Tales of Old Tamriel #3 - Eulogy for Reman II

Editor's note: The following piece of lore is from a larger collection called Tales of Old Tamriel. Its exact origin is unknown, but some claim the library shelf containing the collection first appeared in the Imperial Library during the Middle Dawn, and has some connection to the blue star Mnemoli. Interestingly, many of these texts refer to events from the Second, Third and Fourth eras! When asked about this, the Moth Priests simply shrugged and informed me that compared to the mysteries of the Elder Scrolls and the Ysmir Collective, a magical bookshelf that contains historically misplaced lore is one of the less unusual things in the Library. When pressed for more information, I was politely informed that the Priests were too busy to address my concerns. Thus, I transcribed the stories and left with many unanswered questions. Perhaps future scholars can discover the true origin of these stories, which largely center around the lesser-known periods and rulers of history.

Eulogy For His Glorious Majesty, Emperor Reman Cyrodiil II

by Sidri-Ashak of the Akaviri Dragonguard

Tamriel's brightest star has fallen, dear brothers and sisters under the Red Dragon Banner. Rarely has one man accomplished so much in so little time. Rarely has a ruler in this world demonstrated both compassion and strength to the degree my deceased liege always did. Unheard of, you might say, for a mere mortal to be so learned and worldly and yet to connect to the common man so much. Who was this bright and worthy Lord, struck down too soon by cruel fate?

Our glorious master -the Dragonborn, Reman II of Holy Name - was born in 2794 of this auspicious Era. Son of the old emperor Belharza II (or Brazolldus Dor in the Nibenean speech) and the lovely, cultivated Cabar Tharn of the Magedom of Vahtacheydinhal. While his older brother Kastav showed very little in the way of scholarship, patience or compassion, young Reman excelled in the fields of History, Astrology and Diplomacy. As the infamous butcher Kalien sacked Winterhold under Kastav's complacent and misguided watch, our young Master was building relationships with the beast folk of Argonia and the Khajiit confederacies and studying the movement of the stars and the prophecies of the Elder Scrolls.

In the year 2805, the long-suffering populace of Tamriel grew quite tired of Kastav's butchery and disregard for his family's good name. He and the murderous Kalien were cornered outside of Dune during an expedition to crush a "rebellion" there (In fact, the poor farmers and herdsmen of the cat tribes had simply refused to pay any more of his outrageous taxes.) The Elder Council debated for several years on the matter of Succession. Many on the Council argued that Reman was too young to rule such a large Empire effectively. The counter-argument from the opposition was that they feared the virtue and inner strength of young Reman and favored his cousin Renshu not because he was more directly descended from Reman I but because he was known to be corrupt and lazy, and thus easy to control. Thus did the Council bicker and war amongst themselves in an effort to stall the coronation.

Finally, in 2812 the matter was decided once and for all when young Reman II gathered enough support to crush Renshu and his Breto-Nordic allies in a decisive victory in Falkreath County. In a surprising move, Reman pardoned his cousin and the ambitious kings, dukes, Jarls and Councilmen who supported this insurrection, and gave them all places in his growing Legions. On that day, I and the other Akaviri Dragonguard pledged out support to the true Dragonborn. Indeed, he was the true Son of Akatosh, as the Dragonfires awoke brightly upon his coronation and the people rejoiced for a new Golden Age was come.

Reman II repaired much of the damage his predecessors had wrought upon Tamriel. For all his ambition, cunning and strength, Reman I had weakened the continent with his campaigns. Brazollus Dor had been a man of keen intellect and sound diplomatic sense, and had begun reconstruction of the damaged infrastructures first set in place by Empress Hestra over a thousand years ago. Sadly, he died before he realized his ambitions and his son Kastav had been a murdering, self-serving monster. Undoing the damage of the most hated Emperor in recent history was quite the task, but none under the Heavens could have been more suited to it than the Historian Emperor.

Using the knowledge and wisdom of his tutoring and keen inborn insights, Reman II traveled far and wide, listening to the needs of his subjects and attempting to raise the average Imperial subject to a newer, higher standard of living. His legendary victories need not all be explained here, but surely Reman I was smiling down at his true successor. His was the Voice of the Emperor, and when he spoke, people listened. People adored him and obeyed him, and subjects from all backgrounds and viewpoints came together to help him with his vision of a completely unified Tamriel.

Besides repairing our good reputation as stewards of Tamriel abroad in the Provinces, my Master put millions of laborers to work right here in old Cyrodiil, repairing the old Hestran roadways. I was honored to personally oversee portions of this task and managed a number of different projects from driving away minor bandit fiefdoms from their forest strongholds to my proudest moment of all - accompanying my Lord himself on his Mothship through the Void, to visit glorious Aetherius with the Imperial Mananauts. There we saw things that will stick with me forever, and we brought back artifacts of power. We called them Reman Stones in honor of our Emperor's ancestor, and set them in precise Theosophical patterns on the roadways so that their Aetherial magic could protect weary travelers. I am proud to say that this was my idea, as I have served three generations of this dynasty proudly, and during the early years of the Akaviri Dragonguard's service under Reman I we rediscovered the ancient, overgrown Hestra stones and began to research their lore and properties.

My Master had a keen interest and respect for the Elder Scrolls and the ascetic order of Moth Priests who watch over them and would often spend entire weekends locked away in the upper levels of White Gold Tower, learning about every prophecy known to the old Monks. As time went by he became increasingly convinced that a specific prophecy was about him, and he became obsessed with it. A particular Scroll recovered from a cult dedicated to Hermaeus Mora deep in the Jerall Mountains contained a prophecy which spoke of the Dragonborn recovering an ancient and supremely powerful relic from the Star-Wounded-East. This relic was known only as the Ordained Receptacle, and with it the Dragonborn could destroy his most powerful enemies and unite the land.

Despite his pacifistic and pragmatic nature, my Master would dwell on this prophecy. He would lock himself in his room and stay up until the wee hours of the morning studying ancient manuscripts, poring over maps, consulting the spirits of the dead and writing letters to experts on Dark Elf culture. Finally, in 2840, Reman II was ready to begin his war against the heathen Principality of Resdayn - sometimes called the Tomorrow Wind. For eleven years, the Dragonborn coordinated multiple attacks on this savage land from several directions at once. We Tsaesci are strong at sea, and I served on board a Nordic warship as part of the fleet that sacked Tear in the winter of 2850. With our Redguard and Breton allies we managed to overrun much of the Dres territory. On the orders of Reman himself I released scores of beastfolk slaves, who in gratitude towards the Empire and rage towards the masters who had mistreated them overran and burned many plantations to the ground. We rejoiced and began to set up Imperial forts as that long and difficult winter wore on, but early in the year we received troubling news - the Tribunal had been spotted abroad.

Almost nothing is known in the Empire of these supposed gods of the heathen Dunmer, but some of the Dragonguard believe they must have Vampire blood, or be very old Necromancers posing as gods. They certainly seem to whip the Dark Elves into a fervor. Where we had easily gained ground in the years before, we began to lose territory as the Dunmer pushed back, spurred on by these Mystic Demigods of theirs. In early Mid Year we were forced all the way back to the sea. I barely escaped on one of the few surviving Breton supply ships. I recall a terrible storm that day, with lightning raining down with a seemingly sentient purpose, killing Imperial commanders and setting ships on fire. The Dunmer were shouting the name "Almalexia", and the air had a wicked feel to it. I will admit that my blood ran cold, and if not for my training and discipline in the Dragon Knight martial arts of the Ardent Flame and the Dai-Katana I would not survive to write this tale.

Our crippled fleet limped back to Windhelm, where we were met with grim and horrible news. Reman II was dead. He had been discovered in the early morning hours nearly two weeks prior in his tent on the border between Riften and Stonefalls. A black dart of wicked ebony design infused with Daedric runes was buried in his spine. Two stones were crushed into his eye sockets. One black, one white. The name "VIVEC" was carved across his chest, a bragging signature of his apparent assassin.

The Dragonguard wept, and we buried him with the highest military and royal honors, pledging to carry on this fight. The brilliant Historian Emperor is dead, and his subjects weep at the loss of a compassionate visionary. While one star falls, another rises to take its place. Our lord Reman II is dead, but his family members won't mourn him for long. The Imperial family is ready to take the fight directly to the Tribunal. My brilliant cousin Versidue Shaie has devised a foolproof sixteen point strategum for conquering Morrowind within three decades. I am confident our plans will succeed and we will obtain the Ordained Receptacle. The Dragonborn is dead! Long live the Dragonborn! Let's drive the heathen Dunmer and their false gods into the sea! Let's crush them like we crushed the Reachmen and unite Tamriel! For Reman II! For the Empire! Huzzah!

Disclosure - this transcription of Sidri-Ashak's speech to his fellow Dragonguard members following the burial of Reman II at Sancre Tor is not for the eyes of the public, as it contains sensitive information about Reman's death, and the esoteric motivations for the current bloody war in the East. This copy is to be kept in the locked display in the Dragon Lore wing of Cloud Ruler Temple at all times. Copies were also sent to the Loremasters of other Temples, although Sky Haven's copy has disappeared under mysterious circumstances. The Grandmaster of that Temple is being investigated for suspected ties with our old allies in Kamal. Let it be known to all currently active Dragonguard members that our old Akaviri alliances are irrelevant. We serve the Dragonborn and his Empire now. Any Dragonguard member - Tsaesci of otherwise - who is caught collaborating with or sending delicate intel to Akavir will be publicly executed, and his remains will be displayed for no fewer than three weeks. Do I make myself clear? ~ Grandmaster Xhurinargus