4E 157: Letter From Luindil of Cloudrest, Envoy to the Ruby Throne, To An Unidentified Thalmor Official
The following letter, dated to 4E 157, was recently discovered by researchers within the private archive of the Kinhouse of Shimmerene. The recipient of the letter is yet unidentified, but the author, Luindil of Cloudrest, served in various diplomatic roles within the Third Aldmeri Dominion, most importantly as Thalmor Representative to the Mede Empire between 4E 156 and 4E 163. In this position, he oversaw several important negotiations and intelligence operations which made possible the invasion of Cyrodiil and Hammerfell in 4E 171. Students of the build-up to the First War Between the Dominion and Empire will thus find this letter invaluable for its insight into the Dominion's methods and aims. The diplomacy of Luindil and other Dominion representatives had a direct effect on the Empire's unpreparedness for the First War.
The letter also shines a light on the under-explored topic of tensions within the Third Aldmeri Dominion, particularly tensions between the bureaucratic semi-meritocracy of the Thalmor administration and the Great Kinhouses. Notable in Luindil's letter is his criticism of the heir of the High Kinlord of Shimmerene. The presence, therefore, of his private letter within that family's archives may shed some light on Luindil's unfortunate end. Despite his great success in Cyrodiil, Luindil's career was mired in charges of corruption and in 4E 169, he was formally charged with consortium with enemies of the Thalmor. The case was never fully heard out. Luindil died early in 4E 170, allegedly by his own hand. Further research within the Shimmerene archives may illuminate the full circumstances of his downfall.
Written in The One Hundred and Thirty Fifth Year of The Glorious Aldmeri Dominion, Sunhold.
My dear friend and colleague,
Congratulations.
Exiled as I am in the realms of men, it is not often that I may write you fully and without reservation. Thus, I have put aside an hour to write before I take ship for Cyrodiil. These past few weeks of longed-for respite, I had indeed hoped to see you and extend my congratulations in person. Instead, I have been sent hither and thither by my excellent superiors: everywhere it seems but to your door. Yet I cannot rightly complain, since in each place I was able to defend the Council's new decree.
[Editor's Note: Luindil is certainly referring to a Decree of the Thalmor Inner Council issued about a month before this letter was written. The Decree lifted the orders of extermination on about two dozen noted enemies of the Aldmeri Dominion, some of whom held important positions within the Mede Empire. The Decree also instituted a stricter overview of overseas exterminations, and reprimanded overzealous Thalmor agents who had brought the Dominion's reputation into infamy with un-sanctioned killings. Luindil's correspondent, therefore, was either a member of the Inner Council, or more likely, a high-ranking subordinate of one such member, involved in the drafting of the Decree.]
I imagine you are swamped with complaining correspondence from the kin of the Apraxic mer whose names have been removed from the extermination list. I was asked to speak with a number of these families, and it appears to me that most of them only wish to demonstrate to the Thalmor their continued outrage and horror at their Aprax's crimes. I assured them that the Thalmor's memory is long and our will absolute; that none of the Apraxic will evade retribution in the end.
An abridged copy of the Decree, minus the exact list of names, will be in the hands of the Mede Emperor by next month. It should go a great distance in assuaging the fears within their Elder Council.
Since being assigned to Cyrodiil, I have realized that far too many officials of the Dominion are entirely unaware of our policy beyond the Isles themselves, and their actions and statements are more injurious to us than the work of a thousand Blades. A case in point: I spent several unpleasant days in Shimmerene, where I was treated with courteous coldness by the High Kinlord's Heir. (The High Kinlord himself was supposedly in ill health, as he has been for a century.) It will not surprise you that the Kinhouse of Shimmerene has taken the Decree as a personal attack on their honour, forbidding them or their subordinates from any further assassination attempts. I had to bite my tongue during most of these conversations; it was useless to point out to them that their attempts to assassinate a Legion battlemage have only increased Legion opposition to the Dominion. They hold their personal grudges more important than our attempts to establish trust and co-operation from the Imperial authorities.
[Editor's note: Luindil is referring to Curinwe Varo, the half-Breton grand-daughter of the High Kinlord of Shimmerene. Varo, a leader of anti-Thalmor sentiment within the Legion, was one of the names removed from the list of extermination.]
Fortunately, my work in Cyrodiil proceeds as planned. Several people have implied that my job here involves buying supporters for the Dominion. As if it was that easy! The most valuable allies we have here are also the most loyal supporters of the Empire. They want peace and friendship with the Dominion; they do not want to believe the paranoia of our enemies. Measures such as the Decree and our willingness to re-negotiate the borders of the occupied zone are reassuring them of our honest intentions to retreat from past hostilities.
We are, of course, continuing to compile our evidence of Legion officers' dealings with the Blades and other anti-Dominion agitators. I have already selected a Nibenese diplomat by the name of Falco Attius to receive the compilation when the time is right. I've come to know and rely on this man, not because I have bought him but because he does what he thinks is right. Attius is horrified at the idea of Imperial officials secretly working for war with the Dominion, and will do anything to avoid that.
The tide will not wait for me forever, so I close my letter again with congratulations on your success, and my sincerest thanks for reining in the zealots and selfish aristocrats within the Isles. Your support makes my work possible.
Yours in the service of the Glorious Aldmeri Dominion,
Luindil of Cloudrest,
Special Envoy of the Thalmor to the Ruby Throne
Notes:
I wrote this for /r/teslore which has a tradition of these lore-exploring pieces called "Apocrypha." I've been thinking a lot about how the Dominion caught the Empire unawares, and a movement to discredit Dominion opponents within the Empire as paranoid hawks would have been an important part of that. Full discussion of this piece and Thalmor strategy can be found on that subreddit. My name on Reddit is NientedeNada.
If you've read The Bonds of Civility, you'll know that battlemage Curinwe Varo is the paternal grandmother of my Dragonborn, and duped Imperial diplomat Falco Attius is her maternal grandfather. The Heir of the High Kinlord of Shimmerene is Elenwen's father.