Fields of Crimson

Vanikath's Path

His skin resembled polished obsidian, even in this light. He wouldn't dare tell anyone his secrets; for he had many. He didn't trust anyone, never did and never will. He was paranoid and wary all the time even if he did hide behind the well constructed mask of a good natured teen. He became involved far too early. His parents were not the best of individuals, and they left them in the hands of the Night Mother at a very young age before disappearing entirely. For a while they kept him out of it, the contracts and the knowledge of the black sacrament but it all loops back to a child's curiosity. "Cicero showed me a book, Mother. A couple, actually. About you and the Brotherhood. I... I wanted to know if you could tell me the truth. Your story... If you don't mind." He addressed her like any other assassin, but he did not work as one. Yet. He did his chores around the house and learned to ride, even gotten a few useless knife throwing skills but that was all• "Family is an important part of the Dark Brotherhood. It makes up who we are, what we stand for, and what we believe in. It is a refuge for those with no one, offering a sanctuary for those who need companionship, friendship.... Or love."

"This is by design, my dear Listener.

You must know that I write this down, fully aware that anyone could read this. I suspect that our Brotherhood has made powerful enemies, by the time I reveal this story to you. But... I believe that this must be known, written down and recorded, and so I take that chance.

Sithis has not given me any sort of power with which to tell the future, my dear. No Elder Scroll graces my lap, no seer whispers in my ear, no magic weaves a pattern before me. I do not know whether you are male or female, whether you are young or old, whether you are Argonian or Altmer. I do not know whether you are a hero of great stature, a product of noble birth or of unremarkable blood.

What I do know is that you are remarkable, for it is you that can hear my voice, and only you.

And I know that I love you, my.... Our, as Sithis reminds me, child.

Out of all of the Listeners that have heard my voice, only you have asked about our history. It is because of that that I have directed you towards where this lies. Where the story of the Brotherhood, where my own story, is hidden.

So we will start at the very beginning, but perhaps not at the beginning you believe.

See, there are beginnings before birth."

"You know loneliness, my Listener. How can you not have? The life of an assassin is quiet, always born of something agonizing and sorrowful. But do not ever think you know loneliness in the way your father does.

He was forced into a battle with his only brother. After, Sithis was sent to the Void.

The Void is his realm. It's his Paradise, and his Oblivion. For the longest time, my Listener, he was alone. Expelled from direct contact with the planes he had helped create, he had nothing.

Can you imagine that? Such all-consuming loneliness? Mortals would have gone insane-but Sithis was not allowed that mercy. Insanity is not for those that came before the Aedra, you see?

That is where the devotion to sending souls to the Void comes in. Each soul that enters helps Sithis, alleviates the crippling loneliness that haunts him. One day, my dear, you will enter the Void. You'll meet your other siblings, other Contracts, and of course your father-he is not a cold deity. He cares for all of you.

He hasn't told me why he chose me, and I doubt he ever will, my Listener. I assume it was the same way I chose you-It is Sithis that gives me the power to find someone open to the Void. I must have been more open to the Void than most others.

He told me that there is a place filled with innumerable sparks, each a soul destined for one of the planes. At the moment of my conception, when my spark began to travel to Nirn, he touched it.