Aftermath
Imperial Palace, Cyrodiil
Morning Star 10th, 5E 1
"Most of the people seem to have accepted me as High King. Lorinor's endorsement helped. He endorsed me perhaps a little too heartily," Cyrellon admitted with a chuckle.
Martin smiled. "Good. How about the cities? Are they accepting their new…kings? Is that what you are referring to them as?"
"Yes, or Queens. Most of them have direct ties to the cities they are now leading. The notable exception is, of course, Lorinor, but we could have put him in any city and he would be accepted by the people."
"That's good. I'm glad things are settling. How goes the Thalmor purge?" Martin asked.
"Well, most of the troops were happy to denounce the Thalmor. Some of them are eager to join the Legion. Some of them prefer to put soldiering behind them." Cyrellon explained. "Most of the former administrators have renounced the Thalmor, some still cling to hope of a resurgence, but they are clinging to it in a dungeon cell. Just about all of the staff are relieved and eager to serve their new kings and queens."
"You should send any soldiers wishing to join the Legion here to Cyrodiil," Consul Whitestone advised. "General Blackmane has set up a special course of instruction to help Thalmor soldiers fit in to the Imperial Legion."
"I will, do that, thank you," Cyrellon replied. "And congratulations on your promotion, by the way. From my perspective, it was well earned."
"It absolutely was well deserved," Martin agreed.
"Thank you, both of you. It is my honor to serve." Whitestone said.
Cyrellon nodded and continued, "As for the soldiers and staff who have refused to renounce the Thalmor, they have been unceremoniously stripped of their positions. We have not imprisoned any of them, but they are being watched very closely. We are on guard against a counter-revolutionary underground movement. I know putting the former leadership to death would have created martyrs, but I fear as long as they are alive, there are some extremists who may cling to hope of a resurgence."
"You can have the leadership transferred here," Martin suggested. "They can be put in a dark, dank corner of the imperial prison. Nobody has escaped that prison in two hundred years."
"Thank you, your majesty. I will have that taken care of straight away. I can coordinate with Consul Whitestone, I trust?"
Whitestone nodded.
"I admit, I will feel a little better. That should put a damper on any counterrevolution thoughts or aspirations."
"Good. The last thing we need is another Aldmeri Dominion." Martin observed. "How goes the rebuilding?"
Many of the major cities had been damaged during the invasion or liberation, depending on how one viewed things. Alinor in particular had received a lot of damage thanks to the dozen dragons that attacked the structures and fortifications. Nobody had realized it at the time, but much of the cities splendor had been destroyed. Martin was providing all the resources he could spare to help rebuild the city and the province.
"We have had no trouble finding workers and artisans, your majesty, but getting supplies and materials there is proving slightly more challenging than we anticipated," Elnath admitted.
"Oh? How so?"
"With trade diminished between the Dominion and the Empire, many ships were simply laid up. We literally used every available ship we had to send troops and supplies for the Summerset campaign," Elnath explained. "Some of them were destroyed. Some of them were damaged and are out of service. We have plenty of supplies to send, just not the means to send them, at least not in an expedient manner."
Martin was thoughtful for a moment. "What's being done to rectify the situation?"
"We're repairing damaged ships as quickly as we can. Some that were laid up are being fixed up as well. Honestly though, it is probably best just to build new ships." Elnath said.
"We'll lend some troops ships to help until repairs can be completed or new ships brought into service," Whitestone offered.
"Your majesty, if I may," Cyrellon cut in.
Martin nodded.
"All the support you are providing is very much appreciated. By myself, the Kings and Queens and the people of Summerset."
"I sense a 'but' coming," Martin quipped.
Cyrellon smiled. "But…most people do understand shortages. Believe it or not what you have provided us in the past month has been more than the Thalmor provided in the past year. Your support is very much appreciated, and I will continue to graciously accept all you are willing to provide," he smiled again, "but this is not an emergency situation. Sending supplies at the current rate is acceptable."
Martin was surprised at how gracious Cyrellon was being. "Forgive me for saying so, but you are greatly changing my perception of Altmer."
Cyrellon was not offended, "Your majesty, you have changed my and many of my people's perception of Bosmer."
Hearthfire, 9th, 5E 1
Today was reunification day. It was one year ago that the second war with the Thalmor had ended and Tamriel was once again united. While the fighting had concluded on Hearthfire, 7th, it was the 9th where the nobles had unanimously voted to rejoin the empire and formed a new government for their province.
There were plans for celebrations all over Tamriel. In Imperial City, there was a large street fair, special matches in the Arena and of course, an Imperial Ball. Emperor Martin Septim II was expected to at least make an appearance at multiple events throughout the city, but before the fun could begin, he had business that he needed to attend to.
Running an empire proved more difficult than leading soldiers in battle, but Martin had developed a knack for selecting fitting people for the various roles. He had formed his own council of advisors, the Dragon Council, to run the various mundane day to day affairs. He was about to meet with them to get updates on various areas of the Empire.
The councilors were all seated at the table a few minutes before the meeting began, making small talk. Those present included Esbern, High Priest of Talos, chosen to represent all the divines. Aranea, Archmage of the Mages Guild; Aela of Jorrvaskr, Huntress of the Fighters Guild; Rorik Whitestone, Consul of the Imperial Legion; Elnath Nazari, Chief Administrator; Cicero, Head of the Imperial Finance Committee and de facto deputy to Elnath; Lornus, Imperial Battlemage; Mjoll, Chief Diplomat were all present.
Elnath, as Chief Administrator for the Empire, was equivalent to the High Kings/High Queens of the various provinces. He was, in effect a High King for Cyrodiil, in that all the nobles and all the councilors reported to him. He had the ear of the Emperor and the authority to make decisions across the empire. The rest of the councilors were equivalent to the nobles, the counts or the jarls in each of the holds inside the provinces.
"Lords and Ladies, I present to you, His Royal Highness, Uniter of Tamriel, Emperor Martin Septim, II!" The page announced. The group stood in respect. Martin entered the chamber, went to the chair at the head of the table and sat. He nodded slightly and the group sat as one, all turning to face him.
"Good morning, I know there is a full day of festivities ahead," Martin began, "but I'm afraid we must attend to business first. Please limit your updates to pressing matters or items of interest for the group. We can talk one on one later for more mundane affairs if need be."
Elnath nodded and looked at his list. "Your majesty, the first item on the agenda is the state of affairs for the legion. The most pressing concern is stationing troops on Solstheim…er, Goldovod…sorry, that will take some getting used to. Anyway, I'll let Consul Whitestone fill in the details for you."
"Thank you, Elnath. Your majesty, the Redoran Council is resisting the idea of splitting up their legion. I realize part of their unification agreement was to allow them semi-autonomous control of the legion garrisoned there, but we have attempted to send a cohort from that legion and they are proving resistant."
"How many legions are we up to now?" Martin asked.
"We have nine expeditionary, nine garrison, plus Blackmane's Training legion and Isran's special unit, for a total of twenty legions, your majesty," Whitestone replied.
"Can we not use one of the expeditionary legions to garrison Goldovod?" Martin inquired
"We had considered that, your majesty, but, well, it seems a little much. The island is not that big, nor is it really settled. Plus the fort is not sized for an entire legion."
Martin turned towards Elnath. "Elnath, do we have enough materials left over from rebuilding Cloud Ruler Temple that we could expand the fort on Goldovod?"
"Construction is still ongoing, but I believe we have more than sufficient materials for the remaining work, your majesty."
Whitestone nodded slightly, knowing what the emperor was suggesting. "Very well, your majesty, we will expand the fort and move General Morvayn's Legion to occupy it. He reports to Praetor Indalen and the rest of her legions are garrison units, so it makes sense."
"Very well. Anything else?"
"Not for the group, your majesty," Whitestone replied. "I have provided Elnath with a detailed structure of our Legions. We have a total of five armies, with four legions each. We now have eight expeditionary units, both first and second army, a special unit, a training unit and now ten garrison units. The details of all this are in the report provided to Elnath."
"Very well. Thank you, Consul Whitestone. Elnath, what is next?"
"I believe Mjoll will be providing you with an update. Mjoll?"
"Thank you, Elnath. Your majesty, coordination continues in the effort to have a company assigned to each embassy. Every province has at least one, with some provinces having an additional consulate. The ambassadors are considered nobility and are being welcomed into the court of each province. At Kharjo's request, I have kept my headquarters in Dune, though I have been travelling extensively. The empire has a full on diplomatic corps to ensure continued unity throughout the empire" What went unsaid is that at least one diplomat in each province was a member of the blades, all reporting to Mjoll, who reported directly to Delphine.
"Your majesty," Elnath picked up from where Mjoll left off, "in addition to embassies and consulate, each province has multiple guild halls for the fighter's guild and mage's guild. In addition, each major city has a temple to one of the divines," Elnath nodded to Esbern, "With a few temples to Talos having been re-consecrated as well."
"It sounds like you all have things well in hand. Thank you all for coming in this morning. I hope you each enjoy unification day." Martin stood, signaling and end to the meeting. The rest of the councilors stood in respect and remained standing until Martin left the room.
Listener's Sanctum
Later that morning
Martin headed to the catacombs, underneath the palace. Now that the official meeting was over, he had two unofficial meetings. The first one would be with this chief speaker in his own sanctum, where the night mother was kept.
Though "chief speaker" was not an official title, Cicero had established himself as a prosperous merchant in Cheydinhal and prominent member of the Imperial Finance Committee, rising to lead the committee and become a member of the Dragon Council. This gave Cicero plenty of reasons to head to Imperial City and the Palace in particular. As such, Martin would deliver word to Cicero for each of the contracts he had received from the night mother. Cicero would, in turn, ensure the contract got to the proper speaker.
There were three other speakers besides Cicero. Tsarnia had re-opened the sanctuary in Corinthe. Babette took over the sanctuary in Dawnstar. Nazir had opened a new sanctuary in Sentinel, with Martin consecrating it and providing it with its trademark entrance. Each of the sanctuaries was growing. Each Speaker had their own Silencer. The Dark Brotherhood was growing throughout the united empire.
However, that was not what brought Cicero to this meeting. He pulled out what appeared to be an ordinary looking ring and handed it to Martin. "This was recovered from our last contract here in Cyrodiil," he said.
Martin looked over the ring. It was gold, with an opaque red stone. Neither the ring, nor the setting seemed unusual to him. "Ok, I give. What's so special about it?"
"That is the Ring of Sir Amiel," Cicero informed him. "Sir Amiel was one of the original Knights of the Nine. The order fell apart during the War of the Red Diamond. Each member took one of the sacred relics and fought for a different faction. Most of the relics were lost as a result."
"How do you know all this? Why is this of any import?" Martin asked.
Cicero chuckled lightly. "I spent a lot of time alone and I did a lot of reading…er, before I lost my mind. Most of it has come back to me. The Knights of the Nine were re-formed by the Hero of Kvatch, before he disappeared. However, the order apparently did not learn from its past. After the Hero of Kvatch disappeared, and various warlords vied for the Ruby Throne, the members each took relics and fought for a different warlord. None sided with Titus Mede, so the relics were lost again. Their priory burned to the ground by the emperor in retaliation."
"Ok…" Martin still wasn't following.
Cicero could see the confusion. "These relics are rumored to be very powerful. They could be a great boon to you and the empire."
"But they're lost," Martin persisted.
"Yes, but rumors also say that the priory was not totally destroyed. Rather there is an entire underground complex that was unknown and therefore neither destroyed nor looted."
"So, do the rumors include the location of this former priory?"
"Well, no," Cicero admitted. "In fact, much of the information about the Knights of the Nine has also faded to legend. Though some rumors say Titus Mede purged all records of them after burning down the priory."
"So, what good is this information then?"
"Well, in my investigation, I uncovered the identity of one of the former members. He's a retired priest of Zenithar. Apparently, Titus Mede wasn't willing to murder a priest. Anyway, this retired priest's name is Aron Verethi. He still lives Leyawiin. He may be able to provide us with more information." Cicero explained.
"So, you want to pursue this? Talk to the priest?" Martin asked.
"Oh no…I am focused on expanding the Dark Brotherhood. This ring is and this knowledge are a gift for you. I am sure you have people at your disposal that could investigate and possibly find these relics, yes?"
Martin closed his hand around the ring. "Ok, I'll look into it. On to business now, shall we?"
"Of course, Listener. We have started to expand into Morrowind. You were correct in that the Morag Tong were not as profuse as they once were. Speaking of which, I hear an entire cell was eliminated near Raven Rock? Would you happen to know anything about that?"
Martin smiled but said nothing.
"Ah yes, the silence of the Listener," Cicero chuckled at his own joke, and for a moment, Martin saw a flash of the old Cicero. "Anyway, we have made some inroads into Morrowind. We have lost some good brothers and sisters, but we've managed to overcome the Morag Tong, at least for now. As for the rest of the provinces, we have firmly established ourselves in Skyrim, Cyrodiil, Hammerfell and Elsweyr. We want to open new Sanctuaries in Arenthia and Sunhold."
Martin considered that last request. Arenthia was being rebuilt and now would be the time to build a new sanctuary into the city. "Do we have the people to fill them?"
"Yes, Listener. In fact, our current Sanctuaries are getting a little cramped."
"Ok," Martin replied. "Let's start a new Sanctuary in Arenthia. Let me know when it needs to be consecrated. How are we doing on the Five Tenants?"
"Every new recruit has the Five Tenants drilled into them from the beginning. We've only had one instance of them being broken. Judgement was swift and…final."
"Good, that is as it should be. Is there anything else?"
"No Listener. I will take my leave of you."
"Thank you, Cicero. I'll talk to the Night Mother about some contracts, so the brotherhood can grow some more."
Imperial City, Street Fair
The street fair was in full swing. Lyela was excited. Her mom had to work, but gave her some coin to enjoy the festivities. She had played a few games, even won a small prize! She could not wait to show her mother. Lyela decided it was time to grab something to eat. She needed to show her mother she wasn't just good at games, but that she was old enough to take care of herself.
Suddenly an imperial looking female came out of nowhere. She knocked the girl to the ground and then quickly disappeared into the crowd.
Lyela fell hard and hit her head. The impact wasn't enough to cause serious damage, but it did manage to break the skin and cause some bleeding. Lyela held her hand to her head and fought back tears. Strangers rushed to her aid and she told them where her mother worked.
Imperial City, Arena
The Arena was holding a series of special matches throughout the day. Gladiator vs gladiator, gladiator vs creature, even creature vs creature matches were being held. The Emperor had a special section of seating that gave him and his guests the best views in the arena. Some of the palace staff were brought in to wait on the Emperor and his guests.
Martin was enjoying the show, with Aela and a Bosmeri female. The Bosmer was blatantly flirting with the emperor, much to the annoyance of Aela. They were all drinking copious amounts of wine and soon the pitchers ran dry. Martin motioned to one of the staff. "Would you mind? We seem to have run dry." Martin asked.
"It would be my pleasure your majesty," the servant lady said with a short curtsy. She grabbed the silver tray with the empty pitchers and went to the back of the section. There were two doors in the rear of the section. One for the Emperor and his entourage and one for the help.
The servant lady took the latter and descended the stairs. There was a second door at the landing, which she opened, gracefully balancing the tray on one hand. She went through to an open area. Two guards were stationed on the other side of the door. They nodded to her as she passed. She had just gone around the corner on her way to the food preparation area when she was stopped by a lady in unusual attire.
"Excuse me, but are you the mother of Lyela?" The lady asked.
"Yes, I am, why? Is something wrong?"
"It appears your daughter was injured at the festival, accidentally knocked to the ground. She is being tended to, but you may wish to go to her."
Lyela's mother was instantly concerned. "Oh, my poor daughter! But I must serve the emperor. What am I to do?"
"Tell you what," the mystery lady said, "let's change outfits and I will cover for you. Once you are sure your daughter is ok, come back and we'll switch out again."
"But…why would you do this for me?"
"I'm doing this for a poor little girl who was hurt and needs her mother."
Lyela's mother considered her options for a moment, but decided her daughter's well being was the utmost if importance. She nodded to the mysterious stranger. The two changed outfits and the mother went off to tend to her daughter.
The mysterious stranger fixed her hair so that from behind, she looked just like the regular servant. She went to the counter placed the tray with the empty pitchers on it and turned to face away. The lady behind the counter replaced the two empty pitchers with two full ones and the mysterious lady grabbed the tray and started to the Emperor's box.
"Hey! You spill a drop and that's coming out of your pay!" The grouchy old lady behind the counter yelled.
The mysterious woman was stopped by the guards before she could enter the door leading up to the Emperor's box.
"Hey! What happened to Laris?" One of the guards asked.
The mysterious woman shrugged. "All I know is I need to get this to the emperor and if I 'spill a drop, it's coming out of my pay!'" She mimicked the grouchy lady as best she could.
Both guards laughed. "That's Gretchel alright. Go ahead, but be careful, especially on those stairs." One of the guards cautioned.
The mysterious lady nodded and started up the stairs after one of the guards opened the door for her. As soon as the door was closed, the lady stopped. Still at the bottom of the stairs and out of view, she pulled a small vial out of her pocket and emptied the contents into one of the pitchers. She quickly replaced the empty vial and continued up the stairs.
She approached the Emperor, put the tray down and did a small curtsy. They she grabbed the poisoned pitcher and poured its contents into the Emperor's mug. Deftly placing that pitcher back on the tray and grabbing the other one, she filled the goblets of the two females accompanying the Emperor.
Everything seemed to go according to her plan, until the flirtatious Bosmer grabbed the Emperor's goblet and downed the wine with a giggle. Aela had another flash of annoyance on her face, until the flirtatious Bosmer stopped giggling and started gurgling. The female Bosmer's eyes went wide and she fell over to the side, dead. The imposter servant froze for the briefest of seconds, but quickly recovered. Pulling twin daggers out from her tunic, she started to lunge towards the Emperor.
"Fus…roh…DAH!"
The would-be assassin flew backwards, over the edge of the Emperor's box and into the arena below. She landed with a hard THUD! The two combatants stopped what they were doing and looked over that body. It was, miraculously, still writhing.
The two combatants looked up to the Emperor, who nodded. Then they hacked the body to pieces. The crowd, surprised by the turn of events, let out a cheer nonetheless. Both combatants looked up at the Emperor who held out two thumbs up.
"Laaadies and Gentlemen! It looks like we have TWO winners in this fight! Congratulations to both warriors! Go get some rest, you earned it!"
Cloud Ruler Temple
Hearthfire, 16, 5E1
Cloud Ruler Temple, an ancient temple of the blades, had been thoroughly sacked during the Great War. One of Martin's chief goals was to restore it to its former glory. The second war with the Dominion had put that project on hold, and the reconstruction afterward delayed his plans a bit more. However, work was now well underway in restoring the temple.
They were about halfway complete with the restoration. The walls, great gates and secret tunnels were complete. All the debris had been removed from the interior and construction of the buildings and sparing pits was well underway.
Martin was meeting with Esbern, Delphine, Hadvar and Aldis. Hadvar was still commanding The Emperor's Legion, but with the war over, he was easily able to split his time between Fort Black Boot and Cloud Ruler temple, overseeing the restoration of the latter.
Esbern was seeking to take less of a role in the blades and move into, if not full retirement, at least semi-retirement. Martin was about to grant him his request…up until the latest attempt on his life. Esbern, loyal to the blades and to the Emperor they defended, chose to remain on as Grandmaster for the time being.
"So we think we know where this plot originated," Esbern said.
"Good. The Thalmor remnants?" Martin asked.
"No," Delphine replied. "We got most of their cells and those we haven't are now deep underground. They don't even communicate between themselves, so I doubt they can pull this off. That being said, we've determined the plot came from Akavir."
"Akavir? Really?" Martin had trouble believing it.
"Yes, your highness. Specifically from the Tsaesci."