17th of Heartfire, 4E201
I got up early and had some breakfast, then bought more preserved food since mine was getting a bit stale. I left the inn and wandered around town, stopping near a building whose name seemed familiar. It was called Honorhall Orphanage. I wondered why since I'd never been here, then remembered the boy in Windhelm. He's asked me to kill the orphanage's headmistress. I decided to go inside and see if she was really as horrible as he claimed that she was. I crept inside, and overheard her telling the children that they would get extra beatings if they didn't so as they were told, and told them that they were never going to get adopted since no one wanted them. So, she was mean and horrible, but was is enough to deserve death? I decided to talk to the children there, to find out more about her. One told me that she was the meanest person in Skyrim, and that she sometimes locked them somewhere she just called "the room". Another begged me to take them out of there, and said that Grelod had been meaner since Aventus left, and he was worried that she was going to kill one of them. He said that the other woman in the orphanage, a woman named Constance, was nice to them, and would even sneak food to them when Grelod wasn't looking. Apparently, Grelod only let them eat one meal during the day. Another suspected that she must be part Hagraven, since she was so mean. I talked to Constance, and asked if Grelod was always mean, and she said that she was. The townsfolk had started calling her "Grelod the Kind" as a joke. I explored the orphanage, and found  a room with what looked like prison shackles on the walls. Was this the room she put children in? So she beat them, half starved them, and had them afraid that she was going to kill them. I had my answer. I would go to Shor's Stone for that ore sample, bring it back, and then figure out how to save those children from that horrible woman.

On the way to Shor's Stone, I decided to stop and get rid of a few of the bandits. They probably robbed travelers that were too foolish to go around the fort. I had to rely on my atronachs for help, but managed to defeat all of the ones outside. In Shor's Stone, Filnjar was happy to see me again, and I told him that I was there for the ore sample. He was glad, since he's sent a letter to them about it weeks ago. He handed it over, and said that they could chip off whatever they thought was a fair payment for their time. I sat on his steps and had some lunch, then made my way back to Riften. Hafjorg was happy to see me again, and gave me a few potions in return for getting the ore for them.

I spent the rest of the day wandering around Riften. I picked some flowers growing around town, and found some nightshade in the cemetery. I went outside to the docks and met two Argonian women. One, named Wujeeta,  begged me to help her by giving her a healing potion. She had tried some skooma a few months ago, and had been addicted ever since. Her boss, a man named Bolli, had threatened to fire her from her job at the Riften Fishery if she came to work on skooma again. The potion  would help her cleanse the poison from her body so that she could start over. I had plenty of potions, so I gave her one. She thanked me, and gave me a gold ring with a diamond in it for my help. I remembered that skooma was illegal, so out of curiosity I asked her where she got it. She didn't want to tell me at first, since she was afraid that they would kill her. I persuaded her to tell me, and she told me that she'd gotten it from a man named Sarthis Idren. He was apparently hiding out in the warehouse on the docks, but no one could get inside. She said that he had always met her outside the door with a bodyguard. I asked if anyone had the key, and she mentioned that she had overheard Bolli telling someone that only the Jarl had the key. When I turned to go back into town, another Argonian came up to me and begged me to take something called a lexicon from her. Her name  was From-Deepest-Fathoms. She was dressed like an adventurer. She seemed very troubled and begged me to take the lexicon away from her. It burdened her terribly, and she said that she couldn't take the memories haunting her. I had no idea what she was talking about, but I decided to help her anyways. She handed it over and said that I must return it to Avanchnzel in the west. She insisted that it must be returned to them. I told her that it would be and she walked away. It was wrapped in cloth, and felt like a square box. I carried it back into town, to look at in the light of my room at the inn, since it was starting to get dark.

When I got to my room, I closed the door and sat down on the bed. I carefully unwrapped the lexicon, and gasped when I saw it. It was unlike anything I had ever seen. It was black and dull bronze, and made of metal. On its surface, strange red runes and symbols glowed. As I sat there studying it, I realized that I had never asked where Avanchnzel was. All I knew is that it was west of here. But, most of Skyrim is west of Riften, so that didn't give me much to go on. I decided to go back out to the docks to see if she was still there, so she could show me where it was on my map. When I found her, she kept saying "Its yours now, I won't take it back, I won't!" I calmed her down, and asked her where Avanchnzel was. She said that she wasn't going back there, and I took out my map and asked her to show me where it was so that I could go there. That calmed her down a little. It was near the mountains not far from Riften. I thanked her, and asked what sort of place it was, and she told me that it was a Dwemer ruin. I sighed and thanked her, then went back to the inn for dinner.

I sat down at one of the tables in the inn, and set the lexicon on the tabletop, wondering what I was going to do. Talen-Jei came over and asked me if I needed anything, and I asked him to get me some salmon steaks with bread and cheese. And a few bottles of ale. As I waited for him to get back with my food, a man in robes sat down in the chair across from me. I didn't notice him at first, since I was starting at the lexicon. He cleared his throat to get my attention. I told him hello, and he asked if I was an adventurer. I told him I was, and he smiled. Then, he asked if I needed someone to guard my back. I asked what he meant, and he explained that he was a mercenary for hire. Then he apologized, and introduced himself as Marcurio. He further explained that for a mere five hundred septims, I could have a master of the arcane at my side. I couldn't tell if he was serious, or if he was trying to flirt with me in some way. I told him that I would think about it and get back to him, and he thanked me and went back to the bench he'd been sitting on near the door. Talen-Jei came with my food not long after that, and I thanked him and paid him for it, then enjoyed my dinner.

After dinner, I went back to my room to store my gear and plan my attack on Grelod. I couldn't wear my armor, it was too noticeable. None of the clothes I had would blend in the shadows, so I went to see if I could get any that would from the general store. I bought some black robes and soft shoes from the store owner, and went back to the inn to get ready. It was still early in the evening, so most people were still awake. I decided to wait until the middle of the night to go to the orphanage. The only weapon I had to use that didn't shine in the light of my room was my black dagger. Only the edge of the blade reflected the light, though it was faint. It would be perfect. In a few hours, those poor children would be free of that horrible woman. I only hoped that I wouldn't get caught and arrested. As I waited for the middle of the night, I went over all of the things Jenassa had told me during our travels. She would often tell me to strike my enemies from the shadows, in order to take them by surprise. She had also told me to be careful in places when we were sneaking, and to watch where I stepped, lest I trip over something and make a sound to give myself away. I wished that she was here now, since she'd know exactly the best way to kill Grelod. She probably would have even killed her for me, if I asked her. I decided to take a quick nap to rest some, so that I would be more alert later.