As the sharp, reverberating sound of a bell echoed through the streets of Whiterun, a lone, hooded Khajiit seated at the bar within the Bannered Mare Tavern suddenly pricked her ears, the metal hoops that adorned them glinting in the light of the central fireplace. The distant ringing was faint but definitely audible, and the Khajiit frowned in contemplation, taking a small sip of the liquor in front of her. The bell was only ever used in times of emergency or distress and most of the time signalled the arrival of the Jarl to address the citizens, so needless to say there was a brief, somewhat tense pause as everyone else began to notice it as well. Then a murmuring began, low at first but quickly escalating into a loud, excited, chattering crescendo until every single individual rose from their seat simultaneously, some leaving their drinks unfinished, and trooped out of the door in the direction of the Wind District. Even the barmaid, who rarely left her station, hesitated for a second before suddenly turning and muttering something unintelligible to her Redguard assistant, who tried to hide a frown of displeasure. She then grabbed a shawl and hurried outside after the rest of the throng, leaving the large wooden door half-open behind her.
In the space of ten seconds the entire building had been almost completely vacated save for the Khajiit and the abandoned Redguard waitress, the latter standing awkwardly behind the counter polishing a tankard, her eyes fixed on the door her mistress had just left through. For a brief moment she glanced at the Khajiit with a look of confusion etched upon her face, as if visually seeking to garner an explanation. The Khajiit merely flicked an ear in response, downed the rest of her glass and swept out of the building after everyone else, leaving the Redguard alone and unanswered behind the bar.
Geinhaal wasn't in a particularly good mood, as per usual, and as she followed the rest of the crowd through the streets towards the Gildergreen it darkened considerably due to the irritating crush of bodies. The noisy hubbub that had filled the tavern a few minutes before had died down to a low murmuring of disjointed voices, so thanks to her sensitive hearing the Khajiit could easily make out the sound of a loud, albeit nervous voice trying to find a vantage point above the constant chatter.
What she could hear didn't help lighten her spirits."... I am sorry to inform you, but because of what had happened to the Jarl we had to destroy his body as to stop him. We tried everything but it was like he had been possessed. From this moment on I will take over role as Jarl."
Geinhaal blinked in surprise and paused. The Jarl was dead? And at the hands of his own allies? She had been expecting something serious but not to this extent.
Unable to push her way through the dense wall of bodies that jostled for a better view of the Jarl's new replacement, the Khajiit turned and nimbly scaled the wall of a nearby building to gain access to the roof. Once up, she quickly made her way to the side of the building that was closest to the speaker and sat herself down on the tiled edge, letting her leg dangle lazily over the brink as she observed what was going on below. A fellow dressed in a raiment nigh identical to that of the late Jarl's stood under the withered branches of the Gildergreen alongside a band of guardsmen, and it was he whom the crowd were staring at with such rapt attention. His face was drawn and quite pale, and both his hands were raised in a plea for calm. "We have had reports that people have completely changed and had killed fellow family members for no reason what so ever. At this time we know no way to stop this except from destroying the body. Now return to your homes and any strange, peculiar behaviour from anyone report it to the guards immediately. Thank you."
His speech brought to a conclusion, the new Jarl turned away from the indignant crowd and began to retreat back up the stone staircase towards Dragonsreach, closely followed by his guards. As Geinhaal watched, the crowd slowly began to disperse, dealing with the news in various ways; some were voicing their displeasure in loud shouts and curses, some were sobbing, some appeared to have been completely stunned by the recent turn of events and walked back to their homes white-faced and trembling. Everyone was nervous.
Geinhaal frowned again and stood up, tail swishing. It didn't look as though anyone else were prepared to do anything about this current calamity, seeing as how most of the town's population were now probably locking and bolting up their doorways in a paranoia-induced fear. Once again, it appeared evident that she was going to have to take matters into her own hands.
Without missing a beat, Geinhaal leapt from the roof and landed nimbly on all fours near the Gildergreen, fingers splayed, before turning and heading in the direction of Dragonsreach.