Rastislav
patreon
Arc 8 Chapter CXLI: The Tamrielic Onslaught
🕑 Added 2025-06-06 20:58:23 +0000 UTCPrevious chapters have been cleaned up and given the usual TLC
Hopefully this isn't too fast of a progression, because frankly anything more heavily detailed I may have written would have just been more of the same, and none of us want that.
-----------
(General POV)
Two high elven city watchmen stood slouched, leaning against polished glaives. Their weapons were free of the marks of combat and their eyes drooping as dawn arrived and the harbor of Firsthold came alive in the exact same manner as it had for centuries before.
The one to the left groaned as he stretched his back "Blessed Auri-El, finally." He mumbled tiredly as his bones produced a series of satisfying pops "Remind me not to talk about the commander's love life again. I'd kill to avoid another double shift."
"Pah" His colleague spat on the ground "Noble ponce deserves it for being a cuckold. Maybe if he wasn't strutting about like he was the Kinlord herself, he'd deserve some of the respect he demands." He shook his head "Should have been useful and died on the mainland instead of bothering us honest folks."
"All power to him, I say." The first elf shook his head "Better to be a coward than end up in the maw of some dragon."
"Don't let the Thalmor hear you say that." His colleague warned half-heartedly "Last we need is to get 'requisitioned' for 'insurrectionist thought.'"
Both faces twisted with disgust at that.
Half a minute passed before he spoke up again "Think the bastard 'forgot' to send our replacements aga-"
"Shhh!" He was interrupted as his colleague leaned his ear forward "Do you hear that?"
"Hear what?" He narrowed his eyes and followed his comrade's eyes, and there in the distance he saw a flicker of crimson, his eyes widening with growing terror and his fingers going white around his polearm as he screamed for dear life "ALARM-!"
"FUUUUUUS RO DAH!"
-----
Overlord Finarfin of the Third Aldmeri Dominion kept his back strait as he entered the council chambers of Alinor's- No, his palace. His billowing robes hid the minute twitches of his limbs well and none of the aristocrats, representatives, and Thalmor within dared comment on his sudden paleness, as they stood and saluted.
Comments they may have withheld, but save for his High Justiciars the others looked at him with suspicion and doubt. The many losses sustained on the mainland were already battering against their morale, especially when it came to the fool Narsis, who even now quietly blamed him for the negligent command that lead to the death of the Pyandonean.
Oh how Finarfin yearned to crush the naive fool under his mace, to see him broken and crawling in the dirt beneath him, his rightful place. But that thought was banished as soon as it came. The aristocrat was an irritant but an easily controlled puppet non the less.
Before the scheduled meeting could begin, the doors Finarfin had just walked through were shoved open, the few guards beyond failing to stop a messenger clad in official Thalmor robes as he very nearly stumbled over himself, skidding across the polished floors like some jester as he brought up a scroll in his hand and exclaimed "Terrible news my lords!"
Every Altmer of high rank present found themselves truly united for once, as they glared at the fool for his breach in protocol, some of the nearby guards going as far as nearly skewering the fool with their spears for his insolence.
But Finarfin could see the genuine panic in his eyes, and as frustrating as the interruption was, he was not fool enough to punish him. And so he bid him "Speak."
"Firsthold, my lords!" The messenger cried, having barely caught his breath "A great red dragon came out of nowhere and brought down its walls, and an immense fleet of the imperials has followed behind it! Entire legions have invaded Auridon!"
A beat of silence passed, and as if a scroll had been primed, a wall of noise exploded from each corner of the room, the spreading panic only stopped as the Overlord smashed the war table apart with his mace and glared everyone into silence.
The messenger was then interrogated in silence, and promptly dismissed, leaving behind the tense collection of the island's powerholders stewing in the gravity of the situation.
One that was broken as exclamations of "Utterly unacceptable!" And "It is the Septim bastard all over again!" from some of the older ones rang out all across the chamber, and even a "We are doooomed!" From a recently promoted Guildmaster.
Finarfin would ensure such a coward would not serve his seat for long.
"How did they pass our seers?" One High Justiciar demanded, glaring at a terrified mage "They were told to keep overwatch for exactly this reason!"
The representative of the many mage guilds slammed her hands on the war table, her fear boiling over into anger "We were told were we? And what of your agents? Why have they failed to deliver information of a naval buildup until they were literally at our doorstep?!"
More and more of the representatives forgot themselves and the Overlord's threat as panic began to spread once again.
Finarfin used the moment to meet the gaze of the sole other elf not lost in the moment, the silent High Justiciar wordlessly accepting his mission of finding out exactly what had happened and what could actually be done and marching out with cold fire in his eyes.
"Silence!" Finarfin commanded and the naked threat in his voice had the chamber instantly quietening down "If you have nothing productive to add then keep your defeatist idiocy to yourselves. We need an immediate plan of action, the Empire cannot be allowed to keep a foothold on Auridon, much less Alinor itself."
Under the Overlord's glare, the high officials began properly doing their jobs, even as Finarfin felt the foreign energies within his blood bubble up and burn under the surge of raging emotions he was feeling.
His grip remained firm however, the appointed time was not yet here.
He must have been too deep in his thoughts for a while, because his facade nearly cracked once Narsis spoke up, cutting thrugh the conversation as he demanded "And what of the people? Unease had already grown when we fled Valenwood. The commoners will not stand idly by and suffer in silence as the end approaches."
"Then have them grab their ancestors' arms and join the fight." Finarfin's grip slipped but for an instant and all he could do was hold back a snarl as he declared "If, however, they dare go against the authority of the Thalmor they shall be put down like the traitorous dogs that they are."
His words were followed by a stunned silence, many of the Altmer leaders looking like they wished to protest but the manic gleam in the Overlord's eyes stopped them short, they knew in their hearts that he was on the edge of makin an example, and no one wanted to volunteer for that particular honor.
Narsis closed his eyes, considered what he had seen and heard, and began praying to the Divines for salvation.
-------
But no matter how the Thalmor planned, prepared, or prayed, they were unable to even slow down the dragon's invasion.
Within the same day of the fall of Firsthold, another fleet landed near Skywatch, disgorging the bloodthirsty Redguards into the city like a swarm of locusts, the vengeful humans falling upon the populace like a pack of rabid dogs.
The members of the Skywatch Mage Guild, who had managed to rise the city's siege defense wards could only watch the affront to their duties for so long before they rushed out of their defensive positions, and straight into the waiting hands of Morrowind's Hortator.
What ensued was no battle, but a meticulous hunting down of names once great, now forever forgotten, the casual ease of it all ruining the defenders' morale, and the sheer presence distracting them from the hidden blade waiting to strike.
And then, as a prodigal Archmage was murdered in the sight of his masters, the slow slitting of his throat drawing their attention from their scrying for but a moment, two monstrous automatons breached their inner sanctum, cutting the great mages down like helpless children as Akulakhan's defenses allowed Umbra to butcher her targets without a care for their counterattacks.
A mere three days passed as Auridon was secured, the imperial fleet overwhelming any attempt from the Altmer to strike back with the help of their Princess' dragons and opening the way for the Expeditionary Force to land on the northeastern tip of Alinor itself.
The mere act of which sent ripples through the high elves, as not since Tiber Septim himself did a foreign army march across their shores, and any village or town that they approached found itself surrendering if they were wise, or being crushed in minutes if they were not.
The fortress of Karndar's Watch, the presumed fallback point both General Tullius and Hortator Reyvin agreed on, was found to have been completely abandoned, the following investigation revealing that all the legions of Alinor had retreated west, to the city of Cloudrest.
Their intent was obvious. Cloudrest was the greatest defensive position on the island, the mountain city high enough to be nigh on unassailable by normal means, while allowing the armies stationed within to strike out as they willed, ruining any attempt of a simple bypass.
-
(Reyvin's POV)
Minthara turned silent as I delivered my findings, frowning in consideration and cupping her chin "They seem to be really certain we are not just going to burn the island down to the ground while they hide."
"Are we though?" I quirked an eyebrow "Going to burn it down that is."
Scorch materialized atop my shoudlers "Do it! Show the featherless degenerates the error of their ways in a way they will never forget!"
She giggled as I grabbed scorch by the beak and forcefully shut him up, the squawk of betrayal only making the sight more comical as Minthara had to hold back her laughter.
Damn bird hasn't had his dose of war crimes recently, he is acting up.
Minthara wiped an imaginary tear from her eye and smiled "As tempting as that is, we will need land worth ruling after we are done."
Her entire demeanor shifted as the young woman gave way to the dragoness "They may think they are safe in their halls, but I say all they did was neatly gather themselves to be slaughtered."
My poor fucking soldiers... "Oh boy."
-
(General POV)
No call for parlay came from the brilliant peaks of Cloudrest, nor was an envoy sent from the perfect machine of the Tamrielic Expeditionary Force as they marched up to the city's mighty walls, nothing save for a simple commandment tied to an arrow declaring surrender would only be accepted until the evening of that same day.
Unsurprisingly, the Thalmor kept their silence.
The dawn came, and so did the assault.
Expert Imperial artillerymen ravaged the defenses with reckless abandon, the seasoned legionaries pushing through the numerous elves concentrated within the city like a grindstone, unrelenting and unstoppable.
Above it all, the mages dueled. Familiars nurtured for centuries faced off against mighty dragons, masters of all schools on both sides throwing increasingly deadly and heinous spell at each other as both the Altmer and the Telvanni let loose completely and utterly.
The skies above Cloudrest burned, driving terror into the defenders as many relived the Oblivion Crisis and trembled in fear, realizing in their hearts that resistance was futile.
Still they fought, the brave Gryphon Knights of the city sallying out atop their mighty steeds and battling the dragons in the skies, managing to cut down two before they themselves were overwhelmed by the sheer number of spells aimed at them.
The final member of their order faced his glorious end as he used the speed of his steed to disembowel an orange wyrm, passing through the sea of spells and death as he rushed to the Dunmer currently busy disintegrating an entire artillery bastion by his lonesome.
He made his peace with the gods, couched his skylance, and prepared to end the dreaded foe.
Only to be taken completely off guard as a dragon as large as the red one appeared seemingly out of nowhere, the black and gold monstrosity leaping up from below them and biting both gryphon and rider in half in one mighty snap of his jaws.
Kreinaarvokun roared his victory, and joined the butchery below.
However no matter the Empire's might, or that of their allies, the battle still took a full two days to conclude, as the sheer concentration of Altmer legionaries and militiamen fought for every single inch of ground with tenacity that was appreciated even by their Nordic enemies, the heavily warded streets and towers giving them just enough breathing space for their mages to save them from instant annihilation, and thus letting them make their stand worth something.
Both sides knew the mountain could have simply been shouted apart, but Cloudrest was worth far, far more intact than as a pile of shiny rubble. The perceived mercy only serving to enrage the Altmer as their pride was ripped into complete shreds by the realization.
But as before, the Empire and the Dragonborn that led them remained relentless, and as a spearwall of Dunmer pushed through an Altmer Elder mage and her honor guard, her apprentice, in a bout of panic, channeled a collection of black souls into the soil, and began rising all of the corpses within the city from their rest.
Unfortunately for the entrepreneurial mass desecrator, a mere minute passed before a miniature sun came alight above Cloudrest, ignoring any and all barriers as all the undead were set free in a cascading wave of gold.
The sun suddenly bubbling and folding into an arrow before it slammed directly into the palace of the city marked the end of the battle and the desperate surrender of what remained of its defenders.
No matter their determination or pride, the high elves could not stand under the force that had long since surpassed Tiber Septim himself.
All that was left now was the hope that the message was a bluff, and that their surrender would be accepted.
---
(Reyvin's POV, three days later)
While Minthara dealt with what remained of Cloudrest, and readied her march west to Alinor the city, I found myself standing before the walls of Shimmerene with only Legion Kragenmoor at my back.
Shimmerene was a beautiful place, hell all of Alinor was if I was being honest, but there was a certain... homeliness about the place I found myself quite unwilling to mar with a slaughter, and so I made my choice and approached.
The fear of the defenders was palpable as I strolled up to the walls, such was my presence that none of the bowmen atop the walls dared loose their arrows, even the few hateful Bosmer found themselves unable to move as my aura flowed freely and announced to them just how fucked they were if they tried anything.
My eyes met the familiar gaze of the city master's daughter, the foolish Lady Naerys who had progressed far beyond the meager power she carried the last time we met, stood atop the gatehouse, trembling uselessly as she felt something beyond her existence stare directly into her soul.
"I will make this offer but once." I declared casually, knowing damn well that every soul within the city could hear me "Drop your weapons, or perish."
I only needed to wait a minute before my command was obeyed.
-----
(General POV)
Narsis felt hollow as he walked into the long vacant throne room of Alinor, the news of the fall of his home city had arrived but a few hours earlier and he still fretted about his daughter's fate, even after nearly fainting in relief after learning she had been imprisoned instead of outright executed.
With all the increasingly dreadful propaganda the Thalmor were spouting in the capital, even he found himself unable to fully ignore the dread the imperial advance caused.
Sadly, he was not here to wallow, and found himself looking upon the leader of the failures meant to protect and guide their people.
The ever-important Overlord of the Thalmor stood before the throne, the once glorious ancient edifice marred by two shrines that had been built to its right and left, one bearing the familiar ostentation of Meridia, while the other was carved with the accursed filth of Molag Bal.
Finarfin turned away from the seat of the Arana, revealing an elaborate magic circle below him that connected the shrines to the throne, its grooves filled with fresh blood bubbling with Magicka and something the Kinlord could not identify.
"What..." Narsis felt his mouth go dry as he took a step back "What have you done?"
"Ah" Finarfin sounded genuinely disappointed to see him "Narsis. Come to see the path of our salvation?"
"...Salvation?" The Kinlord found himself muttering in both fury and incredulity, voice suddenly lacking any and all passion as he realized just how far his people had fallen "What kind of foolish salvation could possibly be worth desecrating the seat of Auri-El himself with the markings of the foulest of monsters?"
"Auri-El?" Finarfin glared at him "The same Auri-El who birthed that monstrosity who even now destroys our lands? Who even now butchers your beloved people?"
Narsis winced at the reminder but still shook his head "You go too far, Finarfin. Nothing is worth selling your soul to Molag Bal."
"Selling my soul?" The Overlord asked, sounding almost amused "Oh I assure you, my allies are more than willing to pave the way for my ascension for the low, low price of the soul of the one who has offended them."
"...Dagoth." Narsis muttered in fearful realization.
"Indeed." Finarfin slowly clapped "Do join me, Kinlord. It is only right that you witness our people's ascent with your own eyes."
'And not inform anyone of what you have done.' Narsis realized, suddenly feeling the wards of the palace tracking every movement. He hesitantly nodded, and watched despairing as what little remained of his people's dignity was stripped away.
--------------
Some clarifications:
Auridon is the island to the east of Alinor, practically a part of it but separated by a relatively narrow waterway.
Firsthold is the city to the north of Auridon, Just across where Anvil is on mainland Tamriel.
Skywatch is the other city on Auridon and its capital, somewhere around its center.
Cloudrest is the northern (center) city of the Alinor mainland, beeeg mountain city.
Shimmerene is the city to Alinor's center east
Alinor itself (the city) is to the island's lower center west
Comments
Hakkira
Thank you kindly for the chapter π
Nazarickk
Thanks for the chapter
