Chapter 10: The Landsmeet
A/N: Hello Everyone, great to see you again. Just another reminder about the poll I have for this story. Nothing major but simply what this new war should be called as I am still very conflicted. If you don't see an option you like just leave an anonymous review on what it should be called. Also, I want everyone to know that some battles will happen off-screen however I'll only do it for battles that are quite which I'll just generalize such as attacks on pirates/bandits and small skirmishes. But I will include battle statistics to help you get a feeling of how massive wars can be. Remember one battle doesn't decide the fate of the war. Now on to reviews
The-Killer40513 - Well, dwarves in elder scrolls are just elves that lived underground. They could use magic but focused more on technology out of choice rather than Dragon age dwarves. But I think they'd appreciate a centurion against some darkspawn.
ILikeHotDogs - I am too looking forward to the fight. I'm still trying to decide when it would be appropriate to have the battle though.
VGBlackwing - Well there are many ways to defeat a larger force. For example, the Battle of Cannae where Hannibal tricked the Romans into a double envelopment despite being outnumbered almost 2:1. Of course, Carthage still lost the war but guerrilla tactics aren't the only way
zack32 - I don't think the Orlesians would be dumb enough to just cross an army just to tell the Ferelden army that Denerim is captured. And yes declaring an exalted march would make the chantry look like tools of Gaspard
Disclaimer: I do not own The Elder Scrolls Series or the Dragon Age Series.
Elder Scrolls belongs to Bethesda and Dragon Age belongs to Bioware
The banners of the Imperial Dragon flew proudly on the ships as they made port. Denerim looked incredible as the sun rose from the mountains, lines of Imperial soldiers marching through the streets preparing for the journey that would come. As the ships came into port, hundreds of soldiers disembarked in order while dock workers helped unload wagons of food, weapons, and horses. However many could not help but stare at the largest ship they've ever seen set port. The Might of Talos stood nearly 300 feet tall, guns lined nearly every deck, and a wide perch stood near the top as if it could something large.
The ramp unloaded to reveal the Emperor along with his retinue of advisors and generals that had accompanied him for the trip. General Elesse and Adamas Jereia both kneeled before him as he approached.
"Lord Dovahkiin." the two said in unison. The Emperor beckoned them to rise.
"At ease, friends. How goes the situation here in Denerim?"
"Smoothly my Emperor," Elesse spoke, "We managed to take the city with minimal casualties on our side. We have most of the Ferelden leadership captured and the citizens have for the most part accepted the change or at least not attempt to overthrow us."
"However," Adamas interjected, "one of the spies we employed here managed to send a carrier raven out west. From our calculations, it most likely headed towards Val Royeaux where the Divine is located. So we must assume the Chantry knows of us and will be informing the rest of Thedas."
"And the spy?" the Emperor asked.
"Executed."
"Good. Unfortunate we've lost the element of surprise but no matter I'm sure our generals here can make adjustments." he looked over to them, nodding their heads in approval. "Now then, I believe I have a chat with Ferelden's nobility. General Elesse, get them to meet me in the palace in half an hour. Adamas, report back to Nilssa. Marius, I leave you to get the Southern Army ready. Those in the Northern Division come with me."
"Yes, my Emperor." the group bowed. Marius turned to face the generals of the Southern division.
"Alright, Suver go get the men prepared to depart the city for tomorrow. Celanya, send a message to Heidkar to keep patrolling near Gwaren, wait until we have confirmation to land near there."
"Yes, Commander." the two said, walking to their respective objectives barking orders. Marius noticed Elesse standing off to the side, leaning against a post sharpening her arrows.
"Something the matter Elesse?" Marius asked. Elesse breathed a heavy sigh as she looked down.
"It's the Blades. The way they're going about this war is just so underhanded and cruel. I mean by Auriel, Adamas just murdered the spy in cold blood. No trial or due process just straight to execution. Not only that he used the nobles families as hostages to surrender and probably would have killed them if they didn't. I love the Empire and I am proud of what it has accomplished, but sometimes I worry how they do things might corrupt us. I mean you don't trust them, do you, Commander?"
Marius balled his fists when she spoke of the hostages. Damn those Blades, how dare they use innocents like that. Nilssa, you're really starting to get on my nerves. Marius patted her back and gestured her to walk with him.
"No I don't but we can't afford to be divided now lest we allow the Thedosians to whittle us down through attrition. But rest assured I'll speak to the Emperor about this, mark my words. The Empire won't survive if we keep resorting to tactics like this. Compassion and Integrity, those are what we should strive for not Deception and Trickery."
As if on cue, the two heard a large rumble in an alley far enough for only them to hear.
"General, get some guards while I go investigate," Marius ordered. Elesse ran off towards the docks as Marius came upon a small girl, bruised on her head as two thugs were busy looking through her belongings.
"Is this really all you've got, little bitch? Barely enough to buy a mug of ale." the first thug said. The second man kicked the girl, causing her to whimper in pain.
"Ah, what's wrong don't got your mommy or daddy with you? Hey, you know what, we could probably make some money off you. Heard they buy girls for a nice price in Tevinter."
"That's enough!" Marius yelled surprising the two men.
"Who the hell are you?" one of the men exclaimed.
"I am Commander Marius, commander of the Imperial Army. And you two are under arrest for assault, battery, robbery, theft, and attempted slavery. Surrender immediately."
The two men drew daggers from their belts, ready to fight.
"You damn, Imperials. It was already hard enough for us find good stuff to steal but now we can't since you got guards everywhere. Well, you look like you got some valuables. We'll be taking them to go."
The first thug lunged forward as he attempted to stab Marius. Marius dodged, grabbing his wrist and crushing it. The man screamed in pain as Marius quickly jabbed in his face. The other quickly rushed Marius to slice him yet Marius was faster, throwing the man into his friend. The two landed against a wall, the first one's head banging against it knocking him unconscious atop the other. The man attempted to reach for his dagger before Marius crushed his hand underneath his foot. The man yelled as Marius continued applying pressure until a hard strike to his face knocked him out cold. Footsteps then came upon the scene of the crime.
"Commander, I…" Elesse stopped as she saw Marius standing over the two thugs.
"Good, men take these two in custody. I'll have a report on their charges ready in an hour."
"Yes, sir." The guards hauled of the criminals to Fort Drakon. Marius ran over to where the girl was, still bruised and breathing slightly. Marius withdrew a Vigorous Healing Potion, pouring the contents slowly into her mouth. A few seconds, the girl opened her eyes still drowsy from the beating.
"Are you alright?" Marius asked. The girl whispered her name very weakly.
"L-Lilly." The girl passed out still too tired. Elesse quickly ran over to Marius, lifting her gently into her arms.
"I can get her to the medical ward we set up. Don't worry Commander, I'll make sure she's safe and sound."
"See that you do. And tell me right away when she wakes up." Elesse nodded, carrying the girl away. Marius looked over to the dagger left by the assailants, enraged at the sight before destroying it into pieces with his foot.
Back at the palace, all the captured Ferdeln nobles, dressed in their old clothes but not dirty, were all waiting in the throne room. Imperial Legionnaires guarded all the entrances, their eyes fully concentrated on the nobles to prevent any ideas of escape. In the middle of the crowd, Anora walked among the nobles as she spotted her two most trusted advisors.
"Eamon, Fergus," she called out to. The two quickly came as Eamon reached out to hug.
"Anora, thank the Maker you're alright. I thought they had killed you or worse but you seem fine."
"I am. I too am relieved neither you two are any worse for wear. Has anything happened since we've been imprisoned?"
"None," Fergus said, "they won't tell us anything but to wait for their Emperor. And you'll know what he'll say." Anora nodded.
"Yes, to surrender Ferelden to him. But that won't happen, we've already fought off another invader we won't submit to another."
"That's good," Eamon said, "but I fear this enemy is much more than we can handle, more than the Orlesians were."
"What makes you say that?" Anora asked. Before Eamon could answer, a chill spread amongst themselves as all the nobles turned their heads to a side door. A man with short black hair, a grizzled stubble dressed in robes with draconic design walked in along with high ranking soldiers. They could feel the power radiating off him as if his presence was ingrained into their very soul. The man stood in front of the court near the throne, tossing a small device that lit up a projection of a beautiful woman, a bit taller than him and she too dressed in similar robes. A herald rolled out a long paper as he read aloud.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the court, I present to you the Emperor of Tamriel, Gaius Dracos, Dragon of the North, Sword of Tamriel, Dovahkiin, along with the Empress of Tamriel, Serana Dracos, Shield of Tamriel, and Master of the Arcane." The Emperor stepped forward along with the projection of the Empress, that overwhelming power has disappeared from the room.
"I am so sorry to have kept you all waiting but crossing an ocean is no easy feat. Now that I have introduced myself, perhaps the leader of this nation would please step forward." The group of nobles parted for Anora to be revealed along with Eamon and Fergus. Anora walked forward with her arms crossed down stopping a few feet in front of the Emperor, both Eamon and Fergus behind her flanks.
"Greetings your Majesty. I am Anora, Queen of Ferelden. With me is Eamon Guerrin, former Arl of Redcliffe and my advisor and Fergus Cousland, Teyrn of Highever."
"A pleasure," the Emperor bowed slightly, "I hear you are all great leaders, very popular among both the people and nobility. The country is grateful to have you all." Fergus balled his fists, annoyed at what he was doing.
"Enough with the pleasantries. We know why you're here so stop dancing around the issue. We're not going to surrender Ferelden."
"Fergus!" Anora snapped at the Teyrn. He stopped as she commanded before the Emperor raised his hand.
"No, it is quite alright. I understand that my agents may have used tactics that you find barbaric and for that I am sorry. He will be reprimanded. But understand I am not here to conquer as the Orlesians did many years ago. No, what I offer is a better way for Ferelden and all of Thedas."
"And that is?" Anora asked. The Empress walked forward and raised her hands.
"To become a part of our Empire not as conquered people but allies in our fight to bring peace and justice to this world. We offer this proposition: your soldiers may keep their weapons, the nobles their lands, and your throne, and you may govern Ferelden as you see fit as a vassal to us. However both the Circles and Templars will come under our control, every citizen will be granted equal protection under the law, and the Chantry will no longer hold any form of authority. All that is required is for you and every noble in this room to bend the knee and swear fealty to the Dragon Empire. What say you?"
The entire room's gaze looked upon Anora, who was stunned at the proposition. She glanced at the retinue behind the Emperor and back to her people, unsure of whether to accept such a deal. On the one hand, this deal is much better than what the Orlesians did and with their armies perhaps Ferelden wouldn't have to worry about any threats to her. Of course, this could be a ruse and they could just go back on their words. The Empire certainly had the ability to destroy them so why bother with winning over the nobles. Not only that, Anora certainly did not want to be the one that allowed Ferelden to fall especially within a week.
"I see that you are hesitant to accept," the Emperor said, "Power is not something that can be given up so easily yet the question you should be asking is 'What have I done with this power?'" the Emperor created a ball of lightning from his hands, frightening the nobles as the magic formed into figures of people.
"You became the Queen not because the people supported you but because the one named Alistair gave his own life to save you all. Throughout your reign, you've focused on ensuring economic security by securing trade deals and funding education yet you ignored the plights of the elves. You pride yourselves on the freedoms you give your subjects but you do nothing for those who can't fully embrace them simply because their ears are different. When the mages and templars began fighting, you again refused to intervene by allowing maleficars to run wild and allowing the Templars to become harsher. And now an elven mage seeks to destroy this world, deepening the racism and hatred against the elves and magic. And what do you do? Worry if you should trade some sheep with Neverra or if you should perhaps change the name of a university. Yes, I can understand why someone would be hesitant to give that all up."
The Emperor no longer had that welcoming face but his brown eyes burned intensely at Anora. She was frozen in place, her mind could no longer think rationally and all she cared about was surviving. The Emperor then generated a swirl of green energy in his palm. Fearing the end, Anora slowly back within the group, as they readied for a possible fight. But then in an instant, they just stopped. Why did they worry again? Anora recomposed herself before returning towards the Emperor and Empress.
"Will you truly keep your word about allowing us our freedom? How do we know you won't simply turn on us the moment we agree?"
"You don't," the Empress said, "we could promise you the sun and moon that we won't renege on our deal and you'd still have doubts. Think of it as having access to new trade deals that will allow Ferelden to flourish and a military so strong you never have to worry about any external threat ever again. Your people will hardly notice much of a change and in time we think they'll come to appreciate what we offer. So I ask again do you agree to our offer?"
Anora looked down and closed her eyes. She thought back to everything she's done in her life and reign: her father's valiant defense of their home, the days she spent working to run the kingdom with Cailan and eventually with Eamon, and her battle against the darkspawn. Ferelden has always needed a ruler to defend her and its people and it needs one now more than ever. Anora slowly bent her leg, crossing her arm across her chest as knelt her head.
"I accept." Those two words shocked the entire court except both Eamon and Fergus. The two exchanged a silent look before nodding as they too bent the knee. One by one, the rest of the banns and arls each took the knee, trusting enough in the three that this was the best they could hope for.
"Good," the Empress congratulated on choosing the right path as she then turned to her husband. "Farewell, my dear. I will see you again in a few months but don't overextend yourself."
The Emperor smiled back to her, whispering to her something personal before she disappeared. He then snapped his fingers, to which his heralds brought out a small desk along with a long document with a pen.
"If you would all be so kind but to sign this document. This is for proof that our agreement is legally binding and hammers out any additional details that shall be further discussed. After that, I'll need each of you to accompany our soldiers to your lands, make sure your levies don't attack us by mistake."
The Emperor waved his hands as he walked back to the side door along with his generals.
"Oh, and one more thing," the Emperor reached into his pocket a small chest, which he then threw to the middle of the room, enlarging itself as a head rolled out. The nobles were quite disgusted before Fergus held it up. "We took care of the raiders near Brandel's Reach, leveled the whole place and now our ships patrol the waters. You're welcome." He quickly launched a small firebolt at the head, disintegrating it to dust and eliciting a laugh as he left the room.
/a/83Bwrvu - imgur site
Siege of Brandel's Reach
Date: 22nd of First Seed, 305 4E/22nd of Drakonis, 9:45 Dragon
Location: Brandel's Reach, off the coast of Ferelden
Result: Decisive Imperial Victory, Destruction of island's raiders
Belligerents
Dragon Empire/Raiders
Commanders and leaders
Legate Selvina/Ollie Mooney(t)
Units involved
5th Legion(1 cohort)/Pirates and Raiders
Strength
5,000 Legionnaires/2,500 Raiders
Casualties and Losses
9 killed/2,500 killed
1 wounded