War: Marching on Cyrodiil
Za'kera took a few moments to make sure that everyone was ready for what they were about to do, that the warriors were armed and their armor was prepared, the archers had good bows and plenty of arrows, the mages had potions to refill their mana, and everyone else had whatever they needed. Based on the reports that they had so far, from the scouts that had been sent to survey the situation in Cyrodiil, was that there was an army of Thalmor scattered throughout the province, as they had moved in as soon as they heard that the Emperor had been slain and were now forcing the former nobles and the rest of the population to work for them. The Aldmeri Dominion was literally preparing for war with the rest of the world, as they were gathering resources as they prepared to target one of the provinces that were scattered around the continent, so many of the cities and villages were being turned into prison camps, forcing the people to work before eventually killing the ones who refused to work or were too tired to move on. It just showed that their enemies didn't care for anyone that wasn't part of their organization, rather they were punishing the other races of this world as they sought the end of the remaining Towers that stabilized Nirn, before focusing on the Adamantine Tower.
Amaryllis let out a sigh as she heard that, as it sounded like things were getting worse for the other provinces, despite the fact that Skyrim had been at peace for a time, but it was why they had gone through all the trouble of recruiting all of these allies, to make the Aldmeri Dominion pay for what they had done to this world, but she remained silent as she, Za'kera, and all of the leaders gathered inside the fort.
"The Dominion has control over all of Cyrodiil, taking advantage of the death of the Emperor, and they're setting up camps all over the province," Za'kera stated, going over the information that they had been given so far, as it was enough to make her pause and form a plan of attack for when they reached their destination, while at the same time glancing at the map in front of them, her very words causing everyone to focus on her and not worry about Amaryllis, "our focus should be on wrapping all around the Imperial City, cutting the taint out of the cities and villages, while freeing those that are trapped in the containment camps... we'll also need to tell Dagon's forces about this, so they don't trample everyone in their path. Most of the higher ranking members of the Dominion's army, for Cyrodiil, should be inside the Imperial City, watching over their forces without sullying their boots with any actual work, so if we can surround the city we can send in the shadowy members of our army to capture our enemies, secure the Elder Council, and free everyone else without any loss of life, as there might be some citizens inside that they could use as hostages."
"Even if we do that, it'll take some time to get inside the city itself," Amaryllis added, because while she had a feeling that she could sneak into the city with her powers, given her previous position as an infiltrator for the Hive, such a thing didn't mean that she had the power to get so many people inside the massive city, giving the Dominion time to lay waste to all of the people Za'kera wanted to save.
"Not necessarily, as there's one advantage we have that the Dominion doesn't know about: the beggars." Za'kera said, to which a few of the individuals around them raised an eyebrow as they understood what she was talking about, all while Amaryllis noticed that Nocturnal's daughter, Raven, was lingering in the shadows, no doubt listening in and seeing if she might be able to assist them, "They know everything and anything that happens inside the Imperial City, not to mention a number of secret passages that we might be able to use... at least those are the rumors I heard, back when I was traveling the wilds of Cyrodiil, so I have no way of knowing if they're true or not. With Raven helping us we should be able to find a way to obtain the aid of the beggars and get inside the Imperial City, allowing those that are chosen for the event to head inside and complete our objectives... once Cyrodiil is free, and we're sure of that, we can see how the other provinces are holding up and determine which one to strike at next, or talk to if they've repelled the Dominion."
"I'll talk to them when the time is right," Raven commented, which was what Za'kera was hoping for, because the leader of the Skyrim Thieves Guild was the best person to talk with the beggars that lived on the outskirts of the city and knew the layout better than the guards, though that also meant that everyone else had to secure the direction their forces would be coming from, otherwise the plan would fail.
"Good, then let's get out there and show the Dominion just how resolved we are." Za'kera stated, where the group nodded their heads for a few seconds, confirming that they agreed with her order and that they would smash whatever forces the Dominion had set up all across Cyrodiil, before she turned for a moment as she glanced at her trusted companion, who would ensure she survived this ordeal, "Amaryllis, track down our allies and inform them of the camps that the people of Cyrodiil are trapped in, that way they don't march through them in their haste to tear our enemies down... we might be able to gain new allies along the way."
Amaryllis said nothing as she bowed her head, showing the others that even she listened to the Dragonborn Empress, as that was what Za'kera would be and there was no stopping that future from becoming a reality, though as soon as they were done with their discussion she spread her wings and took off, as she had to track down Dagon's forces and Serana's forces before either did something stupid. Of course she made sure Shadowmere followed after Za'kera and the others, as she didn't want him to be left behind, and as she flew away she noticed that the army started to move, a force that she knew would bring down the Dominion and save this world from their dark plans. The first thing she did was head to the east, where Dagon's forces should be found, as based on what she knew they were planning on marching down to where Cheydinhal rested, and invading the province from that direction, which might let them link up with any Dark Elf forces, if their time on Solstheim payed off with the two Great Houses. Once she did that Amaryllis knew that she was going to have to track down Serana's group, as they were somewhere to the southwest, working with Molag's daughter to form a Dark Anchor so the forces of Coldharbour could tear the Dominion apart, or at least that was what she assumed they would be doing given that one Prince's forces were already marching in this world.
Finding Tibetal's forces was easy enough, given that it was an army of Daedra that was marching without caring about the environment around them, and Dagon's son waved her off when she told him what Za'kera wanted him to do, though his adopted siblings were quick to remind him that they wanted to be on the Dragonborn's good side and that meant saving the innocents, causing him to sigh as he nodded his head.
Tracking down Serana's group was somewhat harder to track down, which made sense due to the fact that there was a number of vampires among them and they knew how to keep to the shadows, but she found that their forces were right between Anvil and Skingrad, near the border of Valenwood. Such a thing would allow them to take down two enemy held locations before marching towards the Imperial City, where they would spread around and join forces with the rest of the army that had been gathered to save this world, and it didn't take her long to track down the vampire she was currently looking for. Of course Harkon didn't care about the people that were being used as slaves, though he admitted that it was a good plan, that saving them would mean more allies for the war effort, so they would pass the message on to the rest of their allies, as the ones from Coldharbour were still waiting for the way to be opened. Once they knew what was going on Amaryllis took off and headed back in the direction of the main force, so she could return to Za'kera's side and get ready for the opening stage of their war, because if they successfully reclaimed Cyrodiil it would give them so many openings to deal with the Dominion.
As she flew she glanced at the large tower in the middle of the Imperial City, the White-Gold Tower, and knew that it was only a matter of time until another Tower was restored to it's former glory and their enemies had been taken out, to which she smiled for a time as she readied herself for what the future held for them.
Ariantar Atheus was a high ranking member of the Dominion, one trusted with the subjugation of both Cyrodiil and the foul races that called it home, as his superiors had been waiting for something to happen to the Emperor and his precious Elder Council, where the perfect opportunity came with the deaths of several members. This was one of those times that he had to thank the remnants of the Dark Brotherhood, as with them killing the Emperor, not to mention destroying the name of the Penitus Oculatus, it made things so much easier for him and his forces, allowing them to take the city while all of the citizens were in mourning. Of course someone had, unfortunately, beaten him to the punch by slaying the heirs to the throne, as he had been planning on capturing them before they could inherit the throne, imprisoning them with next to nothing and starving them for a while, before destroying the morale of Cyrodiil with a public execution. It would have made things so much easier for him and his forces, rounding up the broken races and putting them to work so they could feed the Dominion's war machine, but he would have to make due with holding the Elder Council hostage and then slay all of them in the manner he had planned for the royal heirs.
The Altmer let out a light chuckle as he sipped on some wine, as he was sitting at the Emperor's table, eating his food and drinking his wine, as for the time being he was in charge of everything and no one dared to move against him, and based on how things were going he was going to be the Regent Lord of Cyrodiil for a long time, long enough to run this province into the ground before his superiors called him back.
"Lord Ariantar, we have a situation report." one of his guards stated, looking like he was out of breath, which was odd, due to the fact that there was nothing, in the entirety of Cyrodiil, that could force his hand or make his soldiers exert any real effort, save for stomping the worthless races into the ground, where they truly belonged.
"What, are the peasants asking for more food? If so, deny their requests, and if they act up, well, behead one of them to send a message to the others." Ariantar stated, as that was what he had done to those who lived in the Imperial City once he had taken it over, they tried to demand more food to survive, stating that his rations weren't enough, so he had one of his guards behead the offender and forced the others back in line.
"It's not the other races... it's a force, coming from Skyrim." the second guard said, something that caught the attention of their boss, as they all knew that only two forces were allowed to come down from Skyrim, the first being Elenwen's forces with news of their victory, including the destruction of the Stone they were sent to find, while the second was Tullius' own army, which would mean the end of Skyrim's worthless civil war.
"Must be Elenwen, either coming for reinforcements or to tell us her mission is complete... though she could have sent a letter warning us of her arrival." Ariantar remarked, clearly showing that he had no respect for Elenwen, as he ranked far higher than her and yet she acted like she was far superior to everyone that was around her, before he finished off the rest of his wine, leading to him getting up as he noticed that it was still early in the morning, hours before the citizens were supposed to come out, "Very well, take me to the walls so we can verify that Elenwen is coming."
His guards nodded as they turned around and marched out of the Imperial Palace, a building he was thinking needed to be smashed at one point in the future, as it would help to break the morale of the remaining people of Cyrodiil and show them that the time of their empire had come to an end. As they walked through the city, however, he turned his head for a moment and found that the people were hiding inside their homes and businesses, places that his soldiers raided to make sure no one was hoarding food or preparing for a revolt while they were distracted by something else, meaning his plans had been successful. In fact it was his guards that patrolled this city, as the Imperial Guards were imprisoned inside their barracks and were staying there, as he ordered his guards to kill anyone who dared to leave the structure and even made an example of one to make sure the others understood that he wasn't to be trifled with. He had broken the Imperial City, closed the Arena since it wasn't important, meaning the people there were locked down in the underground section, and the people knew to keep their heads down as they worked, otherwise he would do horrible things to the offenders, just as he did to those who had opposed him so far.
After thinking about all of that he and his guards ascended one of the towers that would allow him to walk along the top of the walls that surrounded the Imperial City, where he eventually came to a stop and glanced to the north, facing Skyrim so he could see what force his guards had seen earlier, but what he saw caused him to pause. Coming from the direction of the city of Bruma was a massive army that was unlike anything he had seen so far, a force that was made up of the mortal races of Tamriel, some bearing the colors of the Imperial Legion, some baring the flags of the Stormcloaks, and others had a new flag, a radiant sun that meant a new dawn was coming. There were mages, warriors, archers, Orc barbarians, and, if his eyes weren't deceiving him, dragons that marched and flew through the air, especially one that was as black as night, a beast that could only be Alduin, a figure in the history of the Nords, though before he could remark on the situation one of the guards noticed something to the east. It was a massive force of Daedra, ones hailing from the Deadlands, the realm of Mehrunes Dagon, meaning the unthinkable had happened, there was a breach in the Liminal Barrier that protected this world from the realms of Oblivion, and at the front of the army marched an imposing brutish Argonian that looked like a berserker who brought destruction.
It could only be a Demiprince, the spawn of a Daedric Prince, causing him to glance back at the main army, finding several figures who seemed to radiate power as well, the children of a number of Princes, and riding at the head of the army was a Khajiit in grand armor, causing him to growl for a moment.
"Elenwen you cow... she failed to kill the Dragonborn, Za'kera Saratamil, even though we handed the Khajiit to her on a silver platter!" Ariantar remarked, though this was far worse than anything he and the other higher ranking members of the Dominion could have foreseen when they considered the prophecy of the Dragonborn, as it said that the figure was supposed to kill Alduin and the other threats that plagued Skyrim, and instead it looked like she had allied with them and had gained allies in the most unlikely of places.
"Um, sir... we have a problem." one of the guards said, where Ariantar could tell that he was looking to the west, with what appeared to be a look of fear on his face, something that caused him to turn his head and see what in the world his soldier was staring at right now, though it couldn't be worse than what he was seeing right now.
He instantly took back those words as he noticed a large circular device hanging up in the sky that was between the cities of Anvil and Skingrad, a dark device that seemed to darken the sky around it as lightning danced around three points, all while the center seemed to be a dark portal leading to a realm he didn't want to see. In the Dominion there were tales of such devices, Dark Anchors that were used by the Prince of Domination when he tried to merge Nirn with Coldharbour, all the way back during the sixth century of the Second Era, an invasion that failed and the stories claimed that all of the dark devices had been destroyed. Either Molag Bal had saved a few Dark Anchors or he had rebuilt the forge that created them in the first place, though as he realized what he was staring at, and the sense of dread that came from looking at it, several hooks surged out of the portal and struck several locations around where the portal was being set up, and before he knew it another army of Daedra was marching through Cyrodiil. He knew his forces were strong and could hold their own, as all of them had been trained to enforce the will of the Dominion on the provinces of Tamriel, but facing off against the forces of two Daedric Princes, especially Mehrunes Dagon and Molag Bal, made him question his chances.
In the end, however, he glanced in the direction of the Dragonborn, as this wasn't what was supposed to happen and he knew that things were going to change, from what they originally planned for this province, and gave the order so his army could get ready to face this threat, because if they won now it proved that their plan was righteous and that there would be no stopping the Dominion's plans.
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ah, always nice to see the Thalmor getting served humble pie...and as i recall, there IS a secret path into the Imperial City that is cannon...or, more a way OUT of the city...used at the start of the Oblivion Crisis...i dont...think it was ever sealed?
11137571 The Dominion thought they had everything under control... and then our heroes show them otherwise. As for the path, I don't think it was sealed after the Blades tried to escape with Emperor Uriel Septim VII, so one could use it to infiltrate the city, but the only problem is that the path between the city and the prison is wide open.
11137591
cant be sure, from a tactical outlook that seems like it could be a bad thing...on the other hand, invisibility spells and potions R a thing...and with Nocturnal on their side? shes called Lady Luck for a very good reason...
11137604 Plus, as an infiltrator, Amaryllis might know the spell as well, and they have two powerful mages on their side, not to mention what you just mentioned... so yeah, I guess using the old prison entrance might be a viable way for a small group to get inside the city.
11137613
a SpecOps team, specializing in Stealth...the Brotherhood would be ideal in some ways, or at least, those trained by them...
11137628 Hence why I mentioned Amaryllis. Her, Nazir, a few other assassins and some thieves would make a specialized stealth team, or at least they should.
11137636
mmm, folk who r quite good at getting into places that they shouldnt...its possible, i give it that. the Guild doesnt really do wet work though, not if they can help it, infiltration and retrieval yes, but not so much wet work...thats the Brotherhoods show,
11137677 Indeed. However, while the Brotherhood does the killing, the Guild can sweep an area for whatever information might be useful to the war effort... who knows, the Dominion might have battle plans for the other provinces.
11137966
thats actually fairly unlikely. the Thalmor may be idiots, but theyre at least somewhat competent idiots, their Op Sec keeps most sensitive data on a 'need to know' basis with their operatives. such plans exist, of this, there can be little doubt, but at the same time, it would make little sense to inform an agent in one operational theater as to plans in another unless they would become involved in said plans. based on what we saw this past chapter, we arnt dealing with the kind of commander that would be involved in such a wide spread operation.
also, i am hoping that the Dragonborn and her allies observe the Art of War in this campaign, as Talos did in the Second Era...
11138111 To be fair, Elenwen had all sorts of information in her domain for our heroes to take earlier, and the Dominion is using Ariantar to hold Cyrodiil and taking all the food for their war machine... he's kind of part of a larger operation. Guess time will tell.
Also, I'll have to do a bit of research on that topic.
11138120
yes, but it was all related to her operations in Skyrim, nothing on other operations. like i said, theyre idiots, but theyre also almost as good as they think they r...
11138129 That remains to be seen. The Thalmor are arrogant in Skyrim, and something tells me the Dominion would be the same... I mean, Ariantar would have to know where to send the goods and everything, otherwise there would be no point to taking over Cyrodiil.
11138195
dont forget where all the REALLY important documents were kept, far out of her control, she was a face for the Skyrim operations, a clerk more or less, someone to draw attention from the ACTUAL one in charge. Ambassador Goldbitch had data on Delphine and Ulfric, but the report on Esburn? nah, that was kept far from her desk. it is as i said, she had the data she needed to know, but as she was not the commanding power, she didnt need to know everything.
that said, just looking at the first two chapters of the Art of War, i can see that the Thalmor Commander in charge of the Imperil City is botching things very badly. he fails in three of the fundamental factors as outlined in Sun Tzus first chapter, stanza three. that is moral influence, command and doctrine. we have yet to see if he can use weather or terrain effectively, but the odds r not good. the Talmor rule by threat of force, so any moral influence they might have is at best, temporary, and once those r past then others have no reason to follow. the current commander of the Imperial City forces show no wisdom, sincerity, humanity or courage; he displays only strictness and even there leans more toward punishments and examples over rewards, so thats another fail. doctrine fails due to a rapid loss of control, lax organization, no thought to utilizing captured supplies or assets, and neglecting what assets he actually DOES control.
book two, stanzas 15-19, The Art of War- 'Hence the wise general sees to it that his troops feed on his enemy, for one bushel of the enemy's provisions is equivalent to twenty of his; one hundredweight of enemy fodder to twenty hundredweight of his. the reason troops slay the enemy is because they are enraged. they take booty from the enemy because they desire wealth. therefore, when in chariot fighting more than ten chariots are captured, reward those who take the first. replace the enemy's flags and banner with your own, mix the captured chariots with yours, and mount them. treat captives well, and care for them.' Sun Tzu refers to such as 'winning while growing stronger' and puts quite a bit of emphasis on doing so quickly, avoiding a prolonged conflict. he also talks about capturing a given region largely intact, as to waste resources is to lose, and destroying enemy resources that could be captured and used urself is wasteful.
11138226 To be fair, when we get to that part of the quest in Skryim, infiltrating the embassy, the Altmer torturer was still gathering information, before he wasted Elenwen's time, so it wasn't ready to be placed in Elenwen's collection. Elenwen was in charge of the forces in Skyrim, every agent bowed to her authority.
As for the second and third points, you have to remember that the Dominion treats all other races like dirt, they only use what is useful, and anyone who fails is punished accordingly... but the information is useful.
11138261
i would have to respectfully disagree about Goldbitch's level of authority, another Altmer, a male, is on record as being in command of all Thalmor forces in Skyrim. like i said, Goldbitch is a glorified clerk in the grand scheme of things, she might have SOME authority, certainly enough to call for a hit squad after the PC pisses her off, but just about any level of a government can pull that off so shes not top dog...
11138268 Wait, there's someone with more authority than her in Skyrim? Who?
11138286
the Thalmor male at the party, he tells the PC that hes in charge of the agents running around Skyrim doing their thing, while its possible that he could be under Goldbitch's command, i find it unlikely due to the OTHER big cheese in the second Embassy building who was doing the intel work, he got called in when Goldbitch's usual goons couldnt get the goods they wanted. she might have requested mages from Summerset Isles to deal with the dragons, but im guessing that took a fair amount of time and talking very fast to get her higher ups to agree, mages r valuable assets after all, one doesnt send them around willy nilly, and Altmer Battlemages? by far, the best in the business, only a Dwemer Master Artificer might be better
11138292 There are only two male Altmer at the party: Rulindil, whose in charge of interrogations, and Ondolemar, who was bothering the people of Markarth. As far as I can tell, both of them follow Elenwen, so I'm not sure who you're referring to, unless there's one I missed.
11138301
Ondolemar is often in attendance at the party during Diplomatic Immunity, if u helped him in Markarth theres even the chance that he can be persuaded to make ur distraction for u, but he states that hes the one in charge of the Justiciars of Skyrim, enforcing the ban on Talos worship. logically that would mean he answers to someone who is much more than a clerk. Rulindil, the interrogator Mage, might report to Goldbitch, but i can find nothing saying that he answers to her...same with Ondolemar...
11138319 I think you might be mistaking Ondolemar's words for something else. He's in charge of Markarth, Rulindil is just an interrogator, and Elenwen is the head agent for Skyrim... unless I missed someone.
11138395
it is entirely possible im misinterpreting the data, although i dont think so. the only time Goldbitch ever steps outside the embassy is at the very beginning of the game, as the cart that carries the PC is first entering Helgan. shes there to lay claim to custody of Ulric, actually, probably on orders from the top, but thats the only time she ever exhibits any kind of official authority, and thats only with Telius. i have yet to see her give any command to a fellow Thalmor, at least directly...
11138405 Well, you are entitled to your opinion on the matter, but that doesn't change the fact that both Elenwen and Ondolemar are dead in this story: Amaryllis went and assassinated the former during the main quest line, while Kya (the insane argonian) butchered the rest of the Thalmor that were in Skyrim.
11138414
i am aware, though attempting to do the same in game is more or less impossible without hax
11138457 For Elenwen, you can't kill her in game. Ondolemar, well, I think he loses his essential status after doing his short quest, or he has none... I don't think he's essential, as I think I killed him once with a frenzy spell.
11138469
like i said, u need hax to pull it off, after her last appearance, Goldbitch hangs out in a locked part of the Embassy that requires a key that doesnt exist to access, so the only way to actually kill her is to walk through walls...
11138476 True enough. Either way the Dominion lost all their operatives in Skyrim and only now understand what happened in the province.