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The Talos Mistake

Author: 
Leonora Venatus

The Talos Mistake

 

by
Leonora Venatus
Imperial Liaison to the Aldmeri Dominion

 

As citizens of the Empire, all are of course familiar with the deeds of Emperor Tiber Septim. But it is the Emperor's ascent to godhood, as Talos, that is the subject of this work.

Until Tiber Septim's death, there had been but Eight Divines: Akatosh, Dibella, Arkay, Zenithar, Stendarr, Mara, Kynareth, and Julianos. These gods were, and are, worshipped throughout the Empire. And while some may have different names in the varying provinces (for example, Akatosh is known as "Auri-El" to the Aldmer; and Arkay is sometimes known as "Ar'Kay"), all are recognized and revered by all races and cultures of Tamriel.

But when Tiber Septim passed to Aetherius, there came to be a Ninth Divine - Talos, also called Ysmir, the "Dragon of the North." The man who was so loved in life became worshipped in death. Indeed, it can be argued that Talos, the Ninth Divine, became even more important than the Eight that had preceded him, at least to humans. For he was a god who was once just a man, and through great deeds actually managed to ascend to godhood. And if one human could achieve such a feat - couldn't it be done again? Couldn't all humans aspire to achieve divinity?

So we thought, we humans. And so we continued to worship Talos, and revere him as the ultimate hero-god. But that was then. This is now. And now, we know the truth:

We were wrong.

As citizens of the Empire, we all experienced the horrors of the Great War. And it was not until the signing of the White-Gold Concordat, the treaty between the Empire and the Aldmeri Dominion, that we once again knew peace. One of the most important stipulations of that treaty, as every Imperial citizen is well aware, is that Talos can no longer be worshipped as a god. This edict shook the very foundations of the Empire. There were those who rebelled against the law. Indeed, some still do.

But the citizens of the Empire must know this: the Emperor did not agree to outlaw the worship of Talos because it was demanded by the Thalmor, the ruling body of the Aldmeri Dominion.

The Emperor agreed to the outlaw of the worship of Talos because it was the right thing to do.

Today, the Emperor, and indeed the Empire itself, recognizes that allowing the worship of Talos was a mistake. For by doing so, by allowing the worship of Talos as a Divine, the Empire actually did its people a great disservice: for this only succeeded in weakening the memory of the man Tiber Septim and his many extraordinary (though mortal) deeds; and pushing people away from the Eight Divines, the true gods, who do deserve our love and reverence.

And so, the Empire admits it was wrong. The Talos Mistake will not be repeated. May we find centuries of peace and prosperity with our new Thalmor friends, and continue to share a spirituality that binds together all the cultures and races of Tamriel.

Rising Threat

Author: 
Lathenil of Sunhold; Praxis Erratuim, ed.

The following is the account of Lathenil of Sunhold, an Altmer refugee from Summerset Isle who came to Cyrodiil in the early years of the Fourth Era. According to Lathenil, he did not flee the aftermath of the Oblivion Crisis in Summerset - rather he fled "the darkening shadow of the Thalmor upon my beloved homeland."

Lathenil had a very intense presence, to put it politely, and some of his accusations of Thalmor involvement border on madness. This may be why his fervent warnings and outspoken criticisms of the Thalmor and the Aldmeri Dominion went unheeded, but history has at least partially vindicated Lathenil's claims.

Praxis Erratuim, Imperial Historian

I was barely more than a child when the Great Anguish fell upon us. The very air was torn asunder, leaving gaping, infected wounds that spewed daedra from the bowels of Oblivion. Many flocked to the shores, seeking escape from Dagon's murderous host - but the seas betrayed our people, raising up to smash our ships and our ports, leaving us to fates so vile and wicked that death would seem a mercy.

The Crystal Tower stood as our last bastion of hope, in both the literal and figurative sense.

Refugees filled the Crystal Tower until it could hold no more. I could taste the fear hanging in the air; feel the pall of despair suffocating us. We could see the daedra moving through the trees in the distance, but they did not come. Days passed, and still the daedra would not approach within arrow-shot of the battlements. Hope began to grow. "They fear us," some would say, "even a daedra knows not to trifle with the wisdom and magicks of the Crystal-Like-Law!"

It was as if the foul denizens of Oblivion had been waiting for this very spirit to stoke our hearts before they acted.

As we slept, innumerable legions of daedra amassed around us... and they were not alone. Hundreds of Altmer prisoners were gathered with them. As dawn broke, we were awoken by their screams as the daedra began to flail them and flay them. We watched in abject horror as our kinfolk were defiled completely... carved up and eaten alive, impaled on their depraved war machines, and worried apart as meals for their profane beasts.

This bloodletting was only a prelude to whet their appetites.

Once the daedra finished with our kinfolk, they turned their eyes to the Crystal Tower. Our great and noble bastion proved as much of an impediment as a mighty oak to a landslide - standing tall for but a few moments, appearing almost able to ride the tide of destruction around it, but ultimately being swept away.

Our exalted wizards decimated the fiends, roasting them by the dozens. Archers were finding the narrowest of chinks in their daedric armor at over a hundred paces, felling their captains and commanders. The might and skillfulness of our heroic defenders was astonishing to behold, but it was not enough. The daedra clambered over the corpses of their cohort. They marched headlong into death and destruction that would make the mightiest armies in all of Tamriel quake with fear.

When they breached the walls, I fled along with the other cowards. I take no pride in that act. It has haunted my existence ever since, and I burn with shame to admit it, but it is truth. We fled in mindless panic - abandoning those stalwart Altmer who held the line against the onslaught, to preserve and defend our illustrious Crystal Tower.

We raced through cleverly concealed passageways and emerged well away from the chaos that had descended upon the tower. That is when it happened. It started like a gust rustling through the leaves of a dense forest, but the sound did not taper off. It rose into a roar as the very ground on which I stood began to shudder. I turned to look, and the world held its breath...

I stood transfixed as the heart of my homeland was torn as if from my own breast. The unthinkable, the incomprehensible... the tower of Crystal-Like-Law cast to the ground, with all the dignity of a beggar meeting an iron-clad fist. An eternity I watched, trying to reconcile what I knew with what I saw.

Sobs racked my chest, and weeping filled the air around me as the spell loosened its hold and I realized where I was. There were scores of other refugees mesmerized by the horror that had likewise ensorcelled me. "Go," I croaked out as my heart - the heart of my land - shattered. No one moved, not even me.

I mustered what will I could and bellowed all the fear and hatred and agony at what had just happened, turning the word into a mindless shriek: "GO!" I ran then, feeling more than seeing that the others had followed.

 

What happened after the tower of Crystal-like-law fell was a daze. It was as if my mind simply... stopped. Instinct took over, as my every thought sank into a black abyss of despair. Time lost all meaning, and to this day I know not how long I was in this state. Eventually a conscious thought managed to break my fugue: the daedric horde had vanished! Gone as suddenly as they had come. 

Before my numbed mind could comprehend the tumult that consumed my beloved Summerset Isle, before I could formulate the question "how?" they were there, dripping honeyed poison in our ears: the Thalmor. They were the ones that saved us, they claimed, working deep and subtle magicks. It was their efforts, their sacrifices that delivered the Altmer from extinction.

Oh, what fools we were. We wanted so desperately someone to thank for ending our tribulations, we lavished it upon the first to step up and claim the glory. With that simple act of gratitude, we allowed a vile rot to seep into our homeland, to putrefy our once noble and distinguished civilization.

It was months before I began to suspect the error we had made. Small twinges of unease would vex me, but each one alone was easy enough to disregard and push aside. The exile of the great seer-mage Rynandor the Bold was the final doubt that I could not ignore. You see, Rynandor was one of the very few who survived the collapse of the Crystal Tower - I saw some of his bravery and heroics with my own eyes. It was his leadership and sorcery that made the daedra pay such a high price for their destruction of the Crystal Tower.

The Thalmor besmirched his name when he had the audacity to publicly doubt and question their role in ending the Oblivion Crisis on Summerset Isle. Rynandor made the mistake of ignoring the consensus gentium, trusting instead to logic and facts. The shrewdness of the Thalmor, however, was not such to allow something as trivial as the truth stand in their way. As soon as they shifted the collective opinion ever so slightly against Rynandor, they had him sequestered and intensified their efforts to tarnish his reputation. Unable to mount any sort of defense to the Thalmor's attacks, Rynandor was quickly denounced and exiled.

 

 

Ever so cautiously, I formed a cabal made up of others who distrusted the motives and methods of the Thalmor. Over several months, I liquidated my ancestral holdings and took whatever inheritance I could without raising any suspicions. I would follow after Rynandor and help him restore his reputation and status. We would then return to best the Thalmor at their own game and win back the mores and morals of the Altmer! The rest of my cabal would stay on Summerset Isle and win the trust of the Thalmor on whatever level best suited each of them, sending clandestine missives to me when possible.

 

After weeks of painstaking investigations and exorbitant bribes, I was able to learn that Rynandor was placed on a ship to Anvil. I booked my own passage to Anvil. My search almost ended there, for Rynandor had never arrived in Anvil Harbor. My instinct that Rynandor met a duplicitous end was confirmed when I sought out several of the deckhands who were reported to be aboard Rynandor's vessel. All died under mysterious and violent circumstances.

The first of many attempts on my life occurred soon after. Needless to say, I survived, but my grand plan to stymie the Thalmor fell apart without an esteemed leader to rally behind. I went into hiding, waiting anxiously for word of the Thalmor's activities back on Summerset Isle.

Over the following years, I tried to bend the ear of the Empire through various avenues and warn them of the Thalmor's doings. The Empire, however, was having enough troubles dealing with the aftermath of the Oblivion crisis within its own borders without seeking trouble in far away Summerset. With the assassination of Emperor Uriel Septim VII and his heirs, and the self-sacrifice of Martin Septim (the true savior of Summerset Isle and the rest of Tamriel!) the Empire's leadership was left defunct.

High Chancellor Ocato convened the full Elder Council in an unsuccessful bid to select a new Emperor. Without an Emperor, the Empire beyond the reach of Cyrodiil began to splinter. Ocato reluctantly agreed to become the Potentate under the terms of the Elder Council Charter until Imperial rule could be reestablished, but a reluctant leader is rarely a strong leader.

Potentate Ocato made admirable efforts to rein in the bedlam that threatened to rip the Empire apart, and was even making headway when Red Mountain erupted and destroyed much of Vvardenfell (likely from Thalmor tampering, but I have yet to find proof of their misdeeds in this). What was left of Morrowind was thrown into absolute chaos. The effects of the eruption were felt even in Black Marsh, destroying roads and cutting off the Imperial garrisons there.

None were prepared for what happened next.

 

While Morrowind and the Imperial forces in Black Marsh were still reeling from the consecutive catastrophes of the Oblivion Crisis and the destruction of Vvardenfell, the Thalmor incited the Argonians to mount a massive uprising. Black Marsh and southern Morrowind were completely lost to the Argonians, but luckily the Thalmor too lost what influence they had over the reptilians.

All the while, the Thalmor consolidated their hold over my beloved homeland.

It took almost a decade before my own machinations put me into contact with Ocato. He seemed more interested than most in what I had to say about the Thalmor, maybe because he was himself an Altmer and recognized the threat they represented. It wasn't long before the Thalmor had Ocato assassinated.

Potentate Ocato's murder began the Stormcrown Interregnum. The Elder Council fractured, leading into years of ruthless in-fighting, plots and backstabbing. Many tried to claim the Ruby Throne. Most were pretenders to the crown, a few had legitimate claims, others still were little more than brutal dullards who thought mere strength of arms was all the entitlement they needed. Violent, unnatural storms lashed the Imperial City several times during this anarchy, always with the eye of the storm looking directly down upon White-Gold Tower, as if this was the judgment of the Nine Divines.

With the Empire submerged in this mayhem, the Thalmor were quick to act. They overthrew the rightful Kings and Queens of the Altmer. I remember the revulsion and horror that took hold when word reached me - that this dementia had gripped my homeland. Once so proud and majestic, many of our great race actually embraced this insanity!

Then the first of many pogroms descended on Summerset Isle. They slaughtered any who were not "of the blood of the Aldmer". A fine excuse to purge the dissidents, as well - the Thalmor have never been ones to waste such an opportunity.

After seven long, bloody years the Stormcrown Interregnum was ended when a Colovian warlord by the name of Titus Mede seized the crown. Whether he had rightful claim or not is moot. Without Titus Mede, there would not be an Empire today. He proved a shrewd and capable leader, such that Skyrim endorsed him as Emperor.

With the Empire stabilizing under the auspicious efforts Emperor Titus Mede, I resumed my efforts to warn them of the Thalmor threat. Again, the Thalmor remained a step ahead. Before my efforts could come to fruition, the Thalmor struck: another coup, this time in Valenwood. The Empire was not prepared for the Thalmor's subterfuge and stratagem.

There are those who claim the combined Altmer and Bosmer forces greatly out-matched the Empire, but this is a farce. This short, savage campaign was won by the Thalmor even before first blood was drawn. They waited and watched their enemy, they chose where and when they would attack. The Thalmor were able to bring the full fury of their small contingent of Altmer and Bosmer to any of several Imperial strongholds.

Contrary to the posturing of the Empire's generals, the Thalmor did not command greater numbers. They had better spies and greater mobility, and knew how best to use them. This is the menace that the Thalmor represent! They are cruel and merciless, but they are no fools! They are devious and subtle, and so very patient.

In one fell stroke, the Thalmor took a strategic foothold on the mainland of Tamriel and prevented any significant attempt the Empire could have made to invade Summerset Isle and depose the tyranny of the Thalmor. At the same time, they took a better vantage to continue to watch the Empire and wait. In so doing, they also revived the Aldmeri Dominion with their alliance to the Bosmer of Valenwood!
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Over the decades, the Thalmor have grown quiet - but this is not the end. It has only just begun. They merely consolidate their power and tighten their grip on the hearts and minds of the Altmer. The Empire may wish to forget the wounds its pride has suffered at the hands of the Thalmor, but they are still out there. Plotting. Watching. Waiting.

While the Empire is content to secure inconsequential corners of its vast holdings, the threat of the Thalmor continues to rise. Not since Potentate Ocato has anyone in the Empire listened to me. I beseech any and all citizens of this renowned Empire to heed my words! The Thalmor must be stopped, before it is too late.

***

Soon after Lathenil of Sunhold commissioned to have these volumes printed and distributed far and wide in the Empire with his own coin, he himself met a violent end. In light of the events that followed his death, we must consider that he may very well have been murdered by Thalmor assassins.

-- Praxis Erratuim, Imperial Historian
 

The Great War

Author: 
Justianus Quintius, Legate

 

A Concise Account of
the Great War Between
the Empire and the Aldmeri Dominion

 

by
Legate Justianus Quintius

Author's Note: Much of what is written in this book is pieced together from documents captured from the enemy during the war, interrogation of prisoners, and eyewitness accounts from surviving soldiers and Imperial officers. I myself commanded the Tenth Legion in Hammerfell and Cyrodiil until I was wounded in 175 during the assault on the Imperial City. That said, the full truth of some events may never be known. I have done my best to fill in the gaps with educated conjectures based on my experience as well as my hard-earned knowledge of the enemy.

The Rise of the Thalmor

Although it is not well known, Summerset Isle suffered from the Oblivion Crisis as much as Cyrodiil did. The elves made war upon the Oblivion invaders, occasionally even crossing over to close down Oblivion gates. As a nation they had more successes than Cyrodiil did, although the limitless daedric hordes made the outcome a foregone conclusion.

The Thalmor had always been a powerful faction within Summerset Isle, but had also always been a minority voice. During the crisis, the Crystal Tower was forced to give the Thalmor greater power and authority. Their efforts almost certainly saved Summerset Isle from being overrun. They capitalized on their success to seize total control in 4E 22. They renamed the nation Alinor, which hearkens back to an earlier age before the ascendency of man. Most people outside of the Aldmeri Dominion still call it Summerset Isle, either out of peevishness or ignorance.

In 4E 29, the government of Valenwood was overthrown by Thalmor collaborators and a union with Alinor proclaimed. It appears that Thalmor agents had formed close ties to certain Bosmeri factions even before the Oblivion Crisis. The Empire and its Bosmer allies, caught completely off guard, were quickly defeated by the much-better prepared Altmer forces that invaded Valenwood on the heels of the coup. Thus was the Aldmeri Dominion reborn.

Shortly afterward the Aldmeri Dominion severed all contact with the Empire. For seventy years they were silent. Most scholars believe there was some sort of internal strife in Alinor, but very little is known of the factional struggles that went on inside the Dominion while the Thalmor consolidated its power in Summerset and Valenwood.

In 4E 98, the two moons, Masser and Secunda vanished. Within most of the Empire, this was viewed with trepidation and fear. In Elsweyr it was far worse. Culturally the moons are much more influential to the Khajiit. After two years of the Void Nights, the moons returned. The Thalmor announced that they had restored the moons using previously unknown Dawn Magicks, but it is unclear if they truly restored the moons or just took advantage of foreknowledge that they would return.

Regardless of the truth of the matter, the Khajiit credited the Thalmor as their saviors. Within fifteen years, Imperial influence in Elsweyr had so diminished that the Empire was unable to respond effectively to the coup of 4E 115 which dissolved the Elsweyr Confederacy and recreated the ancient kingdoms of Anequina and Pelletine as client states of the Aldmeri Dominion. Once more the Empire failed to stop the advance of Thamor power.

When Titus Mede II ascended the throne in 4E 168, he inherited a weakened empire. The glory days of the Septims were a distant memory. Valenwood and Elsweyr were gone, ceded to the Thalmor enemy. Black Marsh had been lost to Imperial rule since the aftermath of the Oblivion Crisis. Morrowind had never recovered fully from the eruption of Mount Vvardenfell. Hammerfell was plagued by infighting between Crowns and Forebears. Only High Rock, Cyrodiil and Skyrim remained prosperous and peaceful.

Emperor Titus Mede had only a few short years to consolidate his rule before his leadership was put to the ultimate test.
 

The War Begins

On the 30th of Frostfall, 4E 171, the Aldmeri Dominion sent an ambassador to the Imperial City with a gift in a covered cart and an ultimatum for the new Emperor. The long list of demands included staggering tributes, disbandment of the Blades, outlawing the worship of Talos, and ceding large sections of Hammerfell to the Dominion. Despite the warnings of his generals of the Empire's military weakness, Emperor Titus Mede II rejected the ultimatum. The Thalmor ambassador upended the cart, spilling over a hundred heads on the floor: every Blades agent in Summerset and Valenwood. And so began the Great War which would consume the Empire and the Aldmeri Dominion for the next five years.

Within days, Aldmeri armies invaded Hammerfell and Cyrodiil simultaneously. A strong force commanded by the Thalmor general Lord Naarifin attacked Cyrodiil from the south, marching out of hidden camps in northern Elsweyr and flanking the Imperial defenses along the Valenwood border. Leyawiin soon fell to the invaders, while Bravil was cut off and besieged.

At the same time, an Aldmeri army under Lady Arannelya crossed into western Cyrodiil from Valenwood, bypassing Anvil and Kvatch and crossing into Hammerfell. Smaller Aldmeri forces landed along the southern coastline of Hammerfell. The disunited Redguard forces offered only scattered resistance to the invaders, and much of the southern coastline was quickly overrun. The greatly outnumbered Imperial legions retreated across the Alik'r Desert in the now-famous March of Thirst.
 

4E 172-173: The Aldmeri Advance Into Cyrodiil

It appears now that the initial Aldmeri objective was in fact the conquest of Hammerfell, and that the invasion of Cyrodiil was intended only to pin down the Imperial legions while Hammerfell was overrun. However, the surprising initial success of Lord Naarifin's attack led the Thalmor to believe that the Empire was weaker than they had thought. The capture of the Imperial City itself and the complete overthrow of the Empire thus became their primary objective of the next two years. As we know, the Thalmor nearly achieved their objective. It was only because of our Emperor's determined leadership during the Empire's darkest hour that this disaster was averted.

During 4E 172, the Aldmeri advanced deeper into Cyrodiil. Bravil and Anvil both fell to the invaders. By the end of the year, Lord Naarifin had advanced to the very walls of the Imperial City. There were fierce naval clashes in Lake Rumare and along the Niben as the Imperial forces attempted to hold the eastern bank.

In Hammerfell, the Thalmor were content to consolidate their gains as they took control of the whole southern coastline, which was in fact their stated objective in the ultimatum delivered to the Emperor. Of the southern cities, only Hegathe still held out. The survivors of the March of Thirst regrouped in northern Hammerfell, joined by reinforcements from High Rock.

The year 4E 173 saw stiffening Imperial resistance in Cyrodiil, but the seemingly inexorable Aldmeri advance continued. Fresh legions from Skyrim bolstered the Emperor's main army in the Imperial City, but the Aldmeri forced the crossing of the Niben and began advancing in force up the eastern bank. By the end of the year, the Imperial City was surrounded on three sides - only the northern supply route to Bruma remained open.

In Hammerfell, Imperial fortunes took a turn for the better. In early 4E 173, a Forebear army from Sentinel broke the siege of Hegathe (a Crown city), leading to the reconciliation of the two factions. Despite this, Lady Arannelya's main army succeeded in crossing the Alik'r Desert. The Imperial Legions under General Decianus met them outside Skaven in a bloody and indecisive clash. Decianus withdrew and left Arannelya in possession of Skaven, but the Aldmeri were too weakened to continue their advance.
 

4E 174: The Sack of the Imperial City

In 4E 174, the Thalmor leadership committed all available forces to the campaign in Cyrodiil, gambling on a decisive victory to end the war once and for all. During the spring, Aldmeri reinforcements gathered in southern Cyrodiil, and on 12th of Second Seed, they launched a massive assault on the Imperial City itself. One army drove north to completely surround the city, while Lord Naarifin's main force attacked the walls from the south, east, and west. The Emperor's decision to fight his way out of the city rather than make a last stand was a bold one. No general dared advise him to abandon the capital, but Titus II was proven right in the end.

While the Eighth Legion fought a desperate (and doomed) rearguard action on the walls of the city, Titus II broke out of the city to the north with his main army, smashing through the surrounding the Aldmeri forces and linking up with reinforcements marching south from Skyrim under General Jonna. Meanwhile, however, the capital fell to the invaders and the infamous Sack of the Imperial City began. The Imperial Palace was burned, the White-Gold Tower itself looted, and all manner of atrocities carried out by the vengeful elves on the innocent populace.

In Hammerfell, General Decianus was preparing to drive the Aldmeri back from Skaven when he was ordered to march for Cyrodiil. Unwilling to abandon Hammerfell completely, he allowed a great number of "invalids" to be discharged from the Legions before they marched east. These veterans formed the core of the army that eventually drove Lady Arannelya's forces back across the Alik'r late in 174, taking heavy losses on their retreat from harassing attacks by the Alik'r warriors.
 

4E 175: The Battle of the Red Ring

During the winter of 4E 174-175, the Thalmor seem to have believed that the war in Cyrodiil was all but over. They made several attempts to negotiate with Titus II. The Emperor encouraged them in their belief that he was preparing to surrender; meanwhile, he gathered his forces to retake the Imperial City.

In what is now known as the Battle of the Red Ring, a battle that will serve as a model for Imperial strategists for generations to come, Titus II divided his forces into three. One army, with the legions from Hammerfell under General Decianus, was hidden in the Colovian Highlands near Chorrol. The Aldmeri were unaware that he was no longer in Hammerfell, possibly because the Imperial veterans Decianus had left behind led Lady Arannelya to believe that she still faced an Imperial army. The second army, largely of Nord legions under General Jonna, took up position near Cheydinhal. The main army was commanded by the Emperor himself, and would undertake the main assault of the Imperial City from the north.

On the 30th of Rain's Hand, the bloody Battle of the Red Ring began as General Decianus swept down on the city from the west, while General Jonna's legionnaires drove south along the Red Ring Road. In a two-day assault, Jonna's army crossed the Niben and advanced west, attempting to link up with Decianus's legions and thus surround the Imperial City. Lord Naarifin was taken by surprise by Decianus's assault, but Jonna's troops faced bitter resistance as the Aldmeri counterattacked from Bravil and Skingrad. The heroic Nord legionnaires held firm, however, beating off the piecemeal Aldmeri attacks. By the fifth day of the battle, the Aldmeri army in the Imperial City was surrounded.

Titus II led the assault from the north, personally capturing Lord Naarifin. It is rumored the Emperor wielded the famed sword Goldbrand, although this has never been officially confirmed by the Imperial government. An attempt by the Aldmeri to break out of the city to the south was blocked by the unbreakable shieldwall of General Jonna's battered legions.

In the end, the main Aldmeri army in Cyrodiil was completely destroyed. The Emperor's decision to withdraw from the Imperial City in 4E 174 was bloodily vindicated.

Lord Naarifin was kept alive for thirty-three days, hanging from the White-Gold tower. It is not recorded where his body was buried, if it was buried at all. Once source claims he was carried off by a winged daedra on the thirty-fourth day.
 

The White-Gold Concordat and the End of the War

Although victorious, the Imperial armies were in no shape to continue the war. The entire remaining Imperial force was gathered in Cyrodiil, exhausted and decimated by the Battle of the Red Ring. Not a single legion had more than half its soldiers fit for duty. Two legions had been effectively annihilated, not counting the loss of the Eighth during the retreat from the Imperial City the previous year. Titus II knew that there would be no better time to negotiate peace, and late in 4E 175 the Empire and the Aldmeri Dominion signed the White-Gold Concordat, ending the Great War.

The terms were harsh, but Titus II believed that it was necessary to secure peace and give the Empire a chance to regain its strength. The two most controversial terms of the Concordat were the banning of the worship of Talos and the cession of a large section of southern Hammerfell (most of what was already occupied by Aldmeri forces). Critics have pointed out that the Concordat is almost identical to the ultimatum the Emperor rejected five years earlier. However, there is a great difference between agreeing to such terms under the mere threat of war, and agreeing to them at the end of a long and destructive war. No part of the Empire would have accepted these terms in 4E 171, dictated by the Thalmor at swords-point. Titus II would have faced civil war. By 4E 175, most of the Empire welcomed peace at almost any price.
 

Epilogue: Hammerfell Fights On Alone

Hammerfell, however, refused to accept the White-Gold Concordat, being unwilling to concede defeat and the loss of so much of their territory. Titus II was forced to officially renounce Hammerfell as an Imperial province in order to preserve the hard-won peace treaty. The Redguards, understandably, looked on this as a betrayal. In this, the Thalmor certainly achieved one of their long-term goals by sowing lasting bitterness between Hammerfell and the Empire.

In the end, the heroic Redguards fought the Aldmeri Dominion to a standstill, although the war lasted for five more years and left southern Hammerfell devastated. The Redguards say that this proves that the White-Gold Concordat was unnecessary, and that if Titus II had kept his nerve, the Aldmeri could have been truly defeated by the combined forces of Hammerfell and the rest of the Empire. The truth of that assertion can, of course, never be known. But the Redguards should not forget the great sacrifice of Imperial blood - Breton, Nord, and Cyrodilic - at the Battle of the Red Ring that weakened the Dominion enough to allow the eventual Second Treaty of Stros M'kai in 4E 180 and the withdrawal of Aldmeri forces from Hammerfell.

There can be no doubt that the current peace cannot last forever. The Thalmor take the long view, as is proved by the sequence of events leading up to the Great War. All those who value freedom over tyranny can only hope that before it is too late, Hammerfell and the Empire will be reconciled and stand united against the Thalmor threat. Otherwise, any hope to stem the tide of Thalmor rule over all of Tamriel is dimmed.

 

Fourth Era

Author: 
Various

4E 1

The Fourth Era starts with no Emperor on the throne of Tamriel. The Elder Council is unable to choose a successor, and Ocato reluctantly becomes Potentate. The outlying provinces take advantage of the Empire's weakness.
Source: Rising Threat vol. 3

Refugee Redoran settlers, led by Brara Morvayn, settle in Raven Rock.
Source: History of Raven Rock, Vol. 1

After 4E 1

In Elsweyr, the Mane is assassinated and war breaks out. Although the Imperial force still exists in the northern Elsweyr, they cannot keep the order. The Khajiit realm is in chaos. Due to the rule of a Potentate, Rimmen is relatively stable.

During Oblivion Crisis, the Hist called all the Argonian to march back to Black Marsh to defend the realm from the Daedra. After the Oblivion Crisis, as the Imperial is weakening, Black Marsh rebels and currently led by the An-Xileel and the Organism.

Mages Guild dissolves, in its role now there are two Imperial magic guilds: College of Whispers and Synod.
Source: The Infernal City.

4E 2

Sinderion gives a speech concerning the Nirnroot at the Alchemical Symposium.
Source: The Nirnroot Missive

4E 5

The Red Year. After the disappearance of Vivec, the power that holds the Ministry of Truth in place starts to diminish. A pair of Dunmer mages, Vuhon and Sul, among others, build the ingenium, a machine to hold the Ministry of Truth in place. During a fight between Sul and Vuhon over the soul of Sul's lover, the Ingenium explodes, catapulting them both into Oblivion. The Ministry of Truth crashes into Vivec City, creating a huge crater that immediately fills with water from the Inner Sea. The crater becomes known as the Scathing Bay. The impact of the Ministry of Truth also causes the eruption of the Red Mountain.

In Morrowind, Vivec City is completely leveled by the fall of the Ministry of Truth. Tear, and the province's south, is hit by floods and land slides. Vvardenfell is devastated. Areas nearer to Red Mountain, including the town of Gnisis, were destroyed by a wall of flame. In Solstheim, a shockwave levels Fort Frostmoth, though much of Raven Rock's population manages to survive within the mine. Solstheim is eventually ceded by Skyrim and becomes a colony for the refugees of Morrowind.

House Redoran takes charge of the relief efforts, and gains power among the Great Houses.

This chain of events kills thousands and remembered as the Red Year.

Source: The Infernal City, Lord of Souls, History of Raven Rock Vol. 1, The Red Year

4E 5-4E 6

Shortly after the cataclysmic eruption of Red Mountain, the crippled Morrowind is invaded by an army of Argonians urged on by the Hist. By the middle of 4E 6, the invasion has reached the Telvanni lands in the north of Vvardenfell. Once they hold the province, they make no effort to colonize or rule.

Source: Lymdrenn Tenvanni's Journal; The Infernal City, Lord of Souls

4E 10

Potentate Ocato is assassinated, beginning the Stormcrown Interregnum.

The Elder Council fractures. Many people try to claim the Imperial throne, either by force of arms or by some blood claim. These include Eddar Olin and Thules the Gibbering. Violent storms ravage the Imperial City, each one with its eye at the White-Gold Tower.

The Thalmor use this discord as an opportunity to overthrow the rulers of Summurset and install themselves in their place. They purge any dissidents and anyone "not of the blood of the Altmer."
Source: Rising Threat vol. 4, The Infernal City

Miners break through a wall in the Raven Rock mine, discovering Bloodskal Barrow. Gratian Caerellius, a East Empire Company agent, is sent to investigate.
Source: Gratian's Journal

4E 16

Solstheim is granted to the Dunmer by the High King of Skyrim.
Source: History of Raven Rock Vol. 2, Lord of Souls

4E 17 Titus Mede, a Colovian warlord, takes control of the Imperial City and the Empire. Skyrim endorses his ascension.
Source: Rising Threat vol. 4, The Infernal City

4E 18

The son of Titus Mede, Attrebus Mede, is born.

4E 20 Refugee's Rest is declared a monument to the struggle of the Dunmer who fled Morrowind after the Red Year.
Source: Decree of Monument

4E 22

The Thalmor takes full control of Summurset Isle, breaking away from the Empire. The nation is renamed Alinor.
Source: The Great War

4E 23

Annaïg Hoïnart is born.

4E 29

The government of Valenwood is overthrown by the Thalmor, who take control of the province. The Aldmeri Dominion of old is "reborn."

Shortly after, all contact with the outside world is severed.
Source: The Great War

Circa 4E 38

The Dunmer mage Sul managed to escape from Oblivion by jumping from one daedric realm to another. He eventually arrived in Tamriel after thirty-eight years.

Circa 4E 43

The floating city known as Umbriel arrives in Tamriel. First it destroys Lilmoth in Black Marsh by drawing the souls of the inhabitants, and then it continues north. The slain inhabitants of Lilmoth arise as undead and follows Umbriel north toward Morrowind. A Breton girl Annaïg Hoïnart, an Argonian Mere-Glim, along with Prince Attrebus and the Dunmer mage Sul are stranded on the top of Umbriel.
Source: The Infernal City.

4E 57

The alchemist Sinderion receives a sample of a red nirnroot from an adventurer who claims to have found it in the Blackreach of Skyrim.
Source: Sinderion's Field Journal

4E 58

Sinderion arrives in Skyrim and begins his research on the crimson nirnroots.
Source: Sinderion's Field Journal

4E 65 Brara Morvayn, Redoran Councilor and ruler of Solstheim, dies. Her son, Lleril Morvayn, takes over her duties.
Source: History of Raven Rock Vol. 2
4E 95 House Hlaalu unsuccessfully attempts to assassinate Lleril Morvayn, blaming House Redoran for their expulsion from the Council of Great Houses. A coup against the Redoran rule of Raven Rock is discovered and foiled.
Source: History of Raven Rock, Vol. 3

4E 98

The moons vanish from the night sky, bringing about the Void Nights. Although all lands view this with "trepidation and fear," the Khajiit have it the worst due to their reliance on the moon's cycles.
Source: The Great War

Hosgunn Crossed-Daggers becomes Jarl of Riften following the assassination of his predecessor. He imposes strict taxes and curfews, driving the city into poverty.
Source: Of Crossed Daggers.

4E 99

The Aldmeri Dominion resumes contact with the Empire.
Source: The Great War

4E 100

The return of the moons. The Thalmor claim that they used "previously unknown Dawn Magics" to bring them back, though the it is unclear whether they did so or merely knew that the moons would return and capitalized on the situation. Elsweyr heralds the Thalmor as their saviors, and Thalmor power within the province grows while Imperial power diminishes.
Source: The Great War

4E 115

The Elsweyr Confederacy is dissolved and the states of Anequina and Pelletine are reestablished as client states to the Aldmeri Dominion.
Source: The Great War

Circa 4E 121 The Great Collapse. A big part of Winterhold city is collapsed into the sea due to unusual weather that wracks the city for almost a year. Some of the survivors blame the College of Winterhold for the disaster. It ruins the reputation of the College even more, especially after the Oblivion Crisis, which people is still blaming the mages for dealing and conjuring the Daedra.

4E 129

The people of Riften rise up against Hosgunn Crossed-Daggers, their corrupt Jarl. They burn his palace with him still inside. The fire spreads to the rest of the city, and much of it is destroyed.
Source: Of Crossed Daggers

4E 130 Lleril Morvayn uses his personal funds to repair the Bulwark, Raven Rock's great wall.
Source: History of Raven Rock, Vol. 3

Circa 4E 134

Riften is rebuilt into its current state.
Source: Of Crossed Daggers

4E 150 Small force of Argonian raiders land on Solstheim and are repelled by the Redoran guard.
Source: History of Raven Rock, Vol. 3

4E 168

Titus Mede II ascends to the throne.

The Empire is greatly reduced, holding only High Rock, Cyrodiil, Skyrim, Hammerfell, and, nominally, Morrowind. Hammerfell is plagued by fighting between Crown and Forbear, and Morrowind had never recovered from the eruption of Red Mountain.
Source: The Great War

4E 170 Raven Rock's ebony mine begins to deplete. Councilor Morvayn uses his own money to keep the village fed.
Source: History of Raven Rock, Vol. 3

4E 171

The Great War begins.

30th Frostfall: Aldmeri ambassador arrives in the Imperial City with a an ultimatum and a cart full of the heads of murdered Blades agents. He demands that the Empire pay tribute to the Dominion, disband the Blades, outlaw the worship of Talos, and cede a large part of Hammerfell to the Dominion. Titus II refuses on all terms.

Within days, both Hammerfell and Cyrodiil are attacked by the Dominion. General Naarifin invades Cyrodiil from Elsweyr and eliminating Imperial defenses along the Valenwood border. Leyawiin falls soon after; Bravil is cut off and besieged. Simultaneously, an army led by Lady Arannelya enters western Cyrodiil from Valenwood and continues on to Hammerfell. Due to the civil war, Reguard forces offer limited resistance and the southern coastline is soon in Dominion hands. The outnumbered Imperial legions are forced to cross the Alik'r Desert in what later becomes known as the March of Thirst.
Source: The Great War

4E 172

After their easy success the previous year, the Thalmor make the capture of Cyrodiil their primary objective. They advance further into the province, capturing Bravil and Anvil. By the end of the year, Lord Naarifin's army is at the walls of the Imperial city. There are naval engagements in Lake Rumare and along the Niben as Imperial forces attempt to hold the eastern bank.

The Thalmor consolidate their holdings on the southern coastline of Hammerfell. Only Hegathe is still independent. The survivors of the March of Thirst regroup and join with High Rock forces in the north of Hammerfell.
Source: The Great War

4E 173

Reinforcements from Skyrim arrive in Cyrodiil, but the Aldmeri advance continues. By the end of the year the Imperial City is surrounded on all three sides, leaving only the northern route to Bruma open.

Early in the year, the Forbear armies of Sentinel break the siege of the Crown city of Hegathe, reconciling the two factions. Lady Arannelya's armies cross the Alik'r and clash indecisively with Imperial legions under General Decianus at Skaven. Decianus is forced to retreat and the Dominion's forces take Skaven, though they are too weakened to advance further.
Source: The Great War

4E 174

The Aldmeri Dominion commits all available forces to the conquest of Cyrodiil. Reinforcements arrive in southern Cyrodiil during the spring.

12th Second Seed: the Aldmeri armies launch an assault on the Imperial City. Lord Naarifin's armies attack from the south, east, and west while another army draws up to surround the city from the north. Titus II decides to fight his way out through the north, leaving the Eighth Legion on rearguard. The Eighth is destroyed, but Titus II's armies manage to fight through the Aldmeri besiegers and join forces with reinforcements from Skyrim, led by General Jonna. Meanwhile, the capital falls and is sacked by the invading forces. The Imperial Palace is burned and the White-Gold Tower looted.

The Dominion believes the fight is all but over, and makes several attempts to negotiate with Titus II. He pretends that he is preparing to surrender while gathering forces to retake the city.

In Hammerfell, General Decianus prepares to retake Skaven but is called back to Cyrodiil. He leaves behind his most veteran soldiers disguised as discharged invalids. These soldiers make up the core of the army that drives Lady Arannelya's forces out of Skaven back into the Alik'r in late 174.
Source: The Great War

The Reachmen take advantage of the weakened state of the Empire to break away and establish the Reach as a kingdom independent from Skyrim. Their king is Madanach.
Source: Bear of Markarth

4E 175

30th Rain's Hand: The Battle of the Red Ring. General Decianus' army, previously hidden in the Colovian Highlands, attacks the Imperial City from the west. General Jonna's armies comes south from Cheydinhal along the Red Ring Road, crossing the Niben and attempting to join with Decianus' forces. Jonna's armies face bitter resistance from Aldmeri counterattacks from Bravil and Skingrad. Decianus is able to take Lord Naarifin's forces by surprise. The main army, commanded by Titus II, attacks from the north.

5th Second Seed: The Altmeri army besieging the city is completely surrounded. The Aldmeri attempting to flee the city break themselves against the southern legions of General Jonna. Titus personally captures Lord Naarifin, and hangs him from the White-Gold tower. He dies (or, according to one account, is taken away by Daedra) after 33 days.

The Empire and the Aldmeri Dominion sign the White-Gold Concordat, ending the Great War. The terms of the treaty are almost identical to those in the original Dominion ultimatum (including the granting of Hammerfell lands to the Dominion and the outlawing of Talos), but the war-weary Empire is willing to come to peace by any means necessary.

Hammerfell, however, does not want to accept the treaty, and Titus II is forced to remove them from the Empire. The Redguards continue to fight the Dominion.
Source: The Great War

4E 176

Ulfric Stormcloak retakes control of the Reach, imprisoning Madanach, "King in Rags," and killing most other officials. Madanach leads the Forsworn in a twenty-year underground rebellion against the Nords.
Source: Bear of Markarth

The problem within the Thieves Guild of Skyrim starts. The Guildmaster is assassinated, followed by misfortune that hitting the guild hard. Some believe that the misfortune occurred because of the curse from the Daedric Prince Nocturnal. Mercer Frey becomes the new Guildmaster.

4E 180

The Second Treaty of Stros M'kai is signed after Redguard and Dominion forces come to a stalemate. Aldmeri armies retreat from Hammerfell.
Source: The Great War

4E 181 Raven Rock's ebony mine is completely depleted. The economy switches to fishing and hunting.
Source: History of Raven Rock, Vol. 3

4E 182

Cartographer Nathalia Dravarol creates the latest map of Skyrim.

4E 186

Cicero, a Dark Brotherhood assassin, arrives in the Cheydinhal sanctuary after the Bruma sanctuary is destroyed.
Source: Cicero's Journal, part 1

4E 187

Cicero assassin kills a baroness and the Arena grand champion. The Dark Brotherhood has lost most of its sanctuaries and influence throughout Tamriel.
Source: Cicero's Journal, part 1

4E 188

7th Sun's Hight: The city of Wayrest falls to corsairs. The Dark Brotherhood sanctuary there is raided and eliminated, leaving only the Cheydinhal, Skyrim, and Corinthe sanctuaries in tact. The Brotherhood's leaders make the decision to close the Corinthe sanctuary and move its members to Cheydinhal.

Late Harthfire, early Sun's Dusk: Bravil's two largest skooma traffickers vie for control, the city descends into violence. The statue of the Lucky Old Lady is destroyed, and the crypt is raided. An assassin name Garnag manages to rescue the Night Mother's coffin.
Source: Cicero's Journal, part 2

4E 189

Cicero is chosen as the Keeper of the Night Mother's remains. The Night Mother chooses no Listener.

Hearthfire: Cheydinhall descends into violence and chaos. Members of the Dark Brotherhood are slowly killed off, either by circumstances or from inside by the Keeper.
Source: Cicero's Journal, part 3

4E 190

Cicero becomes insane, murdering two of the three remaining assassins. The third is killed by a bandit in the street.
Source: Cicero's Journal, part 4

4E 195 Septimus Signus publishes Ruminations on the Elder Scroll

4E 200

Cicero arrives in Skyrim and gains entrance to the Dawnstar Sanctuary.
Source: Cicero's Journal, part 5

4E 201

The Stormcloak rebellion in Skyrim starts. The High King Torygg is killed by Ulfric Stormcloak, the Jarl of Windhelm. Ulfric is disappointed by the result of the Great War and mostly by the White Gold Concordat. His first action is taking over the leadership of Skyrim and secede the province from the Empire. The Empire led by General Tullius tries to quell the Stormcloak rebellion. Shortly  the Jarls of Skyrim chose side and Skyrim is split.

The Dragonborn emerges. Alduin was defeated back in Merethic Era by the Nordic heroes, but they were unable to kill Alduin. Just by using the Elder Scrolls the Nordic heroes managed to delay the devastation upon them. Then Alduin arrives, resurrects the remains of Dragons and starts his vengeance upon the Nords. A former prisoner of the Imperial unwittingly absorbs the soul of a slain Dragon and use the Thu’um. The Graybeards summon him and train him to properly using the Thu’um. The remnants of the Blades help him and direct him to defeat Alduin. In Sovngarde, the Dragonborn eventually slays Alduin.

The Emperor Titus Mede II is assassinated by the Dark Brotherhood in Skyrim. The Dark Brotherhood recovers from devastated situation following the destruction of its sanctuaries throughout Tamriel. A new Listener is chosen by the Night Mother herself but this causes conflict within the guild. The Listener eventually becomes the leader of the guild. In the wake of the new order, the Dark Brotherhood manages to assassinate the Emperor Titus Mede II. It is also believed that a member of the Elder Council arranged the assassination.

The rise of the Thieves Guild in Riften. After some bloody infighting, the new leader of the Thieves Guild led the guild into a prominent position in Riften. The misfortune that hitting the guild for decades is no more and slowly the guild influences spread throughout Skyrim.

The Skeleton Key is once more returned into the Twilight Sepulcher, the mysterious shrine of Nocturnal. The Skeleton Key itself changes hands in countless time and the facts about this artifact are unclear as the nature of Nocturnal herself.

The College of Winterhold uncovers the Eye of Magnus deep inside Saarthal. however, the powerful artifact causes ripple of destruction and chaos in the area. The Psijics Order interferes and eventually the Eye of Magnus is taken into Artaeum for the safety of all.

Jorrvaskr, the mead hall of the Companions, the guild of fighters of Skyrim, is attacked by the Silver Hand. The Companions retaliate and the Silver Hand is wiped out. The event eventually led to the discovery and re-forging of Wuuthrad, the legendary axe of Ysgramor.