Middas, 17th of Sun's Dawn, 4E 01 8:00am

I leaned against the support in the guard tower, looking out over Cyrodiil. Cloud Ruler Temple had one of the best views; you could look all the way to the Imperial City, although you could see the White-Gold Tower from almost anywhere in Cyrodiil.

Sighing, I gazed out, wondering what would happen to things now that Martin Septim was dead, consumed by Akatosh when he let himself become the god's avatar to beat Mehrune Dagon to Oblivion – literally. The main good thing about that was that there were no more gates opening to let Daedra pillage in the mortal word anymore. Only reason the town of Bruma wasn't smoking as he looked out was because of Jarow, current Grandmaster of the Blades, leader of the Fighter's Guild, Hero of Kvatch, and one of my best friends.

Jarow was a skinny little Bosmer, but he was stronger than he looked. Despite his small size, he carried a shiny, black longsword made of a strange dark metal that he called "Umbra". The sword looked cursed, almost threatening. His armor couldn't be more fitting to his sword: it was just as black and haunted-looking. It was a set of Ebony armor with intricate designs all over it with a matching shield.

Jarow closed a Gate that had opened outside the town, possibly saving it and in the process, teaching the Bruma Guard how to close it if another opened. A bit later, what Jarrow called a "Great Gate" Opened in a field near Bruma, but this was helpful to whatever Jarow and Martin Septim were doing. I was never told the actual details of what happened, as I was assigned patrol duty here at the Temple, but from what I'd heard, a horde of Daedra flooded out of the Gate to be met with a small army. All I know is that we were successful in whatever those two were doing.

"You know being up this early in the morning rots your brain," Jarow yawned, making me jump out of my skin. Despite his heavy, clunky armor, Jarow was the sneakiest person in Cyrodiil. He could walk up behind you, cut off your ear, and walk away and you would be none the wiser. He chuckled as I put my hand on my chest, trying to regain my breath.

"Talos damn it, Jarow! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" I yelled once I'd gotten my breathing under control.

"Oh, don't be a wuss. You'll be fine. Now come on, I heard of a vampire den southeast of Bruma, a place called Gutted Mine. Sounds fun," Jarow said, delight in his eyes.

"Who told you about this place?" I asked. He was far too eager for this; something was pushing him to clear the place out.

"Oh… Um…" He fumbled, "A… A friend… Yeah, a friend told me about it, said they'd been attacking travelers." He smiled up at me, hope in his eyes that I'd buy it. I didn't, but I knew that if I didn't help him, he'd go on his own and taking down a vampire den wasn't easy.

"Oh, alright," I agreed, "But I'm on lookout duty until noon. You're going to have to wait, Grandmaster," I finished, putting emphasis on the last word to remind him of his duties.

"Don't you talk to me with that tone," He said defensively, glaring up at me. "I know my job, and I'm glad you know yours. Just because I want to do this doesn't mean I'm going to ignore everything else that needs my attention. I'll see you at the front gate a bit after noon. Bring your sharpest katana and your best gear; don't want you turning into a vampire, huh?" He said, laughing.

As I watched his back I thought, "Maybe being a vampire would be cool… Nah, I couldn't harm an innocent person for my own personal needs. Still… To be able to sneak around like Jarow and raise the dead, it sounds like- No. Put those thoughts out of your head, Kasuld. You do NOT need to be thinking about this before you head into a vampire den."

Sighing, I looked back out toward the Imperial City, determined to stay awake. Maybe Jarow was right about that brain thing…

AN: Hello! I am your writer, at your service and this is my story. I know that on the summary, it says it takes place in Skyrim, and it does. For the most part. Right now, it, the Prologue, shall take place in Oblivion, after the Crisis was over, although that's kind of obvious. Anyways, I just wanted to say that just in case anything was misunderstood. Now good night, my fare peoples, for I must continue with my work!
~BUD (Blades Until Delphine)