Aliah Stormwind pressed her back against the hard, wooden wall of one of the many buildings in Falkreath. The column of soldiers marched past without sparing her a glance. Ever since the death of the high king, the guards in each and every hold had been on edge, stopping and questioning those they didn't like the look of. 'like vampires' she thought dryly, pulling her black leather long coat around her, the hood hiding her bright red hair, and slightly glowing eyes. Being an Altmer in Skyrim wasn't as bad as it had been during the war, and Ulfric's reign, but humans still mistrusted and were more than a little prejudiced against her kind. It didn't help that she was a child of the night.
Rain fell in a steady flow, beading and rolling down the leather of her coat. Most people were indoors at this time, as the night had long since moved in, bringing both the rain and the cold. Luckily for her, she couldn't feel the cold, and wasn't terribly bothered by the rain. She'd fed recently, and felt warm and content, standing in the rain. She'd arrived only hours ago, from Riften, by coach, and was now waiting for the local tavern, Dead mans' drink, to clear out, which would reduce the likeliness that she would be recognized as a vampire. Originally, she'd planned to leave Skyrim for the Somerset Isles, to be among her own kind once more.
That plan had failed miserably, when, shortly after Ulfrics' death at the hands of Aliah and a band of other vengeful warriors, Stormcloaks had set fire to the docks of Solitude. Now she was stuck in Skyrim until she could hire a ship from Dawnstar, or perhaps Windhelm. Unfortunately, she was low on gold, having spent almost all of it getting to Falkreath. This meant she had to find work, and although most of the other Jarls were gearing up to fight each other over who should be the next High King, Sidgeir, the pompous fool, seemed confident he would become the next ruler. Snorting at the ridiculousness of that outcome, the vampire decided to head inside the tavern.
Although there were less people then there had been several hours ago, there was still at least, a dozen people at the tables. 'Nords sure do enjoy their mead' she thought with disdain, as she approached the owner at the bar. She was a middle aged imperial woman, who looked more than a little harassed with all the Nords crowding the place. "What can I get you, ma'am?" The woman asked, straining to be polite. Clearly, she'd recognized Aliah as an Altmer, but in case she had any doubt, the vampire removed her hood, running a hand through her arterial blood red hair. "I'm looking for work...any outstanding bounties?"
The bartender rummaged around under the counter for a little while before coming up with a folded sheet of parchment. "Here," she said, offering the letter. "Direct from the jarl himself. He stressed that it was important that it be handled quickly and efficiently" the Altmer felt her eyebrows raise in surprise. From her experience, Jarls weren't known to do any type of work for themselves, unless given absolutely no choice.
Thanking the woman, Aliah strode over to a table in the corner, ignoring the lewd winks and inappropriate comments thrown her way. She was hardly unattractive, and underneath her leather coat, her clothes were form fitting, and left very little to the imagination. Taking a seat, she unfolded the letter and read through it. A bounty had been placed on a bandit camp a short walk from the city, and jarl Sidgeir wanted them eliminated. A thousand gold for the lot of them. Surprised, Aliah re-read the bounty, thinking she'd made a mistake, or counted a zero twice. But no, there it was, in black ink, clear as day. 1000 gold reward. Leaning back in her seat, the woman let a satisfied smile come to her lips. "I guess the jarl's more than a little worried about these bandits..."