Glorious Imperial Tamriel

[Maharg67]

The courier galloped her light fast horse along the winding dirt road as behind followed her two bodyguards. She and they were Blade-Agents, officially were Blades but only in secret, so they were dressed and armoured as members of the Mercenaries Guild that was based in rebuilt Kvatch. They galloped because they were being chased by enemies though they did not know for sure who those enemies were, they also being in disguise. It was a clever disguise for the dozen warriors in pursuit were disguised as mercenaries of the older Fighters Guild based in the Imperial City, now also known as Martinpolis by many because of Martin's great sacrifise.

 

The disguise was clever for the Fighters Guild had over the last year begun an aggressive push against the Mercenaries Guild ending in some isolated clashes and even murders of fighters on both sides. If somebody saw what was happening there would be a good chance they would assume it was inter Guild fighting and would avoid getting involved because of it. The exception would be the Imperial Travel Guards who were an off-shoot of the Imperial Legionaries and who now patrolled roads along with other duties. But the Travel Guards were most found on the paved highways and major roads, paved or of packed dirt, not on secondary ways like this.

 

The Blades were better horse riders than their pursuers and their horses were better but they were more exhuasted. That they were battlemages was an advantage that they could not use now despite their intrinsic magical abilities as magefolk. Apart from magical devices with their own imbued magic, only the magefolk could use magic be it spells and many magical devices that focused, altered and-or amplified magefolk magic with out having their own intrinsic magic.

 

They were taking a very important message and copied stolen documents to a secret Blade-Agents' base in the city of Bruma. The courier and her bodyguards did not know what the message was or the documents. They did know that they could be fake, that they could be doing decoy duty as the real message and copied stolen documents went by other means, but this was fine by them. Either way they were still honourably carrying out their duty and were making matters difficult for the enemy.

 

But then they were slowing down and it seemed they were defeated for ahead of them were a large group of Fighters Guild warriors on horses. It seemed that they were doomed. The enemies had worked this ambush well.

 

But then the fake Fighters Guild Mercenaries turned their horses and fled the other way even as the real Fighters Guild Mercenaries signalled they were not there to bring trouble. Instead over thirty of them rode past in hot pursuit of the fake mercenaries while just four stopped to speak with the Blade-Agents. One was a hulking hybrid orc-human, that is looking more orc than human, and was on a large warhorse.

 

The man spoke. "A truce between the Fighters Guild and Mercenaries Guild has been struck though there was no need. There were false merceneries who attacked the Mercenaries Guild and the Fighters Guild in turn. Only one fight between real mercenaries took place. Now we all seek the false ones to discover why they did this and who was behind it. A truce has been struck and an agreement is being formed. Long needed changes are taking place. Fighters Guild most likely deal with such as bodyguards, estate guards and bank guards in future. Mercenaries Guild will deal with those who hunt and do battle either with such as rogue goblins or in battle under Imperial Contract or under other such contracts. Now, looking at you more closely, I ask this question. Who are you and what are you really? Your disguise is good but not that good."

 

Daneta the courier spoke then. "We are Blades serving the orders the Empress Sashena Septim while the Emperor continues his long contemplation at an Imperial Estate."

 

It was an open secret that the Emperor was quite insane and that the Empress was the true ruler of the Cyrodilin Empire. It was also an open secret that despite his insanity and inability to be truly the ruler, that the Emperor was a genius and at times produced ideas, inventions, essays and so forth of shere brilliance. He also produced much that was all the way crazy or half so and what he did was carefully gone through and refined before release if it was released. The Empire had come to admire their Mad Emperor for the gifts he had given them and many had come to see madness in a newer, fairer fashion.

 

The leader of mercenaries nodded. "I am Marshal Fardezok. We are Fighters Guild Mercenaries under Imperial Contract to serve as Road Guard Auxillaries. These roads are secondary but they connect many important mines and smithies to the more central regions. There have been increasing attacks on convoys bringing silver, gold, iron, copper and other metals through these areas but the convoys vanish except for a few bloody signs of battle and bits of rubbish left behind. Our people are both on patrol and are guarding convoys. We will escort you to Bruma. Something tells me that I can trust you and that I need to assist you for the good of the Empire."

 

The Blade-Agents rested on the side of the road after they carefully checked their horses and their horses rested also and grazed a little on roadside grass. The other mercenaries came back who had chased the fake Fighters Guild Mercenaries. The fake ones and their horses had vanished into mid-air with a strange shimmerin effect. Of course some sort of magic had been used and of powerful sophisticated form.

 

The orc-human had his people rest also while they took turns on sentry and scouting duties.

 

Daneta sat with her back to a tree and seemed to lightly observe everything that went on. She was tired and she was resting well but her mind was busy on some matters of importance. It was to do with the Mad Emperor's latest Imperial Gift to the People. Past gifts had been a few.

There were the golems, an ancient magic reborn and improved, so that now clay, metal and stone golems served the Empire as hulking humanoid bipeds and four legged quadrapeds something like golem centaurs. Golems were generally peaceful but reacted against evil, especially evil magic, the demonic and the undeath.

There were the magical wheeled, air-floating, flying and waterborne transports from flying ships to small magic-ponies to more common magic-carriages of the wealthy.

There were the new standard pulse-magic weapons of the Imperial Legionaries and other Imperial military forces.

There were the teleport-gates opening up in major cities that transported instantly mostly non living goods for it was more dangerous to send living things.

There were the crystal-ball improved communications and seer magic backed up by magical networks of interwoven spells based on base spells.

 

But more importantly, perhaps, his gifts had inspired others to push magic into other realms, often more practical ones, that changed society to a great extent.

 

She picked up a handful of dirt and let it trickle through her fingers. She was a very powerful and highly skilled battlemage but in truth, unofficially, he was also so in many forms of magic. The Blades Command based in the far off temple fortress had decided for various reasons that she should conceal the true extent of her abilities from most people, even other Blade-Agents. Only a few in the Blades, the Mages Guild and the Empress' High Advisory Assistance Council knew what she truly was. Of course the Empress herself knew. Except that in truth nobody knew really quite what she was. She was one of those magical enigmas that appeared only rarely in history; she was a Magelord!

 

So why was she being a courier and why was she so concerned about the latest of the Mad Emperor's gifts and why did she sense that both were linked somehow.

 

The Master Spell was its name and it would, in theory, make Tamriel a far greater place to live in. It would bring many great new abilities to people and amazing new machines that would do wondrous services and produce amazing goods. The Empire would become a true utopia and its people would become utopians. So far the word of the new gift had not spread to the public but was kept quiet by the Empress who had her own concerns both about it and the growing madness of her husband.

 

There was nothing wrong with the previous gifts, nothing evil and all were based on the various traditional magical forms of the world of Mundas of which Tamriel was one great continent. The gifts were based on Arcane, Techcane and Elemental magical traditions. They had much less to do with the Spirtual Magic of the Order of the Twelve, once the Order of the Nine. They had nothing at all to do with the evils of Daedric, Necromantic or other dark magic.

 

So why was she so concerned now and why did she sense something different about this gift?

 

The orc-human came to her and squatted before her. He smiled at her but before he spoke she broke in.

 

"So who are you really? Just you, that is, and not these real mercenaries that serve you?" Daneta brushed the dirt off her hands. "I do not think that you serve the Blades?"

 

Fardezok nodded. "Very good. You are as the Empress said you would be. The Blades have been compromised and infiltrated. They are cleansing their ranks but it will take time and a new order has been created in meantime that only a very few Blade-Commanders know of. It is the Order of the Nine of Nine of Nine. The first Nine serve the Empress directly and each commands nine special agent leaders. Each of these agent leaders in turn commands nine special agents. I can give you no names because I only know a code name of my special agent leader, I being a special agent. The system is designed so that none in it knows too much about the others. If any of us are captured and are broken we can not give any real information except of a general nature. In truth the use of the number 'nine' could be a falsehood meant to mislead people. I do not know."

 

He paused before speaking again. "Please read the documents you have and then give them to me. We are to work together. The documents are actually meant for us to read."

 

She nodded, again finding herself believing him, opening up the leather courier envelope even as she did and pulling out three parchment sheets. She looked down at the first and stopped in surprise. On the front was the name and title of the Empress but also of other well knwon figures in the Empire. They were Blade Marshal Brom of the Blades, Archmage Vallum of the Mages Guild who was not to be mistaken for the Chancellor of the Arcane University who was subordinate to her, Star Marshal Calgran of the Imperial Defence Forces of Legions, Navy, Marines, various Guard Forces and the small Aeronavy, Sherlock Heart the great magical detective and the mysterious but fairly well known title, with out a name, of Eternal Champion.

 

In great wonder at such a list of very powerful and influential figures plus the amazing last item on the list, she went to the next parchment sheet. Then she began to read what was a cleverly coded message hidden inside what was a real message talking about less important secrets; it was truth hidden inside truth and the outer truth was still important enough to do some damage to the Empire showing how much the powers to be were willing to give up to hide the secret message.

 

As she read she actually gasped in shock and then she became graver the more she went on. As she finished each of the two parchment sheets she passed it onto the Marshal. As he read he also became rather grave. When they were both done they looked at each other with some concern showing and much more hidden.

 

He spoke first. "Now I know the real reason the 9of9of9 was created though it has carried out and continues to carry out many other tasks such as enforcing the Imperial Triaga Edicts against necromancy, soulstone magic and all things daedric."

 

She suddenly frowned. "There is a link between this new Master Spell and the Imperial Triaga Edicts. The edicts were first proposed by our dear Mad Emperor and then later he wrote down, briefly and just once, that the edicts cleared away a mess to make it easier for the Master Spell to operate. Nobody could work out then what he meant and they could get no clear explanation from the monarch."

 

Much trouble had come when the edicts had been declared by the Empress at a great meeting of the Imperial Congress of Ministers, Representatives and Advisors. While most either supported the changes or did not care, many had resisted. Daedric followers, necromancers, wealthy traders of soulstones and others had protested. When the edicts were exended to include a ban on summoning spells for the undead and the daedric, the troubles and increased. This was despite the wide spread introduction of good alternatives to soulstones and to the summoning spells. Now one could use a variety of copies of Ayleid power stones or new power-crystals or new recharging spell scrolls. Also mages could now summon friendly magical creatures to assist but with some payment involved or elementals who fed on natural energies while they were summoned.

 

The edicts were in two phases: first was the amnesty stage when necromancers or daedric followers or soulstone users could give up to authorities not only with out punishment but with compensation given in various ways. That had passed and now the Empire was officially coming down hard on everybody, very hard on some to the degree of execution. Unofficially there was a second amnesty to those who came forward to give themselves up who had information on others. Across the Empire thousands of people were placed in newly build prisons from which they worked in chain-gangs or in workshops or farms.

 

Many thousands of soulstones had been dumped into big holding chambers to be later disposed off. Daedric sites of worship had been destroyed or, in the case of a few major ones, cut off for the study by mages and scholars. Many daedric followers and necromancers had fled across Imperial borders to High Rock or Black Marsh, both being now independent of the Empire but allied to it. The United Kingdoms of High Rock and the Tribal Empire of Black Marsh were not happy about the influx and were trying to stop it, were hunting down the border crossers. Or at least officially they were.

 

The mer of the Sunset Isles did not care for none were foolish to go their way. The Empire had there now only two large free trade zones that they ruled as Imperial Territories.

 

The great island kindom of Kamelot supported the edicts and none dared go there where daedric followers, necromancers and users of soulstones had been burned to death for centuries under edicts of the Immortal King Arthur. Tamriens only went openly to and from Kamelot's own free trade zone which was ruled by one of King Arthur's many immortal princes of sons.

 

Other realms, on that world or elsewhere, were neither reachable or desirable for most.

 

He nodded. "There have been numerous odd sightings and other incidents in this isolated region. So far most have been harmless or at they seem to be. When a small investigating team of Blades vanished in this area, a much bigger taskforce was sent. This soon reported that the first team had been ambushed and killed by a big force of bandits including hedge mages. These Blades returned to former duties and were later found to be impostors, to be fake in a fashion most disturbing. The discovery was accidental though many Blades who had known those who had been in the taskforce were speaking of there being something wrong with the impostors; not only did they not behave like themselves but animals hated them and magical entities reacted violently to them such as the golems. Much of this is in the report, as you know, but some I learned elsewhere."

 

At that she frowned some more. "The impostors failed easily, then, but it is feared they were a decoy and not the real threat."

 

The orc-human shrugged. "That is yet to be worked out. The impostors amongst the Blades were destroyed quickly and neatly because it was fairly easy to work out just who they were but other of these bizarre impostors have been seeded through out the Empire. That is why golems now stand guard on each side of all major gates of cities and large towns. The golems are needed for other things and other safeguards are being set up."

 

Daneta frowned. "So we discuss these odd incidents now."

 

The orc-human responded. "People have spotted large groups of creatures moving that looked like animals or monsters familiar to Tamriel but which looked oddly identical to each other and which moved strangely quiet and in orderly fashion. They also tended to be pale coloured and all coloured in one way. The observors have sometimes reported that these creatures 'felt wrong' and 'smelt wrong'. The same thing was said of the Blade impostors."

 

Daneta stood up. "People have vanished along with pets, working animals and livestock. Isolated farms have vanished including the actual buildings apart from a few bits of rubbish. Now there is the report that communications, magical and otherwise, has been cut off with the isolated village of Brokeback Cow. A stagecoach due to have gone through the village has failed to arrive at its next destination as did a horse express rider carrying special delivery mail and news broadsheets."

 

The parchments turned brown as if burning, then black, and then fell into a fine black dust that soon dispersed and vanished. It had been magical paper designed to start the process of disintigration as soon it was taken out of the leather envelope.

 

He stood up also. "I will order my second-in-command to continue normal road patrols. I informed him earlier I might have to leave suddenly under odd circumstances."

 

At that she was obviously thoughtful. "The Blades will come with us. They have been carefully checked and I sense no threat in them."

 

That is what happened and soon the orc-human, the Magelord and the two other Blades were on their way to the oddly named village of Brokeback Cow. A small but well made map had been on the second parchment sheet and also the orc-human knew where it was though he had never been there. Very few people had ever been to Brokeback Cow that was both very isolated and had some very odd stories about it.

Edited October 11, 2009 by Maharg67

[Herculine]

Once again you've captured my attention and held it hostage. I'll be anxiously watching for more.

[dezdimona]

very good,I love your stories!

[dezdimona]

* edited by me*

[Herculine]

Dezdimona, I wish you nothing but good fortune in your pursuit for publication!

[Maharg67]

The three Blades and the orc-human mercenary made their way through the forests over two days. The going was fairly rough but both they and their horses made good time anway. There always seemed to be handy tracks to follow. They made camp on the first night and slept in a small clearing with a stream flowing through part of it that gave them water for washing, drinking and the making of coffee. They found no signs of any strange creatures having gone that way. They did spot some friendly brownies, magical beings, making their way through the forest in their odd green and brown clothes. The short humanoid brownies were hunting it seemed with their dangerous weapons of magical blowpipes.

 

As the second day came to an end they found themselves coming to a ring round fort that was surprisingly intact. It was abandoned by the Empire though many such forts were now being repaired and once more fitted with small garrisons. The Oblivion Gate invasion had reminded the Empire that they needed forces placed ready to respond to such attacks.

 

The fort was occupied by locals who had turned it into some kind of settlement. The locals looked as if they had recently moved in and looked wary and fearful of the four newcomers. Daneta moved ahead of others and held up her right gloved hand to signal she meant peace. Then she dismounted and spoke to them. Thus she learned that magical creatures in the area, good or neutral or bad, were fighting some sort of strange creatures in the area. There were also local warriors passing through the area who seemed to be allied to the good magical creatures.

 

Those in the fort were setting up home in it but not daring to go down into its depths. The courtyard protected their goats, dairy cows and chickens. The large round fort walls also held chambers and these were being turned into homes, workshops, stables for horses and much else.

 

Daneta healed some injuries, the sickness of a boy child, the illness of one of the milking cows and recharged a magical glowlamp. Then she went down into the depths of the fort with her three companions and three local volunteers. Why she did this she was not sure. It simply felt right to do.

 

To her surprise there were no nasties in the depths of the fort, no zombies, no wraiths or anything else. Some force, she could sense magic in it, had cleaned up the underground levels, had straightened everything out, had even repaired things. When they came upon wall tapestries hanging newish on the walls and pot plants with healthy flowers growing in them, furs on the floor and even oil paintings in elaborate wooden frames, the seven of them all looked around in wonder.

 

Then they were in a large chamber confronting an an old but elegantly attractive woman and man sitting in large wooden chairs. The two smiled at the newcomers as they sat there in simple elegant but expensively made robes. There were magical symbols on the robes but Daneta was not sure where she had seen them before though she knew she had done. There were two big dogs on the floor near the couple and a big cat curled up on the woman's lap; all three animals were sleeping comfortably.

 

There were seven chairs facing the pair as if they had known exactly who were coming to see them.

 

The woman spoke in a voice that seemed soft and yet which easily travelled all around the big chamber. "Welcome to you all and to you most of all, Magelord Daneta. We are ancient and for long centuries we have slept for we are Trarta, of the very first humans who are now mostly forgotten. Long ago the Trarta emerged on Tamriel in the Mythic Age but the mer forced our people to go north to the continent there. Or at least such is the story as we tell it. Please sit and make yourselves comfortable."

 

Daneta nodded. "I sense life here other than yourselves."

 

The woman smiled. "Yes there are followers who serve us willingly and magical entities we have created also. This is not our home. We have a hidden realm, a pocket dimension where we are happy but we came here to meet you Daneta and to warn you of an ancient threat that is coming to Tamriel. In truth the threat comes in three parts, each of which has three parts. They is the Spellord who has have three distinct selves, the Master Spells that has three distinct aspects, the TriEmpire which is divided into TriImperium, TriEnforce and TriMagi. Again I ask you to sit and be comfortable."

 

The seven of them sat and looked upon the two ancient being who emanated immortality.

 

Servants came in the form of beautiful young women in very immodest dresses of slit sides and semitransparent silken cloth with evidently no garbs beneath. Most of the men stared in amazement. Daneta, one other Blade and a local were women and did not care so much. The orc-human seemed to take it in his stride. They were given beautifully elegant crystal glass goblets but Daneta insisted on drinking first. The drink was a fruity wine of delicate delightful taste that was only lightly alcoholic.

 

"I am Lady Sharezza of the Shield-House of Coorbrooloor." The woman spoke again with the same warm, rich tone of compassion. "My husband and I are here to offer you and your Empire some assistance against the threat that is coming."

 

To be CONTINUED in another Post.

Edited October 11, 2009 by Maharg67

[Herculine]

I'm getting wrapped up in this story. I can't wait for the next part!

[Maharg67]

Daneta spoke then. "What would you offer our people?"

 

The ancient woman snapped her fingers and with a flash of light appeared a floating golden and silver metallic orb. It was exactly a metre wide and smoothly surfaced with the golden and silver areas almost seeming to merge in and out of each other.

 

Lady Sharezza spoke then. "This is a magitaglobe, a kind of magitatech device. You can have it float after you or have it shrink and put it safely away or it can store itself very small inside your body. The magitaglobe has many tricks and the more tuned to it you become the more it can do."

 

There was another flash and a misty figure floated there. It was robed and bore a back-sack. A hood of the robe covered its head and its face was hazy. It held a long wooden staff. The immortal Trarta spoke again. "This is a phantom-merchant that will come when summoned at noon or midday and will give you then 1,000 credit. What you do not use will accumilate. The current list is basic in many ways. To add more items to the list or other lists will cost credit. We Trarta are not a saintly people, far from it, though we tried hard to do better than our ancestors once did. They deserved to be ejected from Tamriel. We will ask you to do some quests for us and will pay you in credit for the phantom-merchant and in other ways. We will be generous in our payments and will not ask you to do evil or to go against your empire. Indeed by fulfilling our quests you will assist both your empire and our people."

 

Then the ancient man spoke. "I am Lord Sharezza of the Shield-House of Coorbrooloor." He snapped his fingers and a golden and silver ring appeared on the middle finger of either hand. "You Daneta now have access to summoning magita-spirits of the lowest orders of cleric, mage, druid and illusionist but you must practise with them and be careful to ration the power of the magita-rings. You may also use their spells yourself through the rings. You may also summon magita-spirits of assistant, servant, worker, guard, bard, jestor, scribe or artisan. Again you need to ration your magita-energy."

 

She spoke again. "Magita is not like the magika of Tamriel but it will not clash if you use both."

 

Then he spoke again. "This place is now yours to use as a base of operations. It has a teleport-gate like those ancient ones found through out Tamerial. It has many facilities and servants in the form of flesh-golems, dogs, hulems, cats, skels, magical mechanisms, horses and more common types of Tamerial. There is much equipment and supplies here. The teleports take you to all the major cities of the empire plus a few other places including close to Cloud Ruler Temple."

 

She snapped her fingers and Fardezok now had a slim golden silver bracelet on each wrist. "Fardezok, these bracelets will allow you to dare nine types of summonings each of nine possible outcomes but beware for there is a random element to using this kind of magita. More basically these magita-bracelets will allow you to summon nine kinds of magical force being three offensive, three defensive and three for fixing: the three offensive are flamepulse, sparkpulse, lightpulse; the three defensive are absorption shield, deflection shield and reactive pulse; the three fixing are the healing of mind, body and spirit. You can also summon nine times nine types of items being rations, medicants, weapons, ammunition, tools, armour, sheilds, magitabots and special."

 

The Lord smiled. "I have added the bonus of summoning for both of you, hot coffee, cool clear water, tobbasho, foodbars, flashdarts, fireflashers, flareflashers, healing serums and stim serums. Yet again you need to watch your use of magita-energies."

 

Then they spoke almost as one. "Use these new powers with care. Grow with them and use the more basic abilities first. There will come a time when you may choose to adjust these abilities, share them or swap them. We will meet again in future. Now you will fall into a warm darkness. When you awake your two Blade companions will have changed and they will have something important to say to you."

 

Fardezok, Danita and the other two Blades suddenly did find themselves adrift semiconsciously in a warm, comforting and safe place. Their bodies drifted gently to the floor where now appeared thin but comfortable mattresses covered with hessen sheets.

[Herculine]

I'm still feeling like I'm reading a book I just picked up at Barnes & Noble. Excellent!

[Maharg67]

Daneta awoke first and found herself in a large bed of silken sheets and fine furs. Light came from gas-lamps on the walls that burned bright and clear. She slipped nakedly out of the bed and across the chamber to stand before a great mirror. There she found herself to be quite beautiful, even more so than she had been. There were the gold-silver rings on her fingers but otherwise her body was bare.

 

A big cat wandered in and leapt lightly up onto her bed and sat there looking at her with big brown eyes. Then he spoke. "Does it feel good to be more than just a Blade?"

 

She whirled and faced him with both surprise and anger. "I will always be a Blade?"

 

But the big feline shook his head. "How can you be a Blade who is only loyal to the Cyrodilin Empire when now you have so much power and influence yourself? The Trarta always want something. The Trarta never just give anything away. The Trarta are frightened and that makes them even more dangerous. It is morning. The other three are still sleeping. You can order breakfast to be served for you in your own dining room."

 

Daneta found a translucent silken house-robe and slipped it on. It only came down to her knees and left her shoulders bare. She did it up with its silken belt. "I liked being a Blade. To be a good Blade is to do one's duty as best as one can."

 

The big cat yawned and then spoke again. "I am Lord Tomcatty! I am one of your personal assistants but don't expect me to eat mice or anything like that. I have to keep to some sort of standards, you know. Please come over here so that I may rub against you and pur a lot."

 

Danita sat on the edge of the bed with the big cat on her lap who purred and rubbed the top of his head against her chin while she hugged him to herself.

 

Not a Blade?

 

Then she spoke. "I will have breakfast served in my dining room and of course you are invited, my sweetest Lord Tomcatty."