I do not own the story of the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. I am not affiliated with Bethesda Studios. This is simply a story about a character.
I plan to write a lot more so if you like this please let me know, and if you're gonna hate don't be too harsh. Enjoy :)
Introduction
He rolled onto his side. The bedroll provided little comfort for him. He was use to this feeling though, as he had spent time in and out of jails across Tamriel. His experience in the Imperial Prison, however, was quite different. He never should have ended up here.
It was a simple heist. Grognak was never home on Loredas and he left his front door unlocked. Agnar simply needed to open the door and steal Grognak's journal. What the journal contained he did not know, but for 2000 gold he wasn't about to ask any questions. On the day of the heist things started out perfectly. Agnar watched Grognak leave, he let the Imperial Watch soldier stroll by, and then in one fell swoop he opened the door and slipped inside. As he rummaged through the various desks and drawers of the upscale Talos Plaza District house, Agnar had a sense of uneasiness. Something was off. He headed upstairs in search of the journal. Agnar hated his life.
He grew up in a small village in the middle of Skyrim. His family wasn't wealthy, but they weren't poor either. He lived a good life until bandits came through his town one fateful night. They entered his family's home quickly in the dark of night. They took his family hostage and demanded gold. Agnar's father was a brave man and he tried to defend his family, but quickly met death via the tip of a long sword. Agnar's mother screamed as she watched her husband of 20 years fall to his demise in a pool of blood. The nearest bandit smacked the woman and told her to shut up of she'd join him. At this point she flailed around in a futile attempt to knock to bandit to the ground. All three bandits focused their attention of the crazed woman. She took one last look at her son and Agnar knew it was time to leave. He slipped out the front door without taking another look at his mom.
Agnar remembered where he was and began to work more quickly. He finally found the leather bound journal under Grognak's pillow. He hid it under his shirt to avoid any suspicion. As he headed for the stairs he heard the front door open downstairs and the footsteps of Imperial soldiers. Instincts kicked in and Grognak slid under the bed to hide. Two soldiers came upstairs. From their conversation Agnar knew they were looking for him. He didn't know how they knew he was there, but he knew he had to escape. He already had fines against him and being caught here would land him in the Imperial Prison for sure. Agnar surveyed the room and noticed the window was open ever so slightly. He figured if he was quick enough he could dash across the room and jump out the window. He knew the fall would hurt, but anything was better than another stay in a prison cell. He watched the soldiers look over the room. The imperials moved to the back of the room to check a cupboard. He took his chance. He used his upper body strength to pull himself out from under the bed in one motion and he bolted for the window. He threw his body through it in a complete state of adrenaline. What happened next was so improbable that people to this day will say it was the Nine's doing. Agnar felt a short drop and a sudden stop. What he hadn't realized is that as he was studying the soldiers' movements the Imperial Watch captain, Hieronymus Lex entered the room. He stormed after Agnar as he tried to escape and Lex grabbed him by the collar as he jumped out the window. Lex called the other men over to help him lift the culprit back inside. Once the Watch had control of Agnar they slapped him in irons and immediately escorted him over to the Imperial Prison.
It's been two years now. Every day in this cell is the same as the last. Agnar has watched new prisoners enter and old ones leave, dead or alive. The only person Agnar has for company is the ever annoying and cynical Valen Dreth. It's not that Agnar hated the dark elf, but after two years Dreth's humor had become less and less humorous, and more and more confrontational. It was another dull day in the prison. Agnar decided to get out of bed as the hard ground was making him sore. He did some push-ups and sit-ups to clear his mind of the past. Not a day has gone by that he hasn't thought of his mother and father's sacrifice for him. Without their bravery and love he wouldn't be alive today. As he sat and ate his usual meal of bread and an apple he thought of his life. His parents gave him a life to live, but had he really been living? He went to a life of crime after he got tired of begging. He was twelve when he first stole from someone. He had been starving and as he walked through a town he saw a shop with sweet rolls in the window. He walked inside and was instantly met with a smell so pleasant it brought a smile to his face. The woman behind the counter was old but had a gentle face and welcomed him to her store. Agnar looked around and saw meats, rolls, pies, fruit, and various other goodies. The woman gave him a warm smile and headed to the back of the store to grab something. Agnar knew stealing was wrong, but his aching stomach convinced him to take that which was not his. He stuffed rolls down his trousers and in his mouth. As he was leaving he grabbed some meat too. He bolted out of the store with tears in his eyes. He didn't want to be this person but he had no other choice. The Nine had dealt him a life he couldn't handle. He was alone in a harsh world. He left that town and never returned. The more he stole the easier it became. By the age of 18 he was a skilled thief. Some people knew of his talents and asked him to procure items that they could not get themselves. Though reluctant at first Agnar was drawn in by the gold people were offering him. Taking Grognak's journal would have been one of his biggest returns. Instead, however, Agnar was 26 and rotting in prison. He remembered his mother's face. He had to be a different person. "It's too late now though," he thought to himself. He peered out of the small window in his cell. It was bright outside. Agnar wanted to make something of himself, he wanted to be famous, and most of all he wanted to make sure his parents' sacrifice was not made in vain. Once he got out of prison he was going to make it in the world. He just needed an opportunity.
As Agnar finished his roll he looked up in time to see Dreth staring at him. Agnar hated the way Dreth looked at him. He saw the murder in the dark elf's eyes. Granted, Agnar wasn't a good person himself, but murder? That was out of the question. Agnar walked to the cell door and Dreth was quick to make a snide remark. After a short exchange they heard the door upstairs open and heavy footsteps coming down to where the two prisoners stood. Agnar tries to ignore Dreth as he proclaims the guards are coming for Agnar, to put him to death. Three soldiers and an old man stop in front of Agnar's cell. "This cell is supposed to be empty!" Captain Renault proclaims. "It's a usual mix up with the watch," replies Glenroy. Glenroy tells Agnar to stand by the far wall, and Agnar wanting to be a better person does what is asked. The soldier opens the door and the party of four enters. The old man approaches Agnar. He tells Agnar he recognizes him," I've seen you in my dreams," he says. Agnar, though a little taken aback, asks who the man is. He presents himself as Emperor Uriel Septim VII. Agnar thinks he's dreaming," Why is the Emperor in my cell?" he asks himself. Uriel tells Agnar that their meeting may not be by coincidence. Captain Renault then pushes a block in the wall which opens a secret passage. "Wish I had known about that sooner." Agnar says under his breath. Apparently Glenroy heard this and shot Agnar a smug look. Glenroy tells Agnar to stay back. Agnar stays put as he watches the soldiers move down the dark hallway. To this day Agnar doesn't know what compelled him to follow them (besides freedom), but he did. He followed at a safe distance so as not to draw too much attention to himself. They entered a large room with stairs leading down to a lower level. Everyone felt the atmosphere in the room change. The three soldiers had their hand on the hilt of their swords ready to strike and defend the emperor. After a few steps some figures in red robes stepped out of the shadows and assaulted the group. Agnar didn't have a weapon so he stood by the emperor. The figures fought fiercely, but all were defeated. This victory for the Emperor's soldiers, however, was bittersweet as Captain Renault was slain. The remaining three moved toward a door on the opposite side of the room. Baurus, the third soldier, told Agnar to stay put. Agnar was kind of agitated by this. The three men continued forward leaving Agnar alone. Almost as soon as they left, the wall to Agnar's right crumbled and a huge rat jumped through and attacked Agnar. The beast brought Agnar to the ground and tried to bite him with its massive teeth. Agnar, being a Nord, was able to push the beast off of him easily. As he stood he noticed the rat was about to pounce again. Agnar reacted quickly and smashed his mighty fist into the rat's skull before it could attack. Agnar felt the creature's skull crush under the force of his blow. The rat went limp and Agnar relaxed. He walked over to Renault's body and studied to lifeless figure. She was still relatively young and had died in service to her leader. Agnar admired this. A few feet from Renault's body lay her sword. It was thin and sharp with a gold and blue hilt. Agnar picked up the sword and found it to be relatively light. He usually only carried a dagger, but he liked the feel of a sword. He felt powerful and quick. He then proceeded to the now broken wall. There was a whole room beyond the hole and Agnar stepped through. There was a skeleton on the ground. The sight of a dead and decomposing body didn't faze Agnar. He had seen plenty of people die and this was nothing new. He examined the bones and found a bow and arrow by the body. He picked them up figuring the now skeleton of a man didn't need them. He continued on through the narrow halls of the secret passage. He encountered more of the mutant rats, but quickly dealt with them now that he had a suitable weapon. He also came across a zombie which was the first surprise to him. The stench was horrible, and as Agnar slashed away at the horrid figure he saw chunks of flesh fly off in several directions. As he entered the next area he felt something boil inside him. He fell to his knees as his hands began to burn. He looked at them with tears in his eyes and watched them glow red and orange, then to his amazement a ball of fire shot out of his hands. "What the hell?" he said. He shot a few more flames around and a smile crept onto his face. This was power he had never imagined himself having. He wondered why he hadn't had this ability before, but quickly disregarded it as a goblin came into view. He pulled out his bow and strung an arrow to it. He aimed and pulled the string back as far as he could. He took a breath, held it, and then released the string. The arrow hit its mark and the goblin stumbled back as blood sprayed from his chest. The goblin pulled out a rusty dagger and ran towards Agnar. Without hesitation Agnar shot a fireball that landed directly in the goblin's face. Agnar stood over the body. He pulled his arrow out of the creature's chest. "Better not waste these," Agnar said as he noted how few arrows he actually had. He went deeper into this mysterious area not knowing exactly where he was going. He took down more goblins with his bow and arrows and managed to scavenge up some treasure that would come in handy if he ever made it out of here. He heard voices as he walked down a hallway with significantly better lighting. He rushed forward and saw the two soldiers and the emperor below him. He jumped down to their level just in time to be attacked by more hooded figures. This time the red robed assailants were taken down without any casualties. The emperor again turned to Agnar and spoke to him of the Nine and the stars. He asked Agnar what his birth sign was and Agnar responded with the Warrior. It was something he, and everyone else, felt he was unworthy of. This is why he was titled as Agnar the Unworthy in his early years. The four of them continued on. Agnar soon learned that Baurus was a nice man. He was a Red Guard and was as nice to Agnar as the emperor was. They got to a large room with a gated door on the opposite end. The door led to the exit and it was conveniently locked. The soldiers led the emperor to a small room and asked Agnar to stay with him. When Baurus and Glenroy left the emperor again turned to Agnar. The emperor knew his time was up. He handed Agnar an amulet and instructed him to speak to Jauffre at Weynon Priory. After Agnar said he would do this task an armored figure came through the wall and struck down the emperor. Still in a state of shock Agnar fought the murderer and killed him. Baurus reentered the room and spoke to Agnar. Baurus took back Captain Renault's sword and gave Agnar the key to the sewers. Agnar left the distraught soldier behind as he descended into the sewers. Agnar quickly made his way through the sewers. When he stepped out into the sunlight his eyes almost couldn't handle it. He held his hand up to easy the intensity of the sun. He looked into the distance and saw the calm waters of Lake Rumare. The water was a light blue and made Agnar feel at peace. The light breeze hit Agnar's face and brought him o reality. He held the amulet in his hands and knew what he had to do. He walked up the hill behind him and entered the Imperial City.