The Wolf of Colovia - A Kvatch Elder Kings AAR

[KaiserKvatch]

The Wolf of Colovia

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Hello everyone! Welcome to my first AAR, the Wolf of Colovia- An Elder Kings Kvatch AAR. As you can probably tell from my name, I'm a big TES fan, and so figured this would be as good a place as any for me to start. I know more about TES lore than actual medieval history anyway This will be in a mixed history book-narrative style, and, as this is my first AAR, criticism is welcomed. I will upload a backstory that I probably spent way too much time on, split into two parts first, a history of Kvatch before the game begins and a look at our situation at the gamestart. In case you don't want to read that and skip directly to the game, the first actual gameplay update will be uploaded at the same time. After that the updates will become more spaced out, and the only other time I can think when I might release multiple updates at once is the AAR's end. However, I recommend at the very least to read the second part of the backstory on the starting situation. Now, before we begin I'd just like to mention a few things. For one, in-game the year is stated as 3370, however, I'm just going to use the more lore-friendly 2E 450 as the start date, and all other years will go off of that. Secondly, I won't be covering events from the other continents, unless something truly major happens. Finally, the mod uses Kvatchian as our demonym, however that just doesnt sound right to me, so instead I will use Kvatchi. The game settings are all default with normal difficulty, no marrying out of the Colovian (or at least the three Imperial) race, no reloading or console commands unless to fix a glitch (or border gore), and with that out of the way, we can finaly begin.

 

[KaiserKvatch]

Table of Contents

Backstory

I- A History of Kvatch

II- Tamriel in 2E 450

The State of Tamriel Interludes-

The Provinces of Beasts and Elves, 2E 550

The Provinces of Man, 2E 550

Chapter I- Reign of Tahm II the Old, 2E 450-484

I- Northern Containment

II- Arcane Development

III- Plagued Conquest

IV- Final Reclamation

V- The Calm Between

VI- The Storm of Blood

VII- The Onslaught

Chapter II- Reign of Queen Pista, 2E 484-515

I- A Reign Began By Blood

II- Feigned Defeat

III- Test of War

IV- The Edge of Collapse

V- The Wrath of Peryite

VI- The Future's Light

VII- Square One

Chapter III- Reign of Aran Idonea the Strange, 2E 515-

I- Back on Track

II- Unknowable Knowledge

III- The Caring Queen

IV- The True King

V- Regent's Revenge

VI- An Ancient Flame Burns Again

VII- The First Flames

VIII- Eclipsing Shadow​

 

[KaiserKvatch]

Backstory I- A History of Kvatch

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The City of Kvatch, the Wolf of Colovia, is an ancient one, with a history stretching back to the first centuries of the First Era. Located where the Gold Coast, Colovian Highlands, and West Weald meet, the roots of the city can be found during the Alessian Slave Rebellion in the form of Quintus Kvinchal. Now, when the Alessian Revolt spread across the Heartlands and Nibenay, the Ayleid lords of the west could feel their crowns slipping. Internal strife in the Ayleid Empire had begun appearing for decades before, and the seat of power of the Colovian Ayleids, Miscarcand, was one of the most powerful vassals of the crown in White-Gold and held sway over many of the other lesser western Ayleid kingdoms. In Miscarcand, however, a rift was beginning to grow between it and the greater Empire. Worship of the Daedra was the official religion of the Ayleids, indeed, escaping the anti-Daedric Alinor was the reason they had settled in Cyrodiil to begin with, however worship of the Aedra had been growing. A large underground movement had been formed, with many close to the King including the Spymaster himself being involved in Aedric worship. With their influence, many went unpunished even when direct evidence of Aedric worship was discovered. In Miscarcand, the relationship between those who worshipped the Aedra and those who worshipped the Daedra was increasingly tense, and the Human revolt in Nibenay finally lit those tensions.

When word of the revolt spread to Miscarcand, Quintus Kvinchal took lead of the slaves and began his own revolt in an attempt to join the Alessians. As his revolt gained traction, the Aedric worshippers toppled the King of Miscarcand in a palace coup, banning the worship of Daedra and renouncing loyalty to the greater Ayleid Empire. Sympathizing with the human slaves, or perhaps simply realizing that even if the revolt did not succeed, surely the armies of Alessia would, a deal was struck with Quintus Kvinchal. In exchange for granting the humans freedom and independence, the new human states would adopt a policy of cooperation to Miscarcand and its allies. The deal was accepted, and the majority of the western Ayleid Kingdoms under Miscarcand's influence followed suit, facing revolts of their own. The human slaves left their former master's cities, and thus were the born the cities of Colovia- Anvil, Chorrol, Skingrad, and of course, Kvatch, named in Quintus Kvinchal's honor.

Kvinchal himself, however, would not lead the new city. Some claim he was cursed by his former Ayleid master during the revolt, some say it was by the Daedric Princes themselves after the revolt, and of course some simply claim it was a product of his advanced age, but regardless of the cause Quintus had fallen into a period of severe illness by the time it came to select a ruler, and so excluded himself from the process. Quintus would die a year after Kvatch's founding in 1E 424 from his illness. His funeral was an elaborate occasion, with dignitaries from the other cities of Colovia, both Ayleid and Human, as well as from the Alessian Empire in the east, making an appearance. However, the fist-fight that broke out between Imperial and Ayleid onlookers showed the fragility of the policy of cooperation, and it didn't seem as though it could last long, especially now with Kvinchal's death. Skirmishes often broke out between the two races, although all out war was prevented by the diplomats of the various kingdoms. The uneasy peace lasted much longer than expected, over a century, however the rise of the Alessian Order in the East finally shattered it.

Although the religious teachings of the Alessian Order are of little importance to the story of Kvatch, as it, along with the rest of the Colovian West, remained devout worshippers of the Eight Divines, the fanatical anti-Elven preaching of the Order culminated in massacres of the remaining Ayleids in Nibenay and the Heartlands. Emboldened by the news of these actions in the East, the numbers of Anti-Ayleids swelled, threatening at best to organize bands and simply slaughter the Ayleids themselves and at worst organize open revolt against the human kingdoms if they refused to take action against the Ayleids. Neither of those were needed, however, as the major Kings of Colovia, those of Kvatch, Skingrad, Chorrol, and Anvil, all themselves were Anti-Ayleid. The armies of the Kingdoms unified and went from city to city, killing anything that moved and looting what didn't. Within a decade, just about all of the Ayleid population in Cyrodiil was wiped out, either massacred by the armies of men or refuges in the dense forests and jungles of Valenwood. After this however, the Kings of Colovia immediately turned to feuding over the newly gained Ayleid lands, prompting a deep rivalry between Kvatch and Skingrad.

The Ayleid City of Miscarcand, once the largest of its kind west of the White-Gold Tower, turned to ruins after years of neglect​

After various skirmishes and wars over a period of over 110 years, peace between the two Kingdoms was finally secured in 1E 472 after a daughter of King Justinius of Kvatch, Belle, was married to the third son of King Dhorus of Skingrad, Rislav Larich. During a devastating plague that swept throughout Colovia, both the King of Skingrad and his firstborn died. His next in line, Dorald, a priest of the Alessian Order, thusly inherited the throne. Almost immediately after coronation, Dorald officially joined the Colovian, Divines-Worshipping Skingrad with the Nibenese, Alessian Order-following Alessian Empire. Within days Rislav had returned to Skingrad from Kvatch and executed his brother with popular support, and declared the treaty binding Skingrad with the Alessians null and void. So close to finally being able to expand their rule to Western Cyrodiil, the Alessians raised an overwhelmingly large army and marched it west. The campaign was a failure, and the combined armies from Kvatch and Skingrad under Rislav's command shattered the Alessian army. Following this crushing defeat, the Alessians would experience a period of rapid decline following, with the rest of the Colovian Kings aligning themselves with Kvatch and Skingrad, and the provinces of Skyrim and High Rock completely pushing out the Alessians. Although greatly weakened, the Alessians managed to maintain control in Eastern Cyrodiil where they would bide their time, hoping to recover. In the following centuries, Kvatch would experience a period of growth and expansion. Following the disappearance of the Dwemer, Kvatch made inroads into Hammerfell, settling in newly opened territory. This period would end disastrously in the 800's of the First Era, when Redguards, fleeing from Yokuda, came to Hammerfell and cut a bloody swathe of conquest throughout, pushing Kvatch's territory back past the Brena River, completely into Cyrodiil once more.

Records from the following period are scarce, although what is known is that the Alessian Empire began a resurgence during this time, although still remembering its defeat at the hands of Rislav Larich made no attempts to conquer Colovia. Instead, however, expansion northward began once again, with both Skyrim and High Rock being readmitted into the Empire. In the early to mid 15th century of the First Era, the Alessian Order would, when attempting to completely separate the Eleven Auriel from the Imperial Akatosh, both in truth the same deity, causing a Dragon Break for over a 1,000 years. Records are understandably poor from the period, with varying accounts of Cyrodiil during the period. The two main theories on Cyrodilic history during the Dragon Break are that either the Alessian Empire, having triggered the Dragonbreak, reached levels of power unimaginable to the Gods themselves, claiming dominion over not just Nirn but the stars themselves. The other main theory is that the Alessian Empire turned into an egg. In short, it is truly unknown to anyone what transpired during the Dragon Break. Some even claim the Dragon Break didn't even happen, instead chalking it up to mere errors in timelines and folk legends.

Regardless, assuming the Dragonbreak did in fact occur, the story of Kvatch resumes in the Twenty-Third Century with the start of the Thrassian Plague. Engineered by the Sload of Thras, an island chain located southwest of Tamriel, the Thrassian Plague halved Tamriel's population, and Kvatch was no exception, and it fell into ruin following the Plague. When the All-Flags Navy was formed from just about every Tamrielic nation with a coast, the entirety of Thras was sunk in vengeance for the Plague, with the Sloads almost falling to extinction. However, the islands are rumored to have been raised once more by the surviving Sload. More importantly for Kvatch, however, the leader of the All-Flags Navy was the King of Anvil, Bendu Olo, and his crushing victory brought with it great wealth to Anvil. With Anvil perhaps the strongest city in Tamriel at the time, the rest of Colovia began to recover from the Plague before the other regions of Tamriel. For the first time since Rislav Larich's victory against the Alessians, Colovia began to overshadow the Alessians.

In 1E 2305, four decades after the victory of the All-Flags Navy, High Rock would formally declare independence from the rapidly declining Alessians, sparking a bloody, thirty year long conflict before the tide of the war changed. After those 30 years, neither side had managed to gain an obvious advantage. High Rock was ruined, but the Alessian Empire was in just as dire straits. It's armies were in shambles after three decades of constant fighting far from the heart of the Empire in Cyrodiil, it's subjects in Skyrim were increasingly rebellious and even the citizens of the Cyrodilic territory itself were increasingly restless and war-weary. The final blow to the Allesians came in 1E 2321, however, when the Kings of Colovia came together in the Conference of the Great Oak[1], where they declared the Colovian Estates, a confederacy of all the Western Kingdoms, spreading from Falkreath to Anvil. Support for High Rock and rebellious elements in Nibenay was declared, and soon after open hostility broke out between the Empire and Estates. The War of the Righteous[2], as it was now known, raged on for another decade before it's end. The bloated Alessian Empire faced enemies in all sections of the Empire- the Colovian Estates advancing from the West, High Rock and a newly-declared Skyrim advancing from the North, and countless rebels facing off in the main Alessian cities of Nibenay. As the Alessians retreated, they left a trail of scorched earth behind them. Indeed, by the time the Empire's forces had been pushed from High Rock, nearly half of the province's population was dead. But of course, they were still retreating, and by the end of 1E 2329, the Alessians controlled naught but the Imperial City itself.

For the next two years, the remainder of the Alessians holed up in the grand city. All entry ways to the city across Lake Rumare were destroyed, forcing the Colovian Estates to send their navy south of Valenwood and Elsweyr and up the Nibenay River to even reach the Imperial Isle. The Waterfront, Arcane University, and Imperial Fort Districts of the city were captured, but the main ring of the Imperial City refused to submit. In 1E 2331, Colovian forces finally managed to force a true breakthrough into the city. Before they could reach the White-Gold Tower, however, rioting citizens beat them to it, executing the Alessian Emperor and High Priest. After two thousand and eighty eight years and forty years of constant warfare, the Alessian Empire finally collapsed, taking the Order with it. Worship of the Eight Divines was restored to all of Cyrodiil, High Rock and Skyrim's independence were secured, and the Colovian Estates secured their dominance from the Abecean Sea to the western coast of the Nibenese River and Lake Rumare. The remainder of Cyrodiil, the remnants of the Alessian Empire, unified into the Kingdom of Nibenay. Over the following centuries, Kvatch continued its membership in the Colovian Estates, and the Colovian Estates continued to dominate Cyrodiil. The borders of the nation fluctuated over time, with small losses and gains to Skyrim and Nibenay, but for the most part the next few centuries were a golden age for Colovian culture. Cyrodiil was the closest to unification it had even been politically, with only two nation-states in the province, but culturally Colovia and Nibenay separated even further over the following period. Still, there was great prosperity.

Cyrodiil, 1E 2331, showing the immediate aftermath of the Alessian collapse
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This golden age lasted for just under 400 years. In 1E 2703, however, humans from the far-off continent of Akavir arrived in Tamriel. Some claim that these humans were fleeing from the Tsaesci Snake-men of Akavir, while others claim that these humans were working for the Tsaesci, however regardless of the cause the Akaviri cut a bloody swathe of conquest across Morrowind and Skyrim in an attempted Crusade to find and cause the extinction of all dragons, which they had already completed in their homeland. The hero of Tamriel against this invasion was himself a Colovian, Reman Cyrodiil[3]. Reman, realizing the threat that this Akaviri horde posed, managed to convince the Colovian Estates and Nibenese Kingdom to unify in face of this threat, the first time Cyrodiil was ruled by a single state since the Ayleids ruled over man. A skilled negotiator, general, and fighter, he also managed to convince the two kingdoms to put their unified army under his command. As the Akaviri legions neared Cyrodiil, they conquered the fort of Pale Pass, the main route between Skyrim and Cyrodiil, and prepared their armies. However, this proved to be a mistake, as armies under the command of the Tribunal God-King of Morrowind, Vivec, led an army west into Skyrim and proceeded to block off the fort from Skyrim, blocking all supplies. As the fort began to run out of supplies, Reman realized his opportunity and attacked.

The weary defenders of Pale Pass stood no chance against Reman's armies, however, the determined Akaviri did not surrender until Reman was seen personally in combat. During the battle, Reman Cyrodiil used the ancient Nordic Thu'um, the Voice. The Akaviri claimed he was the Dragonborn, a mortal blessed by Akatosh himself with the soul and blood of a dragon. The Dragonborns are said to be capable of absorbing the souls of defeated Dragons, making them the greatest Dragonslayers known. The Akaviri garrison that remained pledged their allegiance to Reman. With the army of Cyrodiil and Akavir under his control, after reclaiming the Amulet of Kings, Reman pressed his claim on the throne of a new Empire. The kings of Cyrodiil, Skyrim, and High Rock all peacefully joined the new Reman Empire, sometimes referred to as the Second Empire after the First Alessian Empire. The Altmer of the Summerset Isle realized the new threat posed by this new human imperialism, and formed a defensive pact with the kingdoms of Valenwood and Elsweyr. Propaganda from the Empire was spread across Hammerfell and the Empire itself, claiming this defensive pact was in truth an aggressive dominion bent on realizing Eleven dominance over the continent once more. This campaign was so successful that Hammerfell soon voluntarily joined Reman's Empire.

Shortly after Hammerfell's joining, Emperor Reman was quick to prove the Altmer's fears true, and by the end of his reign 1E 2762 Summerset Isle, Valenwood, and Elsweyr had all been entered into the Second Empire. Under the new Reman Dynasty, humanity entered into its most glorious and prosperous era yet. Eventually, Argonia was conquered piece by piece, and all but Morrowind fell outside of the Empire's dominance. Led by the God-Kings of the Tribunal, conquest of Morrowind was not attempted, and the Empire was content to simply turn inward and focus on its own citizenry. This status quo would last until 1E 2840 when the Remans, confident in the strength of their Empire, did attempt to invade Morrowind.

This invasion was without doubt the greatest failure of the Remans, and would end up leading to their downfall. The war was one of the bloodiest in Tamrielic history, as the might of the living gods of the Tribunal faced against the might of a nearly unified Tamriel. In 1E 2920, after 80 years of war, peace was finally restored, ending what is now known as the Four-Score War. Citizens of both the Empire and Morrowind looked optimistically towards the future... and then it all came shattered down when the treaty was broken by the Emperor, Reman III, as he sacked the Dunmer fortress of Black Gate. Following this incursion, both he and his sole heir were assassinated by the Morag Tong.

The Akaviri Potentate, Versidue-Shaie, that had long since served as the Emperor's chief advisor seized power for himself, and ended the war to consolidate his power. The Reman dynasty had ended, and with it so did the First Era. As the Akaviri Potentate declared the Second Era begun, he also declared himself the new Emperor, naming his children as his heirs. The Empire, just out of 80 years of war was destabilized further by this, as few took kindly to an Akaviri Emperor. Small scale rebellions broke out across the Empire, however the Empire managed to keep control of its lands. For the next nearly 300 years, Versidue-Shaie ruled over the uneasy Empire, slowly delegating more powers to vassals in an attempt to prevent rebellion. This plan backfired, however, when in 2E 283 the Potentate's stronghold in Dawnstar was razed by resentful citizens, believing the Potentate to be inside. The Potentate was not, however, as he was visiting the Imperial City for a meeting of the Elder Council. News reached him midway through the council, and in a fit of rage he furiously declared an Empire-wide martial law, and demanded all members of the council and all other vassals to disband any and all armies not under his direct control. This was in turn met with declarations of independence across the Empire.

In Cyrodiil, the independence movement was led by Kvatch, with the King championing the cause of a new Colovian Estates. The various independence wars that plagued the Empire lasted for nearly 37 years, as the Empire focused on reclaiming Colovia, then marching south to Valenwood, Elsweyr, and Black Marsh. The Potentate believed that these provinces, having resisted joining the Empire in the first place, had to be reconquered first, while the Imperial armies were still as fresh as possible. His predictions proved to be more true than expected, as shortly after these three provinces were reconquered the petty human kings of the north fell into infighting, making the Imperial conquests there much easier. The only province not regained was the Summerset Isle, with the Imperial Navy deemed unable to first actually defeat the Altmer navy then land and conquer the province. In Kvatch, after the Second Colovian Estates were put down by force, the Goldwine Dynasty was deposed, and the Kvinchals, long since faded into obscurity gained the throne as loyal servants of the Potentate.

In 2E 320, the wars finally ended after the armies of the Kingdom of Daggerfall were completely destroyed after being encircled while trying to siege the city of Sentinel. The Imperial Army under the Potentate stood victorious as the sole army in the Empire, however the Empire was now on the verge of collapsing due to the strain of the 37 year long war. 4 years after the peace, the Potentate was assassinated by the Morag Tong, leaving the Empire in the hands of his capable son, Savirien-Chorak. Perhaps capable is not the correct word, but he was able to keep the Empire unified for just over a century, until 2E 430. For in 2E 430, in a streak irony, he and all his heirs were murdered by the Dark Brotherhood, the same reason for the Akaviri's assumption of the throne from the Remans four centuries ago. This time, however, there was no salvaging the corpse of the Empire.

Imperial Legionnaires during the Reman Empire​

The Potentate's death marked the end of the Second Empire and the beginning of the Interregnum, as hundreds of warlords and petty kings separated from the Empire, until it was no more. The former leader of the Elder Council, Lord Protector Caius Lex of the Republic of the Heartlands leads the final remnants of the Second Empire, controlling the Imperial City and a large portion of the shoreline of Lake Rumare. In Kvatch, the Count at the time was King Tahm Kvinchal II. Tahm had never been expected to rule, being only the second son of the King, but when both his father and brother were murdered, possibly on the orders of the Potentate himself after rumors circulated that they were planning on sparking another series of revolts against the Empire. Regardless of the reason, his father and elder brother were dead, and Tahm was the new Count of Kvatch. Having trained at the Arcane University, Tahm was quite an experienced mage, and had achieved the rank of Wizard within the Mage's Guild. However, he was a much less adept administrator, and when the Empire collapsed his leadership proved to be less than what was needed to deal with the crisis. In the east, Fort Istrius and the surrounding area was lost to Skingrad after a skirmish, meanwhile to the north the city of Linchal seceded from Kvatch and declared itself a sovereign duchy. However, King Tahm has had time to learn since the Empire collapsed, and has lead Kvatch for nearly 15 years of peace. However, he has often stated his goals to reclaim his lost honor and land, although it remains to be seen as to whether he will make good on his promises.

[1]- The City of Chorrol, with its central district containing a large oak, is often referred to as the city of the Great Oak.
[2]- Rislav Larich, the ancient hero of Colovia against the Alessian Empire, has survived in popular legend as Rislav the Righteous. To avoid confusion with the War of the Righteous nearly 1,000 years later, here he is simply Rislav Larich, King of Skingrad.
[3]- Contrary to popular belief, the province of Cyrodiil was not named after Reman. Instead, Reman, originally lowborn, adopted the ancient Ayleid name for the province, Cyrod, for his name. Over time, this was corrupted to the Imperial word for the province.

 

[KaiserKvatch]

Backstory II- Tamriel in 2E 450​

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Kvatch itself in 2E 450 is in a rather precarious position, surrounded by enemies on all sides, and more powerful ones at that. To the east, the ancient rivalry between Kvatch and Skingrad has been rekindled, as not but a month passed after the collapse of the Second Empire before the Battle of Fort Istrius saw Skingrad siege and capture Kvatch's easternmost outpost. To the west, the merchant-kingdom of Anvil dominates the majority of the Gold Coast, growing rich off of trade throughout the Abecean Sea. Although peace with Anvil has been maintained, it is a shaky one at best. Kvatch itself is located extremely near to the border with Anvil, and if hostilities were to break out the city would very quickly fall under threat. To the northeast, the Third Colovian Estates reign from Chorrol to Falkreath, with their current head being King Hieron of Sancre Tor. The Colovian Estates are one of the two strongest states in Cyrodiil, and it seems likely they would attempt to secure the remainder of Colovia before advancing east into Nibenay. The Estates are however an elective confederation much in the vein of the First Colovian Estates, and their disunity is their greatness weakness, one that Kvatch can hopefully profit from. To the south of Kvatch, across the Strid River[1] lies the nation of Arenthia. Expansion into Valenwood is, for the moment, ruled out as a possibility. Having to cross the Strid River only to enter into Tamriel's densest forests and jungles and attempt to subjugate an area of a different race, religion, and culture would be most unwise. Kvatch's most likely route of expansion lies to the north, where a patchwork of independent dukes and counted reign. Linchal, Varondo, and parts of Sutch were once part of Kvatch, however separated during the chaos that came with the collapse of the Second Empire. King Tahm II considers it a matter of personal importance to regain control of this area, him having been responsible for its loss to begin with. The land itself is not the most advantageous to control, the majority being located in the barren Colovian Highlands, however, controlling it would block Anvillian and Colovian expansion into the area. Looking inward, Kvatch itself is rather stable, with King Tahm having kept Kvatch at peace for nearly 15 years. As such, the levies are mostly full, although they suffer from the lack of experience that their neighbors enjoy. The economy is also stable, and if invested into, excavations of Ayleid ruins could contribute greatly to Kvatch's economy. The current King of Kvatch, as already stated, is Tahm Kvinchal II. Tahm was coronated as a vassal of the Akaviri Potentate following his father's and elder brother's death. A skilled magister, Tahm studied at the Arcane University, having not expected to inherit the throne. He was less skilled as a monarch however, and led Kvatch to the previously mentioned loss of land when the Second Empire imploded. Perhaps owing to the training he received at the Arcane University, he was a quick learner, and over the 15 years of peace he has acquired many skills outside the realm of the Arcane, and has excelled in leadership. Perhaps also owing to his studies at the University, there are rumors abound that he has had contact with Daedric Princes. Currently, King Tahm has announced his desire to obtain an ancient artefact, which of course some point to as evidence of his contacts with the Princes. These rumors have yet to be denied by the King, and as such his relations with the clergy is rather strained[2]. In matters of state, he has put particular interest in preparing the fabric of the nation for war, which he believes is the only way to advance north and regain his prestige. He has two sons, the elder and current heir being Prince Molvirian and the younger being Prince Piner of Dirich. Neither yet have wives, however if rumor is to be believed Tahm is currently searching for brides for both his children. There are, however, certain circles which would rather see Prince Piner inherit the throne, claiming he would make a better King than Molvirian. Regardless, the line of succession is secured with two sons, and it is not foreseeable for both to die before their aging father.

The Status of Tamriel at Large:​

After the Second Empire's collapse, they left behind a continent in chaos. Only Morrowind and the Summerset Isle (referred to as Resdayn and Alinor respectively in their native tongues) remained untouched. Morrowind, under the leadership of the Tribunal God-Kings, has been able to remain united, despite the differences between the various Great Houses. As of now, Morrowind faces no direct threat, but all the same it faces no direct threat to anyone, as it is unlikely they will break their millennia long streak of self imposed isolation. House Redoran has made a minor incursion into the Nordic land of Skyrim and House Dres into Argonia, though it is unlikely for this to develop further. The Summerset Isle, on the other hand, has been rumored to have ambitions of unifying the the elves of Tamriel. The common culture and proud heritage of the Altmer people have kept them united through the chaos the rest of Tamriel has seen, and this experience has strengthened the Altmer's often arrogant views of men being a lesser race. The romanticized image a union of all former Aldmer to once again restore elven dominance over man to Tamriel has attracted many, and the unorganized and squabbling states the mainland finds itself in is an easy target. Its first expected targets lie in the forests and deserts of Valenwood and Elsweyr. In Valenwood, the Wood Elves of the province have splintered into a land dominated by large city-states. During the times of the Akaviri Potentate, each city of Valenwood was separated and treated as their own provinces[3]. As such, when the Empire collapsed only the Camorans of Falinesti wished to see a unified Valenwood that wasn't completely under their heel. In Elsweyr, the spiritual leadership of the Mane in Torval managed to see a mostly-unified Elsweyr, however the Mane, Ma'randru-jo, has been docile so far, with few attempts yet to see the whole of the Khajiit unified.

The Summerset Isle, Valenwood, and Elsweyr​

In the other province of a beast race, the different Argonian tribes of Black Marsh have little love for each other, and this has made them an easy target for outsiders to exploit. The Great House Dres has advanced south in an attempt to expand their intake of slaves, and meanwhile the Imperial warlord Adonato Caro has captured the city of Stormhold. With treacherous wetlands protecting its interior, it unlikely that true and complete conquest of the Argonians will occur, however at the same time it is unlikely the Argonians will be able to regain the land already lost unless they unify.

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The Argonian province of Black Marsh​

In the northern provinces of man, the only regions of the Empire to join willingly, the most sheer chaos has occurred there. This is especially true for High Rock, where the bickering Bretons have collapsed the area to a place where the largest nation controls no more than four counties. The Kingdom of Wayrest is the only state with an obvious advantage, controlling most trade throughout the Iliac Bay. It is a strange twist of irony that the uncivilized Orcs of scattered across the mountains of the area have maintained a greater peace. In Hammerfell meanwhile, the common unity experienced by those of Forebear and Crown cultures has disappeared, and the area is no different from their northern neighbors. Rihad and Hegathe have emerged as the strongest kingdoms in the province, meanwhile the mercantile Republic of Hunding Bay looks greedily at the shores of the Abecean Sea. In the northern lands of Skyrim, the province was originally separated into two eastern and western kingdoms once the Second Empire collapsed. This managed to last scant more than than half a decade, before they too collapsed. In the far western border region with High Rock, the so-called Reachmen of the area have asserted their independence from the rest of the Nordic Skyrim. The Nords, often considered barbarians by those outside of Skyrim look down on these Daedra-worshipping Reachmen as lesser, and for how long they can escape the devout and honor-bound Nords remains to be seen. In the actual Nordic kingdoms east of the Reachmen, Eastmarch and Whiterun, the remnants of the eastern and western kingdoms respectively, despite their decline have still maintained their position as the strongest kingdoms of Skyrim. Meanwhile, on the northern coastline with the Sea of Ghosts, the Kingdom of Winterhold reigns, having united with the Pale after the collapse of the two western and eastern kingdoms.

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High Rock, Hammerfell, and Skyrim​

Finally, there is Cyrodiil, the former heart of the Second Empire and the location of Kvatch. Cyrodiil was the last time area to collapse with the Empire, and contains in it its remnants. The Imperial City, the capital of the nearly-unified Tamriel is now controlled by the Republic of the Heartlands under Lord Protector Caius Lex, the former Chancellor of the Elder Council. The northeast region of Cyrodiil is home to many petty warlords and kings, and has experienced an incursion of Nords in the form of the Jarldoms of Frostcrag, Horrunn, and Bruma. The southern coast of Lake Rumare is in a similar condition to that of the north east, split between three petty kingdoms. The far Colovian west is also in this situation, with Anvil, Kvatch, and Skingrad vying for dominance, with the lesser kings of the area nothing more than targets and pawns. Along the border with Argonia and the Topal Sea, there exist a small number of independent kings, but they have few resources and little opportunity to expand. Finally, we have the eastern second Kingdom of Nibenay and northwestern third Colovian Estates. Undoubtedly the two strongest nations in Cyrodiil, as of now no other Cyrodilic nation could challenge their dominance and come out victorious. It seems as though the history of Cyrodiil's next phase shall continue an ancient theme- the rivalry between Nibenay and Colovia. However, this new Interregnum Tamriel finds itself in is unpredictable, and only the Gods themselves know who shall once again claim the Ruby Throne and bring about a new era in Tamriel's history.

​

The Imperial Province of Cyrodiil​

​

​

[1]- The game refers to this as the Cyrodiil-Valenwood River, however Strid is its actual name.

[2]- This is the cynical trait, however, this doesn't make much sense in the Elder Scrolls, so instead the trait will be treated as either disdain for the Gods or a past with Daedra to explain the lesser opinions with clergy, depending on the character.

 

[KaiserKvatch]

Chapter I-I Northern Containment​

​

​

As Nirn entered into the new year of 2E 450, King Tahm II of Kvatch began the year in search of a bride for his still unmarried heir, Prince Molvirian. Molvirian had been a major headache for the King, having caused a variety of rather public scandals over the years. Hiding the multiple affairs with the wives of various members of the King's court was not one of his strong suits, and the informed citizen of Kvatch had heard of these scandals many times. By now, however, with King Tahm aging and Molvirian already to the age of 31, Tahm would not allow for this behavior to continue any longer. The search for a bride for his son began, and eventually the Countess of Ash, one of the many vassals of the Colovian Estates was approached by King Tahm. The countess, Alexa Odiil, knew of Tahm's desire to see Kvatch once again dominate Colovia, and knew a marriage would secure a non-aggression pact with Kvatch for the next two generations. At the same time, Alexa had nothing but respect for King Hieron of the Estates, and he had nothing but disdain for her. Alexa could have possibly viewed the marriage as a way to spite him. Regardless of the reason, at the end of Morning Star(1), Prince Molvirian and Countess Alexa were wed in Kvatch's Great Chapel of Akatosh. Gifts and donations collected from the wedding were sent to King Tahm who promptly had them added to the treasury. Meanwhile, at the same time, King Tahm announced to the realm his intention of hiring a court physician. The search took nearly a month, and at the end a pilgrim of the Eight by the name of Glabor offered his services to the King in exchange for payment. Tahm, however, with his low opinion of the Eight refused Glabor, sending him away.

Left- King Tahm II of Kvatch, 2E 450.​

Right- The marriage of Prince Molvirian and Countess Alexa.​

In First Seed(3)[1], the leader of the Barony of Varondo, Malpenix Luvel, left his realm in the hands of a regent while he went on to join a guild. Varondo was part of County Kvatch before the Collapse, and with the regency taking control, King Tahm II saw the perfect chance to strike. After finishing his studies on military logistics, Tahm felt confident to attack. On the 9th of the month, using the aforementioned fact that Varondo was formerly part of County Kvatch, war was declared. The armies of Kvatch were gathered, and on the 28th of Midyear(6), they reached the county. The army of Kvatch, 1,700 strong, outnumbered what Varondo could raise by over 1,200 men, and when scouts from Varondo reported the amassing advance of Kvatch, a retreat was organized westward, into the Duchy of Linchal, thus preventing the destruction of the army. As the Kvatchi army organized a siege of Varondo, the Vardonese army entered into Kvatch's territory at the county of Trumbe. However, by the time they actually managed to reach Trumbe, the Kvatchi army had already begun the siege of Varondo. Although the Varondese forces proved extremely apt during the siege, the lost time could not be recovered, and when the Kvatchi forces broke Varondo on the 2nd of Sun's Dusk(11), the Varondese were still sieging Trumbe. When Baron Malpenix finally returned from his work with the Fighter's Guild a week later, he saw the Wolf of Colovia waving above his former city.

The Siege of Varondo​

The levies of Kvatch were lowered, although King Tahm had no plans to keep them that way for long. The Colovian Estates had recently involved themselves in a war against the Redguard city state of Rimwatch. The Estates' armies needed to march across the Jerral Mountains into Falkreath and then cross the Dragontail mountains before reaching Rimwatch, and as such the majority of their army was too far away to quickly respond to an attack. This was not, however, Tahm's goal. He knew that sooner or later the Estates would emerge victorious over Rimwatch, and once that happened any invading army would easily be destroyed. Instead, Tahm had his eyes on the state of Linchal. Linchal, also part of Kvatch before the Collapse controlled the county of Ontus. Controlling Ontus would block the Estates' sole route of easy expansion to the far western region of Colovia. With the Estates' army in Rimwatch, they would be incapable of beating Kvatch to Ontus and taking it first. The Kvatchi armies were rested for three months and losses were replaced in preparation for the war. Count Larian Vede's army was much closer in size to Kvatch's, and this time of rest was greatly needed to ensure Kvatchi victory. After this time, on the 31st of Morning Star(1), 2E 451, war was declared against Linchal to regain Ontus. As Kvatch was preparing its army, it was revealed that Baron Albec of Hackdirt was attempting to fabricate a claim on the county of Dirich, an area controlled by Tahm's second son, Piner. When confronted about this, the plot was ended, and Kvatch continued its preparations to march north. By the beginning of Second Seed(5), the army began its trek, however by then the Linchalese army had already entered Kvatchi territory at the county of Trumbe, where they would begin a siege. Having yet to recover from the war with Varondo, the Linchalese armies made great progress in Trumbe, however on the 26th of Second Seed the two armies met. The Linchalese refused to give up the siege when Tahm's army crashed against their rear, and with superior numbers and leadership Kvatch quickly managed to break the siege regardless, and on the 19th of Midyear(6), the Linchalese armies were ordered to retreat.

The Battle of Trumbe​

With the Linchalese retreating, the Kvatchi army began a march towards Ontus. By the middle of Last Seed(8), a siege of the fortress there began. On the 12th of Evening Star(12), the siege was completed, and the army moved to a nearby city. At the same time, the Linchalese army had finally regrouped, and once again besieged Trumbe. By Sun's Dawn(2) of 2E 452, the whole of the country Ontus was under Kvatchi occupation. Shortly before, a mercenary band hired by Linchal arrived in Trumbe to aid with the new siege. As Kvatch prepared its forces to defeat this new force, Tahm's spymaster brought him news that Baron Albec was once again attempting to fabricate a claim on Dirich. Confronted once more, the plot was ended once more, however the fact that Albec had attempted this, it showed that Tahm's vassals were, after nearly two decades, were beginning to present a challenge to his rule. Tahm had suspicions that Albec immediately began work to fabricate a claim once more, however with the war against Linchal still on he had to redirect his focus. The Kvatchi began marching south to once again relieve the fortress in Trumbe, and on the 1st of Rain's Hand(4), the armies once again met on the same field they did the previous year. Outnumbered and with the hired mercenaries having been still preparing its forces for battle, it was a slaughter in Kvatchi favor. When the battle ended on the 18th of the month, Count Larian and his personal guard marched directly to the Kvatchi camp and knelt before Commander Denel, offering surrender.

The Conquest of Ontus​

With that, the Kvatchi armies were lowered, save a small force sent to maintain order in Ontus, and after two years of war the Kingdom of Kvatch had regained much of its lost land, contained the Colovia Estates from western expansion, and have secured far western Colovian for the expansion of the wolf.

The borders of Kvatch following the Conquests of Varondo and Ontus
​

[1]- I know it doesn't look good, but I'm going to include the number of the month like the game does so you don't have to search up the TES months whenever I update.

Author's Note-

Well, that was quite a doozy. I hope I didn't scare anyone off with the whole, y'know, three updates at once. Rest assured though, if you made it this far, I won't be updating like this again save perhaps the AAR's end.

 

[volksmarschall]

Well, I must follow anything in the land of Tamriel and the Elder Scrolls.

I just can't help quoting it, "IT'S YOU, THE HERO OF KVATCH!"

Good luck.
Cheers!

 

[stnylan]

Not scared off.

 

[KaiserKvatch]

Chapter I-II Arcane Development

​

As the final soldiers of Linchal were routed from the fields of Trumbe county, a major development was finalized in Kvatch's northern neighbor. The Third Colovian Estates had, since its inception during the Collapse, been ruled by the Kings of Sancre Tor. With their holdings completely located to the far north of Colovia on the southern edges of the Jerral Mountains and in Falkreath, the late King Tacitan was criticized for focusing too much on the north and too little on the south. These were, however, for the most part, just slander put out by his rivals. King Tacitan was a smart man, obvious by seeing he managed to put the Estates together in the first place, and knew neglecting part of the Estates in favor of his own holding would lead to his downfall in a nation with such lax centralized control. Not so with his son. When King Hieron was elected to the throne, many had hoped him to be just as competent as his father. Instead, it seemed he was indeed allocating more and more resources to his own holdings in the north. When the King took the time to invade Rimwatch to expand the Estates' northern border while Kvatch blocked their expansion into the remainder of actual Colovia, he had to go. In a short civil war, the vassals of Hieron rose up against him, dethroning him and placing King Ilnori Aquilarios of Chorrol on the throne of the Estates. The city of Chorrol became the capital of the Estates, due to the fact Ilnori was the new king. However, it was located directly on the border with Kvatch, and its citizens and nobles had been the ones to raise the most opposition to Kvatch's expansion, being they were the ones with the most to lose. For King Tahm, this meant that his dreams of expansion needed to be held off as long Chorrol remained the capital of the Estates. Instead, internal development would be focused on.

The Banner of Chorrol, the new capital of the Colovian Estates​

As Second Seed(5) began, Tahm sent his councilors across the realm. The first and most important duty assigned was to his Chancellor, Mayor Cosmian of Bethesda. He was sent across the border into the city of Chorrol in an attempt to improve relations with the new King Ilnori. This was central to his plan of continued expansion, with Tahm believing it would prevent Colovian intervention in any future wars. Next, in an attempt to make those future conquests a little quicker and a littler easier, Tahm's marshal and son, Prince Piner, was sent to Kvatch itself in order to organize men for a raid. This would of course weaken the army of whoever was raided, and the gold gained from looting wouldn't hurt. After this, Baron Albec of Hackdirt, the steward, would be sent to Miscarcand to survey the area. Once the capital of the western Ayleids, it was hoped previously undiscovered ruins would be found. Then came the spymaster, Invoker Adrianna of Trumbe. She was sent to the area around Kvatch to explore for any vampire lairs, necromantic channels, and the like. Finally, we have Lord Gregory of Shetcombe, the Court Magister. As Tahm was giving out orders to his council and was overviewing their work, he realized that Gregory was, well, quite incompetent. Absent minded and trusting, he would be fit for his next assignment, and was promptly fired from his position. In his place was hired Mayor Raxle of Nonungalo, the strongest vassal in the newly conquered territories to the north. Although a craven and extremely poor when it came to martial abilities, he was intelligent and quite the negotiator, which was hopefully what was needed for his coming job. The city of Hackdirt was the only province in Kvatch, nay, the entirety of Cyrodiil to have a majority of citizens not follow the Eight Divines. Instead, they worshipped the Deep Ones. Who exactly the Deep Ones were was unknown to anyone outside of Hackdirt, however most assume they are Daedra. Whether lesser Daedra or one of the Princes masquerading as, or perhaps being confused for, something else is unknown, but still, Daedra are the most common theory. Regardless of what they are, they have become quite the problem. In Hackdirt, many years and many resources were devoted to building an intricate network of underground tunnels that connect to every house in the city. Some villagers have been known to disappear, living underground in order to be closer to the Deep Ones. Those who have chosen to do this, known as the Brethren, are rumored to become deformed with large eyes and narrow faces, and attack anyone who they can't recognize as a citizen of the town on sight. Kidnappings of visitors are common, and according to Baron Albec, these kidnappings have become increasingly common after the Collapse, once the caverns were discovered when the city was home to a short battle between Kvatchi forces and a retreating Legion of the imploding Second Empire. It was hoped that Magister Raxle could convert them to the Divines and destroy this problem.

Tahm's council and their assigned duties​

It seemed that the Brethren's reputation was well earned, as in the beginning of Frostfall(10), Magister Raxle was nearly kidnapped when Brethren emerged from the basement of the inn he was staying at. He managed to escape, of course, however it was clear the people of Hackdirt were not taking kindly to him. After this, he was allowed to stay within Baron Albec's estate, and Marshal Piner was sent to Hackdirt with a small army to quell any possible revolt. More bad news was received by King Tahm from his councilors in the form of a letter from his Chancellor. Mayor Cosmain of Bethesda reported back to Tahm that his mission to Chorrol had been failed, as Cosmain's seemingly insatiable hunger had left the humble and vain King Ilnori feeling insulted at more than one occasion when the two were dining. Tahm was of course angered by both of these, but there was little he could do but order them to redouble their efforts. Despite these failures, Tahm felt confident in the security of the realm. King Sorex of Skingrad was off to join the Fighter's Guild, King Ilnori of the Colovian Estates had, after attempting to claim the titles of Shadow's Rest, suffered a small civil war which of course lowered his armies' state, the warlord-King Arctur Dralgoner of Anvil was attempted to invade the Bosmer state of Falinesti, the petty kings to the north were much weaker than Kvatch, and meanwhile the Brethren of Hackdirt were being quieted by Prince Piner. Tahm, still wishing to obtain an artefact, figured now was better than ever to travel to the Arcane University and rejoin the Mage's Guild, in hopes of obtaining an artefact through them. A regency was established, and Tahm set off to the University. The Republic of the Heartland that controlled the city had recently seen pirates and bandits raid and raze part of the city, which showed their neighbors how weak they were. The petty Kings of Virtue, Sejanus, and Pell’s Gate all attacked the Republic, hoping to capture its Lake Rumare coastline on the mainland. As such, Tahm prepared a small regiment of his personal guards to travel with him, however no incident ever occurred. Reaching the University in First Seed(3), 454, Tahm was greeted with a warm welcome due to his previous accomplishments before his father's murder, and quickly let into the Guild. Vanus Galerion, the founder and current Archmage, greeted Tahm as most others did, however, Verandis Ravenwatch, a fellow member of the guild and old accomplice of Tahm, was less enthusiastic. They had never gotten along before, and now was no different. An argument soon ensued, and only stopped when guards were called after both sides summoned Daedra.

Tahm and Verandis shared a mutual hatred for one another​

After this incident however, he began learning in the ways of a spellsword once more, and for the most part proceeded smoothly. After nearly three decades of absence, Tahm's skill impressed those in the Guild, and he once again became rather prestigious in the arcane circles. After a year in the Arcane University, Tahm knew he had to return to Kvatch. When on the 30th of First Seed(3), 455, armies of Virtue crossed onto the Imperial Isle and began to siege the Imperial City, Tahm figured that was a good time to leave. However, he had failed in his original goal of an obtaining an artifact, and this had annoyed him more than a bit. Regardless, when he returned and the regency ended, he was informed of the on-goings of the court while he was away. Firstly, Baron Albec of Hackdirt, with the approval of the regency, had begun construction on a system of roads in Varondo. Many of the roads were still less than optimal due to the war, and as many began to move to the county a better system was needed.

Left- Once Tahm returned, he gave Albec approval for his construction project.
Right- Tahm was growing rather impatient with his inability to claim an artefact.​

Following this, Tahm was given a briefing on the warlord-King Arctur of Anvil. When Tahm had left, Arctur had began an invasion of the Bosmeri state of Falinesti, and Tahm was informed of how the situation had developed- it had failed completely. Despite extreme initial success, once the Falinesti army had prepared itself for battle, it crushed the Anvilians in what, to Anvil, was an alien environment. Seeing their fallen comrades flesh eaten by the cannibalistic Bosmer destroyed the morale of Anvil's army, turning the retreat into a rout. As King Tahm returned, the army was still attempting to flee across the Strid River back into Cyrodiil. Obviously, with a weak army that was yet inside their borders, they were quite the easy target. Moreover, Skingrad's King was still away, and the Colovian King had recently left to join a guild himself, cancelling the threat of an outside intervention. There could have been no better opportunity.

---------------------------------------------------------------

​

Well, I must follow anything in the land of Tamriel and the Elder Scrolls.

I just can't help quoting it, "IT'S YOU, THE HERO OF KVATCH!"

Good luck.
Cheers!

"BY AZURA! BY AZURA! BY AZURA!"

Not scared off.

Heh, this looked A LOT larger while I was writing it.

Thanks to both of you!

 

[stnylan]

So, some useful progression - but the proof of the pudding is in the eating, as they say.

 

[volksmarschall]

What heresy do you speak. By The Nine!

Nice to see things moving. And I must say, I'm getting motivated to play Elder Scrolls again. Ah, it's just a wonderful world. And it's good to see the CK mod of it and the occasional AAR.

 

[Saxon125]

I'm to much of a elder scrolls fan to not read this. Subbed.

 

[Nuada Airgetlám]

The background sounds pretty interesting. Though "Backstory I" has some giant paragraphs that could use splitting into smaller parts.

 

[KaiserKvatch]

Chapter I-III Plagued Conquest

As the warriors and soldiers of the realm were raised, they were sent to group in the city of Kvatch. There, they would meet with King Tahm's main army and march into Anvil. Tahm was a direct leader, and preferred for his army to make up the bulk center. He would, save for in rare occasion, march in front of the main army with his personal guard of battlemages. On the 11th of Hearthfire(9), 455, the Kvatchi army had reached Fort Wariel and began the siege. Anvil had managed to raise a small army, however the zealous King Arctur considered defeating the Bosmer a task of much greater importance, and so Kvatch was left unopposed. Disease plagued the army's camps, however on the 11th of First Seed(3), 456, Fort Wariel finally gave in. The Army of Kvatch then began to March southwest, passing Garlas county and going for Anvil itself. The city fell on the 5th of First Seed(8) of the same year. However, after sustaining another crushing defeat against the Bosmer, King Arctur reluctantly decided to move his army north to prevent Kvatch's forces. The army however was severely outnumbered, and they were instead sent north to liberate Fort Wariel. Kvatch's scouts and spies gained word of this, and marched to Garlas county to battle the Anvillians.

An example of the shield issued to most of Anvil's soldiers and guards.​

They managed to reach Garlas before the Anvillians reached Fort Wariel, and on the 9th of Hearthfire(9), they met. Separated from his guard of battlemages during the fight, King Tahm found himself with his army’s heavy infantry, where he promptly began to study their tactics. The battle would be over by the end of the month, an easy victory for Kvatch. The army was then sent to Jodestone to occupy the county. Bandits and disease became a major problem during the siege, and so an assault was ordered to end it as quickly as possible. By the end of Frostfall(10), Jodestone was King Tahm's. King Arctur, arrogant as he was, still refused to surrender, and so the army was ordered back to county Anvil. By the start of the new year of 2E 457, they had reached their destination, and began to surround the fort of Hrota. Around the same time, the army of Anvil had regrouped and began attempting to regain Jodestone. The Kvatchi occupation garrison in Jodestone defended valiantly, knowing they were but months away from the capture of Hrota. During the siege of Hrota, Tahm's marshal and son Prince Piner approached him. Piner claimed that he had recently been in contact with an engineer and blacksmith who claimed he had invented a weapon capable of shooting projectiles in a fashion much more deadly than bows. Tahm, of course being a mage, is quoted as simply responding "So an enchanted bow?" before sending his son away. Back in the siege, on the 1st of Second Seed(5), 457, Fort Hrota finally surrendered to the Kvatch's forces. Days before this success, the Baron of Brittlerock, Percian Olo, a descendant of the great Bendu Olo, declared war on King Arctur in order to claim the throne for himself. Arctur at this time was at war with three separate nations, and so was more than happy to accept peace from Kvatch the day after Hrota fell. The barony of Hrota was ceded to Kvatch, and Tahm marched back to his palace in triumph.

The Conquest of Wariel​

However, he had little plan to stay there long. During the war, the peace treaty Tahm had signed with the county of Linchal had expired, and Count Larian had established a regency while he left on business of his guild. The Kings of Colovia and Skingrad were themselves still away on business of a guild, and the King of Anvil would not intervene for obvious reasons. Before going to war, Tahm planned to begin training in combat once more. At Castle Kvatch's training hall, he noticed a city guard named Mal who was lacking someone to practice with. Tahm himself had also simply resorted to hitting targets and dummies. Of course, hitting an inanimate object repeatedly was much less effective than training with another person, and so Tahm approached Mal. He agreed, and by the time that training session was over, Tahm had gained a courtier and a friend.

Tahm and Mal bonded during training at Castle Kvatch​

On the 8th of Midyear(6), 457, Tahm figured he had spent more than enough time in the training room with Mal. The soldiers of the realm had been given time to rest and supplies to be restocked. The levies were raised, and the regent of Linchal was sent a declaration of war penned by Tahm. Count Larian returned almost immediately to Tahm's dismay, and, in memory of the last war he fought, sent his army to Trumbe. The Linchalese, it seemed, had been underestimated by Tahm. When the army of Kvatch was finally fully assembled, it outnumbered the Linchalese army by scant more than 100. Realizing he would need any advantage he could get, Tahm appointed one his skilled courtiers, a woman by the name of Flacassia, to commander. Following this, Tahm used his skills as a mage to enchant the weapons of his men. Tahm was, however, planning on a major use of his magicks once the war was over, and so to conserve powers decided only to use lesser spells and enchants, confident that this, when combined with his skilled generals and slight numerical advantage, would win the battle. Trumbe fell before the battle, allowing the Linchalese to completely focus on defense, however Tahm's prediction was correct. When the dust settled on the 29th of Sun's Dusk(11), the Linchalese were once again fleeing from the fields of Trumbe. Kvatch quickly liberated the fort, then began their march into Linchal. During the siege, the Linchalese forces successfully managed to raid Tahm's camp, killing a great deal of soldiers. When the siege ended a Kvatchi victory in the middle of Sun's Height(7), 458, the main Linchalese army had once again began sieging Trumbe. The Kvatchi army in turn once again marched to Trumbe and began to do battle. This time, the Linchalese forces were absolutely crushed. With Tahm's enchantments still working, Kvatch still led by greater commanders, and an even greater numerical advantage than before, as well as many of the Linchalese forces being demoralized from knowing that Linchal had been forced from the same field three times now, the battle was less of a battle and more of a massacre. The Linchalese were quickly routed.

The Slaughter at Trumbe[1]​

However, during the battle, King Tahm began to experience cramps. Figuring this simply to be from him constantly fighting at his age, he simply excluded himself from the battle. However, when he started to suffer from diarrhea, he knew he had an illness. Once the battle was over on the 12th of Last Seed(8), Tahm, cast a spell hoping to discern how bad this truly was. Tahm was satisfied with the results, and instead simply decided to return to the field with his army. However, as Tahm was preparing to March north once more, a courier was sent from the castle in Kvatch. Prince Molvirian, Tahm's firstborn and heir, had been taken by Witch's Pox. Prince Piner would assume Molvirian's place as heir.

Tahm's second son assumed the role of crown prince following Molvirian's death​

Tahm was stricken by grief, and decided to keep himself out of the field for the rest of the war to mourn. Perhaps owing to his weakened state after learning about Molvirian, the very next day, Tahm began developing symptoms of a fever. Although of course still wishing to conserve his magicks, Tahm realized the possibility of him dying, and so cast a moderate spell of resist disease. Now confident in his health and given time to grieve, Tahm decided to continue the army's march, and began to siege the city of Talwinque in county Linchal. As the siege began, Tahm realized he was merely suffering from food poisoning. He regretted having had casted the spells on himself, but there was little he could do about it now. Tahm was, however, treated to some good news- Chancellor Cosmain of Bethesda had finally managed to improve relations with the Colovian Estates. It seemed that the Colovian Regent was much more sympathetic to Kvatch than King Ilnori had been, and was sure to put in a good word with the King about Chancellor Cosmain once he returned. This ray of sunshine through the clouds would not last long though, as a mere few weeks afterward Magister Raxle sent a letter to Tahm informing him that the situation in Hackdirt had once again deteriorated. The Brethren of course, having reacted violently to Raxle’s attempt at conversion, we much less inclined to enjoy martial law, and had begun rising from below the surface to attack guards. A group of Brethren had been reported to have attempted to get into Baron Albec's estate before being slain by guards. Tahm gave the city what troops he could spare to ramp up the enforcement of the marshal law, and promised more once the war was won. Back in said war, things were going glowingly when compared to the internal news Tahm had recieved. On the 28th of Evening Star(12), 458, the siege of Talwinque was completed. Count Larian had fled into hiding, and the regent of Linchal, being the marshal of the nation, knew they no longer stood a chance. The marshal promptly surrendered, much to Larian's ire once he came out of hiding, and Linchal was now, by definition, a government in exile, with the Wolf of Colovia waving over Linchal itself.

The Kingdom of Kvatch following the wars with Anvil and Linchal



[1]- During the battle, the single battlemage present at the battle(the remainder had withdrawn with Tahm) was widely reported as having been slain. When he appeared once more at Tahm's side following the battle, he claimed to have only been knocked out, and used restoration magicks on himself once he awoke. However, with the battlemages being Tahm's personal gaurd and Tahm, as mentioned before, a suspected Daedra worshiper in private, accusations of necromancy or even his guard being disguised Daedra flew about.


---------------------------------------------------------------
​

So, some useful progression - but the proof of the pudding is in the eating, as they say.

Well, looks like we've gotten the proof now.

What heresy do you speak. By The Nine!

Nice to see things moving. And I must say, I'm getting motivated to play Elder Scrolls again. Ah, it's just a wonderful world. And it's good to see the CK mod of it and the occasional AAR.

Nine you say? I know of a few Altmer that may wish to have a word with you.

Heh, same with me. Once I started I figured I might as well go play through Morrowind again. Well, I was going to play Oblivion but then it crashed every time I entered first person because of mods.

I'm to much of a elder scrolls fan to not read this. Subbed.

Welcome aboard!

The background sounds pretty interesting. Though "Backstory I" has some giant paragraphs that could use splitting into smaller parts.

I was afraid I had made the backstory too hard to read, glad you confirmed my suspicions. I edited it, but of course now I feel like I made the paragraphs too small.


Oh, and the next update should bring us to a decade after game-start. I was planning on doing updates on the status of the world (er... continent) every decade, but I figured that, well, being that this is my first AAR and that everyone who's commented so far has A LOT more experience than me, I should ask you guys as to your opinions on how frequently I should make the status of the world updates.

​

 

[stnylan]

Proof indeed of the most tasty sort!

 

[volksmarschall]

Wonderful victory! I've been so caught up with Elder Scrolls nostalgia I've forgotten to say, nice writing and layout to your AAR of course! But I'm sure you inferred as much!

Yeah, I want to go back and close shut the marble jaws of Oblivion now that you've started this!
Well, the Altmer can rock the boat that's for sure. Though they might be justified.

I feel like a total nerd saying this. Did you ever have to complete a book collection you started? Like getting all the volumes of "A Brief History of the Empire" and what not?

 

[Nuada Airgetlám]

I was afraid I had made the backstory too hard to read, glad you confirmed my suspicions. I edited it, but of course now I feel like I made the paragraphs too small.

I've seen varying advice on paragraph lengths, especially for online text. For example, this writer keeps online copy to five lines in length.

 

[KaiserKvatch]

Chapter I-IV Final Reclamation

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As King Tahm returned from his conquests to Kvatch, his first order of business was dealing with the city of Hackdirt. Twice now the Magister, Mayor Raxle, had caused a stir amongst the populace, and twice now Mayor Raxle had forced the Marshal away from the battlefield to impose martial law. The day after Tahm returned to Castle Kvatch, Raxle was promptly fired, and replaced with the young Commander Flacassia. She knew much more of the Divines than Raxle, making her a much better choice for really any situation involving the Magister, and unlike the craven that was Raxle, she was brave, stubborn, and a skilled fighter, perfect for dealing with the Brethren. Shortly afterwards as 459 began, Tahm had recovered from his bout of food poisoning, and things began to return to normal.

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In Midyear(6) of 459, a shake up occurred, as it seemed Magister Flacassia had been a less than optimal candidate for the position than originally thought. She was discovered to have been charging the Divines-worshipping garrison in Hackdirt for blessing, pocketing the money herself. However, Flacassia was still perhaps the most skilled candidate in Kvatch for the job of converting Hackdirt, and was an even greater commander. Tahm begrudging allowed Flacassia to keep the job, however Tahm's still extremely weakened relation with the clergy was ruined more.

Tahm decided against confronting Flacassia​

As the year went on, Tahm was growing increasingly impatient over the fact he had still, after nearly a decade, not yet acquired an artefact. Returning to the Arcane University was not an option, as a Plague of Typhoid Fever had begun to spread across Lake Rumare's shores, and had even killed the Arch-Primate of the Divines himself, and his replacement a mere three months later. Instead, Tahm’s only option was to simply waited for his armies to regain strength. The Kvatchi army was not so ruined from the previous war with Linchal so as to not be able to wage war, quite far from it, however, Kvatch’s council at the time was controlled by glory hounds and zealots. The counties of Crowhaven and Hafar-Sutch[1] could both be easily defeated and conquered by Kvatch, however the glory hounds opposed attacking such weak nations and the zealots refused to war with fellow followers of the Eight. This left three options for Kvatch- The Colovian Estates, the Bosmeri Arenthia, and Skingrad.

The Colovian Estates were much more powerful than Kvatch and an invasion across the Strid River into dense jungle would result in a quick defeat.

The Seal of Skingrad
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Instead, Skingrad was the only real option. The Kingdom of Skingrad to the east had fallen behind Kvatch militarily- at least in numbers. The advantage was small however, and King Sorex II was much more skilled personally than Tahm when it came to matters of war. Tahm's next strategy was to simply wait until the armies had recovered to a comfortable high over Skingrad’s number.

However, in Sun's Height(7) of 460, King Tahm became involved in another scandal around his rumored Daedra worship. Tahm had, while training for battle, summonsed a Dremora. Being the mage that he was, this was hardly out of the ordinary for Tahm, however, the castle blacksmith’s apprentice had happened to be going to the training room to test newly forged axes when he claimed to have heard Tahm speaking with the Dremora, discussing the Daedric Princes. Regardless of whether or not the rumor was true, it spread like wildfire, and shortly afterward Tahm began constructing shrines to the Divines in the county of Varondo and expanded the Great Chapel of Akatosh in the city of Kvatch in an attempt to put the rumors to rest.

Left- The scandal around Tahm's Daedra worship continued to grow larger
Right- Tahm began to fund the construction of shrines in Varondo
Bottom- Kvatch's Great Chapel of Akatosh received gold from Tahm for expansion.​

Shortly after this, in an attempt to improve relations with his non-clerical vassals, Tahm opted to have a spear-throwing contest organized. Tahm was extremely confident in his abilities, and figured it would be an easy way to improve his renown as well. When Baron Albec of Hackdirt emerged victorious at the end of the competition, the lose became the straw that broke the camel's back.

Baron Albec emerged victorious in the competition, much to Tahm's dismay​

Still impatient at his inability to either acquire an artefact or return to the Arcane University, his council's continued unwillingness to declare war on anyone but Skingrad, Arenthia, and the Colovian Estates, and the death of his son, all of these had made Tahm increasingly unpleasant, but now he was nothing less than wroth.

King Tahm has become increasingly unpleasant ​

Tahm had waited long enough by now, and at a meeting of his council on the 1st of Hearthfire(8), 460, Tahm constantly demanded war with Skingrad over the county of Istrius. Fort Istirus had, as mentioned before, been part of County Kvatch before the Collapse, taken by Skingrad shortly afterward. The Kvatchi Council was more inclined to support this type of reconquest than Tahm's usual fantasies of a unified Colovia under his rule, especially with King Sorex's continued absence. Of course, on top of this, the council had originally been the ones pushing for war, but Tahm's rather frequently proclaimed desire to duel anyone who voted against the declaration of war helped it pass unanimously.

Reconquest of Fort Istirus became Tahm's goal​

By the 11th of Evening Star(12), the armies had fully prepared to march into Skingrad's territory. However, before the army could reach the border, Tahm's scouts and spies provided information that Skingrad had hired mercenaries, turning Kvatch's former numerical advantage of 300 men into being Kvatch's numerical disadvantage of 300 men. Although Tahm's magicks were still affecting his troops’ weapons, the ability of Skingrad's commanders were unknown, and 300 soldiers were nothing to sneeze at. So, to be absolutely sure of a victory, Alik'r mercenaries, the Saif Cutthroats, were hired to once again put Kvatch ahead. The extra time needed for the Cutthroats to organize allowed the Skingradian army to go into Kvatch and besiege Fort Shardfock. They made little progress however, and when the Kvatchi army met the Skingradian army on the 4th of Rain's Hand(4), 461, the siege was still ongoing.

As the battle progressed, the absence of King Sorex became increasingly apparent. Still away on duties of the Fighter's Guild, he had refused to appoint anyone commander in his place. Instead, the leader of the Skingradian center attempted to control both the center and left flank. However, the leader of the Skingradian center, the leader of their hired mercenaries, was much less skilled than Kvatch's center's commander, also leader of the hired mercenaries. Left without adequate control, the left flank quickly collapsed and were routed under King Tahm's relentless assault. The center, already failing against the superior might of the Cutthroats, fell as soon as Tahm brought in the left flank to attack. Seeing the rest of the army routed, the right flank withdrew before it would be attacked by the whole of Kvatch's army. After nearly a month of fighting, the battle ended on the 3rd of Second Seed(5), an absolutely crushing victory for Kvatch. With Skingrad's army out of the way, the Kvatchi troops once more marched to Fort Istrius.

The Battle of Shardrock​

Reconnaissance reported that Skingrad had hired another band of mercenaries, however even with their support factored in Kvatch still outnumbered Skingrad by 1,300. The siege of Fort Istirus began near the end of Second Seed, and rapid progress was made. On the 5th of Frostfall(10) the fort caved in to Kvatch's siege, with the garrison surrendering. However, that same day, what remained of Skingrad's army and their mercenaries had crossed the border back into Shardrock and began to besiege the fortress again. King Sorex II had finally returned to lead his army, though Skingrad still found itself at a major disadvantage. Ignoring numbers and Tahm's still active enchantments, King Sorex was still less skilled than the mercenary who led Kvatch's center. The leader of the left flank was similarly worse than Tahm, and the right flank was left under Sorex's control due to the "dismissal"[2] of the two commanders from the previous battle left Skingrad still unable to field a qualified general. Add on top of that the low morale of Skingrad's soldiers due to the word of the last battle, and as the battle began, the Skingradian lines fell quickly. Once again, the battle was nothing but a horrible defeat for Skingrad.

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On the 7th of Evening Star(12), the Kvatchi army reached Skingrad city and began to besiege King Sorex's capital. On the 4th of Rain's Hand(4), 462, the city fell to Kvatch. Sorex was a stubborn one however, and put his faith in the remnants of his army. They then were sent to Fort Istirus in an attempt to regain it, where on the 25th of the same month they were met by Kvatch's army. This battle was extremely similar to the former battles with Kvatch, except this time none of the Skingradian managed to retreat, save King Sorex and his personal guard.

The Battle of Fort Istirus
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Besides them, the entirety of the army was either dead or in chains, with Queen Alexia of Skingrad among those in chains. Sorex reluctantly held on to hope for a month, regardless of how useless it was. He did eventually come to his senses however, and on the 6th of Midyear(6), 462, Kvatch reclaimed the lost territory of the Wolf in full.

The Reconquest of Istirus


[1]- The County of Sutch had, while Kvatch was invading Linchal, split in two. An adventurer by the name of Duvian Abanvel seized the duchy of Sutch and the city itself, forcing to old monarch to flee to the county of Hafar. For a short while, South Sutch and North Sutch, or Sutch and Hafar-Sutch, existed as seperate entities. During the Reconquest of Istirus Hafar-Sutch would be conquered by South Sutch, ending this short period.

[2]- Following the battle their men seized control of them and demanded King Sorex to execute them. Sorex, much more willing to lose two commanders than his entire army, complied.
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Proof indeed of the most tasty sort!

"NOM NOM NOM!"

~Tahm Kvinchal II

Wonderful victory! I've been so caught up with Elder Scrolls nostalgia I've forgotten to say, nice writing and layout to your AAR of course! But I'm sure you inferred as much!

Yeah, I want to go back and close shut the marble jaws of Oblivion now that you've started this!
Well, the Altmer can rock the boat that's for sure. Though they might be justified.

I feel like a total nerd saying this. Did you ever have to complete a book collection you started? Like getting all the volumes of "A Brief History of the Empire" and what not?

Thanks!

I think conquering your country with a giant robot god that murders time counts as a justified reason to hate someone

Heh, of course. Especially in Skyrim with the bookshelves, they had to be filled completely and everything on them had to be the complete collection in the correct order

I've seen varying advice on paragraph lengths, especially for online text. For example, this writer keeps online copy to five lines in length.

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I think I'll just do what that says at the start, as long as it doesn't take 30 lines for a paragraph. If I do end up writing hard to read word walls(*badum tss* ) just comment about it.



Oh, and I completely forgot about the status of the world update while I was writing this I suppose I'll just to go with every 20 years instead of a decade.

 

[stnylan]

Another marvellous morsel to chew on .

 

[KaiserKvatch]

Chapter I-V The Calm Between

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When Kvatch came out of their reclamation of Istirus, it seemed it would once more begin a period of stability, at least as long as the ambitious Tahm allow. The petty counties to the northwest were all unable to even match Kvatch military, Anvil had entered into a regency after the death of King Arctur left a child on the throne, and in the Estates King Ilnori still found himself away on business of the Fighter's Guild. By now, Tahm still felt that his own magicks had yet developed to the point where his planned project could occur, and so, with the knowledge that his Kingdom faced no foreseeable threat, once again left for the Arcane University. The plague of Typhoid Fever that burdened the citizens of Lake Rumare's shores had finally lifted, leaving Tahm confident in his own safety. On the 1st of Last Seed(8), 462, Tahm departed from the Castle Kvatch to once again go to the tower of the Arcane University. Prince Piner, the regent the last time Tahm had left to continue his studies, himself had gone to work for a guild, so instead the unlanded Hieron, spymaster of Kvatch, was left as the regent. Before leaving, Tahm had trained extensively with him Mal, just as a precaution in case something did befall Tahm during his journey.

Tahm practiced and trained with Mal shortly before leaving for the Imperial City​

Once he arrived on the 11th of Hearthfire(9), he once again began studies in the way of the spellsword. Tahm was also greeted by the knowledge that his former rival and Archmage, Verandis Ravenwatch, had been killed during a freak accident involving two frost atronachs and an ogrim. Tahm settled back into life at the Arcane University, hoping he would be allowed to stay much longer than his previous time. After a year training at the university, Tahm was sent a rather unwelcome letter. Penned by his Magister Flacassia, she had been severely wounded by the Brethren while attempted to convert the populace. He was, at the same time, given a letter sent by Regent Hieron. The letter asked Tahm to allow for extra funding of the Great Chapel of Akatosh to allow for the hiring of more healers and purchase of more food for the poor of the city. Tahm wrote back a letter to Hieron allowing for this, as long as the Chapel and the peasants were informed that the various purchases paid for with this gold were a gift from Tahm.

Left- Magister Flacassia continued the streak of failed attempts at converting the Brethren of Hackdirt
Right- Tahm made sure that his citizens knew the gold had been by their benevolent King​

Near the end of 463, Tahm was once more sent a letter, this time from his Steward, Baron Albec. Albec had been sent to Miscarcand in search of possible undiscovered Ayleid Ruins, however what he discovered was much more surprising. A deposit Orichalcum, a metal mainly used by Orcs to forge their signature weapons and armor was discovered. A rare resource, especially in Cyrodiil, this discovery was greatly appreciated. A mine was established, ordered to send the material to the army's blacksmiths for use in weapons and armor.

The rare gray-green Orichalcum was discovered by Steward Albec​

In Rain's Hand(4), 464, Tahm's studies were once again interrupted by a courier sending word of a necromancer in Istirus. This necromancer had, using the corpses of those recently deceased in the war with Skingrad, formed a small army of skeletons and zombies throughout the are, harassing travelers and merchants alike. Tahm sent word back to Hieron ordering him to hire mercenaries and adventurers to find this necromancer and take him out. Just over a month later, the necromancer was captured and sent to Kvatch, where he was then executed. By then, Tahm had made great progress in his training and studies, becoming skilled in the ways of the Spellsword.

Tahm had made great progress in his studies​

On the 1st of Sun's Dusk(11), Tahm was sent another letter from his court, informing him of the death of Baron Albec of Hackdirt. Having contracted Witch's Pox the previous month, the aging Albec had finally fallen to the disease. While appointing his new Steward, Tahm decided to do some minor rearrangements in the rest of the Council as well. Magister Flacassia had yet to recover from her wounds, unfit for the demanding job that converting Hackdirt was. She was dismissed, and in her place, Tahm sent word for Sabrina, the Invoker of Trumbe, to be appointed. The new appointments were quickly given the jobs of their predecessors, however Steward Naspia was sent to survey Kvatch instead of Miscarcand.

The new council of Kvatch​

Back at the Arcane University, Tahm had been wounded during a training match with Mal. Although when it occurred Tahm thought little of it, simply believing it be an accident, when his food began tasting strange, he began to suspect someone might be attempting to assassinate him. Nothing did ever come of this however, and Tahm and Mal remained friends. When 465 ended, Tahm had been sent a letter by his vassal, Lord Mayor Cosmain of Ontus, formerly of Bethesda. Cosmain claimed that the peasants of Varondo had a tradition of a harvest festival, where the people of multiple villages would meet up and celebrate. Cosmain petitioned Tahm to give his support to the villagers in the area, saying that a stronger local culture would bring more travellers and immigrants.

Tahm agreed, and ordered for a donation to be sent. It should also be noted that around this time, the hours in the dark comprised of staring at ancient tomes in a variety of languages has begun to take its toll on Tahm, and by now he has lost his vainness, no longer adorning himself in his finest regalia and instead a robe befitting his rank in the Guild.

Left- The years Tahm had spent at the Arcane University had ended his vainness
Right- Tahm ordered a donation to support the local culture[1]

However, this was not without its benefits. Tahm had made many great strides while at the University. After meeting with the Archmage Molanor, Tahm was promoted to the rank of Wizard in the Guild in recognition of his achievements, which made him nothing short of a Master Mage. More good news was given to Tahm shortly after this, when his Chancellor Cosmain reported that the mission to improve relations with King Ilnori of the Estates had been another success. However, dark news would once again reach Tahm a few months later. Crimson Plague had broken out in Anvil and then spread to Kvatch, however it had burned through and ended quickly. However, Tahm's second son and heir, Prince Piner had fallen ill to the disease. Tahm, unwilling to lose his only remaining son, sent word he was to hire a court physician to cure his son. Eventually, the man who offered his services was a rather peculiar choice. He was known as Calin the Wise, a one-eyed genius who frequently wandered the land. He also happened to be a Sea Elf, a Maomer, from the continent of Pyandonea to Tamriel's south. Calin had been traveling around Tamriel, and was planning to go to Anvil where he would then hire a ship captain when he heard of Tahm's offer.

The wandering Maomer had offered himself to King Tahm​

This man was quickly accepted and paid, although some in the court were more than a little frustrated by the hiring of Elf, especially one from a different continent. Unbeknownst to Tahm in the Imperial City, Prince Piner was among these dissenting voices, and so hired his own court physician to cure him. The treatment went off without a hitch, and Piner was successfully cured. Tahm figured he would eventually still require help from Calin, and so allowed Calin to continue as Kvatch's court physician. Tahm focused his attention back to his studies, and in First Seed(3) of 467, Tahm had become increasingly experienced in his studies, becoming renowned as an expert in the art of the spellsword.

Tahm had become one of the most skilled spellswords in the Mage's Guild​

Another important event occurred shortly afterwards, when King Tahm found himself in the presence of the Count of Virtue, controller of the Imperial Isle. The Count, Valandrus, was a frequent visitor of the University, being a mage himself. However, when Tahm found himself an acquaintance of Valandrus, it was not exactly the most expected of conversations. Instead, it saw Valandrus officially announcing his extensive work in necromancy, and pledging himself to the Ideal Masters. The Ideal Masters were a group of mortals-turned-Gods, ruling over a realm of Oblivion known as the Soul Cairn. Necromancers before becoming the Ideal Masters, the Soul Cairn consisted of the trapped souls of those captured in soul gems. The Masters were known to make frequent contact with mortals, promising them great power in exchange for the souls of mortals. Tahm had come across the Ideal Masters during his studies, and though of course he managed to escape their trickery, he knew of their danger.

The Ideal Masters frequently manifested themselves as either large soul gems or small red gems​

He also happened to notice that Valandrus was carrying a glowing Glass Sword. If Valandrus truly was a worshipper of the Masters, this sword was no doubt enchanted with the soul of something, or someone, exceedingly powerful. In Rain's Hand(4) of the same year, Tahm finally decided to leave the University. His studies had already granted him the powers of a master mage and an expert spellsword, and the threat that living in the realm of a worshipper of the Masters was great. As he returned to Castle Kvatch, he ended the regency of his Spymaster, promptly then informing his Spymaster of his wish to steal the glass sword from Count Valandrus.

Valandrus' enchanted glass sword was surely nothing less than an Artefact ​

As Tahm began to reclaim his courtly duties, he finally felt confident enough in his magicks to begin the plan of his. It was extremely tedious work, but Tahm was assured of its benefits. At the end of each month, Tahm would have the collected taxes of the realm which were paid in silver delivered to Castle Kvatch, where Tahm would then use his magical to transmute the silver into gold. The income of the realm increased twofold, however it did take its toll on Tahm. Shortly afterwards, the blessings he had placed upon his army seemingly ended, as did the boost to his own health.

Tahm, using his newfound skill in the Arcane, would transmute silver possessed by the Kingdom into gold​

Days before the end of 467, grave news reached Tahm. His own son and heir, Prince Piner, had grown impatient. Knowing that a master mage such as Tahm was unlikely to die of old age soon, Piner had hired an assassin to let his succession occur much earlier. Piner was confronted and the plot ended, however Tahm was left awake at night wondering if Piner would truly honor his wishes. Tahm could not let this bother him too much however, as the many years of regency had left the realm wanting. Using the newly acquired wealth Tahm found himself with, he begin funding a system of couriers.

Convinced by the former regent Hieron, Tahm began funding a system of couriers​

The majority of the wealth went to bribing those close to Count Valandrus, however. Little occurred throughout the rest of the year, however near the end of 468 he read perhaps the greatest letter he had yet ever seen. Sent by his Magister, Sabrina of Trumbe, it told Tahm of how the heresy of the Deep Ones had finally been driven completely underground, in the literal sense, in the city of Hackdirt. With the support of the city's population, every entrance to the caverns underneath the city were sealed, trapping the Brethren underground under the end of their days. In celebration of this news, another spear-throwing competition was held in Kvatch. Though Tahm lost once again, the eventual winner, a man named Sintav had impressed Tahm, and he had him appointed a commander due to his martial skills. As 470 neared, a major discovery was made. Another deposit of Orichalcum, once thought to be extremely rare in Cyrodiil, was found in the area surrounding the city of Kvatch by the Steward Naspia. Immediately Tahm sent word for a mine to be constructed, with more weapons and armor forged. Tahm greeted this news with extreme appreciation, for Tahm had goals, many, many ambitious goals for the years to come.


[1]- Ignore the picture.

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Another marvellous morsel to chew on .

And it looks like we shall have many more in the next few years.

 

[stnylan]

Hehe, one hopes the new gold doesn't transmute bact at some point!