The Blades
New Blades Headquarters, Imperial Palace
Second Seed, 15th

One of Martin's biggest priorities was in rebuilding the Blades. Like most of his biggest priorities, however, the war forced them to take a back seat. There seemed to be a lull since the Thalmor were soundly defeated outside Gilane and had their third incursion into Cyrodiil squashed.

While Emperor Martin and his entourage were negotiating Hammerfell's reunification, The Thalmor has tried invading Cyrodiil from Valenwood. With the help of the Redoran Guard, they were routed all the way to Thormar Keep. The Redoran Guard had not moved into Valenwoood, and the Legion pulled back to the border, but the Thalmor were completely routed and had not tried any further offensive actions.

The negotiations themselves had proven fruitful. Elnath Naziri had shown himself to be a good mentor in the art of diplomacy and Redguard culture, and he was becoming someone Martin started considering a friend. The two had worked out a deal that was equitable to both sides, provided much needed infrastructure support to Hammerfell and much needed troops to the empire.

Elnath would be presenting a high level package to the Elder Council tomorrow, and then the council would vote. It was to be a pro forma vote, but Martin wanted to keep them informed and stay in their good graces. Then, in a week's time, there would be a formal signing ceremony at the Imperial Palace, followed by a formal ball, celebrating the reunion.

Right now, though, he was going to attempt shoring up the blades. They had a basic leadership structure in place, but the war had delayed most of the plans. Now it was time to put those plans into motion.

In Martin's exploration, he had found some offices in the floors above the library. Rumors had circulated that a thief had stolen and elder scroll from the library and escaped the palace through those offices, but Martin, having dealt with Elder Scrolls himself, had discounted those rumors as outlandish.

Still, the set of offices would make a good place for the leaders of the blades to work out of, should they so desire. Martin had found one in particular that he would claim as his own, for internal business. External affairs would be conducted lower in the tower, still. Right now, he was in one of the bigger rooms. He'd had a conference table and chairs set up to make the meeting easier for everyone.

Everyone had arrived all at once, and exactly on time. Martin was a little surprised that the entire group had made it: Esbern, Aldis, Hadvar, Mjoll, Aranea, and of course, Lydia.

"I like what you've done with the place," Hadvar quipped, looking around.

Martin let out a small laugh. "It's quiet and it's out of the way, perfect for our purposes."

Hadvar nodded in response and sat, along with everyone else, around the table.

Martin wasted no further time on small talk. "I'll get straight to the point. This is long overdue. Before I ever made my claim, each of you have proven to be faithful companion. Each of you have provided much needed support throughout my time in Skyrim. Each of you has willingly joined the Blades, and now I would like to officially place you all at the top of the structure."

Esbern started to speak, but Martin motioned with his hand. "I know we started, Esbern, but a lot has happened since then, and I would like to take another look and see where we stand. We could, however, start with you. What do you have to report?"

"I have made contact with some of the priests and priestesses of Talos. Many were wary at first, but when word spread that amnesty was being offered to fight the Thalmor, many came out of hiding and sent word to me."

"That's encouraging to hear, Esbern, thank you," Martin observed. "I would like for you to take up residence at Weynon Prior. It's been abandoned since the purge. Invite the priests and priestesses to come and reside there with you, and then you can work on recruitment and establishing temples throughout Tamriel. Officially, you will be the Grand High Priest of the Order of Talos. Secretly, you will also be Grandmaster of the Order of Blades. You know more about the history and the lore than anyone, so I will leave you to build up the priestly order as you see fit. Make it as great as the other divines."

Esbern smiled and nodded.

Martin turned towards Aranea, "Aranea, you will be head of our scholarly order. You will be Grand Chronicler. Please work with Esbern, who has gathered and saved much of our history. Also, scour the land for old Blade temples and safehouses. Most were destroyed and looted, but some may have records and information still. Your overarching mission is to piece together, record and write the history of the blades. It will be a tremendous undertaking, and you can make your headquarters here in the imperial library to start. Eventually, I would like you to found schools in each of the provinces. Start recruiting from the temples and mages guild, but please be discreet. Once you have a small band of scholars that you can trust, you may send them out on expeditions to recover lost information."

"Thank you, my champion. It would be wise to have escorts for these scholarly expeditions, would it not?" Aranea said.

Martin nodded. "It would, and that brings me to you, Legate Aldis. With the volunteers from Skyrim and Hammerfell rejoining the empire, I would like to garrison a legion in Skyrim. I am going to recommend you are promoted to General and command the Legion there. Your immediate priorities are to rebuild Skyhaven Temple and Fort Helgen. Also, send two patrols to Weynon Priory to guard against the Thalmor while Esbern works on restoring it and setting up shop. Secondary priorities are to gather materials for the rebuilding of Cloud Ruler Temple and focusing on recruitment. Eventually, I would like an entire legion worth of blades, stationed throughout the Imperial Legion. These will the ones who provide support to Esbern and Aranea as needed. Also, Lydia will pull from them for my personal guard. Questions?"

"Should the patrols stationed at Weynon priory wear imperial armor or blades armor?"

"That's a good question," Martin surmised. They he smiled. "Have them wear blades armor. We don't have to worry about offending the Thalmor anymore and it would probably start some nice rumors among the population."

Legate Aldis smiled and nodded in response.

"Ok, officicially you will be a General in the Imperial Legion. Unofficially, you will be Master Knight in the Order of the Blades. Both Hadvar and Mjoll will report to you. Hadvar, Mjoll, each of you will be Knight Commander in the Blades, irrespective of your Legion ranks. I'll get to your duties in a moment, but first, Lydia, I trust you have made some good observations regarding my personal guard?"

Lydia nodded, "Yes, my liege. I have about 3 dozen soldiers I would like to talk to, but there are ten who aided you at Gilane. I would like to induct them immediately and let them be the core of your personal guard. Eventually, I would like to recruit enough that we can have members out in public in regular clothes to aid with security."

"The soldiers from Gilane, they were Rikke's, no?"

"They were, sire." Lydia replied.

"Ok, good, talk to her and set something up for them to come the palace tomorrow. As for the rest, set things up as you see fit. You will also be a Knight Commander in the Order of the Blades, but you will report to me, instead of Aldis."

"Of course, my Liege."

Martin turned his attention towards Mjoll. "Ok, Mjoll, Aldis will ensure you are assigned to his legion. Officially you will be Tribune in the Imperial Legion and you will command an infantry cohort. Unofficially, you will oversee the assignment of support patrols to Aranea and Esbern. You will also support Lydia with requests for my personal and ceremonial guard. As I stated, you will be a Knight Commander in the Order of the Blades. Questions?"

Mjoll shook her head, indicating there were none.

"Ok, that brings us to Hadvar. My friend, I'm afraid my goal of rebuilding Cloud Ruler Temple will have to wait until the war is over, but as we reorganize our legions, I will recommend you for promotion to General to command the First Legion. Unofficially, you will also be Knight Commander in the Order of the Blades. Questions?"

"I am honored to serve my friend and my emperor," Hadvar replied.

Martin smiled. "Ok, the only thing left is for us to have a Grand Spymaster, and start forming our own spy network. I have asked the proprietor of the Silver Fox, but he was hesitant to be part of the Blades."

"My liege, have you considered that may Delphine will be fit for the role?" Esbern asked.

Martin sighed, "I have, and if you think she can be trusted-"

"Forgive the interruption, sire, but I have seen a great change in her as of late. I believe that in her heart she wants to serve the Blades." Esbern said.

"Ok, I will arrange to have her brought here where you and I can talk to her. As for the rest of you, each of you have your marching orders. I realize the guidance I have provided is very generalized and high level. I also realize we are currently fighting a war. That being said, I expect each of you to pursue your respective missions with rigor. Each of you will report to Esbern and Esbern will work closely with Aranea to ensure our history is preserved."


Blades Headquarters, later that evening

Delphine was amazed by what she saw. Before she could speak, Martin welcomed her.

Her demeanor was much different that the previous occasions where her and Martin had spoken. She had surprised him by her greeting. She bowed her head slightly, "Emperor Martin Septim, thank you for seeing me."

The room was still rather spartan, but there was a warm fire in the hearth, and above it hung a banner. Martin did not recognize the symbols, but he liked the way it looked, so he kept it. The fire added an emotional warmth as well as physical. There were two chairs by the fire and Martin motioned to one of them. "Delphine. Please, have a seat."

Delphine and Martin each sat in one of the chairs near the fire. Lydia brought a wooden chair over for Esbern to sit in, but she remained standing herself.

"Delphine," Martin began, "Esbern here has been a strident advocate on your behalf. I am inclined to give you a second chance, but we must resolve this conflict between us."

Delphine nodded, but said nothing.

Martin continued, "It seems to me the conflict arose with my refusal to kill Paarthurnax. You are focused on the Dragonguard part of our heritage, and as such are greatly offended when I ally myself with dragons. However, did you know that Tiber Septim allied with dragons?"

Delphine was genuinely shocked. "What? Can it be?" She looked towards Esbern.

Esbern nodded. "Yes, Delphine, it is true. Much of our lore and history was lost in the Great War, but our brothers and sisters in Hammerfell have provided us with some information. Tiber Septim allied himself with Nahfahlaar, who proved pivotal in the Battle of Hunding Bay."

News of this sent a shockwave of emotion through Delphine. While previous conversations with Esbern has started the change inside her, this news cemented it. At the same time, it shattered what she had thought her new purpose was.

"When I heard the Graybeards call for the Dragonborn, I was sure the blades had purpose again. With the rise and return of the dragons, I was certain that purpose was hunting them down. But now… now what is my purpose?" she asked.

"Delphine," Esbern said gently, "your purpose is to help rebuild the Blades. They were crushed under the Thalmor and under Mede's leadership. Nearly all of them were hunted down and killed. However, you and I survived. There may be more survivors. One of your goals can be to find them and bring them back into the fold."

Delphine smiled at Esbern and then turned to Martin. "I've been a fool, my liege."

"Delphine," Martin began carefully, "I know you and I didn't start off on the best foot, but I do not think you have ever been a fool. You have seen my abilities and my dedication. Please believe me when I tell you I am not only dedicated to rebuilding the Blades, I am dedicated to restoring all of Tamriel. I will accept help from all the friends and allies who offer it, even dragons. I would like your help as well."

Delphine was silent for a while. Martin and Esbern could almost see the turmoil inside her. Finally, she spoke, "What would you have me do?"

Martin looked at Esbern, who nodded slightly, then back at Delphine. "We have no intelligence network to speak of. We have leveraged certain…individuals, but even there, the use and information has been limited to non-existent. We need two things and I believe they go hand in hand. First, we need to establish a network, one where information can be shared discreetly throughout all of the provinces. Second, we need to know if any other Blades have survived by going underground. History shows that every single member died or was killed, but you and Esbern are proof that is not the case. There may be others, and I'd like you to find them."

"When do I begin?" Delphine asked.

Martin smiled. "Soon. Officially, you are being moved from your prison cell to house arrest at the Silver Fox inn. And officially, you will have one guard with you while you are there. Unofficially, you will work with the proprietor to gather and process information, build the network and find any more possible Blades members who have gone underground to survive."

"And the guard?"

"Well, Lydia will handle the introductions, and help get you situated at the inn. The Imperial Guard is actually a Blades member, there to assist you. He will help you get settled in. His duties are to protect you, run messages for you, gather supplies, etc. You will be Spymaster of the Blades, on a probationary basis. Eventually you will be Grand Spymaster, reporting directly to Esbern. The entire spy network will be your responsibility, so you will need to recruit and promote trusted individuals to assist you."

Delphine was silent again, while absorbing all that Martin has said. Finally, she said, "Thank you, my liege."

"You can begin by interviewing some of the former Penitus Oculatus members. I was recently informed that they had a spy network. Would have been nice to know a few weeks ago, but still, it might be something you can leverage."

Delphine nodded, but said nothing.

Martin stood, signally the meeting was at an end. "Oh, and if you need anything from Riverwood, please let Lydia and your guard know. We'll make sure you are set up and comfortable at the Silver Fox.

Lydia and Delphine started for the door. Esbern stood and made for the door as well, but Martin held out his hand, "Esbern, would you stay for a moment, please?"

Esbern nodded and sat back down.

Once Lydia and Delphine had left and the door had closed behind them, Martin's demeanor had changed to one of pleasant relief. "That went much better than I had expected."

"Indeed," Esbern replied. "I knew Delphine had it in her, she just needed time to accept the new paradigm."

"Thank you, Ebern, I know it was your guidance that helped her. Know that it also helped me. Now, it seems that each, well, branch, of the Blades has its own leader and its own direction. I am tasking you will filling out the ranks of each branch, providing whatever support is needed to all the heads."

"Thank you, my liege," Esbern replied. "As we fill out the ranks, we'll need, well, ranks, a structure, so that we can stay organized. How would you like us to proceed?"

"I will leave that in your capable hands. You know the lore better than anyone. Work with each branch to determine the rank structure. Use your knowledge and whatever history you have to establish rules and order for the organization."

"I will do that my liege. In fact, I will begin this evening."


Emperor's Office
Second Seed, 17th

Martin was constantly amazed at how much paperwork there was at running an empire, especially one at war. He was going to have to re-organize the bureaucracy in order to make it more efficient, and by more efficient, he meant less paperwork for himself. Still, there were two very important things happening, and he needed to make sure things ran smoothly. The first was re-creating the blades. The second was the reunification with Hammerfell.

It was the second item that was keeping him so busy at the moment. There were a plethora of details to work out, still, and integrating Hammerfell's civil, economy, infrastructure and military back into the empire was more complicated that it initially appeared. The Elder Council was receptive to Elnath's briefing, but there were still some final details to work out. Elnath was due to arrive at any moment to help work out those details and make arrangements for the signing that was scheduled in a few days.

Martin was getting good at compartmentalizing things so that one item would not interfere with another. Still the past two days had contained many meetings and he wasn't even halfway through them all yet.

There was no time to dwell on other meetings as Elnath had arrived, right on time.

"Good morning, your majesty," Elnath greeted.

"Good morning, Elnath. Please come in and have a seat." Martin replied.

"I see you finally got yourself a proper working space, although it does seem a little spartan for someone of your station." Although it sounded like a criticism, Elnath was actually impressed by the lack of opulence, and that's how Martin interpreted the comment.

"Thank you, Elnath. Eventually, I'll have some of my trinkets brought down from Skyrim, but for now, there are bigger concerns. Speaking of which, how go the plans for integration?"

"We have a timetable. First would be the military. Our goal is to have them integrated within a few weeks. I know that's optimistic, but I think it's doable."

Before Martin could respond, there was a knock on the door.

"Enter," Martin ordered.

A palace guard entered, with a courier in tow. "Apologies for the interruption, sire, but this courier arrived from Skyrim and insisted that his parcel was for your hands only."

"Who from?" Martin asked.

"One of the caravans," the courier responded. "They insisted it was urgent and should go straight to you, no other intermediaries."

Martin nodded and motioned towards the courier. The courier smiled and handed over the parcel. The guard then escorted him out.

"What was that about?" Elnath asked.

Martin shrugged. I'll look at it later. More important things to focus on now.

Elnath nodded, but said nothing.

"Anyway," Martin mused, "Where were we? Oh yes, if we switch out an entire Imperial Cohort and replace it with an entire Redguard Arif, it would make things a little more seamless. Do you have two Amirs selected to become generals of the Imperial Legion?"

"We do, both involved in the Battle of Gilane," Elnath replied. "And we were thinking something similar when we made the plans."

"About that…how many Arifs of the Sword-singers do you all have?"

Elnath winced a little, "Honestly, what you saw is what we have. Sword-singing was a dying art. In fact The Ansei are completely extinct, and nobody knows how to revive that lost art. The Sword-singers were close to being extinct as well, but some of the writings of Frandar Hunding's writings have survived the centuries. When the empire abandoned us…" Elnath made a funny, apologetic face.

Martin waved it off and motioned for him to continue.

"Well, when we found ourselves fighting the Aldmeri Dominion alone, our people found one of the temples with Hundar's writings and a single surviving sword-singer. He was old, but his mind was sharp. He agreed to train a new generation of warriors. From what I'm told, the training was grueling, and many did not make it all the way through. It was also long, years long, which is why the war in Hammerfell continued on for so many years. Some would argue that what we have not are not true sword-singers and that the art is truly dead and lost. However, no one can argue the skill of the warriors."

"I completely agree," Martin was quite impressed, "Their skill is unmatched. I was extremely impressed by what I saw. In fact, I would like to make the Arif of sword-singers the first cohort of the First Imperial Legion."

Elnath was surprised by the gesture. "That would be a great honor to my people."

The rest of the details regarding the reunification seemed to fall into place after that. Martin and Elnath spoke and planned throughout the entire morning, until they had a roadmap in place. Lower level functionaries would handle the minute details, but they had an overarching plan that would hopefully result in a smooth transition of Hammerfell from sovereign nation to province of Tamriel.


War Room, Imperial Palace

The Imperial War Room had evolved from a spartan stone room with a few wooden tables, to the nerve center of the Imperial War Effort. There were people in there 24 hours a day. Large maps of each province were on the walls. Smaller, tactical maps of both provinces and select cities were on the tables, with markers and flags. The room itself had been expanded, so more tables and maps could be brought in. A larger conference table had also been brought in.

The large conference table was being used. The Imperial Legion currently had more Generals than it did Legions and for this evening's meeting, all the generals had shown up.

Martin stood at the head of the table, right on the hour, and started the meeting. "Gentlemen, ladies, thank you for being here this evening. General Tullius will brief us on the latest incursion and then we will discuss integrating the Redguards into our Legions."

Martin sat and Tullius stood. "Thank you, sire," he began. "It wasn't that much of an incursion, although they did send an entire division across the border. With the exception of the Third Legion, all our troops have returned to Cyrodiil and camped at various places along the border. The Thalmor were completely outmatched and retreated soon after we brought all our legions to bear. To be honest, it was little more than a skirmish, and I strongly suspect they were probing our defenses."

"Was that the only incursion?" Martin asked.

"Yes, my liege. However, we have sent a Patrol down to Leyawiin to investigate, just in case they try coming in over the hills." Tullius replied.

"Thank you, Tullius," Martin acknowledged and then turned to General Whitestone. "Once we incorporate the Redgauards and the volunteers from Skyrim, how many legions will we have?"

Whitestone was thoughtful as he reviewed his notes. "After backfilling our losses, we'll have enough troops for over eight and a half legions. However, some legions will be different in total make up from others."

Martin considered that for a moment before he responded. "If we add a second cohort of Battle Mages to some of the legions, would we be able to field nine in total?"

"I think we can get pretty close my liege, but I'm not sure if the Mages guild can or will support that," Whitestone replied.

"Fair enough. Here is what I am thinking," Martin explained. "This is a high level overview and I'll leave you all to work out the details, but I would like to field nine legions. They would be organized into three armies. The first two armies, that is, legions one through six, would be deployed. The third army, that is, legions seven through nine would be garrisons. The Seventh Legion in Gilane, the Eighth Legion in Solitude and the Ninth Legion in Imperial City. Each of the Armies would report to a Praetor, and each of the Praetors would report to Jonna. Jonna, I would like to ask you to serve as Consul of all the Armies and Legions. It's the highest rank I can bestow upon you. You would be one more step removed from the action, but it would make you equivalent to the High Kings of each province. Frankly, we desperately need your wisdom and experience to guide us."

"I am honored to serve, your majesty. You have names in mind for the new Praetors?"

"I do, Consul Jonna, and thank you for your continued service. I would like to ask General Whitestone to be Praetor over the first three legions. General Laudis to be Praetor over he second three and General Tullius to be Praetor over the garrison legions. I know you were looking at retirement Tullius, and this position will be sort of like semi-retirement."

Tullius smiled. "Thank you, my liege. I am honored to serve."

"As am I," General Whitestone relied.

"And I am as well," General Laudis added.

"Thank you," Martin said, "All of you. Right after my coronation, the Legion was not in the best shape. Each of you have helped grow not only our numbers, but our abilities and we have shown the Thalmor that we are not so weak as they had believed."

There were smiled and nods around the table.

"Sire, if I may," General Aerin began, "Who will command the nine Legions?"

"Well, I have two recommendations, but I will leave the decision on who commands which legion up to our new Consul and new Praetors. Promotions are effective immediately, by the way. We also have agreed to give two Redguards command of legions."

"Raziri is one of them, no?" General Laudis asked. "He commanded the garrison inside Gilane. He might be a good choice for the Legion Garrisoned there."

Jonna nodded, "Thank you, Laudis. That is a good recommendation."

"Indeed," Martin said. "In addition, I would like Aldis to command the Legion garrisoned in Solitude."

"Aldis? He was just recently promoted to Legate…from Captain, was he not?" General Aerin asked.

"Aye," Rikke responded. "But he commands the respect of the men and is efficient at training them as well."

"Fitting for a garrison commander," Tullius agreed.

With the endorsement of both Tullius and Rikke, Aerin and was satisfied.

"Thank you, both," Martin said to Rikke and Tullius. "If I you would be so kind as to lend your endorsement to Hadvar as well, I would like him to command the First Legion."

"The Emperor's Legion," Whitestone remarked.

Martin smiled. "'The Emperor's Legion.' I like that. Anyway, I would like Hadvar to be promoted to General and command that legion."

"Hadvar did climb the ranks quickly, as quickly as you, just, not as far," Rikke said.

Tullius smiled, "And he did save you from Helgen," he quipped.

"We saved each other," Martin replied with a smile.

There were a few chuckles around the table. Everyone present had heard the story of Martin at Helgen and his quick rise through the ranks of the Legion. None of them objected to Hadvar commanding the first legion.

"And since this is the Emperor's Legion," Martin continued, "I would like the Arif of sword singers to be the first cohort of the First Legion."

The generals were all smart enough to understand both the symbolic and strategic importance of such a move.

"That will be done, your majesty," Jonna assured him. "To summarize for everyone. We will divide the Imperial Legion into three armies, each with three divisions. The third army will be a garrison force, commanded by Praetor Tullius. The Seventh Legion will be commanded by General Raziri and garrisoned in Gilane. The Eighth Legion will be commanded by General Aldis and garrisoned in Solitude. The Ninth Legion will be garrisoned in Imperial City, its commander is yet to be determined. Questions so far?"

There were none, so Jonna continued. "Ok, the first army will be commanded by Praetor Whitestone. The First Legion will be commanded by General Hadvar. The Second Legion will be commanded by General Razelan from Hammerfell. The Third Legion will be commanded by General Aerin. The second army will be commanded by Praetor Laudis, however, the commanding generals of the specific legions are yet to be determined."

"That about covers it," Martin observed. "Please have a plan in place for the integration of the Redguard Arifs and the Skyrim volunteers, as well as the complete command structure for each legion, by the signing ceremony. However, priority should go to fully manning the first three legions."

"Of course, your majesty. It will all be done." Jonna replied.


The Sliver Fox, Imperial City
Second Seed 17th

Lucius, proprietor of the Silver Fox was entertaining some very special guests. They were on the second floor of the establishment, and he was bragging about how great the inn was. He pulled out a set of keys, flipped through them and selected the correct one. He put the key in the door and swung it open.

"This is our very best suite. Many great and famous people have stayed here. There is a lot of history. I am sure you will feel right at home."

Delphine entered first, followed by Azan, her accompanying blade, and finally Lydia. The room was not very middle of the road. A middle class bed, dresser, nightstand and chest. Some lanterns for light and sconces for torches. Delphine dropped a big leather pouch on the floor. The rest of her stuff would need to be brough down from Skyrim, but plans to do so were already in the works. "It'll do," she said.

"If there is anything I can do to make your stay more comfortable, please let me know," Lucius said.

"Well, if you have the time, we'd like to talk to you about that trade deal with the Ragged Flagon," Lydia mentioned.

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather get settled in first?" Lucius asked.

Delphine looked down at her bag, then up at Lucius. "I'm settled."

Lucius smiled. "Very well. Follow me then.

"Stay here, Azan. I'll be back soon."

Lucius led them down the stairs into the main tavern room, then around the corner where he unlocked a door that led down to the basement. The basement was fairly non-descript for a tavern, but there was a door behind some shelves. Lucius pulled out an ornate key and used it to unlock that door. Once they were inside, he closed and locked it again.

"Have a seat, please," Lucius motioned.

Lucius offered both of them a honey mead, with they accepted graciously. Then he got straight to the point. "So, our illustrious emperor was serious when he mentioned starting up a spy ring, eh?"

"The Penitus Oculatus had a few undercover agents, but there network was…lacking" Delphine observed. "It didn't even come close to what the blades had."

"Ah yes, but look what happened to the blades," Lucius quipped.

"The blades never died, we just went underground. Now we are trying to restore our organization, and we do so with the full support of the Emperor."

"Who also happens to be a fellow guildmaster," Lydia added.

Lucius held his hands up. "Hey, relax, I didn't mean anything by it. Of course I am happy to help."

Delphine stared at him for a moment, then decided to reply, "Good. I take it some of your contacts are fellow guild members, but others are not. Is this correct?"

Lucius nodded.

"I would like a list of your non-guild contacts, as well as any intermediaries. I plan on leveraging their stations," Delphine stated.

Lucius was extremely hesitant. "I'm not sure if that would be such a good idea at the moment. The Thieves' guilds in Elsweyr and Valenwood have had to go deep underground. One of my non-guild contacts in Valenwood was recently burned alive in his shoppe. I think any involvement with the Blades would exacerbate an already precarious situation."

Delphine thought for a moment. "Ok, how about this, then. You and manage all your contacts in the Dominion. However, you give me all of your contacts, guild and non-guild alike, in Hammerfell and High Rock. Also, you agree to be inducted into the Blades yourself. You would, of course, report directly to me."

"You know, our emperor made me the same offer."

"Not quite," Delphine retorted. "He offered to put you in charge of the entire spy network. I am asking you to manage the network you already have in Elsweyr and Valenwood. That would be your only responsibility. Maintaining your role as the Gray Fox and the proprietor of the Silver Fox would be necessary in your function as a Spy for the Blades. That's the highest rank I can give you. Eventually, I think you'd be fit as Spymaster for Cyrodiil."

"I'll…consider it," Lucius replied. I know where you'll be when I have my answer. Now, is there anything else?"

"Actually," Lydia said, handing him a scroll. "There is. The emperor would like you to review this and send a copy to Riften for them to look at."

Lucious unrolled the scroll and his eyes went wide. "This…this is unprecedented! This has never been done before in the history of Tamriel! He can't be serious!"

The document Lucius was reading was a proposed charter for establishing an empire-wide Thieves guild:

ooooo

I. Purpose

Crime is inevitable. Theft, robbery, larceny they occur no matter how good law enforcement may be. The Guild of Thieves will regulate the activity of these criminals, and ensure that an freelancers or rogue organizations are swiftly dealt with.

II. Authority

Historically, each province has maintained its own guild with semi-autonomy. This semi-autonomy will continue and great discretion is to be granted the local guild masters. However, each provincial guild master will now report to the Gray Fox and provide monthly tribute. In return, the Gray Fox will provide support in personnel and jobs when needed. Gray Fox will also provide resources to assist in the elimination of any rogue organizations that may spring up.

III. Structure

1. The Thieves guild shall be led by the Gray Fox. The Gray Cowl of Nocturnal is an ancient artifact, passed down from one leader to the next. The Gray Fox shall consult with Nocturnal for his or her plan of succession.

2. Each province shall have an overseer who is of Master Thief Rank. The Overseer will also be the guild master of the lead guild hall in the province.

3. Addition guild halls in each province shall have a steward who is at least Ring Leader Rank.

IV. Rules and Procedures

1. Crimes against fellow members of the Guild are treated with the harshest discipline. Whether a member may regain their status in the Guild is determined by the Master of the Provincial Guild.

2. Disobedience to the charter or guild superiors will be disciplined.

3. Each guild hall will pay 10% of its income in Tribute to the Gray Fox. Income will be based on guild cut from member's scores, contracts, guild trainers and sales from guild fences.

4. At no point will murder be condoned by any guild. Any killing conducted while on guild jobs will result in the harshest discipline.

V. Membership Requirements

1. The Guild of Thieves will accept candidates who are intelligent and stealthy.

2. Candidates must exhibit proficiency in sneaking, and pickpocketing. Members should also maintain light amor.

3. Candidates should be of flexible moral character. Discretion shall always be maintained. Prior crimes will not be held against candidates.

VI. Applications for Membership: Candidates must present themselves to the Overseer of the Guild in each province for examination and approval. Each candidate shall undergo a test of worthiness determined by the Guild Master.

ooooo

"He can't be serious!" Lucius repeated. "What will this mean?"

"Officially, nothing," Lydia replied. "Unofficially, provincial and city officials will turn a blind eye to certain offenses, so long as rule 4 is strictly enforced and the guild continues to stamp out any competition. In addition, the Emperor will provide special Trader's Passes to each guild so select members can move freely about the empire, unhindered by any guard or legionnaire in any province or border crossing."

"And in return?" Lucius asked suspiciously.

"You will receive, record and track tribute from each province. Then you will ensure that tribute gets to the emperor. Also, you will be able to keep 10% of the tribute for yourself. As the Gray Fox, the guildmaster in each province will report to you." Lydia replied.

"And what if they don't go for it?"

Lydia shrugged. "Well, in that case, they may be considered a rogue guild."

Lucius shook his head slightly. "I dunno. I'm not sure if they will go for it."

"Then use your influence to convince them," Delphine observed dryly.

Lucius smirked. "I think you overestimate my influence." He sighed, "I'll say it again, this is unprecedented."

"So is having a Thieves Guild guildmaster as emperor of Tamriel," Lydia quipped.

"I suppose that's true." Lucius conceded. "Very well, I will send a copy to Riften and a few of my contacts and gage their reaction." He turned to Delphine. "I'll have a list of non-guild contacts ready for you tomorrow, as well as my answer to your offer. Now if you will both excuse me, I do have a business to run."

Lydia and Delphine both smiled, rose and left for Delphine's suite.


War Room, Imperial Palace
Second Seed 18th

It was early evening and Martin was being briefed on some of the proposed changes to the structure of the Imperial Legion. Jonna had put a plan together fairly quickly, but it was going to take some time to implement. Time they did not have.

Halfway through the briefing, a Legionnaire from Fort Black Boot arrived with dire news. "My lieges, our patrol returned from Leyawiin. The Thalmor have laid siege to the city."

"Thank you, Quaestor, get some food and drink. Stay here the night and return to your post at first light," Martin commended. Then he turned to Jonna. "What legions do we have available for this?"

"The first, second and sixth legions are ready now, your majestsy," Jonna replied. "I recommend we send the Sixth Legion down through Bravil and the first and second legions through Elsweyr."

"Very well, make it happen. I will join the First Legion at Fort Black Boot first thing tomorrow and lead them through Elsweyr. Rikke can handle the Thalmor until we arrive."

"It will be done as you say, my liege," Jonna replied.


Author's Note: I took a few creative liberties in this chapter, I hope you all do not mind. There has never been a chartered Thieves' Guild, but Martin thought it might be time. Also, the issue of Sword Singers can be controversial. In my research, the Ansei were extinct but the sword-singers were not. I always thought the Redguard got short shrift, so I am trying to talk them up a little bit and we'll see more of them in future chapters. Finally, the issue of other Blades surviving the Great War...I am going to have a few characters that were surviving blades who have gone to ground. I hope these creative liberties are acceptable. As always, if you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to drop me a message.