Investigator Vale : Shadow Fellows Content . " This was no run of the mill murder , baroness , " Investigator Vale said as she rose and stepped back from the body . " No , this was an assassination . The work of the Shadow Fellowship , or I ' m a Morrowind mushroom . I ' d take my reputation on that . " " The Shadow Fellowship ? " Baroness Esmonda exclaimed , raising a dainty hand to her full red lips . " The league of assassins ? That ' s just a myth ! " Despite her protestations , the baroness suddenly went pale and looked around nervously . " Oh , the Shadow Fellowship is quite real , " Vale said , slipping off her leather gloves and returning them to the pocket of her long coat . " They ' ve operated in secret for hundreds of years . Whenever someone gets too close to the truth , they employ bribery , blackmail , and murder to keep their activities hidden . I ' ve made a study of the clandestine organization - covertly , of course - but I ' ve never had a case that so clearly points to their involvement . " " Doesn ' t that frighten you ? " the baroness asked . " I would completely understand if you decided to abandon this investigation . . . " " My dear baroness , I have never abandoned an investigation in my life and I ' m not about to start now , " Vale said indignantly . " I just need to determine how best to proceed . " < nowiki > * * * < / nowiki > That night , in a richly appointed room above the town ' s inn , Investigator Vale slept fitfully after talking to dozens of people and following up on a half - dozen leads . Dark dreams troubled her rest , causing Vale to toss and turn in the small bed . Suddenly , Vale sat up , letting the sheet fall away from her body as she drew out the dagger she always kept under her pillow . She pointed it squarely at the dark form sitting in the room ' s only chair . The figure snapped her fingers and the candle beside the bed ignited with a spark . It helped a little , but mostly it just threw more shadows around the room . " You ' re from the Fellowship , I presume ? " Vale asked . " Let ' s not apply any labels , shall we ? " the woman said . Her face was still obscured by shadows and a mass of long , dark hair , but Vale could see that she was dressed in tight leather and wore at least three blades that the investigator could readily spot . " Have you come to murder me in my sleep ? " Vale asked , her own blade never wavering . " Neither I nor my associated have any desire to see the great Investigator Vale come to harm , " the leather - clad woman said . " There ' s no profit in that . We have one more contract to complete and then we ' ll fade away like dew in the morning sun . " " The baroness ! " Vale exclaimed . " You are as perceptive as we ' ve heard , " the woman said . " But sometimes even perception arrives too late to change the inevitable . " The woman rose and stepped to the room ' s single window . " Enjoy the rest of your evening , investigator , " she said with a slight bow before slipping into the night . Investigator Vale did not sleep the rest of that long , dark night . < nowiki > * * * < / nowiki > In the morning , Vale returned to the baroness ' s manor house to find that the town guard was already at the scene . She approached the captain , an older man she had worked with in the past , and nodded a grim greeting . " The baroness is dead , " Vale said . It wasn ' t a question . The captain of the guard nodded . " Fell down the steps in the night and broke her neck , " he said . " Must have been the grief over her husband ' s murder that made her careless . Such a shame , but there was no way to sop an accident like that . " " Yes , " Vale agreed . " But there will be a reckoning . " And with that , Investigator Vale turned and departed the manor house , already thinking of numerous ways to deal with the Shadow Fellowship . Someday , perhaps , she would take on those villains . But not today . Not today .