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“ | We may be Nightingales, but in are hearts we're still thieves and we're damn good at what we do. | „ |
~ Karliah |
Karliah is a Dark Elf thief and member of the Nightingales in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. She was in love with with Gallus, the leader of the Thieves Guild. She is the tritagonist of Thieves Guild's questline.
Background[]
Karliah is the granddaughter of Barenziah, who was ruler of Morrowind. Barenziah fell in love with a Nightingale and had a daughter named Dralsi Indoril. She was the mother of Karliah. Dralsi taught her daughter the art of thievery and how to survive in Skyrim as a rogue. Dralsi planned for Karliah to become a Nightingale when she was old enough. Dralsi died before her daughter became a Nightingale, defending the Twilight Sepulcher from a band of mercenaries.
Karliah was a member of the Thieves Guild. She left the guild when she was framed for the death of the leader Gallus by fellow Nightingale Mercer Frey. After leaving the guild, Karliah spent all of her time planning her revenge on Mercer Frey for the death of Gallus.
Like all of the Nightingales, Karliah is a Daedric Worshipper who worships Nocturnal, the Daedric Deity of night, crows, ravens, witches, thieves, cunning, sneaking, secrets, mystery, stealth, whispers, silence, shadows and darkness. Although Karliah is the granddaughter of the Dunmer Queen Barenziah and was trained by her mother, who was a Nightingale, Karliah's past is a mystery just like all the members.
Her worship of Nocturnal comes from the culture and religion of the Dunmer and how they worship Daedra. Although most Dunmer worship their three main Daedric Lords Azura, Boethiah, and Mephala. Aside from the three main deities in Dunmer society some of them worship Nocturnal. But because Nocturnal worshippers are rare in Dark Elf culture she is not talked about or mentioned to much by the Dunmer and they don't have to many shrines and temples to her like their three other deities.
While Nocturnal worshipper's groups aren't as big as Boethiah, Azura and Mephala's groups they are still apart of Dunmer culture just like all other Dunmer. While Karliah is a worshiper and follower of Nocturnal Karliah comes from a family of Daedric worshippers. This is revealed in a book since she is related to Indoril Nerevar who was loyal to Azura fulfilling the prophecy she created to take down the Tribunal.
Although Karliah has a bloodline relating to the hero of the Morrowind the Nerevar who brought down the Tribunal allowing Daedric worship to return to the land Morrowind. Karliah shows no interest of letting people know about her family tree.
Personality[]
Karliah is a quiet soft spoken Dunmer thief and she is proud of who she is. She's a loner loyal to the Nightingales and Nocturnal.
Karliah follows the away of the Nightingales staying in the darkness hidden from everyone and never drawing attention to her self. She doesn't seek to be feared or honored all she wants to do please her goddess who she views as a mother to her.
When Karliah sets her mind on something she is determined to do it like when she wanted her revenge on Mercer. She does what the Nightingales and Nocturnal want and she does it with bravery and honorably. Being a thief, she doesn't just rush into a situation blindly she thinks before she acts she bides her time, sneaks, plans, hides and waits.
Since she is the granddaughter of Barenziah that makes Karliah royalty and she one of many the hires to Barenziah's throne and riches. But Karliah seems to show no interest in having any of her grandmother's wealth disre to rule. The only the to findout Karliah is related to Barenziah is by reading the books called The Nightingales because Karliah won't tell that to anyone.
Karliah is not an open book so she is not someone who will share or talk about her personal life. Although she speaks with a polite voice and is honest as well as truthful she won't share everything with you since she never says anything about her grandmother Baenziah.
Another detail she won't share is that she is a descendant of Indoril Nerevar which is only revealed in The Nightingales book. In the book it shows about Karliah's mother her grandfather who married her grandmother and other members of her family all have Indoril in their names.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim[]
Around 4E 201, Karliah had made all her preparations for her vengeance against Mercer. To start, she collaborated with the owners of Goldenglow Estate and Honningbrew Meadery to compromise Maven Black-Briar's hold on the mead business in Skyrim with her own company, the Black-Briar Meadery. Once Karliah had left evidence indicating her involvement in the sabotage at both locations, Mercer deducted that she would be waiting to confront him at Snow Veil Sanctum, a Nordic burial tomb where Gallus was killed. However, Mercer brings along the newest recruit to the Thieves Guild in the Last Dragonborn. After he cracks the Dragon Claw lock without the need for the accompanying Dragon Claw key that leads into the final chamber, the Dragonborn enters first, and Karliah hits them with her arrow laced with a potent paralysis poison on it that she had been saving for Mercer. After confronting him and realizing she was no match for him at the current moment, Karliah uses a potion of invisibility to slip away, while Mercer sees to the Dragonborn. Knowing they've seen too much and he can't have them compromise his plans, Mercer stabs the Dragonborn and leaves them to bleed to death while he departs.
The Dragonborn awakens later in Karliah's camp, fully healed thanks to her. Karliah explains that Mercer is a traitor, and needs the Dragonborn's help to prove it to the rest of the Thieves Guild. To do so, she asks them to take Gallus' journal and have it translated using the Falmer stone located in Markarth court wizard Calcelmo's private laboratory. Once translated, Karliah and the Dragonborn return to the Ragged Flagon to present the truth to Brynjolf, Vex, Delvin, and the rest of the Thieves Guild. Unsure if she is being honest with them, they open the vault where they keep all their loot, only to find to their disbelief that the vault is empty, robbed clean by Mercer, thus vindicating Karliah and proving that Mercer was the guilty one. With the Thieves Guild in fury and lusting for revenge on the Guildmaster, Karliah takes Brynjolf and the Dragonborn to be made Nightingales of Nocturnal to seek revenge themselves. Nocturnal agrees to the offer presented to her and reinstates Karliah's Nightingale status along with dubbing the Dragonborn and Brynjolf Nightingales as well. Tracking Mercer to the Dwemer ruins of Irkngthand where he intended to steal the Eyes of the Falmer before fleeing Skyrim for his own safety, Mercer forces Karliah and Brynjolf to fight each other while he fought the Dragonborn. In the end, despite all his skills as a thief and Nightingale, Mercer is executed by the Dragonborn for his treason, recovering Nocturnal's Skeleton Key and the Eyes of the Falmer. After the Dragonborn returns the Skeleton Key to the Twilight Sepulcher and reopens the Ebonmere to Nocturnal's realm of Oblivion in the Evergloam, Karliah exchanges one last goodbye with Gallus' spirit before he returns to the Evergloam to continue his service to Nocturnal in death.
Afterwards, once the Dragonborn has helped the Thieves Guild rebuild their influence in the major holds in Skyrim in Solitude, Markarth, Whiterun, and Windhelm, Karliah is with the rest of the guild as they name the Dragonborn their new Guildmaster, having earned their respect and support with their efforts to rebuild the guild back to its former glory.
Quotes[]
“ | He's abused his authority as a Nightingale. | „ |
~ Karliah talking about Mercer |
“ | Although it would benefit the guild more than you can imagine, in the end, it would do more harm than good. | „ |
~ Karliah talking about the Skeleton Key |
“ | Well have to keep silent if we want to avoid drawing their attention. | „ |
~ Karliah sneaking past Falmer |
“ | He's toying with us. He wants us to follow. | „ |
~ Karliah watching Mercer |
Karliah's Gear[]
- Nightingale Armor
- Nightingale Bow
- Nightingale Sword
- Dagger
- Arrows