The man was walking up the snow-covered steps to the Jarls palace, Dragonsreach. As he was walking up the steps many guards were watching him, some out of amazement at his height and large build, others out of caution due to his armament and imposing figure, while the rest watched him as they recognised him from the night before, these guards specifically avoided him, knowing what he was cable of with just his fists.
The man walked up to the palaces large doors before stopping for a moment. The man looked at the intricate designs and patterns that decorated the large doors before him, some of the designs where of men fighting dragons, some were of figures that seemed grand, royal even, and the rest were just decretive with no significant meaning other than aesthetics.
After a moment of looking at these designs, the man placed his hands on the doors and pushed them open. Walked into the palace, he was again met a beautiful sight. Banners and artworks lined the walls of the hall, armour stands equipped with various armours stood in front of the pillars, each armour being ingrained with unique designs and patterns, each having a meaning unique to them, meaning that the man did not care to learn.
As he was looking around the hall, the man was approached by a short Imperial man dressed in fine clothes and greying hair. "Good morning, sir, my name is Proventus, what can I do for you?" Proventus asked the armoured man, having to look up to him as he noticeably shorter than the man was.
The man just looked down at Proventus, "Are you the steward?" The man asked in his deep and muffled voice, Proventus just nodded his head with a polite smile. "I'm a mercenary looking for work." The man said, Proventus nodded his head once more, "A mercenary you say? Well then, there is currently a bounty out for a bandit camp if you are interested?" Proventus asked as he grabbed a piece of paper from his satchel hanging at his waist and held it out towards the man.
The man took the piece of paper with a nod, "Well then, all I need now is your name for documentation of the bounty." Proventus said as looked up to the man. "Varan Kynor." Varan simply said as he turned around and walked through the palace doors, leaving Proventus to his own devices and heading out to the bandit camp immediately, not wasting any more time than he had to.
.
Silent Moons Camp, old Nordic ruins that were once inhabited by a sizable group of bandits was now still. The only sounds heard were the screams of pain from bandits as their blood covered the snow and their bodies lay disfigured on the ground, already being covered by the snow falling from the sky, almost as if the world was trying to hide whatever was taking place here, almost as if it was trying to forget their brutal deaths.
Varan decapitated a bandit as two more charged him, the first one swung his crude iron axe at Varan's torso, the attack was easily blocked by Varan's greatsword and the other bandit tried to cut him with her steel dagger, failing miserably as the blade just glanced of Varan's armour, causing the bandit to stumble slightly.
Varan just caved in her skull with his fist as he pushed the first bandit away and impaled him through the chest with his greatsword. Removing the weapon from the corpse Varan saw 4 bandits running towards him from the bottoms of the steps about 100 meters away, each of them letting out battle cries as they did so.
Varan grabbed his greatsword with both hands, resting it on his shoulder as he walked to the group of bandits. Meeting them in the middle, Varan cleaved through the first bandit with ease before stabbing another bandit through the chest and out the back, the blade covered in the bandit's crimson blood. Leaving his weapon in the bandit's falling dead body, he turned to the remaining pair of bandits with no weapon in hand.
Seeing this the remaining pair of bandits tried to attack Varan only for him to dodge and then punch one of them in the gut in retaliation, turning around he punched the other bandit across the face and followed that up with an elbow to the chest, breaking his ribcage and leaving him to drown in his own blood as his ribs pierced his lungs. Turning around again to the remaining bandit, who was on his knees as he clutched his stomach in pain. Varan just grabbed the bandit's head and snapped the poor man's neck with a sickening crack.
Letting the bandits lifeless body fall to the ground, Varan turned around one final time to retrieve his weapon from the other bandit's corpse and made his way the steps further ahead of him, climbing them slowly once he reached them. Dragging his weapon behind him as he did so, causing the blade to scrape across the snow covered stone, creating an ominous sound.
.
The bandit chief was scared, she just heard the screams and yells of her men when everything suddenly went quiet. Now all she heard were the slow and ominous steps of steel boots followed by the sounds of steel being dragged across stone, fearing that what was causing the sound was now coming for her.
Those echoing steps just got closer and closer with the scraping sounding getting louder and louder, and all the bandit chief could do was clutch her weapon tighter as she was overcome with overwhelming fear at what was approaching her, scared of what that monster will do to her.
Then there he was, clad in steel plate armour that was covered in the blood of her men with bits of snow clinging to his armour. She just looked at the man before her with fear in her eyes as she dropped her weapon and fell to her knees, "W-what are you?" The bandit chief asked, voice shaky and dripping with fear, her eyes were wide and her mouth agape.
There was no reply as the man just walked up to her, his steel greatsword still being dragged across the stone floor. "P-please… s-spare me…" The woman begged as she watched the man approach her without a word.
She seemed to realise her fate since as soon as he got close to her, he stopped and raised his weapon.
Her eyes widened even more as she tried to scream but was silenced, her head falling from her shoulders and to floor, her body staying upright on its knees, almost as if it was praying to the divines for mercy or salvation from the beast before it. Varan sheathed his bloody greatsword, bending down, he picked up the dismembered head and walked off with it, the woman's expression of fear never changing.
.
The people of Whiterun looked on in horror as Varan walked through the city, blood and snow covering his armour, the dismembered head he was holding having a permanent expression of fear with its wide eyes holding no life in them and mouth agape in a silent scream, its pale skin making it look all the more devastating.
The guards did not stop Varan as he made his way to Dragonsreach, fearing that they would meet the same fate as the woman who's head Varan held if they tried to stop him, moving out of Varan's way while keeping their heads down, trying not to look at his intimidating figure as he walked past them. Varan paid no mind to these guards as his main focus was going to Dragonsreach.
Walking up to and then opening the doors of Dragonsreach, the servants inside screamed at the sight of him. Proventus and a few guards ran to the entrance and saw Varan standing there. "S-sir Kynor, w-what is the meaning of this!?" Proventus yelled out in horror as he saw the state Varan was in, the sight of him covered in blood and snow shocking Proventus, the guards took a step back in both disgust and horror.
"Silent Moons Camp has been cleared, here is the bandit chief's head as proof." Varan said as he tossed the head to Proventus' feet. Proventus stumbled back in shock at this, the sight of the dismembered head frightening the poor steward to his very core, the guards turned around as they tried not to throw up, the sight of the dismembered head was too much even for them.
"W-what?" Proventus asked as he looked at the dismembered head on the floor then to Varan, seeking answers. "I completed the bounty, now I'm here for the reward." Varan simply said, his muffled voice void of any emotion, the holes of his helmet looking like infinite voids that would consume anything and everything.
"R-right… the reward." Proventus said as he numbly reached for and grabbed the leather pouch on his waist, "200 septims." Proventus said as he held out the leather pouch. Varan walked forwarded and grabbed it, opening it and making sure he received the correct amount. Afterwards he just turned around and walked away, leaving the head on the floor at Proventus' feet, who was still numb with shock as he stared at Varan's retreating figure and then looking at the head on the floor, the woman's expression of fear etched into his mind as a guard grabbed the head while avoiding its lifeless gaze.
As Varan reached the doors and walked out of Dragonsreach, his armour still covered in blood and snow, the guards guarding the palace lowered their heads, be it out of respect or fear, Varan did not care. He was not concerned with how people saw him, he was used to being looked at with fear, used to guards being weary and avoidant of him, and he preferred it that way. If he was feared that meant no one would bother him and he could continue doing his work uninterrupted by those around him.