Illegible... And in the 2200 year of the First Era a most catastrophic plague was unleashed unto the innocent inhabitants of Tamriel. The Thrassian epidemic smote over half the continent's population, demanding retribution. Illegible... Some sixty years later the western king of Anvil raised an allied armada adamant on destroying the Sload once and for all. Illegible...

The year was 2250 when King Bendu Olo issued a province wide edict to deforest the West Weald and beyond in an effort to build the largest Imperial navy ever seen. The felling of any pine or oak was outlawed and punishable by death, lest it be sanctioned for the "armada agenda." This led to the northern pine riots in the Jeralls, so a tax was levied on commercial lumber and the mountain barons were coerced into restoring public order. With internal strife quelled, King Olo dispatched riders to every province, assuring them his endeavor was not a prelude to war with Hammerfell, High Rock, Valenwood or Skyrim. With those riders was a covenant signed in the blood of Bendu's infant twin sons, inviting any and all to join his righteous cause. Within a year the king's proposition was answered by nearly every corner of Tamriel. Colovian cogs with Strident captains horned and bearded, elven xebecs with rainbow sails, Breton ketches and their feather encrusted sea dogs, Redguard carracks (precursor to the magnificent galleons of the 2nd Era) and Argonian slaver galleys, all pledged an oath of fealty in combating this common foe. Half of Anvil's coast was sunk and made into dry docks in preparation for the glorious host. In less than a decade the deforestation had produced a fleet of ballista and onager trieres as far as the eye could behold. If the ships had been lined fore and aft one after another, they would have reached from Skingrad to the Imperial City and back!

The Redguard captains arrived first, singing and twirling like an operatic number. Ships emblazoned with silver forecastles and figureheads cut through the Golden Coast's fog, anchoring in the deepest fathoms of Bendu's bay. Breton admirals reported next, never to be outdone by their southern neighbors. A Cyro-Nordic moot was held, despite protests from the foreign commanders and the Imperial king was deemed fit to lead the "All Flags Navy" into battle. The (now legendary) name was proposed by a Bosmeri free-man, after he had counted the standards of every ship and noticed only the Khajiit were missing. A slight the cat folk still anguish to this day. But their absence is understandable considering their lands had been hit the hardest by the Thrassian outbreak.

After the logistics were calculated, a battle plan was drawn up by the Baron-Admiral.

The enemy would rely on mercenary ships from around the Abecean, as the Sload hadn't the stomach for seafaring. Morale rises and sinks like the tide with ships for hire and Bendu knew he could scatter the mercenaries with a simple show of force. Once the hirelings had routed, the Systres of Thras would be uncontested and allow a full on assault. In the off chance intimidations didn't prevail, the Forebear carracks would create a long line and engage the enemy's exposed front. Ketches would form a skirmish line around the Redguard's line, as their swift vessels could weave between the hulking hauls without the need of prevailing winds. Alteration magicka provided all the inertia needed for most of the Breton ships. Elves and Argonians would lie in reserve, accompanying Bendu's Flagship and flanking the vanguard, respectively. He knew to keep his allies close, but his merish allies even closer.

Once the mercenary fleet was defeated, the lizard-folk - and the pirates that accompanied them - would advance and take the beachhead, as the Imperial ships bombed the coral ramparts from afar. With the main island engaged, a Breton/Aldmer detachment would sail through the great reef and lay siege to Vandor. A risky plan as there had never been a simultaneous invasion of any archipelago the size of Thras. The elves found this strategy maniacally egotistical and foolhardy.

Regrettably for them, the king was as superstitious as he was bold and the Highland augurs only foresaw a decisive victory after a pair of eagles were seen courting over the fleet's flagship one morning. Two raptors clutching in coitus is a very fortuitous sign within Colovian divination and represented the Baron-Admiral's twin sons, or so the High Auspice supposedly told Bendu. Dual eagles were interpreted as a successful dual invasion and the king's mind would not be swayed, especially by elven "pragmatism." His sons were now eleven years of age and deck cadets on their father's massive tessarakonteres; a forty-rowed behemoth that was as slow as it was intimidating. It was said the king coveted his children's affection more than anything - including mead - which makes this next legend all the more controversial, teetering on improbable.

As our first mythos goes, the king was so filled with pride and vigor that he declared himself official Emperor of the entire Heartlands and was recoronated on his ship, now called The Kingmaker, in honor of Ysmir Wulfharth (which contradicts other sources, giving the flagship's name as The Olaj, in honor of his dubious relation Olaj Olo: demi-god of mead and companion in Ysgramor's Five Hundred).

When the ceremony was complete, he brought his sons to the quarterdeck and produced a ruby dagger. He slit both of their throats and threw their bodies into the bay as a sacrifice to Kyne. This rash decision was an attempt to gain favorable weather for his invasion, but produced the opposite effect. When the navy arrived in the Sea of Pearls, Kyne let her disapproval take form and destroyed a thousand ships before they could reach the shore.

While the factuality of that rather barbaric tale is still up for debate, we do know that there are no records mentioning his children after the year 2260. It is possible they died during the invasion, though unlikely considering the Kingmaker/Olaj took no casualties. Perhaps the truth lies somewhere in between the myth and bad accounting. Though it sounds more like elven propaganda to me. Illegible...

Illegible... The fleet took sail on the Merchants Holiday, which was celebrated on the 11th of Sun's Height in those days. Determined to reach Thras before the new moons of Last Seed, the Olaj (for brevities sake) had to be towed by the Redguards, as even its forty man rowing crew of enormous beast slaves could not keep pace with the king's demands. Illegible...

Illegible... He was surprised to hear that no sailors of fortune were spotted by the Bosmer scouts, but deployed his ships as he had planned a month before. Carracks formed a line (inventing the ship of the line tactics still used in Hammerfall) and welcomed their ketch support that careened in betwixt them. A vanguard was formed in front of the line by the privateers and was flanked by Argonian galleys. This formation sat at the edge of the inner Eltheric, awaiting Bendu's orders. Illegible...

In this time it was customary to carry all of the captain's valuables in a smaller dinghy, towed behind the larger ship in case of a fire. This was an opportune time to start a game of one-upmanship that the Imperials couldn't resist playing. Great trunks, both wooden and ivory dotted the armada's margins, anchored by fine jewels and coins deep enough to nearly capsize their skiffs. Among them was a pirate ship that dared to participate in this rivalry of pomp. It begat a longboat filled with uncut gems and ornaments so fine the other captains were humiliated and drew their treasure troves back on board their vessels. Our second mythos has less filicide, but is a lot more fanciful.

A Maormer fable tells of the immortal King Orgnum arriving in a magical water chariot pulled by sea serpents. At the sight of the pirates' magnificent cache, Orgnum creates a raft of foam and places on it the entire wealth of Pyandonea. The cavalier corsairs see this and depending on who you hear the story from, either fire their scorpions at the Maormer chariot and are sunk in retaliation, or scuttle their own valuables in a wasteful display of superiority. I truly doubt however that there were any Maormer at the Battle of Thras, much less an entire civilization's treasury.

Illegible... A great necromantic maelstrom enveloped the navy as they entered the Sea of Pearls. Many ships ran aground or were lost, never to be heard from again. One third of the host fell to the Sload's unforgiving gulf and another third were put out of commission and required repairs. However, the remaining third still numbered in the hundreds and the assault commenced undeterred. Illegible...

Illegible... The allied forces' magic destroyed and sank Thras in such a manner that many saw the chaotic conclusion as excessively brutal and ideologically unholy. Redguards were affected by this so much they banned mages from naval combat entirely - a tradition that is still unofficially enforced and championed. This led to an increase in ballistic technologies that carried well into the 2nd Era, culminating in the grand cannoned galleons first seen in the middle Common. Bretons clearly perceived a gap in their defenses which started an arms race that persists to this day. Hammerfell's gunboat design gave way to the gun-carrack, while the Breton's ballista ketch gave way to the bombard ketch and so on. Buccaneers and sea brigands eventually realized the advantage of manning their vessels with weapons anybody could be trained to use, ushering in a new era of piracy. Even the legendary hedge pirates of the Topal were succeeded by cannonade frigates for a brief period.

A more immediate ramification would be the exploits of Baron-Captain Olsian Guy Mard of House Guimard. During the invasion he was mentioned in the dispatches and received recognition from Bendu Olo himself after successfully leading the siege of Vandor. Afterwards he created a remnant out of the Breton/Aldmer survivors and sailed to the Isle of Errinorne in the Auridon island chain. Long had an independent Sload garrison harassed trade and commerce between Skywatch and the isles. With all of the tact that his noble house was known for, Olsian ruined the skeleton encampment, putting an end to the slug-folk once and for all. Illegible...