-Prologue- Dossiers-

Elenwen, First Emissary and Thalmor Ambassador to Skyrim, looked up from where she was reading the latest report on the Civil War as a Justiciar walked into her office.

"Yes, what is it, Justiciar?" she asked impatiently.

"My lady, our scouts have finally sent us their observations of the Ebon Knights," the High Elf replied, placing several thin books in front of his superior.

Nodding, Elenwen reached for the book on the top of the pile and opened it.

"'Observations of the Ebon Knights'," she read aloud, gesturing for the Justiciar to take a seat as she did so. "'As requested by First Emissary Elenwen, the faction known as the 'Ebon Knights' has been closely watched from afar by several agents.'"

"'At first glance this faction appears to be nothing more than an average, run of the mill guild in the vein of the Cyrodillic Fighter's Guild or Skyrim's Companions. However, to a more practiced eye, it becomes clear that they are anything but.

Their members, individually, are all extremely capable fighters and mages. A single Ebon Knight has been known to clear out entire dungeons or fight off large groups of foes with little to no assistance from outside sources. Indeed, it appears that the way the Ebon Knights operate is by sending a single member to deal with whatever request comes their way at any given time. Instances where several Ebon Knights are dispatched for a single request are few and far between.

As a group the Ebon Knights appear to function as a family, with all of the pros and cons that entails. They are prone to arguments that resolve themselves usually in a drinking match wherein those involved get disgustingly drunk before passing out. The next day all differences are forgiven.

When not participating in such barbaric behaviour, they either train together or by themselves or can be found in Windhelm, the mountains near to that city being where Ebongate Hall, their base of operations, is located. Once inside the city, our agents have managed to observe several of their members frequenting the Palace of the Kings or at Candlehearth Hall, the local inn.

It should be noted that while the Ebon Knights visit Windhelm often, they are not in any way affiliated with the Stormcloak rebels. However, their grandmaster is a known ally and close friend of Ulfric Stormcloak so their neutrality on the war may change if the situation is handled carelessly.

Equipment wise, each Ebon Knight wears either a heavy set of ebony armour or a light set that seems to be unique to their order though some members have their own custom attire. Their weaponry, on the other hand, certainly varies from each individual, giving them a variety of tactics which should be taken into account in any future engagements.

To conclude primary opinions on the Ebon Knights as a whole, they should be dealt with carefully when the time comes, though when it does they will fall before the might of the Thalmor, as all who stand in our way eventually do. Please read the accompanying dossiers on their individual members for a more in depth analysis on this potential threat.'"

Coming to the end of the report, Elenwen put to one side and reached for the next book on the pile. Flipping it open, she began to read

"'Sun-Scales, Argonian Male, approximately forty-nine years of age.

Description: tall for an Argonian, almost two metres in height, with three horns growing from his head and dark blue eyes. His most distinctive feature is the golden colouring of his scales, which may be where he derives his name from.

This individual is reportedly the second-in-command to the Ebon Knights' grandmaster. He is known for using a greatsword that appears to be enchanted to protect its wielder from fire, frost and shock spells. Sun-Scales has been observed to weather the breath attacks of two dragons at once.

This Argonian savage has also been seen to use simple healing spells, though his magical abilities appear to be limited only to casting them on himself. Threat level- Medium.

"Interesting…" Elenwen mused as she put down Sun-Scales dossier. "That weapon could be useful if we can obtain it."

"As you say, my lady," the Justiciar nodded, though Elenwen ignored him.

The next dossier that Elenwen read was about an Orc.

"'Gha'Marak, Orsimer Male, approximately fifty years of age.

Description: Just over two metres, with dark green skin that is natural for his race. His left tusk is chipped and he has a scar over his left eye, which he usually wears an eyepatch over. Has a light red colouring to his eyes.

Like all those of his kind, this Orc is large, brutish and displays a simplistic view on combat: hit things until it dies. Due to this, he is considered highly volatile and it is only added upon by the fact that Gha'Marak wields the daedric artefact Volendrung. He should be approached with extreme caution. Threat level- High.'"

"A daedric artefact…' Elenwen hissed with distaste. "Well, when we are finally ordered to eliminate them he will have to be dealt with as soon as possible, perhaps even before then."

"I could have some of my Justiciars ambush the barbarian when he goes to fulfil a request, my lady?" the Justiciar offered.

His superior considered his words for a moment before shaking her head. "No, for now we shall merely watch him carefully."

With that, Elenwen placed Gha'Marak's dossier on top of Sun-Scales and reached for the next one.

"'Astrid Raven-Watcher, Nord Female, approximately in her early twenties (physically).

Description: Average height, raven black hair, pale skin and can usually be seen wearing a hood over her head as well as her dragon priest mask. Interestingly, though she is a vampire she does not share their particular eye colouring (that being the tell-tale glowing orange or red). Instead, her eyes look much like a regular human's, though are a deep golden. This may be attributed to her unique nature. Seems to have passed down this unique eye colouring to Ayrenn, which is to be expected, though the traitor queen's do not have the faint glow to them that Astrid's seem to have.

This individual's physical age may be that of a young woman's, but it is a farce: her actual age is unknown due to the fact that she is actually a vampire. Not only that, but she is well-known vampire of legend.

This abomination is the very vampire who is mentioned several times in own cultural history as the lover of Queen Ayrenn Arana Aldmeri, the ruler of the Aldmeri Dominion during the time of the Planemeld Crisis of the Second Era. It should be noted that, at some point, Astrid turned Ayrenn into a vampire as well and the pair have since been appearing at random intervals during history and are both current members of the Ebon Knights. Why they have chosen to join the order is a mystery.

To delve further into Astrid's history, it should be noted that she is reportedly not a Nord, but a Nede, and that she is the result of the union between Lamae Bal and the Daedric Prince Molag Bal after the former was turned into a vampire by the latter through unsavoury means. If this is to be believed then Astrid Raven-Watcher, by these merits alone, is an incredibly ancient and powerful individual and should be handled with the utmost of caution, especially if her lover is nearby which she almost always is.

Even if these claims prove to be false Astrid Raven-Watcher (or Astrid Bal as the case may be), is an extremely powerful sorcerer, certainly on par with the strongest members of the Thalmor. Astrid has been known to utilize spells long lost to even our own members and some that are unique to her.

She is also reputedly a former dragon priest, during the times when men worshipped dragons, but left that order for unknown reasons. This has been confirmed since she can sometimes be seen to wear the aforementioned mask that is similar to the masks of the dragon priests we have been attempting to collect but is clearly not one of the known masks.

As a vampire, one would think that Astrid shares their weakness to the sun, but due to her heritage as (possibly) the only vampire in existence to have been naturally born from a union involving a Daedric Prince, she appears to be completely unaffected by the sun's effects on vampires. Indeed, she was once observed sun-bathing alongside former queen Ayrenn, who seems to share this trait having been turned by Astrid personally.

In short, Astrid Raven-Watcher must be dealt with as soon as possible and with as many Justiciars that can be deployed. As powerful as she is, not even the spawn of a Daedric Prince can hope to survive the combined might of the Thalmor. Threat level- Extremely High.'"

Elenwen let out a growl. "So, that abomination still lives? I was hoping that rumours she was still alive were false."

"At least this means that we will have the honour of slaying two of the most shameful parts of our history, my lady,' the Justiciar pointed out, a smirk briefly appearing on his face as the thought of the prospect. "Personally, I look forward to hearing that abomination scream as we kill the traitor queen in front of her!"

"True; our ancestors will look favourably upon us should we succeed in that endeavour," Elenwen nodded in agreement. "Now, let's see who's next…ah, of course, the traitor queen herself…"

"'Ayrenn Arana Aldmeri, Altmer Female, approximately one thousand plus years of age. Has a small tattoo of an eagle on her neck, likely from when she was the ruler of the Second Aldmeri Dominion.

Description: Average height (for an Altmer), pure white hair, pale skin and golden coloured eyes.

The former queen of the Second Aldmeri Dominion, she and her abomination lover Astrid Raven-Watcher have appeared from time to time throughout history, usually as mere observers but on occasion interfering personally.

As a vampire created by Astrid Raven-Watcher, Ayrenn shares the same sun immunity as her lover. While not as powerful as her creator, she is still amongst the more powerful members of the Ebon Knights.

She still retains her combat skills from before she was a vampire, now augmented by her many centuries of experience since becoming one of those abominations. Ayrenn is also a very capable sorcerer, assumedly being trained by Astrid herself over the years. Due to this, she should be treated with as much caution as her lover. Threat level- Extremely High.'"

Elenwen shook her head in disgust, not bothering to comment on Ayrenn's dossier as she threw it aside and opened the next one.

"'Xerina Stormcaller, Altmer Female, approximately two hundred and ten years old.

Description: Average height (for an Altmer), dark red hair, light blue eyes and honey gold skin. One of our scouts caught a glimpse of a red dragon tattoo when she was bathing in a stream close to Ebongate Hall that starts above her cleavage and curls around her body where the tip of the tail ends just above her private areas. The tattoo, according to the scout, seems to glow slightly when light shines on it at a certain angle, though he may have been…mistaken due to the fact that he had seen it when Xerina was at the time drenched in water.

As her name suggests, this traitor to our race specialises in storm magic and is extremely competent with it. Not only that, but she is also a member of the Psijic Order and may be the only member of that order that remains in Skyrim, although the Psijics may be up to something considering the reports from Justiciar Ancano. Due to this, her capture is considered a top priority since she may be able to shed some light on her order's disappearance and recent reappearance. Threat level- High.'"

"I seem to recall a Xerina Stormcaller being mentioned a few years ago," Elenwen frowned as she lowered the dossier.

"Yes; she is the one that the High King of Alinor reputedly had an affair with, which subsequently led to her banishment when the truth came out," the Justiciar replied. "However, there has recently been rumours that the High King wants her to return to his side now that his previous wife has passed."

"From advisor to the king, to banished lover and now to potential new queen…certainly an interesting proposition for a traitor!" Elenwen remarked distastefully. "Perhaps we will be able to deal with her without raising the king's suspicions." She laughed. "Not that it would matter if he did, but he could become a rebellious puppet if he discovered the Thalmor were the ones to eliminate his precious hussy."

The Justiciar nodded as his superior picked up another dossier.

"'Duran Ashfallen, Dunmer male, approximately one hundred and forty-eight years old.

Description: Average height, ash coloured skin and red eyes like most of his race and black hair. Has a small scar on the back of his left hand.

This Ebon Knight came to our attention when it was discovered that he is also a werewolf. A scout observed him transforming brazenly during the daytime simply to train with his fellow Ebon Knights, so it must be assumed that it is a well-known fact that he is one of those abominations. Certainly, Ulfric Stormcloak is aware of this, since he was seen speaking to Thorgrimm Headhunter, their Grandmaster, even when the dark elf was transformed. It seems that the rebel leader's hatred of all elves does not extend to those that are a member of the Ebon Knights, even if they be vampire or werewolf. It shows the amount of trust that the Stormcloak has for them and should be exploited in some way if possible. Threat level: high.'"

"So, Ulfric Stormcloak is aware of the abominations that are almost on his doorstep, is he?" Elenwen muttered. "Yes, we can most certainly use that to our advantage, perhaps to drive a wedge between Ulfrik and his people." She grinned at the Justiciar. "I doubt his people would be very happy if they found out, eh?"

"Indeed, my lady; they might even execute Ulfric if we're lucky!" the Justiciar chuckled.

"But we should not act on this information immediately," Elenwen pointed out. "Our orders are to simply observe the Ebon Knights for now. Speaking of…" The First Emissary reached for another dossier as she spoke.

"'Fyrayus the Wanderer, Nord Male, approximately in his early twenties.

Description: Average height, tanned skin, light green eyes. Wears a small red silk ribbon around his left wrist, the purpose of which is unknown.

One of the younger members of the Ebon Knights, this Nord gained the title 'Wanderer' due to his love for in the wilds of Skyrim, often being away from Ebongate Hall for extended periods of time, sometimes even venturing outside the borders of Skyrim. Fyrayus has been tracked as far as Black Marsh and, suspiciously, Alinor itself. His reasons for travelling to Alinor are currently unknown, though it is entirely possible that he may have been ordered to spy on the Aldmeri Dominion and Thalmor. Should this be the case he is one Ebon Knight who we may be able to capture and interrogate without causing undue ruckus.

It should be noted that Fyrayus is always accompanied by, strangely enough, a spriggan. How he came to bind such a creature to his will is unknown, though the spriggan is known to be powerful, so any Thalmor agents that do try to capture Fyrayus should attempt to eliminate the spriggan first before engaging its master directly. Threat level: medium.'"

"Why must these Nord savages insist on befriending the local wildlife?" Elenwen sighed. "Though I suppose it merely reflects their barbaric nature more."

She shook her head as she opened another dossier.

"'Larissa, Breton Female, approximately late twenties.

Description: Average height (for a Breton), golden blonde hair, light yellow eyes. Usually wears priestess robes over her light Ebon Knight armour and an Amulet of Mara is around her neck at all times.

This individual is…an odd case. There are reports that she is in fact the daughter of the Divine Mara, which in almost every other case would be completely unbelievable. However, she has shown abilities that are certainly not know for a regular mage to exhibit. Her healing abilities go far beyond that of simply mending the hurts of her allies; she seems to be able to invigorate them with greater vitality and urgency and even seems to be able to completely reattach severed limbs. Citizens of Windhelm that have encountered her who our agents have 'questioned' all describe her as giving off an aura of complete tranquillity and comfort. Not only that, Larissa was seen calming an enraged dragon that had threatened Windhelm. Currently, this dragon appears to now follow her wherever she goes.

Whether or not she truly is the daughter of Mara, of is simply a healer with exceptional skills, her capture is a top priority, though the presence of her dragon should obviously be taken into account. Threat level: medium/high.'"

"Another human savage that her kind has elevated to the level of the gods!" Elenwen growled angrily. "Well, I shall take great pleasure in personally dealing with her!"

"That dragon will be trouble though, my lady," the Justiciar reminder his superior.

"A cadre of our strongest mages should be more than enough to deal with that beast," Elenwen replied dismissively. "Hmph…on to the next one…"

"'Berry, Bosmer female, nineteen.

Description: Average height (for a Bosmer), lightly tanned skin, green eyes, dark red hair.

The youngest member of the Ebon Knights, barely being of age, 'Berry' does not actually take part in any requests that the Ebon Knights receive. Instead, she seems to prefer spending time in the library of Ebongate Hall, either cataloguing mission reports or sorting the books. She also appears to be Larissa's apprentice as the pair have been seen practicing healing magic separately from the other Knights. It should be noted that like most of her kind Berry is also very adept at using the bow.

Unlike most of her fellows, Berry displays a shy and timid personality. However, due to this the rest of the Ebon Knights seem to see care for her above all others and are very protective of her. Eliminating her will likely mean engaging the more combat oriented Ebon Knights first so all Thalmor agents should be prepared for that. Threat level: low.'"

"A mere child is part of their ranks?" Elenwen scoffed. "It seems there is no criteria for joining them!"

"Well…I'd say being part of the Thalmor would be an exception to that statement, my lady," the Justiciar replied dryly.

Elenwen conceded his point, placing Berry's dossier on the pile of books to her left, reaching to her right to pick up another.

"'Nalia Redoran, Dark Elf female, approximately in her early twenties.

Description: Average height, average dark elf features (dark skin, red eyes etc.). Usually has her hair tied in a long loose ponytail.

Another special case, Nalia Redoran is, obviously, of the Morrowind Great House Redoran and is in fact the wayward (and stubborn) youngest daughter of that House's current head. Due to this, House Redoran's relationship with the Ebon Knights is tenuous at best (exploitable?) since Nalia ran away after to join them after hearing, and even meeting, tales of their older Dunmer member Duran Ashfallen.

Nalia, interestingly, wields Azura's Star and the Ebony Mail. How she came to acquire two daedric artefacts a mystery, but like all of the daedric artefacts that are in the possession of the Ebon Knights they will be claimed by the Thalmor. Threat level: high.'"

"Brats these days," Elenwen sighed. "Born into a life of privilege and yet she threw it in her family's face; disgraceful!"

"But at least it may provide us with an opportunity to drive a wedge between the Ebon Knights and House Redoran," the Justiciar mused.

Elenwen nodded and moved on to the next dossier.

"'Swind'lah, Khajiit male, approximately in his early fifties.

Description: Average height, pure black hair, yellow eyes. Wears a unique monocular device that appears to be of dwemer make that he uses to inspect the quality of certain goods.

This Khajiit is a former thieves guild member, having left the guild around the same time that the guild went through an unknown crisis that resulted in the death of their previous guildmaster and the current guildmaster Mercer Frey taking over. It is feasible to presume that he left because of the unrest caused by whatever event led to the changing of leadership.

Swind'lah is the one of the more cunning members of the Ebon Knights and should be approached with caution. While it cannot be confirmed, Swind'lah may wield the daedric artefact known as the Ring of Khajiiti (oddly appropriate). It may explain how he has managed to evade our agents and seemingly appear out of nowhere. Threat level: medium.'"

"I hate dealing with those filthy cats," Elenwen said in distaste. "This one especially seems like he will be a handful."

She grumbled for a further moment before she moved on to the last dossier.

"'Khal Huron, Redguard male, approximately in his early forties.

Description: Average height, dark brown skin, one blue eye and one green eye (right/left respectively), several scars on his right arm. Bleached white hair. Dark brown goatee.

A Redguard sword-singer who left the Alik'r due to his desire for vengeance against the Thalmor. He is an extremely wanted individual who has been responsible for the deaths of several high-ranking Thalmor agents. Huron has been so effective not only due to his sword-singer status, but also because he has acquired the legendary artefacts the Boots of the Apostle and the Ring of the Wind. Both of these artefacts make him an extremely deadly warrior.

He is to be captured alive at all costs so that he may be forced to face the consequences for his actions. Threat level: extremely high.'"

"Ah yes, the 'Scourge of the Sands'," Elenwen growled. "I will smile when that Redguard is put in the ground!" She then saw that she was down to the final dossier. "This one must be about their leader…"

"'Thorgrimm Headhunter, Nord male, approximately in his late fifties.

Description: Average height, dark brown hair and beard and dark blue eyes.

The current grandmaster of the Ebon Knights, and has held that title ever since the former grandmaster Mirana Lucani went missing two decades ago. His leadership style is…relaxed it must say, preferring to let the Ebon Knights take care of any requests they decide to take mostly by themselves. That is not to say that he is lax; he does train the younger members of his order and is often out dealing with the more difficult requests himself.

Thorgrimm is an extremely dangerous individual, though in most part due to the fact that he wields one of the accursed daedric crescents. How he came to acquire one of these weapons, considering that they were all supposed to have been destroyed, but its acquiring is a priority.

Threat level: Extremely high.'"

As she finished the last of the dossiers, Elenwen placed the book down in front of her and leant back in her chair, a contemplative look on her face. She then sighed and looked at the Justiciar.

"It is clear that these 'Ebon Knights' need to be dealt with if we wish to eliminate Skyrim's threat," she announced. She then picked up a pen and began writing on a fresh piece of parchment. "I want you to copy these orders and send them out to all of our spies; they are to being spreading slander against the Ebon Knights while our Justiciars are to begin gathering more intelligence. Capturing an Ebon Knight who is away from Ebongate Hall should be considered, but if they do attempt to do so they should act with extreme caution."

Finished with her writing, she passed the parchment over to the Justiciar who stood up and nodded before leaving.

"Soon…Skyrim will be taken care of…" Elenwen murmured to herself as the door closed. "One way or another…"

()()()()()()()()()()()()

The Justiciar looked over his shoulder, making sure that he was far enough away from the Thalmor Embassy. Seeing that he was, he grinned and his form shimmered. A moment later, in place of a tall Altmer male, a pale Nord woman was revealed, her grin revealing two sharp fangs.

"Idiots…" she chuckled, taking out the parchment that Elenwen had given to the 'Justiciar' and checking it over before putting it back into a pouch that was attached to her belt.

With that, the woman exploded into a swarm of bats and disappeared into the night.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

First part of 'Ebon's Legacy. Keep an eye out for more.