The Clash of Princes

Penned by Sir Rivalen Mothril, Knight, East Empire Company.

In the last chapter, I outlined the rise of the Colovian Titus Mede from mere mercenary warlord to High Regent of Colovia and the inevitable response of Nibenay, who themselves, raised up their own warlord, Eddaril Olin as Great King of all Nibenay. Now, as 4E 18 arrived, the stage was set for the fated clash between the two Imperial aspirants.

4E 18 – The Red Jewel of Rumare

There is one sovereign ruling at this time that has not been mentioned. He was the Magelord Thules ‘the Gibbering’ Draconis. Thules was a fairly potent mage and has been reliably identified by the Penitus Oculatus as a former member of the infamous necromancer cult that had arisen under the control of certain “Mannimarco” during the Oblivion Crisis. It is widely attested in the records of the Penitus Oculatus, and by various constructions that remain throughout the Imperial City, that Thules was a devout worshipper of the shadowy deity known as the Worm King.

As such, the hallmark of his rule, which began no later than First Seed 4E 15, but may have lasted from 4E 13 until his death, was an implacable and effective enmity toward the Mages’ Guild; it was chiefly due to his work that the central administration of the Mages’ Guild, already weak from their exertions during the crisis of 3E 433 and their strength further whittled by bitter infighting for the post of Arch-Mage, finally collapsed. Thules had his cronies, who were almost certainly former members of the Necromancer Cult, hunt down and kill any and all high ranking members of the mages’ guild he could find in the Imperial City. He was wont to sacrifice them in vicious spectacles in a grand underground sanctum he had constructed in worship to his beloved King of Worms. The chamber is still extant in our time. Eschewing the White Gold Tower, Thules had the archmage’s quarters at the Arcane University turned into his personal seat. Despite Thules’ perversions, he ensured his necromancers conducted their vile experiments outside of the view of the Imperial Citizens, to whom Thules was pleased to show the face of a congenial and morally righteous Nibenese Battlemage.

As such, since Thules worked tirelessly to combat crime (though a number of “criminals” were in fact high ranked guild mages), was very well educated and sophisticated, was considered to be of excellent breeding, patronised the arts, kept trade flowing and he gave lavishly to charity, there was little push from inside the Imperial City to remove him. He was quite widely popular in all quarters.

But Thules’ popularity did not extend beyond Lake Rumare. Nor had he managed to eliminate all the high ranked magisters of Cyrodiil. One faction gathered itself in Leyawiin, under the leadership of two powerful Arch-Mages, Hierem and Dagail. This faction, which included many like-minded luminaries from across Tamriel, called itself “The Synod’” In general, they take a dim view of conjuration and necromancy. They believed that Hannibal Traven, who had infamously outlawed necromancy, had in fact been correct, disastrous though his actions were to the guild.

In opposition to these luminaries, headquartered in a newly constructed ebon tower of fearsome visage, constructed in Bruma, gathered another band. Led by powerful a number of powerful conjurers, most notably the Arch-Mage Fathis Aren, exiled from Bravil, moderate necromancers and other mages who felt that Traven’s actions had doomed the study of magic, this ‘College of Whispers’ became more and more opposed to the growing power of the Synod as time went on. Ulene Hlervu, once court mage of Cheydinhal, was also counted amongst this brotherhood, as were a number of exiled magelords from House Telvanni. The College has always been the more shadowy and mysterious of the two groups. Although the College of whispers has always proclaimed its obedience to Imperial Law, neither the Penitus Oculatus, The Vigil nor the Thalmor are known to have infiltrated this group to any great extent and its strengths remain largely an unknown.

Each of these groups viciously jockeyed with one another for primacy in the study and practice of magic, first in Cyrodiil, then, later, throughout the Empire once the political situation began to settle. Ironically, despite the commonfolk’s fear of ambitious mages, it was the political jockeying of these many Arch-Mages, which eventually helped bring about the end of the fissure of Cyrodiil once and for all.

When High Primate Tandilwe had crowned Eddar Olin on the shores of Lake Arrius, she was in fact not the sitting High Primate, but an exile from the Temple of the One, having discovered Thules’ secret perversions. As anti-Primate, Thules raised up a bigoted shrew named Alessia Ottus, who had previously been notable only for a series of tasteless guidebooks to Cyrodiil and the faith of the Divines. However, unlike Tandilwe, Ottus was devoid of even a shred of intelligence and was unlikely to discover his secrets. As such, despite her unparalleled bigotry and the harsh measures she tried to impose on the faith and the faithful, she made the perfect dupe for the ruthless Arch-Mage.

Tandilwe fled to Leyawiin, where her sister Hlidara Caro was Archoness of that city-state. Here the Archoness managed to convince her elder sister that it was in their family’s best interest to crown Eddar Olin as Great King of Nibenay. Elevating Olin would indebt the tyrant to the Mothril sisters and to Leyawiin, make him the logical choice to retake the more Nibenese leaning Imperial City from Thules, and would mean the restoration of Tandilwe as High Primate. Correspondence recovered from the Archoness’ personal secretaries indicates that if Olin became a threat to the rule of her husband, Archon Marius, Hlidara had several contingencies in place to have the King of Cheydin meet another unfortunate accident; she was in contact with Olin’s patrons in House Indoril and other separatist power groups, who were appalled at the notion of a restored Empire.

The lady of Leyawiin had numerous resources in play within the Synod and within the rest of Nibenay itself to achieve her aims. For some time, the Synod had been releasing counterintelligence into the Imperial City suggesting that a number of dark artefacts were kept in the sanctum of the College of Whispers. These tales of artefacts were of course fabricated to perfection, tempered just enough that Thules the Gibbering would be incapable of resisting the temptation of retrieving them. These were artefacts such as the Necromancer’s Amulet and the Bloodworm Helm, artefacts known to be sacred to Thules’ perverse faith in the God of Worms.

Though the Mothril sisters enacted their plan, gaining Leyawiin a very favourable commercial treaty and political treaty with Nibenay’s new Great King, and a colossal amount of gold (most of which came from Bravillic Skooma trafficking, and was funnelled into continuing wars betwixt Leyawiin and the An-Xileel), none of these parties had reckoned on what occurred next. When Thules the Gibbering did leave his tower, a small but potent army in tow, the wizard-war that followed was remarkably short, though it ultimately set a third of Bruma in flames. Predictably, Thules was defeated, his forces all but annihilated. Though the Emperor made it back to the Imperial City, his prestige (and body) was gravely wounded. It is speculated that Thules the Gibbering was so badly wounded that he was forced to undergo the transformation into lichdom to avoid his own death. Neither the College of Whispers nor the Penitus Oculatus has ever taken an official, stated position on this.

Meanwhile, saboteurs in the employ of Eddar Olin were working hard to incite a revolt. Whilst Olin was confident in the expectation of the populace rising in favour of himself and his co-conspirators, and being invited victoriously into the Imperial City, this did not happen. Whilst it is true that Olin’s terrible reputation probably contributed to this, it was largely because nobody wanted to replace Thules’ fairly benevolent regime.

But mostly, Olin’s failure was due to the sudden arrival of a small but potent band of elite Colovian Warriors in the city. While they had jealously watched each other and courted violent mobs, none of the Nibenese Lords had counted on Mede being the one to take the prize. But when he had sacked Hackdirt on orders of Pyrrhus Valga, Titus Mede had, accompanied by his best scouts, begun charting the course of the vast cave network that ran beneath Cyrodiil. The folk of the town of Hackdirt had utilised these caves in their perverse religious activities, and realising the tunnels’ incredible potential, Mede sought and gained this knowledge for himself.

What occurred next is only patchy in its details. I have interviewed several witnesses and believe I have included the most solidly verified events. On the 26^th Evening Star, 4E 18, Titus Mede, accompanied by only a small army, emerged from the catacombs beneath the Imperial city and quickly overwhelmed the forces Thules the Gibbering had left in place. The Emperor, who may or may not have been a lich, was himself struck down, according to some, by Titus Mede’s own hand. Carahil, the Arch-Mage of Anvil, who was with the army, advised me that Thules had indeed been killed by the High Regent of Colovia.

It is commonly fancied that Mede had less than one thousand men with him, but this is likely hyperbole. Thules had some eight thousand men under him; he had the services of a standing legion and the Imperial Watch. This indicates Mede almost certainly having above two thousand men under his command. But regardless of his numbers, Mede utilised what he had to maximum effect. He divided his troops, emerging with the bulk of his strength from beneath the Arcane University and sending only a small detachment to the White Gold Tower. This movement divested Thules of both of his most defensible positions from the outset. The Arcane University fell quickly, as did the Palace, since most of Emperor Thules’ forces were posted along the walls for both maximum visual effect and defence against Eddar Olin’s forces which were skirting the shores of Lake Rumare. Once both positions were overrun, and the necromancers scattered, most of the Imperial Watch and Thules’ legionnaires lay down their arms, surrendered and joined Mede.

The aftermath of this conquest, famous though it has been, was not precisely peaceful. Vast amounts of property and gold were seized from Thules’ inner circle. Likewise, vast amounts of bloodshed erupted among this inner circle, most of it occurring on the city streets. According to Carahil, the fanatical, boorish and draconian Alessia Ottus suffered a fate as terrible as the Stormcrown Interregnum could bring:

…As the Colovian Legionnaires swept into the Temple district, the mobs came alive. We never had a chance to secure the Temple and the High Primate’s Palace. They surged from their homes, smashed down the doors of the palace of divinity and began looting the place. As I tried to regain control of the situation, I saw them grab that obsequious bitch Ottus, still garbed in full ceremonial splendour, and take her, her family and her staff, and drag them off to the Arena. There the mob was joined by both Blue and Yellow Team gladiators, and one and all decided to roast the High Primate on a giant, hastily constructed spit. Then, they ate her. You know, it’s ironic, considering the number of sermons the bitch gave on the subject of gluttony.

Allegedly, Ottus’ screams could be heard in the town square of Bruma. In “Dunmer-town” the aptly, but unimaginatively named district that served as home to the majority of Dunmer refugees to the Imperial City, the streets, which were all built on wooden boardwalks extending out onto the lake, came alive with rioters, all of whom were chanting for the imperial coronation of the new lord of the city. Several people were killed in the course of these riots. Racial violence broke out between Argonians and the Dark Elves, most of whom simply could not resist the opportunity to crack the skulls of their bitter rivals. The Blue and Yellow factions of the Arena also renewed their feud in bloody fashion in the streets.

After five days, the High Regent had managed, by force of arms, to impose a curfew on the city. The aftermath of Thules’ downfall reveals that there had indeed been tension running rife under the glittering surface of the sorcerer king’s regime, and that it had only been awaiting a moment of release. Indeed, so assiduously had Thules Draconis courted the mob that for much of these five days, most fighting was occurring between the various street gangs the witch-lord had formed to mobilize in one or another scenario. For example, if Redguards had threatened the city’s peace, Thules had ensured a Breton mob would be ready to swoop in to butcher the troublemakers. These various groups came alive in the chaos and according to Honditar, one of Mede’s best foresters,

…(spits on ground) the Legions moved from neighbourhood to neighbourhood putting down all and sundry who didn’t surrender. There was a lot of blood. We crucified the goddamn lot of the Blues and Yellows. An’ I musta gutted a hundred o’ those goddamn Nibbo necro-nutters meself in the end. Educated guess? Huh. I’d say one hundred thousand civvies died in those five days. Huh. Fun times. I still says them days was just good riddance to Nibbo rubbish…

The chaos of those five days, which ended on the last day of 4E 18, was remembered for a long time afterward. Those in a position to observe the situation were left questioning the inherent decency of Imperial society. In the absence of order, the capital itself, the heart of Nibenese cosmopolitanism and the Imperial Law, had sundered into fractious infighting that had left more than one hundred thousand people dead. A High Primate was viciously murdered. In light of the atrocities, folk of learning asked whether sentient beings were no more than beasts in civilised skin. Lathenil of Sunhold, who was undeniably a witness to the chaos, likened the entire Stormcrown Interregnum to a prolonged absence of virtue which he believed brought about “the judgement of the Nine Divines”. But some benefit did come in the aftermath of this conquest. Firstly, seizing the Imperial City immeasurably strengthened Mede’s claim to the purple cloak. Secondly, it gave the High Regent of Colovia access to Thules’ vast accumulated treasury.

The third great opportunity afforded to Mede came afterward, on the first day of 4E 19. Word arrived in the Imperial City that High King Vladimir of Skyrim was dead and that the Moot was due to meet.

4E 19 – The Northward Thrust, Skyrim, the Mot

High King Vladimir was dead. He had reigned for nearly twenty years, in which time he had pulled Skyrim through the Oblivion Crisis, consolidated the control over Roscrea his father Thian had established, and in true Nordic fashion, strengthened Skyrim in an hour of darkness by making war not on Dagon’s armies, but against Solstheim and House Redoran. As an aside we might find herein a degree of explanation as to where the mysteriously absent Eastern Legions vanished to. Whilst it may be so that the Eastern Legions were not in fact fighting the Daedra (an oft heard complaint amongst anti-Imperialists), there is next to no evidence suggesting that these soldiers returned to Cyrodiil, overtly betraying their constituents. More likely, these legions (many of whom were Nords and Dunmer anyway) were futilely attempting to enforce a peace between Redoran and Skyrim- or were strongarmed into the pointless war between the two.

But this is immaterial to the current matter. High King Vladimir had left two sons: Douglas and Rurik. Also, he had married his daughter and eldest child, Lagertha, to Ragnar, Jarl of Eastmarch, in order to secure Solitude’s power against his ancient rivals in Winterhold. By tradition, Douglas had a legitimate and very strong claim; the ancient Pact of Chieftains, made law at the end of the War of Succession, dictated that the Moot only intervene in the succession if there were no legitimate heirs. Douglas’ legitimacy and position as first son was beyond question. But other aspects of Douglas were questionable. First, he was not the eldest child; that honour fell to Lagertha, who was very much aware of her right to rule. But, against convention, Lagertha had been sent to secure an alliance and the second child, Douglas, had been raised as heir to Solitude. Moreover, Douglas was married to a wealthy heiress from Markarth’s Mach Tir clan; a respectable marriage in every way except that it would – unthinkably – seat a Reachwoman upon the throne of the High Queen.

Moreover the upheavals that had occurred in the Eastern Provinces had meant that a deep division had occurred in Skyrim. For whilst Vladimir’s personal strength had held the kingdom together admirably, his later years and decisions were plagued by division. Jarl Ragnar, spurred on by Lagertha, questioned whether some of Vladimir’s actions had invalidated Douglas’ right to inheritance. The Treaty of Refuge that granted Morrowind rule of Solstheim, as signed in 4E 16, had deeply offended the Old Holds. Jarl Ragnar spoke vehemently on the first day of the Moot. Why, Ragnar demanded, had Solstheim, land Nords died for, been given over to homeless, fleeing Dark Elves? Why had the Old Holds, especially august Winterhold and ancient Windhelm been given over to these vagrants to do as they wished? Why had the Velothi and the Jeralls, once the impermeable shield of Skyrim, become the summer home to barbaric, daedra worshipping Ashlanders? Why had Vladimir allowed the fleeing Orcs of Orsinium to litter the western marches? Ragnar concluded his address to the moot with the exceedingly poignant question

Is our land yet Skyrim or are the Nords now subject to a New Mereth?

Needless to say, Ragnar’s words were met with thunderous applause. This stirring address might have set the tone for the rest of the Moot had not alarming news arrived before the beginning of the second days’ deliberations: an army of Colovian Legionnaires had arrived in Skyrim.

Of all of Titus Mede I’s actions, what came to be called the “Skyrim Expedition” was the greatest risk he ever took. A more cautious general might have sought to prepare Colovia for the inevitable clash against Eddar Olin. But Colovian soldier’s wisdom and the Imperial Legion Academy have long taught that “The Legate who defends everything defends nothing…”. Titus Mede all but embodied this doctrine and he consistently utilized it to maximal effect. Leaving a small garrison under the command of one of his best officers, he abandoned the Imperial City and stormed northward, fully aware that although he was taking a colossal risk, he was also seizing an opportunity that might never again present itself.

Mede would be drawing his best troops away from his base of power, entering foreign territory where the reaction to his presence was very uncertain, and gambling all upon his ability to influence the upheavals in Skyrim to his advantage. Conversely however, Mede knew he stood to gain tremendously by swaying the Moot; not only would Skyrim be more open to Imperial intervention than at any other moment (for surely a true High King of Skyrim would rally and defend the independence of the Nords from Cyrodiil), a successful intervention would raise his profile from merely a Colovian warlord into an inter-provincial, continental conqueror. This was a necessary elevation in order to cement Mede’s accession to the Ruby Throne. Though a lofty title, High Regent of Colovia was not enough to satisfy the lord of Skingrad. And though their order was now all but obsolete (thanks to their own isolationist policy), the Blades had once stated that an emperor had to see and be more than lesser men. This was true, and Titus Mede had every intention of living up to this assessment.

Rallying what Colovian troops he could on his march northward, Mede set out immediately once the news of the High King’s death arrived. Moving west, through Weye, then passing by the Colovian Highlands to collect more men, Mede meant to gather Nord mercenaries at Bruma. But Eddar Olin had not been idle; the half-Altmer knew his best option was to prevent Mede’s passage through Pale Pass. At Bruma, Titus Mede fought in the vanguard of his forces, surprising and crushing the small (but numerically far superior) contingent Eddar Olin had led to thwart Mede’s passage north. The “Northward Thrust by Bruma” was the first time the High Regent and the Great King came face to face. Yet the priorities of the moment dictated that that day would not be the fated clash of kings; Mede was anxious to move on to Skyrim, and Olin was wise enough to know he was been beaten. He withdrew southward into the heart of Nibenay to gather a larger force.

By the time he reached the Pale Pass, Titus Mede had roughly five thousand men under his command. Again, by dint of one of the force marches his campaigns were to become renowned for, he made the crossing to Skyrim in but one week. Mede hid his forces deep in the forests of Falkreath until the Moot began. Once word came that the Moot had begun, he descended down to the plains of Whiterun where the gathering was taking place in a hastily erected tent city. Since armed force is forbidden at the Moot, none of the Jarls had particularly large numbers of troops with them. Mede knew this, and his strong grounding in Colovian culture meant that he knew the ways of the Nords well. In this instance, Mede’s gamble paid off.

Instead of each Jarl withdrawing to their hold to gather armies, Jarl Ragnar and Jarl Douglas both argued that the Moot should remain and receive the Colovian High Regent, who had sent messengers once he was within a day’s march. As Jarl of Solitude, Douglas naturally had good relations with the Colovians and he believed that he could sway them to support his claim. This seemed a necessity, since not only was his elder sister claiming the Throne, his father’s decisions had tainted his own claim and his marriage to Cairine Mach Tir- and their Reach-blood children- was regarded by many as a betrayal of Nord interests.

Titus Mede arrived at the Moot on the 10^th of Morning Star, 4E 19, dressed in the full measure of the austere dignity of the High Regents of Colovia. He had brought with him his queen, and he ensured that all knew he possessed the dignity of a mighty king. Mede exhorted the Jarls to remember that as Colovian High Regent, he was the heir to Cuhlecain, Reman and Talos. He repeatedly referred to the kinship and shared blood of Colovians and Nords and how their union had made the Empire. And he exhorted the gathered Jarls to continue honouring their traditions, and to acclaim the Jarl of Solitude as their High King. Some details of the Colovian arrival are not recorded, and it is not known what, if any deal Titus Mede was offered by Jarl Douglas, who was less martially capable, but more worldly and more learned than Ragnar of Windhelm. Nor is it known whether Mede had decided from the outset to continue the Empire’s support of the House of Solitude.

Emperor Titus once told me that ideals were a grand foundation for a cause. But woe betide the man who relies solely upon them,

said Carahil, speaking to me of the approach Titus Mede took to the Moot. And while it is likely that Mede gave as fine a speech as he was ever to do, witnesses to the event have also confirmed the presence and vigour of Colovian agents at the Moot, spreading threats and bribes amidst the powerful of Skyrim. Lady Nenya, steward to the Jarls of Falkreath, who was at that time a healer and scullery maid in the service of Falkreath, said that “The loudest sound that the High Regent made was not his eloquent words but the jingle of his coins”.

None of this however, was entirely new to the Moot, or politics in Skyrim whatsoever. Though in fairness, the historian might make allowance for the fact that bribery and silent threat came more naturally to Cyrodiilic politics than Nordic; Nords have ever made a great show of abhorring such behaviour.

At the end of the Moot, the situation was hopelessly divided. Sinjir of Winterhold and Ragnar and Lagertha of Windhelm stood apart, unwilling to accept the succession of another Jarl of Solitude; even these two holds were not in concord, as each sought the crown at the other’s expense. The west of Skyrim, always more worldly and tolerant than the east, had acclaimed Douglas as High King elect. But two of the most powerful holds, Winterhold and Windhelm withdrew from the Moot and vowed to fight the issue to the end. This meant that Douglas’ title was essentially meaningless, as the Moot must, ideally, be a unanimous acclamation. Honditar informs me that the High Regent impressed all, when Jarl Ragnar threw his axe at Douglas’ feet- in a traditional Nordic challenge- Mede did not miss a beat, retrieved the axe, and wordlessly shoved the handle back into the departing Jarl’s hands.

While the rising of the two mightiest of the Old Holds might be a serious matter, Mede was more concerned at the fact that he knew that Olin was still coming for him and would be working with Ragnar, Sinjir and Lagertha. The next four months were spent by Mede, gathering and training an army. Positioning himself in the west of Falkreath Hold, Mede gathered more of his Colovian veterans to him, as well as the forces of several Jarls and also the Knights of the Thorn. Some controversy arose between the Nords and the Colovians over the great numbers of Orc warriors that descended from the mountains to join Mede’s army (which later caused bitterness in High Rock and Hammerfell). This was no coincidence. Titus Mede was widely rumoured to be “Bloodkin” (an Orc familial title for non-Orcs) and was noted on multiple occasions as being fluent in Orcish. The Colovians had been employing Orcs in their legions for centuries, and Colovian Law granted right of citizenship to “City Orcs” and protected the Orcish strongholds. The Colovian Reman Empire had raised Orsinium to provincial status, but since Breton ideals amongst the Septims were especially strong, this provincial status was revoked and only returned in 399. The value of High Rock “ideals” regarding Orcs, is revealed if you ask Imperial Legionnaires whether they prefer an Orc or Breton soldier or general and hear the answer of every legionnaire (except a Breton, who will no doubt be complaining at the question even being asked).

4E 19 – The Darkwater

In mid 19, Eddar Olin finally returned for Titus Mede. He was returning not only for his revenge on the usurper who had thwarted his own plans for the Imperial City and who had thrashed his army at Bruma, nor even simply to put the title of “Emperor” on the line; the question of which bloc would hold cultural supremacy in Cyrodiil was to be answered in this campaign. He did not come unprepared. Olin marched at the head of a heterogeneous force forty thousand strong; he brought with him the flower of Nibenese soldiery in all its variety. Knights, berserkers, guerilla warriors, Battlemages and heavy horsemen of every background marched beneath his banner. He crossed the Jeralls quickly and determinedly, maintaining a fast pace, even through the bitter snows of the crossing. Even more remarkably, the Great King of the Niben brought with him a contingent of massive Senche-Raht Khajit, the infamous ‘Battlecats’ of legionnaire tales, who were employed by the Blackwood Company. One can only imagine the furor his advance must have caused the average Nord.

Again, Mede proved his mastery of the forced march. Commandeering every available mule, horse and donkey in Falkreath Hold, Mede granted two of them to each of his infantrymen, to utilize for riding and carrying their packs. Then, Mede advanced eastward, along the foothills of the Jeralls, keeping as quiet as possible as he did so. He was badly outnumbered, but his Bosmer and Colovian foresters ensured his scouting capabilities were the stronger. He had sent a large detachment under Jarl Douglas and his own brother Andronicus, who was disguised as the High Regent, to vigorously and visibly besiege Fort Amol, the key to Eastmarch and the Old Holds. At the same time, Mede circled around the south of Hrothgar, keeping Olin blind to his presence. And in a bend of what is now called the Darkwater River, he set a trap for Olin. In a large flat expanse beside the river, astride the road to Fort Amol (which could be seen in the distance), Mede positioned his Colovian Phalanx and his heavy Orc infantry, giving every indication they would block Olin’s crossing. In the scrub above, he positioned a number of other warriors and some horse. The Knights of the Thorn, who had joined Mede in secret (Olin still believed they were harassing him in the Nibenese countryside) circled around a little known track and crossed the Darkwater, higher upriver, at the Darkwater Pass. They thus emerged behind Olin’s line as he began to ford the Darkwater, since Mede had broken the bridges over the river.

Olin had a difficult choice here. He was not by any means a poor soldier. He could ford the river and accept battle on Mede’s terms or he could turn east and circle around the impenetrable Eastmarch swamps. But doing so meant Fort Amol might fall to Mede (who was, according to all intelligence, besieging Fort Amol with Jarl Douglas and Mede’s Queen, Kintyra) and this could shift the balance of Skyrim entirely and isolate Olin in hostile territory. Olin accepted battle, counting on his “Battlecats” and his numbers to break Mede’s line, which circumstances strongly suggested was merely a delaying action.

It was not unwise, but not the right decision in the end. Olin began the crossing effectively, keeping his Senche-Raht back until he had a bridgehead. The Colovians and Orcs steadily withdrew from the shores, drawing Olin’s multiracial army on, and into the ambush zone. It was when the Cheydinhal Cavalry began to cross that the trap was sprung. Farwil Indarys and the Knights of the Thorn stormed down from their position behind the Nibenese Army. The rightful lord of Cheydinhal threw off his helm and revealed himself to his people. At the sight of their hero, most of the Cheydinhal men almost immediately swapped sides and threw themselves at their erstwhile comrades. Lord Indarys fought heroically, and captured both Jarl Ragnar and Nevena Ules – who had helped engineer House Hlaalu’s fall – by his own hand. At the same time, Mede’s other hidden units, mainly skirmishers and light horse, attacked with fury.

But the ambush, sprung on both sides, began to drive masses of soldiers into the river. This threw the Senche-Raht into frenzy and they stampeded wildly, crushing many as they attempted to escape. Olin might have been able to restore order and withdraw coherently had Titus Mede not emerged from hiding, cut his way through the breaking Nibenese and in the muddy shallows of the Darkwater, after a duel described as heroic (but may have been less so), put his blade through the back of Olin’s head. Mede took pains to ensure that Olin’s lavish crown was undamaged.

Of Eddar Olin’s impressive army thirty thousand were dead. Only the Argonian contingents consistently escaped unscathed. The river, which had once simply been called the Geir River (after the nearby lake that fed it), was renamed Darkwater by the Nords, since the water was turned all but black from the blood. Today, the Nibenese call the Darkwater River “Sanguinetto” which means “The Place of Blood”.

4E 19-20 – Chapter Conclusion; The Throne Is Mine

In a spot of Irony, it was by leaving the Imperial City that the High Regent Titus Mede had proven himself fit to claim the Ruby Throne. The destruction of Olin’s army left the Old Holds without their most powerful ally. They soon surrendered.

Word spread fast throughout Skyrim and then across Tamriel. The Moot met again and this time, Jarl Douglas was acclaimed High King. Uncharacteristically, Jarls Ragnar and Sinjir were each executed at the hand of High King Douglas; Lagertha was encouraged to become a nun in a temple of Talos, but her children were nonetheless allowed to inherit Windhelm. This sowed lasting anti-Imperial sentiment in the Old Holds, although correspondence and sources close to High King Douglas strongly suggest that Titus Mede had nothing to do the new king’s heavy handedness. But most significantly, led by High King Douglas, the Moot knelt before Titus Mede and endorsed the High Regent of Colovia as their Emperor. The expedition had left no question as to who was to sit on the Ruby Throne. The next chapter will bring this history of the Eastern Provinces from out beneath the dark clouds of the Stormcrown Interregnum. It will begin to explore what occurred in the aftermath of the Imperial Restoration. The Battle of Darkwater was not to be the last that the Eastern Provinces heard of Titus Mede I.