The Shadowmane

Shadow Mane

Nyx was going to be the next Mane, yet being born under The Shadow, his fate was partly sealed to end in blackness. Taken from his parents at birth due to the month he was born in, with no record of his birth being documented, Nyx new neither the love of a father or the warmth of a mother. The Shadow Mane, a Mane that no one knew about publicly, was responsible for the care of any young Khajiit children born in that month, as it was said that they were cursed. The young-lings were taken to a Sanctuary deep in the middle of Elsweyr, near the Tenmar Forest. There they were raised up by the clan mothers in the worship and education of Namiira. A training regimen was also implemented that included extreme physical endurance and fighting skills, as well as alchemy and apothecary skill sets. The young were schooled in the traditional Khajiiti martial arts like Goutfang, Whispering Fang and Rawlith Khaj, as well as the use of the sabre, scimitar, dagger, sword, and longbow.

The sanctuary was a school created for one purpose, to train these "Shadowborn" in the ways of the shadow. Stealth, theivery, poisoning, comoflage, pick locking and pocketing, all these skills were taught to the younglings. From the start Nyx proved to be better than his peers. The Mane treated him harsher than anyone else, The Clan Mothers labelled him a "cursed beast" and his instructors grilled him constantly, trying to break him. Ostracized by his peers, Nyx became a loner, and a shadow that odly enough lived in the limelight. Graduates of the Sanctuary were used as elit gaurds, mercinaries, or sometimes even sent to the Dark Brotherhood as new recruits, but for Nyx, none of these would be his fate. Nyx dreamed of being the next "Shadow Mane," but knew that the only way to do that was to kill the current one in a fair duel. Nyx challenged the shadowmane the day he was to leave the sanctuary, and in a bout so fierce and primal it was writen in the sanctuaries history books as, "The Duel Of Shadows."

After becoming the Shadowmane Nyx was expected to stay and take the formers place, yet Nyx dreamed of adventure and the great beyond. As Shadowmane he was expected to meet with the leader of the Dark Brotherhood and offer them two of his best recruits, yet he refused. Instead he saw this as an opurtunity to travel and offered that he himself be sent to work for the Dark Brotherhood instead of the trainies. "I only have combat experience from fighting our late Mane, what's the point of having these skills if I never use them?" he told the leader of the Dark Brotherhood. The Brotherhood eagerly agreed, much to the Sanctuary's dismay and Clan Mothers disgust. The Shadowmane never left the Sactuary, thus staying a mere shadow. Nyx cared not however, for the traditions of the Sacntuary. He left to join the Dark Brotherhood's family in Skyrim, and with them he applied all his skills and cunning to perfection. He killed flawlessly, silently, mercilessly, and never once got caught or discovered. He astounded everyone in the Dark Brotherhood, even garnering the attention of the Night Mother. It was customary in the Dark Brotherhood for the Keeper, Listener, and Night Mother to visit the Dark Brotherhood sancuary's once a year, going through all of Tamriel, their final destination being Skyrim. Nyx had just gotten back from a contract when he met the Listener, a Nord girl named Dyrielia, The Keeper, an Orc named Dexo, and the Night Mother. He payed his dues to them all and returned to his quarters, for he was tired and needed a bath. Little did he know that The Night Mother had spoken to Dyriela about him, and assigned him a quest through her. Nyx was studying an ancient transcript on wraith poison when a knock was heard at his door, upon answering it he saw that it was the Listener.

He invited her in and inquired as to what she wanted. "Nyx Shadowmane, the stories I have heard regarding you are quit astounding, I wonder though if they are not in some way embezzled?" Nyx was confused. "If you have any doubts as to my abilities Listener you need not fear, I am the pinacle of what it means to be an assassin." He said. "The Night Mother thinks so too, but has told me to send you on a quest to prove it." Said the Listener. Nyx's eyes lit up at the prospect of completing a contract from The Night Mother. "By Sithis whatever it may be shall be done." He replied. Dyriela just smiled. "You are to go to the lair of certain Werewolf pack called the Shade Claws, and eliminate all of them." Nyx's jaw dropped, Werewolves were deadly on their own, but a whole pack? "Dear Listener, how many of them are there?" He inquired. "There are seventeen of them Shadowmane, quite a feat to brag about...if you live." Nyx was dumbfounded at the amount. He knew he would have to do it, no one denied The Night Mother. "As you have spoken Listener, so shall I do." Nyx left three days later.