From: Caius Acheron, Penitus Oculatus Legate
To: Commander Gaius Moro, Imperial City:

Commander,

In accordance with your instructions, we have made several inroads into High Rock and Hammerfell and have labored to establish a network of informants and agents in place.

In this report, I hope to condense the events of the five years since Queen Tala's return from the Summerset Isles and the conclusion of the Second Great War.

Unification of Hammerfell

With the conclusion of the Second Great War, the common enemy that had united the Crown and Forbear factions of Hammerfell was effectively eliminated. Predictably, the age-old divisions and rivalries began to rear their heads, and the dream of a kingdom of united Redguards began to fade.

These rivalries culminated in the Red Night at Gilane. In a last-ditch attempt to mend the rift between the two factions, the leaders of both assembled at Gilane, seeking to form some kind of coherent government of Hammerfell. However, Lord Shamadal Murnane of Hagathe, a leader of the Crowns faction, arranged to have armed guards disguised outside the meeting hall. In a display of ruthlessness, they attacked, and in the ensuing violence, many of the Forbear leaders were killed. In the aftermath of the attack, Shamadal declared himself King of Hammerfell. With many of the Forbear leaders slain, the northern cities of Sentinel, Skaven, and Dragonstar were paralyzed into inaction.

Shamadal's proclamation, however, did not go unopposed. General Kematu had been commander of the unified Redguard forces under the Vodahmin Covenant during the Second Great War. His naval victories against the Aldmeri fleet at Firsthold and Skywatch had done much to win him acclaim and popularity, so much so that he was named Hammerfell's ambassador to Queen Tala's court, as well as the Redguard spokesperson in the Witch-Queen's Inner Circle. Born in Taneth, he was in fact a member of the Crown faction. However, when he had heard of "King" Shamadal's actions, he returned to Hammerfell from Markarth, and rallied the Forbear forces of the north, vowing to win justice for the murdered Forbear leaders.

Reinforced by forces from High Rock and the Reach, Kematu's army marched along the coast, until they came to the city of Sentinel, under siege by the forces of the self-proclaimed King of Hammerfell. In the battle that followed, Kematu led the charge directly against the standard of the "King," and with a single arrow, slew the great war-elephant from which Shamadal commanded his army. The great beast collapsed, crushing both the king and his hopes for the crown of Hammerfell. With their leader slain, the Crown army fell into disarray, and were easily routed by the Covenant Army. In quick succession, the traditionally-Crown cities sent ambassadors to declare their obeisance, pledging once more to honor the Vodahmin Covenant.

Plucking the golden crown from the head of the fallen king, Tala Niwot declared General Kematu Warden King of Hammerfell. And great was the acclaim that met her proclamation. The Forbear cities consented to his rule on account of his avenging the deaths of their lords and rulers. The Crowns took his Taneth birthplace and Crown member status into account before acknowledging their acceptance also.

But perhaps more compelling than any other argument was the Vodahmin steel at his back, and the corpse of his rival at his feet.

Thrafey Rebellion

Once upon a time, there were no fewer than nine vampire clans in Daggerfall alone. One by one, however, they were united under the leadership of the Thrafey clan, and then hunted to near-extinction over the centuries, save for small enclaves. Upon the proclamation of religious freedom by Queen Tala at the establishment of the Vodahmin Covenant, many clans came out of hiding, lending their aid during the Vodahmin conquest of High Rock and the Second Great War.

Upon the confirmation of the firm ascendancy of the Volkihar clan, many of the Thrafey grew unwilling to serve under their northern rivals or the local Breton and Orsimer lords. When the banners of the Covenant were called to march south to aid in the Redguard Civil War, these saw an opportunity to seize more power for themselves.

The city of Wayrest had come under the loose rulership of the Corsairs, a loose confederation of pirates and freebooters. Under the leadership of "Admiral" Hasdach Chard, these pirates had entered into an alliance with Potema Septim, and later Tala Niwot, many of them bearing her vampiric army on the long voyage around the Altmer Sea-Wall to the capital city of Alinor. Riding upon the successes of these and later naval victories against the Dominion (and the gold and plunder it had brought into the Corsairs' holds), Chard had secured a tentative leadership role, along with nominal rulership of the city of Wayrest.

The Thrafey took advantage of the situation by attacking a number of the ships while they were still out at the open sea, disguising the few ships they possessed as helpless merchantmen. Enthralling the crew of the pirates who had attacked them, the newly-assembled Thrafey fleet sailed directly into the harbor of Wayrest under the banner of the Corsairs. Taken completely by surprise, Hasdach Chard and his supporters could offer little resistance when the Breton vampires attacked. Of the mighty Corsair fleet, a single vessel escaped, bearing the disgraced and defeated "Admiral," bearing the news of this disaster to the Vodahmin Army still encamped at Sentinel.

With her fleet now lost, and with the Redguard fleet scattered and recalled to their various home ports, Tala Niwot now faced the ugly necessity of a long forced-march around the coastline, with the Thrafey fleet free to harass the entire coastline of both High Rock and Hammerfell. And even assuming that the Covenant army could survive the long march to Wayrest, there was no reason to believe the Thrafey would even stand and defend the city. Instead, it was much more likely that they would evacuate to their ships, taking the city's populace as blood-slaves, giving them the ability to stay at sea almost indefinitely.

Faced with a such a unappealing choice, Queen Tala apparently made a decision. Withdrawing into her private tent, she drew the circle and performed "The Black Sacrament," summoning the servants of Sithis, Night Mother of Chaos.

And Sithis answered.

By all accounts that I and my contacts have been able to assemble, a group identifying itself as the Dark Brotherhood descended upon Wayrest en masse. It is unknown to us at this time if these are survivors from the group massacred in Skyrim, or a new group entirely, capitalizing on the infamous name. Given the short time frame, we are prone to lean towards the latter. However dubiously they acquired the name, their results were certifiable: In a single night, the leaders of the Thrafey found themselves on the wrong side of drawn daggers. The loss of their principle leaders threw the Thrafey into complete disarray. Their elders and the principles makers eliminated, the clan devolved into infighting, disorganized raiding, and debauchery. By the time a force dispatched from Orsinium arrived at the gates of the city, the Thrafey had essentially wiped themselves out. The pitiful remnant was hunted down and exterminated by their northern rivals.

Hasdach Chard was re-appointed Lord Admiral of Wayrest, and quickly reorganized the Corsairs into a more formal organization, known as the Brotherhood of the Coast. Rather than a carefree, loosely-associated group of marauding pirates, the Brotherhood of the Coast appears to be a highly-trained mercenary fleet, with distinct ranks and a clear command structure, firmly in the hire of the Vodahmin Covenant.

*Personal Note: It is known that Chard was grievously wounded during his escape from Wayrest. His remarkable recovery, and the fact that he often goes about hooded, or in wide-brimmed hats to shield himself from the sun, seems to give credence to the theory that Lady Serana turned the Corsair Admiral in order to save his life. This theory has yet to be verified, however.

Tactics and Units

Potema Septim's tactics could be defined as classically Imperial, with the added factor of vampirism and necromancy to gain expendable troops to weaken the enemy lines until her heavy troops could get into position to strike. These tactics seemed to have contributed to the Wolf-Queen's short-lived revival and establishment of the Vodahmin. In the long run, however, this tactic is only sustainable if the undead ranks can be replenished easily. Defeat and the loss of access to the battlefield of slain will ultimately rob this type of tactic of any kind of efficacy, as can be seen in the fall of the Wolf-Queen and the Siege of Solitude. The Wolf Queen's eventual defeat came because she could not devise new tactics to fit the changed situation in which she found herself.

Tala Niwot, in my humble opinion, is a much more dangerous enemy, if only because of the fact that she has proven highly adaptable in her strategies and her capabilities:

Unit Types

Cavalry: Given High Rock's mountainous terrain, Bretons have typically disdained the use of cavalry. However, the Covenant has often utilized light, mobile cavalry units. They have been on a number of variable mounts: Horses, vale-deer, and even sable cat-riders have been seen in the ranks of her army. Perhaps even more worrisome has been the migration of several of the centaur clans of Valenwood, drawn by the promise of the freedom to practice their archaic ancestor worship. These have also obviously been a great boon, making up the small core of heavy units in to the Covenant cavalry.

The large number of werewolves and other Beast-men that form what is known as the Hunting Pack are most often utilized as a highly-mobile form of shock-cavalry, as their beast-forms can keep pace with even a galloping warhorse for short distances. Likewise, Minotaurs have been seen charging alongside heavier cavalry units. While these cannot keep up such a pace for long, they are invaluable for breaking up any kind of enemy formation that might otherwise be effective against traditional cavalry units.

Queen Tala and her commanders most often use cavalry to harass the enemy ranks, forcing them to re-position or advance. Once they do commit their own mounted forces, however, the lighter Covenant cavalry quickly outpace their pursers, often goading them into charging directly the Vodahmin infantry.

Infantry:

From our discussions with veterans of Queen Tala's wars and soldiers in her ranks, the Vodahmin utilize several distinct infantry types:

Draugr: While not used in quite the same numbers as the Wolf-Queen in the War of the Red Diamond, reanimated corpses still have their place in the Vodahmin army. However, rather than rushed in large numbers against the entire front line of the enemy, combing or creating weak spots (as Potema Septim was wont to do), Queen Tala uses them to strike at a single point of their defenses in overwhelming numbers. The results of this first assault, however, are not so much important, as this attack is often a feint, luring the enemy's attention and reserve units away from her intended target. Then she strikes with her main force, hurling them against the now-overstretched enemy.

Skirmishers: The Breton mountain tribes, of whom the Foresworn were only a small part, have cemented their place as champion hit-and-run fighters, ambushing in numbers and retreating when challenged. Rather than attempt to retrain these, or combat centuries of inbred tactics and mindsets, the Witch-Queen has folded them into her army, using them as an effective skirmishing force. If the enemy attempts to entrench themselves, or advance in close order, these lighter units are deployed against them. Using slings, javelins, and arrows, they harass the enemy ranks, forcing them to react or deploy some kind of screening force against them.

Once this is done, the enemy often finds themselves outmatched by the sheer number of arrows the new Dwemer Crossbow can send downrange. While perhaps not having the range of a longbow (or perhaps the heavy crossbows employed by the Dawnguard), the Dwemer Crossbow's rate of fire must be taken into account by any serious strategist.

Heavy Infantry: The Volkihar clans traditionally use light armor but are disciplined enough to fight in ordered ranks. However, in the new Vodahmin army, these are now protected by heavy armor, designed to shield its wearer from the effects of even open sunlight. This, coupled with broad shields and long spears or pikes, forms the core of the Vodahmin army. It is around this force that Queen Tala and her generals build and plan their armies. The Stormcloak exiles have proven invaluable in this endeavor, as have the reunited Orcish tribes of Orsinium. Their ability to march, deploy, and fight in close ranks is such on a level to rival Imperial legions.

With the sole exception of the distinctly all-vampire regiments, a serious effort has been made to integrate the units, with Argonians fighting alongside former Stormcloaks, alongside Orcish warriors and Redguard recruits. They are not allowed to organize themselves by race or city of origin. Remarkably, this has done much to dispel any racial or geographical tensions that might otherwise exist in such a force. The soldiers are drilled and trained to identify themselves as 'Covenant" soldiers first, and their own races or home cities second. The result, it cannot be argued, is a solid line of battle that can be deployed either to hold an enemy in place while other units flank, or to press home the final onslaught that breaks open a hole in the enemy ranks.

In short, Queen Tala is a much more dangerous foe than the ghost that once possessed her. Potema Septim was predictable, her tactics enshrined in the history books, and her behavior of inevitably betraying erstwhile allies observed even in her second coming. And such tactics, both in the near and distance past, proved to be her undoing.

Queen Tala, on the other hand, is a capable, proven war-leader who has proven shrewd yet formidable, fearless yet prudent, and cautious yet decisive.

Now that our network has been established, I hope to resume our regular reporting schedule. In the d

Sorry, Commander Moro.

Found this unfinished report clutched in your little spy's hand. He seemed very determined that you should receive it, and having read it, I can't imagine any reason why you shouldn't have it. It says some of the nicest things about me, after all.
Oh, and that network he spoke of?
Their deaths were quicker and more painless than any spies should hope for.

With nothing but the slightest of regards,

Tala Niwot

Author's Note:

I am working on outlining and story-crafting the next section of this story and trying my best not to let "perfect" be the enemy of "good."
But I wanted to share this short little section with you. I am pretty sure that I will be breaking up the story with these short little tidbits from time to time, as I did in Wolf Queen Awakened.

As always, please leave your thoughts/suggestions/constructive criticisms in the reviews below, even if it's a simple "Good job, I enjoyed it."

Rock On, my friends!

-Tusken1602

Reviewer Responses:

Bloodwolf432 – As I understand it, there was an intention of allowing the player to become a were-bear in the Dragonborn DLC, but the idea was scrapped in the interests of time and being able to release the content on schedule. Could be wrong about that, but I agree that it's a shame you can't be a were-bear.

Zeru'Xil – Slings would be devastating weapons, but another consideration is that an arrow has piercing power, with all the weight delivered into a one (literal) point, while a sling's crushing power is spread over a wide area. Depending on the size of the stone that is being lobbed, it may or might not do as much damage. Great idea for giants, though.

siddharth1998m – They are not in Tala's pocket, no, but they do owe her several favors. Their main agenda is building their fame and reputation back up to pre-massacre levels, and Tala is the most promising way to do so, I think.

shadow wolf 501 – Just a magical queen talking to a Minotaur…. What Narnia reference? ;P

METALHELLSPWN – I love the Total War games. Not much a fan of Attila, though, but definitely all the rest.

jdboss1 – Good luck with that. Lol

GalacticHalfling – Isran was ready to fight a vampire army. It didn't even seriously occur to him that other folk might take up arms to protect their vampire comrades.

Guest – While it's true that Lewis IS a Nightingale, if I had to bet on who would win the Dragonborn's soul between Shor the Creator (Lorkhan Himself) and a mere Daedric prince, I'd bet on Shor. But that's just me.

Dirk Digglit – LOVE S.M. Stirling's Emberverse, and Tala might have read a few of them on a cold Wisconsin night… lol

Guest – Very true about Ariel's Bow, thanks!

griezz1 – "That STILL only counts as one!" ;)

Spartanzerg75 – That may be true in a mod, but I've never found them in the vanilla game. *shrugs

jesse – Harvesting a field of corpses…. :D

TheHatter1 – I think Tala's enemies might be in store for a few more nightmarish things than the report above. *evil laugh* And in answer to your question about Frey… yes.

Rabastan – The only one who knows that Potema Septim is not banished back to Oblivion is Tala.

Blaise Welshman – I just know that I quickly lose interest around Chapter 80 of any fanfic I'm reading, and I just wanted to spare my readers the same pain. I'd much rather have 3 separate 40-chapter stories than have to wade through 100-plus chapters. Personal preference? Definitely.

omegansapphire42, badkidoh, tylermech66, Guest– Thanks so much! Appreciate it! Hope you'll keep reading/reviewing, it means a lot to me.