July 4, 2164/4th of Sun's Height, 7E 1

Armory, INV Martin Septim

Inbound on Morana, Pax system, Horse Head Nebula

Kal'Reegar checked his Mattock for…he'd lost count of how many times he'd done it. He had to keep doing it to not blurt out his disbelief at the archaic weapons his fellow Knights were choosing, not that there were many modern choices on the walls.

Divayth was twirling a spear with a lopsided, leaf-shaped blade with a spike branching off the blade and wore a so-called "daedric" tanto on his hip.

Lark was testing the tension of the string of a bow made out of what looked like bone. Then, apparently satisfied, she slid it over her shoulder and moved on to sharpening a curved, black dagger.

Chases-Her-Shadow was fencing with the altmer, Lilith, both of them using a katana paired with a dagger. The argonian's sword was also "daedric," the black metal appearing to absorb the light around it, with the exception of glowing red highlights. The same was true of Lilith's dagger. The altmer's long blade seemed, impossibly, as if it had been forged from pure gold, while Shadow's dagger bore the distinct texture of bone, the same type as Lark's bow.

Nere was dry-firing a crossbow composed of the same "daedric" metal, the string making a distinct, though quieter than a gunshot, *twunk* sound with each trigger pull. Sheathed on her hip was a "daedric" longsword.

K'joor was polishing the double-head of a massive gold-and-bronze warhammer, while Ogrul had perched his blackish-green hammer across his shoulders and fallen asleep.

Then there were the khajiiti martial artists Shavir and Bry'ne, who were going to battle with naught but their fists and heavy armor, augmented with either magic or a Hyperion exoskeleton, respectively. Both of them were sparring against the air, showing Shavir preferred more graceful, flashier maneuvers than Bry'ne. The soldiers of Nirn seemed to prefer crazy tactics as a whole, but those two were the worst.

The only warrior who seemed to be ready for the modern battlefield was Jenna, who was checking her own rifle.

But it was unlike any rifle Kal had ever seen. It, like other Nirnian "elemental firearms," vaguely resembled the human Lancer assault rifle mixed with design elements from a few other rifles. This one, however, seemed to have a blade extending out of the barrel, and it lacked a slot to insert a magazine. The windows that showed the elemental energy running through the rifle shined a brilliant pale yellow.

Even then, Jenna also wore a "daedric" longsword on her hip.

Kal had no idea why the people of Nirn were so obsessed with such obsolete weaponry. He looked down at the mace hanging down from the belt of his new armor.

The armor was a suit of what they called stalhrim medium armor, a compromise between the mobility of light armor and the protection of heavy armor, with the kinetic barrier generator from his exosuit bolted on. He'd already tested whether the barrier had survived the transfer, and it had.

The mace was fashioned from the same magic ice with an enchantment that would gradually freeze the target from the outside in. However, he'd only accepted the weapon as a courtesy to the Emperor and had no intention of using it. Instead, he'd use his rifle and omni-blade. Well, he would use the Mattock if it still worked.

One of the other Knights, an argonian named Marchosias, had asked Reegar if he could enchant the gun. The quarian had politely refused, stating, truthfully, that he didn't know whether the weapon's eezo core would be compatible with magic. The day before they'd shipped out, the rifle had disappeared from his locker in the morning, and it had been returned by lunchtime with a note saying that it had been successfully enchanted to destroy both the armor and body of the target.

"Hey, who's Ver'Thea?"

Shavir's question jolted Kal from his thoughts. "How do you know that name?"

"It is inscribed on your rifle. The Daedric Runes."

Kal looked at the markings and sighed. "She was a childhood friend. Wanted to become a marine, too. I'd rather not say the rest."

The khajiit nodded. "Shavir understands and will not pry."

The door opened, and the ship's simulacrum, Jora, walked in. "Wake up and pay attention, milk-drinkers!" The Knights sheathed their weapons, gathered around the synthetic, and stood at attention.

The Unfettered Minds were something Reegar still didn't entirely trust, especially when they were in their platforms, or "simulacrums." The human-like body with an inert face, even when it spoke, was eerie. Despite the Nirnians' insistence that the Minds were not AI, they came far too close for Kal's comfort.

"Glad to see your ears still work." It clasped its hands behind its back. "Here is your final mission briefing. You will deploy four thousand feet from the slavers' fort and walk the rest of the way."

"Why can't we land any closer?" Nere asked.

"They have weapons that can shoot the Martin Septim out of the sky. The area chosen for your landing zone puts a mountain between us and them. Once we land, you will have two hours to reach the building, undetected, before the next flyover of their air units. When you get there, you are to eliminate all of the slavers, with their boss as your priority target. Any you can take alive would be a welcome source of information, but stealth is of the essence. These slavers would rather kill their captives than see them liberated. Your final task is to free the slaves and escort them back to the ship. You have your orders. Nocturnal guide you."

The group walked down to the cargo bay and waited. A few minutes later, a soft thud reverberated through the ship as it landed. "Void helmets on."

Kal'Reegar slid his helmet into place and took a breath of fresh, if sterile, air. Then the cargo door opened, and frigid air flooded the bay. "Bosh'tet!" Even through his armor, he could feel the cold.

"What was that, soldier?"

"Nothing, sir."

"Good. Let's go." Ogrul cast a Clairvoyance spell. "This way."

Their goal was a ridgeline overlooking the base from a distance of a hundred meters. The base was well within tidally-locked Morana's twilight band, and Kal could now see the brilliance of using armor made of stalhrim, that enchanted ice that seemed to be everywhere in the Empire: The seven people in the squad who wore it practically disappeared against the frozen terrain. "What's the plan?"

It was the bookish Lilith who provided it. "Shadow, I need you to cloak and scout. Find their sentries. Lark, Nere, Jenna, Kal, spread out along this ridge. Be ready to bring down any guards Chases-Her-Shadow does not. The rest of us will wait here until the approach is clear. Nocturnal hide you."

With that, the argonian crouched, cast a spell, and vanished. Kal kept his sights centered on the head of an asari (or female human, he couldn't tell at this range) perched in a sniper tower beside the base's main building. The others had chosen their own targets. On his suggestion, Nere and Lark would shoot the same guy, a patrolling turian. Jenna had said she would take out both guards flanking the entrance.

Kal looked toward the nearest of his fellow snipers, Nere. "Psst. Who's Nocturnal?"

"She's the Daedric Lord of shadows and luck. Patron of thieves."

"'Patron of thieves?'"

Before Nere could respond, a speech cloud appeared in front of each of them. "I'm ready to strike my first target. Fire in one minute."

The final seconds ticked by tediously until the archers loosed an arrow and a crossbow bolt, respectively. Reegar fired a five-round burst, hitting with three rounds. But Jenna's shots were the most unique.

Each trigger pull sent out a beam of yellow-white light to impale the target, completely unhindered by kinetic barriers. Both guards she shot were dead in one second.

Kal's shots hit next. The first two hits met and tore apart the slaver's barrier. The third dissolved part of her helmet, revealing blue skin. The fourth and fifth shots were the ones that missed, but the damage had been done. With her armor compromised, the asari put her hands on the hole in a futile attempt to keep the air in her suit. The quarian fired once more, ending her misery.

The turian had a far more merciful death. The faster crossbow bolt struck first with enough kinetic energy to shatter his bargain-level kinetic barrier, allowing the arrow to punch right through his cheap helmet. As he fell, flames spread from the point of impact until his entire body was consumed.

Kal swept the field with his scope, only to see either a human male or a batarian fall down, blood spraying as Shadow ripped her dagger out of its throat. This time, he was able to watch as she conjured another speech cloud. "That's all of them. Move up."

As they got moving, Reegar caught Jenna's arm. "What is that?"

"This, young quarian, is Dawnbreaker. The most powerful artifact created by the Daedric Lord Meridia, whose purview is light in all its forms. Come on. We have a mission to do."

The knights regrouped at the entrance to the base. The door was locked electronically, which was beyond the understanding of any of the Imperials. The quarian simply engaged the bypass program in his omni-tool. A few seconds later, the simple lock disengaged and flashed from orange to green. "We're in." He tapped the door controls, and it slid open.

The squad filed through, Lark nodding at Kal as she went past. As they waited for the pressure to equalize, Nere walked up to the inner door. "Laas Yah Nir! Oh boy. We've got a welcoming committee. Looks like stealth is no longer an option. Hit them hard and kill them fast."

Shavir actually laughed. "Oh, we can certainly do that." He, Jenna, and Bry'ne shared an unnerving, predatory grin.

Ogrul put a hand on Reegar's shoulder. "You might wasn't to take a step back, kid."

Before his eyes, the three khajiits' bodies morphed into much larger and more menacing forms.

Shavir exceeded Lilith's eight-foot height, with limbs as thick as Kal's chest. His head was wreathed by a mane of long golden fur, which served to frame his massive jaws and teeth. The fur on the tip of his tail lengthened to form a tuft, and his body rippled with what looked like a five-fold increase in muscle.

The fur of the other two darkened to nearly black. Their muzzles lengthened and tapered to a gentle point. Their tails became bushy. Their ears lengthened, and their eyes turned into pools of molten gold. While they weren't as large as Shavir, their bodies still looked no less powerful. Jenna's body was slightly more lithe, but there was not much else differentiating the pair.

All told, only ten seconds had passed. "What just—what the hell are you?" Kal took aim, but K'joor pushed his rifle barrel back toward the floor.

"Be still, child of Alarei. That is a gift, imparted upon many by the Daedric Lord of the Hunt, Hircine, that allows one to harness the power of a great beast. We can speak more when our task is complete."

"Can we trust them to know who to tear apart?"

"Yes. Even the beasts know friend from foe." There was something in his tone; a hint of…condescension?

"Reegar, get the door." Lark nocked another arrow, this one possessing an ovular capsule in place of a head.

As he activated the bypass program, Nere looked at the floor, and both she and Lilith Shouted. "FIIK LO SAH!"

"MUL QAH DIIV!" Lilith's Shout seemed to activate the Nirn version of Tech Armor, wreathing her body in a spiky aura of light.

"Cracked the lock. Be ready to hit them as soon as I open the door." He noted Nere's doppelgänger and filed it in the ever-growing "ask about it later" mental folder.

"Understood." That was when Kal realized that he had given his fellow Knights an order…and they trusted him enough to follow it. Divayth, K'joor, Lilith, and Ogrul lined up a few feet from the door, and Kal touched his omni-tool to the controls. The locking plate slid up into the ceiling. "YOL…" The two other parts of the door retracted into the walls. "TOR SHUL!" A tidal wave of fire washed over the dozen slavers who had been preparing to ambush the team. The flames ate through their shields and continued to their flesh. Lark's arrow, whose head turned out to be explosive, and Kal's grenade ended their suffering.

That was when all hell broke loose. The beasts charged into the room, slaughtering any enemy in their path. Two snipers on a balcony tried to stop them, but the quarian suppressed the pair with bursts from his Mattock. Man, I wish I had a piercing mod right about now. Then he heard the familiar clack of a shotgun being prepared. Seeing no one in front of him or in his peripheral vision, he dove to the side as the weapon barked twice.

The first blast broke his kinetic barrier; the second shattered the stalhrim on his shin, and pieces of it clicked against the ground. When the batarian (for the only shotgun that could fire that fast was the batarian-exclusive AT-9 Raider) came around the corner of Reegar's cover, he was met with one of the few Shouts Kal knew. "IIZ!" A wave of frost swept over and encased his foe, who fell over, a look of surprise barely visible beneath the ice. "Whoa. That's what that Shout does?"

With his immediate area clear, he returned his attention to the balcony, only to find that one of the dark beasts was dealing with them. So, instead, the quarian executed the frozen batarian with his omni-blade.

A pained howl from deeper inside the building drew his attention, as did, of all people, Divayth's alarmed yelling of "Bry'ne!"

The other dark beast fell onto his back, crimson blood pouring from several holes in its chest and limbs. A turian moved in for the kill, but Reegar and Telvanni reacted more quickly. Kal snapped off three shots, breaking the turian's barrier. This allowed Divayth to ram his spear through the alien's throat, the ballistic weave no impediment to the blade.

The corpse fell next to Bry'ne, who tore off the turian's chestplate and actually began eating the body. Kal tore off his helmet and vomited at the sight. Lark appeared next to him. "Compose yourself. You'll see worse in your time as a knight. Let's go. We still have slaves to rescue."

The quarian gulped down the remaining bile. "Right. If you say so." Still, it was far more easily said than done to keep his thoughts away from the gruesome spectacle. A sniper rifle round tearing apart his shield was enough to refocus his attention on the battle.

Lilith formed a sphere of fire around her fist and hurled it at the sniper. His shields absorbed most of the attack but were completely depleted, allowing Ogrul to dart in and obliterate the man's head with his hammer.

The last slaver soldier on the lower level was being dealt with by K'joor in an unusual way. The khajiit had broken all four of the human woman's limbs, and globules of red light were flowing from her to his hand. As time passed, her attempts to move became weaker and weaker until, a minute later, she went completely still, and the lights faded. K'joor's subsequent body language sent shivers up and down Kal's spine; the khajiit looked like a quarian who had just finished a meal of meat. Don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think about it.

Yelling from the balcony drew everyone's eyes just in time to watch a well-dressed batarian crash to the ground. "Argh, my back!"

Divayth moved in from the kill, but Chases-Her-Shadow Shouted at him. "NIID! This one we keep alive. Kal, come on up here. There's something you can help me with."

The male dunmer grumbled and slid his spear into his pack. "Nere, pass me a set of manacles."

Kal'Reegar stowed his rifle and walked up to the second level, where the argonian beckoned him into an office. Against the opposite wall was a row of shelves. Near the back of the room was a desk with a computer on it and a pistol on the floor beside it. On either side of the door was a wall safe; both had been literally hacked open. "You're the most experienced among us when it comes to this tech. See what information you can gather from that viewer." She pointed at the computer.

Kal sat down at the desk, downloaded every file from the computer, and then browsed his catch. "Hmmm. Judging by the names of these documents, the files we need are likely stored in the omni-tool of the guy you captured." Just in case she didn't understand, he tapped the holoprojectors of his omni-tool.

"Got it." She walked back out to the balcony. "Remove his wrist device. Keep it intact."

Almost before she had finished speaking, Kal heard the batarian roar in pain. He shut off his omni-tool and rushed out to see what had happened. The prisoner was lying on the ground, blood pouring from his elbow. Jenna, having transformed back, was kneeling by his side, golden healing light washing over him from her hands. Divayth held the rest of the slaver's arm, wiping off his tanto on the severed sleeve. "That felt good. Damn slaver."

"Control yourself, Telvanni. That was unnecessary." Shadow sighed. "Toss the arm up here." She caught it and held it toward Reegar. "See what you can do."

CODEX ENTRIES

Hyperion Exoskeleton: First developed by Yagrum Bagarn in 5E 1092 to improve the abilities of his employees mining one of the moons of the unnamed fourth world in the Nirn Collective, the Hyperion is designed to increase the strength and agility of its wearer. Its first use was to allow miners to work long hours smashing open the rocks holding the rarer ores containing metals like ebony, aetherium, and others without exhaustion, but the design was quickly adapted for military use.

Using a system of magic-enhanced-steam-powered gears, the Hyperion increases its user's strength and speed by as much as ten-fold while carrying the entire burden by itself, preventing undue fatigue on the operator's part.

The military version takes this a step further, adding additional machinery to the legs and a partial wing on the back that combine to allow a soldier to leap as far as twenty meters in a single bound and improving the existing structures to actually increase the wearer's physical durability. Some Hyperions are equipped with built-in weapon systems to increase a warrior's lethality, but these attachments are practically unseen in the Legions or the Dragon Knights.

The greatest drawback to the use of the Hyperion is that, while the exoskeleton is active, stealth is outright impossible due to the steam hissing throughout the system. Also, if the Hyperion is over-clocked to increase the wearer's abilities beyond the recommended safeties, the resulting overheating and fatigue of the metals can be fatal to the user and ruinous to the exoskeleton. Finally, the magic that runs through an active Hyperion magnifies the effect of any harmful magic that affects the operator.

Daedric Lords: Roughly analogous to the demons of many races' folklore, Daedric Lords (alternately known as Daedric Princes; the distinction between the terms is unclear) are seventeen beings with divine-level abilities who neither fled nor took part in the creation of Nirn. Each is worshipped to varying degrees by the native peoples of the Empire.

Some are worshipped openly, like Azura (whose purview is the twilight of Dawn and Dusk), Sheogorath (Madness and Creativity), and Nocturnal (Shadows and Luck), even alongside the Aedra who took part in creation.

Worship of others, such as Molag Bal (Corruption and Domination), is officially outlawed in the Empire.

Members of other races have begun to worship the Daedra. For example, artists across the galaxy have begun tentatively worshipping Sheogorath as a patron deity of the arts, while slavers have found a patron in Molag Bal.

Every Daedric Lord either gifts a powerful artifact to their favored champion or leaves it lying somewhere in the Empire to test whether a particular worshipper is worthy to become the favored champion.

Lycanthropes: Many races in the galaxy have mythologies regarding the bodily change of one being into another. Like many myths, on Nirn they are a reality. Created by the Daedric Lord of the Hunt, Hircine, lycanthropes (more appropriately titled "therianthropes") are humanoids who can assume a form that somewhere between their natural state and that of a beast under various circumstances.

The most common lycanthrope, and the only one that actually qualifies for the name, are werewolves, which are found throughout the Empire. Each province of the Empire is home to another variety of werebeast.

I am still accepting applications for the Dragon Knights.

Calling all dragonborn! The Dragon Knight corps has almost a thousand members, and I will be allowing cameo appearances to fill out the ranks. To apply, state the name, race, defining physical features, combat specialization (magic, weapons, armor), and known Shouts of your dovahkiin.

All of the races of Nirn, sans sload, are capable of having Dragon Knights, not just the base ten playable races.

There will be some shouts that will not be allowed: Bend Will, Call of Valor, Dragonrend, Soul Tear, and Summon Durnehviir.

There is one new, non-canon Shout that I will allow the use of: Gaar Qo Bah (Unleash Lightning's Wrath) - Lightning Breath. I have decided that it will deal more damage than Fire Breath, but only in a line directly in front of the user.

That being said, each member of the Dragon Knight corps is paired with a dragon. Please post the name and type of dragon (blood, frost, revered, etc.) that your dragonborn is paired with. Not allowed are: Odahviing, Paarthurnax, Durnehviir, Sahloknir, Alduin, Mirmulnir, Kruziikrel, Krosulhah, Relonikiv, Sahrotaar, or Vulthuryol. In this story's canon, all but the first three were killed by Dovahkaaz I. Paarthurnax is the Grandmaster of the Blades, and not in the Legion. Durnehviir still cannot leave the Soul Cairn for long. As for Odahviing, let's just say I already have plans for him.

Weapons and armor made of any material less than Stalhrim are obsolete and cannot be used. Daedric and Divine artifacts and artifact maces and warhammers are the exception to this rule.

Only one artifact of any type can be used by any dovahkiin. These can be from either Morrowind, Oblivion (Umbra is excepted from the last two, as it was canonically destroyed before ESV), or Skyrim. Wraithguard, the Dragonbone Cuirass (from Morrowind), and Auriel's Shield are owned by the Emperor, and are not available for use by Dragon Knights.

Artifacts already claimed include: The Ring of Hircine, The Spear of the Hunter, The Blade of Woe, The Fists of Randagulf, The Fang of Haynekhtnamet, the Dwarven Royal Hammer (from the mod of the same name), Goldbrand, The Daedric Crescent, Dawnbreaker, The Mace of Aevar Stone-Singer, Volendrung, Kohnahriik, Mehrune's Razor, The Ebony Blade, The Black Star, the Shield of Ysgrammor, The Wabbajack, and the Ring of Namira.

If your dragonborn is not featured in any stories on this site, please add a general description of their personality.

If there is a mod that applies to your character, you may request that it be used. I will check if it can fit in the story's canon and, if it does, include it.
So far, the following mods are in use so far: Space Wiking Dwemer Exoskeleton, Dwarven Royal Warhammer, The Ningheim Race, and Dragon Shouts Rebalanced.

If there is something I've not covered in the above requirements, let me know.