A History of Skyrim's Civil War (Part 1)

Leon Aventius
Imperial Scribe
Castle Dour, Solitude
Hold of Haafingar

A Complete and Detailed Account of The Civil War in Skyrim

I was recently sent from my office in the Imperial city on orders by the Exalted Emperor Titus Mede II (Long May He Reign) in order to enscribe the events of the unfolding civil war in their chronological order, and to report the information back to Imperial City when the war concluded. Here shall follow my report on the matter, including any major battles or events that occurred during the war.

The war began in the dawn months of the year 201 of the Fourth Era, when the rebel and traitor Ulfric Stormcloak, Jarl of Windhelm, Veteran of The Great War, and currently leader of the separatist Stormcloaks, murdered the High King Torryg in his home in the Blue Palace of Solitude. Reports claim that he shouted the High King apart using the ancient power of the Thuum, but some also say that he fought and defeated Torryg in fair combat. Ulfric then fled the city, aided by a gatekeeper who was promptly executed.

Although I know not to insert my own opinions on the matter, I believe that this murder of the Hugh King was more beneficial to our effort than hurtful, as many claim that Torryg would have easily sided with Ulfric if given the chance, which would pit the entirety of Skyrim against the Empire unlike how it is now, where half of the province aids our cause.

Nonetheless, after the death of the High King, the Empire's legions, headed by General Xaessar Tullius, esteemed tactician and worthy commander of Your Majesty's forces, made their way into Skyrim in Rain's Hand. He brought a large force over to Skyrim through the Pale Pass, and broke the Siege of Falkreath, leaving a large garrison force there and another garrison a little bit further east in the town of Helgen. The rest carried on through Skyrim, established camps around the areas of Whiterun Hold, who chose to be neutral at this time, and a few camps were set up in the rebellious holds in order to scout and collect information. Tullius and the remainder of his force were sent to the town of Dragon Bridge and the city of Solitude, where they took up Castle Dour as their base of operations.

The legion then began work, first with the swift capture of The Pale during Second Seed. Legate Lex Octavius and Legate Constantius Tituleius lead the naval attack while Tribune Rikke led the land based attack. Few casualties were sustained and the Hold was cemented as an Imperial hold. Tribune Rikke was commended for her exceptional leadership and therefore promoted to the rank of Legate and ordered back to Solitude. Legate Lex remained in charge Dawnstar to maintain control while Legate Constantius remained in charge of the southern portion of The Pale, setting up camps throughout the wilderness around the border of Winterhold and Eastmarch. Legato Lex ensured that the Jarl of Dawnstar, Skald the Elder, stayed in check.

Soon after, Jarl Balgruff of Whiterun Hold was contacted and persuaded into an alliance with the Empire, however the Hold still insisted to the Stormcloaks that they were indeed neutral.

The Legion then took a grave loss with the loss of The Pale after a series of riots in Dawnstar that led to the murder of Legate Lex, after which Jarl Skald swiftly declared his allegiance to the Stormcloaks and exiled or executed any Imperial loyalists, excluding the retired Legate Brina Merilis, who is providing us with vital intelligence on the hold.

The Stormcloaks then made an attempt to enter hjaalmarch, possibly hoping to encircle Solitude on all fronts, but were repelled by the joint armies of Morthal and Dragon's Bridge, and reports say that the remaining stormcloak forces got lost in the foggy swamps of Hjaalmarch, where they perished from starvation.

Many small skirmishes were fought after, however they were more or less insignificant and will be expanded on in a next report chronicling every battle of the Civil War. For the most part the war seemed to slow down some after the heavy loss from the Stormcloaks in Hjaalmarch. We bode our time, hoping to gain enough strength to lead a long campaign throughout Eastern skyrim, beginning from the Rift and The Pale and circling Eastmarch on all sides, however, we came across a bout of luck when the Stormcloaks attempted to invade falkreath hold. Many guerrilla forces infiltrated Falkreath from the north, using its forest as cover. They made some progress that worried us at some point, however they made a mistake when they attempted to attack Helgen. They were repelled by the military genius of General Tullius who was in the town at the time. A scout revealed to us soon after that the traitor Ulfric Stormcloak also was among their ranks, and so the survivors were pursued and finally confronted at darkwater, where they were taken prisoner. Presently they are being escorted to Helgen along with a bout of other prisoners where they shall be executed, cutting the head off the traitorous snakes that are the Stormcloaks.