Oblivion Mod:Stirk/Weight of Guilt, Part VII
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| Added by | Stirk | ||
| ID | xx0016c6 | ||
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ecause Sanrit had admitted to the murders in the presence of one of the Protectorate, he knew his fate was pretty well sealed. As such, he did not object to answering my questions. From his responses, a clear picture began to emerge.
When there are two Blades in a city, and one does not know of the other (As Sanrit did not know of Gralilan Tulius), there are typically two reasons: They're investigating separate, unconnected matters, or one outranks the other. Given the sensitive nature of their work, it's not uncommon for a Blade to have no direct correspondence with his superiors. Such was the case with Gralilan and Sanrit, and Sanrit was unhappy with the orders his unknown boss had been issuing. "A waste of his talents", as Sanrit himself said. If something were to happen to Gralilan, Sanrit believed he would be the one to take his place, and perhaps more importantly, his rank.
It was through a casual conversation with Crantilius Vasius that Sanrit discovered who had been wasting his talents. Crantilius had made the mistake of assuming Sanrit already knew of his fellow Blade. The wheels in his head turning, Sanrit began to plot the demise of his superior. But once Crantilius heard that Gralilan's position was not common knowledge, he might grow suspicious of Sanrit. That was why Crantilius was the first victim; it was sheer luck that Kevius visited him on the same night.
Taken aback by the sudden appearance of the werewolf, Sanrit decided to mock up the scene as if the werewolf had killed the man. After that, the redguard made every effort to find out the identity of the wolf; capturing it would certainly be a bright spot in his career. He could not imagine his good fortune when, the very next night, he followed Kevius to Gralilan's house. It seemed almost too good to be true, but Sanrit was not one to look a gift horse in the mouth.
Once Gralilan had been murdered, and it became apparent there was a killer in town, Sanrit was immediately given the rank he so desired, and was placed in charge of the case as his first duty. Another Blade would have been sent, but it was thought Sanrit would be better suited, given that he was already familiar with the town and it's inhabitants. The Protectorate didn't make much fuss about having the investigation taken away because the graphic nature of the crimes disturbed so many of them.
Now Sanrit had what he wanted, and could have turned in Kevius right then and there. But he worried that someone else might have known Gralilan's position, that his benefitting from the murder would seen suspicious. He knew Nevus was a close friend of Gralilan's (even though he hadn't known Gralilan was a Blade, he had known of him), but he couldn't think of a way to kill him without drawing suspicion; two killers in town would seem a terrible coincidence. With that in mind, he killed Falinia Rescius, Ysronmir, and Vonvild, to keep pace with his werewolf scapegoat.
Around that time, it dawned on him that Kevius was seeking out those who might be able to treat his condition. Again, Sanrit laughed at his luck - surely Kevius would visit the problematic alchemist, and give ample opportunity for his slaying. The redguard had intended to turn in Kevius immediately after that, but fate, it seems, suddenly stopped in it's favor toward him.
Dissatisfied with the course of the investigation and it's rising body count, the Protectorate officer assigned to the case asked a Blade friend of his to request my aid. The officer informed Sanrit of his actions, and so Kevius remained free. Sanrit thought that Kevius would seek me out in the hopes I would have him jailed (and so be unable to hurt others). On one hand, Sanrit hoped Kevius would assume all the blame for the murders and I wouldn't question it. On the other, if I looked too hard into the case, he could always murder me and lay the guilt on Kevius once again. Gratinius Dolan was killed as Sanrit waited for my arrival. It is true that Gratinius also knew of Gralilan's rank through his charity, but Sanrit banked on his ability to manipulate Gratinius' fierce loyalty to the Empire to keep him from making any accusations.
Sanrit was a powerful man, and his power was augmented by the adrenaline rush redguards are feared for. It was how he caused such destruction in the rooms where his victims were found. It was how he subdued his victims so quickly, though surprise certainly played it's role too (how many people witness a werewolf's transformation, then have a potential defender draw a sword on them?). It was how he tossed the bodies up with such ease, to leave bloody full-body prints on ceilings. Once he calmed himself, then he would make sure to inflict the "telltale clawmarks" on the bodies with his sword. Afterwards, he exited through the window that had already been broken by Kevius - which was why the sill had blood on it, but not the glass. He could not very well go walking through town looking like a butcher without drawing curiosity.
Sanrit undoubtedly bore me ill will, for if not for my intervention he may have gotten away with his crimes. I have not spent too much time worrying about vengeance, though. Because he murdered a fellow Blade, treason was among his charges; piled on top of seven murder charges (Crantilius, Gralilan, Falinia, Ysronmir, Vonvild, Nevus, and Gratinius), he did not keep the executioner waiting.
As for Kevius, he finally found someone to help him with his lycanthropy. As an unconventional disease, it's cure is known in the usual unconventional circles, and as a necromancer, Artisa Arethi was familiar with some rather unconventional circles. Because he never actually harmed anyone other than himself during his time as a werewolf, no charges were brought against him. He did, however, pay for the replacement of the windows he shattered. Maybe the weight of guilt had been removed from his shoulders, but his sense of responsibility remained intact.
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