Ashur

"I had that situation under control. Just needed them to make the first hostile move. Still, I cleaned enough blood off my axes for one day, so thanks for lending a hand."

I was told to meet you out here. "You were, were you? Was it Milesa? I told her I'd close out my tab after I completed another contract. That woman has the patience of an anxious nix. Well, tell her I'm good for it. I'll stop by and we can conclude our business cordially."

No, I'm here about Veya. "Veya? The new apprentice? Now why in Oblivion do you care about Veya?"

I'm trying to find her. "Are you now? And why do you want to do that? Never mind. I don't really care. I was asked to pass along some notes, but I'm not really the messenger type. I suggest you talk to Veya's mentor. Last I heard, she had a job in the western ruins."

I'll look for Veya's mentor in the ruins to the west. "Make sure you don't anger Veya's mentor or even look at her the wrong way. She's grown surprisingly protective of that young woman and if she thinks you pose a danger …. Besides, I'd hate to see you wind up on the wrong end of one of our writs."

Why were those townsfolk trying to kill you? "You know, the usual buyer's remorse. I see a lot of that in my line of work. Turns out, I had to kill a bad man who did bad things. The writ was legal and above board. Unfortunately, his brother didn't see it that way and was looking for revenge."

You're some kind of assassin? "You make it sound so … obscene. Still, that's pretty much an accurate description. But it's not like I work for the Dark Brotherhood or anything. I don't kill anyone without a sanctioned writ. Keeps the Great Houses in line. It's a calling."

Tell me more about Veya's mentor. "I'd rather not. She's particular about her secrets and I don't want to get on her bad side. You should keep that in mind, too, if you plan to continue on this course. Veya's mentor usually sticks to the rules, but I wouldn't turn my back on her."

"Did I mention how much I hate being a messenger? Makes me wish I had a writ so I could kill something. Anyway, Naryu wants to talk to you. Said you'd know what it was all about."

All right. Where do I need to go? "Here. This should explain everything. Sort of. It's a map. We change locations every other day, for security reasons. Just in case it falls into the hands of House Redoran or someone else with an ax to grind with our organization."

What do I do with this? "Never had to use a map before? Amateurs! This one leads to a key to one of our safe-houses. And another map. The first map? It depicts a particular town. Kind of like this one, hint, hint. The rest? You'll have to figure that out on your own."

I'll try to decipher the map. "Look. I know you're helping Councilor Eris. But if that map falls into House Redoran hands, I'll probably have to kill you. Nothing personal, mind you. We're already having a bit of trouble with the house and we'd rather not make matters worse."

Do you always carry messages for Naryu Virian? "What are you implying? Can't a person do something nice to help out an ally every now and again? Oh, who am I kidding? I hate playing the messenger! Haven't you ever done something you hate because it was the right thing to do?"

All the time. "Then you understand what I'm talking about. Being noble. Doing the honorable thing. It can be a real pain in the arse, but a favor given becomes a favor returned. Eventually."

No. "Well, not all of use can afford to be so cold and heartless. I'd say I envy you, but that would just reward you for bad behavior. Why are you still talking to me? Don't you have a map to puzzle out."

You're part of the Morag Tong too, aren't you. "Well look at you! You're a practical genius! Look, Naryu seems to trust you, so I suppose I have to trust you too. But that's a powerful secret you've been given. Betray us and you'll find my blade in your back. Unless Naryu kills you first."

You mentioned trouble with House Redoran? "The Morag Tong has the authority to accept and carry out writs of execution. We keep the Great Houses from engaging in all-out war, but they rarely appreciate the work we do on their behalf. House Redoran in particular wants to shut us down."

Why does House Redoran want to shut down the Morag Tong? "The other houses have used us to take Redoran down a peg or two of late. To be frank, for all their vaunted honor, the house cries foul whenever someone gets the better of them. Our status is tenuous enough without Redoran's constant harassment."

Your status is tenuous? "As I understand it, the Morag Tong made mistakes in the past. Grew too arrogant. We had to lay low for more than a century. Now we're taking select contracts, working to reestablish our reputation. It's not our fault most of them concern Redoran."

"Naryu told me what you found in the Ashlander mine. I can't imagine what Veya must be going through right now, but she shouldn't be alone. That's why I came looking for you."

"Why me? Isn't Naryu with her?" "Naryu has responsibilities to tend to. Morag Tong responsibilities. Understand? She left me to keep Veya company, but I'm not very good at spounting words of comfort and solace. Unless I can kill something. I'm very good at that."

"So you want me to talk to Veya?" "You do understand! And Naryu implied you were as dense as the ash storms coming off Red Mountain. Good to know even the Mother of Blades can be wrong. Veya's upset, and not just about her brother. She wanted to go with Naryu."

"All right. I'll go talk to Veya." "One other thing. Naryu's job concerns House Redoran. That's why she didn't want Veya to accompany her on this one. Veya's grief-stricken, angry, and ready to lash out at anyone and anything. So keep your head low and try not to upset her."

"Sounds like you had some experience getting on Veya's bad side." "I have experience getting on a lot of people's bad sides. Women, especially, find me exasperating. Irresistible, but exasperating. It's a gift."

"Why does Veya want to go with Naryu?" "Something about who Naryu's target is. Thinks the target may know something about what happened to her brother. Look, I'm not even sure how Veya found out who Naryu's target is and I don't want to know. Just go and talk to her. Please."

"Any advice on how I should approach Veya?" "Carefully and with your hands empty and clearly visible. She's in the safe-house beneath Balmora. Or at least that's where I left her. But I didn't lock the door, so I suppose she could be anywhere by now. I suggest you hurry and get down there."