Emperor's Quarters, aboard The Katariah, 6th of Hearthfire, 4E211…
Emperor Tullius Aurelius rubbed his temples, massaging away a migraine that hadn't even begun yet. This is not where he thought his life would go. It's been 10 years since Emperor Tullius was once General Tullius, military governor of Skyrim. 10 years since that fateful day in Helgen, when the dragons reappeared, and he first met that woman who would change not only all of Skyrim, but all of Tamriel.
Within the wooden halls of The Katariah, flanked by two crimson Imperial flags, Tullius stood over a simple table with a map of the Summerset Isles on it. This was the very same room that Titus Mede II stayed in when he was assassinated by the Dark Brotherhood. A very large part of Tullius suspected that she had something to do with his predecessor's murder, but he lacked any definite proof, and Tullius would not dare try and cross her with accusations and investigations.
Across from him were his two most important subordinates, the two women he couldn't run the Empire without. To his left was General Rikke, his former legate, current military governor of Skyrim, and overall military commander of the Imperial forces. To his right, was Grand Master Delphine of the Blades, the Empire's premiere intelligence, security, and dragon hunting organization. The Emperor had been locked in this room with these two women for the past 30 minutes arguing about plans for the next steps of their campaign.
General Rikke leaned down over the map and began moving pieces. It was a detailed map of the Summerset Isles, having cities, towns, forts, and roads all experty cartographed onto it. Several red and yellow miniature flags were placed atop it, representing Imperial and Thalmor armies respectively. Rikke moved two red flags over the city of Shimmerene, and one more over the city of Sunhold, removing any yellow flags that were within those settlements.
"The 1st and 5th Legions have successfully captured the Shimmerene, while Legate Cipius' 8th Legion is currently sacking Sunhold. With that, the last bastions of Thalmor resistance outside of Alinor have fallen." General Rikke sterly explained. "The Thalmor now have no more supply lines or support armies to help them lift the siege of their Capital. Given a few weeks, if not months, Alinor's food supplies will run out, and they will surrender the city."
Delphine scowled as she replied with frustration pouring through her words. "But like I've been saying the siege will take too long. We may have cut off all physical supply and escape routes, but this is the High Elves we are talking about. Their mastery of magic is greater than other race. If we give them too much time they may discover alternative means of retreat. We all know of the old Waystone network, or the guild guides of the former Mages Guild. Teleportation magic is feasible, and if the Thalmor can uncover that old magic they will escape! We need to attack while we have the advantage!"
Tullius rubbed his chin, contemplating what to do. Both ideas had pros and cons. A prolonged siege meant that he wouldn't be throwing thousands of legionnaires into the meatgrinder of Alinor's walls. The 4th Legion had the docks blockaded while the 2nd and 3rd Legions encircled the city, already having built many siege machines and defensive fortifications. No one was getting out of that city normally.
But the Thalmor were also crafty bastards. If there was anyone in Tamriel who could weasel their way out of this mess, it would be them. If they wanted to end the war with as few possible loose ends, the sooner they struck the better.
"I for one, agree with Delphine." A new voice spoke out.
All three within the room froze. They had locked themselves in the war room 30 minutes ago, and the doors had not been opened since. But that was not what caused them all to freeze. It was the fact that they all recognized the voice. It was a smooth, almost sultry voice, that always carried hints of amusement and condescension. As if she was educating young children that had said something silly.
They all recognized it as her voice. The voice of the ally that won the Skyrim Civil War for them. The voice of the woman who saved the world from its destruction. They turned to the shadowy corner of the room where the voice originated, and stared at their guest with a healthy mixture of respect, admiration,and fear. Out of the shadows appeared Arlene Volkihar, the Dragonborn, the savior of the Empire, former Harbinger of the Companions, mistress of Vampires, and unbeknownst to them, Nightingale of Nocturnal and Listener of Sithis.
Tullius, Rikke, and Delphine all knew what Arlene looked like, having first met her during the very beginnings of her adventure in Skyrim. A bosmer wood elf from Valenwood, Arlene was a shorter, lithe, wood elf with tan skin, silken black hair cut into a neat bob cut, and a soft, beautiful face that gave no indication of the monster that was underneath. At least, that's what she would look like if her body wasn't completely concealed by the black leather armor of the Nightingales. The midnight cowl and hood obscured her face, but even through the small slit left for sight, they could see Arlene's formerly silver eyes glow bright orange. On her waist was a golden katana, one that all three of the quickly recognized. It was Goldbrand, the Daedric artifact of Boethiah, and formerly the sword of Titus Mede II.
By the Dragonborn's side was her sister of the night, her ever faithful and loyal companion, scion of clan Volkihar, current Arch-Mage of the College of Winterhold and probably the most powerful mage on the planet, Serana Volkihar. Only truly immortal mages and liches who, like Serana, retained knowledge of pre-Oblivion Crisis spells, such as the over 4000 year old Divayth Fyr of House Telvanni, could challenge that claim. She wore her red and black leather Vampire Royal Armor with her hood up. On her waist was the katana used by her father Harkon, and on her back was the Staff of Magnus, the symbol of her authority as Arch-Mage.
"Arlene, Serana." Tullius flatly greeted, years of military discipline steeling his heart as his shocked expression was changed to a facade of stoicism. They scared him, yes, but he wasn't going to act like a sniveling bootlicker in front of them.
Arlene's eyes gazed over the three in the room. Here, on the eve of the final battle, the end of the Second Great War and all of her machinations, Arlene couldn't help but feel nostalgic and think about the past.
First she looked at General Rikke. Tullius' loyal lapdog, Rikke took Tullius' old position as general and governor of Skyrim when he became Emperor. Arlene always liked Rikke. Tough and honorable, albeit a bit boring and forgettable, she was a true Nord through and through. Arlene had no doubts that if sided with the Stormcloaks and killed the Imperials instead, she would've seen Rikke in Sovngarde. And as it was during the Skyrim Civil War, Rikke still led Tullius's army on the ground, sacking and razing Aldmeri cities by his orders.
Then her eyes were fixed on General Tullius. Ah no, Emperor Tullius, for all the worth that title gave him. Behind her mask she could only smile at the man. Tullius was a good soldier, an even better general, but hard headed military types were always easy to manipulate.
When she first met Tullius, Arlene was a broken woman fleeing her past, her head on a chopping block for mere seconds of association with rebels. The second time she met Tullius, Arlene was famous for a multitude of reasons, a Harbinger of the Companions, thane of multiple holds, rumored Guild Master of the Thieves Guild, but most importantly she was the undisputed Dragonborn. She was the famous slayer of Alduin, while Tullius was a man on the verge of defeat.
Despite the temporary ceasefire with the Stormcloaks due to the Dragon Crisis, the Empire was losing. With the Emperor's assassination, Legion recruitment plummeted while Stormcloak ranks swelled. No one wanted to serve an Empire that couldn't even protect its own leader. Meanwhile avalanches in the Pale Pass prevented any Imperial reinforcements going North from Cyrodiil. The war was mostly a stalemate, but the death of the Emperor was the catalyst that pushed it to Stormcloak favor. Tullius was a great strategist to be sure, probably the best in the Empire, but even he saw that the situation in Skyrim was becoming untenable for the Imperials.
That is, until Arlene walked through the doors of Castle Dour. That day Arlene said that she heard of the Emperor's assassination, and she wanted to enlist. Tullius never swore someone into the Legion so quickly before. It was no secret to Tullius that Arlene pretty much single handedly won the war for him. And it wasn't just because of her martial prowess.
She was a storm across the battlefield yes, everything that came near her died in a flurry of blades and magic. But more importantly she was a symbol. Despite being an elf, she was a hero and symbol of peace and honor to all of Skyrim, one he was quick to exploit. Couriers were dispatched in droves to all holds, announcing that the Dragonborn had allied with the Empire. Imperial recruiting stations were flooded with new recruits who wanted to serve underneath the heroine of Skyrim. Public support for the Stormcloaks all but evaporated, and many even defected to the Empire.
What was once a stalemate that lasted months swiftly turned into a one sided slaughter. The Empire achieved victory after victory against the Stormcloaks, with Arlene quickly being promoted to Legate, leading her own Legion during the final Battle of Windhelm. As General Tullius predicted, the war ended when the Dragonborn cut off Ulfric Stormcloak's head, and watched it roll away from his lifeless body.
With the war over, General Tullius was more than ready for an easier time as the governor of a united, loyal, Imperial Skyrim. But the Empire's situation was still precarious at best. With Titus Mede II dead, having left no clear heir, the High Chancellor ruled as regent, and the Aldmeri Dominion smelled weakness.
Many questioned who would become the next Emperor. Following the end of the war, Tullius had privately suggested to Arlene that she make a claim for the throne. She was, after all, Dragonborn, giving her more claim to the throne of Talos than anyone else. And he would be more than happy to back her claim. To his surprise, Arlene disagreed.
Arlene had no skill or interest in ruling. She knew nothing of governance, of infrastructure and taxes. Her skills were that of the cloak and dagger, not the quill and ink. She was under no illusion that if she took the throne, the Empire would spiral downward in a vortex of mismanagement.
It was then that Arlene told him the truth of her past. Before coming to Skyrim Arlene was born in Valenwood, a Thalmor vassal, over a hundred years ago. As an adolescent, she served as a scout and ranger for the Aldmeri Dominion. During the First Great War, she had fought on the Dominion's side, and even participated in the Sack of the Imperial City 30 years ago. But the cruelty and destruction of the war disgusted her, and she left the Dominion, becoming a sellsword that travelled across Tamriel. That period of her life was spent in a drunken haze, until one day she decided to illegally cross Skyrim's borders and walked right into an Imperial ambush.
Arlene actually had no interest in getting involved in Skyrim's Civil War or with the Empire. She had her fill of warfare in the Imperial City. It wasn't until she started working with Delphine and infiltrated the Thalmor Embassy, where she learned of the Thalmor purges against the bosmer in Valenwood, that she swore to destroy them. And the only way to destroy the Thalmor was with a united Empire.
But regardless of her own plans and past, Arlene knew that no one would want an elf on the Ruby Throne, especially not an elf that was once actively part of the Aldmeri Dominion. And if the Dominion were half as good at investigating as she knew they were, they were already aware of her past and were waiting to use it against her. No, putting her on the throne was just asking for another civil war. Instead, Arlene suggested that General Tullius should seize power.
Tullius was shocked at the suggestion. He didn't want to be Emperor. He was content with being a General and governor. But Arlene had a way with words that made her seem more like a child of Dibella rather than Akatosh. She explained that the Empire needed a strong leader with a vision now more than ever. Tullius was a war hero, beloved by Skyrim and Cyrodiil for putting down the Stormcloaks. Not only that, he had full control over the largest and most experienced Legions of the Empire. And if she publicly supported him, he wouldn't have to use them.
And so, with the prodding of the Dragonborn, her public endorsement, and unknown to Tullius, her secret support via the Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood, in the year 4E202, General Tullius Aurelius became Emperor Tullius of the Aurelius dynasty. While Tullius had his suspicions, Arlene never told him that she was the one that killed Titus Mede II.
Mede was a weak ruler who couldn't even control his own Elder Council. He stood no chance against the Aldmeri Dominion when war resumed. Tullius however, was a military minded man who could fight on even ground with the Dominion. He also owed most of his success to Arlene, and would follow all of her suggestions to the letter. His obedience was further ensured with the fact that the Blades, once again the Emperor's protectors, ultimately followed Arlene, not him. Arlene may not be Empress, but she controlled the Empire.
Arlene finally looked at Delphine. Ah Delphine. Arlene long wondered if keeping Delphine around was worth the trouble. She was proud, and even disobedient at times, but her skill and mastery of subterfuge was too valuable a tool to just throw away. During the Dragon Crisis, Arlene put much time and effort working with Delphine and Esbern to bring the Blades back from extinction. Mercenaries, spies, mages, and more were recruited across Skyrim into the Blades, creating an elite team of Dragon hunters. But despite their apparently undying "loyalty" to the Dragonborn, they refused to follow her unless she killed her ally Paarthurnax. Arlene almost killed them all then and there solely for the audacity of their insubordination.
Once Harkon, Alduin, Miraak, and the Stormcloaks were defeated, and the Thalmor became the next greatest threat, Arlene meditated on what to do about this dilemma. Ultimately, she decided to tear Paarthurnax's soul from his body. Despite everything the old dragon did to help her stop Alduin, his dedication to pacifism, neutrality, and his Way of the Voice caused him to outlive his usefulness. Arlene needed the Blades for the war against the Thalmor, while Paarthurnax had no interest in the wars of mortals and refused to aid her cause.
But perhaps more importantly, Arlene came to one final conclusion through her meditation. There was one truth that Paarthurnax taught her. It was that dragons were made to dominate. Where once there was Arlene, the scarred bosmer running from war, now stood Dovahkiin, with blood of both Dov and Molag Bal running through her veins, seeking nothing but war and domination.
Once she embraced who she was, she found Paarthurnax's Way of the Voice to be abhorrent. She was made to rule, to dominate. If Jurgen Windcaller and his fellow Tongues fell at Red Mountain, it was not because they were misusing the thu'um, but because they were simply too weak. Alduin could not resist her thu'um, so why should she submit to Paarthurnax when she proved herself greater than Akatosh's first born?
And not even Paarthurnax could truly escape his nature. He wished to lead the dragons by forcing the Way of the Voice upon them. But it was as Odahviing said, it was merely exchanging the tyranny of Alduin for the tyranny of Paarthurnax. Paarthurnax wished to dominate them with his Way of the Voice, to rule over them like Alduin did, whether he realized it or not. And that, Arlene would not stand for. For if there was one tyrant the dov should obey, it was not Alduin or Paarthurnax, but Dovahkiin. Paarthurnax was a good teacher, but now he was a rival.
When Paarthurnax's body lay broken beneath her, his soul in her possession, Arlene then returned to the Blades, reforging it into the organization it once was. With the help of Emperor Tullius, the Blades absorbed the Penitus Oculatus, gaining their members, resources, and connections, once again becoming the premier spies and bodyguards for the Empire. With Delphine's trust in the Dragonborn fully cemented by the death of Paarthurnax, she became fanatically loyal to her, in essence giving the Dragonborn full control over the Blades and its resources.
But despite all of this history Arlene shared with the three people in this room, despite all she had done with and for them, they couldn't help but fear her. And Arlene wouldn't have it any other way. They feared her so they would obey her, but they didn't hate her so they wouldn't turn on her. It was a precarious balance Arlene played with, but that's what made it fun.
It was a fear that not only stemmed from the fact that she could easily kill all three of them in seconds, such was the power of the Dragonborn. But they feared her because everything that had occured in the past 8 years since the end of the Dragon Crisis, happened because Arlene willed it. Through her connections alone, entire kingdoms would thrive or die. She sent Valenwood and Elsweyr into full revolution with her subterfuge, freeing them from Aldmeri control without a single drop of Legion blood. Entire families that supported the Dominion would disappear at her word, while those sympathetic to the Empire would become rich beyond measure. Fires of rebellion were stoked, voices called out for retribution against the genocide and ethnic cleansing of the bosmer and khajiit, all while the Lord of Plots and the Webspinner cackled in the distance.
Tullius spoke up first, breaking Arlene out of her nostalgic stupor. "If you think we should attack, then we'll attack." Tullius knew better than to question her now. While he wasn't a mindless slave who would do what he was always told, if the plan made strategic and tactical sense, he would be more than willing to follow it despite its cost. "The 4th Legion will push on the docks with their galleys, take control through an amphibious assault, hitting the city from the West. Any argonian soldiers we have should be immediately reallocated there. Meanwhile, the 2nd and 3rd will push from the East by land, using their siege towers to take the walls. The 7th will wait in reserve, reinforcing any part of the attack that slows."
General Rikke nodded her head, accepting the orders despite her reservations, and immediately thinking of threats to the operation's success. "Those walls are heavily fortified. Even with all of our archers, battlemages, and artillery suppressing the defenders, the infantry will take heavy losses, especially with how slow the siege towers move."
"The siege towers are a distraction." Arlene disinterestedly stated, casually waving off the potential deaths of hundreds. "If they land, good, but otherwise they'll just attract attention while the 7th will go through the front gate."
"Our heaviest battering rams wouldn't be able to get through those gates, but I'm assuming you have a plan for that." Delphine replied with a smirk.
Arlene returned one behind her mask. "Leave the gatehouse to me. I'll get it open." She spoke with confidence, not arrogance. She knew she could get it open, and so did everyone else in the room. There were no arguments to her plan.
Emperor Tullius nodded his head. "Then we're in agreement. Arlene will take the gate, at which point the 7th Legion kept in reserve will flood through. Once we're in the city, we push to the palace, and force the King of Alinor to surrender or die. We'll begin the attack at dusk. Dismissed." Tullius said to Delphine and Rikke.
Arlene couldn't help but shake her head. If there was anything she missed about serving under Tullius, it was his gruff and brusque demeanor. Much more palatable than the placating politicians and businessmen that tried to play with her. Both Delphine and Rikke saluted and made their way to the door. Arlene, and by extension Serana, who was leaning on a wall, bored at the military talks, stayed. Rikke gave a curt nod to her while Delphine saluted as well before leaving.
When the door closed behind them, Arlene turned to Tullius and spoke, her voice dripping with delight. "So Emperor, are you ready for the glory of victory?"
Tullius scowled at her. "I'm not here for glory. I'm here to put down a mad, genocidal government that threatens the peace of Tamriel." Tullius was not in the mood to play Arlene's games.
"You should smile, Emperor. You are bringing peace, freedom, and security to your Empire, achieving what only the likes of Tiber Septim and Reman Cyrodiil have claimed." Arlene smirked. "History will look at you and your dynasty as heroes and conquerors, unlike the Medes."
"There's no reason to insult the dead." Tullius growled.
"Ah, my mistake, my Emperor." Arlene sarcastically cackled, giving an overly dramatic bow.
"By the Nine, I thought I told you enough with the damn sarcasm!" Tullius snapped. "And stop it with 'Emperor this' and 'Emperor that.' I already know that I'm only a puppet ruler for you, so there's no need to keep rubbing my nose in it." Tullius had never actually called out Arlene for using him as a puppet before. But the stresses of war combined with her aggravating attitude had severely worn down his patience.
Arlene was actually taken aback by the Emperor's outburst. Even Serana raised a curious eyebrow at the cracks in Tulius's stoic demeanor.
"Apologies, Tullius." Her voice now controlled and respectful, albeit hesitant to show remorse. "If it makes you feel any better, this whole war will be over soon. The Thalmor will all die, and I'll be out of your hair soon enough. Or whatever is left of it." Arlene couldn't help but throw some kind of quip in.
Instinctively, Tullius rubbed his hand over his hair. A large bald spot had appeared upon his scalp, ruining his pristine military crewcut. He blamed it on the stress of being Emperor. He let his hand drop as his shoulders sagged. Only the Dragonborn, Serana, and his own wife Elsif had seen him break posture like that before. Tullius felt the years piled up on him.
And that was another thing the Dragonborn had convinced him to do. When Tullius took the role of Emperor, he was "encouraged" by damn near everyone to take on a wife so he could get an heir. Arlene suggested the recently widowed High Queen Elsif of Skyrim. A marriage between the two would strengthen the bond between the Empire and Skyrim, and merge the thrones of the Cyrodiil's Emperor and Skyrim's High King. Elsif agreed, and while it was a loveless political marriage, they gave each other polite respect, and even sired two sons, the young Torygg Aurellius and Uriel Aurellius.
"All of this, just to bring down the Thalmor. The years of plotting and planning, the machinations, all to bring them to their knees. Is that really all you want? All you care for?" Tullius couldn't help but ask.
Getting Arlene to speak straight and true about anything was damn near impossible. With her it was always sarcasm and double talk. Thinly veiled lies weaved into truths, all hiding even deeper falsehoods. Arlene was the master of a feint, within a feint, within a feint. She was a creature of deception and lies, of distraction and omissions. So impossible was it to get a truthful answer from her, Tullius even doubted if she knew what was fact or fiction anymore.
"All I want is to see the Thalmor burn." Arlene said seriously. "They are the greatest opponents I've ever had. The dragons and Stormcloaks were hilariously straight forward. The intrigue of the Vampire court proved a worthy adversary, but they fell in time. But the Thalmor were conniving, powerful, and arrogant. They had the skill and resources to drag the game out for years, and now that they are finally under my boot, I feel… satisfied."
Arlene was a creature of conflict. While she lived for domination, she cared not for actually ruling over peasants. She did not do all of this because she sought to rule the Empire, but because she found the grand strategy of building and destroying empires fun. She made war to solely sate her lust for destroying opponents of equal skill. She made Tullius Emperor so she could control the Empire's actions without having to actually deal with ruling it.
"And what is the cost of this 'game' of yours? This battle alone will cost thousands of lives on both sides." Tullius plainly said. He couldn't even feel bad about it, not anymore. It was already just a statistic to him.
"Many more when the Legion starts sacking and razing the city." Arlene added on. "Molag Bal will be satiated tonight." From the edge of her vision, Arlene could see Serana frown at her comment.
"That's not going to happen." Tullius sternly objected. "My men are too disciplined for that. We are not barbarians."
"Of course, Emperor." Arlene smirked behind her mask. "Besides, regardless from whom the blood is spilled, Boethiah will be pleased."
Tullius could only sigh and shake his head at Arlene's casual Daedra worship. "Sometimes I wonder if it would've been better if you were executed in Helgen." he muttered.
Arlene couldn't help but laugh out loud at that statement. "HA! Yes, perhaps leaving you all to the jaws of Alduin would've been more merciful than myself. At least Alduin would've made quick work of Nirn, rather than prolong the suffering." Arlene shook her head and walked up beside the Emperor, looking him in the eyes. "We are almost to the finish line, Emperor. Do not lose faith in me yet. I will see us through."
"It's not about faith dammit it's about trust!" Tullius snapped again. "And even after Skyrim, after the Civil War and Alduin, after years of war against the Thalmor, I don't trust you." Tullius felt a weight lift off his shoulders as he finally admitted that.
All was silent in the room. Several seconds passed before Arlene finally spoke. "And that's probably the best decision you've made since becoming Emperor." Arlene admitted. "You are far too smart to waste away in the frozen North of Skyrim, Tullius." Arlene turned and made her way to the door, Serana falling in line behind her. As she opened it, she paused and turned her head back to the Emperor one final time. "I wish you a long and successful reign."
And with that Arlene and her companion vanished from sight.
Arlene stood with Serana in the crow's nest of the Katariah, overlooking the Imperial fleet bustle with activity. The orders had been passed down the chain, and the fleet of Imperial warships were getting ready to make landfall. The pre-battle chaos was more than enough of a distraction for the two vampires to easily slip up the mast undetected.
"So Tullius is now openly questioning you." Serana casually commented as she played with a bat in her hand.
"I know." Arlene grunted in annoyance. She sighed, "Perhaps I've been pushing him too hard, held the reins too tightly. Mortals can be temperamental with how they spend their brief existences, and resent losing so much agency. I know I did."
When Arlene first discovered she was Dragonborn, she fought tooth and nail to avoid her so-called destiny and prophecy. She came to Skyrim for a new start, not to become some mythical Nordic hero, and she was not happy about some gods taking away her choice in the matter.
"What are you going to do about it? Kill him once the war is over?" Serana asked. Serana had been with Arlene for so long that the removal of rebellious pieces was common enough, and such assassinations were also common in Harkon's court. "Elsif would be more than controllable as Queen-regent, and we can manipulate Torygg's growth so his loyalty would be unquestioned."
Arlene thought on this. It would be easy to kill Tullius and replace him with someone completely loyal, but that came with a host of other problems. Assassins and Emperors may be forever entertwined in the weave of fate, but to have two emperor's assassinated in a row? That showed weakness.
Arlene shook her head. "No, doing that would put the Empire in too weak of a position. The other provinces would never capitulate to Elsif, no matter how much support we give her from the shadows. No, perhaps it might be time to step back. Leave the Tullius and the Empire be for now, give them some breathing room. In a few decades, Tullius will be dead anyway, and perhaps we could snatch up one of his descendents. A grandson or something."
And that was the greatest boon of immortality. Arlene could now make plans and schemes that spanned generations, planting seeds of a plot only to reap its benefits decades or centuries later.
Serana nodded her head, then sent off the bat in a puff of magic energy, teleporting it to relay the message she entrusted. "And the message is sent. Your forces will be ready soon."
Arlene smiled. "Good. We'll need the entirety of the Blackguard present, not to mention I feel that they must be getting bored protecting all of my junk in Castle Volkihar."
"It is literally their job to do so." Serana commented, before turning to her companion. "So, this is really it. Have to say, I haven't been this nervous since we confronted my father, or when you teleported to Sovngarde to fight Aludin."
"Aye those were pretty intense. Gods, I remember I was so nervous when I went to go fight Alduin, I didn't know whether the first thing to come out of my mouth was going to be my thu'um or my lunch." Arlene laughed.
Serana smiled at the honest, casual display of weakness that Arlene showed her. Serana was one of the few people in the world that Arlene wouldn't lie to, she loved her too much. When they were alone, Arlene wasn't Dovahkiin, master of lies, Champion of the Daedra, and grand manipulator, instead she was her family and best friend.
"But Tullius did bring up a good point. The war's almost over, what do you want to do next?" Serana asked as she sat down, letting her legs hang off the crow's nest.
Arlene thought for a moment as she sat down beside her . "Hmm, we could leave the Empire behind for a bit, like I said. Plenty of places we can go have adventures. We could head to Morrowind, maybe try and find Vivec. Or maybe a trip to Akavir, find out if they really have a tiger-dragon emperor. Oh! Or we could go to Black Marsh! I've always wanted to see if the Argonians are actually mind controlled by a giant tree." Arlene was actually getting giddy at the prospect of a new adventure.
"What about Valenwood?" Serana interjected. "Last we were there it was all business, starting a revolution and all that. We never got to see any of the sights, visit your hometown, or see the giant tree that your people worship."
Arlene tensed up a bit, slightly uncomfortable at casually returning to her ancestral homeland. "You're thinking of the Elden Tree. And it's an important place for my people, but we don't really worship it. We worship it as much as the Nords worship the Throat of the World, or the Dunmer the Red Mountain." Arlene shrugged. "But if you want to go there, we can do that."
Serana smiled, "You know, it really has been a while since we've gone on an adventure, just the two of us." Her smile then shifted to a more teasing smirk. "But I know you, Arlene. You live and breathe politics and intrigue. Without it I'm worried you'd shrivel up like a draugr. I'd give it a month before you install yourself into the local government and start an uprising or civil war of some kind."
"All honesty, those are some pretty generous odds you're giving me." Arlene chuckled. She knew what she was, and did not shirk away from her instincts and desires. Wherever she went, kingdoms fell. It was only natural for the champion of Boethiah and Mephala, amongst others.
"But wherever we go, I'll be right behind you. When we stopped my Father, I vowed to stay by your side, from the depths of Oblivion, to the gates of Aetherius and beyond." Serana declared, scooching closer to the Dragonborn and wrapping her arm around her.
Arlene rested her head on Serana's shoulder, "To Aetherius and beyond..."
"CHARRGE!"
"FOR THE EMPIRE!"
"VICTORY OR SOVNGARDE!"
The roar of thousands of different battle cries echoed through the night sky as the Empire began its attack on the walls of Alior. Fireballs and flaming rocks, flung by both battlemages and trebuchets pelted the walls, enveloping unlucky defenders in a torrent of fire and death.
Elven battlemages and archers returned fire, their spells and arrows expertly launched, killing their targeted legionnaires, only for 5 more to replace them. It was a battle of quantity versus quality. The high elf defenders each had decades if not centuries of experience thanks to their naturally long lives. Objectively, each Thalmor elf was worth 2 Imperial Legionnaires. But this did not help them when they were outnumbered 5 to 1.
The battle continued on as massive siege towers lumbered towards the city walls. The massive, monolithic engines of war were magnets for elven fireballs and ballistae, and despite the iron reinforcements and magic warding, towers began collapsing in flaming explosions.
But each tower killed extracted a heavy cost from the defenders. Imperial archers, mages, and artillerists continually bombarded them volley after volley, whittling down their numbers as the remaining towers approached. There were just too many towers for the defenders to take down, and soon enough the landing gangplanks extended and the Legion began its grinding melee against the Elven warriors.
As the battle crescendoed, a voice rang out through the sky. A shout that dwarfed all of the combat and bloodshed, a shout that silenced all of the guttural screams and warcries.
"DUR NEH VIIR!" The shout cried out, followed by the unmistakable roar of a dragon.
Out of the clouds above, the undead dragon Durnehviir, in all of his decaying, oozing glory flew downward, dive bombing right for the gate house. Durnehviir landed amongst the stunned elven defenders, and sprayed frost from his mouth that froze a dozen elves in their place.
Off of Durnehviir's back, two figures dismounted, and immediately the garrison cried out in terror as they immediately recognized who they were. They were the avatars of death made flesh, bane of all living things, the scourge of the Aldmeri Dominion, they were the Dragonborn and the Lady of Vampires, Arlene and Serana.
Arlene, clutching Goldbrand in her right hand and the Blade of Woe in her left, simply raised an unimpressed eyebrow at the defenders, before turning to Serana. "Do it." She ordered.
Immediately Serana put her hands together and began chanting a spell. Arcane power crackled between her fingers as a void opened up between them. Only the oldest of the Altmer could tell what she was doing, channeling the old magicks from before the Oblivion Crisis.
"Stop her!" One particularly brave elf called out, only to be immediately shouted apart by Arlene.
As the defenders tried to comprehend what just happened, Serana finished casting her spell, and behind them, a massive, black conjuration portal opened. But this was not a summoning portal from Oblivion that many mages were used to seeing, instead it was a teleportation portal, linking two points on Nirn together. Out of the magical gate, dozens of figures strode through.
At the helm was Aela the Huntress, Harbinger of the Companions and the dozen members of her Circle. Next was Cicero the Jester, flanked by several Dark Brotherhood assassins. Following the mad clown was Fura Bloodmouth and a dozen clan Volkihar vampires, all hungry for fey blood. And finally were 8 ebony clad vampiric warriors. Arlene's personal Blackguard, her elite fighting unit formed from the Housecarls sworn to protect her, led by none other than Lydia.
The elven defenders lost their chance to retaliate as they were awestruck by the army of monstrosities before them, terror seeping into their very souls. Arlene would not give a second.
"Slaughter them all! Send their souls to the Void!" Arlene cried out as her army attacked.
Durnehviir resumed his assault, his massive jaws biting into Altmer after Altmer, tearing them apart. Meanwhile Serana extended her hands outwards, launching a wave of crackling-orange energy. Serana truly showed her skills as an Arch-Mage as she attacked with her own, custom spell that she created. The base of the spell was an old, pre-Oblivion Crisis branch of Destruction spells known as Disintegration. Despite the intimidating name, the spell was physically relatively harmless, and instead targeted equipment such as weapons and armor, causing them to rust and decay. Serana combined 3 effects, disintegrate armor, disintegrate weapons, and area of effect to create a spell that ruined the arms and armor of many of the elves in front of them.
The elves looked dumbstruck as their weapons and armor became useless in their hands. Aela was the first to move after. With a mighty howl, she and her fellow Companions called upon their inners beasts shifting into their werewolf forms. The elves didn't even have time to turn around and run before the lycanthropes pounced upon them.
Arlene smiled wide as she watched Aela work. When Arlene joined the Companions all those years ago, the beast blood was a point of contention amongst the Circle. Some such as Kodlak, Vilkas, and Farkas, saw it as a curse that plagued their brotherhood. Others, namely Skjor, Aela, and Arlene herself, saw it as a gift. The Companions were the first organization that Arlene joined when she began her adventure in Skyrim. It was one of the few places in Skyrim that she felt truly accepted, and the beast blood they gifted her made her feel more powerful than ever before.
She fought with them for many moons, losing friends along the way, and eventually Arlene was given the title of Harbinger when Kodlak passed and she freed his soul from Hircine. Arlene kept the title until her duties to Clan Volkihar, the Empire, and the Dark Brotherhood kept her so busy she could not properly lead the Companions. So she passed the title onto Aela, and under her leadership the Companions became far more, liberal, with the blood of the beast.
Arlene felt a pang of guilt when she thought back to the hurt and betrayed expression Aela had when the Dragonborn revealed she gave up the gift, sacrificing the blood of the beast for that of the Vampire. Arlene was Aela's main ally in the Companions since Skjor died, and the huntress felt blindsided by her decision. But even so, the two still shared a bond deeper than blood, one forged as shield-sisters during the war against the Silver Hand. A bond that held to this day, given that Aela answered Arlene's call to arms.
While the Companions bore the brunt of the assault, berserking as they charged into the elven lines, Cicero and his Dark Brotherhood assassins flowed between and around the clashing sides, swiftly appearing behind the defenders. Cicero, as expected of Arlene's top assassin, was a tornado of blades and violence, doing both Sithis and the Night Mother proud. With grace only top assassins possessed combined with the unpredictability of insanity, Cicero sent limbs, ears, and a multitude of other body parts into the air. His fellow assassins, hand trained by Nazir within the Dawnstar sanctuary, would not fail to perform when their Listener was right behind them, and sent many elven lives to the Void.
A volley of ranged support came from vampires. Fura Bloodmouth, the tall, nordic barbarian woman of the Volkihar court led the offensive. In order to secure victory, Fura and her warriors immediately shifted into their Vampire Lord forms, draining their opponents life force through fang and magic. Moreso than anything else, Arlene considered her conquest of Clan Volkihar her greatest achievement. While Arlene was a skilled fighter and rogue before joining Clan Volkihar, the vampiric court was where she whet her teeth on intrigue and manipulation. She credited the vampires for turning her into whatever it is she is today.
Finally, the Blackguard formed up around their ladies Arlene and Serana, forming a shieldwall and cutting down anything that got near. The Blackguard was formed under the most interesting of circumstances. Throughout her adventures in Skyrim, Arlene had become famous throughout the eight Holds, gaining the rank of Thane in all of them. With this title came the housecarls, elite warriors sworn to faithfully serve Arlene, being her shield until death, either hers or theirs.
When Arlene ruled clan Volkihar as Lady of Vampires, and set her ambitions outside of Skyrim, she offered all her followers a choice. They could accept the gift of vampirism, and follow her into the shadows, or she would release them from their oaths then and there and allow them to live their lives as they saw fit. It was Lydia, first of the housecarls, who volunteered to join Arlene. She claimed that Arlene had done nothing but good for Skyrim and the Empire, and that it would be an honor to serve her for centuries, rather than decades. Her fellow housecarls followed suit and became the Blackguard, Arlene's elite unit used to protect castle Volkihar and herself from threats within and without. While some of the vampire lords did chafe under the rule of Arlene, none would openly question her thanks to the presence of the Blackguard, as well as the residual fear of her after what she did to Harkon.
Between the four inhuman forces of darkness and an undead dragon, the elves on the gate stood no chance. The fight, if it could be called that, lasted seconds. Arlene's forces blitzkrieged through the defenders, taking the gatehouse with no issue, opening them up before the high elves even realized they had to reinforce it.
As the gates swung open, the 7th Legion blew their horns and advanced. The heavily armored legionnaires charged through the open gates, meeting the elven reinforcements head on. With the attack spearheaded by Arlene's forces of darkness, the defenders were forced back, falling in droves to Imperial steel and bestial claws.
Durnehviir flew overhead, breathing frost onto the elven formations, disrupting them and leaving them wholly unprepared for follow up attacks by the Imperials. It was a slaughter. Arlene's monstrous forces smashed through conventional lines of defense, and the high elves had no answer to them. It did not take long for morale to drop, and for the Elves to start fleeing.
It was a cascading domino effect. When the first high elven soldier dropped his weapon and ran, fear spread to his allies. Soon more and more of the squad turned and ran, until the entire unit was in full retreat. Seeing an entire unit routed would cause the two adjacent units to panic and fall back as well, reverberating this pattern throughout the whole of the army. Thalmor justicars and commanders tried to maintain rank and discipline, but no threats of death or promises of glory could rally the Altmer soldiers.
And the Legion would not allow them to escape unmolested. Isolated units running from the battle were chased down by cavalry and mercilessly run through. The infantry took Alinor block by block, the armies in the East and West forcing the defenders to the center of the city, trapped between the devastating pincer attack. No quarter was given, and any Altmer encountered, surrendering or not, was put to the blade.
And the one leading this advance was none other than Arlene herself. Her Nightingale armor was now drenched red with blood, making it look more like armor dedicated to Sithis than Nocturnal. With a whirlwind sprint shout she would appear in the middle of groups of fleeing altmer. Goldbrand and the Blade of Woe flowed effortlessly, slicing through flesh and bone, leaving dozens dead in seconds. Emboldened by the presence of the Dragonborn, the Imperials surged forward, and it was not long before the legion found itself outside of Alinor's Palace.
Beside Arlene at the head of the army was Serana, similarly drenched with the blood of their enemies. "One more battle, and it's all over." Serana growled out.
Arlene nodded with a grin. "Let us finish this grim tale once and for all."
As the two women stepped forward, they paused after a few seconds when they realized that none of their soldiers were following them. Immediately they turned, weapons and fangs bared as they knew something was amiss. Behind them, all of their allies were frozen in place. Not encased in ice frozen, like the unfortunate remains of the falmer, but as if some had paused time itself.
Both Arlene and Serana only knew of only one group with the capability to do something like this. Suddenly their vision was then filled with light, blinding them. When they finally regained their sight, time was once again flowing, and they saw themselves atop a mountain, surrounded by the ancient ruins of destroyed Crystal Tower. Around them were six altmer, wearing ornate, yellow robes with red and white accents. Both Serana and Arlene were familiar with the clothing, confirming Arlene's suspicions as six monks of the Psijic Order surrounded them. Arlene even recognized two of them, Quaranir and Nerien, who helped Serana and Arlene during the Eye of Magnus incident in the College of Winterhold.
"Quaranir, Nerien, been quite some time." Arlene hissed out. "Never visit, never write, almost feels like you forgot about us. How do you think that makes us girls feel?"
"Believe us Dragonborn, we were hoping to avoid this meeting altogether. But unfortunately, you have forced our hands." Quaranir spoke with a calm, even tone that betrayed his inner fury.
"We forced your hands?" Arlene incredulously spat. "And what, praytell, have we done to warrant this interruption to our night?"
"Dragonborn you have abused your powers for the last time! Your actions have thrown the world into chaos, and we are here to restore order!" Quaranir roared.
Arlene was actually dumbstruck by the accusation, a feeling which quickly gave way to anger.
"Order!? The Thalmor have been running around Tamriel, unchecked, for decades commiting murder and mass genocide and NOW you choose to intervene!?" Arlene was seething with rage while her partner stared in angry disbelief. "Where was your order when the Thalmor sacked Cyrodiil?! Where was your order when Valenwood was purged?! Your hypocrisy is only matched by your arrogance!"
"Do not lecture us on hypocrisy, Dragonborn! You may claim to the masses that you fight for peace, but we know the truth! You feed off this violence and anarchy like a parasite! With your right hand you carry a blade to defend the Empire, but with your left you weave lies and spin webs that bring only destruction! Yes, the Thalmor were a threat to Tamriel that needed to be stopped. Thanks to your efforts, they will be defeated, but you will not be the one to claim victory. Because with the Thalmor finished, we now step in to prevent the next great villain from rising." Quaranir took a stance as arcane fire flashed in his hands. "You."
Fire spewed from Arlene's mouth as she took her own stance, Goldbrand and the Blade of Woe disappearing as she dismissed them and requipped the Ebony Blade. Requipping magic was one of the few pre-Oblivion magics that Arlene knew. It was a branch of conjuration magic that granted the ability to store weapons, armor, and other equipment in a pocket dimension, and change out said equipment in an instant. "You wish to deny me my victory?! Fools! Nivahriin joorre! There is no hope for you to defeat me! Zu'u hin daan!" Arlene's draconic fury exploded as she slipped into the dragon language.
The fight exploded shortly afterwards. "WULD NAH KEST!" Arlene shouted, appearing behind Quaranir in an instant, Ebony Blade aimed to bisect him completely. But the altmer would not be a Psijic Monk if he would be felled so easily by such an attack. In his left hand, Quaranir activated a greater ward, absorbing most of the strike, the Ebony Blade leaving only a shallow cut as he retreated.
Afterwards two massive fireballs exploded as two other Psijic Monks launched their fire-based attacks against the vampiric dragonborn. When the explosion dissipated and smoke cleared, not even ashes of the dragonborn remained. Both monks knew that meant only one thing.
"She is invisible!" The first monk yelled out, the two of them immediately casting a detect dead spell that allowed them to see Arlene's vampiric form even when invisible.
But it was too late. By the time they had finished casting the spell, Arlene was already behind one of the monks, singed and burned, with the Ebony Blade raised high. The monk tried to raise his hand and create a ward but Arlene was too fast. Chopping the blade down, the monk's left arm was separated from his body. The blade drank the blood of the elf, which passed into Arlene, healing her burns.
With a quick twist of her wrists, the nodachi changed angels as Arlene cut diagonally upwards from left to right. The monk's brain didn't even register his death as the top half of his torso slid off the bottom, followed by his body collapsing to the ground.
"Tandil no!" Quaranir called out as he burst into flames, focusing the magic into himself as he prepared one of the strongest fire destruction spells, Fire Storm.
Arlene ran forward to stop him but two other monks intercepted, harrying Arlene with fireballs and lightning bolts. However as Quaranir was casting the spell, he noticed the fire within and around him begin to sputter and die. Then he felt his own magicka levels begin to dip. Turning he saw that Serana was behind him, the Staff of Magnus raised, draining him of his energy.
The Fire Storm spell died in his hands as he lost the magicka to cast it. Following the successful interruption, Serana fired a series of ice spikes aimed at both Quaranir's head and legs. However another monk, Nerien, stopped the frozen attack with his ward. But before Nerien could counter with his own spell, something interrupted him.
"FUS RO DAH!" Arlene shouted from behind blasted both he and Quaranir right for Serana.
Serana, having fought with Arlene for years, was immediately ready to follow up. As Nerien ragdolled through the air, Serana drew her father's sword. As the high elf flew passed her, Serana swiped with the blade, bisecting him mid-flight. The fight had gone on for seconds at most, and the monks were already down two members.
Serana smirked as her father's blade drained the life from Nerien, healing her wounds as well as replenishing her stamina and magicka in the process. That's when two more fireballs flew right for her, as two unnamed Psijic monks began bombarding the area. Raising the Staff of Magnus, Serana absorbed the magic fire mid-flight, nullifying the attack. The two mages grimaced. The Staff of Magnus was an artifact of its namesake, Magnus the god of magic, and was ironically the perfect weapon to kill mages. It's ability to absorb magicka perfectly countered the fighting style of the monks.
The battle lulled for a brief second, allowing both sides to regroup with their respective allies. And just as quickly as the battle paused, it then resumed as Arlene charged forward head first, supported by Serana as she fired repeated chain lightings. Two of the monks stepped forward creating powerful wards to block the lighting and any strikes from the dragonborn, while the monks behind them both began channeling the fire storm spell.
Serana's lightning magic scattered harmlessly against the wards as Arlene continued to dash forward. As she cut the distance and got closer, the two monks focused their magicka and launched their spells right for her. The blazing inferno consumed everything in front of them. Arlene's form completely disappeared, shattering as it was revealed that they hit an illusion rather than the real Arlene. Some time during the separation, she cast Mislead and an illusionary duplicate that took her place, drawing the attention of the monks as she once again went invisible.
By the time the monks realized that they were fooled by the trick, it was too late. A blood-red blade pierced through the back of one of the monks. He cried out as the Ebony Blade drank his life force dry, causing him to shrivel and die. The surviving monks unleashed a torrent of fire towards Arlene, forcing her to retreat.
Understanding that they were hopelessly outclassed in melee, the monks, now down to three, changed strategies. The two remaining unnamed monks summoned powerful Dremora Lords, red and black skinned humanoid Daedra, wearing full suits of Daedric plate and wielding terrifying greatswords coated with hellfire.
Seeing that they were summoned to fight against the famed Dragonborn, the dremora smiled and cried out, "Oblivion take you!" as they charged right for her.
Arlene was immediately put on the defensive. While she was highly skilled with a blade, she preferred to avoid direct confrontation. Using theatrics and distractions while she attacks from behind was her forte, not charging headlong into an enemy. So when the two dremora did just that, not giving her any time or space to cast her spells or break line of sight, she knew she had to retreat.
Smiling at seeing the dreaded Dragonborn forced back, Quaranir took the opportunity to summon a Wall of Fire in the shape of a ring, trapping the Dragonborn and her opponents within, the fire weakening her due to her vampiric state. Meanwhile the remaining two focused on putting down Serana.
They launched their fire spells once more towards the Vampire Princess, looking to overwhelm her defenses. Two Incinerate spells were launched, which threatened to do that very thing to Serana. Thinking quick, the vampiress aimed her hands to the ground and summoned a Wall of Ice. The fire spell slammed against the frost spell, immediately evaporating against each other, creating a mist that consumed the whole area.
Hidden by the mist, Serana drank a magicka potion, and focused the powers of the Soul Cairn into both her hands. Showing off her true might as a necromancer and Arch-Mage, Serana mirrored the actions of the monks by summoning two Mistmen, half-skeletal half-spectral undead that seemed to fade from view within the obscured area.
The two monks, waiting to see where Serana went, fired off Thunderbolt spells at the first sign of movement within the mist. Serana advanced with a greater ward raised, struggling in pain as she tanked the magical spells. Seeing they had the advantage, the two monks advanced, firing destruction spell after destruction spell to break the ward and bring her down.
So focused they were on destroying the vampire, that they didn't notice the moving shadows beneath them. Before they could strike a final blow against the vampire, the shadows leapt out of the ground taking their physical forms and attacking the monks from behind. The monks didn't have time to scream before the undead began tearing into their torsos, digging out entrails and organs, killing them instantly.
Arnele, now sporting several new gashes and cuts, smiled as the two Daedra in front of her disappeared. Taking a deep breath, Arlene channeled her thu'um and shouted, "FO KRAH DIIN!" The frost breath shout passed her lips, putting out part of the Wall of Fire and freeing her.
Quaranir stared wide eyed at his situation. His fellow monks, all dead, and both Arlene and Serana approaching him. He knew that this was a possibility, he dreaded it, but prepared for such an eventuality to happen. Thinking quickly, Quaranir created a powerful magicka barrier around him. A powerful ward that would take even Serana a few minutes to get through.
"You have to appreciate the irony of this situation, Quaranir." Arlene spoke behind a sadistic grin, approaching his barrier, eyeing him like a cat eyeing a mouse. "You are destroyed by the two very mages you helped bring to greatness. After all, without you and your intervention, we would have never gained control of the College."
Quaranir remained silent for a few seconds, stoically staring the Dragonborn down, only to speak as he reached into his own pocket dimension. "It is you who fails to see the irony in this situation."
Pulling his arm out of his pocket dimension, he retrieved an intricate golden cylinder, with two handles on both sides. Both Arlene and Serana's eyes widened in recognition, and for the first time in a long time, fear. Quaranir pulled out an Elder Scroll.
That's when everything clicked for Arlene. Why the Psijic Monks brought them here, to the ruins of the Crystal Tower. The Crystal Tower was one of the Towers, the pillars of civilization that maintained the wheel of the world, separating Mundus from Oblivion. Magic was strong at the Towers, and reality, time, and space could shift and warp at such points. One such tower was the Throat of the World, where the ancient Nords shouted Alduin out of time. And it seemed that Quaranir intended to do the same with them.
"Serana!" Arlene cried to her sister as she raised the Ebony Blade, striking at the barrier. Serana immediately raised the Staff of Magnus and began draining the ward.
But they were too slow as Quaranir began his arcane chanting. "Syrabane! Ancestor-God, grant me your divine blessing and make this contract heard! Begone, daughters of Volkihar! By words with older bones than your own I break your web around this world, and send you out! You are banished! Arlene, Serana, I cast you out from our world, and all of Mundus!"
"RAAGGH!" Arlene cried out as she continually hammered away at Quaranir's barrier. Her eyes shifted to draconic slits, fire flowed from her mouth, and she continued her relentless assault as she and Serana were encompassed by the magic of the Elder Scroll. "Damn you monk! I will return, you hear me! And when I do, I will burn your pathetic island! You and your order will all die!" Arlene roared as she spoke her last words on the face of Tamriel.
Arnele's eyes strained, flickering awake as she felt cool grass beneath her and heard the rustling of leaves above her. Realizing she was still alive, Arlene shot up and immediately scanned her surroundings.
It was night, she was within some kind of dense, green forest. Stirring awake beside her was her vampire sister Serana, similarly worse for wear, but alive. Grabbing Serana by the crook of her arm she lifted her up, scanning her for any major injuries while keeping one eye on the treeline. As the clouds above them parted, pale moonlight illuminated the area. The two looked up and felt their eyes go wide with shock, as instead of the celestial bodies of Masser and Secunda, they saw a single, broken moon…
A/N: This has been the longest chapter I've written for any story so far. Not including the Author's note, this chapter is about 10k words long. However don't expect the following chapters in this fic to have similar word counts. This one was just very long due to the exposition for a lot of Arlene's previous exploits.
Anyway, this idea came to me after reading a few other RWBY+Elder Scrolls fics, as well as a few Elder Scrolls Xovers with other media such as Eragon and Familiar of Zero. The reason I started writing this was that I felt in a lot of those fics, the Dragonborn tends to end up pretty similar. A male, Nordic, good aligned, warrior-mage-rogue Dragonborn that deals with all his problems by charging straight in and hitting it with a hammer. While a lot of these stories are great and fun reads, binge reading a lot of them just made the character archetype pretty stale for me personally. So I wanted to go in a pretty different direction with this Dragonborn.
Arlene Volkihar is a wood elf, vampiric Dragonborn that tends to follow a more evil aligned path. She is manipulative, seductive, and ambitious, and seeks to gain victory through cloak and dagger rather than iron and blood. She has made some morally questionable decisions in her years of conquest during and after Elder Scrolls Skyrim, many of which were summarized above. Hopefully she will make for an entertaining character to follow!
In addition. There are a few things that I am changing in Skryim's canon for this story. Primarily this will be with the geography of Skyrim itself, and with a lot of the magic.
Changes to canon, Geography and Population: Because of game limitations and streamlining, several parts of what occured in Skyrim are changed in order to be a better representation of the universe. First, the size of Skyrim in the game is 39 km^2. While this is big enough for a single player game, this is nowhere near the size needed to represent a real country. The general rule of thumb I am using is to multiply the geographic size of Skyrim by 1000. The size of Skyrim increases from 39km^2 to 39,000km^2. It no longer takes hours to ride between holds in game, but days if not weeks. This puts Skyrim on the size of smaller real world countries like Taiwan and Switzerland.
Cities such as Whiterun, Solitude, and Windhelm all retain their basic layout, but the size, population, and amount of buildings are multiplied by a factor of 100, bringing the population of a city like Whiterun from appx. 100 people in and around the city and nearby farms in game to appx. 10,000, much more realistic for a medieval/fantasy city. For example London is believed to have had a population of about 10,000-12,000 around the year 800 (Wikipedia is my source for that). While Whiterun is not a coastal city like London and is in a colder climate, it is still an important trade center, and magic would increase the levels of medical care in the city, allowing for larger populations.
Elite factions and organizations such as the College of Winterhold and the Companions are multiplied in membership by 50, increasing from about 10 members in game to about 500 members. Much larger than in game, but in the new scale of Skyrim, still small and elite. And during the Civil War, instead of battles being waged with a dozen men storming fort, it would be with hundreds if not thousands with siege equipment and supply lines. Legates were high ranking commanders that controlled Legions of 1500 men each, meaning General Tullius controlled several thousand Legionnaires during the war, as there was at least 1 legate per hold in Skyrim.
Magic: In addition, magic is being greatly expanded on. Magic was streamlined in Skyrim to make the game more accessible and because of the removal of previous mechanics such as attributes and equipment durability. All of these removed spells from Oblivion and Morrowind will be categorized as "Pre-Oblivion Crisis" spells, when magic was more prominent. The explanation is that the Oblivion Crisis, the dissolution of the Mages Guild, the rise of the Thalmor, and the Great Collapse of Winterhold eroded much trust towards mages. Study in magic dropped immensely, and many extremely dangerous spells and incantation were purged by groups like the Vigilants of Stendarr. The result was a massive loss of magical knowledge and general drop in quality of mages in Tamriel. There will also be other spells added in, influenced by spells from games such as Dungeons and Dragons, with spells such as Mislead, meanwhile requip is magic from Fairy Tail to give an in universe explanation for the Dragonborn's inventory system.
But other than all that, I hope you all enjoyed the story, thanks for reading, and keep staying safe during this crazy time.