Chapter 3- True Motivation
The next few days passed by very quickly. When he reached Solitude, Tullius told Burz all he had been planning. Why the Legion had been stationed in Skyrim so long. Titus Mede II had been keeping Tullius in Skyrim all this time to keep him away from the Thalmor to plan without their tallons sinking in to every move he made. And he had a brilliant plan indeed.
"First thing first, we must unite all the provinces we can. High Rock has virtually been untouched. They are the only province completely in tact right now." Said the old war-wise voice of General Tullius.
"But the Bretons have fought each other for centuries. How are we to unite them?" Asked a young Nord Legate. Tullius's second in command, Legate Rikke.
"We have the Dragonborn, Legate Rikke. Burz, is Odahviing still loyal?" The general asked as he turned to Burz.
"He is. And we have Paarthurnax and his followers." The orc replied. "Paarthurnax will likely not leave High Hrothgar, but he can spare some of his kin." Burz's voice was sore from the many conversations that had happened over the past few days.
"I do not see how violence will unite the Bretons," Legate Rikke voiced her confusion.
"I am not sending him to fight. We will convince them of the power we have, and Burz can broker an allegiance. If he got Ulfric and I to call a temporary treaty to fight Alduin, I trust he can bring peace in High Rock. They have always focused heavily on legend and prophecy. They would jump at the chance to fight with the killer of The World Eater." Tullius said with a smirk.
"Now, Legate Rikke and I have been hard at work restoring order in Windhelm. Particularly for the Dunmer. We have been forging peace between them and the Nords there. Now, it is impossible to dissolve the kind of hate the two have had for each other in a decade, but I think the remaining Dunmer will be able to see the benefits of helping restore the Empire."
"Good! Good," replied Burz, enthusiastic.
"The last phase of unifying the provinces. Hammerfell. They should be the easiest to convince as they already have strong hate for the Dominion. All we need to do is get them to agree to fight with us rather than just fight."
"Shouldn't be too difficult. The Redguards have no quarrel with the Empire." Replied Rikke.
"The most complicated part will be doing all this without alerting the Thalmor that are here in Skyrim. If they send word to the Dominion before we are ready, our ship will be sunk before we even get out of the harbor. I must stay here as to not raise suspicion, and we can not harbor any extra soldiers here. Burz, when you speak with the Bretons, we will send them to Winterhold. The Thalmor will see this as a heightened interest in the College for obvious reasons. And after the Ancano incident, they have steered clear of sending 'Advisers' to the College. The Dunmer can slowly make their way to Windhelm and Winterhold. The College will do all they can to train in magical combat, and defense."
"Riften can harbor excess soldiers. So we can spread people out more." Maven Black-Briar chimed in. She was here 'on business' for her meadery.
"Thank you Maven. Which brings me to phase two. The battle plan. Once we get Hammerfell to agree to fight, they will launch an 'independent' attack with some of the Breton tribes. This will give the illusion that The Redguards are restarting their campaign without Empire support as to not raise the alarm on the Legion forces. While the Dominion is focused on Hammerfell in the west, our main force will enter into the abandoned Morrowind. The Dunmer will be our guide. From there we will turn south, heading to The Black Marsh. Once there, we attempt to sway the Argonians to join us. If not, the fighting will begin there. From there we snake our way to Elsweyr. And we continue on fighting as far as we can. Hopefully the brunt of the Dominion forces will still be holed up in Hamerfell, granting us limited resistance. Once we get to Valenwood, we circle back up to Hammerfell, sandwiching the main army of the Dominion. From there, our remaining forces in the heart of Cyrodiil will head west to keep the Dominion from fleeing inland. Once we control the main land of Tamriel once again, we send the navy to fight the cut off Summerset Isle." When Tullius finished the room was silent. He stood up from the map he had been pointing to and looked at the faces staring blankly at him. It was High Queen Elisif that spoke first.
"General Tullius... This plan is... Masterful. If it works, you will go down in history as a strategist that would rival Talos himself..." Her soft but sure words trailed off.
"Well, I wouldn't accept divinity," He said with a laugh to lighten the mood. The others in the room laughed quietly. They slowly stood up to get a better look at the map. Legate Rikke let her hand guide her eyes through Tullius's plan. Seeing if there was a flaw.
"What if the Dominion becomes aware of our forces moving east?" Legate Rikke asked.
"We hope they don't. It is a major risk, I know. But our entire plan rides on the Redguards selling their independent rebellion. If the Dominion gets any premature wind of what we are up to, it will come down to who has the better army at that point. The only advantage we have is strategy. The Dominion is so damn sure of themselves they don't bother with strategy." Tullius said, losing his smile.
"It's a risk we have to take." Maven stated. "I'm no warrior, or strategist, but from what I see, there is no other way. It is like a Tcaesi constricting the neck of it's prey. We cut off the main land, the Altimer will have no supplies, weakening them for when we sail over. The Khajiit and Bosmer are not the strength of their army. If we can hit them alone, they will fall to our combined armies." For a simple mead tycoon from Riften, she was proving to be a very good Jarl. Even if she was corrupt.
It was time for Burz to speak up. "We also have the only remaining chapter of the Dark Brotherhood in Skyrim." The others turned and stared in confusion. "They once had chapters in every province. Until the Aldmeri Dominion took hold of the Empire. I am not them, but I can say if I were their leader, I would jump at the chance to reestablish my group."
"That... Is not a bad idea, Dragonborn. A handful of skilled assassins could prove useful." Legate Rikke said with a smile. "And I think we forgot our secret weapon. We have the Dragonborn and his dragon army." The others' faces lit up. In all the strategic talk they had forgotten to account for one thing: the incalculable. They had a stronger will and droves of more experienced soldiers. The feeling in the room began to lighten. 'They could do this. We can do this,' Burz thought.
The party began to disperse one by one as to not raise suspicion. That would be their lives in the months to come. Living in a state of precaution they were not used to. Usually letting the Thalmor in on their plans was not a problem. They had never planned anything against the Thalmor personally. Burz left Castle Dour to go stay at the Bards College. His task was to appear as though he had joined their ranks, being an ex soldier with many stories to tell. The Headmaster knew of course this was not true, but the others did not.
"Legate Rikke, as it was in the last war, you know if I die, you are to assume command." Tullius said once the others had left.
"Yes, General, but do not speak that way." Rikke replied, her smile fading.
"Once the heavy fighting begins, I will be a top target for assassins, Rikke. Even more so than in the rebellion. And I am getting old. I can not fight the way I used to." He said while sitting down. He had been standing far too much today. His feet hurt.
"Yes, but General.."
"And I know it should be your choice who succeeds yourself, but I must make a suggestion. Consider it my dying wish, should it come to it. The Dragonborn should take your place." Tullius cut her off. She stared for a second as she thought about what he had said.
"Yes sir. If needed I will take your place, and Burz gro Ka will be promoted." She said as she made her salute and walked out of the door. General Tullius sat in his chair a few moments more, looking about the empty room. His eyes settled on the large map in the center of the room. He let out a heavy sigh.
"Talos guide me."
