The Second Great War - An Elder Scrolls Fanfiction

Part 2: The Foretold Tales

~4E201~
General Jonna had led the Legion in Skyrim before and during the initial phases of the Stormcloak Rebellion. But her Nord blood, old age, and Imperial allegiances, conflicted and led to an outcome that she would be replaced by another General by the name of Tullius. Jonna had attempted more peaceful means to try and quell the rebellion, which only left the Legion in the land of the Nords on the run, fighting only in self-defence.

She was moved to the furthest-most point from her former legion which felt like a punishment more than anything else. Jonna was now tasked with heading Tullius' previous legion after it had been rotated to watch over Leyawiin, Blackwood, and the borders of eastern Elsweyr; Dominion territory.

Jonna was once set to become High General but was narrowly beaten out by General Cadere Kaiser. She then volunteered and was granted to hold her place in Skyrim indefinitely, expecting it to be a relatively quiet duty. Jonna hoped to spend the little that was left of her life there.

Stinking dark days passed into nought but grim grimy ones and nought happened beyond the occasional bandit raid or swamp monster straying on some unused road. However, strange noises and shadowy figures emanated from Blackmarsh and Aldmeri Dominion lands and converged at Topal Island, peculiar lights and sappy smells came. Jonna was forewarned by the Elder Council themselves not to investigate, to ensure the An-Xileel were not antagonised.

Then, the news came: Emperor Titus Mede II had been assassinated. Jonna got this from one of her contacts within Skyrim, as the Elder Council were being tight-lipped about this matter. The culprit was unknown; Stormcloak rebel, Dominion agent, or someone other. It did not matter. The Emperor of Cyrodiil and its Provinces was dead.

And, as far as Jonna was concerned, this fully justified her next move: To march on the Imperial City and cast out the Elder Council before crowning herself Emperess of the Cyrodilic Empire; to rip out the rot that had set into the Empire since the end of the First Great War and restore an Era of Imperial power that had not been seen since its beginning.

Jonna rallied her legion to her with the promise that each legionnaire would become a Legate with all the benefits yet none of the duties that it would entail if they took the City with her. Most agreed. Those that did not were left at Leyawiin while Jonna marched north up the Green Road. She also sent a sizable section of her force up the Yellow Road to act as a hidden reserve.

None knew of Jonna's intent until she reached Bravil's legion and attempted to convince them to join her. A skirmish raged when they refused and they sent a Courier to the Imperial City to inform them of all this.

But, despite having the upper hand, Bravil's legion soon withdrew into the county, after finding they did not have the will to kill fellow legionnaires. Jonna left a small force in Bravil to ensure she was not followed. Little did she know, by some spy or scheme, a legion-sized Dominion "peace-keeping" force had entered the West Weald from Riverhold to stop her.

The legions near the Gold Road, led by High General Cadere Kaiser, who himself had been suspiciously silent on Jonna and perhaps silently sympathised with her, drove into action against this Dominion force but were wrought with confusion when the Elder Council ordered them to "Stand down and allow the Aldmeri Dominion to take care of the rogue General named Jonna, so that those of Alinor may not be antagonised by us, at the threat of starting something far bigger."

The Dominion force neared Jonna but could not catch her after her legionnaires within Bravil had harassed them atop steeds and skirmished them at night. She was stopped only at Weye by another legion put there by the Elder Council. Only, this legion was a ceremonial one tasked with parades, a move of desperation by the Council. Jonna skirmished them before they soon scattered after the reserve force she had sent up the Yellow Road arrived on the parade legion's rear.

Jonna then crossed the bridge before her and entered the Imperial City, first met by the apathy of its occupants and citizens. The Elder Council was cast out of the White-Gold Tower. In the proceeding days, the Dominion force finally arrived but did nothing except loom on the horizon beyond Weye.

Symbolically, Jonna was then to be crowned by those she had cast out, to give sway and authenticity to her claim. Instead, she was massacred by the Council and they retook their place. Jonna's final words were given through her blood that she smeared on the ground and which said: Et tu?

The Dominion force disappeared back behind their own borders. Save for Skyrim which was already preoccupied with its own internal issues, civil strifes had happened all across the Empire upon Jonna's actions; between those loyal to her and those before her, and those who were loyal to nought but themselves and others who were surely being moved by the Thalmor. Each was soon deposed by the Council with more "reasonable" individuals taking their places.

General Jonna and her actions were swept underneath the rug and her legion, Tullius's, was disbanded and its members expelled. The leader of Bravil's legion was imprisoned for "allowing" Jonna to pass and was replaced with another, who found himself spread thin after finding he had to hold both Bravil and Leyawiin and their counties.

Most could not help but feel that this was nothing more than a self-humiliation ritual inflicted on Cyrodiil by the Elder Council to appease the Dominion.