"The New Conquest of Tamriel and the subsequent birth of the Fouth Dragonbornic Empire is considered by many scholars as one of the most significant events to grace Tamriel since Azura's Transformation on the First Era. The Forth Era, ephited by most philosophers across the continent as "The Bastard Era," ended the same way it started, with a Dragon God fighting. The Fall of the World Eater heralded the rise of Ysmir Stormcrown, The Last Dragonborn, Thur of all Dovah, Conqueror of Tamriel, and The Bane of the Aldmeri Dominion."
Excerpt of A Brief History of the New Empire I
Jon-
The blue waters of the Padomay Ocean danced below his ship as Jon glazed east. The proud losangular dragon on the Empire banners fluttered as the wind billowed stronger than usual. The small diplomatic fleet, the first of its kind in both recent and not-so-recent memory, had one objective: to gather intelligence on the brother continent of Akavir.
In the eight years since "The Great Shift," an event which mysteriously changed the skies of Nirn and severed all ties Mundus had with Oblivion, all manual and magical means of screening any lands outside of Tamriel were decreed illegal by the Ruby Throne, a decree which was subsequently lifted as of a year ago; and ever since the ban was lifted many magical means of screening the neighboring continents were attempted, and they all resulted in one single thing as far as Jon knew, failure; and so the need of this small expedition was created.
" Master Snow, The Ysmir Pride's forward observer claims to have seen a seagull," Said Captain Xeirdes. The green-scaled argonian was one of the few Capitains not part of the Imperial-Legion to be personally recommended to be part of this expedition, by the Empress herself no less.
Jon looked at the Argonian and smiled; his eyes, however, shone with power. Power that few possessed in Tamriel—no more than 50 archmages were known to exist in Tamriel.
" That is good, my friend." Jon began, "As numbed as they are, I can still feel the connection to all my communication artifacts back home." The young archmage said; the satisfaction was nowhere near hidden in his voice.
"Indeed, the transmission mages are currently in communication with the White Tower." Said Xeirdes, his sharp teeth visible as he offered the Argonian version of a smile. "The sea life in this part of the ocean is completely different from what the records claim." The Argonian began, mith visible in his eyes. " The research alchemist is having a tough day testing this new world of possibilities." Xeirdes chuckled.
Now THAT was something meaningful in Jon's opinion; it implied that not only the skies but also the oceans were affected by the Great Shift.
" You don't say." Jon murmured under his breath " Does the Fleet Commander need anything from me? " Jon asked
"Indeed," the Argonian captain answered as he nodded his head, relief clear on his face. Jon imagined it was due to his willingness to assist the fleet, which spared the Argonian from demanding something from an archmage, even if he was only doing so on behalf of someone else. Archmages were notoriously famous for not liking being ordered around. "Commander Marus demands you to go up on the roundhouse and stay alert and ready to intervene should we encounter any enemy ship." The captain said, and Jon simply nodded.
"I shall do so, Capitain." Jon began ammiably, " I expect not to have to come down here to get food." Jon said as he prepared to float to the roundhouse, the implied threat didn't hang too much on the air before the captain quickly nodded.
"Very well," Jon said, and as fast as a hummingbird's flap of wings, he gathered his magika and floated himself to where his commander asked him to be
" Damn archmages." Jon heard Xeirdes murmur faintly in the distance, and he involuntarily let out a chuckle.
As he arrived at the roundhouse, Jon couldn't help but smile as he sent a pulse of magic forward, the long-distance "detect life" being one of the few spells on the alteration school he knew outside of those within the concepts of [ICE] or [FIRE].
Jon's spell didn't detect much of anything on the surface of the ocean, as opposed to the sea life beneath, which was brimming with life. That was until the spell traveled about 80 miles, and for the first time in this journey, Jon's spell detected life on the surface. Eighty lives in four groups of twenty, which meant four unidentified ships manned by twenty people each.
As quickly as Jon realized so, he removed his communication crystal and contacted the mages aboard the "Emperor's Mercy."
"Four ships, twenty men on each... around eighty miles east." Jon said as the communication crystal
"Eighty miles..." Impressive." The voice of a Khajiit answered with disbelief in his voice, "J'Aazon believed you were not a master of the alteration school, Master Snow. It seems your legendary prodigious understanding for magic was not an empty boast." J'Aazon complimented, the disbelief in his voice disappearing as he mulled over his knowledge on Jon's reputation.
" I'm as prodigious as any mage, friend. My master was a diligent one." Jon said, the grimace on his face as palpable as rocks. 'And two powerful opposite bloodlines with connections to two ancient [concepts] strengthening my magic as they fight for dominance.' Jon thought, his mind unwillingly bringing forth past conversations on that topic.
"Not even the Emperor with his Voice can create a castle made of sand, Master Snow; even the Emperor needs a sturdy rock to mold... a sturdy foundation to build upon." The Khajiit mage began, "But J'Aazon will not deviate any longer; J'Aazon will let Commander Marus know." He finished as he cut the connection.
It didn't take long before Commander Marus contacted Jon as well as all the captains and important personnel through their communication crystals; the stern and diligent man wasn't one to lose precious time. Marus was known for being extremely focused on his tasks and trying to get them done in the most satisfactory manner. Jon knew that Commander Marus was the most probable person to become the Empire Fleet Admiral in the next five years; his seat on the White Tower was almost a foregone conclusion.
"Captains, Legionnaires, Master Mages, and Archmage Snow." Marus voice sounded through the crystal, his voice as unyielding as man himself " As of right now, all ships, soldiers and battlemages of this fleet are henceforth commanded to stay on standby. Four unidentified vessels have been discovered by Archmage Snow. The purpose of this expedition is diplomacy; therefore, we shall not, and I repeat, WE THE EMPIRE shall not attack first; IF they do attack us, we shall only defend ourselves and try to minimise casualties on both our crew and theirs." Marus continued; his tone seemed to disagree with what he was saying, as if the mere idea of being the leader of a reactionary force seemed to annoy the stern man.
" That doesn't mean we are acquiescing with any unreasonable request of theirs. We have 20 of the best battlemages the whole legion could allow, some of the best blades in the whole of Tamriel and one archmage... Petty kingdoms were conquered by far less in the past." The commander commented; the man didn't let out any emotion show in his voice. Jon, however, liked to imagine the man was exasperated at the whole expedition and the amount of power it had for one so-called "diplomacy mission."
"The Emperor will be informed, and I mean directly informed by me, about this once we attempt first contact." Marus began once again; his voice now held a dangerous gleam to it. "DO NOT make me report failure; I will NOT accept stupidity from any of those you are responsible for, and by Talos himself, I will execute you myself if you jeopardize this operation. Questions?" Marus asked. Jon had no question; he was aware he was there just to grant one more layer of protection and security to the expedition, similar to a hound guarding a field.
"Yes, Fleet Commander!" An Dummer tribune replied, his rispy voice a giveaway of his ashlander origins. "Will you be the one to personally talk with the enemy leaders?"
" Yes. I am the highest-ranked official on this expedition after all." Commander Marus answered.
" What about Archmage Snow? He is an archmage after all." J'Aazon asked, the nonchalant way of the Khajiit clashing with the over-official tone of the meating.
"Archmage is not a military title, Armicustos." Marus began, "Moreover, bringing an archmage to a non-allied vessel could be considered an attempt at intimidation. House Telvanni was famous for doing similar things after Sotha Sil's death. I am aware of the significance of having an archmage as part of this operation, I know, or at the very least I have an idea of what one of them is capable of; you, however, failed to take into consideration that Jon Snow has not seen his sixteenth birthdate yet. Trowing a boy, and make no mistake, Jon Snow IS just a boy, no matter how powerful in magic he is, at anything you fear just because said boy can cause unimaginable destruction IS NOT something WE the IMPERIAL LEGION do. "Jon Snow is going to protect our fleet, not to be your attack dog."... I'm quoting the Emperor." Marus finished; his tone broke no argument. Jon didn't know what to feel about that; as proud as he was of the power he had, Jon didn't feel like snuffing hundreds of lives on someone's whims. He also didn't like how Marus called him a boy,nevertheless, Jon knew that interrupting the meeting just to say he wasn't just a boy would not help his argumentation.
"Any other question?" Marus asked, his tone implying this would be the last chance to ask a question before the planning for engagement would begin.
"Do the akaviri even know or acknowledge Parley?" Captain Xeirdes voice souded on the crystal; the hesitancy in his voice was almost as palpable as the silence that followed his question.
" The records of past encounters imply that it varies. The Tsaesci are known to leave none alive after questioning captives. The Tang Mo are said to be relatively friendly towards Tamrielic races and capable of forming alliances." Jon found himself answering the question. " The Demons of Kamal are likely to attack us on sight and the Ka'po Tun are a mystery. Maybe they will be friendly to the Khajiits... but that's more of an educated guess." Jon finished; the contemplative tone to his voice made him sound far older than he was.
" Were you able to find out what kind of beings those you detected were, Master Snow?" J'Aazon asked, the Elswyri accent as strong in him as Jon's magic was on himself.
" I did not. The only information we got was that they are alive; there are eighty and they are in for vessels on sailing on the surface of the ocean." Jon answered nonchalantly.
"That is planty information, more than we could've expected for how distant they actually are." A voice Jon didn't recognize answered. Jon imagined it was a legate or someone of similar rank.
" Well, let us begin planning…" Marus began
The impromptu "voice meeting" took a few more long minutes; plans were made for all kind of situations, some so out the realms of reality that Jon felt Commander Marus was dragging the meeting for some unknown reason. Eventually, as time went on, the Tamrielic fleet met the Akaviri vessels and Jon could not have believed what he saw on the ships sails. Banners. Banners he recognized. The six seashells of House Westerling of the Westerlands of Westeros. Jon knew them for one of the greatest kingsguards of old belonged to such a House. Harrold Westerling. Jon finally realized he was on his home continent, his homeworld.
Ser Ormond
Ormond Westerling's hair billowed with the wind as he sharpened his sword. The knight was seated on one of the few benches available on the deck; his castle-forged sword shone from time to time as the sunlight hit it.
As calming as sharpening a sword was, with its repetitive movements, Ormond's mind was as turbulent as the sea in Shipbreaker's bay; the trade agreement with House Mallister his Lord Brother requested him to negociate would be important come next winter, which would most likely be one of the longest in living memory. It would help his House to grow even further; perhaps, with his House's rise, Ormond would even get to marry a Lannisport's Lannister, the only other House on the Westerlands coasts to completely recover their ships till date.
Eight years had passed since the waters rose like the gods themselves were mad at the land, eight years since the second moon appeared in the skies, bringing with it uncertainty and fear. Eight years since his house lost the few ships they had, and their financial situation, which seemed to start to turn around, declined once more.
Eight years since he lost hope in helping his brother bring forth their father's dreams. His Lord Brother's wife, however, even after seeing her efforts sink to the Sunset Sea's deep floor, hadn't lost her hope or, moreover, her cunning. She knew most houses on the Sunset Sea had also lost their ships; she realized that whoever got their sea trade back faster would hold the advantage for years to come. So the plan to treat with Braavos came to life, and with it his House's rise. House Westerling was now as powerful as they were during the Dance or King Darron's time, with 20 ships at their disposal and trade agreements with many houses in the Riverlands and even the North.
" SHIPS AHOOOOY" The loud voice of the lookout on the crow nest interrupted Ormond's peace. Ormond quickly got up and looked up the lookout; the man was pointing west, and Ormond's eyes followed the man's finger, and in the distance he saw them, twelve ships he counted, massive all of them, at least two times bigger than the biggest ship Ormond had ever seen, and sailing fast, faster than should've been possible. Ormond looked around and saw a man looking through a far-eye. He snatched the thing from the man's hand and looked through it.
"Fifteen ships, red sails," Ormond spoke aloud as he involuntarily corrected his past counting. "Dragon banner… But not a three-headed one." It was jeering seeing the ships though the far-eye as they moved faster and faster. There would be no escaping them even if they attempted so, the knight of shells realized.
"Are they pirates, m'lord?" A worried sailor, one of many he called a friend, asked Ormond, the man's face so pale he looked like a ghost. Ormond felt bad for the man; his wife was expecting a baby; this was to be his last trip before the child's birth.
" Nay… I do not believe so." Ormond began reasoning, "Those ships are not pirate ships, too organized too... lordly. Definitely not pirates." The man's sigh was loud and the relief in his expression was heartfelt.
"That, however, doesn't mean they are friendly." The Knight said, his face morphing slowly till a pronounced frown formed.
"Let us prepare for parlaying with them; if they don't attack us first, that is." Ormond decided, his grip on the far-eye tightening as he thought about a possible attack from the incoming fleet
The unidentified fleet approached, fast at first, then slowed down as it started to get too close for comfort. There was a pregnant pause as one single ship sailed forward from the larger fleet; it sailed halfway through the space between them and then stopped as if waiting for something.
"What are they doing?" Ormond began, confusion marrying his face—that was until he saw a man waving a white flag on the deck of the "ambivalent" ship of unidentified affiliation.
The apprehension he was feeling suddenly eased. Parley meant that at least they were not bloodthirsty pirates; at worst, they would lose the goods on his ships.
"Let us parley then." Ormond murmured under his breath, "WAVE THE PARLEY COLLOR." Ormond shouted. One of the men grabbed a pole with a white flag and waved as a response to the universally known request of Parley.
Ormond directed the skipper to get his ship closer to the one who waved for Parley. The seconds passed as the ships got closer and closer. Fear and apprehension grew in Ormond's heart as he imagined what would be demanded of him. Sonner that Ormond thought possible; both ships were side by side; it was terrifying to see such a monumental ship from up close. He looked up at the other ship's crew, and he saw different kinds of men, some as tanned as the summer islanders, some as rugged-looking as the Northman; some didn't even look like men, with golden and ash-colored skin and sharp yet somewhat "surreal" features; but before Ormond's mind could give too much thought to these queer-looking men, a makeshift wooden bridge that connected both ships was put in place, and four men boarded his ship. They walked calmly and didn't seem hostile, even though all of them were armed.
One of them, clearly the leader, seemed as stern as Stannis Baratheon himself; he had short brown hair and a somewhat aristocratic face. He wore black leather armor with red details and a black chestplate with a red losangular dragon adorned in it, the same dragon on their banners; on his shoulders a golden cloak with the same dragon largely adorned in it; this time it was silver—a symbol of authority Ormond imagined, as two of the other men wore a more simplified version of the armor, with red cloaks and hemls that covered half of their faces.
The last man, if he could even be called such, had shoulder-length dark hair, shap features on a somewhat long face, and he was of lean build. He wore no armor; he wore some kind of two-piece tunic with strange symbols in it; they seemed to glow in the sunlight.
"Greetings." The stern man began. He had a somewhat powerful voice; he was clearly of military inclinations, his voice alone would give him out should the armor he was wearing fail to do so. But the man's voice was not what startled Ormond but the fact he spoke the common tongue and his accent was somewhat similar to the Dornish. "I am Commander Augustus Marus of the Imperial Legion of Tamriel. Me and my people hail from a continent to the west." The man, Commander Marus, spoke and Ormond almost scoffed at his face if it weren't for the fact he had seen the golden-colored men on the man's ship. "This young man on my right, however, hails from a place in THIS continent I believe to be called "Winterfell," and so he is familiar with your culture as he spent his infancy here." The man finished as he signaled to the young man, who nodded and offered a slight bow of the head, enough to be respectful but not differential.
"Greetings, I am Ser Ormond Westerling, brother to Lord Gawen Westerling of Crag." Ormond began, his voice far more confident than he really felt. " I fear I find myself skeptical of your tale, My Lord. It is widely known that there is no land west of Westeros." Ormond commented, a small, helpless smile on his face. If the commander was bothered by the fact he was all but called a liar, he didn't show. He wasn't the one to answer him, however. The boy from "Winterfell" did so.
" Yet when I was but a child, it was widely known to have only been a moon in the sky." The boy said, and Ormond couldn't help but chuckle at that as he gave the boy the point, "Tamriel lays west of Westeros, and there's no doubt about that. I am unsure of how long that has been, however." The boy said, and Ormond could almost see the wheels turning in his head.
" Indeed. Previously and in our records, the land east of Tamriel was Akavir. A land with no humans since the down of the Second Era." Commander Marus said he seemed curious about the boys words, but apparently he respected the boy enough not to question him in front of foreigners.
" Is that so?" Ormond said almost sarcastically, "There are no records of Akayvir or Tamreil in recorded history." Ormond said as he turned to the boy. "And what is your name, if I may ask?" Ormond asked
"Pardon me, Ser. It was rude of me to keep my name." The boy said, a genuine apologetic expression on his face, " My name is Jon Snow. Son of Eddard Stark." He completed, and Ormond's eyes widened.
"The Bastard of Winterfell?" Ormond whispered
" As for the fact that there was no record of Tamriel before, that hardly means much. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence after all." Jon Snow began; if the boy heard Ormond's words, he didn't react to it as he had a small smile on his face. "If I may ask, Ser, when did the second moon appear in the sky?" He asked
"As of eight years past, Snow." Ormond indulged him with a grimace on his face; memories of that time were chaotic at the very least.
"Aye, I imagined as much." Jon Snow said, " I have a theory. You see, eight years ago, the skies of Tamriel suddenly changed after a storm that covered the whole continent. It was said that the storm itself wasn't anything to write home about except for the fact it covered the whole continent; the storm's aftermath, however, was certainly nothing to scoff at." Jon Snow finished; the commander, however, seemed to think it was enough from the boy.
" Indeed." Commander Marus interjected, "Nonetheless, Master Snow's theory is not the reason we have asked for Parley." The Stern man said, the respect he paid the bastard was odd in Ormond ears. " We are here to establish diplomatic ties with your land. The Emperor himself passed this mission to me, and I intend to see it done." The man said
" Diplomatic ties?" Ormond asked with a raised eyebrow.
" Indeed." Marus replied, "Mainly trade of goods; Tamriel could offer things no one in the world could; at least that's what Master Snow claims, and I know the Empire would be interested in the exotic goods Westeros could offer." The man elaborated. " As a show of good faith, I would invite you into my ship so you can take a look at some goods we could offer." Marus offered, and Ormond found himself contemplating.
"One thing you must know, Ser, is that Tamriel is as magical as Valyria once was; there are many things you may see and not understand." The bastard began, and Ormond scoffed loudly, and that seemed to get an answer from the bastard. The boy cut whatever mummer-farse he was about to spin and looked at Ormond's eyes, and the fear he had lost as the parley began returned tenfold as the bastard's eyes literally glowed blue with some kind of energy.
" MASTER SNOW!" Ormond heard the stern man reprimand the boy, but the boy seemed to not care; he raised his hands, and Ormond felt as the temperature dropped. Something came out of the boy's hands and passed Ormond by without hitting him; the knight's eyes followed it's trajectory and saw as it hit the ocean, and once it did, the whole ocean below them froze. From the water below his ship all the way to the horizon, in all directions.
"I wish not to repeat myself, Ser, nor do I wish to be thought of as a mummer. I am a bastard, aye, that's true, but I'm also an archmage. I am the only apprentice of his majesty, the Emperor himself, and I shall not accept scorn while under his Aegis." Jon Snow said cooly, his voice as cold as the magic he used to freeze the ocean below them
" I apologize for any offence perceived. You must know how unbelievable this all sounded. Though now that you have proved…" Ormond managed to say weakly, his disbelief at how quick things had gone downhill and how much he had fucked up. That boy could've killed him and everyone on all four ships should he had wished so, Ormond knew no man could survive as a block of ice
"I accept your apologies, and I offer my own for not demonstrating a less impressive kind of magic." Jon Snow said, and unlike the first time he apologized, this one seemed less sincere.
" As impressive as this feat of magic was, Master Snow, it was completely unnecessary." The commander began chillingly, "Ser Ormond would've been convinced by the Khajiits if nothing else. Westeros is after all a land of men and men only." Marus commented offhandedly.
"In Westeros, magic is dead, Commander. It has been dead for hundreds of years." Jon Snow said, but midway through his sentence, he seemed to cringe. " That was probably the single most idiotic thing I've ever said... Magic's been dormant in westeros for hundreds of years. Ever since the Valyrian dragons died out and the fall of the freehold before. A show of uncontestable magic might was necessary." The mage concluded.
" I see." Marus said simply; he then turned to Ormond, whose mind was still processing the whole frozen sea "My offer still stands, and I'm allowed by the Emperor to decide which ports will receive Tamrielic goods." The Stern man said leadingly, which finally got Ormond's brain back on track. If true, this opportunity would make House Westerling as rich as House Velaryon under the Sea-Snake himself.
"I accept your offer, Commander Marus, and The Crag's port would be willing to accept your ships," Ormond said.
Jon-
Jon's mind was a storm as Ormond boarded The Dagoth's Fall, a massive galleon co-owed by House Indoril and The Emperor. The Knight of Shells was slowly being led by the ship's captain, Drayven Indoril, one of the retainers of Morrowind's Queen Karliah Indoril, the one who unified the broken Morrowind and helped the Emperor bring it back under the empire.
Jon had come to terms with the loss of his family long ago and the fact he was back home was as terrifying as it was thrilling. Jon couldn't help but wonder if his father had lost hope of finding him or if Rob even remembered him, and if so, how would he react when he walked into Winterfell once again? Would his family even recognize him? Would Lady Stark fear him more now he had the power to unmake Winterfell itself? And what a thought that was! Mages here could be considered gods, archmages more so, since unlike any fortress of minimum velue in Tamriel, which had wards woven into them during construction and therefore were capable of holding most mages off for a while, in Westeros a mage would be as effective in sieges as someone capable of using Thu'um in Tamriel. If someone decided to attack Winterfell, one mage of midling capabilities was all they would need, not that anyone would dare, Jon, despite being the youngest, was not the weakest of the archmages, the least knowledgeable for certain and least experienced, but the quality and quantity of magika available at his disposal were quite up there in the scale of power, which balanced out the lack of knowledge and experience; that by no means means he was the strongest of archmages; he by far was NOT. Master Neloth had quite handily defeated him in a "magic spar" using FIRE and ICE magic; the ancient wizard didn't look the bit winded while doing so.
" …Silk?" Jon's mind was brought back to the moment by Ormond's voice. The man sounded as if he were seeing something incredible; Jon looked and only saw silk—fancy for sure but noting nirnshathering.
" Yes, Ash Spider silk." The Dummer captain said with confusion on his voice, " A luxury good of Morrowind. Queen Karliah herself has several dresses made of it. House Redoran's vassals in Solstheim have learned how to harness the silk from Ice Spiders; those are even more soft and moisture-wicking. They cost a lot more, however." The man commented
" Empress Ardtelle has one dress made of it, the Ice Spider silk, that is, gifted by the Emperor on the 20th year of their marriage," Jon commented offhandedly. Both Dummer and Man looked at him as if expecting an elaboration; Jon gave none.
"Ash Spider silk can easily be enchanted, Ser Ormond. House Hlaalu specializes in enchanting them now. One can be made to be so strong they can stop steel." The Dummer informed "It's very inefficient to do so, however. The enchantments for the clothes made out of them are usually more of the temperature control kind than anything else, even womanly pain reliefs and whatnot." Captain Drayven completed, and Ormond hummed quietly in contemplation.
Jon obseved quietly as the Dunmer showed the goods of Morrowind as the prized golden eggs they were. The Knight seemed to realize that just these fifteen ships could make a small House as rich as Corlys Velaryon was in life.
The Dummer captain and the Knight of House Westerling walked around the Dagoth's Fall for a few hours, Ormond, in Jon's opinion, was as easy to befriend as a nord on mead; the man knew when to jest and when to praise something you took pride in. By the time Drayven brought the westerlander back to where Marus was waiting, Jon was sure that House Westerling had guaranteed at the very least an informal trade agreement with a retainer of House Indoril. It was impressive all things considered.
"I see the goods of Morrowind had you convinced of Tamriel's existence and the boom it could grant to your…House." Commander Marus commented, "Master Snow was adamant we should've sailed North instead, to bring Tamriel's riches to the North first and then let it out once the Northern Houses had benefited enough." Marus began, a lie, one Jon almost called out on. Marus stellar reputation and Jon's knowledge of the man's honor held his tongue.
" NO!" Ormond quickly said, his voice almost panicked; Jon couldn't imagine what had caused the man such grief. "House Westerling will be honored to open diplomatic relations with Tamriel and more than honored to put in place trade agreements and what not." The Knight concluded, the hastyness catching Jon by surprise.
" Master Snow, I need you to stay behind for a second. Knight Ormond and I have to speak privately, matters of imperial business." Marus said as he turned around and began walking without waiting for a response, "One more thing, Master Snow. The ice has to go; it shouldn't take long before we depart for... The Crag." Commander Marus said without looking back; he, however, made a sign with his hands, asking Jon to listen closely. Jon simply nodded silently and cast a spell to amplify his hearing capabilities
"Follow me, please, Knight Ormond." Marus asked, and Ormond obliged silently.
"Your decision was a good one, Knight." Marus began, his stern tone clearly showing Ormond's words were the correct ones; it was ploy, Jon realized. "My Emperor commanded me to establish diplomatic relations at first contact; that's true, but with Master Snow's family as a secondary option, many felt tempted to just agree with his request. You see, Master Snow already has an exorbitant amount of political power; being the only apprentice of the Emperor has granted him unprecedented leeways and opportunities. It is a widely known fact that the Emperor once overruled a decision made by the Elder Concil simply because Master Snow asked it of him." Marus continued, and that was partially true. Jon had asked the Emperor to overrule the Levitation Act. It was an unreasonable law, with no use whatsoever. Mages capable of flying through the use of spells would hardly adhere to such a law. A simple invisibility spell, which was SEVERAL times easier than flying by magic alone, would hide the mage, and the guards would be nonethewise to such a thing. Unfortunately, Marus failed to mention that it was Uriel Septim VII's Elder Concil who passed the act and not Tiberius Octum, the current Emperor's Elder Concil. It was a smart way to misdirect someone.
"Is that so? What is so important about the b- Snow?" Ormond asked; he sounded genuinely perplexed at the picture being painted for him.
"You mean, despite the fact that he has yet to reach his sixteenth birthday, yet he was capable of freezing the whole ocean around you in all directions till the horizon line?" Marus asked incredulously, "Do you think such things are common in Tamriel? They are very much not, Knight. Jon Snow is the youngest amongst the fifty that are capable of doing similar feats on a continent with more than a hundred million souls. Archmages are a rare bunch; being on unfavorable terms with one of them is highly not recommended." Marus completed.
"That's... worrying." Ormond commented, " Extremely so." He concluded with what Jon imagined to be dread in his tone.
"Indeed." Marus agreed easily "I have set myself against the wishes of an archmage. Plain and simple as that. Tamriel has not come to cause war or strife among the people of Westeros. I realized I can't stop Master Snow from returning to his father should he wish to do so, and I am certain he does wish so. Eddard Stark is already regarded in high esteem by the Emperor for the simple fact that Master Snow's commendable honor code was passed down by him. It would be illogical to assume the man was anything but a great father… My father was not a great one, but I still miss him nonetheless. I imagine the only thing shackling Master Snow here is his mission. But I digress... " Marus commented with a wishful tone to his voice, "Giving House Stark exclusive trade agreements would be too much. It would tip the scales of power too much. With Master Snow on their folds, they are already military superior to all of Westeros combined. I can't give them the keys to economic superiority as well." Marus continued as he began revealing the crux of this ploy. "Do not make me regret it, Knight. I need this to go as smoothly as possible, and the diplomatic ties established here must be as solid as steel itself, for at the end of the day, I am going against the wishes of an archmage while I risk to anger the said archmage's master, who is the single most powerful individual in existence, who is my emperor." Marus concluded, his voice giving away no ground for arguments.
" House Westerling will not disappoint." Ormond began; the fear on his voice was almost an entity on itself. " We will even let Lord Lannister know about your empire; I am certain he will understand the merits of being the first Warden to establish such diplomatic ties with Tamriel." Ormond concluded, and Jon couldn't help but grimace. Marus ploy would undoubtedly work perfectly, but what cost?
Once Ormond was back on his ship, Jon began unfrezing the ocean below. The magic he was using wasn't a complex one, yet it required knowledge in alteration and conjuration. It would use the same principle as the "umbind daedra" spell. The magic, which wasn't a spell per se, would "unbind the ice's aspect" from the reality of mundus by using alteration magic. Jon was probably one of the few who learned to do such, as it was a concept created by Master Neloth, who was Jon's master master.
" Master Snow." Marus began; the man's posture was far less rigid that the days prior, Jon imagined it had something to do with the incoming success of his mission. "I hope you listened to the conversation I had with Knight Ormond." Marus asked as he watched the ice disappear from below them, and for the first time since Jon met the man, he seemed genuinely impressed by something he was doing.
"Aye, I have; but I must admit I find myself somewhat confused." Jon replied, he wasn't mad at Marus for using his name to get something; it was a logical ruse to make. It ensured House Westerling was the one on the backfoot instead of the ones with power over negotiations. " I understand the reason you involved the North in this; I understand why you involved me in this." Jon said leadingly
"But you don't understand the reason why I asked you to listen or the reason I would put such a fear of archmages on the man.?" Marus asked, and Jon nodded. " You won't be the only archmage to travel to this land, Master Snow. The sooner they realize that an angry mage, and for Westeros, ANY mage above average is a very dangerous one, the better. Could you imagine what would've happened if instead of you it was Master Neloth on that ship?" Marus inquired, and Jon grimaced.
"Deaths of unimaginable proportions," Jon found himself saying.
" Indeed. There's also the fact that your father's House is now the most powerful one in Westeros. You must understand that, Master Snow. Tiberius may see you like a son, but he is not your father. You father and family lie north of here, and Tiberius will know the consequences of said fact. He will know, like I do, that should anyone threaten Eddard Stark and his children, they will be faced with the might of an angry archmage." Marus said, and Jon couldn't help but nod; he knew that was the truth. " And eventually the people of this land will know it as well. They will realize that binding you to their House would be beneficial indeed. House Stark will be pulled by all sides; your sister will be as valuable as a royal princess." Marus said
" My sister is not be spoken as cattle, Marus. I tolerate much, but this I will not." Jon spoke coldly
"You speak as if you weren't the one who told me the customs of your people. Wasn't your father forced to marry his wife to get armies of her father? Just so her maiden house's blood would also rule your father's lands? Like a most prized broodmare indeed." Marus asked with a raised eyebrow, " You may not like it, Master Snow, but predicting something doesn't exist wont make it any less real." Marus said calmly. " I may not know much about your people, but I understand nobles. You are about to enter something akin to the court of Daggerfall. It's time you stop wearing your heart in your face." Marus said, and as his piece seemingly delivered, he turned around.
"Be ready to report to the Emperor in a few minutes." Marus said, and Jon nodded.