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Three Banners War

Plea for Open Eyes

Author: 
The Unveiled Azadiyeh

Tall Papa, whose fingers brush the scattered stars, whose shadow stretches beyond horizons seen and unseen, whose authority commands the spirits of the last world and the next, have mercy on your children. It pains my soul to see my brothers and sisters clutched in the coils of the snake. They flee your blessed teachings, spitting on the face of the shame they should feel and driving their rusted blades into the heart of our traditions. They have been fooled and tempted by the fat life of emperors, and here I lay bare the transgressions upon the Old Ways. O Ruptga, I pray they should realize the hideous visage of these sins and repent, eyes open and seeing.

We know the truth, for it has been told. "Honor your ancestors. He who permits their words and deeds to languish breaks his own blade and casts it to the burning wind." Yet in Sentinel, musical words in Yoku do not echo through palace halls. The tales are of foreign heroes, spoken in harsh tongues. The words of our fathers' fathers cry out for sweet water, but the legends they once carried crumble to dust. If we do not tend to them, we know that a new Ending Time, worse again than those before, draws near.

We know the truth, for it has been told. "No pity or mercy shall be afforded the wretch who stands against the Warrior Wave." Yet our brothers and sisters meekly accept the Pariah Folk as equals and allies, polluting our honor with their mud-covered feet and staining our annals for all time. If it hurts one loyal songbird such as I to see this arrangement permitted, then how it must bring stinging tears to Tava's eyes and inflame Diagna's very sword-arm with the Crimson Rash of Betrayal!

We know the truth, for it has been told. "Give your obedience to none save the gods of Yokuda. The Far Shores recede from he who leans upon thin-blooded shoulders, scornful of his feeble grasp." Yet a mild king of green lands commands our children. He sends them to die in his quest to claim White-Gold. He will step upon their strong backs to ascend. His gods' fingers reach into our heart, and Morwha shakes her head.

Read this, O brothers and sisters. You have turned your left side to duty and closed your eyes to the searing sun. Your honor blackens as the memory of Yokuda-now-sunken fades. All is not yet lost. Take up the sword strengthened by our ancestors' ways, forged in the fires of righteousness and keen with true honor. Renounce these misguided New Movements and return to your family, who will accept you despite your misdeeds. Return while you still may.

Folly of the Northmen

Author: 
Anonymous

Men of High Rock and Hammerfell: would you marry a red-eyed devil of the Ashlands or a scaly lizard out of Black Marsh? Of course not! Then how are we to account for our brothers the Nords lying down with the Dark Elves and Argonians?

Only foul magic from Morrowind can explain it. By forming the Ebonheart Pact, the Tribunal of the Dunmer is taking advantage of the chaos in Cyrodiil to attempt an extension of their rule to the rest of Tamriel. These so-called "Living Gods" of the Tribunal are no more than imitation Daedric Princes who have derived their power from dangerous and forbidden sources. The Pact cannot be allowed to conquer Cyrodiil and the Imperial City: at a time when all Nirn is threatened by Daedric corruption, trading one cabal of Daedra-worshipers for another is just a different road to destruction.

Tamriel's history tells us that the Dark Elves are uncanny and not to be trusted. Their allies the Argonians are alien and unknowable, and we dare not submit to their inhumanoid vagaries. As for our brothers the Nords, perhaps it was their long and bloody civil war that drove their Eastern Kingdom to join such an unnatural alliance. The Northmen are unwise, but they can still depend on the Daggerfall Covenant. It's our duty as the heirs to the Empires of Men to break apart the Ebonheart Pact and free the Eastern Nords from their Dark Elven masters.

On Our Enemies

Author: 
Anonymous

The peoples of the Daggerfall Covenant are a strong and diverse group. It is our differences that help us be strong. We complement each other. This is not true of the other races of Tamriel.

The Elves

The High Elves who rule over the "lesser" races in the Aldmeri Dominion are without a doubt the most arrogant of the Elf races, which is saying quite a bit. High Elves believe that they are the direct descendants of the Aedra! They rule over the Wood Elves and Khajiit while giving them token positions within the ruling hierarchy to keep them content. Rumors of harsh punishments for disobedience cannot be confirmed as any dissidents quickly disappear.

The Wood Elves are a barbaric people who are willing to submit to High Elf rule as long as their practices of cannibalism are allowed to continue. They eat their enemies and even one another. They worship the trees of Valenwood, refusing to cut them down or harm the animals that live there. Who does things like that?

The Dark Elves of Morrowind are almost as bad as the High Elves. The Tribunal rulers of the Dark Elves have convinced their people that they are "Living Gods" possessing great powers and immortality. These old wizards openly imitate what was called the "Good Daedra" as part of their Dark Elf ancestral worship.

The Beast Races

The Khajiit are the "cat-people" of Elsweyr. Many rumors exist about the Khajiit, and they are certainly all true. The Khajiit are a society of thieves and addicts. Most spend their time consuming vast quantities of the addictive substance distilled from moon sugar. Thievery is second nature to these cats, as stealing often supports their addictions.

Argonians are the "lizard folk" of the Black Marsh. Little is known about their culture save for a few rumors and lots of hearsay. It is known that they believe they originate from the trees that grow in Black Marsh. The environment of the marsh has given the Argonians a resistance to the toxic substances found there. The society of Black Marsh is primitive by the standards of the other races.

Humans

The Nords are the hardened folk of the north. Hailing from Skyrim, these brutes live for war and conquest. When not fighting others, the Nords fight among themselves. The Nords are not a very bright people. It seems that the thin air in Skyrim has led to a stunting of the mental capacity of the Nords.

The Cyrodiils are a cunning and ruthless people. The central location of Cyrodiil has given them contact with all the races of Tamriel and made them fine traders and diplomats. It has also made them very shrewd with silver tongues and cheating ways. They have a sense of entitlement to rule. Of all the enemies of the Daggerfall Covenant, it is the people of Cyrodiil that are the most dangerous.

Kurog's Betrayal

Author: 
Anonymous

You've heard grand claims. Orsinium reborn. The Elf-loving Bretons our friends, the traitor Redguards our allies.

We are welcome, they claim. We are needed, they claim. All lies.

Kurog the False Chief would tell you the Daggerfall Covenant is our future. Kurog, the sellsword who abandoned his tribe, who shed blood for Elves and gold as his people languished and starved. This toothless runt would have us in chains, fighting for the Bretons and Redguards who slaughtered us.

Have you forgotten our brothers and sisters at Orsinium? Have you forgotten who launched their crusade to crush "the Pig Children"?

The same Bretons and Redguards who now pretend friendship sought to wipe us from the face of Tamriel. Now, with our fields salted and our homes burned, the cowards and liars offer to return the land they stole.

Shall we make peace with our enemies? Shall we thank them for returning what they stole from us through foul magic and treachery?

Look past Kurog's silken words. Look to his cowardly deeds, and to the ancestors who gave their lives to keep us free. This Daggerfall Covenant is a chain around our necks.

They wish to make us their dogs. Remind them that we are Orcs! We will never bow before their so-called "High King"!

Down with Kurog the False Chief!

Down with Emeric the Enslaver!

Eagle Hunter: Against the Dominion

Author: 
Anonymous

The Dominion is ruled by the Altmer and their vassal slaves. Pay heed to their weakness and cowardice: they employ a combination of subterfuge, magic, and dirty tricks that can trip up a stout-hearted, honorable soldier such as yourself.

The cowardly Wood Elves are best noted for their unwillingness to engage in a face-to-face attack; a Bosmer will strike at you from every side except the front. You won't cross swords with a Bosmer, but you might catch an arrow in the throat. Be wary in forests and jungles, and watch your back.

Khajiit may look cuddly, but they are no laughing matter in a fight. Don't expect duels to end if you can disarm them. They possess razor-sharp claws that can puncture light and leather armors. And it's said that their tails can be used as crude third hands, wielding daggers and throwing knives with deadly accuracy.

Then there are the High Elves themselves. Although the haughty Altmer are often undone by their own arrogance, in a fight their considerable reach can pose a problem. Close the gap between you and your target. Make their height a liability. Strike low and bring them to the ground.

With a little study, a stout-hearted Covenant soldier such as yourself will be able to easily cleave through dozens of pathetic Dominion conscripts!

Breaking the Cycle of Tyranny

Author: 
Alla Llaleth

The brash young kingdoms of the Covenant want to reestablish the Empire of Men. They are too callow and immature to realize that the Empire was a failed experiment whose time has passed. Now is a time of crisis for all of Nirn, and Tamriel cannot afford to have these unlearned barbarians destabilizing Cyrodiil and jeopardizing our efforts to stave off world-destroying doom.

The Ebonheart Pact will not allow the Daggerfall Covenant to establish another bloody-handed dynasty of Imperial tyrants. Time and again throughout history, armies of men have marched in from the rim of Tamriel to conquer its center, enjoying a brief moment of power before sliding into inevitable discord and decay. It's time to break this destructive cycle once and for all. We need to defeat the armies of the Covenant, depose their kings, and bring their chastened successors into a new Tamriel Pact, where wiser heads shall prevail.

An Unusual Alliance

Author: 
Aicantar of Shimmerene, Sapiarch of Indoctrination

Three allies whose people rarely agree on anything. Three races as diverse as any within the world. Three states at war for their very lives, but unable to reconcile their differences in moments of piece. More than allies, but less than friends.

And that must change.

Our Dominion is beset on many sides. The Ebonheart Pact and the Daggerfall Covenant attack us from the outside, but we have other enemies more deadly and more dangerous to our alliance than those external foes.

If our wartime bonds are to remain strong, we must forge relationships and alliances in peace. Our Bosmeri hunters must provide food for our civilians as well as our soldiers. Our Khajiiti traders must provide goods as well as weapons. And our Altmeri wizards must spend their magicka wisely to win the peace as well as the war.

Our first step is to join together in celebration as one of our alliance members, the Bosmer, renews their divine pact with a joining between their two spiritual leaders, the Silvenar and the Green Lady. Let all members of the Aldmeri Dominion recognize this wedding and participate in the revels that follow.

Our best wishes to the Silvenar, the Green Lady, and the Bosmeri people. May this new generation know a strength in peace as well as war.

Guide to the Ebonheart Pact

Author: 
Anonymous

The Ebonheart Pact has forged an unlikely alliance between the far-flung nations of Morrowind, Skyrim, and Black Marsh, bringing together the Dark Elves, Nords, and free Argonians for their mutual defense. Thanks to the size of its allied nations and the distances involved, the Pact remains relatively free of inner strife and discord. The Nords and Dark Elves have so much of their own territory to deal with that they have little time to spare for meddling in each other's affairs.

The Ebonheart Pact came about in 2E 572 in response to the Second Akaviri Invasion of northern Tamriel. The Nords, Dark Elves, and free Argonians joined forces to save the rest of Tamriel from slaughter and subjugation. Forged in war, the alliance brought a sudden new power to the continent. At first, few believed the Dark Elves would be able to maintain an alliance with their ancient blood enemies and former slaves, but after a troubled decade, the Pact remains strong and intact.

A Great Moot governs the Pact. This council of equals from each of the member races is not only known for hot tempers and loud voices, but also for mutual respect and an amazing will to hold the Pact together against all odds. Only as equals can the allies hope to mollify the pride of the Nords and the Dark Elves while addressing the injuries suffered by the once-enslaved Argonians.

Serving as an integral, perhaps even critical, part of the alliance, the Dark Elves of Morrowind are aloof, proud, and profoundly strange. They work hard to conceal their disdain for their "inferior" allies, but the current crisis requires the strong arms of Nords and wily resourcefulness of Argonians to keep rival alliances at bay. Wizardly craft and a deep well of experience serve the Dark Elves well, providing the Pact with the vital ability to react and adapt—something neither the Aldmeri Dominion nor the Daggerfall Covenant can claim to do as well. The Pact fields superior warriors and sorcerers. And they possess an asset that no other race can match. Three living gods—Almalexia, Vivec, and Sotha Sil—abide among them.

The Nords of Eastern Skyrim are fearless and aggressive, industrious and enterprising. They excel at war and prosper in trade, and they are without equal as explorers and trailblazers. Strong, stubborn, and hardy, they customarily solve problems through combat. Nords cheerfully rush into battle with a ferocity that frightens and appalls their enemies. They accept and even revel in their role as shock troops for the Ebonheart Pact. Nords are direct, not subtle: they champion simple solutions in the meetings of the Great Moot, though they are often outvoted by shrewd Argonians and sagacious Dark Elves. On the field of battle, however, they have no equals. Pact generals tend to be Nords, as are most of the soldiers in the field. The Nords don't mind. This means they also get first choice of the spoils of war.

By their decisive intervention against the Akaviri, the Argonians of Black Marsh won their freedom from Dark Elf enslavement, and the lessons they learned have made them a valuable member of the Pact. Reserved and alien, their expressionless faces and flat intonations make it difficult for other races to interpret their true motives. Nevertheless, the Argonians possess a cool intelligence. Slow to trust and hard to know, their natural agility makes them as comfortable employing magic as they are using stealth and steel. Years of defending their borders have made them experts in waging war against stronger, more traditionally organized armies. Equally at home on land or in water, they serve as scouts and skirmishers for Pact forces. Other aspects of Argonian culture are nearly incomprehensible to outsiders, including their social hierarchy and collective decision making. Their representatives present strange proposals without explanation, but their allies have learned that there's always a reason for everything they do.

Today, the young Jorunn the Skald King serves as the acting High King of the Moot, but not all in the alliance support him. As the members of the Pact struggle to maintain and solidify their alliance, they must also deal with internal threats to each of their nations. Unsolved, these threats could destroy them before they ever face the Dominion or Covenant in open battle.

Unexpected Allies

Author: 
Anonymous

When I was a lad, I stood at the eastern edge of Skyrim and looked upon Morrowind. From Stendarr's Beacon, I could see the Red Mountain of Vvardenfell, but I never ventured there. Like many Nords, I was content to leave foreign lands to the foreigners.

A scant ten years ago in 2E 572, my father took a different path. He fought with our Dunmeri allies to repel the Second Akaviri invasion. As a soldier of Skyrim, he was there when the Nords pursued the invaders into Stonefalls. He told me of an army on the brink of ruin, marching ever further into foreign territory, hungry and nearly broken, until the Dunmer brought in Argonian troops to aid the Nords.

No one expected this. I still cannot believe it. The Dunmer once held the Argonians as slaves, yet on that day, the Argonians' arrival changed the course of history. From the jungles they came, adorned with blood and mud. Akaviri fell beneath their claws, as well as the swords and spells of their Nord and Dunmeri allies. An alliance was forged that day and has never faltered since.

Agreements were signed in Ebonheart, but these were formalities compared to the ties made on the battlefield. Our alliance was forged in the fires of adversity, a shield to protect us from all invaders. Our cultures differ but our aims bind us.

A few years ago, the Dunmeri Tribunal called for more troops from our alliance, insisting that we take up arms against a new enemy: an Empire growing in Cyrodiil. Our enemies in the Covenant and Dominion also sent troops to liberate this territory.

And now? War rages across Tamriel. Khajiit and Bosmer war against Dunmer and Argonians. Altmer strike against Skyrim. And from High Rock, the Daggerfall Covenant attacks us all.

In the midst of such chaos, what choice do we have? Our alliance with the Dunmer and Argonians has stood for a decade. I have fought beside our allies in battle. And when I return home, I tell my children proud tales of victory over our foes, fighting with Dunmer and Argonians beside me.

The Pact never ceases to surprise me. I have spoken at great length with Argonian mystics, marveling at their view of the world. I have walked into the caves of Dunmeri priests, staring at shadows as they tell me tales of their gods.

And someday, we will walk together into the heart of Cyrodiil—Dunmer, Argonians, and Nords. We will triumph under the banner of our Pact, steadfast allies who can never be defeated.

The Green Pact and the Dominion

Author: 
Anonymous

Just like trees grow toward the sun and you can hear different birds singing when the moons are out than when they are not, every Wood Elf born in Valenwood (and indeed, nearly every one born outside of it), knows of the Green Pact.

The Green Pact is the agreement between the Wood Elves and Y'ffre that has guided our existence from the beginning of the great story.

Its rules are clear. Do not harm the forest. Do not eat anything made from plant life. Eat only meat. When you conquer your enemies, eat their flesh. Do not leave them to rot. Do not kill wastefully. Do not take on the shape of beasts. You are Wood Elves. Your form is sacred.

This is the Green Pact. In exchange for keeping to this Pact, the forest, which we call the Green, has provided us with ample food and shelter. Y'ffre has given us the limited gift to ask the forest to shape itself to our needs. We have been amply blessed.

But now, we find ourselves in a new situation. Our new allies—the High Elves and the Khajiit—do not hold to the Green Pact. They live in houses made of thatch and timber. They eat all manner of fruits and berries and drink wine made from grapes. They find the devouring of one's enemies barbaric.

How are the Wood Elves of Valenwood to accommodate these new allies, while keeping to the Green Pact? It is a question that perplexes many Wood Elves today, especially in the newly-erected city of Marbruk. In the past, we have fought wars over lesser defilement of the Green.

At the same time, we recognize that at the time of the Dominion's founding, the Green Lady and the Silvenar spoke on behalf of the Wood Elves and the Green Pact. We remember that we have a powerful mouthpiece in the Thalmor, Woodhearth's own Treethane Fariel.

These are the leaders we should look to in this uncertain time. They have shown us through their actions an example which we can all follow. We must welcome these allies with true Wood Elf hospitality. We must not pick fights with them. We must try not to steal from them (many of them do not appreciate the rite of theft, but that is a subject for another essay). But at the same time, we should not shy away from speaking out in our own interests, and in that of the Green.

Because of Treethane Fariel's powerful voice, much of the timber and all of the thatch for Marbruk was brought into Valenwood from other parts. For many the fact that so many trees had to be felled to clear space for the city is unforgiveable, but Fariel saw that accommodating our allies is the first step to a strong defense of Valenwood against those who would surely destroy it.

Queen Ayrenn's willingness to listen is a sign of her wisdom and respect for the Wood Elf people. We should repay her by being willing to trust her leadership.