Open Reforging an Empire

[UnLonged]

Garrick was a bit flustered at the inquiry of the woman as he did not fully expect her to take kindly with his somewhat rude staring. His focus on the meeting was all taken away with astonishment for the woman.

"Oh, uhmm. N-no. No. I was just admiring your blade as I uh--." Garrick spoke with uneasiness and, wanting to rid himself of the nervousness, decided to take a sip of water. He mistakenly, however, took a mead bottle. Garrick immediately coughed out some of the alcohol that didn't fully went down his throat.

"S-sorry." He cleared his throat and straighten his posture as to not make himself look like a pansy who can't hold his mead. After wiping his mouth and hands, Garrick extended a hand in greeting to the lady. "Garrick, by the way. Garrick Neverwin. May I have the pleasure of knowing your name, milady?" The young squire thought for a moment after introducing himself, analyzing his choice of words. Wait a moment, this woman doesn't seem feminine at all. What if she doesn't like to be addressed as a female? Garrick's face winced a little, as if expecting a slap or a punch aimed at it.

 

[Alexstrasza]

Alex watched the man as he flustered with his words. The man's name was Garrick but he made a fatal mistake in calling her milady. Reaching for her katana, a multitude of thoughts ran through her head. One slash, it's all it takes.. She bit back the anger inside and shook his hand.

"Alex LaRouche, My name is Alex LaRouche."

She drew the katana from its scabbard, the steel shined like stars in the sky against the dim light of the candles. Alex gripped the razor sharp edge and handed it Garrick.

"You can look at if you want just be careful with the edge, it's sharper then looks"

 

[Gunnbjorn]

Arillious paid no attention to anyone around him, he payed close attentions to Simus' words.

It was time for questions, and Arillious slowly raised his hand, and put it back down again.

"It is clear this is a rebellion to be mobilized in secrecy, and obviously the element of surprise will be most crucial if we are ever to have a chance at fighting the Stormcloaks with such low numbers. However, it is in my nature to jump right to conclusions, and that is what I will do - Eventually, when the process of preparation is complete, we will eventually storm Windhelm, yes? Well - With all hopes we are all still alive during this time period, who gets the honor of turning reality into story and killing Ulfric? I'm willing to discuss about it, but not argue about it."

Arillious then took a quick look around, addressing everyone.

"And for all of you who have been addressing me as Captain, please do not. I was promoted to Captain for one day by General Tullius and he is dead. The men I led are dead, and the glory in that title before my name is dead. I do not want to feel as if I am talking down to any of you, we are all in this rebellion as equals. I'll will try to restore my rank when I return to Cyrodil, but for now, just call me Arillious."

 

[Simus]

Simus listened to Arillious' question and his explaination of why he didn't want to be called Captain. Ulfric may have led the charge during the Siege of Solitude but Simus had done a great deal of the planning for it. He and Alice had come up with a brilliant strategy and it worked to great effect. A lot of good men died as a result of it, many by Simus' own blades. He thanked Talos every day since then that Arillious was not one of them. The pain it would cause Alice would be too much for Simus to bear. Now that the young man was done, Simu spoke.

"If you want to leave your title behind Arillious, that's fine. Talos knows that as soon as Ulfric finds out I'm leading this rebellion I'll lose mine. Even so, this rebellion is going to need commanders as well as leaders. People that know enough about war to lead men and to show those of us who are less experienced how to fight."

Simus looked in Garrik's direction, seeing that the boy was green as seaweed and would need help becoming a soldier.

"People like you Arillious, and that pretty girl in your lap there. I'd like to meet her father by the way, would you happen to know him?" Simus said, giving a quick but warm smile to the reunited couple. The consequences of this war had been hard on both of them but all that seemed to disappear when they were together. It reminded Simus of the moments he shared with his wife, before they got married and had children and when they were still putting the Empire back together after the Thalmor tore it apart.

"Actually, your question brings up an importaint point that I almost forgot to mention. We've got a plan B for this rebellion, but its variables are much more unstable, so it's nothing to bank on. I'm one of Ulfric's closest advisors and he's entrusted me with over a third of Skyrim's soldiers. Most of them are here in Whiterun Hold. I had a meeting with my commanders two days ago and they all agreed to support me if I wanted to take down Ulfric. However, Ulfric currently enjoys the popularity of most of Skyrim's people so if I staged a coup now I'd look like a traitor rather than a liberator. That's one reason I need help from all of you to turn public opinion against Ulfric. This will make the people see the bad guy Ulfric really is, and will lessen the roughly two to one advantage he currently has over our standing forces."

Simus turned to the Redguard, Nichael as he called him.

"You said your name was Nichael, right? To answer your question, we leave in two days. We need to use tomorrow to get to know each other and to do a few training exercises so I can see what you all can do. The plan is to travel through Whiterun into Haafingar, the hold Solitude is capital of. Once inside Haafingar, we will be out of my sphere of influence. That means that all Stormcloaks found there are not under my command. All of the garrisons there are Ulfric's cronies and will not join our cause. We will kill every Stormcloak we find and destroy any outpost we find, being as loud and destructive as possible. Once in Solitude, I'm going to claim responsability for these attacks and publicly denounce Ulfric. My betrayal may hurt his pride enough to where he wants to bring me in personally. If this happens, Vignar will mobilize all of my men in support of Ulfric. We let ourselves get captured, I take responsability for the rebellion, Ulfric decides to execute me so I can have a spot on his wall, my men release you guys, I demand Ulfric's surrender and then you guys all get to beat him to a bloody pulp.

Like I said, lots of unstable variables, so it's a backup plan but I figured it would catch your interest. What do yuo all think?"

 

[UnLonged]

The woman introduced herself as Alex, shaking Garrick's extended hand and unsheathing her blade. Garrick's eyes shut in an instant, praying to the gods that she won't stab him in the face. After wishing his last will, the young squire waited for the sharp pain of getting slashed. But the next thing the lady did was not even close to that.

Garrick took a peek and saw that Alex was handing him the katana, allowing him to have a closer inspection. Garrick took a sigh of relief, thankful that his life is extended for a while. The blade gleamed with beauty, shaming the shine of the moon at its fullest and brightest. Garrick took the blade, keeping in mind to be careful as to not tarnish the blade with the stain of his blood. "Amazing craftsmanship. It handles quite differently than my sword - it is lighter and yet, it seems to be capable of sweeping clean through a mammoth." Garrick handed back the lady's sword, before speaking in quite an apologetic tone. "I'm sorry if I may have offended you, in a way."

Garrick's attention was grabbed by the legionnaire Arillious and the veteran Simus. All the young squire can do is listen, as he does not know how to respond for he lacks any military training of sorts. One thing he is sure he could do is spread word and gain the people's support - a simple task or two would lean the public's disposition more in their favor. And so with that in mind, Garrick decided that he would join this small rebellion, hoping that justice be served to the oppressed and so as to not deface his father's name by doing nothing.

 

[Linamina]

Eilene smiled. Both plans sounded brilliant, and knew how to be a good variable with Plan B. She looked at the others, considering who she might be getting to know at first glance. They were and adverse group, that's for sure, but one thing that comforted her about them was simply the fact they were involved with a common cause.

Finally she looked at Simus and answered with a nod. "I agree."

 

[JBar2531]

"I agree, but how do you know they would let us go? I'm not the best strategist, but if a group was attacking, led by you, wouldnt he execute us all? Make an example out of us?" Titus didnt want to put down the great plan, but felt he had to.

 

[The OP3RaT0R]

Nachael chimed in. "I have a feeling that Ulfric would rather make an example just out of one of his highest officials. A lot of the Stormcloaks who remain loyal to Ulfric fought for what? Glory. If only Simus dies, it says to all the Stormcloaks watching, 'If any of you dumb lot is somehow smart enough to lead a rebellion, this is what you get, tarnished glory. But none of you could pull that off; no, you'll be left to rot in prison and to be forgotten.' These Stormcloaks care about honor, and a lot of them would worry about the dishonor of being forgotten." It seemed like a long shot, but that's what people could be like, in Nachael's experience.

He surveyed the room; tomorrow he would have more chance to get to know these people and, hopefully, learn something new. His eyes fell to the blazing red-haired man who had helped call the meeting to order, and a young Imperial who was marveling at the other man's blade. He would watch this Imperial. Nachael had spent most of his life learning, and while he still hungered to be a better warrior, he was beginning to have a desire to teach what he knew.

 

[Alexstrasza]

Alex watched as Garrick examined the blade.

"Strongest steel this side of Tamerial, you won't find another blade like it."

She softly grabbed the hilt and slid it back into it's scabbard.

"Don't worry about it, just don't go spreading around that I'm a woman. I have an image to keep up with."

Alex placed the katana back on the table and turned her attention to Simus. Even though she was talking to Garrick she kept an ear to Simus plan. She liked it but a few things concerned her.

"Simus, if i may, let's say that the rebellion does work then what?"

She took a sip of wine and stood up. She paced the room as she explained.

"We will have to rebuild the government and set in place check and balances. The High King has too much power for one man and if we allow someone to become High King, we could be in the same situtaion again. So I propose that we make a plan for placing a government immeditaly after removing Ulfric."

She sat back down and begun sipping on the red wine again.

 

[Simus]

Simus gave Nachael a nod of approval, surprised at his rather spot on analysis of Ulfric. "That was quite impressive Nachael. That's exactly how Ulfric thinks and it's almost certainly what he would do. Are you sure you've never met him before?"

Simus then turned to the Imperial Soldier, Titus. He liked this man. He was a lot like Arillious but he was a bit more reserved and asked better questions. They'd make an excellent team once they learn to work together.

"And Titus, don't worry about the Stormcloaks letting us go. Most will be my own soldiers remember? They'll choose me over Ulfric. Those that aren't will be shocked when I best that milk drinker in single combat. Nords respect strength above all else. They'll know who to follow."

As he finished, he kept an ear to Alex's question and her concerns about who would rule Skyrim. He was hoping that this wouldn't come up so soon.

"Well Alex, you're right. The High King does have too much power. Time has proven that the Jarls can't check his ambitions when they're too busy checking their own. I'm all for installing a provisional government: even though this war won't be as bloody as the last, it will still affect everyone in Skyrim. The problem is I've got no idea who would rule in Ulfric's absence. Someone would need to accept the throne. Jarl Elisif still has a legitimate claim as High Queen so I was hoping she could do it, but I have doubts about her ability to rule. I'm open to suggestions and I'm sorry I don't have all the answers."

 

[Simus]

(OOC: Did a quick additon to my post, considering Alextrasza posted just as I was finishing lol.)

 

[JBar2531]

"Simus you seem like a good, honorable and smart man. Why dont you become the High King? Elisif doesnt know a whole lot about politics, she was married to Torygg. Thats why see has a legitamate claim. She just doesnt seem like the best choice." Titus liked Simus, and if he cared about the people this much, to start a rebellion for them, why shouldnt he be rewarded? "Or one of the existing Jarls. Not you though Vignar, your a terrible leader." Titus decided to mess with the old man and to see if he would catch on.

 

[The OP3RaT0R]

Nachael gave a chuckle at Titus's stab at the Jarl. "You get my vote, Simus. If Ulfric came to power by his false deeds, you certainly should come to power by true ones." From what Nachael had heard of Ulfric, Simus was the antithesis of Ulfric, and if Ulfric's rule allowed for such intolerance as he had seen in Windhelm, how much more accepting would the province be with Simus as the High King. "Of course, I'm not a citizen of Skyrim, so I'll leave the decision of Skyrim's leadership to those who actually live here." He laughed with that remark, and poured himself another glass of wine.

 

[Simus]

"Ha! You'd better watch your tongue boy. I'm still the Jarl." Vignar said in response to Titus' jab, deciding to have some fun with him in return. "Now if I wasn't too old to remember what we were talking about, I'm sure I'd have something meaningful to say right now. I'm too old to be High King though. Simus here is a spring chicken compared to me."

After Nachael spoke his piece, Alice chimed in.

"Anyone who fights for Skyrim's future deserves a say in it." She called from Arillious' lap. "And you've got my vote dad. After all you've done for Skyrim, you deserve this."

"Do I?" Simus asked Alice, giving his daughter a playful smile. "Well sweetheart, if you think I should do it then I guess that settles it. After all, I'm sure your support is based entirely on my leadership and administrative abilities, rather than the fact that you would become High Princess of Skyrim and would have access to all the clothes, jewelry, cosmetics and books you could ever want."

"Oh." Alice said, returning her father's playful smile. "Is that would happen if you were High King? How convenient. I don't need to be a princess to get nice things dad, you know that. I've got a Legion soldier for that."

She wrapped her arms around Arillious' body and put her head against his chest as she finished her sentence, looking up at him with big, approving eyes.

"Plus, I've got a dad who loves me enough to buy me whatever I want, especially considering the lack of shopping oppertunities I have. You'd be surprised how much time it takes to be a 'damn Stormcloak rebel', so he's eager to dote on me."

"That's because fathers are suckers" Simus muttered under his breath, forgetting the fact that everyone could still hear him.

"Listen, thank you for your support. Really, I'm flattered, but I can't be High King for a couple of really good reasons. First of all, I'm not a Nord. Skyrim is Nord land and the Nords need to rule it. Otherwise, what the hell did we all fight for? Secondly, no. Divines no. The last thing I want to do is rule people. I've been a soldier, a smith, a husband and a father. I'm pretty good at the first one, the second one I'm also pretty good at but don't have much time for. For those of you who know me, I didn't do the last two very well."

"That's not true!" Alice interjected. "I can't think of a better man for either job. Cilla, Titus and I are all proof of that and we all love you for it. As for being a husband, Carlotta seemes to think you'd be a pretty good one. The last time I checked, you two were getting serious."

Simus glared at Alice. He didn't like it when people talked about his relationship with Carlotta Valantia, the single mother and local vegtable vendor, publicly. It wasn't their affair, certainly not his daughter's.

"Please dad." Alice said. "You can do this."

 

[JBar2531]

"Im no Nord, and I'm here aint I? If Skyrim was truly just a Nord land, we wouldnt be fighting to free Skyrim of the racism." Titus stood and started to pace the room. "Ulfric said that Skyrim was Nord land, so the Stormcloak rebels, except for your rebels that are the new rebels, believed that Nords belonged here and that was it. Ulfric had good intentions but didnt fufill them. Anyway, I agree with your daughter, you should at least consider it. Think about it until or if we suceed in freeing Skyrim." Titus stopped pacing and drank the rest of his mead.

 

[Gunnbjorn]

Arillious was surprised and a little annoyed at how long this conversation seemed to be lasting, he never was one for politics, but he felt as if he needed to get the point across.

"No, your just kidding right?" He asked as he looked at Titus.

"Simus has just told all of you that only a Nord can be the High King. As good a leader Simus would be, you must respect the tradition and culture of the Nords. All of the High Kings rule, die, and then join the other High Kings in Sovngarde. Imperials do not go into Sovngarde. Skyrim is a land who shows a great deal of pride in their people and who they are. An Imperial ruler, even Simus, could cause an uproar. And as far as the racism goes - it is extreme, but their is racism in every province, every region, every town, every village. It will never go away."

He then turned toward Simus.

"As far as considering this, Simus - I highly recommend you don't, even the idea of it going through pure Nordic ears could cause another Civil War."

 

[Alexstrasza]

Alex sat comfortably in the wooden chair as possible, she hated when people wasted time talking about the pointless race relations but she kept her mouth shut.

"Garrick..do you think we stand a chance in Oblivion at stopping Ulfric?"

She whispered this to the squire. Yes even though he was a squire, he must have some idea about our chances of winning. Alex's red hair was up in a tie, she pulled on one loose hanging end and let her long hair fall about her shoulders. It had the negative affect on her looks, making her seem even more feminine.

 

[JBar2531]

Titus realized that he lost this one. He was surprised that Simus had turned down such great power, but then again, Titus wouldnt do it either, even if he was a Nord. "Ok. So whats next Simus?" Titus was a little buzzed, after only 2or 3 bottles of mead. So he sat down.

 

[Gunnbjorn]

"I feel as though Jarl Balgruuf would make a decent High King."

Arillious continued,

"He tried his best to remain neutral in the war. Most Nords would rather fight then to be stay out of foreign affairs, but Balgruuf is a true Nord, has earned a lot of respect, and I think he would be one to make smart decisions. He was definitely a great Jarl for Whiterun."

Arillious drank some mead from his cup, then continued,

"The problem is, I'm not sure Balgruuf is alive. He was sacked in Whiterun, and was in the Blue Palace in Solitude when the Stormcloaks attacked. I haven't see or heard of him since then."

 

[JBar2531]

"How about that Vignar? You agree?" Titus laughed. "But yes, Balgruuf would make a good High King. Simus do you know anything about Balgruuf? You were high up in the Stormcloak Army."