpses down from the trees, and the community was left speechless by the discovery.
"By the eight... there is a killer among us! Right here, in Whiterun Hold!"
"Not even the Stormcloaks could conceive of such a horrible fate for the elves!"
It was the only thing on anybody's mind in the Hold. What manner of man or mer would think to commit such an atrocity? Admittedly, nobody in Whiterun could say anything good about the snotty high elves, but so cruel a demise as this... naturally the disturbance quickly caught the attention of Jarl Balgruuf the Greater, and the following day after the corpses were discovered, Balgruuf organized a meeting with Commander Caius of the Whiterun guard.
"Have you investigated the scene of the crime?" Balgruuf asked.
"Yes, my Jarl." The captain replied, "We followed a trail of blood and found their armor discarded 20 feet from the bodies. We investigated the armor and found out something... well, strange."
"What would that be, Commander?"
"We found conclusive evidence that this wasn't just another bandit attack; when we checked the pockets of the armor we found that the assailant hadn't taken their gold or other valuables. Furthermore the armor showed no signs of damage, apart from singular holes in each helmet from where the arrows had pierced them. Whatever happened back there, it was about more than petty greed. This was a crime of passion."
"I see..." Jarl Balgruuf paced around the meeting room. "Then I assume that the killer's motivation directly involved these Thalmor initiates, and thereby wouldn't at all endanger my people?"
"I wouldn't go that far, m'lord... we still have no idea who's responsible for the murder or why the killer did this. I've already sent a squadron of my men outside of the city to keep a lookout in the forests."
"Good... so is anyone suspected, then?"
"We've found a few hunters poaching your wildlife, sir, but none of them had elven skins in their possession. We're suspecting that Daedra worship might be the motive behind the murder, but that remains to be seen. Though one of the guards said he saw something... odd the other night, before the bodies were found."
Balgruuf lifted an eyebrow in curiosity. "Really? What did he see?"
"Well... he said that he was patrolling the northern watchtower, when he heard a rustling in the bushes. He drew his sword and went over to investigate, when a sabercat leaped straight over his head... and fell dead to the ground, in the very next instant -- killed by an arrow straight between the eyes, he said. He searched around for whoever shot the arrow when he turned and looked up into the treetops, and saw a humanoid silhouette looking straight back at him. He said that it glared at him with yellow eyes, and in the very next instant he fell to the ground and lost consciousness. When he woke up, well, that's when we found the elves."
"Hmmh... you're saying that this silhouette could be the killer we're looking for?"
"It's a possibility... but we have no solid evidence to suggest it. I'm afraid we just don't have enough to launch a full-on investigation, especially since none of your people were harmed."
Balgruuf sighed in frustration. "Then we keep a sharp eye, and make sure that this damned murderer never strikes again!"
"Yes, my Jarl." With that, Commander Caius returned to his duties. As for Jarl Balgruuf, the situation was unsettling; it was very possible that this was an isolated event, and would in no way threaten his city or his people. But on the other hand, there was no way to be certain... and how would this affect the trade that his city was known for? He had to know why this was done, and who was responsible. But his men were clueless, and the countryside had enough problems already, no thanks to Ulfric's uprising. Who in Skyrim could he turn to, especially in the midst of a civil war? And even under clearer circumstances who would be brave enough -- or perhaps even foolish enough -- to investigate this horror? As Balgruuf sat thinking in his throne, a name floated ever-so-quietly through his memory. A name he had heard more than once before, belonging to an adventurer known for her quick wit, keen eye, and bravery in the face of danger...
"Northwing..."
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