The Unjust Empire

Published on the 17th of Hearthfire, 4E200

Written by Juste Écrivain

Introduction

Ever since the Stormcrown Interregnum, the Empire has been slowly losing its grasp on its Provinces. It all started with the Empire’s withdrawal of Morrowind, and then comes the formation of the Second Aldmeri Dominion, post-Great War Hammerfell became an independent nation, and now we have Civil War in Skyrim. Today, the Empire claims that they still hold the Provinces of High Rock, Western Skyrim, and Cyrodiil. The Empire has claimed that all is well in High Rock and that the Empire’s grasp on the Kingdoms is still strong, sadly this is nothing more than false propaganda. The Kingdoms of High Rock have been losing trust and respect for the Empire even before the Great War started, but the citizens of Cyrodiil have little knowledge of this. This is mostly due to the Empire’s Propaganda, and their promotion for a unified Empire, all news that goes out and into High Rock has been tainted by this propaganda and thousands have gone uninformed. I wrote this document to inform the reader of the Truth that the Empire has been holding back from the rest of Tamriel, to inform the world of the ignorance the Empire has shown to its subjects and the injustice it has wrought onto High Rock. I give you the truth behind the Dying Empire.

The Nordic Kings of Jehanna

The people of Jehanna have always had resentment for the Nords of Skyrim. The memories and damage that the War of Bend’r-mahk had caused, was still fresh when the late King Émile Virraud of Jehanna arranged for his only child, and daughter to marry with the son of Skyrim’s High King, Skjalfnir, in early 4E 9. The marriage was celebrated within the king’s court but was seen as a betrayal by the People of Jehanna. Riots raged on within the city for days, the people did not want a Nordic King reigning over a Breton Kingdom. The Riots ended during late 4E 9, but the people were still bitter to the new heir.

Several Lords of Jehanna petitioned the Empire to see this brought to Imperial court. It took months for the request to even be heard by High Chancellor Ocato, and even when the Empire sent a letter to the Lords of Jehanna, they were all disappointed. The Empire claimed that the Case was not important to the Empire’s affairs and that it was to be settled locally, and that the Empire will remain neutral on the subject. This outraged the Lords and a short rebellion started in Jehanna, they aimed to overthrow King Émile Virraud and plant what they called a “Breton Loyalist” to the throne. The Royal Family was killed during the sacking of Castle Jehanna. The rebels were soon crushed by the combined might of the High King of Skyrim, and Virraud’s Loyalists, and the rebellion only lasted for 3 months. The event later came to be known in High Rock as the “Jehanna Contingency”, but was never heard of by the Imperials in Cyrodiil.

Days after the Rebellion was extinguished, King Émile Virraud’s son-in-law, Skjalfnir, took the throne. His reign saw the Jehannese-Farrunic War, where Jehanna annexed Farrun as one of its territories. The Royal Bloodline of Jehanna was now tainted with the blood of their enemies, the Nords, and the people grew resentful even more. The reign of the Nordic Kings saw the incorporation of much Nordic practices, such as their architecture and their arts. This has caused a huge district in the city to be named after the Nords.

The Nordic Tyranny has gone beyond the city walls as well. The Virraud Dynasty of Jehanna has maintained a generally peaceful relationship with the Reachmen to the south of its territories, but that all changed circa 4E 102. The Nordic Dynasty decided that they wanted more land and the only way to get more land was to invade the Reachmen to the south. The Reachmen were co-existing rather peacefully with the Breton Kingdoms hitherto, but when the Jehannese army invaded several Reachmen villages, a lasting war began. The war would eventually drive the Reachmen further east into Skyrim, and would hold the city of Markarth for a short time, but even then the Nordic Dynasty would still want to expand into their lands. The people of Jehanna never wanted this war, before the war they trade goods, and employed the Reachmen to work for them, and there is no doubt that this war has affected Jehanna’s economy greatly.

During the Great War, one of the Nordic Kings, Alftild the Greater, joined the fight against the Aldmeri Dominion, he was slain in the field of battle East of Skingrad, and had no apparent heir to the throne. This caused a short interregnum in Jehanna, and two nobles claimed the throne. Villaire Antoiné, a descendant of the old Duchy of Farrun, and Garrick, one of the High King of Skyrim’s distant cousins. The issue was brought in front of the Elder Council after the war, and it was decided that Garrick was the rightful successor to the throne due to him sharing blood with the late king. Months later Villaire would return to the Imperial City to petition for the issue to be re-examined, but before he could do so he was assassinated in his manor in Farrun. And till this day King Garrick has ruled over the people of Jehanna, who see his reign as unjust, and illegitimate. Whatever the case may be, whether or not the Kings of Jehanna are of Breton blood or not, it is no doubt that the people here have grown bitter of the Empire’s way of handling things.

The Northpoint Compromise

Of all the Kingdoms of High Rock Norhtpoint is probably the one that was plagued most by the vast amount of orcish tribes that live in the mountains south of its territories. Around the start of the first era, Orcish tribes have been known to raid and pillage villages under the protection of the Duke, Havré Personte. The Duke’s army at that time was quite small, numbering less than two thousand guardsmen, and couldn’t be spread efficiently to defend Northpoint’s holdings. Duke Havré would petition the Empire to help them out by sending troops to destroy these Orcish marauders. The Empire replied to the duke, by telling him that they would not want to damage their relations with the barbaric orcs, and that the city would have to fend for itself.

Duke Havré Personte had no choice but to start recruiting more men, and extending the training that they received. This went on for years and by the time of Havré’s grandson’s reign, Kyle Personte, the Duchy’s army had grown to nearly eighteen thousand. With this vast army at Duke Kyle Personte’s command seven Orcish settlements were razed, and two more were abandoned due to fear of subjugation. The attacks made the orcs fearful and the Orcish raids would eventually stop. The Empire took notice on the Duke’s campaign and demanded it be put to a stop. The Empire claimed that the army of Northpoint was threatening the lands of Shornhelm, and that further expansion shall invoke the Empire’s hand. The Duke took the Empire’s warning and returned home a hero.

Years later the Duke and Duchess of Northpoint and Shornhelm would marry and the two Duchies would unite to form the Grand Duchy of Northpoint. As the two Duchies united so did their armies, and now their army numbered thirty thousand men, the largest army any Kingdom of High Rock had. But the size of their army did not impress the Empire, they sent a letter to the Grand Duke at the time stating that, the army be lessened or disbanded, for it was acknowledged as a threat to peace between the 5 major Kingdoms. Even if the Grand Duke wanted to keep his army, he knew that doing so could damage the Duchy’s reputation with the Empire greatly, so the very night that the letter was received, more than eight thousand soldiers became jobless. The Duke stated that their names would be recorded and would be kept as a reserve if the army shall ever need more troops, but the men were never called. This created a surplus of unemployed able men in the Duchy, and since most jobs were filled a large amount of former soldiers turned to banditry. This caused a great danger to appear within High Rock, the army of Northpoint was no longer facing normal bandits, but soldiers, and veterans who had the same training and knowledge of battle as they did.

Years later the Kingdoms of High Rock and Hammerfell signed an alliance, an alliance that would ensure the destruction of Orsinium. Grand Duke Lyon Personte, jumped at the opportunity and dedicated more than sixteen thousand men to help in the destruction of Orsinium. The city was razed and only fifteen thousand men returned, most of whom were wounded from battle. But the men where quickly sent back to the Duchy’s settlements, to guard them from the now well-trained bandits that plagued Northpoint.

During the Great War, the Grand Duke of Northpoint sent around twenty thousand soldiers to fight for the liberation of southern Hammerfell, and the Empire was more than happy to accept the extra-reinforcements. This left Northpoint relatively vulnerable to attacks as they were left with five thousand men to defend their large territory. After the Great War the Empire asked that five thousand of these men stay in Cyrodiil to help supplicate the Garrisons of the cities, until they could refill their ranks. Until this day those five thousand men have shrunk to two thousand, not because of battle, but because of age, the men have either retired or died of natural causes in service to the “Great” Empire.

Northpoint has given much to the Empire who has given little in return, and has bent their whims to fit that of an Empire who knows nothing of its situation. Northpoint still remains the Kingdom with the largest army till this day, since it is the one that needed it most. The Court of Northpoint is well-aware of the compromises that they had to do in order to bend to the empire’s whims, but news of these events have not travelled beyond the city’s walls.

The Camlorn Dispute

Camlorn was the seat of Power of the Mages’ Guild during its time. Thousands of aspiring mages would flock to Camlorn to learn more of the different Schools of Magic. When the Mages’ Guild was disbanded in the 4th Era, Camlorn’s economy suffered. The Mages that once roamed the city and spend their gold at the markets were no more, they had all returned to their homes, or searched for different places to learn Magic. Due to this the city asked for a loan from the Empire so that the city could get back on its feet, but they were denied a loan due to the on-going Stormcrown Interregnum. The Prince of Camlorn, Leotild Veneficé, who was a known sorcerer, founded the Veneficé University of Camlorn, an organization that filled the role of the Mages’ Guild for a short time. The money they gained from the university was used to improve the city’s other sources of income, such as cheese making and winery, as they have for centuries. The University attracted Mages to return to Camlorn to learn, but it would attract more attention than they would’ve hoped.

The Newly founded Imperial organizations, known as the Synod and the College of Whispers, heard of this establishment and hoped that it would assimilate to their ranks. Both Institutions vied for Leotild’s favour but to no avail. Leotild was a stubborn man, and stated that he could handle the University’s affairs on his own. The Synod then tried to get the Prince’s heir’s favour, Lady Aville Veneficé. The College of Whispers continued to try and persuade the Prince to join their ranks, when the Synod already had the favour of the heir, all they needed now was for the current ruler to disappear.

In a few months after the Synod and the College of Whispers arrived in Camlorn, Prince Leotild Veneficé was found dead in his quarters at the University of Camlorn. The investigation did not last long and no culprit was ever discovered. Though the events that would follow would all be to the benefit of one organization, the Synod. Lady Aville Veneficé took her father’s throne and was crowned Princess of Camlorn, and the University of Camlorn became the headquarters of the Synod in High Rock.

The Empire’s hold on Camlorn may be strong but it is an unjust one indeed. One founded on the assassination of one of Camlorn’s great leaders. The one holding the Empire and the Principality of Camlorn together is little more than the Synod, without them Camlorn would be better off an independent nation.

The Fall of Wayrest

The Fall of Wayrest is the only event here known beyond the Province of High Rock, and for good reason. The destruction of a Breton Kingdom is not an uncommon thing, the destruction of a major Breton Kingdom to the Hands of Corsairs is another thing all together. But corsairs alone could not have been the sole reason for the fall of Wayrest, but the end result of a long and disastrous decline.

It all started in 4E 11, in the first year of the Stormcrown Interregnum. The King of Wayrest, Jean Clermont, who was also a part of the Elder Council, had a claim to the throne. Jean Clermont took half of Wayrest’s army, a mere three thousand men, and set sail towards Cyrodiil. Unfortunately for Jean, the King of Daggerfall also had a claim to the throne, and Daggerfall controlled the only way out of the Illiac Bay. The Army of Jean Clermont, met in a bloody battle in the Illiac Bay east of Daggerfall. King Jean Clermont’s Army was devastated, where they had left with three thousand men, only four hundred returned to Wayrest. The King was shamed by his defeat, and Wayrest was left vulnerable to attack due to the shortage of soldiers to defend it. The Kingdom’s coastal settlements would then become a prime target for corsairs, and pirates that roamed the Illiac Bay, for years.

When Titus Mede I became emperor , he demanded compensation, from his competitors from the throne, the fee demanded by Mede left Wayrest in an economic crisis for a decade before their economy stabilized again. King Jean Clermont knew that he would need to rebuild his army so that Wayrest’s settlements could be safe again, but the Kingdom’s treasury was still recovering from the crisis. Around 4E 33 the aging King imposed the Compensation law, which would give higher taxes on all the citizens of Wayrest. This outraged a large majority of the Kingdom’s citizens and the “Compensation Revolt” began. This caused the city to go into chaos, as the revolt went on the now “stable” economy of Wayrest went lower than ever before. The King asked the Empire for the soldiers necessary for the defence of Wayrest, but the Legion came a little too late. The Revolutionaries eventually breached the palace of Wayrest, only to see that Clermont had committed suicide in his chambers. When the Legion arrived they retook the city from the revolutionaries, and placed Clermont’s heir to the throne, who was absent from the palace during the revolution’s course.

The Empire became the pillar to the weakened, Clermont dynasty for more than a century. The people of Wayrest saw the Clermonts to be proof of Wayrest’s weakness, and looked upon them with shame. During this time the Kingdom of Wayrest, became nothing more but a puppet of the Empire, and Wayrest was looked upon with shame by its neighbours, for being too dependent on the Empire.

Then came the razing of Orsinium, it was Wayrest’s chance to reclaim its lost glory. They sent an army of eight thousand men, to help in the city’s siege. The Army was led by King Clause Clermont, and General Icarus of the Ninth Legion. Wayrest’s army was crushed in the battlefield south of Orsinium, and only Imperial Legionnaires returned to Wayrest, the King himself was killed during the battle. The city’s streets were now guarded by Imperial Legionnaires, rather than the remains of Wayrest’s small army, now numbering just over a thousand men.

Years later, during the Great War, the Ninth Legion abandoned Wayrest, leaving the city to be guarded by its army of only two thousand men. During this time the Corsairs grew more and more bold, sacking more than just minor settlements, but even raiding merchant ships leaving and entering Wayrest’s ports. Ten years after the Great War the Ninth Legion never returned to Wayrest, and the city’s holdings became a hotspot for corsair activity, this continued on till the last years of the Kingdom of Wayrest.

In 4E 188 the city was laid siege to by a large army of more than eight thousand Corsairs and Pirates, who came from all over Tamriel’s western seas. The city’s garrison of only two thousand men were no match for the Corsair Army and where soon overwhelmed. After days of fighting, the Kingdom of Wayrest was no more, and its former holdings either returned to being minor states, or faced the same fate as Wayrest did. This left tens of thousands of refugees from Wayrest scattered across High Rock, noble and commoner alike. Till this day the survivors of the Fall of Wayrest think bitterly of the Empire who failed to help them when they had need of it the most. The Corsairs have formed a small independent Republic in Wayrest, and it is only now that the Empire reacts to this. But even if Wayrest is retaken by the Empire, the trust of the Breton people to the Fourth Empire is lost.