This story makes fairly extensive use of the Shivering Isles questline, but doesn't really follow it, so you won't just be reading a written quest, which would be boring for everyone involved, including me. I guess I'd also better say now that I own nothing of the Shivering Isles, Tamriel or Cyrodiil or any of the other cool things that Bethesda's writers put into place. I also make a reference to a Lost Spires item at some stage, but it's not a spoiler, just an acknowledgement. It's mostly OCs (for those new, that's Own Characters. Read, enjoy, Review.

The Shades of Madness

Exile

Bravil. It lies to the south of the centre of this land, the Imperial city. It seems to be. It compares to Crucible in the disease and filth that lies around. Perhaps the sewage system is a little better.

The waves lapped at the hull of the small wooden boat. Nerte pulled her paddle back up into the boat and watched the gateway. The door to the Shivering Isles had been forged by Sheogorath mere days before – to summon a champion from the realm of the mortals – the mortals who had so recently defeated Mehrunes Dagon. Now, because of this victory the Madgod had decided a mortal of Tamriel would also be able to foil the forces of Jyggalag and halt the Greymarch. A mortal to fight back against the forces of order. Sheogorath truly believed that this plan would work, as he had believed all his previous plans would work, the skinned hound, the Malevolent Zinj, the pit full of clowns… Another ridiculous plan from the Madgod. Nerte sighed and turned the boat around, and began to paddle back towards the town of Bravil. The towns battlements soared above the surrounding landscape, and dwarfed the surrounding ruins. Back to the sanctuary. The Assassin's guild had taken her in almost as soon as she had arrived. Tamriel was not really the safest place for a Daedra, even a Mazken, of which very few Tamrielans had ever heard. When she had first arrived and slept she had been approached by a listener of the Dark Brotherhood. She had worked for many years as a poisoner and assassin back home in the Court of Dementia and on several occasions had even worked for the Court of Madness.

The boat glid quickly across the smooth surface of the water and as the sun began to set she arrived underneath the small bridge to the south east of the town. A stone slab depicting Sithis and the Night Mother glowed on the wall at her touch and a voice hissed out of the darkness "What whispers in the Dark?"

"Sithis, Lord of the Void" she answered.

The door ground open, still working after centuries of use and the passage of thousands of lives. The passage before her was lit by torches on the walls and the damp tunnel was dripping slightly. She sidled down along it confidently, yet silently. Their resident Dark Guardian had a foul sense of humour and would leap on anyone not paying care to remain silent. Movement ahead of her… Lenoche she thought to herself. The Voidgazer spell took effect almost instantly, and the vague shadow took form into the shape of the sanctuary's master Kenreeve. His smile showed that he had already spotted her. "Your armour" he said, holding up the magical raiment she had received on arrival in the brotherhood. When out on a contract she was supposed to wear her Brotherhood armour at all times. But it was so – extensive… She was used to her Mazken armour still, after all this time. It had been so perfectly fitting, giving so much freedom, manoeuvrability, and agility and yet providing such protection. Moulded by Sheogorath himself. She had found a light, short leather dress that felt much the same – but offered very little protection.

"Nevertheless, my Sister," he continued "the contract was completed, and according to specifications." He stopped talking again and grinned. "I think you will like your reward." He walked forwards and held out two sheathed daggers. She took them from him, and drew one of them from its sheath. The black blade shimmered in the light. It was a pair of Mazken daggers, almost identical to those she had used before her exile.

"How did you get these?" she asked, amazed.

"Took a little stroll into the Shivering Isles" he said. "Found a Dark Seducer with these on her, killed her and took the knives. 'Course she's not really dead." He said. "Immortals, all that. She'll just wake up at the wellspring, right?"

"Yes, that's right. Could you say 'Mazken' though?" said Nerte, distractedly, still not quite believing that the daggers were real. She looked up. "What about the Gates of Madness – the Gatekeeper?"

"Already dead" he said. "Bit odd really…"

"Dead… how?" she asked, shocked. The Gatekeeper was extremely powerful, seemingly indestructible. Forged in the Gardens of Flesh and Bone, and bound with the sorcery of (Check), the Gatekeeper was the most formidable foe in all the Isles.

"No idea. There was this creepy little bald fella though – Vanished when I tried to stab him…"

Nerte mentally rolled her eyes. "You tried to stab Haskill?"

"Yeah, well, he was really, really annoying – and that outfit was just asking for a slash…" he stopped talking for a moment again. "Anyway, do you want your next contract now, or later?" He took one look at her face and then continued "Now, I guess. Ok, there's this woman who's new in town. Sort of goldish skin, tall, funny eyes… She's joined the Fighters guild and is working with the Town Guard to track us down. She's been a right pain too, cause she's really good at what she does, so the Brotherhood would consider it a real favour if you got rid of her for us."

"What's her name, and where can I find her?" she asked him.

Adriana glared across at the entrance to the Shivering Isles from Eastern shore of the lake. The gateway seemed so near, and yet her homeland was so far away. That had been until her humiliating exile to this backwards land. This country was possibly comparable to Dementia, although perhaps that was stretching it a little. Nevertheless she had already achieved a name for herself here – as a champion of the Fighters Guild. Bravil's fighters guild seemed mostly to be chasing off creatures from around the town – work perhaps better fitted for Mazken, but work nevertheless. Her voice, height and eyes had been questioned, but she'd passed it off with extremely strange family lineage, High Elf, Kajiit and a touch of something else. Of course, no-one believed it, but no-one really dared question it. Her steel armour and blade were not things that many questioned. At least, never twice. A steel clad fist in the face and a broken jaw later it would be as if the discussion had never taken place. These thoughts almost made her smile, an incredible feat for a Golden Saint.

She turned and made her way back to the town. The guard shuffled his feet a little nervously as she passed.

"Afternoon" he said.

She nodded to him and continued across the narrow wooden swinging bridge. The Bravil fighters guild was a small building to the north of the city. Even before she stepped through the door the sound of weapons clashing on wooden practice dummies and even against each other's shields could be heard. Since she had become head of the Bravil fighters guild the Blackwood company had become less of a problem, as her men worked longer, harder, and better than under any other previous champion.

As she stepped through Nirna looked up. The thin Dark Elf was the major organiser behind the Bravil fighters guild, while Adriana mostly did all the heavy work. "New eyewitness reports on the assassins." she said. Adriana quickly concentrated and asked "Do we know where their sanctuary is yet?"

"Yes." Adriana was about to shout to her men to come when she looked at Nirna's face again. "What is the problem?" she asked. Of course, Nirna would have many problems with her take-it-as-it-comes tactics, but that's the way things worked around here.

"Well, you certainly won't like it. We need to catch one of them alive"

Adriana's eyes narrowed. "Why?" she asked "We don't need help from assassin filth."

"We need a password."