» Mon Oct 11, 2010 3:42 am It was all supposed to get better after the Oblivion Crisis…
One Year after Martin Septim saved Tamreil from the pending Daedric doom; the elder council declared that the fourth era had begun. Celebration swarmed the streets; hope filled the air like the smell of honey on a warm summer’s day. Unity, perseverance, and faith held the empire together as it began to rebuild. But, the economies of the provinces had been worn thin by the crisis, and the Elder Council couldn’t make effective decisions because of mixed interests. Reconstruction was slow, agonizing, and setback after setback prevented there from ever being a full recovery.
About ten years after the beginning of the fourth era, it was decided that the elder council could not rule Tamriel effectively, and it was decided a new emperor needed to be coronated. High Chancellor Ocato was the obvious first choice, but in a surprising move he turned it down and retired from political life. The Champion of Cyrodill was also quick to turn down the throne, also retiring to a life of peace.
After about 2 years of searching, 2 candidates for the throne were put up: Xavier Rex, A skilled Imperial councilman who had a fought at the battle of Bruma and took Ocato’s place as high Chancellor, and Terimas Servan, a Dunmer lord who had been a political figurehead in all of Tamrielic affairs for nearly one hundred years and had become a living political legend.
What had become quite apparent to the people of Tamriel, though, was that whoever they chose as their new emperor was going to show bias to their race in where the scarce funds for rebuilding would mainly go, despite the leaders saying of “Equality and fairness in reconstruction funds”. So the election came to a split: Cyrodill, Hammerfall, and Skyrim supporting Rex and Valenwood, Morrowind, and Summerset supporting Servan. High Rock had become so split politically over the election the Orsimer actually seceded and formed the province of Orsimium. With Blackwood and Elswyer showing a neutral vote, the election came to a standstill.
Then the day that would change it all came. Hearth Fire 14, 4E 13. Everyone knows where they were when they heard the news Servan had been murdered, and since Rex was the only candidate left, he was emperor. The elves were enraged, claiming it was a setup by the imperials to get their man in the throne. Riots and violence began to break out amongst the elves and the men. The newly crowned emperor renounced the elves violent behavior and insisted that they would be treated fairly.
To no ones surprise, Cyrodill got most of the promised gold for reconstructing, with a badly beaten Morrowind getting the least. Morrowind, which had experienced a devastating riot in Vivec from a mysterious cult, was furious from the lack of support. They demanded help or they would secede. The emperor did not grant the help. Morrowind seceded from the empire in 4E 15.
Tension grew even higher between man and mer, with the beast races becoming more reclusive as tension grew. Elswyer closed off its borders to immigration to stop the massive inflow of people into the province to avoid what was obviously the beginning of conflict. Black Marsh began to attempt to get rid of imperial missionaries so it would not appear as though they were supporting them. Black marsh also became a haven for argonian refugees who did not want to be caught up in the current events.
The powder keg exploded between man and mer in 4E 21. In order to streamline decision making, the emperor disbanded the elder council and made himself the only decision making man in the empire. The Altmer, Bosmer, and Orcs joined with Morrowind in secession and created the Empire of Mer, with the remaining provinces held under the emperor’s flag. The empire threatened the mer with war if they did not rejoin the empire in 1 week. In this week, both sides amassed a large army, both knowing how this was going to turn out. Both sides expected a quick, decisive conflict.
The mer struck first, going straight for the heart of the beast: the Imperial City. The empire, expecting this, had amassed their army at the city and met the mer forces at the gate. What was expected to be a quick, decisive battle lasted 10 long years. The war itself would last 150.
One hundred and fifty years of brutal war. Entire generations were wiped out in the conflict. Cities were reduced to rubble in the battles wake. It was terrifying. While at first, the war helped the weak economies of both sides, eventually the prolonged conflict put them into even further debt. Both sides had reached a bloody stalemate, and neither side was showing any signs of surrender.
The Empire soon began to show a deep mistrust of the mer, and created the “Loyalty Clause”. This document was given to any elf who was still a member of the empire, and stated that “They would renounce their elven heritage and become a full standing member of the empire.” It would force them to change their elven name to a more common imperial name and, in a sign to show they were allied with the empire, snip the tips of the loyal elves ears, making them appear more humanlike and rounded.
Most elves refused this, and were sent to “loyalty camps”, which were intensive labor camps that built weapons and armor for the imperial war machine. The elves were forced to live with very little food, intense working conditions, and were often subject to the local guarding camp garrison’s brutality. Many elves died before they spirits finally broke and the signed the loyalty clause. As soon as they signed the loyalty clause, any prisoner of these camps was set free. But many refused, holding on to their elven heritage. The mer army knew about these camps though, and would oftentimes raid the camps to free their elf brethren trapped inside.
Then, the last ten years of the war became the bloodiest. Morrowind launched a surprise assault on Skyrim and forced it to surrender. They then tried to launch an attack south on Cyrodill from Skyrim, but the badly outnumbered blades at Cloud Ruler temple were able to hold off for over a year against the superior force before they were finally rooted out. This gave the emperor time to move out from the imperial city in secret and into the Hammerfall capital of Sentinel. The elves had gathered a massively large force of most off all four armies to stack the imperial city. At first it seemed like an easy victory for the elves, but what they didn’t know was that the imperial city was a trap, and that the real army was waiting to surround them. The army of the empire pulled off their trap without a hitch, and had surrounded the elven army and after a massively bloody battle, the elven army surrendered and was sent to prisoner of war camps. The next 8 years of conflict the now very superior army of the empire rooted out the elves one province at a time, until they finally surrendered and joined the empire again.
Even after this, nothing got better. Almost every major city had been ravaged by the war. Then the great winter came, and most of Tamriel's crop was killed in the bitter cold that lasted almost all year. The economy was totaled by the war, and reconstruction came to a standstill. Hundreds of soldiers were left unemployed by the war’s end, so many turned to banditry.
The Major Cities of Tamreil were left in ruin, much like Kvatch was during the oblivion crisis. Only a few of the very large cities, such as the imperial city, were still recognizable. Even the imperial city, though, is a shadow of its former self. The walls are collapsed, much of the city is in ruin, and only the Statue of Akatosh and the white gold tower remain recognizable in the city. Small towns with only a few tents for houses have become common in the empire, since staying in one place is oftentimes the most dangerous thing you can do.
The Elven states were left in even further disrepair. The empire, because of the fact the mer had been their enemies for 150 years, decided it was best to punish the elves for, according to the emperor, “Starting the war”. The elves were outraged, but had not choice to accept. Now, almost every elven city is a giant ruin, infested by monsters. And the Elven provinces have become a burnt, war-torn landscape. Many elves have become wandering nomads, or have tried to rebuild the ruins of some cities. Many elves are forced to, much like mankind; live in sewers to avoid the bandits and monsters.
Black marsh and Elsweyr were not exempt from this doom because of their neutrality. Oftentimes fires started in the warring provinces would creep into the Beasts country and continue to grow there. Now, even Black Marsh and Elsweyr have become a charred, bleak landscape, with many cities burnt down. The Kajiits panicked at this, and many abandoned their homeland. Mostly only tribal Kajiits remain, fericly loyal to their home. The Argonians, on the other hand, quickly adapted to their condition, and many of the tribal Argonians are just as efficient hunters in the burnt forest as they were in the swmap. In fact, some of these Tribal warriors have become some of the best fighters in all of Tamreil, and have become quite popular as guards for caravans to Hammerfall.
Only 1 province was able to stay intact after the war, and that was hammerfall, where the emperor, Octavious Rex, now resides. The cities have become overpopulated, with the poor refugees living in extreme poverty and the rich living in extreme wealth. Sentinel, the now capital of the empire, has expanded 3 fold the size of what it once was in order to accommodate the rapid population growth. People from almost every province will attempt to make the perilous journey to hammerfall, often guarded by fighter’s guild members. Still, few rarely make it there because of constant bandit attacks and ambushes by ferocious monsters.
Soon hundreds of bandits scoured the landscape, raiding small settlements and stripping them of food and gold. It became a huge issue, to the point the empire attempted to put the legion in charge to stop it. But this didn’t work. The bandits had the legionaries outnumbered in numbers, and soon the legion was at the brink of destruction. The once beautiful Cyrodill had become a burnt, bleak landscape. The other provinces were left in a similar manner, even neutral Blackmarsh and Elswyer. The imperial city’s white gold tower stood tall above the cities broken walls and rubble. Many citizens of the imperial city had resorted to living in the sewers to avoid the dangers of life above ground. Still, life in the sewers was hard. Monsters had become more common, and every day the populace is fighting disease, monsters, and even sometimes each other.
It is ten years after the end of the Great Civil War, and Civilization as we know it seems on the brink of anarchy and destruction. From bandits, monsters, and harsh conditions, civilization barely clings on. So, in secret, a group was formed. They were known as the Guardians. Guarding what is left of society from threats, they are the best warriors in all the land. They are few in number, and extremely reclusive, but they are among the best warriors in all of Tamriel. Guarding over society as a whole, they eliminate threats to society using their skills as assassins, warriors, or mages. Then, once the threat is eliminated, they disappear. As some say, they are Tamriel’s “Guardian Angels” As more and more things threaten Tamriel’s doom, these warriors' numbers seem to dwindle. Now, they are out recruiting new men and women into the fold, for they fear something else, something menacing, is on the horizon of a bitter new dawn.
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