Turdas, 2nd First Seed, 4E 205. Letter to Emissary Baa’Ren-Dar, Khajiit Embassy, Torval.

My dear Baa’Ren-Dar, I am not crowned Emperor yet so let me talk to you as a friend and not let formality get in the way.

Please do not let your relationship with Rigmor change now politics may make you differ at times. I do not know how closely you followed my work for The Divine (and Azurah) over the last three and a half years so I will not claim you know my honesty and integrity. However you do know Rigmor and believe me when I say we will rule for the whole of Tamriel and like all nations, Elsweyr may find itself at odds with us on occasion.

I am going to be asking a lot in this letter and it is up to you how much you divulge. I would not ask if it is not important to the beginning moves of our rule.

Please remember that although Champion of The Divine I am still proudly Azurah’s Champion. I am unsure as to how much co-operation exists between her and The Divine but it appears to me they have both worked towards the same goal of securing the future of mortals, Nirn and Mundus. I know you have been using her Seers but also wonder if you have spoken to her yourself.

Let me just clarify some things you may of heard from Azurah or other sources.

I have no memories prior to waking on a carriage just outside of Helgen on the way to my execution. Sitting next to me was Ulfric Stormcloak and I had been near him when the Empire sprung its trap and captured him. I was not armed or dressed as a Stormcloak but guilty of being within a certain distance of the man. I was rescued by the intervention of Alduin. I am sure the World-Eater regretted that later on!

Despite my best efforts I could find no clues as to my identity in all those years of searching. It is only in the last few weeks I have discovered who I am.

I am Wulf Septim, son of Tiber Septim and Saint Alessia. Born and raised on Roscrea till the age of eighteen when I disappeared only to resurface aboard that carriage in the year 4E 201.  I believe I was taken away for training because I had exceptional combat and mage abilities. Who trained me? I do not know but I suspect it was Akaviri. They had been seen searching the north of the island looking for something.  I had been seen visiting the northern coast looking for something. Akaviri worship Auri-El and revere Dragonborn. I believe my Lord Akatosh arranged for my transportation and training by a faction of Akaviri not under the influence of Molag Bal.

Much of what has happened to me over the years was part of an elaborate plan of The Divine centuries in its execution of which Azurah seems to have played a critical part. My memory being wiped was one sacrifice forced upon me. Having to say goodbye to Rigmor on that border and not be able to say a word to her for three and a half years was another.

Rigmor losing her father and the last years of her childhood seems to have been a step in their machinations. Her imprisonment and torture and her mother’s imprisonment also seem to be part of their intricate manipulation of lives and destinies.

I have come to accept what was done as a necessity and hopefully Rigmor will see her tribulations in that context eventually. Azurah herself told Rigmor her life had been at the mercy of the Gods since she was born. Saint Alessia told me both herself and I were also at their mercy.

We are soldiers Rigmor and I. We have made sacrifices for the good of others but we did not volunteer for this duty. We were conscripted but unlike a soldier, we did not know we had been. Now I know why certain things were done to me I have come to terms with them. Rigmor accepting the death of her father in such barbaric circumstances is a bigger hurdle than anything I have faced.

Many people curse the Gods for their interference and manipulation of mortals and believe we would be better without them. For a start we would not exist or have somewhere to live if they did not sacrifice to make it so. The Divine gave up much to create Mundus, Nirn and the People’s that live on it. Many Gods could not commit to that sacrifice such as Magnus and the Magna-Ge who fled to Aetherius instead. Azurah used the powers given her by Fadomai to create your people from the forest spirits or Bosmer and therefore has a vested interest in the wellbeing of mortals.

The Gods no longer walk amongst us wielding great magics and weapons. Since the Dragonfires and subsequently the barrier created by Martin Septim’s sacrifice the only way the Gods can control mortals is via manipulation of our free choice. During this crisis in Cyrodiil I heard many a person curse the Gods for the troubles they found themselves in. The Gods did not make Count Leyawiin or his allies crave more power. They did not make Robere lie to Rigmor and plan her death after marriage. They did not create the pure evil that was Potema or other such mortals in the past. Without a God ever talking to them a mortal has the capability of both great good and great evil.

We are all a combination of nature and nurture. By nature an Orsimer is more suited to martial skills than intellectual and this is emphasised by their culture. But many an Orsimer have rejected such stereotyping and in fact one of the most learned being I know is Urag gro-Shub a Senior Mage at the College of Winterhold.

All sapient beings, even the Dov and Gods, can make decisions contrary to their nature. Dov by nature wish to dominate and regard others, even other Dov, as lesser beings. If it was not for some of them fighting this natural tendency, Paarthurnax for example, mortals would have lost the war again their Dov oppressors.

Meridia was one of the Aedra who became a Magna-Get. When Magnus and the other Magna-Ge discovered her continuing communications with Daedra she was cast down and became a Daedric Lord. She used her free will to choose sides no different than a mortal does.

Basically the only influence the Gods have on Nirn is through manipulating our nature and nurture. The Divine needed me to be full of compassion and not be greedy or self-centred so even though I do not remember my upbringing I have come to learn it was conducted in a loving environment. Self-sacrifice and a reverence for the well being of others were taught by example, not just rote. The Divine rely on my nature to make the right free choices at crucial times so their desired outcome is achieved.  They failed to instil such compassion with the first ever Dragonborn, Miraak, and he was seduced by the desire for power and wealth and fell under the influence of Hermaeus Mora. He failed in his duties as Dragonborn and did not come to the aid of mortals during the Dragon Wars. I was sent by The Divine to confront both him and his master and although pure evil at least he never blamed anybody but himself for his demise at my hands.

Rigmor is full of compassion and love of the normal citizen as taught by her parents and later by you. If Ragnar has acted the typical Cyrodiil noble and distanced himself from the common man then Rigmor may have involved herself in the sickening political games of the province when presented with the title of Countess. Instead at all times she looked out for the common man as taught by example and deed of those she respects the most.

So the Gods whisper in our ears and it is up to us to accept their proposals or not. Morag Sethius could have walked away from Molag Bal anytime she wished. A very good friend of mine was a Daughter of Coldharbour who did just that. Morag chose to do his bidding out of greed and vanity but was not forced to do so. I chose to risk my life and sacrifice my love for Rigmor to save the mortals of this planet many times because that was me deciding that was the right thing as taught by my parents.

So when people abuse the Gods I am honour bound to remind them that free will, not some magical power, is what determines a mortal’s moral path.

Sacrificing my love for Rigmor was the biggest challenge I faced and I had accepted it as necessary but have only recently understood why. For The Divine plan to work I had to be a surprise to Morag and her master. If Rigmor and I had continued our relationship after she moved to Cyrodiil then the Daedric Prince could have made plans that took my presence into consideration. As it was my unexpected appearance by Rigmor’s side made them panic and concoct ill prepared plans. We may never have known about the planned invasion if Morag had not tried to bring it forward. The Divine as usual kept hinting of a danger but never let me know exactly what it was.

So our love was sacrificed without us knowing why and yet in the end we are together once more.

I cannot express how difficult that separation was. I had strict instructions from Talos himself to keep my distance. Talos broke some rules by assuring me that Rigmor and I would eventually be reunited. He could not tell me when or in what capacity. If he had not done that the day after Rigmor crossed the border I do not know if I could have waited all that time. I would have abandoned my duties and that would have been to the detriment of all on Nirn. As it was I asked Mara, Dibella and Azurah to give me what information they could without compromising the Divine plan.

Poor Rigmor! They were trying to make her into something she was not and filled her head with all of their fake nobility bullshit! Those who were supposed to be looking after her drove her into Robere’s trap. To hear her tell me she still loved me but ‘they’ would not approve of me as a husband was like a knife to my heart. My known noble status was higher than that of Robere and was earned through helping the common man! The exact qualities she believes in! I was the second most powerful noble in three holds and could have been in eight if I wished to pursue such things. That was just my known noble status! According to the Greybeards I was entitled to the throne and I suspect if I had put my claim forward the Elder Council would have supported me. I had no intentions of ever doing so as bloodshed would have resulted.

Every single person on Nirn owes their life to me. I was rich and well respected but somehow I would not be good enough for ‘them’. Rigmor was so confused she thought that an ex bandit and son of a bandit would be a more acceptable match!

That was just plain crazy and made we wonder how Rigmor had survived in such a toxic environment. She was constantly told how civilised Cyrodiil was when it was far from it.

My immediate concern is Camaeus. He did not turn up for the purpose you signed that piece of paper for. If you had not signed it I would have sent him away. Were you aware of his real purpose? Did Azurah tell you? He is another whose life was manipulated by The Divine. His concern was for the new life Rigmor carries. Not Rigmor, not Molag or Morag, not the remnants of the New Order. His main purpose was to ensure Rigmor survived so she could give birth to the ”Chosen One”. He had another task which I have yet to figure out. He failed in whatever that was. He believed he was receiving instructions from Akatosh. In a way he was but it was Talos he had been talking to all his life. I told him that fact just after I asked if he thought he had been speaking to a God. How many innocent people had he helped kill and/or torture for being Talos worshippers and then from his own mouth he admitted my father is a God. He is a religious fanatic. He took the news of being directed by Talos far too calmly. Whatever he thinks he needs to do I fear he will pursue it with the same sort of fervour that allows Thalmor to persecute Talos followers. I have survived all these years by listening to my ‘gut feelings”. He is dangerous. He is a mistake by Akatosh and I have a feeling my family will be the ones to suffer the consequences.

Anything Azurah can tell you in that regard would be appreciated.

You must have been aware of Rigmor’s feelings towards me. Certainly her sadness was very deep when she thought I had ‘moved on’. I am so glad you convinced Yngol to provide a secret chaperone. Malesam did the same. Rigmor was in no mortal danger from Robere until after they married but if she had ever given herself to him and then found what he was it would have been a far deeper wound than already inflicted by him. I shudder at the idea of his betrayal becoming evident after a public outpouring of genuine affection on her behalf.  I have had to work hard to convince her that our love was and always will be real. Such mistrust has the experience with Robere instilled in her.

We have been thrust into a world neither of us sought or wanted. Our small taste of Cyrodiil politics prior to Rigmor being put on trial convinced us both it was never going to be of interest to us. Now we are the forefront of the game and will have to deal with it constantly and at a level far beyond our experience.

Rigmor has natural leadership, common sense and limitless compassion. She will be a brilliant Queen and I can only hope to learn from her. We will need advisors we can trust and that leads onto the question of the Elder Council. We will look at who they are and what their motivations are. I assume they are just players of the game who see their positions as status symbols.

It is obvious they hoped Rigmor or I would replace Sethius. With the evidence we provided about the collusion with Akavir they could have sent Imperial troops to accompany us on a lawful removal of a corrupt Emperor. Yet they chose to send Thalmor troops instead and provided no legal status for our actions. I think they were hoping we would march into the Imperial City at the head of an army and give them ammunition to question our right to rule at a later stage. Many would be incensed at an army with Thalmor support removing the legal Emperor. If we failed they could say we had no authority and were rebels. It might have been difficult to explain Camaeus being given permission to accompany us into Cyrodiil but I assume they would have explained that as well.

Whatever they hoped they now have two rulers who sued for peace and only killed the Emperor when he broke the ancient rules of parley. They now have a Queen of the Mede bloodline and an Emperor of the Septim bloodline who is a Dragonborn. They now have two heroes with the indisputable Divine right to rule and they would be foolish and without a hope of success to challenge that at any stage.

I know who killed Titus Mede II. It was a member of the Dark Brotherhood. I know because he told me so immediately after the deed. Who hired them? Titus Mede II was not overly popular with many people so the list is extensive. He did put limits on the powers of the Elder Council and I have no doubt bred resentment amongst its ranks. It would not be the first time a member or members of the Elder Council sought the demise of their Emperor. The one example I remember leaves me with a sense of Déjà vu.

Varen Aquilarios was the Duke, now called Count of Chorrol, and led a rebellion against Emperor Leovic who had incensed the population by legalising Daedric worship. He did it not from the Gold Coast but from Bruma. This was in 2E 576 and the war ended with him driving his sword into the Emperor’s heart at the foot of the Ruby Throne. He then married the Emperor’s widow, Olivia Tharn. He did that as a way of thanking Abnur Tharn, Olivia’s father and his second in command during the rebellion.

Abnur Tharn was in fact a Daedric worshipper. Whilst appearing devoted to The Divine and a loyal servant of the Empire he was involved with the plot that Lord Mannimarco, The King of Worms, and Molag Bal had devised that used the power of the Amulet of Kings to open a bridge between Nirn and Coldharbour.

It was only Mannimarco’s plan to capture Molag Bal and absorb his powers that saved Nirn. Evil always turns against evil.

Abnur Tharn did this whilst head of the Elder Council!

Why does this produce a strong sense of Déjà vu?

Morag Bal wished me to join her in using Molag Bal’s plans to make us Emperor and Chosen Queen. She kept hinting at the use of the Red Diamond and/or a reconstructed Amulet of the Kings to do so. The Red Diamond (Chim-El Adabal) was destroyed along with the amulet when Martin Septim used it to invoke the avatar of my Lord Akatosh to fight Mehrunes Dagon.

Somehow the events leading up to Table Mountain had both Morag Bal and her master, Molag Bal, believing they could accomplish what was tried back in 2E 576 and that somehow a Red Diamond would be available.

So you can see the parallels. A rebellion led from Bruma. Molag Bal’s plans coming partially unstuck due to his trusted servants ambitions. Senior members of the court co-operating with Molag Bal’s servants.

I believe Camaeus was told something by my Lord Akatosh concerning this Red Diamond and that the task he was given along with protecting Rigmor has something to do with it. I know he has failed in that task. I know because the Divine Task that allowed me to finally cross into Cyrodiil is also incomplete and I believe the Red Diamond is involved.

The Divine have never told me directly what needs to be done so I hope that explains to you why Camaeus would know something I did not.

So you can see from my ramblings that Rigmor and I have many things to contend with.

• Governing Tamriel
• Uniting the provinces in readiness for the expected Akaviri invasion.
• Deciding what to do with the Elder Council and ensuring they have not the power or funds to rebel.
• Preparing to be parents and then actually be parents.
• Deal with the continuing but obscure needs of The Divine.

Take your time to respond Baa’Ren-Dar. I have only outlined a little of the worries that now beset me. Only in the presence of my Queen do I find peace from these demands.