Tales of Cyrodiil, entry 4 - Sardavar Leed, Ruminations On The Past

The following is the fourth in a series of documents written early in the 4th era, during the brief reign of Thules the Gibbering and before the coup led by Titus Mede I to secure the Imperial City for his own dynasty. This was to be part of a new Pocket Guide to the Empire, but like other iterations it was never finished or published. I include it in this document for the Eternal Empress' eyes and those of her advisers so that we can better understand the political climate of Cyrodiil during this ancient time period. ~ Legate Cyclenophus

"Perrif's original tribe is unknown, but she grew up in Sard, anon Sardarvar Leed, where the Ayleids herded in men from across all the Niben: kothri, nede, al-gemha, men-of-'kreath (though these were later known to be imported from the North), keptu, men-of-ge (who were eventually destroyed when the Flower King Nilichi made great sacrifice to an insect god named [lost]), al-hared, men-of-ket, others; but this was Cyrod, the heart of the imperatum saliache, where men knew no freedom, even to keep family, or choice of name except in secret, and so to their alien masters all of these designations were irrelevant." fragment from the Adabal-a

During the long years of the Merethic Era, the Heartland High Elves (Salache in the Bosmeri dialect, or Ayleid in their own tongue) established a mighty Empire based around Lake Rumare and spreading out to occupy spaces across several modern regions, from Black Marsh to High Rock, from Cheydinhal to Valenwood. Shortly after their arrival, they began to enslave and exploit the native tribes of the jungles - the Betmer and the Nedes, early predecessors of the race we call Cyrodiils or Imperials.

Several ancient Ayleid cities were specifically used for breeding and raising young slaves. The most infamous was Sardavar Leed, just south of the ancient holy ground the Ayleids worshiped their Ancestors on - Island City, or the Imperial City of Rumare. It was from Sard that young Periff originated, and was exposed to the cruelties of her Daedraphile slavemasters, who loved not the races they considered lesser. Not only did they literally work the Nedes to death, but they prevented them from keeping any ancient tribal loyalties, or even names for themselves. The Nedes were treated as mere beasts of burden, but they did pick up language and religion from the Ayleids, and while many of the Ayleid gods were cruel, some were perceived as benevolent.

Young Periff picked up veneration for the gentler Divines - Kynareth, Mara, Stendarr, etc. - and began to pray to them, along with the King of Heaven, Akatosh - for aid. Shezarr had been the original divine warchief of the Nedes, before they were broken and enslaved, but he had abandoned them. Only in her desperation did Periff pray to enemy gods of the Elves, but these gods did take pity on their wayward children, and after Periff prayed to these gods she first learned of during her childhood in Sardavar Leed, the Divines answered, sending her their greatest champions to free the Nedes.

Years later, after being crowned Alessia and taking the Ruby Throne for herself, the woman who had been Periff had a fort built nearby the ruins of old Sard. Fort Alessia proved to be a pivotal point of defense throughout many of the Ages of Tamriel. During the First Era, it defended the road between the Imperial City and Bravil, and served as a discouragement for possible rebellions from Colovia in the west. Later, during the chaos following the War of Righteousness, it and several other forts were considered the safest settlements in this region of Nibenay, as this predates the later fortifications of towns like Bravil during the Reman Dynasty.

Reman himself had all the old Forts renovated following the Akaviri Peril, as a bulwark against future trouble. Fort Alessia played a pivotal role in Reman's expansions and conquests, as it stood watch over the Niben and helped prevent incursions from enemies in Argonia and the Khajiit kingdoms. Later, it played a role in defending the Imperial City from the various uprisings during the rule of the Akaviri Potentate, and even later it served as one of several outposts for the Ebonheart Pact during the Alliance War of the late Second Era.

The final re-fortification of Cyrodiil took place during the Tiber Wars, during which Emperor Tiber Septim waged war on the future Provinces of the Third Empire. For the second time, Argonia and the Khajiit lands joined the Empire, and Fort Alessia once again proved to be a deterrent for insurrections near the head of the River Niben. Sadly, during the glory days of the Septims, our old fortifications fell into disrepair. We became lazy. We became complacent and haughty, and we paid for it during the Oblivion Crisis. If only the Septims had spent more time fortifying our borders and less time warring amongst themselves and throwing money at the failed invasion of Akavir. Our current majesty Emperor Thules currently lacks the funds or political motivation to renovate the ancient sites of Sardavar Leed or Fort Alessia nearby, but it is the consensus of this Academy that these sites played a pivotal role in the history of this Empire, and should be preserved for future generations. Perhaps after the trouble in Leyawiin and the West Weald is addressed, the Elder Council can begin to allocate funds for this project. May Saint Alessia and the Divines preserve us!