The Last Line of the Imperial City

[Kackion2]

(This is a story of the fall of the Imperial City during the Sack of the City during The Great War in early 4E 174. Please tell me how you like it and what I should work on next.)

 

It has been a week since the siege of the Imperial City began, with one Legion tasked with defending it at all costs. This is my accounts of those times. My name is Johnathan Averni, a Captain of the Eighth Legion, Fourth Cohort. I am a Imperial born into a Breton family living in Cyrodiil. When I came of age, I enlisted into the Imperial Army, quickly rising through the ranks as the years passed by.

 

Too soon, The Great War came. And with it; the loss of a great many friends and family including my wife. It was not long before we were along the walls of the Imperial City, defending it from the ferocious attacks of the Thalmor. At this time, my Cohort was just inside of the gates readying ourselves for the coming waves of elves.

 

Smoke and fire filled the air as though an angry dragon swept through this once magnificent city. I would choke on the air if I breathed in too deeply, hope dwindling away among my men and myself. By now, we were the only Cohort remaining inside the city, the rest were defending the walls. We could hear the sounds of a large battle every waking moment. Even in our sleep we could hear the voices of our dyeing men, my dyeing men.

 

Within days parts of the wall were lain to rubble and Thalmor were pouring into the city. We fell back, closer and closer to the Imperial Palace, tacking losses with each step back. My Cohort of 40 men fell to ten brothers and sisters in arms, defending the doors to the Palace. A wall of shields around the entrance. We were the last line of Legionaries left, and I wasn't about to let the Thalmor even see a glimpse inside the Palace if I was still standing. Days without any sleep or food, we still stood there, our shields acting as a way against a merciless enemy.

 

Now the big question, how was I able to live? I ask myself and the nine that each day. One moment I was holding my shield against an elven swordsman; the next I am laying with my face in the dirt and my steel Captain's Armor torn off. I slowly looked in my surroundings and saw the most horrible sit I had seen to this day. The bodies of my brothers and sisters lay around me as fires burned in the White-Gold Tower, and it's smoke curled up into the sky. I slowly raised myself onto my feet searching for anything to be used as a weapon. I found a small dagger tucked between the leather skirt of one of my friends. That's when I noticed a deep gash running from my shoulder to near my heart. It looked like my armor protected me from a large part of the blow, but the cut felt deep and now was burning with pain.

 

I picked up the dagger with my shield hand and began to move away from the bodies. I could hear the screams and cries of those still remaining, but there was nothing I could do for them. The Thalmor wouldn't kill me, I was an Imperial Officer. They would torture me for all of the information that I could possibly give them, then they would give me a painful death. I was not about to allow the deaths of my 40 Legionaries to be for nothing. I had to make my way outside of the city and find my way to the Emperor.

 

That was what I tried to do, I cautiously made my way outside of the city as Thalmor flooded the streets and invaded our homes. I found a some people fleeing as well but not many. I assisted those that I could, get out of the city and away from the elves. One of the citizens wrapped a bandage around my chest and shoulder after doing away with my already torn armor.

 

We had finally made in out of the city as light began to pour over the horizon. We did what we could to avoid all roads and trails, but it was a difficult task. I only followed a general direction; away. Away from the sacked city, from the forty lost souls of my Cohort, away from the capitol to our great empire. None of our group knew nor cared where we were going, just away. So that is what we did.

 

Winter had soon come after that. We were surviving on land that was now all but unfamiliar to me. The sound of battle now a distant memory, but the trials of survival the all too present future. The cold now biting at all of us, threatening us. Hunger tugged at as and warmth seemed to turn it's back on us. I begged the nine for death, but death did not come for me. We found game and furs in an area where we thought was desolate. We handcrafted tools to cut trees down and build shelter. Using the stone and wood that we could, we made shelters and crafted our own houses. We trapped an caught our own food, fully away from everything that was going on and made our own future for ourselves. Our town is now known as The 8th. We found that we are among the border southern border of Skyrim, and have made contact with another town known as Helgen. I do hope that this book reaches someone within the greater cities of Skyrim and comes to us.

[MisterCubix]

Oh god!

How could there be no replies except for me! :(

 

The story was pretty good tho :)

[Deleted120957248User]

Its a nice soldiers story.

I may share some thoughts of information that might help but also for other storywriters or modders. I like to write honestly.

I think i can share an entirely different perspective in regards to the Elder Scrolls Series and the Mid to Late 4th Era. Specifically about the Empire.

 

What we read through the series is well and good and its mostly ''Information of the Surface'' with a few plots arising and everything else left as Roleplay speculations and possibilities. But how could the Story evolve, what would be the natural consequences, where does logic lead us and is it contradicted somehow? We wont know until new game books are written but a few things seem more clear and possible then others.

 

We have an Emperor that is one of the smartest leaders in Tamriel and knows how to play Strategy relentlessly and nobody sees his real motivation.

 

- The Aldmeri Dominion we can assume is a Faction and unlike the (ESO Aldmeri Dominion) is a Structure of Zealots and local Nobles that formed a Political Council (The ruling body) of the Summerset Isles and persecutes those who locally oppose them. They took Power through force anyway and enforce their Rule everywhere with unofficial methods and subterfuge including local exterminations forcing alot of Mer to oppose them.

 

- They bring their first Army in Cyrodiil and see the Empire preparing to fend them off after refusing their Ultimatum and yet it doesn't commit its Legions to the Fight but rather tries to exploit their Zealotry and Arrogance and lets them spread around the Province.

They get lured to capture one of the most defendable City-Fortresses of Tamriel without a prolonged siege being organized by the Empire that withdraws.

After that they spread all their forces around Cyrodiil and Hammerfell with an Imperial Legion that just waits ingnoring all Collateral Damage consequence.

 

- This is the first unnatural strategy of Titus Mede. Motivation for Great Sacrifice with the goal to make the enemy highly vulnerable. This isn't the usual weaken the enemy, but a rather risky and relentless War Strategy ''They die there and there so we can bring the Enemy where we want to decimate him''

 

- The Aldmeri Dominion is stretched from the deep Deserts of Hammerfell all the way to Cyrodiil. Skirmishes and smaller Battles comence. We don't see any Imperial attempt to outmaneuver them. Not until the Battle of the Red Ring. This shows us the Motivation is to not just rout the enemy but lure him in a Trap.

After that all Imperial Legion Forces start the Assault against the Aldmeri forces around the Imperial City.

They don't let the enemy flee, instead they encircle him on a head on Assault that is not meant to stop until the City is taken and the enemy is slaughtered to the very last man (Mer).

 

- This finally shows the Motivation of a Leader that saw the threat ''The Ultimatum'' as an opportunity for Expansion. He wanted to destroy their Armies. There is proof of that. After he devastated their Logistics and Fighting capability instead of ''Forcing them to a Stalemate'' he goes ahead and accepts a Political Treaty that will cause an entire Province to leave the Empire (Hamerfell).

 

- He also prefers to risk local Rebellion in one of the most important Soldier Recruitment Centers of the Empire (Skyrim) which is even more difficult for the Legion to intervene or tame the Land and Stabilize it.

 

- He also abandons the East Empire Trading Company in Skyrim and relies strictly on local Militias and a smaller Force of the Imperial Legion to handle it.

 

- Leaving the Aldmeri Dominion after the Markarth Incident to roam around freely and risk the population itself loosing faith in the Empire more and more.

Why would he care? The Imperial City itself and Heartland Cyrodiil's population was used as bait to be sacrificed anyway.

 

- He doesn't mind to Disband the Blades. Why would he? They are not exactly loyal to whichever Emperor rules anyway. The Penitus Oculatus is preferable.

 

- He lets the Aldmeri Dominion waste their forces in Hammerfell and propably handling a Rebellion in Valenwood while they are also stretched thin all across the Empire to enforce the White Gold Concordat. Just how many forces are spread everywhere? People might suffer but they are also Collateral Damage.

 

In the End he accepted a Treaty he didn't necesserily have to.

One that would make him risk loosing, not only provinces and sacrificing everyone as a means to an end, but even risking his own Head.

But he gained a Loyal and strict Imperial Intelligence Force, his full Control and exploitation and draining of Taxes across the Provinces, Law Enforcement.

He stretched his opponent thin even after the War letting him deplete more logistics while keeping him on a Stalemate he alone wont break.

 

His Power grows. The Thalmor Aggression is an Exploitable Opportunity for a future Military Conquest against a weakened Enemy.

 

Will he succeed?

I think the Aldmeri Dominion destabilizes itself by just doing what they do and that Cyrodiil will have a War of Succesion after his Assasination.

 

Note, i am Pro-Stormcloak, not Pro-Talos but Pro-Indepence and Anti-Alessian, with Sithis as the Empty Universe and Lorkhan the Creator.

Edited December 2, 2021 by Guest