Meet Yaminotsume

Claw of Darkness

A Name given by Parents with high hopes of raising a Master Thief.
A nimble Khajiit with slim claws to pick locks, light steps to carry the weight of stolen spoils and dark fur to blend into the shadows.
But Yaminotsume had different plans. This is her story.

She was exceptionally talented at thieving, mainly due to her mind running with the speed of light, thinking of the best ways through sticky situations. The more complex a heist was planned to be, the better.
She was racing through corridors, slipping through windows, hiding in baskets and messing about the guards with her sweet childish charms.
One might say Hew’s Bane – the destination to educate oneself in all things considered shady – has become Yami’s second home.
Soon, she had surpassed her teachers and outgrown the heists offered within the peninsula’s borders and most notably her parents’ greedy home.
All her life she had been exposed to the idea that the more riches you bring the more value you hold in this world.
She accepted this truth in her life reluctantly, but never fully agreed with it.
So when she would sit on her rooftop near the port, overlooking the tradeships rowing in and out, the workers offloading riches from foreign lands and packing supplies nurtured in hers – she couldn’t help but dream…

Is this the life I am supposed to live? Is this truly what I was born for? To be a wheel in the big machine? To take from others only to feel worth less when I walk past it in my home? To feel used as a tool rather than being appreciated as an Individual?
What if … I just boarded one of these boats to take me away…

Getting up was easy, I did it a million times for other people’s sake.
So with swift moves I jumped off the roof onto the canopy of a make-shift store, and took a stroll to the nearest dock.
“Where you headed?” I asked the deckhand.
“What’s it to ya?” the grumpy, withered man replied with heavy breathing.
“Well, if it is anywhere with a trade market I’d like to come along. See, I have some … stuff … to shuffle.” I said with an insinuating smile.
“Ah, I see, you’re one of ‘em softpaws.” he grinned knowingly “We headed to Summerset Shimmerene. Not the biggest market of ‘em all, but rich ‘nough to get one’s hands dirty.” He nodded his head cheekily and continued “I can hit up the captain to take ya, but there gotta be something in it for me sticking out ma neck like that.” With that he hinted at my pockets.
“That can be arranged. I’ll return in the mornin’ with wayfare and gifts.”
As I walked away I could hear him cackle with a voice rough from too much ale and years at sea.
This night I didn’t get much sleep. Not for fear or uncertainty.
No, I simply had too many decisions to make.

What I would take with me. Where I would go after landing. What I would do when having arrived. Would I continue practicing my art – or would I learn a new trade.

I decided to take small but valuable Items. Something to carry easily. I hadn’t necessarily held any spoils in my heart. All of it was worth gold, there were memories of friends, stories of struggles and those of achievements tied to them. But anything I couldn’t live without? No.

I also took up a magical bag I had stolen from an apothecary in Abah’s Landing.
The scent was enticing, and so I took it with, only to later discover its hidden treasure.
It held an enormous assembly of spices, flowers, food supplies, ores and woods, items that I didn’t know the names of nor where they would be found.
I was intrigued by the sheer amount of resources that I had never known existed.

Thinking about this bag I held in my hands I suddenly had another decision figured out entirely.
My mind. My mind is so busy with so many thoughts which I never can quite place or put into order. It’s like I have all this empty space filled with clutter.
I would love to learn, fill that space, find a way to organize my thoughts and quiet my mind.
Usually the only peace of mind I get like that is when I plan a very difficult heist.
So maybe – just maybe – I can find … peace?

My family? They would never understand. I have always been the odd one out with my ideas of having value even when not playing by their rules…
Rules, such a funny thing to think about.
Rules of my family were based in greed.
Rules of society are based in the opinion of a select few.
Rules of the state are based in ownership.
And all of them – get broken. So what’s the point?

I don’t think I am going to face them.
I think… I think I am going to disappear into the shadows, as I have done all my life.

And as I sorted away the last of my belongings the sun came up.
I grabbed my pack, slid out of the enclave and over rooftops I hurried to the port.
Just in time as well.
I paid my fare and so my journey began…

It was in Alinor I found a rich environment for my life of crime. Only ever so small jobs though. I did not want a sudden increase in crime to be related to my arrival. I supported myself well and I learned a couple of things too. There was this one High Elf I could actually stand. It seemed as though there was this understanding of each other’s struggles that laid a foundation of mutual respect. In an attempt to help her with some family business I stole from a couple of particular shipments. Just enough to put a dent in the earnings of a tradesman but not enough to get suspicious past the Maomer attacks already happening on sea. She shall never know where her opportunity for vengeance came from!

Boarding a ship was easy now that I had made connections in the “seatrade” business.
I could basically go anywhere and everywhere I would like – without having to pay or giving notice.
It’s not about what you do, it’s about who you know!

Of course one of the pirate ships I snuck onto had to have kids on it… I am not really all that fond of them… “but they are the future of our species, they are our future!”… I call Mammothcrap. I mean the future is only as good as we make it and some of those stuck up High Elves, or prejudice Dark Elves, drunk Nords, uptight Redguards, got-something-to-prove Bretons, depressed Imperials – no beef there -, religiously obsessed Khajiit, mind-in-the-gutter Argonians, eating-each-other-for-breakfast Wood Elves and knock-ya-head-in Orcs out there should not be breeding…
These two runts were actually commendable though – I knew what they had done.
How they confuddled the sh*t out of the Thieves Guild.
I stayed with them for a little while. They kept talking about how they would get fierce like ‘Claw of Darkness’ never knowing who they were talking to.
It was way later in life I got to pay one of them a favor from the shadows.
One got stranded in Alik’r, so I hinted in a letter to the Merchant’s daughter, there might be a willing participant for her plans of her own Mercenary Group looking for proper assignments.

Seeing how the waters around the north of Tamriel where Maomer-infested and not every Crew is as welcoming as the one I had encountered, I continued on foot. Or- well- Wolf.
Which happened to be from the same brood as a lovely young Bosmers pet hosting an Inn in Bangkorai.
Now, she doesn’t take in people of poor character I heard, then again, I wouldn’t say my character is poor – a little bespeckled maybe. So maybe something can be arranged there.
The more you know, this little Lady was more than just an Innkeeper.
Definitely one for the books. Her years in Service of what she believed to be morally decent were impressive. And it just now happens, that we had a subject of grace in common.
“They shall never know.” Is what she mumbled into her cup with serenity “Which makes it a true act of kindness. Doing something for someone and not having them owe you anything.”
I will raise a glass to that!

With a bit of a sore head – that woman can neck one – I moved on. I wasn’t really sure what I was looking for but I was sure I would know it when I saw it. And then I saw it. Heal, connect, protect. Be someone inconspicuous with connections in all places – a craftsman!
I needed to gain a lot more knowledge and even more relations throughout Tamriel. So I continued and found this little girl – very capable in her Magic, making people believe to be a fully grown woman.
She opened up a museum of sorts. With all kinds of magical Relics, inscribed books and old martial techniques long to be forgotten. She didn’t have to say it, I knew she wasn’t just your average kid. She had made a deal, weighing heavy on her heart. Unfortunately those deals must be kept I fear. Never give up hope, but always be prepared to pay the price eventually.
All I can give this kid is some fruit of life experience and the reassurance that there are some people that care. Maybe one day, she will remember that – one day, when she is ready to open up.

My next Stop was Solitude. Interesting name I have found, especially since Nords are not really known for their poetry and artistry. More for their undead making any Tomb a place of adventure more than a place of remembrance.
Then again, Solitude does have the Bards College and has always had the Favor of the Emperorship. So who am I to judge a posh name?
Turns out their Inns can’t keep their plans straight though because they booked me into the same room as some drunken youngster. The stories I could tell you about her would make your skin crawl, but as any drunken Nord she knows how to have a good time and then put her armor on the next day and fight another battle! Funnily enough she let me “sleep” in the bed. Mostly because she was passed out on the floor. Must’ve been one comfortable carpet as her snoring would have put any sailor to shame!

I was only meaning to stay a couple of nights in Solitude, maybe hustle the market or inspect some of the rare items displayed at the college a bit closer. It ended up being a month of honest work. The Nord took me with her on some assignments and the more you know, I seem to have a knack for patching up wounds. And another thing I have learned: honest work, although more difficult to score at first, actually pays quite well. My pockets were filled in no time and I got to board a fancy ship this time. Got to make plans of touring Vvardenfell on Silt Striders, and even adopting the persona of a scholar.
This, apparently, is how you rise through the ranks in life: work, work, work and then dress for the work you want instead of the work you have!

And this work, let me tell you – being a scholar – has opened so many doors for me.
I got to go to all the great Dunmer houses, interviewing them on traditions, on lifestyle, on history and their culture. Yet truly eye opening was an encounter I had in Vivec City. Whilst the nobles of Vvardenfell opened their doors for me to get an official description of the land they inhabited, it was an Imperial of all people telling me about the customs that liked to be swept under the rug, stuffed in a closet or what have you.
She told me about the adversities she had to face, about the hardships endured, and the cruelty of people’s hearts if you don’t meet a certain standard.
She also taught me about perseverance and had me reflecting on my own life choices.
What would have happened if I had stayed in the Thieve’s Guild?
Maybe those two kids would have found an actual home instead of an extortionist hellhole.
It’s no use dwelling on the past or regretting any of the choices I’ve made.
All I can do is learn from my failures, move on and try to do better in the future.
And most of all, stay grounded in the reality of where I started.
Getting carried away by success is far too easy, but will end in ruin, because you lose sight of the person that got you to success in the first place.
Speaking to an outsider in Vvardenfell made me wonder if the sort of disdain for outsiders was only predominant in an Island rooted deep in Traditions, which brought me back to the Mainland. Telvanni Peninsula is a land of Dunmer heritage, so is Stonefalls. Seeing as I received a clear picture of social behaviour with the migration of people talking to an outsider there rather than nobility I was inclined to speak to what would be considered an outsider first off. What I found instead was an Individual I could only describe as a Demon.
She was a vile character. To the untrained eye she was polite, funny, engaging.
But I knew her type. Behind every ounce of information gathered was the intent of using it to her advantage, no matter the consequences. She was out for herself. I didn’t need to confront her, she had already calculated all possible outcomes of our – relations – and gave an answer to a question my mind hadn’t even thought up yet.
“Contrary to popular belief, it is not the surroundings, not the company, not the genes that make you who you are. It is you – your perception, your deductions, your reactions, your actions. You have the power to become whomever, or whatever you want to be. And regardless of where that leads you in life, it is you and only you, who will have to take responsibility for that. Things, People, Situations can pull your attention into a specific direction, but no matter how hard you wish for your behaviour to be rooted in someone else’s care of you, it is you who has the last say.”

That concluded my study of the human mind, one person being mistreated and showing courage, one person having had everything turning on people. There didn’t seem to be any sort of pattern to observe, so I sought out someone who had contact with the dead.
Not a priest. Definitely not any priests. I know I am not a bad person, but I am also not without fail and most certainly I do not possess an unsmudged vest.
So Necromancy it is. Necromancers are told in some ways or another to guard the secrets of the dead. I guess it all depends on their philosophy towards it.
I had heard of a young Altmer who has had a rough time with some lunatic soulcatcher.
Maybe she can share some insight. She had an unusual name for an Elf.

At first she was not very trusting. She suspected I would report her for her practices. Although everyone knows who the Necromancers are, unless caught in the act, there will never be a case built against them. It would be a simple witch hunt, which is unseemingly in the lands of Tamriel. She told me with all the characters, good and bad she had met in her time of practicing, she has never found a being without an agenda. Of pure heart, even herself she described, knowing right from wrong, yet willing to put herself above others as no-one else would be willing to. She said a longing for someone to put another person first can’t make them a reality. Wishing on a star for a person, willing to fight for you over themselves is not going to help you achieve goals, growth or even just life.
A very dark, yet pragmatic outlook on life I’d say. I wonder if the company of a certain young woman who had always put others first might benefit her. I wonder if they may learn from each other’s extremes. Under the pretense of learning her teachings of healing magic as well as learning about the properties of plants I planted an idea of my own in her head.
Maybe there was someone in Summerset who was longing for a hand to hold, a heart to protect. And as that thought took root and grew, we went our separate ways. Her, towards the seafront, me – towards the battlefield.

This is where I found a Dunmer of all people fighting in a war that was not hers.
Somehow this young woman felt familiar. As if I had crossed paths with her already. And then I remembered. She was one of the kids on the pirate ship. My first encounter of sorts that made me think of what I had left behind. She of course did not recognize me. How could she. Both her and her sister were wrapped up in their own problems then. I entered her squadron as a healer and vowed to learn from her hardened spirit. She was so strong willed, pragmatic and deeply rooted in reality. She knew people for who they were, what they wanted, what they were willing to give or lose in order to get it. She talked at length with me about her sister, and how they were so different. I could see the admiration for her sister as well as the knowledge that depending on where you are located one approach will outshine the other. Her sister, whilst intelligent, patient and loving – would not survive here. And vice versa, she would not survive in a soft and comforting environment.
Feeling that appreciation and love for one another whilst knowing full well that none of them would thrive in the other’s shoes was incredible. Two sides of the same coin.
At the end of my term she asked where I was headed next as they could always use a capable craftsman and healer. Upon me shrugging off at the idea of spending more time in the mud she showed a genuine smirk while giving me a permission-note to her apartment in Elsweyr. “Just in case the Claw of Darkness needs a Shadow to hide in.”

Riding towards Northern Elsweyr I could not shake the fact that this accomplished young woman and her sister knew who I was. Remembered who I was. And accepted who I had become. It got me reminiscing about the years I had spent on the road and the fact that Adventure, although adventurous, started getting tiresome. It was time for me to settle down.
I thought that I would just have a pitstop in the land of Dragons and then bolt to Greenshade, or maybe Grahtwood. I did like the conversations I had with the Bosmer in Bangkorai. She seemed very connected to nature and I believe although being from a different background I would love to get to that state of tranquility. Just one more thing to do, before I could lay my travels to rest, I thought.

After a long ride to the City of Rimmen I could finally relax a bit. I had heard of a quaint little Aquarium in the City run by a Warden and thought, not only would that make for a nice passtime, but also might make for a smart business decision. I had wanted to open up a place for vagabonds and runaways as well as criminals wanting to turn their lives around.
A place of fun and games as well as opportunities to grow as a warrior, scholar, duellist and whatever else. A flourishing community helping each other onto their feet. And this Warden was the way to go, she had experience running a busy place, connecting people, pitching in when help is needed and with her memory loss was eager to make new memories.
Luckily she saw this opportunity as an investment in her future, and everyone I had met along the way pitched in to make it happen ridiculously fast.

As they had all needed – a place where they belong!