The War of Independence
Chapter 1 – Three Heroes
"Each event is preceded by prophecy. But without an event, there can be no prophecy" – Nibani Maesa
"He who acts on instinct, without thinking, will find more good comes to him than if he should procrastinate" – Tamrielic proverb
"All men shall be sailors until the sea shall set them free" – Leonard Cohen
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3E325, Last Seed 3, Imperial City prison
Camri opened his eyes. He was lying awkwardly on a worn, thin mattress, his joints aching from the uncomfortable night's sleep. It was the same way every day had started for as long as he could remember. He wasn't even sure it was daytime. The only indication he had of the passage of time was a sliver of sunlight that shone through a tiny window in the cell opposite him. He stood up and shambled towards the bars at the front of his cell, looking around. Diagonally opposite him, J'Kazar, the Khajiit, was sleeping fitfully. He could hear the Imperial woman they'd brought in last night breathing heavily in the cell next to him as she slept.
On the floor beyond his cell was a plate, housing a piece of bread and some cured meat. Camri retrieved the food, and the tankard of water next to it, and retreated back into his cell.
Camri heard footsteps, heavy bootfalls on the stone floor. It was the warden, doing the morning patrol.
"Up early, Everlight" the warden said, peering into Camri's cell.
"Looks like it" Camri replied nonchalantly. The warden turned round, looking into the cell opposite Camri. It was a room steeped in legend – the cell through which Emperor Uriel Septim and the prisoner who would eventually become Champion of Cyrodiil escaped from the Mythic Dawn assassins.
"Strange" the warden said, "How a place so holy and revered should be located in a building full of criminal scum"
"Criminal scum? You're so charming" Camri spat. "I still haven't been told exactly why I was sentenced to prison"
"You're an enemy of the state, Everlight" the warden said. "This is the best place for you"
Suddenly, the warden reeled in shock as a projectile struck him in the neck. It was a small dart, and it seemed to have come through the tunnel leading out of the cell opposite Camri's. The warden simply froze where he was stood – paralysed by a poisoned dart.
A figure ran out of the tunnel, an Argonian in a black robe. He had a dagger in a hilt on his belt, along with several other poisoned darts. The Argonian looked at Camri.
"Camri Everlight?"
"And what if I am?" Camri retorted.
"Well, I'm here to break out someone by the name of Camri Everlight" the Argonian replied. "And with respect, we've got about 30 seconds before that poison wears off"
The Argonian pulled a bunch of keys from the warden's belt and, running over to Camri's cell, unlocked it and threw the gate open.
"Come on!"
Without thinking, Camri followed the Argonian back into the tunnel, down into the Imperial subterranae.
The Argonian ran down the narrow tunnel, seeing by a dim light from a spell he had cast. Camri followed a short distance behind him. Rounding a corner into an open cavern, the Argonian stopped and motioned Camri to do the same.
"We should be safe here for a while" the Argonian said. "I'm Areen, by the way"
"Thanks for this, Areen" Camri said. "So, what exactly is going on?"
"I'm not sure yet, but my people need you" Areen said.
"Why? What have I done that's so special?"
"You seem to think you're nothing more than a rebel without a cause" Areen said. "But having been banished from almost every city in Cyrodiil you've had to survive out in the wilderness. You're an accomplished swordsman and marksman, an armourer, an expert navigator and you're able to make basic potions out of almost anything. You can adapt to any situation, Camri. Plus, you have a deep hatred towards the Empire. And that's why my people need you. That's all I know"
"Your people?" Camri asked. "You keep saying that. Who are you working for?"
"I'm not working for anyone" Areen said. "By 'My people' I mean the nation of Argonia"
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The Tiber Septim Hotel, the previous evening
The Dunmer strode up to the barmaid in the lavish inn.
"I'm looking for General Seminus" he said. "Delivery from Morrowind"
With that, the Dunmer drew an ebony sword, forged by a master smith in the Morrowind capital of Mournhold, with the letters A.K.S. engraved at the base of the blade – Anvius Kaman Seminus. As a simple means of deepening a cover story, it had cost a lot of money to produce and was a weapon of insurpassable quality. The Dunmer hoped he could persuade Seminus to keep it for himself.
"Oh yes, he's expecting you" the barmaid said. "Go up to his room. First door on the left"
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Seminus heard a knock on his door.
"Who's there?"
"General Seminus? I come from Morrowind. I have your sword"
Seminus got up and walked over to the door. One hand on the sword on his belt, he opened it.
"Falas Assurrani, I presume?" Seminus said quietly, looking at the Dunmer.
"You presumed correctly" Assurrani said. Seminus motioned him into the door.
"I've heard many good things about you" Seminus said to the Dunmer. "One of the most respected and highest-ranking Morag Tong agents in Tamriel"
"I don't like to brag" Assurrani said. "Now, what are my orders?"
Seminus handed a small scroll to Assurrani.
"This is an unconditional writ. Guard it with your life" Seminus said. "It is effectively a license to kill. Do not abuse it or I will remove it from you. You'll be working with me, on a matter of grave international importance. Your orders are to get rid of anyone who gets in the way. First, there's something you can help me with. Go to the Guild of Mages in Cheydinhal, and find Eliarie. She's an Altmer researcher there. Get me her notes on The Marsh Spirit. Be as… persuasive as you want"
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Wayrest, High Rock
"They're here!" Ariel exclaimed suddenly, getting up and pacing nervously up and down the room.
"Who?" Horunn asked, putting a hand on her shoulder to try and calm her down.
"Soldiers, sent from Cyrodiil! They've just entered the town!"
Horunn drew his sword and raced towards the front door of Ariel's house. Opening it and peering out, he could see the Breton townsfolk fleeing in terror as ten soldiers, heavily armed and armoured, burst through the city gate and began charging down the high street of the small town.
"Right, let's go!" Horunn ordered. "Stay close!"
Horunn raced out of the house, Ariel following a short distance behind him. They ducked into an alleyway which led perpendicular to the high street, towards the edge of the town.
"Why are they here? Who are they looking for?" Horunn whispered.
"Me, but I don't know why" Ariel replied. "I need time to think"
"We don't have time" Horunn said urgently. "We've got to get out of here!"
"Behind you!" Ariel cried. Horunn spun round just in time to throw up his sword and block a mace being swung at him by one of the Cyrodiilic soldiers. As the soldier recoiled from shock, Horunn kicked him in the groin, knocking him to the ground, then leapt forward and plunged his sword into the gap between the soldier's helmet and cuirass, severing his spinal column. The soldier lay motionless, lifeless, on the ground.
"Let's go!" Horunn shouted, grabbing Ariel's arm and leading her down the alleyway. "I need you to tell me where they are!"
"They're all still on the high street" Ariel said. "Head for the gate down the back streets. We should be able to avoid them"
Horunn, a hardy Nord warrior, had one purpose in life – to make sure no harm came to Ariel. Ariel Lasaille was a young Breton, no more than eighteen years old, with remarkable thinking power and an unmatched grasp on the mystic arts. She could deduce why anything happened with no necessary research or evidence, and to an extent, could predict events that had not yet come to pass. And this made her a target – the Guild of Mages wanted her. The government of High Rock wanted her. The Empire wanted her. And less reputable organisations, such as the Dark Brotherhood and the Morag Tong, also wanted her. This was why her father had entrusted Horunn to look after her – he wanted her to remain free.
Horunn raced down the sidestreet which ran parallel to the high street, Ariel behind him, constantly looking around. Through the buildings, Ariel could see countless patches of a purple glow. Those moving quickly posed a threat – they were the soldiers.
"Horunn, there's two of them by the gate!" Ariel said. Horunn reached the end of the street and peered around the corner. Twenty metres away, down another alleyway, was the gate that led towards the border with Hammerfell. But two of the soldiers guarded it, standing over the dead bodies of two Imperial guards.
"Wait, Horunn!" Ariel said, grabbing Horunn's shoulder. She cautiously stepped in front of him. The wooden town gate was lying on the street, broken into several pieces where the soldiers had broken it down with their battering ram.
Ariel held up her hands, then slowly moved her two index fingers up. All of a sudden, the largest shard of the gate rose up off the ground, as though it were being lifted. As soon as it had done so, Ariel flicked her hands to the side and the huge shard of wood flew sideways at stunning speed, decapitating the two soldiers.
"Run!" Horunn shouted. He raced down the alleyway towards the town gate, Ariel following him. Turning right, he leapt through the gate and off the bridge that it led onto, landing on the banks of the river that passed the eastern side of the town. Holding Ariel by the arm, he ran under the bridge and ducked into cover.
"Did you notice their armour?" Ariel whispered. "And their weapons?"
"Well, the one that attacked us was carrying a steel mace and wearing Nordic chainmail armour. The two soldiers by the gate were both in steel armour. One was carrying an axe, the other a sword"
"They all had different equipment" Ariel said. "If they were soldiers of a government or of the Empire they would all have the same equipment. They're mercenaries"
"So someone is after you again" Horunn said. "Where can we escape to?"
"We are near the Hammerfell border. We can hide in the forests of Hammerfell"
The pair heard heavy bootfalls on the wooden bridge above them.
"They're under the bridge!" The voice of one of the mercenaries.
"How many?" Horunn whispered.
"Three" Ariel replied, looking behind her.
"Stay here" Horunn ordered. He leapt out of cover and clambered up the bank, jumping onto the bridge. In one swift movement he drew his sword and swung it horizontally, hewing the head of one of the mercenaries clean from his body. Turning to the side, he used his sword to block a swordstroke from another mercenary, forcing the mercenary's arm downwards then punching the mercenary square in the jaw. As the mercenary recoiled in shock, Horunn thrust his sword upwards, gruesomely slicing through the mercenary's nose and sinking into his brain.
The third mercenary charged at him with a warhammer. At the last second, Horunn leapt to the side, trailing his leg behind him. The mercenary, carried on by the momentum of his heavy armour and enormous weapon, could not stop and tripped over Horunn's ankle, tumbling off the bridge and plunging down into the river with an enormous splash. Horunn scrambled down the bank and leapt at the mercenary, grabbing him by the helmet and twisting until the mercenary's neck snapped.
Horunn climbed back up to Ariel and crouched down next to her.
"We're safe. Come on, let's go while we have the chance"
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Veyond Cave, north of Bravil
Areen led Camri into the dark, damp cave. Soon they reached a small pool of water, which an elderly Argonian woman was knelt down next to, drinking.
"Sudana" Areen called. "I've found him"
Sudana stood up and walked over to the pair, looking up and down at Camri.
"Camri Everlight" Sudana said. "I am Sudana, a scholar. You must understand that you are in no danger here"
"Why am I here?" Camri asked. "Why have the people of Argonia decided to break me out of prison? What do you need me for?"
"What we need you for is not entirely clear yet, but you must trust me that it is a very important matter. A matter that we do not yet know the true nature of.
"It concerns the south-eastern part of Tamriel – Black Marsh, Elsweyr and southern Cyrodiil. Many years ago, Bravil was the southernmost point of eastern Cyrodiil. Beyond that lay Elsweyr and Argonia, the Niben marking their border. Leyawiin didn't even exist. Then the Emperor initiated a huge military campaign to capture the Nibenay basin for Cyrodiil. He wanted control of the Niben as a shipping lane to the Imperial City.
"The Argonians were developing something that they called The Marsh Spirit. It was a very secretive project. Legend has it that that two scholars were within days of being able to use The Marsh Spirit to end the war and reclaim their land. They were killed by Imperial assassins, but the Marsh Spirit, or its identity, were never found. Leyawiin was built, first as a military stronghold, then as a city. And that was it, until recently. Wheels are being set in motion. The Argonians are looking for the Marsh Spirit, so that we and the Khajiit of Elsweyr can take back our lands.
"First though, Camri, I need proof that you are as skilled a warrior as I have been told. So, I have a little task for you and Areen.
"East of here is an Ayleid ruin, the ancient temple of Morahame. It was used as a repository of knowledge right up until the Ayleids fell. There's a book believed to be in there entitled The Fall of the Niben"
"You want us to find it?" Camri said dubiously.
Sudana drew a sword from her belt and handed it to Camri.
"Take this sword. If you bring me the book, it's yours to keep"
Camri examined the sword. It was steel plated with silver, a very well-constructed weapon. He swung it around, slashing at air. It was light and manoeuvrable.
"This is a very good blade" Camri said. "You really want my help, don't you?"