War: Army Gathers
"So, what do we do first?" Amaryllis asked, speaking as she and Za'kera rode at the head of the army that was leaving the fortress city that Ma'jera had created for them to get ready for this event, with Lydia and everyone else following behind them, some on horses and others on carts.
"We need to head through the south gate, which I was transported through by Elenwen's forces," Za'kera replied, where it was easy for Amaryllis to figure out that she was speaking about the wrongful imprisonment she suffered, all because the Thalmor and the Aldmeri Dominion feared the awakening of a new Dragonborn Emperor, or Empress in this case, given that it would mean war, "after that we need to carefully make our way to Cyrodiil and survey the situation, figure out where our enemies are and push them out of the heart of Tamriel. Once we've done that we'll focus on clearing them out of the other provinces as well, no doubt restoring all of the Towers in the process, and hopefully recruit the other races and their leaders into our forces... after that, well, we march on the Summerset Isles, taking out the heart of the beast before they have a chance to activate their trap."
Amaryllis knew why her friend didn't mention the Numidium, as there was a chance that speaking about it might terrify their forces into inaction, so she was calling it a 'trap' to make things much easier on them, though as she nodded her head both of them found someone standing in the middle of the road. The figure was a Nord, one of the older ones, who was wearing the attire of a blacksmith, mixed with a hide chest piece, and his eyes had this presence that showed them that he had a lot of experience, though Amaryllis had an idea as to who they were staring at, as she was sure it was Eorlund Gray-Mane, the smith who worked the Skyforge. Behind him stood several other figures, all of them wearing the aprons of a smith, and she was sure she knew who was in front of them, as there was Onegul, the Nord smith from Windhelm, Balimund, another Nord smith who worked in Riften, Ghorza, an Orc smith from Markarth, and even Beirand, yet another Nord smith from Solitude. In addition to those five there were a number of smiths behind them, of all races and genders, meaning they were either upset with something or there was a gift they wanted to give the army before they started to march on Cyrodiil, which caused Za'kera to come to a stop and lead to Amaryllis calling for everyone to stop as well, just so they didn't run each other other.
Za'kera, true to what Amaryllis knew about her friend, climbed off Frost and approached the group of smiths, because she preferred to be on equal footing with those she was talking to, instead of talking down to everyone like they were inferior to them, though if she was to become the Empress of a new empire she was going to have to learn some things, if they made it through this war.
"Eorlund Gray-Mane. What can I do for you and the other smiths of Skyrim?" Za'kera asked, because she was eager to find out why they were here, standing in front of her and her army, the latter being something she never would have taken a moment to consider if it hadn't been for Amaryllis pointing out what her destiny might entail.
"We have a gift for you, commissioned by the Jarls of Skyrim, that is waiting in Dragonsreach," Eorlund replied, though as he said that he and the other smiths bowed their heads, showing the group that they were being respectful towards the one who had brought together the province, convincing both Tullius and Ulfric to stand down for the time being, before they stood straight once more, "and, before you depart for war, Jarl Balgruuf and the other Jarls want to share a feast with you and your right hand."
Amaryllis considered that for a moment, as it seemed like the Jarls were trying to follow Maven's lead, offer Za'kera some sort of gift in the hopes of being remembered when everything was said and done, to cash in some sort of favor with the next potential leader of Tamriel, but she said nothing as Za'kera simply nodded her head. In that moment they ordered the rest of the soldiers to make for the Pale Pass, a zone between Skyrim and Cyrodiil that a fort rested in, meaning Lydia and the others would be stopping there for some rest before they marched on the Thalmor that were no doubt ruling the heart of Tamriel. Such a thing made her think about Orsinium, which was the domain of the Orcs, which she heard had been moved to an area between Hammerfell and Skyrim, so there was a chance that Za'kera's forces might encounter a group of Orcs while they were waiting, maybe even invite the race into joining the fight for their future, but for now they would have to wait and see what happened next. As the army moved to the south, following Ma'jera and Zoravoir, she and Za'kera followed the blacksmiths to Whiterun, where Shadowmere and Frost would no doubt be placed in the stables for a time and readied for when the feast was finally over, though she had a feeling that they would be departing in the early hours of the morning, delaying the start of the war by a little.
What surprised them when they entered Whiterun was that the Companions and a number of people, the local heroes no doubt, were gathering like everyone was marching off to war, causing Amaryllis to come to the decision that she needed to see what the rest of Skyrim was doing, as it seemed like the whole province was planning on going to war, which was far more than what they had planned when they set this event in motion.
When they reached Dragonsreach one of the servants ushered them over to a side passage and lead them through the servants quarters, leading them right to a room in Balgruuf's private section that housed the armor, before they paused for a moment as they laid eyes on what the Jarls commissioned for Za'kera to wear. Amaryllis had to admit that the armor was stunning, beautiful even, as there were plated sections on the chest, leggings, boots, and gauntlets, while having what looked like dragon scales etched into the rest of the metal, all while having Nordic designs etched into the entire set, which showed them the skill of the smiths that worked on it. It looked like it was made out of pure steel, well crafted steel at that, but Eorlund informed them that it was actually ebony mixed with quicksilver, somehow coming out in the elegant steel armor that they were staring at, and there was even a small collar around the neck. In addition to all that they had made a helmet to go with it, one that matched the rest of the armor and was designed to look like a dragon's head, and they even found that it had openings for Za'kera's ears, so they wouldn't be crushed by the helmet, though it was easy for them to see why it needed so many smiths to complete the commission.
As Za'kera moved behind a divider and put the new armor on, Amaryllis knew that one of the smiths must have taken her friend's measurements at one point, otherwise this wouldn't have been possible, but she said nothing for a time, letting her friend do her thing without bothering her, and sure enough she emerged from the other side with the armor on, save for the helm since it wasn't needed at the moment.
"That looks good on you, makes you look more like a warrior empress," Amaryllis commented, as there was no other set of armor like it in all of Skyrim, much less Solstheim and possibly Morrowind, where she could see that it had been crafted in a way that said 'dragon empress', given that she and Alduin were in an alliance and that meant the dragons were on her side, for the time being, before she considered something, "All you need now is a cape..."
"I can live without a cape... but we shouldn't leave the Jarls waiting," Za'kera remarked, where she started to head over to the doors that would take her down to the main area of Dragonsreach, as in Balgruuf's throne room, though as Amaryllis joined her she knew how the Jarls had known to get things ready, even though none of them knew when they would be returning to Skyrim, as she was sure that Akatosh had something to do with this.
Sure enough the Jarls were waiting for them in the main chamber of Dragonsreach, though while Za'kera was changing it looked like he had arranged for new tables to be brought in, so everyone had somewhere to sit, and once they arrived the assembled group took their seats, even though many were admiring Za'kera's new armor. As Amaryllis expected there was something the Jarls wanted, namely Ulfric and his Stormcloaks were fully joining the war against the Aldmeri Dominion, as while Ulfric was here, for the night, his own right hand was leading his forces towards Pale Pass, something that caused Tullius, who sat near Elisif, to speak up as well and informed them that every Legion soldier was doing the same. It wasn't much of a surprise, as the Legion was only here to deal with Ulfric and his army of rebels, so if the Stormcloaks were on the move it made sense that the rest of the Legion would do the same, to make sure nothing bad happened, even though they learned that several of the Jarls were planning on joining the army as well, mostly to earn glory. Za'kera didn't make an attempt to dissuade them, as she knew that Nords were stubborn and those who followed Ulfric were more than that, so she figured that this might help resolve the rebellion in Skyrim, show them the cost of war and convince them to stop the whole civil war business.
As they ate Amaryllis learned a few more things, most, if not all, of the Thieves Guild was on their way to join the army, no doubt to use their skills to sneak into secure places and steal information for the army, also to be paid a huge sum once this was said and done. The mages from the College of Winterhold were coming as well, no doubt having heard the call of their Arch-Mage before Za'kera even returned to Skyrim, and each Jarl reported that their own Court Wizards, despite their thoughts and beliefs on war, were leaving as well, bringing all of the magical might of Skyrim to the table. Of course most of them knew that the crypts of Skyrim were emptying, the Draugr hearing the call of their old masters, though that paled in comparison to what else they discovered, a Daedric army was spilling out of the cave the last Oblivion Gate was resting in, which was now a gaping maw, and they were taking an alternate route to get to Cyrodiil, meaning Dagon was planning on using a pincer attack. In addition to all of that Amaryllis also found that Nazir was present, causing her to mentally sigh as she realized that she needed to talk with her Family after all of this was over, who revealed that the Brotherhood was on it's way, meaning he must have recruited a number of assassins in the time she was gone, and he reported that Serana and the vampires were actually making their way to the western part of Cyrodiil.
Such a thing told Amaryllis that Molag had a plan, no doubt he was going to open his own portal to Tamriel and cut off the path the Aldmeri Dominion might use when they realize they were outmatched, meaning the pincer attack would come from three directions and would leave the southern side open, but Amaryllis had a feeling that the Divines had a plan that would only become known when the war started.
One thing that surprised them was the report that movement was seen in Orsinium, causing Amaryllis and Za'kera to just glance at each other for a few seconds before returning to everything else that was being said right now, as it appeared that all sorts of people might be converging on Cyrodiil. The other provinces either didn't seem to know what was going on or didn't care about the upcoming war, since there was no troop movement from Black Marsh, Hammerfell, High Rock, or any of the other provinces, meaning they would need to head into the other locations at some point and see where they rested in regards to this war. Amaryllis also considered the other landmasses that were scattered around the world, such as the continent of Atmora to the far north, the homeland of the ancestors of the modern Nords, Akavir to the east, which had four regions and who knew what sort of races, Pyandonea was said to be to the south, home to the Maormer, or Sea Elves, and to the west used to rest Yokunda, where the Redguards used to live until it sunk. With so many continents there was a chance that more allies or even enemies might come to deal with them, in what way she and Za'kera might find out at some point in time, but for now it seemed like most of the provinces were biding their time, waiting to see if their army could kick the Aldmeri Dominion out of Cyrodiil or if they would be torn apart by the elves.
Eventually the meal came to an end and they were given some private quarters for the night, where Amaryllis slept with her powers active, because now that the war was getting ready to start she wanted to make sure Za'kera survived, so this was to catch assassins before they reached her.
When early morning arrived she found that such a thing didn't matter, no one dared to come for her friend in the middle of the night, so they shared a quick light meal with Balgruuf and the other Jarls, before returning to the stable so the pair could climb onto their steeds. Sure enough Ulfric, Tullius, and a few Jarls, such as the old one from Dawnstar, were doing the same thing, and when they departed from Whiterun they found the rest of the Legion's soldiers and the Stormcloaks were marching on the city, only to fall in behind the pair and their leaders. As that happened Amaryllis found a red scaled dragon flying through the air, which she assumed was the same one that tracked them down and followed them all the way to Solstheim, and hung back no less, but it meant Alduin would know they were on their way, meaning Zoravoir and the others would be ready upon their arrival. Other than that it didn't appear that anyone else was getting in their way, so they were able to ride in peace, though they found that Helgen had been shattered, fragments of stone resting all over the area as a path lead towards the gate Za'kera was heading towards, where it was easy to see that Ma'jera must have used a bit of her magic to open the way for the army to move without stopping.
It didn't take them very long to find their way to the fortress that their army was gathering in, where they found a number of dragons resting on the peaks, Alduin showing his resolve to lend them a hand in their upcoming war, and they quickly discovered a large group of Orcs standing nearby, where one of them was wearing a set of armor that was a mix of orcish metal and bone, with tribal painting on it.
"I am Bazag Murzor, King of New Orsinium," the heavily armed Orc stated, who sounded more warrior like than what the Orcs of Skyrim sounded, making them wonder what sort of dangers and hardships the residents of the new Orsinium had to face since setting up their new home, and he beat his chest twice with his right hand, likely a greeting in orcish, while finding that he carried a greatsword on his back, "my soldiers and I have come to tear down the Aldmeri Dominion, for our own reasons, and heard that you were planning the same thing... we are here to join forces with you."
"Its an honor to fight alongside you and your great soldiers," Za'ker replied, which was the truth, as she had a feeling that the Orcs that were in front of them would be a great addition to their growing forces, and Amaryllis agreed with the idea as she found that there were at least a hundred of them, all while many of their soldiers were gathering around, admiring the armor Za'kera was wearing.
Amaryllis smiled for a moment as they road through the new camp that had been set up, as their forces were ready and their allies were marching on Cyrodiil, meaning that it was time to get this show on the road, to which she released her armor disguise and let it revert to the ancient assassin armor, retaking her place as an assassin, while looking forward to what happened in the very near future.
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u know, i thought of something last night, theres a resource that Best Assassin Buggy and the Dragonborn really dont utilize all that much, and probably should when they reach the Imperial City and White Gold Tower...
11135387 Really? What's that?
11135446
ah, if i am going to speak of this particular resource, i must first recount the tale of a certain prince who, despite his noble blood, stood little chance of inheriting either title or wealth in his own land, and so took to adventuring in an effort to earn his fortune. this was during the First Era, when the Gods walked the earth with mortals. after many days of walking amid the sun dappled trees, the prince came upon three villagers intent on slaying a wretched looking beggar, clothed in rags from head to toe. while not exactly the kind of start to his heroics the prince might have preferred, he nonetheless drew his sword and charged at the villagers, who, being simple folk armed with only pitchfork and scythe, fled swiftly from the armoured figure with the gleaming blade. the prince, his nose curling from the stench of the beggars rags, asked the wretch for her name after receiving her thanks for the rescue.
"i am, Namira." the prince was justifiably shocked as he was well learned and recognized the name of the Daedric Prince of Darkness and all things repulsive. thus, one might understand his confusion as why such a being would even allow herself to be beaten in such a way, when she could have slain her attackers with a mere whisper. however, where other men might have seen danger, to the prince, Namira represented something far different...opportunity...
the prince asked Namira to make him her apprentice, that he might gain the power of her boon to make his fortune and name in the world. Namira, however, turned him away, for she needed no such apprentice, yet the prince would not be denied and followed after her, still begging that he might become her apprentice. for thirty three days, the prince followed Namira, begging to be accepted by her, but Namira said nothing. finally, on the eve of the thirty third day, the prince became too horse to speak, and could only kneel in the mud at the feet of the Daedric Lord, his hands lifted in supplication. at last, she again spoke to the prince...
"it would seem that you have completed your apprenticeship to me, after all...i will grant you what you desire. i give you the gift, of pity. you may invoke pity in all who look upon you. i give you the gift, of disease. you may choose to be afflicted with any disease so long as it has visible symptoms, though you must always bear at least one. finally, i give you the gift, of disregard. you may choose to have others disregard your presence."
the prince was aghast, these where not gift upon which fortune might be made, they were curses, each more terrible than the last. "how am i to make my fortune and forge a name for myself with such terrible gifts?!"
"as you begged at my feet for thirty three days and thirty three nights, so shall you now beg for your fortune in the cities of men. your name shall become legendary amoung the beggars of Tamriel, and the story of the Prince of Beggars shall be handed down for generations."
the prince was understandably upset about such an arrangement, but he had little choice, and so became an irresistible beggar, no one could help but toss a coin or two at his feet. he also soon discovered a certain power in being able to move unseen throughout the cities of men, as many folk would say things in his presence that they would not otherwise, and he came to know the comings and goings of of everyone in the city.
to this day, it is said that, if one really needs to know anything, you talk to the beggars, for they have eyes and ears in every city in Tamriel, and they know every secret of its citizens. secrets they r more than willing to pass along to those that ask...mmm, in exchange for a few coins...
11135594 Oh, the beggars... at least, I assume you're referring to the beggars.
11135598
information is the greatest weapon in any war, and the beggars r the greatest source of information...
11135603 You know, I never considered using them in that manner, especially since it's possible that the Thalmor would have made their move on Cyrodiil once they heard that the Emperor had been killed by the Brotherhood.
11135606
like i said, in war, u use every resource u have available to u, and information is one of if not THE most valuable. knowing where the enemy is and what hes going to do before even he does is a great asset, and being Kahjiit i would expect such from the Dragonborn, for what is more cunning than a cat?
11135675 Many khajiit are cunning, and Za'kera has been in the presence of Ma'jera and other knowledgeable figures, so such a thing is possible once she remembers it. Remember, she came from Cyrodiil, lived there and worked there as an honorable adventurer, so she should know the information you made me recall.
11135684
sad then, that she is not a Mane...
11135685 First, why is that sad? Second, what is a Mane?
11135702
ah, it seems this one has little knowledge of Khajiit, there r many kinds! the Mane though, that is by far the most rare, and the most power of all Khajiit, they come into being only when Massa and Secunda r both in Eclipse. the Manes r leaders of Khajiit, strong, swift, very magically powerful. when the moons were stolen from the sky over Elswyre for so long, it is possible that there could be many so called 'Lost Manes'...
11135709 I'm constantly learning more about the Elder Scrolls games and their universe. Is the Mane something that only happens in the land of Elsweyr, or can it happen anywhere where Khajiit live?
11135716
by long tradition, there can only be ONE Mane, and they typically wear quite a lot of their tribe mates braided locks as part of their own manes. also, the Mane is always the same one, just reborn in a new body. it is the twin moons of Nirn that determine what kind of Khajiit a given individual will become, one reason for all of Elswyre panicking when the moons vanished from the skies.
when Masser is full, and Secunda is waning, the giant Pahmar-raht will be born. standing taller than even an Altmer, they r bipedal, tiger like and great warriors. their speed and strength is such that they often forgo the use of magic.
when Masser is waning, and Secunda is full, an Alfiq will be born. resembling a common house cat, it is easy to mistake these magically powerful Khajiit for simple pets, but do not be fooled, they r quite intelligent and fully capable of speech.
when Masser is full, and Secunda is waxing, one of the Senche-raht 'battlecats' will be born. one of the largest kind of Khajiit, they will sometimes serve as mounts or beasts of burden, but they REALLY dont like it. like the Alfig, they r intelligent, capible of speech, and able to use magic.
when Masser is waning, and Secunda is new, a Dagi is born into the world. they r one of the smallest form of Khajiit, and not very common, but they can climb quite well because of their smaller stature, even places a Bosmer cannot venture r within their grasp. some compare them to monkeys because of all the climbing they do, something that infuriates them...
when both moons r waxing, one of the Cathay-raht 'Jaguar-men' is born. very fast and agile, they can jump great distances with ease, some have been stated to have the same size and speed of a werewolf.
when Masser is new, and Secunda is full, an Ohmes will be born. looking very much like short Bosmer, the Ohmes used to be a lot more common, but now is one of the rarer forms of Khajiit. they may look like Wood Elves, but they r Khajiit...
when Masser is new, and Secunda is waning, that is when one of the Suthay-raht is born. this is one of the most common and well known form of Khajiit, and the form seen most often outside of Elswyr. they r impressive jumpers, agile and very sneaky. while they might make decent warriors, they r not quite as good as their cousins.
when both moons r full, a Senche will be born. these Khajiit somewhat resemble their 'Battlecat' cousins, but r larger and have more ape like dimensions with long hind legs and large muscular arms. like their cousins, they can also serve as mounts or beasts of burden, but its not a good idea to try and force them...
when Masser is waxing, and Secunda is waning, a Tojay-raht will be born, or, at least that is is the assumption as this is one of the rarest form of Khajiit, with little to nothing being truly known of them.
when Masser is new, and Secunda is waxing, an Ohmes-raht will be born. similar to their Ohmes cousins, but having more common features of a Khajiit, like tails and light fur covering their bodies. they were much more common in the 5th century of the 3rd Era, but r much less so now
when Masser is waxing and Secunda is full, a Cathay will be born. this is in fact THE most common form of Khajiit, standing slightly taller than, while resembling their Suthay cousins, save that this form of Khajiit has plantigrade legs.
11135784 That... is a lot of information to go over.
11135791
what would u expect of a cat? they get confusing at the best of times...
11135796 Well, I was referring to the variety that the Khajiit come in. Anyway, there's no evidence to suggest that the Mane was slain or that the current incarnation is still alive, not in the information I've found so far.
11135801
it was romoured that the Thalmor got the last Mane, but like i said, theres also the possibility of a large number of 'Lost Manes', due tot he twin moons vanishing from the skies for an extended time, several years from what i could find. in that time, every Khajiit born would have the potential to be born a Mane...
11135891 Of course Za'kera is in her early twenties, so with that information she's probably not the Mane, not unless the figure waited to be reborn in the form of Akatosh's champion.
11136062
hmmmn, alright, i did some digging, and it seems that u r correct, the Void Nights lasted only two years, from 4E 98-100. the Great War, on the other hand, hit some seventy years later in 4E 171, and its been about thirty years since the Great War 'ended'. so no, she couldnt be one of those Lost Manes if shes in her early twenties...
11136283 I see. Well, then that leaves only two options: either the Mane is being held captive in Elsweyr, by the Dominion, or they're in hiding and are building their own resistance.
11136294
according to the rumours, the Mane is dead. killed by the Thalmor to strengthen their hold over Elswyr. it is not something i would put past that group either as the Khajiit r perhaps the most most important of the Thalmors client states
11136297 Hence why I mentioned that there's the potential for the Mane to have been reborn... unless the disappearance of the moons caused that sequence to break.
11136301
well, like i said, a Mane is born wen the two Moons r in eclipse, its been about a hundred years since the Void Nights, had to have been at least ONE total eclipse of both moons in that time...in theory its possible that she could still be a Mane and not ur run of the mill Cathay...
11136308 I see. Out of curiosity, how would she know if she was the Mane?
11136333
honestly i dont know, everything i could find on the subject is fragmentary at best, the Mane is the rarest of all Khajiit, and acts not only as a political leader, but also a spiritual leader. traditionally, a Mane would wear the braided manes of every Khajiit in addition to his own, but then the population got large enough that this tradition was no longer practical...i think there is a current Mane, and he wears only the braided manes of his own tribe and that of his Warrior Guard, but thats still the manes f hundreds of Khajiit, so he tends not to travel much, and when he does, its usually by way of palanquin since moving under his own power is a little difficult. hes weighed down by a LOT of hair...
11136346 I see. I was curious if there were markers or something to tell who was the Mane, that's all.
11136349
hmmmn, another fragment, not sure as to how valid, but...those born under the sign of the eclipse, and NOT chosen to bear the title of Man r referred to as Forgotten Manes. often being given to the Pride of Alkosh (Akatosh) in Pridehome to be raised as warriors to serve both Elsweyr and Alkosh in times of great need...
one of these Forgotten Manes apparently once left left the temple to serve a Dragon as his Dragon Priest, in 2E 582 or so. he later returned to his home and burned it to the ground...
11136357 So... being the Dragonborn, a chosen hero of Akatosh and other gods, could be a precursor to her being a Forgotten Mane?
11136369
if she was born under the sign of the Eclipse, its possible...rare doesnt mean it cant happen, just that the odd might be millions to one of it happening...mind u, from my own experience, and Pinkie's math skills, millions to one odds happen nine time out of ten...
11136373 I see. Well, I didn't go that deep into Za'kera's backstory, so it's impossible to say if such a thing happened.
11136380
also impossible to say that it DIDNT happen, but ur the author of this story so its up to u. already ur going to be bending a lot of arms the wrong way with a Khajiit becoming Empress of the Human Empire...even if she is of Dovahsos, Dragon Blood. its not just the Nords who r racist bastards...just MOSTLY the Nords...
11136387 I mean, the possibility of the Last Dragonborn becoming the next Emperor/Empress was why the Dominion had Za'kera shipped off to Skyrim to be executed. As for racism, well, that seems to be mostly the Stormcloaks and Ulfric, so they'll be the ones getting annoyed about a Khajiit becoming the Empress... the Imperials might not might, given that the Emperors in the past used to be Dragonborn.
11136390
oh theres racist assholes everywhere, not just from Nords or even the Stormcloaks. Imperials, Brettons, Redguard, Orcs...all ten of the races have individuals who dont like one or more other races...that is the nature of Joor, of Mortals, they tend to hate things...
11136527 While that might be true, to some degree, you have to admit that the Stormcloaks are the most racist faction in Skyrim.
11136532
in Skyrim sure, but they arnt in Tamriel as whole, plenty more racists out there...and its the entirety of the now badly fractured Empire that must now take center stage. there has never been a non human sitting the Ruby Throne in the history of the Empire
11136548 That's due to the Dragonborn Emperors all being Imperials, thanks to the family line. It's possible Akatosh intended for things to change, by putting another race on the throne... though as memory serves there wasn't a lot of racism in Oblivion (granted it's been a long time since I played the game and didn't explore everything).