2920, Evening Star2920, First Seed2920, FrostFall2920, Hearth Fire2920, Last Seed2920, MidYear2920, Morning Star2920, Rain's Hand2920, Second Seed2920, Sun's Dawn2920, Sun's Dusk2920, Sun's Height36 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 136 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 1036 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 1136 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 1236 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 1336 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 1436 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 1536 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 1636 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 1636 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 1736 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 1836 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 1936 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 236 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 2036 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 2136 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 2236 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 2336 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 2436 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 2536 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 2636 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 2736 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 2836 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 2936 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 336 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 3036 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 3136 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 3236 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 3336 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 3436 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 3536 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 3636 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 436 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 536 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 636 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 736 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 836 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 9A Dance in Fire, Chapter 1A Dance in Fire, Chapter 2A Dance in Fire, Chapter 3A Dance in Fire, Chapter 4A Dance in Fire, Chapter 5A Dance in Fire, Chapter 6A Dance in Fire, Chapter 7A dying man's last wordsA Fair WarningA Game at DinnerA Hypothetical TreacheryA Less Rude SongA scroll written in bloodA Short History of MorrowindA worn and weathered noteAedra and DaedraAjira's Flower ReportAjira's Mushroom ReportAncestors and the DunmerAntecedants of Dwemer LawArcana RestoredArkay the EnemyAzura and the BoxBiography of Barenziah v IBiography of Barenziah v IIBiography of Barenziah v IIIBiography of the Wolf QueenBlasphemous RevenantsBone, Part OneBone, Part TwoBreathing WaterBrief History of the Empire v 1Brief History of the Empire v 2Brief History of the Empire v 3Brief History of the Empire v 4Brown Book of 3E 426Chance's FollyCharwich-Koniinge, Volume 1Charwich-Koniinge, Volume 2Charwich-Koniinge, Volume 3Charwich-Koniinge, Volume 4Cherim's Heart of AnequinaChildren of the SkyChimarvamidiumChronicles of NchuleftConfessions of a Skooma-EaterCorpse Preparation v ICorpse Preparation v ICorpse Preparation v IICorpse Preparation v IIIDagoth Ur's PlansDarkest DarknessDeath Blow of Abernanitdecoded packageDirections to Caius CosadesElante's NotesElone's Directions to BalmoraFellowship of the TempleFeyfolken IFeyfolken IIFeyfolken IIIFighters Guild CharterFive Songs of King WulfharthFor my Gods and EmperorFragment: On ArtaeumFrontier, Conquest...Galerion The MysticGalur Rithari's PapersGhost-Free PapersGrasping FortuneGreat Houses of MorrowindGuide to Ald'ruhnGuide to BalmoraGuide to Sadrith MoraGuide to VivecGuide to VvardenfellGuylaine's ArchitectureHallgerd's TaleHanging Gardens...Hanin's WakeHanin's WakeHomilies of Blessed AlmalexiaHonor Among ThievesHospitality PapersHow Orsinium Passed to the OrcsIce and ChitonIncident in NecromInvocation of AzuraKagrenac's ToolsLast Scabbard of AkrashLegions of the DeadLives of the SaintsLord Jornibret's Last DanceMages Guild CharterMaster Zoaraym's TaleMessage from Dagoth UrMessage from Master AryonMission to Vivec -- from CaiusMixed Unit Tactics v1Mysterious AkavirMystery of Talara, Part 1Mystery of Talara, Part 2Mystery of Talara, Part 3Mystery of Talara, Part 3Mystery of Talara, Part 4Mystery of Talara, Part 5MysticismNchunak's Fire and FaithNerevar at Red MountainNerevar Moon-and-StarNerevarine cult notesN'Gasta! Kvata! Kvakis!N'Gasta! Kvata! Kvakis!Night Falls On Sentinelnote from the ArchcanonNotes from HuleeyaNotes on Racial PhylogenyOdral's History of the Empire 1Odral's History of the Empire 2Odral's History of the Empire 3Odral's History of the Empire 4On MorrowindOn OblivionOrdo LegionisOrigin of the Mages GuildOverview of Gods and WorshipPackage for Caius CosadesPalla, Book IPalla, Book IIPeke Utchoo's last wordsPlan to Defeat Dagoth UrPoison Song IPoison Song IIPoison Song IIIPoison Song IVPoison Song VPoison Song VIPoison Song VIIProgress of TruthProvinces of TamrielRealizations of AcrobacyRed Book of 3E 426Redoran Cooking SecretsReflections on Cult WorshipRels Tenim Journal PageResponse to Bero's SpeechSaryoni's SermonsSaryoni's Sermons ManuscriptScroll of TyroniusSenilius' ReportSharn's Legions of the DeadSilenceSithisSmuggler's IslandSong of the AlchemistsSpecial Flora of TamrielSpirit of the DaedraStarlover's LogSurfeit of ThievesTal Marog Ker's ResearchesTamrielic LoreTarer's Aedra and DaedraThe Affairs of WizardsThe Alchemists FormularyThe Annotated AnuadThe Annotated AnuadThe AnticipationsThe Arcturian HeresyThe Armorer's ChallengeThe Art of War MagicThe Axe ManThe Battle of Red MountainThe Black Arrow, Volume 1The Black Arrow, Volume IIThe Black GloveThe Book of DaedraThe Book of Dawn and DuskThe Brothers of DarknessThe Buying GameThe Cake and the DiamondThe Cantatas of VivecThe Changed OnesThe Consolations of PrayerThe Doors of the SpiritThe DowryThe Dragon Break Re-ExaminedThe Eastern Provinces...The Final LessonThe FirmamentThe Firsthold RevoltThe Four Suitors of BenitahThe Gold Ribbon of MeritThe Hope of the RedoranThe Horror of Castle XyrThe House of TroublesThe House of TroublesThe Importance of WhereThe Legendary ScourgeThe Locked RoomThe Lost ProphecyThe Lunar LorkhanThe Madness of PelagiusThe Marksmanship LessonThe MirrorThe MonomythThe Old WaysThe Pig ChildrenThe Pilgrim's PathThe Posting of the HuntThe Prayers of BaranatThe Ransom of ZarekThe Real Barenziah v IThe Real Barenziah v IIThe Real Barenziah v IIIThe Real Barenziah v IVThe Real Barenziah v VThe Real NerevarThe Rear GuardThe Red Book of RiddlesThe Ruins of Kemel-ZeThe SeedThe Seven CursesThe Seven VisionsThe Third DoorThe True Nature of OrcsThe True Noble's CodeThe War of the First CouncilThe Waters of OblivionThe Wild ElvesThe Wolf Queen, Book IThe Wolf Queen, Book IIThe Wolf Queen, Book IIIThe Wolf Queen, Book IVThe Wolf Queen, Book VThe Wolf Queen, Book VIThe Wolf Queen, Book VIIThe Wolf Queen, Book VIIIThe Wraith's Wedding DowryThe Yellow Book of Riddlestradehouse noticeTrapUnnamed BookVampires of Vvardenfell, v IVampires of Vvardenfell, v IIVarieties of Faith...Vernaccus and BourlorVivec and MephalaWhere Were You ... Dragon BrokeWithershinsWords and PhilosophyWords of Clan Mother AhnissiYellow Book of 3E 426Zainsubani's Notes |
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The Armorers' Challenge By Mymophonus
Three hundred years ago, when Katariah became Empress, the first and only Dunmer to rule all of Tamriel, she faced opposition from the Imperial Council. Even after she convinced them that she would be the best regent to rule the Empire while her husband Pelagius sought treatment for his madness, there was still conflict. In particular from the Duke of Vengheto, Thane Minglumire, who took a particular delight in exposing all of the Empress's lack of practical knowledge.
In this particular instance, Katariah and the Council were discussing the unrest in Black Marsh and the massacre of Imperial troops outside the village of Armanias. The sodden swampland and the sweltering climate, particular in summertide, would endanger the troops if they wore their usual armor.
I know a very clever armorer, said Katariah, His name is Hazadir, an Argonian who knows the environments our army will be facing. I knew him in Vivec where he was a slave to the master armorer there, before he moved to the Imperial City as a freedman. We should have him design armor and weaponry for the campaign.
Minglumire gave a short, barking laugh: She wants a slave to design the armor and weaponry for our troops! Sirollus Saccus is the finest armorer in the Imperial City. Everyone knows that.
After much debate, it was finally decided to have both armorers contend for the commission. The Council also elected two champions of equal power and prowess, Nandor Beraid and Raphalas Eul, to battle using the arms and armaments of the real competitors in the struggle. Whichever champion won, the armorer who supplied him would earn the Imperial commission. It was decided that Beraid would be outfitted by Hazadir, and Eul by Saccus.
The fight was scheduled to commence in seven days.
Sirollus Saccus began work immediately. He would have preferred more time, but he recognized the nature of the test. The situation in Armanias was urgent. The Empire had to select their armorer quickly, and once selected, the preferred armorer had to act swiftly and produce the finest armor and weaponry for the Imperial army in Black Marsh. It wasn't just the best armorer they were looking for. It was the most efficient.
Saccus had only begun steaming the half-inch strips of black virgin oak to bend into bands for the flanges of the armor joints when there was a knock at his door. His assistant Phandius ushered in the visitor. It was a tall reptilian of common markings, a dull, green-fringed hood, bright black eyes, and a dull brown cloak. It was Hazadir, Katariah's preferred armorer.
I wanted to wish you the best of luck on the -- is that ebony?
It was indeed. Saccus had bought the finest quality ebony weave available in the Imperial City as soon as he heard of the competition and had begun the process of smelting it. Normally it was a six-month procedure refining the ore, but he hoped that a massive convection oven stoked by white flames born of magicka would shorten the operation to three days. Saccus proudly pointed out the other advancements in his armory. The acidic lime pools to sharpen the blade of the dai-katana to an unimaginable degree of sharpness. The Akaviri forge and tongs he would use to fold the ebony back and forth upon itself. Hazadir laughed.
Have you been to my armory? It's two tiny smoke-filled rooms. The front is a shop. The back is filled with broken armor, some hammers, and a forge. That's it. That's your competition for the millions of gold pieces in Imperial commission.
I'm sure the Empress has some reason to trust you to outfit her troops, said Sirollus Saccus, kindly. He had, after all, seen the shop and knew that what Hazadir said was true. It was a pathetic workshop in the slums, fit only for the lowliest of adventurers to get their iron daggers and cuirasses repaired. Saccus had decided to make the best quality regardless of the inferiority of his rival. It was his way and how he became the best armorer in the Imperial City.
Out of kindness, and more than a bit of pride, Saccus showed Hazadir how, by contrast, things should be done in a real professional armory. The Argonian acted as an apprentice to Saccus, helping him refine the ebony ore, and to pound it and fold it when it cooled. Over the next several days, they worked together to create a beautiful dai-katana with an edge honed sharp enough to trim a mosquito's eyebrows, enchanted with flames along its length by one of the Imperial Battlemages, as well as a suit of armor of bound wood, leather, silver, and ebony to resist the winds of Oblivion.
On the day of the battle, Saccus, Hazadir, and Phandius finished polishing the armor and brought in Raphalas Eul for the fitting. Hazadir left only then, realizing that Nandor Beraid would be at his shop shortly to be outfitted.
The two warriors met before the Empress and Imperial Council in the arena, which had been flooded slightly to simulate the swampy conditions of Black Marsh. From the moment Saccus saw Eul in his suit of heavy ebony and blazing dai-katana and Beraid in his collection of dusty, rusted lizard-scales and spear from Hazadir's shop, he knew who would win. And he was right.
The first blow from the dai-katana lodged in Beraid's soft shield, as there was no metal trim to deflect it. Before Eul could pull his sword back, Beraid let go of the now-flaming shield, still stuck on the sword, and poked at the joints of Eul's ebony armor with his spear. Eul finally retrieved his sword from the ruined shield and slashed at Beraid, but his light armor was scaled and angled, and the attacks rolled off into the water, extinguishing the dai-katana's flames. When Beraid struck at Eul's feet, he fell into the churned mud and was unable to move. The Empress, out of mercy, called a victor.
Hazadir received the commission and thanks to his knowledge of Argonian battle tactics and weaponry and how best to combat them, he designed implements of war that brought down the insurrection in Armanias. Katariah won the respect of Council, and even, grudgingly, that of Thane Minglumire. Sirollus Saccus went to Morrowind to learn what Hazadir learned there, and was never heard from again.
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