Tes4Mod:Stirk/Weight of Guilt, Part VII

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.