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Published:
2023-12-02
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2024-11-16
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Stormblade of the Stormcloaks

Summary:

A collection of works, written and curated by Enthir at the College of Winterhold, detailing the life of High Queen Stormblade. Contains sources and texts only available to Enthir, due to his personal connection to the High Queen. Texts detail her rise to High Queen, letters before and after her rise to High Queen, and her life as High Queen of Skyrim.

Notes:

This series first started as an idea for a mod, which would take the player’s choices into account and drop into Winterhold a series of books from Apocrypha on the future that was never-to-be. This set were to be dropped for those that sided with the Imperials in the war or even were male or non-human Dragonborns. Some would be lore/role-play only, others would be skill books. The idea and themes grew until it was turning into The Canterbury Tales of Skyrim, at which point I decided to focus on one set’s future vision and go on a deep dive instead of trying to make it into a mod.

As it grew, I’ve added more to the Nord background and faith to draw in some of the themes seen in texts and occasional character pieces from the ESIII: Morrowind and ESIV: Oblivion times as well as several Neo-Pagan themes that may work well within the setting. This Nord Dragonborn is closer in mindset to Froki Whetted-Blade in the Jerall Mountains of the Rift than any “modern” Nord seen in ESV: Skyrim. I’ve also brought in some themes and political instabilities from other works (some historically based) that fit in with the Elder Scrolls line to make the struggles between the holds more complex.

There will be a lot of death and times of darkness. There should be some light-hearted moments seen within, but history is rarely made of happy times. Many of the books here are 40 or more years after the events in ESV: Skyrim, so even without a violent death, many of the older characters will have passed on.

If well received, I’ll begin working on a potential future/history for siding with the Imperials… though I will admit that I have a harder time getting into the mindset for the Solitude cast of characters. Grab a blanket; the eastern portion of Skyrim can get a bit chilly. Updates are planned for Saturdays. Tags will be added as new chapters are included.

Other sources or references include Roger Zelazny’s Amber Saga; Vinland Saga; Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales; Norse mythos; Russian mythos; Ukrainian mythos; Tarot themes; various Pagan and Neo-Pagan themes from northern Europe.

Special thanks to: Bethesda Game Studios, UESP, /r/skyrim, /r/teslore – Without the many folks in these places, I would not have had this setting or the ability to dive into the deep waters of Elder Scrolls lore in a proper fashion.

Background music options: If you’re looking for something other than the Skyrim OST (especially Dragonsreach and Standing Stones) for a backdrop while reading, I am including here a general soundtrack that will function for the entirety of what’s ahead. If there is a specific song that I had in mind, either for the lyrics or the musical tones, I have noted it on the chapter itself.

Heilung, Lifa -- Not for the tavern-crawler. Where the Skyrim OST can give a sense of peace and wonder for a majority of the selections, Heilung will get you ready for constant battle and struggle. In these texts, both are valid.

Malukah, The Dragonborn Comes -- For the tavern-crawler. These renditions remain the versions that can bring tears to my eyes, no matter how often I hear them.

Anonymous 4, Love’s Illusion: Music from the Montpellier Codex -- This quartet may be closer to what the Imperials (rather than the Nords) might listen to but can be a good backdrop for the texts that are written by non-Nords, of which there will be many.

Chapter 1: Volume 1: Prologue

Chapter Text

Prologue

Enthir
College of Winterhold
4E 245

There are several scholars who have written on High Queen Stormblade of Skyrim, but few of those scholars had the personal experience of having met her before those events. I knew her even before she was named the next Arch-Mage. I will interject that perspective throughout these works. While the High Queen went by many names and titles before rising to High Queen, Stormblade is most fitting of all the actions detailed within these pages – even more than being Dragonborn. Stormblade is also the only name she went by, once given that name by High King Ulfric.

Stormblade may have had a birth name, but no sources can confirm or deny any of the names she gave were her birth name or that they were in use prior to her appearance at Helgen. Survivors of Helgen, of which there were few, all noted that Stormblade was not on the Imperial lists at all. What we do know is that she was to be executed just prior to Ulfric Stormcloak and both were saved from their fate by Alduin. The very same dragon that she deals with directly in Sovngarde while still very much alive. This sense of the dramatic has followed her events as much as it followed those of her husband. This theme will be repeated by multiple authors in these texts. It is not meant to be repetitive, but indicative of how often this sense of fate or drama is felt by those people that Stormblade encountered.

With the passing of the High King and High Queen, I can present some materials on her life prior to earning the title Stormblade. These details have been purposely left, until now, at her request and at the request of several others that donated their knowledge to these volumes. In these volumes, I will include some of her letters after the war as well as those after her rise to High Queen. Three of her titles, which I knew before the rise to High Queen or even Thane of Eastmarch, were those of Guild Master of the Thieves Guild, Harbinger of the Companions, and Arch-Mage at the College of Winterhold. She once noted, with no humor intended, that she found the Thieves Guild in Riften’s Ratways to be more honorable overall than the knowledge-thirsty mages at the College of Winterhold. The issue with Ancano, a Thalmor agent that attempted to take control of an artifact at the College, may have been a factor in her statement. She did secure many books and artifacts for the College’s library after the Thalmor were removed from the College grounds.

She had already raised the status of the Thieves Guild across Skyrim before she came to the College for studies. In fact, she only came here at the suggestion from others as a way to get what she needed to face Alduin. Nord biases, perhaps, had kept her from formal studies of the arcane. Stormblade is not one that I’d have thought would be selected for the Guild as she seemed more comfortable with large weapons and some schools of magic than the more subtle methods of the Guild. From reviewing sources, she had met with the Companions prior to making Riften her home. Whatever the reason, she took to the Guild more than her work in the Companions. I have heard that she was close, very close, to some of her brothers in crime, though I couldn’t confirm it directly. Letters that I will publish, as requested, confirm a portion without naming the parties in question, if those letters are accurate. The other rumors may have been the tales that came after her rise to Guild Master and in her status outside the Guild. I could confirm that she did remove one of her guild brothers from being captive by the Thalmor at the Thalmor Embassy, after her rise to Guild Master.

Another facet, often ignored by other scholars, was that the High Queen was a widow. In one of the failed attempts on her life – of which she said she lost count – her first husband fell to one of the Dark Brotherhood. She took the blame for it, saying that she should have wiped that scourge from Skyrim sooner, but she had gotten complacent with the constant threat. In the winter snows, the red and black stood out worse than an Imperial soldier, she noted once. Perfect for trapping in black soul gems, she commented at the Frozen Hearth one evening. That was the depth of her disdain for the Dark Brotherhood. Compared to Alduin and more direct measures within the Guild, the Dark Brotherhood barely registered to her until they forced the issue with collateral damage. Several in Riften noted that she was absent from view for a week after his death. When she did emerge, she took a carriage directly to Windhelm and was not seen in The Rift for some time.

In the time between her first husband’s death and the eradication of the Dark Brotherhood, she had seen to Alduin and also joined into the ranks of the Stormcloaks. I hear that the battles she attended had no prisoners taken. It was noted that she led from the front, even as an Unblooded, when they could see her at all. Her first few battles had her wading in with a battleaxe. Later battles came after she secured a temporary truce to use Whiterun as a staging ground for the capture of a dragon. In those later battles and gaining recognition in the Stormcloak ranks by Jarl Ulfric, her style changed to a sword and dagger method that was apparently quite gruesome. It would seem that the Imperials bore her rage before she turned her vengeance on the Dark Brotherhood. Her names within the Stormcloaks were many, but towards the end of her battles under Ulfric’s banner, she earns the name Stormblade.

This name becomes her adopted name, once given. All other names are forgotten until her death. When she was not using her blades in an act of vengeance, she could have been seen as the needed spring rains that may come in a bit harsh and fast off the coast. While the final ties to the Stormcloak line do not appear right away, this change certainly heralds of more to come in Windhelm.

Addendum: [4E 255] It has been 20 years since collection of these works began. The volumes are now numbered according to chronology, rather than as they were published. This change should make it clearer for the reader on the order of events. Original dates of publication are still noted.