Einar

The night air of Skyrim was warm around Eastmarch's hot springs. The clear skies displayed Tamriel's two beautiful moons, the large red Massar and small white Secunda, both showing off lovely crescent shapes. Plenty of animals roamed around these woods making it a good hunting spot so long as the Stormcloaks weren't making too much noise passing by. Einar sought shelter for the night after a long day of hunting that led him far away from his cabin. His muscles showcased a dedication to fighting that fit snug in his hide armor, iron boots and gauntlets. His dirty blonde hair fell to his shoulders, two enrapturing eyes of blue peered forward, always filled with determination, the air around him radiated heroism. He was a true Nord, a race that made up the majority of Skyrim's population. Upon his back were the carcasses of rabbits and a deer slung over and tied. He was out all day collecting any game he could find as the meat sold good near his cabin nestled between the Capital of Eastmarch; Windhelm, and Kynesgrove where the Braidwood Inn was. He was far from the Inn and he wasn't about to try his luck walking that distance at night, Giants were too often seen on these roads and people told stories of a Hagraven that nested in Witchmist Grove. He felt it'd be better to set up camp at a nearby mining settlement called Darkwater Crossing, he could get some rest until sunrise and he knew the people there well.

The Settlement wasn't anything to tell tales about. A bridge connected the place to the only road in and out, one large house sat in front of the mines entrance where the Nordic couple Verner Rock-Chucker and Anekke Crag-Jumper lived. They gave shelter to any of the fellow miners and celebrated for the holidays inside, the residents would mostly sit around the campfire by the river at night. Stormcloaks frequently watched over these parts so it was safe from wild animals and bandits, but that came at the cost of horses trotting and men shouting during the night hours. Einar sat by the campfire which was surrounded by tents of the miners. They greeted him by name and he kindly greeted back while taking off his iron armor pieces before setting up a tent of his own. Einar met eyes with a young woman he didn't recognize, she averted her gaze toward the ground when she realized he was staring at her. She was hunched over and shivering underneath the blanket of her bed roll. She didn't look like a miner-type. Judging by how ragged her clothes were his best guess was that she was a drifter. Einar listened in on the conversation they were having with the woman.

"So you're an adventurer then?" Anekke asked. "You and Einar here may share something in common, he once helped Darkeethus after he decided to go swimming too close to a Falmer infested cave."

"I won't be going up anymore waterfalls again either." The leathery skinned Argonian, Darkeethus, chuckled.

"She's probably more like our daughter; Sylgja." Anekke's husband, Verner said. "You can't just assume every adventurer is out to throw their lives away for just any fool."

"You're probably right." Anekke replied. "Your clothes look really beaten and worn. I can tell they looked pretty at one point. You must have been out here for a while, you look dustier than us miners."

"I'm actually not from Skyrim." The girl finally spoke.

She was a small Imperial probably barely out of her teens, Her eyebrows showed a strong sense of worry that her large silver eyes complimented. Just from looking at her Einar could tell this girl was going through a rough time. She had large bags under her eyes and matted dark brown hair hung in knots over her face. She appeared as though she hadn't seen a bath in ages. It was obvious that the dagger she was carrying was used to cut the length of her hair near her chin. She wore a torn up green dress, and an Amulet of Kynareth, one of the Nine Divines, around her neck. The only true piece of protection she had were a pair of heavily worn leather boots.

"Where do you come from?" Einar asked, finally relaxing himself on his bedroll.

The girl hesitated at first like she had forgotten. "I'm from Cyrodiil." She said.

"You got a name?" Einar asked.

"Tacita." She muttered out, "Tacita Oriana." her grip tightened on her blanket.

"That's a pretty name!" A young Nord girl named Hrefna said.

"And what are you still doing awake, child?" Hrefna's mother, Tormir said.

Hrefna lied back down and pretended to be asleep.

Tormir turned her attention back to Tacita "All that dirt on your face, you look like you haven't taken a days rest since crossing the border."

Tacita didn't respond.

"I don't know how you crossed over the mountains without freezing to death." Einar said. "Only life up there are wolves and wraiths. But either way, Skyrim isn't like Cyrodiil, you'll want to put some iron on at least your arms. The wilds up here are a lot harsher than they are in Cyrodiil, a sabrecat would tear right through that leather."

A rustle in the bushes made Tacita jump, Einar made himself wary of her disposition. Her actions were off putting, especially by the way she responded to questions and her outward nervousness. This girl might be involved in some heavy crime, he thought to himself.

"I'm sure we have some equipment here that we could give you for the road." A Dark Elf named Sondis said.

Sondis trailed on about how dangerous Skyrim could be, Einar noticed Anneke's focus was toward the road. He followed her eyes to see she was watching a group of men garbed in sashes, quilted leather cuirasses and chain mail. While this was a common armor of Hold guards, these men were more than that. They wore blue sashes not solely to represent Windhelm, but also for a rebellious cause that had them dubbed The Stormcloaks. They arrived on horseback with their leader Ulfric Stormcloak, the very man that the Stormcloaks got their names from. He was tall Nord, green eyes, blonde hair, and a neatly kept goatee. His skin was pale from Windhelm's freezing weather conditions. Unlike his blue clad Stormcloak army, Ulfric wore dark neutral colors, fitted with a heavy fur trimmed coat that covered his plated armor, steel bracers, and shin guards. Many would argue he's what every Nord should strive to be but Einar saw him differently.

Ulfric began the Storrmcloak rebellion twenty-five years ago, 4E 176, as a way to fight back against The Thalmor. The Thalmor were mostly made up of High Elves that ruthlessly pushed to rule out one of the most renown of the Nine Divines; Talos. He was said to have been a man named Tiber Septim who in the Second Era became the one who unified Cyrodiil, then Tamriel, and later became a God. The Thalmor saw his lineage as an affront to the original Eight Divines and had taken the initiative in outlawing Talos worship all across Tamriel. Emperor Titus Mede II of Cyrodiil was forced to sign a peace treaty called the White Gold Concordat, which greatly favored The Thalmor. The treaty could have been avoided if The Thalmor didn't take advantage of an attack two hundred years ago in the Third Era dubbed the Oblivion Crisis that spanned across all of Tamriel. Led by the Daedric Prince Mehrunes Dagon, assisted by a now forgotten cult called the Mythic Dawn, Dagon was successfully able enter the mortal realm. He was eventually defeated by Cyrodiil's Champion; Nero Stasius and Martin Septim, who risked his own life. The event not only ended the Septim bloodline as Dagon wanted, but also left Cyrodiil and its army in shambles making them an easy target throughout the years.

During the Great War with the Thalmor, The Emperor was left with the choice to surrender, or have his Kingdom felled. This so called peace treaty allowed The Thalmor to push their anti-Talos laws across all of Tamriel. This enabled the massacres of organizations such as The Blades that used to protect the Septim Bloodline of Emperors. Ulfric's cause was noble, but his past deeds and practices were highly questionable, especially when it came to races outside of the Nords. A Hold Jarl's arrival would be welcoming, however Skyrim was in the midst of a civil war, the Stormcloaks and the Imperial Army which were sent to Skyrim to back up The Thalmor and put an end to the rebellion. To see Ulfric here so far from Windhelm didn't sit well with Einar. He slipped back on his iron in response to the tightness in his chest.

"What's going on?" Tacita asked.

Einar got up and called out to them. "Is everything alright Jarl Ulfric?"

Ulfric put up his hand to stop his men "We seek shelter, nothing more." He answered.

"We don't have room for all of your men here, my Jarl." Verner objected as kindly as he could.

"We don't plan to stay for long, we only need rest for a moment." Ulfric removed himself from his horse and his men followed.

When the last man touched the dirt the quiet camp changed in tone to the eruption of heavy footsteps. It was an imperial ambush, they came from behind the bushes, the trees, and the rocks. The imperials weren't wearing their bulky plate armor this night, only studded leather. The stormcloaks all readied their weapons. Anekke led the miners inside her house. Einar stood up, and though he didn't agree with the carnage that came with a civil war, he believed in the God Talos and protecting his home. He drew his blade, then chaos erupted to the sound of hammers hitting flesh, swords clashing, and shouting that filled the once peaceful night.

Einar was able to hold his own with just his steel blade, but the Stormcloaks weren't fairing well against the imperials. The ambush quickly turned into a bloodbath. It had never been this hard for a group of Imperials to be taken down, Cyrodiil wasn't sending their best warriors in, which was their way of rebelling against The Thalmor. This group was different, better trained, better tactics, they were overpowering the Stormcloaks. If the fight kept up, everyone would find their end.

"Enough!" Ulfric shouted out causing both sides to stop fighting. "If you want us, we will come. Only a fool would continue to fight a losing battle."

Horses and carriages came circling around the camp after Ulfric called his surrender. Just how many imperials were here? Einar wondered. The imperials started to bind those on the field, even Tacita, who was only cowering away from the fighting, was put in custody. A war hardened man slowly trotted through the soldiers surrounding the camp and got off his horse before calmly walking up to Ulfric who was now bound and gagged. He wore eccentric leather armor baring the Imperial Insignia of a dragon, his stern face and short grey hair fit him well.

"Do you know who I am?" He asked staring face to face with Ulfric.

Ulfric had no response.

"I'm General Tullius. I've been sent by Emperor Titus Mede II to quell the rebellion here."

Several more Imperials came out of the woods.

"We found these two sneaking around the camp." One of them said. "Can't tell if they're Stormcloaks or thieves, sir."

They'd captured a Khajiit with white fur, and a woman wearing a mask.

"Tie them up and throw them into a carriage too." General Tullius said.

"What about the people in the house, sir?" An imperial asked.

"We'll leave them for The Thalmor." General Tullius replied. "We've got no more time to waste. Knock em out and let's get moving, I don't want any of them resisting their fates."

He hopped onto his horse and trotted away. The Imperials began using the force General Tullius commanded.. Stormcloaks began dropping faster than Einar could think, his face met the blunt end of a sword.