Tullius I
Shortly after the funeral of Skyrim's High King, I set out for home to bury my father. I did not take him to the Imperial City. I took him to our family estate outside of Chorrol. Our family had owned a castle there for the last two hundred years. Before the first Titus Mede took the throne his father Tiberius was named Duke of Colovia, he ruled separate then any count but the counts of Colovia answered to him. He in turn answered to the Elder Council and Potentate Ocato.
He first heard of the castle when reports came in to some of his allies that a castle was being attacked by bandits and whoever repulsed the bandits would be given the castle. Tiberius saddled his horse and rode out within the hour and the castle has been home to our family ever since. When Titus Mede I, Tiberius son, rebelled against Thules the Gibbering the catle was used as the headquarters of the rebellion. Eventually that war came to a stalemate and Colovia became the Colovian Estates once again.
After Titus was declared Emperor of Tamriel, Battlehorn Castle became the summer retreat of the Mede dynasty. A small town had grown up around the castle and a crypt was maintained when a secret cavern was found under the castle's training room. Now I was taking my father there and a nation mourned.
My brother was supposed to be returning from the courts of High Rock to pay his respects but from what the spies were reporting was that he war marshalling an army there. He would try to seize the throne.
The Elder Council was waiting for our caravan to arrive. Word had travelled fast from the land of the Nords and our procession had been slow. The counts of Cyrodiil, the lords and kings of High Rock still loyal were waiting. They came and talked of my father. Few wept. He was not a beloved man. The Great War had taken the charisma from him. He had lost favor almost everywhere.
Then came the Thalmor. The bastards had no right to be here. The emissary to Cyrodiil Crovius came to speak with me. "Ah, Tullius Mede, on behalf of the King of Alinor and the Dominion I would like to express our condolences." The High Elf bowed his head. He was diplomatic.
"Well, thank you Corvius. It is a hard time for our family, for the Empire." I hated diplomacy.
"Oh this the Dominion knows too well. We have heard rumors of what your brother has been doing in High Rock and according to Elenwen Skyrim will soon be at civil war. Cyrodiil seems to stand alone these days." The lack of respect. If we weren't at the funeral of my father I would have the man chained.
"Is there something you need to say, Emissary?"
"Nothing that hasn't already been said, Prince Tullius." Reminding me that I was not yet Emperor.
"Well, I will see you at the Elder Council meetings. My son needs me." I left the pretentious snob to find my son. The eight year old had taken the loss of his grandfather hard. The assassination had not left any overly visible marks that we would explain to the boy.
"Daddy, Papa is not coming back is he?" The sad little boy looked up to meet my eyes.
"No, but you may one day see him in Aetherius." I ruffled his jet black hair and looked over to see the High Elf conversing with an Imperial that I did not recognize. The Imperial made eye contact with me and left the High Elf speaking mid-sentence. The shock on the Aldmeri's face was clear for everyone to see.
"Hello, Emperor Tullius." The man bowed. His eyes never left mine while he bowed. He kept his head locked looking in my direction.
"Have we met?" I returned. I know most of my father's retainers, the courtiers and the key dignitaries from the provinces and other nations. This man was none of them.
"Ah, so everything I have heard of you is true. No, we haven't. My name is Aeneas Pera. I briefly knew your father before his death. I work for an independent information agency operating within the Empire. I would like to speak with you privately."
The man looked the typical Imperial. Taken straight from the Pocket Guide to the Empire's illustration. Shoulder length dark hair, prominent cheek bones, even the blue blousy collared shirt with a yellow one underneath. He crossed his arms and waited, a look of boredom across his face.
"Very well, but I will take two Penitus Oculatus with me."
"No, you won't. They are corrupt. Just us. You can tie my hands behind my back if you would like." The man looked unarmed, he may be a mage but I could handle him in close quarters. I left my son in the care of my steward and left with the mysterious Imperial. I took a sword out of one of the stands as we walked through the training area above the crypt.
When we entered the library, he handed an amulet to me. On observation I found it to be an Elder Council members. These were specially made for each member.
"How do you get this?" I put it down on the table. Sword now extended to the man's neck. He merely smiled at me before replying. "It was used to pay for your father's murder."
On hearing this I felt my blood boil. My sword began its swing when his body moved. He stepped inside the swords reach, catching my elbow in some weird way and soon a small blade was pricked into the end of my throat.
"Careful, if I wanted you dead I would have killed you already." He released my arm and the blade was out back in his sleeve. "Now then, I would like to see you take your father's throne. That necklace belongs to Amaund Motierre. His family rose to power by dealing with the Dark Brotherhood two hundred years ago. His place on the Elder Council is a farce. He pays off anyone in his way or kills those he can't buy. He killed your father on behalf of unknown employers. His body is in Whiterun. In a private room at the Bannered Mare Tavern. I would suggest sending a fast runner, I came here right after killing him."
"Where do you get all of this information?" I looked to the spy, assassin, hell I didn't know what the man was.
"From the body of your father's killer of course." He pulled several notes and letters out from his bag at his side. Letters from Motierre, an Astrid, the Listener, and one Delvin Mallory.
"How do I know this is all true?" I inquired after the man.
"The forest of Falkreath. Right off the road when leaving the city and headed west there is a small pond of water. The road drops off on one side. There is the last operating Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary in Tamriel. There you will find its operatives slain. Also, if you want to contact me. Leave a message for me at this location. It is my official residence in Skyrim, but I don't really stay there. My steward knows how to contact me."
"Well, what do you want for the payment of all this?" No one does anything for free.
"I want you to sit on that throne and whip the asses of the Aldmeri Dominion when they return."
"If only it were so easy." I laughed at the younger Imperial.
"You need to settle things in Skyrim and High Rock. Try to fix things with Hammerfell. I have contacts in Alinor who tell me they are not yet ready for war. The Redguards nearly broke them and they don't repopulate as quickly as we do."
I looked at him. Studying him. Either I let my brother gain strength in High Rock and take Skyrim or I let Skyrim falter and kick my brother out of High Rock.
"You have time for both. Tullius." The man smiled before vanishing.