Telvanni tactics during the Oblivion Crisis

Adapted from a speech given by General Arrius Gravic (ret'd) to the Elder Council military oversight committee, 4E159

The so-called “Telvanni Model” of proactive defence was developed at short notice in response to the particular pressures of the extramundane incursions characteristic of the Third Era’s Oblivion Crisis. The rapid adaptation of Telvanni commanders to the threat posed by liminal gates opening in supposedly secure locations represents a triumph of flexibility and commitment against an enemy with the advantage of both surprise and numbers.

The Telvanni, with their long history of friendly and hostile interaction with the forces of Oblivion, had some advantages of their own. The common practice of Aetherial projection among their scholars meant that many commanders were already familiar with the denizens and environmental conditions of the Deadlands. Master Aryon of Tel Vos had even led a diplomatic mission to the court of Mehrunes Dagon some decades prior to the Crisis, and had unknowingly witnessed the construction of the Sigil Towers. His advice and leadership were to prove an invaluable asset. The tightly woven, almost tribal power structure of Telvanni society also proved beneficial. Each Sadrith tower functioned autonomously under the absolute rule of the local mage lord, which meant there was no bureaucratic command system to be disrupted, and the substantial population of mages was already fully integrated into the Telvanni militia. As a consequence much of the chaos and disorganisation that plagued the responses of other Tamrielic groups could be avoided (see Ullian Frontus’ Broken Legions and Yisanna’s Death of the Warrior Cult for illustrations of these problems).

In response to the Oblivion Crisis the Telvanni leadership rapidly devised a doctrine of aggressive defence, having quickly identified the divine principles underpinning Dagon’s Oblivion gates. Relatively small (100 strong) elite forces were despatched on sorties through the gates, often under the direct command of the local mage lord or a temporary doppelganger. These forces were roughly divided 50/50 into ‘ordinary’ soldiers, bonemold-clad swordsmen, spearmen and archers, and magical troops. In a reversal of normal practice the role of ordinary militiamen was highly proscribed and focused, while the mages fulfilled a broader range of battlefield tasks. The militiamen were sent through the gates in the first wave, to secure the immediate groundsite on the Oblivion side and to bear the brunt of the first wave of daedric defences. Initial casualties as they formed a perimeter in the Deadlands ranged from 0-100% depending on the conditions they found as they emerged from the gates. Once the gate was secured the soldiers notified the second wave and settled into defensive positions, guarding the exit from Oblivion in order to form a rearguard should the main attack be repulsed.

The second wave, the Assault component of the expedition, only entered when the gate site was secured. Small numbers of nightblades were sent ahead to determine the lay of the land and the disposition of enemy forces. Ideally they would identify the safest approach to the Sigil tower without being detected, and then report back. Following their reports an ad hoc strategy would be devised by the commanding mage. If possible the heavy attackers, seasoned battlemages and spellswords, would take to the air and make straight for the Sigil tower. In later sorties the enemy began deploying large numbers of daedric bats, large airborne beasts with antimagic runes burned into their wings. Various other aerial defences were deployed, including towers which spewed fire and lightning and clouds of acidic vapour. These made airborne assaults impossible, and the Telvanni were then forced to approach overland using cover. The rapid arms race led to innovations on both sides however- a feature of many later engagements was a detachment of specialised Telvanni conjurers, who remained at the gate site and attempted to forge sorcerous psychic contracts with the defending daedra. This was only occasionally successful, but when it worked it turned half of the enemy forces’ loyalties at a stroke and all but guaranteed a quick victory.

After the determined overland rush for the Sigil tower, the Telvanni mage forces would change tack and adopt a slow, methodical approach to their ascent. They would clear and secure the tower one floor at a time, leaving a small force at ground level as the bulk of the detachment made for the Sigil shrine. They would arrive in force at the summit, and unleash all of their magicks to create confusion among the enemy as the commanding mage lord seized the Sigil stone and collapsed the tower. If their numbers or morale grew too low at any point in this process, they would abort the mission and evacuate via the Oblivion gate. All members of the incursion party were essence-linked to the commanding officer, so when he or she seized the stone they would all be ejected from Oblivion together. Occasionally however the spell failed, and in one case the mission commander was killed at the last moment. Under these circumstances the gate and tower would collapse leaving the entire force stranded in the Deadlands. The incredible story of Ranyra Olotherys (later Mistress Ranyra of Tel Garvyn), who was stranded with the remnants of her party and waged a two week guerrilla war against the daedra before escaping with twenty other survivors, is of course well known to all.

For the Telvanni these raids also served scholarly and ego-driven purposes. The troops guarding the Oblivion gate were encouraged to gather bloodgrass and soil samples for return, and it became a point of competition among the mage lords to see who could accumulate the most Sigil stones. However it was their focus on the mission, their preparation and above all their disciplined, well planned but flexible approach that allowed them such noteworthy success. Of the 36 known counter-incursions led by House Telvanni, 3 failed completely (leading to the loss of the entire expedition), 12 were aborted while in progress, and 21 were successful. This success rate puts the Imperial Legion’s record to shame, and while the Telvanni would never have turned the tide of the war on their own they conducted themselves in an exemplary manner.