Karliah: Easy now. Don't get up so quickly. How are you feeling?
Leonidas: Awful. What in oblivion did you shoot me with?
Karliah: The arrow was tipped with a unique paralytic poison, but you seem to have resisted the body bind. It slowed your heart and kept you from bleeding out. Had I intended to kill you, we wouldn't even be having this conversation
Leonidas: And my wounds?
Karliah: I already healed your wounds by giving you one of your healing potions. And let me say, you have quite the appealing figure~
Leonidas: Why did you save me? I was sent here with Mercer to kill you
Karliah: My original intention was to use that arrow on Mercer, but I never had a clear shot. I made a split second decision to get you out of the way, and it prevented your death
Leonidas: Then I am in your debt
Karliah: More than you'll ever realize. The poison on that arrow took me a year to prefect. I only had enough for a single shot. All I had hoped for was to capture Mercer alive
Leonidas: Why capture him alive?
Karliah: Mercer must be brought to the guild for what he's done. He needs to pay for Gallus's murder
Leonidas: How can we prove it?
Karliah: My purpose in using snow veil sanctum to ambush Mercer wasn't simply for irony's sake. Before both of you arrived, I recovered a journal from Gallus's remains. I suspect the information we need is written inside
Leonidas: What does it say?
Karliah: I wish I knew. It's written in some sort of language I've never even seen before. I need to find someone to translate. I met a translator during my time as a nightingale
Leonidas: I studied many different languages. Perhaps I could translate it. And there's that word again. Nightingale
Karliah: There were three of us. Myself, Gallus, and Mercer. We were an anonymous splinter of the thieves guild in Riften. I'll tell you more about it later. Right now I need you to get to translating
(Karliah hands Leonidas Gallus's encoded journal, and he furrows his brow as he begins to read it)
Leonidas: Hmm... This is really hard to make out... But I think it's written in the ancient Falmer language
Karliah: Can you translate it?
Leonidas: I'll try. My elven languages are a little rusty (ahem)
(Leonidas reads the journal's text out loud)
Leonidas: Mercer Frey continues to elude my every step. I think he's aware that I'm following him, and appears to be taking no necessary chances. I'm bringing all of my skills to the forefront in order to deceive him. It still pains me that a deception is necessary
Leonidas: When I became a nightingale, using my newfound talents against my own was the furthest thought from my mind. There was a close call today. I was settling down for a good night's rest in the cistern when Mercer entered unexpectedly. He was creeping along the wall, but I spotted him immediately. He edged closer to the vault door, carefully making his way around the perimeter of the room, but suddenly stopped and turned towards my hiding place
Leonidas: I froze instantly, even holding my breath for a moment, but my position was already compromised. He abruptly turned and walked towards the flagon. What was he doing? At last, I might have a piece of evidence that might explain Mercer's actions. Instead of trying to follow him, or break into his manor, I used every loose tongued source at my disposal to scour the ratway looking for answers
Leonidas: It took several weeks, but Maul was able to provide an interesting bit of information. Mercer had been spending inordinately large sums of coin on all manner of things related to the guild. How he was able to afford this was a mystery to me. The vault was impenetrable, so what was the source of his coin?
Leonidas: It's been confirmed by my sources Mercer's been living an unduly lavish lifestyle. I have more than my share of evidence to confront front him now. He must be stealing from the guild, but without proof, all I have is baseless accusation. Mercer, from wealthy stock, but the amount of coin he's been spending is immense
Leonidas: I have been giving it some serious thought. There was only a single way Mercer could have access to such immense amounts of coin. I hesitate to even believe it's possible how could he desecrate the twilight sepulcher
Leonidas: This goes far beyond mere greed, and transcends common theft. His actions could represent the failure of the nightingales! Something that hasn't occurred in hundreds of years
Leonidas: Why? Why would he so readily throw away everything he believes in? All I need is proof
Leonidas: Mercer has requested I meet him at snow veil sanctum today. He sent a note by courier, so I can only assume he's already there. All of my senses tell me it's a trap, but I have no choice. His message indicated the meeting was of utmost urgency, and it involved guild business, so I'm obligated to go. I can't risk bringing anyone else with me, but I'm almost certain Karliah will disobey and follow
Karliah: That sure sounds like Gallus alright. We must hasten to Riften before Mercer can do any more damage to the guild
Leonidas: Wait, Gallus mentioned something called the twilight sepulcher. What's that?
Karliah: You've come this far, I see no harm in concealing it any longer. The twilight sepulcher is the temple to the nocturnal. It's what the nightingales are sworn to protect with their lives
Leonidas: Why does it require that type of protection?
Karliah: Everything that represents nocturnal's influence is contained within the walls of the sepulcher. Now it seems Mercer's broken his oath with nocturnal and defiled the very thing he swore to protect
Leonidas: But thieves and temples? It just doesn't add up
Karliah: I felt the same way when Gallus first revealed these things to me. I think given time, you'll understand what I mean. I know the guild doesn't do much to foster faith, but I'm going to have to ask that you trust me
Leonidas: Deal. We'll do things your way for now
Karliah: I'll make for Riften to see if I can scout the situation, and see if I can discover what Mercer's up to. When you're ready, meet me at the ragged flagon
Leonidas: Hold on, they all think you killed Gallus. You can't just march right in
Karliah: Leave that to me. In the meantime, I wanted you to have this. It belonged to Gallus, but given the circumstances, I think he'd approve
