CHAPTER NINE: THE ELDER COUNCIL

Jauffre

The soonest an audience with the Elder Council could be scheduled was a week after the group's arrival into the Imperial City. In a normal, peaceful time, Jauffre would have been able to speak with them usually within a day of requesting to do so. But these are far from normal times.

Jauffre was sure that, had he mentioned Martin in his request for an audience, he would have been granted one sooner. But he was in no rush, as he still wanted to wait for Mikhail to join them. He had an Imperial Legion courier sent to Bravil with an encrypted letter for the Hero of Kvatch, ordering him to go to the Imperial City as quickly as he could.

The group had needed eight days to go from Cloud Ruler Temple to the capital of Cyrodiil—one more day than Jauffre had predicted. His older age and Kole's inexperience with horseback riding had caused the delay. I needed a lot more rest than I could have guessed.

In the past, when temporary-lodging in the White-Gold Tower hadn't been an option, Jauffre had stayed in the Luther Broad's Boarding House. It was one of the few Blade headquarters that did not belong to the Blades themselves. He wanted the group to stay there, especially after hearing that Baurus had found a Mythic Dawn agent there. Luring them out to get Martin would be much easier in a place that they are known to hang about.

Luther, however, refused to take them. Apparently Baurus and Mikhail had killed the agent in the inn's basement, though neither man had thought to remove the body from where it had fallen.

"It took weeks to get the smell of decay out of here," Luther had whispered to Jauffre, not wanting his current tenants to know about the killing. "The rest of the Blades are welcome here, but he"—pointing to Baurus—"is not."

So instead, after having scolded the Redguard for his neglect and reminding himself to do the same to Mikhail, the group rented a couple of rooms at The Merchants Inn in the Market District of the Imperial City. Jauffre supposed that, if he wasn't able to have them all stay in a place known to have Mythic Dawn agents, the next best place to stay would be in the busiest part of the city, where rumors could spread with a greater ease. That's how we'll draw out the Mythic Dawn.

He'd made sure to run the idea by Martin first. He hadn't wanted to leave the former priest in the dark if an attempt on his life was made earlier than expected.

Martin had agreed to continue with the plan to have him be bait. "If this is how we'll get someone to open the gates for us, then so be it," he had said.

Over the course of the week of waiting for an audience, Jauffre met with a few of the undercover Blades spread out throughout the city. Unfortunately little information could be learned from them, none that he hadn't already known.

Two days before the audience with the Elder Council, as the whole group ate lunch in the inn, Kole shouted joyfully, "Mikhail!" when the door opened.

Jauffre did a double take when he saw Mikhail. The Nord had obviously met his match in one of his many battles, as he had a long scar across his left eye that hadn't been there before. His face was thinner, and his normally closely-shaven hair was now long and ragged like his beard. He made an attempt to look happy, but his eyes told that he was tired in more ways than one.

He dragged a chair up to the table and slumped down into it, sighing heavily as he did so. "Hello Kole, and the lot of you," he said after ordering a drink.

"What happened to your face?" Kole asked innocently.

"That's rude, Kole," Baurus scolded. "You shouldn't ask people questions like that."

Mikhail raised his hand, politely ordering Baurus to be quiet. "I have no shame in my battle wounds." He looked at Kole. "One of the monsters slammed a warhammer into my head so hard that it knocked my helmet off. Its friend took advantage of my dazed state and got me good with a longsword. I'm lucky that it didn't slice through my skull like I've seen happen to steel armor."

"How are things going?" Martin asked him.

He sighed again. "Not great," Mikhail finally said, removing his gauntlets as he spoke. "The northern cities have fared better than the south, but not by much. Almost as quickly as a gate was closed, another would be opened somewhere else near the city. We'd sometimes get a break when we'd catch the Mythic Dawn agent in the act of opening an Oblivion Gate."

"What did you do with the captured agent?" Jauffre hoped that they were sitting somewhere in a prison, readily available to be plucked out of there to help with Martin's plan. It would save the trouble of risking Martin's life to get one.

"We didn't," Mikhail answered, immediately discouraging Jauffre. "We had killed the bastard before he got a chance to finish off his ritual."

"Did you see the ritual?" Martin queried.

Mikhail shook his head. "Not enough to be able to recreate it, if that's what you wanted to know." He took a long drink from his tankard of ale before continuing. "We could try sneaking back into the Dagon Shrine; they might have a copy of the ritual written down somewhere."

Jauffre doubted that plan would work. He suspected Mikhail did too; he'd sounded skeptical when he'd proposed it.

Baurus voiced his opinion on the idea. "They've probably made it more difficult to get in, after you and I broke in and stole the Mysterium Xarxes. Even if we could make it back in, who knows what we would find? Last time we were there, we nearly had to sacrifice an Argonian."

A waitress brought over a plate of food, placing in front of Mikhail. He looked at her curiously. "I didn't order anything," he said.

The waitress, a young Breton, went red in the face. "I remembered that you ordered this the last time you were here. Roasted lamb, lightly dressed with honey."

"The last time I was here was four months ago," he told her.

She continued to blush. "Well... I hope you enjoy the meal. It's on the house," she added. "The Hero of Kvatch deserves fine treatment every now and then."

"Well... I thank you." He winked suggestively at her.

The waitress turned and scurried back into the kitchen, giggling all the while.

Mikhail flashed a smile at the people sitting around the table. Jauffre noticed that one of his teeth was chipped; it hadn't been that way the last time he'd seen him. "All it took was closing twenty-two gates to get a free meal. I wonder what I'll get once I hit thirty."

He dug into his food as Jauffre explained what would happen with the Elder Council. "We've only two days before our audience. I think the best course of action would be to lay out the plan to get a Great Sigil Stone. Perhaps, if we're lucky, it will be enough to convince them to lend us some real aid. Should they reject the plan, then I will present you, Martin. Whether or not they agree with the plan will then cease to matter; as Emperor, you will have full control over the Imperial Legion. You would be crowned Emperor, but more than likely in secrecy, as a public revelation would not be supported without the lighting of the Dragonfires."

"Why not reveal me right away to the council?" Martin asked.

"There is the chance that the Mythic Dawn has some pull with the Elder Council," Jauffre theorized. "The escape route through the Imperial Prison was known only to the Blades, the Emperor, and the higher-ranking members of the Elder Council. Obviously your father didn't tip off the assassins that were there—"

As the words came out of Jauffre's mouth, he could not entirely convince himself that they were true. Uriel Septim VII worked in mysterious ways—much more so than many of his ancestors. Could he have planned out his own death? Jauffre didn't want to believe it, so he refused to.

"—and I'd hope that none of the Blades would sell out the Empire. That leaves only the Elder Council. Any undercover members, or those who were paid off for their silence, would be best handled by not revealing you unless it proves the only way to proceed."

Even though Jauffre wanted to capture a member of the Mythic Dawn, it would not do to have the whole cult come down upon Martin at once. They'd probably send a small strike-team, just as they had for Uriel. That would be easier to handle.

Kole yawned sleepily. Baurus patted his son on the head. "I think it is time to lay you down for a nap."

The young boy groaned. "But I want to hear about the plan."

"You don't need to," Baurus said. "You've already heard more than you should have. Now come on."

Kole didn't attempt to argue again. He silently took his father's hand and the two of them headed towards their room. Wolfy cleaned up the morsels that had fallen beneath the table before catching up with his young master.

The rest of the table's occupants waited patiently for the Redguards to be a good distance away before Jauffre turned to Mikhail and asked, "did you read all of the letter I sent you?"

"I did," Mikhail said after swallowing another bite of food. "I don't much like risking Martin's life to get the Great Sigil Stone. I wish I would've kept the one I got from the gate in Kvatch."

"What did you do with it?"

He pulled out a steel dagger and laid it on the table. "The Sigil Stones have magical properties, as we all know. I tried to destroy the Great one I'd recovered with this dagger. The Stone broke after some time, and it must've released its magic into my dagger; it's heavily enchanted with frost magic."

"Then I would imagine the ritual to reach Camoran's Paradise will involve breaking the Great Sigil Stone," Martin guessed.

"We're going to risk everything to get an object we're going to purposely break?" Mikhail laughed, though it sounded pained. "Doesn't that beat all?"

"As we wait for the hearing with the Elder Council," said Jauffre, "we should discreetly spread the message: a Septim is in the Imperial City. That should give the Mythic Dawn enough time to organize an attack. Don't worry Martin; we'll have eyes on you the whole time, even when it seems you are alone."

"I am not worried," Martin assured him. "I have faith in you and the Blades."

Jauffre hoped that his faith will not come to be misplaced. As it was with Uriel.

All the adults in the group stood before the Elder Council. It took quite a bit of convincing to have Baurus leave Kole and Wolfy with one of the undercover Blades, but eventually the Redguard relented. He, Jauffre, and Mikhail stood together in a straight line, blocking Martin from sight for the most part. Martin had his hood covering his face as well. He looks enough like Uriel that a smart man would see who he is.

The Elder Council sat along a semi-circular table in front of the group. In actuality there were many more members than the eleven currently in the chamber of the White-Gold Tower. But most were just honorary members, such as the Counts of Cyrodiil and the Jarls of Skyrim. Though they were considered a part of the council, they were rarely involved with any real council business.

The eleven members were made up of a few different races. The majority, unsurprisingly, were Imperials. There was also two Nords, a Dunmer, a Redguard, and an Altmer. The Altmer, however, had the highest rank of all, as he was High Chancellor Ocato. He was the equivalent to the Grandmaster of the Blades, which Jauffre was the current one. One was the left hand of the Emperor, and the other the right. Normally neither had any power over the other, but with the Dragonthrone empty for the longest time since its inception, that was no longer the case; the High Chancellor was, essentially, the stand-in figurehead of the Empire.

"I'm sorry that we could not bring you in sooner, Grandmaster," Ocato apologized. "I'm sure you understand. What with the end of the Septim bloodline and the invasion from Oblivion itself, the council has been rather busy."

"The Blades have been just as occupied by this war with Mehrunes Dagon," Jauffre informed. "Nearly every single one of us has been on the frontline for the last several months. They've been battling against the endless swarm of Daedra alongside the city guard and civilians who have taken up arms."

"We are aware of this," said the female Nord. Jauffre had been in Weynon Priory so long that he couldn't remember the names of most of the council members. Or maybe she's just a recent addition. "All who've sacrificed their lives in order to defend the defenseless have been accounted for. Like you said, it's been more than just your men fighting and dying out there."

"Which brings me to the reason I requested an audience with you all," Jauffre said. "But first, introduction should be made." He gestured to Baurus, who was on his left. "This is one of my Blades, Baurus." Next was Mikhail, on his right. "This is a man who I'm sure you're all familiar with. Mikhail Iron-Heart: the Hero of Kvatch."

There was a collective sense of shock and awe coming from the Elder Council. All of it was directed at Mikhail, who had shaved his hair back to a military-style cut the day before. Equipped with his ebony armor and greatsword, he no doubt looked impressive to them.

"You're really him?" asked the male Dunmer, whose accent suggested he originated from Morrowind.

"Aye. I charged head-first into the Deadlands and closed the portal from inside. Alongside the guard of Kvatch, I then cleared the city of all Daedra in attempt to recover the Count. Sadly he was dead before I arrived, and the city will not be habitable until time and effort can be put into rebuilding it."

"Surely we must reward him?" one of the older Imperials suggested. "He's closed more gates than any other person in all of Cyrodiil. Had he not closed the first one, we might have never learned that such a thing was possible."

"I ask not for a reward," Mikhail said. "Only that you all listen to Grandmaster Jauffre's plan to end the Oblivion Crisis."

"We shall," High Chancellor Ocato said wearily. "But who is the man behind you all?"

"He is a high-profile target of the Mythic Dawn," Jauffre said, "under the protection of the Blades. He does not have anything to contribute to this conversation." Not yet, at least.

Martin said nothing. Jauffre had instructed him to act as if he weren't there, up until the point that they had to reveal him. I still hope it will not come to that.

"So what is this idea of yours?" the Redguard asked. "Coming from a Blade, I would assume this is a well-formulated plan."

So Jauffre started from the beginning. It was an altered version of the real story, since the real story heavily involved Martin. He hit the main notes: getting ahold of the Mysterium Xarxes, learning of a ritual that could gain them access to an unspecified means of keeping any more portals from opening. He knew it would be hard to sound convincing without revealing important information, but he tried his best. Mikhail and Baurus pitched in every now and then, but Jauffre was the main speaker.

"...and now we need to get a Great Sigil Stone," he said as he was coming to an end. "The only plausible way to do this is to allow three Oblivion Gates to open within close vicinity of each other. Mikhail and a small team would retrieve it, but we'd need a lot of people to stand against the Daedra coming out of the gates, else we would risk them running rampant. We would need an army."

"You're proposing we give you access to the Legion?" shouted the female Nord, her tone indicating she thought it a ridiculous idea.

The council members began arguing amongst themselves. Their voices became indistinct as the commotion dragged out and became louder. He was able to catch a few words; generally the idea was frowned upon, but Jauffre was glad to hear that some of them were welcome to the proposal.

"Anything to end this damned invasion," was the longest sentence he heard out of the pollution of noise.

During the chaos Martin leaned in and murmured into Jauffre's ear. "This is not working. Present me to them; that's the only way to salvage this mess."

"No," Jauffre whispered back. "A few of them are on our side. You will be kept a secret until there is no chance to persuade them. If they are arguing as badly as this, I am almost positive that at least one of them has connections to the Mythic Dawn."

Suddenly High Chancellor Ocato rose to his feet. "Enough!" He shouted it with authority, and it proved successful. The other ceased their voice so quickly that the Altmer's demand echoed off the walls of a silent room.

He looked to Jauffre. "We've heard your proposal. But do you have any proof that this is the only route to take if we wish to end the Oblivion Crisis? Or have you just told us a theory, one that you do not actually know if it will work or not?"

"The book of Mehrunes Dagon was translated over the past months by an expert in the field of the Daeda," Jauffre said, defending Martin. "There is no question in my mind that this is our only chance to save the people of Cyrodiil. To save the whole of Tamriel!"

"Have you brought the Mysterium Xarxes with you?" asked the male Nord. "So that we can have our own experts examine the Daedric text?"

Jauffre cursed himself under his breath. "No we have not. The book has certain... properties, which can take advantage of an unguarded man. Our expert advised us to leave it in Cloud Ruler Temple because of that."

"Who is this supposed 'expert'?" questioned the Dunmer.

Against Jauffre's previous orders, Martin cleared his throat and said, "that would be me."

He's going to reveal himself whether I like it or not. Jauffre could not intervene without creating suspicion, so he simply stepped aside and allowed Martin to join him by his side.

"Is that the reason you are under the protection of the Blades?" High Chancellor Ocato asked.

"One of them." Martin still had his hood up; no one sitting around the table could clearly see his face. Maybe he is merely taking the role of the expert, and nothing more.

"And what exactly makes you an expert?"

"I used to be a worshipper of the Daedric Prince Sangune."

Why'd he have to say that?

Gasps of surprise came from a few members of the council. Others were simply outraged that someone with a history such as his managed to make their way into the heart of the Empire.

But Ocato hushed them all again. "Used to be?" he repeated.

"I left the cult a long time ago," Martin said. "Up until the beginning of the Oblivion Crisis, I had been atoning for my sin to the Divines as a priest in the Chapel of Akatosh?"

"You were in Kvatch?" a middle-aged Imperial woman asked.

Mikhail responded for Martin. "He's the only reason that not all of Kvatch's people now lay in graves or became ashes. He made the Chapel of Akatosh a sanctuary, one that saved the lives of over fifty people. They all made it out safely when the guards and I were clearing out the city."

"Well done," praised a third Imperial.

"It was my pleasure to help the needy," Martin said.

"So you're the one that translated the Mysterium Xarxes, then?" Ocato asked. He continued before Martin could answer. "If that is the case, could you explain to the council why exactly reaching this 'Paradise' is necessary in stopping Mehrunes Dagon?"

Martin turned to look at Jauffre. "I'm sorry," he whispered, "but I have to."

Jauffre gave him a nod. There was no need for Martin to explain, as it was obvious enough what he was sorry for.

He returned his attention to the council. "We need a way to reach Paradise because the leader of the Mythic Dawn, Mankar Camoran, took the Amulet of Kings there."

There was a brief moment of silence. The Redguard broke it when he said, "the Amulet of Kings? It matters not that the Mythic Dawn possesses it; without a Septim to use the amulet, the Dragonfires cannot be lit. Because of that it is meaningless to us."

"No it is not." Martin lowered his hood, revealing his face. "Because there is a Septim to use the Amulet of Kings—to light the Dragonfires: me."

The council members murmured silently with one another. It wasn't as loud as their earlier session of arguing but it was just as difficult to understand. No doubt there in disbelief, but one look at his face and they should see Uriel Septim.

This time the talking halted without the aid of High Chancellor Ocato, but he was the first to address Martin. "Is there any proof that you are the illegitimate son of Uriel Septim VII?"

"Proof?" Jauffre asked. "Look at his face! He looks exactly like Uriel! What more could you need?!"

"Many people look alike," Ocato said. "That does not necessarily mean that they are related."

"I personally delivered Martin to the man who raised him when he was just a baby! Uriel himself directed me to do so!"

The High Chancellor looked to Mikhail. "Hero of Kvatch, what do you have to add to this?"

"Uriel Septim gave me the Amulet of Kings seconds before his death," Mikhail informed the council. "He'd told me to bring it to Jauffre, and I did just that. That was when I learned of Martin's existence. Jauffre requested that I retrieve him from Kvatch. The city was not chosen at random by Mehrunes Dagon to launch his invasion; he knew Martin was there. It seems to me that everyone thinks Martin a Septim, and I couldn't agree more. Everything I've done has been in order to place Martin on the Dragonthrone."

Ocato shifted to Jauffre. "You swear that he is the son of Uriel Septim?"

"I would die for him."

"As would I," Mikhail added.

"Me too," Baurus said, speaking for the first time since the meeting began.

Ocato sniffed. "If using the Imperial Legion and opening up the four Oblivion Gates is really the only way to get the amulet back... then I vote we devote all troops to this plan."

The rest of the members were asked to cast their votes. Four of the Imperials, both Nords, and the Redguard agreed with the High Chancellor; the other two Imperials and the Dunmer were against the idea. In the end, much to Jauffre's satisfaction, the vote was eight-to-three in favor of the plan. Would a member of the Mythic Dawn vote to open the gates to throw off suspicion, or would he or she vote not to in order to set us back? Jauffre couldn't decide one way or the other.

"And should the Amulet of Kings be recovered," said the High Chancellor, "and Martin successfully light the Dragonfires, the Elder Council will formally recognize him as the successor to Uriel Septim VII."

Jauffre had expected the council to do just that today, but that would not hinder their chances against the Daedra.

"I thank you all," Martin said, bowing respectfully to the Elder Council.

"Where do you think the gates should be opened?" asked the youngest among the Imperials.

"Even with the Imperial Legion, as well as the Blades and any guards sent by the Counts and Countesses across the country, there's a good chance the Daedra could get loose," Jauffre said. "To keep civilian casualties at zero, I think the outskirts of Kvatch would be an appropriate place to open the Great Oblivion Gate."

"Good idea," Ocato said. "The Legion will be sent there at once."

"Do you have the means to opening the gates?" the Dunmer asked.

"We plan to have the means within the week." He considered telling the council his plan to capture a member of the Mythic Dawn. But if one or more of them did have a connection to the cult, and they learned that an attack on Martin was wanted, then there might be a chance of no attack at all.

"Very well," said Ocato. "Letters requesting reinforcements will be sent to the Counts and Countesses; the whole Legion will not be devoted to this plan in the event that it fails. Cyrodiil will fall without an army to defend it, whether it be against the Daedra or foreign invaders."

"And I shall write to my Blades scattered across the country," Jauffre said, "and have them go to Kvatch."

"You should tell them to come here," the Redguard advised. "It'll take at least two weeks to get a response back from the all of the cities—if any at all—and for their soldiers reach the city."

"A march to Kvatch will commence in two weeks from today," said the High Chancellor. "Let us hope that Mehrunes does not cross over in that time."

And with that, the meeting was concluded.

The four men exited the White-Gold Tower and started making their way to Talos Plaza where Kole and Wolfy were being kept. The sun was right over their heads; the meeting in total had taken nearly two hours. All of them were relieved that the meeting with the Elder Council had gone exactly as they'd hoped.

Baurus, however, was curious as to something Jauffre had said. "How are we going to find the means to opening the gates within the week?"

Jauffre wasn't the type to normally leave his men in the dark. Information is as strong a weapon as the sharpest sword. But Baurus was the biggest unknown factor in catching a member of the Mythic Dawn. He blames himself for Uriel Septim's death, as he and Mikhail were the only survivors of the attack in the sewers. He won't understand that using Martin as bait is the quickest way to get what we need.

So all he simply said to Baurus was, "trust me."