Umba Mafre
Loading Screen…Skyrim is divided into five kingdoms. Each hold contains one massive city. Citizens rarely venture outside the walls due to various monsters patrolling the outlands. Who exactly unleashed these creatures unto the frozen wastes is unknown, though many claim they are servants of the Devil…
~ § ó § ò § ~
Krest stood there for a minute. The lock of the gate rung behind him, and he closed his eyes, meditating to quell his drumming heartbeat, the feeling of his eyelashes brushing on his cheekbones. The gigantism of the province and surrounding mountainsides was… unexpected. Milk thistle parading the hilltops with loopy pink trees. The boulders stacked on one another like a temple built from playing cards. Some treeswere walking, rooting, and uprooting themselves, pouring into the canyons, inlaid with exotic snowy shrubbery.
The road was paved gold, Dwemer-made. This was the kingdom of Dwemeria, one of five holdings in the norse country. The sun was climbing the sky and had settled into a pink glow, the canvas it sat in a rosy shade of cherry. Bluish, long grass poked through the snow, dwarven totems and ancient nordic monoliths hither and thither. Reindeer were prancing around nearby on his way down. The shuffling whispers of a nirnroot reverberating in his eardrums. Krest paced for what felt like an hour, stalking through an abandoned abbey and stretches of surreally silent woodlands. Streams cornered him on all sides as the leaves of the trees slowly shifted from pink to forest green. Falling pine-needles overhead and blooming flowers nearby.
Well… Skyrim is quieter than Cyrodiil.
"Aye there, laddie, don't suppose you'd help an old Gnome such as me-self out of pickle, would you?"
Krest saw a Gnome, very small Nords with sweeping beards, colourful outfits, and pointy hats. This one in particular was holding a piece of crispbread. — Krest fluttered his lashes in confusion.
"Ah, I'll take that as a yes. The name's Nel Mel you see." The nordic midget joined his hands. "There's an Ice-Courser in a cave way up yonder. You know those icemen who skate real fast over the land? Don't suppose you could deliver this bread to him, could you? I'd reward you with a few shiny, gold septims."
Krest kicked the garden-pest into the bank of snow; was the Gnome trying to get him killed? Nel Mel thrashed under the pile of snow, his small pack flapping wide and spraying its contents onto the cold ground. One item snared Krest's eye — a book; ebony, with the silver dragon symbol of the Empire emblazoned upon it. Krest picked it up and dusted the flakes off it, turning the pages.
The Book of the Dragonborn
He paged through it, continuing his stroll to his destination to the grumblings of the Gnome. — The tome went into detail about archaic Alessian emperors and their blood-pact with Akatosh, Father-Time. Once an era Akatosh blessed a chosen woman or man with the soul, blood, and powers of a Dragon upon their conception. The known Dragonborn were: Miraak Wyrmtongue of the Merethic Era who defeated Alduin, Alessia Perrif of the First Era who stood up to her Ayleid oppressors, Reman Cyrodiil also known as Reymon Ebonarm of the Second Era who led the Dragonguard of Akavir, Tiber Septim of the Third Era who united Tamriel and created the Third Empire. The Dragonborn of the Fourth Era, according to the book, was supposed to be the final one, destined to defeat the final Shezarrine before the end of all time.
The prophecy read: When misrule takes its place at the eight corners of the world. When the Brass Tower walks, and Time is reshaped. When the thrice-blessed fail and the Red Tower trembles. When the Dragon-Blooded Ruler loses his throne, and the White Tower fails. When the Snow Tower lies sundered, divided, bleeding… The Shezarrine is cast out of Heaven, and the Wheel turns upon the Last Dragonborn.
An inkling of solace, of being special, of being wanted resonated with him.
He wandered along the curving orchards. Brambles and virgules of thick trees, golden apples hanging off them, the smell puissant. Water sloshed down an aqueduct held up by pillars, the liquid traveling to the indoor city of Old Fort, tucked away further ahead inside the mountain. A few birds singing in the branches while moles scurried around. The smaller trees had purple bobbles of grapes that hung from the plants like ringlets of curly hair. — Krest trailed for what felt like eons through the thickening plantations and rising curvature of the northern Jeralls, spotting vivid lakes nestled in cornered glades. 'Rat-Men' watched him from the trees; they had twitchy noses with tall, gangly bodies, snacking on wedges of cheese. Krest saw the city entrance lodged into the mountainside up ahead. Rain turned hail slowly pattered the ground. The city was inside the mountains, thus protected from harsh weather and monsters alike. He shivered, wrapping his cloak tightly around himself as the vault door arose. He could see where the waterway above him connected into the municipal. Bearded lumberjacks carried timber into the city alongside him, no doubt where they'd convert the wood into paper and building blocks at the lumbermill. Wherever that was in this labyrinth.
Krest was no pushover, but he was far from the biggest Imperial. Five-Ten in height, an athletic if somewhat lithe physique with prominent shoulders. His face was angular too, and his hair reached his shoulders. All in all, he was decently intimidating. But compared to the Nords he saw here… Easily six feet tall with big, brutish bodies, thick beards, and hairy arms. He'd have to take extra care in avoiding trouble here in Skyrim.
The entryway was made of steel and shaped like a jail. A broken snow-elven wayshrine on the left-hand side. A cozy, cobbled dungeon with celled doorways, a few goat-horned candles on the walls near some braziers, and a golden statute of Dibella on a table. Aside from him there were others attempting to get into the haven. A family of three and a group of priestesses, all of which were drenched from the elements of the outdoor alps. A group of Khajiit caravanners and Redguard nomads, all doused in rain. One of the catmen was using a flute to charm a snake in an upbeat and catchy tune.
The green scaled grooves ridged in the python's rind, coiling and floating upwards to the music. Its eyes poisonous and forked tongue licking its lips. Snakehead rocking back and forth, swaying side-to-side. Gyrating on the floor.
Krest snapped out of the trance, shaking his head.
"Don't dawdle, ladies," called the Head Priestess of the Dibellan Order, judging by the droops of grey hair that stuck out of her hood.
"Mother Hamal, I don't understand why Dibella requested Saadia to tell us to move sanctuaries?" The youngest disciple, a child prompted, crossing her arms.
"Sybil Saadia wouldn't lie, Fjotra," answered Hamal.
"I heard Saadia fled her home of Hammerfell when she was young, maybe she was betraying someone. Who's to say she's not betraying us too?" Fjotra whined.
"Shut your mouth." Hamal's frown fell further. Her robes had an image of a nymph with flowers for hands upon it.
Krest rubbed his eyes as mudcrabs scuttled by the black bend. Why are the priestesses moving locations? He followed the procession up to the archway where two guards stood watch. They wore open-faced t-shaped helmets wrapped in furs with crude axes and round shields with the city sigil of a lamb imprinted on them.
"Before entering we need your names, please," stated the Nord guard. "No exceptions." He glared pointedly at the Khajiit.
Apparently Old Fort was not only a city but also an asylum for Tamriel's worst prisoners. - The family of three all stated their names and entered, shadowed by the holy women.
"Krest Armilius," Krest said his full name.
"Check in and find a room if you're tired." The Nord's beard flickered. "Once we've verified your information, you can have the prisoner."
Krest ambled into the metropolitan, several huntsmen carried game whilst chatting ahead of him, "did either of you see that golden dragon fly out of the sun?" One had a great bear pelt draped over his shoulders and a garb made from the skin of dead animals. "You know, a week back?"
"Yeah, that was so bizarre man, thought I must've been drunk for a moment," the other whose beard was braided responded. "They say the man it expelled is here in the city, since he landed on the foregrounds outside! Newspapers haven't shut up about it, even the Thalmor down in Summerset are restless."
The city of Old Fort bore an oak and mossy-brown finish and was very much of Dwarven make. An indoor paradise comprised of bronze halls, waterfalls cascading through the decor. There was a translucent ceiling. An empty temple of Talos with rows of benches, partitioned by aisles. Waterways into parts unknown flowing beneath the finer echelons of society. Imperial banners were strung up everywhere. A massive indoor dwarven farm, filled with grain and vegetation to his right, the fragrance of saffron inhaling into his lungs.
Krest strolled out into the all but abandoned four-square that came into view on his left. A terraced fall dropped into a bright pool below. Krest could see three other doors, presumably lockboxes of their own on each corner of the four-cornered room at the corresponding ends of the balustrade. Deeper down one of the doorways was a mining and oil depot drilled into undiscovered sections of the mountain. Short, stocky Nords the size of small children called Gnomes went in and came out with carts of silver and an abundance of other ores. They were basically just a subrace of Nords who were stockier and shorter with thicker beards, sort of like how halflings were short Bretons with more elven ancestry.
"Welcome." Krest shifted and saw a Dwarven robot in a granite billet behind a barred opening. "The inn is that way." It pointed back where Krest came from. Krest undid a knot in his hair. The robot deemed Arthus handed him a key. "Now, kindly remove yourself from my presence."
Krest sprawled down the dungeon until he saw two guards stationed at the far end of the hall, conversing in low tones over flickering candles. The flames cast eerie shadows over the walls. The embers inside the mantle glowed a vivid orange as the world within and without crawled to a halt. Krest sat on his bed, dimly lit gimlets glowing on top of the fireplace, the sound of rushing sewage below. Orbs of light tinkering about.
"Talos bless you," said the Nord librarian the morning after as Krest was clamouring his way through the library.
The shelves full of books swayed like waves, golden linings separating the stacks and each manuscript looking as pristine as the poured himself a glass of water from the decanter resting on the table and propped open a textbook.
History Summarized By Zarik Caracalla of the Elder Council
In this short summary, we will attempt to paraphrase the major focal points of history on Nirn as well as extrapolating on the events in the current era.
Dawn Era – Lorkhan (Shor) tricks the other Divines into making the material world, forcing them to surrender their power in order to complete the mortal realm. War between Akatosh (Auriel) and his brother, Lorkhan breaks out after Lorkhan rapes and imprisons Akatosh's wife, Mara. A mysterious dragon known as Konahrik the Devil attacks Lorkhan and defeats his army of proto-men, killing thousands. Akatosh and the other gods kill Lorkhan and ascend to the heavens.
Merethic Era – Human and elven migrations begin, and the various races are formed.
Krest skimmed the sections about the first and second era, uninterested in the wars and power struggles that repeated throughout history.
Third Era – Tiber Septim aka Talos conquers all of Tamriel. He creates great technological advancement on his quest to find the Devil, that brings the continent of Tamriel into a united modern age before he dies and ascends to godhood, becoming the Ninth Divine. Septim reverse-engineered Dwemer-tech in the Third Era to revolutionize the way the world worked in a breakthrough in technological and magical advancement, allowing for society to evolve rapidly.
Fourth Era:
4E 1 – End of the Oblivion Crisis and the Septim bloodline.
4E 2 – The Aldmeri Dominion is reformed.
4E 3 – The ruling faction of the Dominion, the Thalmor, are given a seat in the Elder Council by High Chancellor Ocato Jibanithril.
4E 5 – Vivec is killed by the Nerevarine upon his return from Akavir and the Red Mountain in Morrowind erupts.
4E 8 – The Argonians invade Morrowind in retaliation for the enslavement of their people.
4E 10 – The Thalmor begin discouraging Talos worship, sending ministry across Tamriel to start outlawing his appraisal. Tensions between Skyrim and the Empire flare.
4E 17 – Count Titus Mede joins the Elder Council and Tamriel begins to reshape into a Republic.
4E 22 – Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak of Nordenbjorg executes all Thalmor in his city and secedes Haafinheim hold from the Empire, founding the Sons of Septim movement to rebel against the Thalmor. A man is seen being banished by Akatosh from Aetherius to Skyrim.
Later, Krest passed by the inner fields, where dwarven robots tilled the ground, smelling of grains, wishing he'd be able to run his hands over the familiar stalks of wheat as he had once in the Gold Coast of his southern homeland. The dwarven automata trekked across the massive indoor farm, harvesting different grains; barley, rye, straw, depositing them into the appropriate cannisters for collection.
Eventually he arrived at the Imperial offices.
"You're late," announced Warden Rikke Tullius. She looked up from her papers when he entered. "Remember, this man is to be taken to the correct authorities in Nordenbjörg. Wayshrines are down and Ulfric's closed his railway to us, so you'll be traveling on foot. I'd recommend Nifelcairn Way, though mind the Horme. And avoid running into Ulfric Stormcloak and his Sons of Septim at any cost."
Krest nodded, eyelids drooping. Why do they want him in northern Skyrim and not down in the Imperial City? His gaze poured over her office, desk and metal-sealed door with steam pipes interconnected. I wonder if those Dibellan priestesses have anything to do with this.
Rikke briefly scanned her papers again. "I'll take you up to where he's being kept. After that, he's your problem."
Krest's brow curved like a cutlass.
Rikke led him through the old rectangular orifice into the courtrooms. They stopped there for a few minutes as Rikke snuck up to speak with the Imperial commissioned ruler, who was also her husband, judging by the way she stroked his hand, Jarl Ananias Tullius.
"What of the city's new zoning ordinances?" Queried Tullius. "Have we arrived at a consensus?"
Krest noticed the central roundtable which was a magnum opus to the dimly lit expanse as the residents incessantly bickered atop the decadent woodwork.
"We proposed a bill to use the new edict to build more farms." A Nord woman ran a hand through her strawberry curls.
"Using the indoor Dwemer fields for more farms will just encourage more people to move here! Old Fort is overpopulated if you haven't noticed!" Cried a pompously clothed Nord. "We ought to deny any and all immigrants from accessing this fine city."
"Siddgeir, aren't you the same one who wanted to encourage our population to birth more children?" The same Nord countered, drawing a quill over her notes.
"Nord children, Narri Cherry-Mane." Smirked Siddgeir.
Krest sighed as his head tilted towards the raised ceiling. Will they arrest me if I punch Siddgeir in the face?
"What would you propose then?" Narri chipped her lip. "That we build more housing facilities with the extra room? More homes won't do much if there aren't working people living in them and contributing to the economy."
"Precisely why we'll encourage the residents to procreate more." Thane Siddgeir smiled smugly. "Wouldn't you agree, uncle Dengeir?"
The old man who was presumably Dengeir nodded, beard swaying.
Jarl Tullius raised his palm. "We'll return to this, is Elisif Istlod here?"
A pair of Nord guards stepped out of the courtroom and came back in shortly, a Nord woman adorning regal attire following them in. The royal seated herself in the front. Hushed conversation spilled across the room from the attendants.
"You're here to testify against Ulfric?" Tullius questioned her.
"Ulfric Stormcloak. People say he could be the Last Dragonborn," a man whispered.
"Don't be silly, Igmund. Just because he can use the Thu'um doesn't make him Dragonborn," a High Elf argued. Councilor Elenwen Saururiil of the Elder Council if he remembered correctly. A Thalmor. But why was she here?
Elisif's crow's feet wrinkled. "The day Ulfric declared independence from the Empire and banished the Imperial soldiers, before he slaughtered and enslaved the remaining Altmer in the city, my husband, Thane Torygg begged him to see reason, but Ulfric just killed him in cold blood."
Tullius turned to a heavy, blond-bearded Nord on his right. "Jorleif Arn, how does the defendant plea?"
"Sir, he pleads guilty with the exception of this statement: The Thalmor wish to ban worship of Talos, and something must be done about it," said Ulfric's representative, Jorleif.
"Ulfric Stormcloak, Jarl of Nordenbjorg is hereby charged with inciting violence, human trafficking, and murder." Tullius scratched his stubble. "There is now an official warrant out for his arrest and removal from office. We must make an effort to take back Nordenbjorg, lest we risk the other kingdoms joining his Sons of Septim." Tullius pinched the bridge of his nose. "The Thalmor have used diplomacy. Can you say the same, Jorleif?"
"Maybe that's just a ploy… these elves use politics and trickery." Jorleif's eyes went wide.
"Shut up, Jorleif you bloody bearded baboon." Elenwen held her face in her hands. "I think the more prudent question to ask would be what are the ethics of using such barbaric magic such as the Thu'um in modern day society?"
"The Nords in Nordenbjorg are archaic in their traditions, Elenwen." Raerek's nose crinkled. Krest had seen him down in the Imperial City before.
Tullius clapped his hands together. "You're free to leave, Jorleif, Elisif. Elenwen…"
"Estormo, Ancano." Elenwen nodded to her cohorts who left the room with her to the station. Krest peaked around the corner as he crossed the landing to see what the Thalmor were doing.
They bagged some Nords and stuck their heads in nooses, kicking the switch and letting them hang as public display. Their sputters and gags clawed for life until eventually they subsided. Leaving nothing but carcasses. These must be captured Sons of Septim.
Krest eyed the Stormcloak rebels' swinging corpses with a twinge of jealousy. The cyclic snake was a vice around his throat and head. His mind twisted and he clenched his jaw as the serpent encircled tighter and tighter, squeezing every remaining drop out until nothing was left.
"Had enough?" Rikke snapped him out of his spinning thoughts. She had made her way back and dragged Krest ahead. "My husband, Ananias Tullius is an Imperial like you, and he's Jarl of this city. We don't tolerate Ulfric's purist thinking. Stormcloak is the soul of that traditionalist rhetoric. It's his policies why Nordenbjorg still has slaves and raiders."
Why not just kill them all then? Krest eyed the hung men now and all his sympathy for them drained like spilt wine. They deserve it.
Krest judged a pair of eggs with no less degree of consternation, his stomach grumbling. He spotted the odd set of cutlery or ceramic speckled about the royal court, utilized mostly by foreigners.
"We'll grab some grub. Don't worry." Rikke's frown turned upside down.
Half an hour of walking must've transpired as they descended and ascended the indoor city to wherever this 'fallen aedra' was being held.
"Honest to Talos, I have no clue who this man is. There's been speculation but he's not the most cooperative in explaining himself." She threw him an almond espy. "A few of the prisoners have begun hailing him as Ysmir or some hogwash." Rikke turned a bend, pouring through narrower flights of stairs.
They passed queues of soldiers and cyrodiilian tax collectors. The Skyrim guards were truly different from the Colovians stationed here. The Nords would adorn thick furs and animal pelts draped over chainmail with round shields, crude axes, and steel helmets where you had a full view of their visor behind the nose-guard. Most had beards with braids and the sides plus back of their heads shaved. Whereas the Imperial soldiers were clean cut with shaved faces, a gladius, and square riot-shields with maybe a crossbow or arquebus. Silver armor over a red skirt with sideways red-mohawks on their galeae. It was quite interesting to see the two cultures standing side by side here in southern Skyrim.
I better ditch this in the north then. Krest glanced at his own kilt. No Imperial soldiers in Nordenbjorg.
Skylines and windows integrated into the mountain wall, scenery of Skyrim across snowy hills and eye-gluing vistas, traversing the various conduits and their curvature. There were rivers inside too, faint and gray, streams dashing through with bridges and ladders crossing them.
A man who looked a cross between a Breton and a Nord sashayed past, tattooed everywhere with a feathery headdress. "Reachmen, natives to the hinterlands of the west. They've been sending agents to debate with the court on why their leader, Madanach should be on the throne," Rikke elaborated. "They had a cropping called Old Hroldan but after Tiber Septim destroyed it, it's never been the same for them, being forced to live like cavemen and all."
Talos would never do something like that. He's the Hero.
"You want something to eat?" Rikke turned back to look at him.
Krest ticked his wrist.
"We have some time. We have to wait for the Thalmor agent." Rikke stretched her arms. "Though, the sooner we get the prisoner out of here, we won't have the whole of Summerset on our ass. Then he'll be the authority in Haafinheim's problem. Which means if you lose him, it's your ass they're gonna blame." The honey-almond palette of Rikke's eyes grew solemn.
They came to the kitchens, where a pot was bubbling with a watery-red substance. Bananas from the jungles of Tenmar, Elsweyr visited his nose. Krest licked his lips, tracking the fetal-swirling trails of the crimson stew. It reminded him of the growth pods the High Elves employed to birth their babies according to their eugenic laws. He found himself a deserted corner with ligneous blinds. Krest slid some fried eggs between a cut baguette and poured himself a coffee.
After forcing the food down his gullet, he rested his head on the countertop, listening to his stomach complain about the rate at which he ate.
"You eat fast for an Imperial." Rikke grinned into her cup.
I'm not that small. You Nords are just bigger than everyone.
"Sorry it took me longer to get here, I ran into some legionnaires who needed paperwork done that Elenwen neglected." A High Elf entered the room, clothed in dark gray. This was Ancano. A noble and poised countenance with raised cheekbones and sharp, pointed ears that spired through his suave, gelled golden hair. The elf's skin pale white.
"No worries, I arrived not long ago as well." Rikke sipped her tar like coffee. "You wanted to see who was moving the prisoner?"
Krest took a long intake, finishing the remainder of his coffee. The flavor was like ash on his tongue. It folded on Krest's tastebuds as he brushed the crumbs from his lips.
"Well, it's the prisoner I'm more interested in." Ancano swept his gelled blond mop aside. "I think Akatosh must've banished this man from Aetherius for a crime he committed."
"That doesn't tell us who this prisoner is," Krest could practically hear the crease between Rikke's forehead as she spoke.
"No, it doesn't I suppose." Ancano sniffed. "Why would Akatosh banish him though? Perhaps he intended for this man to be persecuted by us mortals?"
"Maybe." Rikke leaned on her arm, a vein in her bicep emerging. "Hmm. Whoever this mysterious stranger is, he must've really pissed the Divines off for them to physically expunge him from Aetherius. They haven't just flown out of the sun before like that."
"Perhaps it's another deity." Ancano raised a finger. "They did banish Lorkhan in the Dawn Era, right?"
"And what? They want some mortal to defeat him?" Rikke squeezed her temples with one hand.
"Perhaps. But this is all speculative of course. We should really prep the inmate for transport." Ancano stepped over to Krest, offering a hand. "I assume you're the Praetorian. Ancano Charmaine."
"Krest." Krest shook the Thalmor's hand.
"A modest name for an Imperial," noted Ancano aloud.
They proceeded out of the mess hall and up the way towards the holding cells. The three came upon the dusty and barrel strewn area. Krest inspected the crates and battered old casks. Goosebumps split across his skin. Covered with old wooden supports, dust seething beneath reinforced foundations. There were many prisoners, their identities hidden by shadows. Groups of figures seated hither and thither, some with playing cards.
The air felt chilly. Raw. Spite there being no access to outside from here.
The further down they went, the more it blackened into an ancient dungeon. He heard some whispering coming from the corner of the room. Several small vipers swam in the purple water of the drainage pipes to his left. The shadowy figure in the recess of the prison was completely concealed save for a pair of glowing violet eyes that stared back. Its pupils like demonic strips.
"That's him," Rikke pointed out.
~ § ó § ò § ~
A/N: I apologize for the slower nature of these beginning chapters. Things will escalate soon. So, as you can see there are only five holds in this Skyrim. Dwemeria where Old Fort is where Falkreath and the Reach would be. Also, the Thalmor in this story aren't as comically racist as they are in game. They are still supremacists, but they hide their agenda. Since they aren't using war tactics to win here and instead are implanting their policies through political warfare. They plan to weaken mankind first before they enact their goals.