Norn, Skyrim, Falkreath.
Three years ago, a sudden and severe earthquake once again drew the attention of the entire north to the Falkreath Territory, a territory that had almost been forgotten by the empire. However, what worries the entire empire is not the two dozen collapsed houses, nor the flooded Lake Ilinata, but the village in Falkreath that was almost flattened by the earthquake. Cemetery of heroes.
The place Falkreath has long become synonymous with the cemetery. It is a place where even the imperial tax collectors are too lazy to pass by and there is no hope for it. However, it also has its own importance - no one knows how many noble ancestors, as well as the legendary extinct heroes, are buried here. Although nobles rarely come here to worship, they absolutely need this place to stay there so that they can always prove how glorious their bloodline is!
The necropolis was destroyed, and Lord Sidegail was immediately blamed by thousands of people - even though the natural disaster had nothing to do with him, it was Lord Falkreath who made him unlucky! All the nobles whose ancestors' graves were damaged were cursing him with the utmost viciousness! And ordered Sid Gale to "immediately", "immediately", "at all costs", and to "respectfully" and "flawlessly" maintain the bones of their ancestors and restore the tombs of their ancestors!
As for asking them to pay? That's impossible; asking them to come in person? Sorry, that's even more impossible. Have you forgotten what is the biggest specialty in Nord tombs? Ghouls, all kinds of resurrected ghouls! If such a large area of the tomb was destroyed, how many corpses would appear? It might have become a natural disaster for the undead! On the premise that all the tombs were razed, even the altar of Arkay could not suppress it.
At this time, the fool comes.
Their eagerness is for others to see. In fact, when the zombie wave passes, just pick up a few bones and "identify" them with magic to become "ancestral bones". Nobles don't do this kind of thing too much. The true noble ancestors are all those old people whose coffin boards can hardly hold them down (the more powerful the ancient heroes were during their lifetime, the easier it is to be resurrected after their death). They have to donate a large sum of money to the Alkai Church every year to appease them, and they take advantage of the opportunity. Just right!
...A few days later, news reached Dugu City that a natural disaster of the undead had indeed broken out in Falkreath!
Among them, there is a vague shadow of the Necromancer behind the natural disaster. The raging undead caused the death of Lord Sidger's family, the Falkreath Territory was destroyed, and a large number of refugees poured into the nearby town of Helgen.
Just when the empire was helpless against Falkreath and the nobles were trying to pass the buck, a veteran imperial noble happened to pass by Falkreath at this time. This man was famous, his family had a long history, he had the blood of God, he was the chosen one of Hircine, and he was also a slightly powerful person among the nobles. He was nicknamed "Hunter of Gods" - Albanis.
The old guy was not in a hurry to clean up the undead disaster. Instead, he stopped in Helgen Town and helped Mayor Hadawa sort out the refugees while sending letters of inquiry to the Imperial Capital and Dugu City respectively.
The two sides can be connected at one point, haha, this is a benefit - but they are not surprised, because this is very noble. If Albanese works voluntarily without asking for benefits, their reaction must be "there is a conspiracy"! Although he has the strength to sit back and watch the undead natural disasters raging, it seems a bit absurd, but this is the rule.
People who don't act according to the rules either have the power to smash all the shackles, or they are prepared to be unable to move forward.
At that time, Lu Yuan had not yet disappeared, and the "Church Reform" had not even begun, so Albanis's "identity" naturally did not arouse any concern. The old man was powerful and willing to take charge. The empire happily gave Falkreath's collar to Albanis with both hands, and he was exempted from taxes for five years...
After that, Albanis trained militiamen and built equipment in the town of Helgen. With the support of Hircine, it took only three months to quell the undead natural disaster (God knows who caused this). Then he smoothly inherited Falkreath and turned it into a paradise for followers of Hircine.
Falkreath Territory was originally located in the south of Skyrim Province. Although the average altitude here is two thousand meters, it is far away from the snow line in the north, and the length of sunshine is unique in Skyrim Province. And it is backed by Lake Ilintana, with sufficient irrigation.
Although the natural conditions of Falkreath were good in the past, all the fertile land was used to build cemeteries. There was no fertile farmland in the territory, and food mainly relied on imports.
In today's Falkreath, after the cemetery was leveled by the great earthquake, there is fertile land that can be cultivated everywhere from Huibai Pass to the north to Lake Ilintana, from the old site of Falkreath Town to Helgen Town. And the fields around Lake Ilintana can turn into some of the most fertile farmland in the entire Skyrim Province.
To the south of Falkreath Territory are mountains and the Gray White Pass, which are easy to defend and difficult to attack; to the north is the vast Lake Ilintana, connected to the White River, which not only has convenient water transportation but also forms a natural chasm; to the west is the vast wilderness of the Gobi. Because thieves and orcs are scattered all over, it is also difficult to pass; to the east are rolling hills and forests, and there is a wide road connecting Falkreath Territory. The town of Helgen happens to be located on this important road - as a large number of residents living here are moved to the hinterland of Falkreath to cultivate new fields, the town of Helgen is transforming into a mere garrison fortress.
Perhaps Albanis realized from the beginning that the church of Hircine would have to face challenges from secular forces sooner or later. This is almost self-evident! Therefore, from the beginning, he planned the Falkreath Territory to be an independent kingdom that was easy to defend but difficult to attack. As long as the town of Hircine is defended and the fleet is prevented from invading Lake Ilintana through the White River, Lord Falkreath will be as secure as a dead dog.
Sure enough, in the past three years - there have been slave miners from Markarth City digging mines; farmers from Helgen Town cultivating fertile fields; caravans from Rift Valley City active in trade; high priest Albunis' commanding spirit; Countless followers of Hircine who had been marginalized and persecuted from various places gathered in Falkreath with the mentality of pilgrimage, making the place more prosperous than any other city in the sky.
The three consecutive years of bumper agricultural harvests have completely made up for the shortcomings of food shortage in Falkreath.
In addition, the system implemented in Falkreath is also different from that of the Kingdom. It is an administrative dual system. Albanis is the lord, responsible for noble and religious affairs and military leader, formulating laws and plans, and leading the army in battles; and Hadawa, the former mayor of Helgen Town, has now become the mayor of Falkreath. He is responsible for the specific operation of the administrative system, internal affairs, economy and military logistics.
The collaboration between the two complements each other perfectly.
When Xiaofan arrived here holding Sophie's hand, the first thing she saw was this bustling scene of orderly streets, smoke coming from cooking stoves, and row upon row of houses.
"Aunt Vex (Little Fan's name is little Vex), this place looks really, really big! And the houses are so neat and beautiful!" Sophie stood on the hillside, opening her arms and shouting happily . "It's a thousand times better than Windhelm City! No, ten thousand times!" Sophie grew up in Windhelm City when she was a child. She felt that there were stones everywhere and the buildings were tall, but cold and impersonal.
Although there are no tall buildings in Falkreath, the neat streets and the crowded crowds make it impossible to see the city beyond. The angry cooking smoke everywhere and the smell of dinner floating in the air give people a warm feeling. Especially when Aunt Nan Lixiang told her that this was her city, Sophie felt full of belonging!
The children's heartfelt praise made the soldiers walking in the opposite direction puff up their chests and smile. Groups of soldiers held their heads high, held wooden shields, and wore simple armor, passing by them with high spirits. Their equipment was crude, but their morale and determination were unparalleled.
Yes, war is coming!
The situation is more serious than expected.
Revising the "Platinum Agreement" between the Thalmor Elves and the Empire is only the first step; Ulfric Stormcloak, who secretly colludes with the Thalmor Elves, negotiates peace with the Empire under the hint of the Elves, which is the most important step! When the female High King is willing to sit with the enemy who killed her husband, war is inevitable. The female High King of Skyrim and Ulfric respectively supported the purge of the nobles in the controlled territory. The condition was that the eight major city lords of Skyrim would send troops together to target Hircine's last land in the world - Falkreath!
The Empire and the Stormcloaks quickly signed a peace agreement, and then they withdrew the main forces from the front line and deployed them in Ximu Town and Nilheim respectively. These two locations are across the Throat of the World, facing the corner of Helgen Town, and are only one day away from Helgen Town! They are waiting for the armies of the eight lords to arrive, and then use the power of Mount Tai to crush Falkreath's resistance in one fell swoop!
"Aunt Wicks, can we... win?" Sophie asked Xiaofan in a low voice, looking worriedly at the soldiers rushing to the front line. She fell in love with this place at first sight, but the bad news she heard along the way made even the child feel worried.
"Of course!" Xiaofan said confidently. "Since Captain Nan Lixiang left you to me and rushed back to Rift Valley City in person, it means that at least there will be no problems in Rift Valley City."
What Xiaofan didn't say was that Nan Lixiang went back secretly. The surface information is that "Nan Lixiang" is taking Sophie to Falkreath. This "Nan Lixiang" is of course played by Xiaofan. Now the urban management team is being restricted to a remote fortress in the name of "censorship" and seems to be unable to threaten the rule of Rift Valley City. But once Rift Valley City dares to send troops, then Rift Valley City will no longer belong to the empire...
"What about other places?"
"Well...you have more than one mother!"
Yes, if the sword is not unsheathed, how can you know whether it is sharp?
"Woo~wu~~~!!" In the early morning of Baiman City, the horns were blown one after another, urging the soldiers to speed up and gather in the square. The soldiers who had arrived at the square patted the dew on their armor, held their helmets between their hands, put their spears on their shoulders, and chatted quietly with their comrades.
The figures of the city lord Stalwart and his dark elf guards appeared on the balcony of Longxiao Palace, seeming to be looking into the distance. More grain and grass carts crowded the roads in the city. They left the city before the army, and were now waiting for the city gate to open.
"Open the city gate!"
"Open the city gate!"
Orders were passed down layer by layer from the upper city area all the way to the city guard's garrison. The four soldiers who had been standing by for a long time should not be negligent. They removed the hinges and pushed open the huge gate of Whiterun City - today was a big day for Whiterun City to send troops, and no one dared to make a mistake.
However, when the city gate was opened, everyone saw the surprising scene outside the city——
White mist sinks into the river, and clear frost covers the ground. A man, a sword and a lone figure stood straight in front of the city gate in the early morning.
Fighting alone for three thousand miles, one sword dares to serve as a million soldiers!
I am the Dragon Slayer, Busujima Yako!
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ps: Two chapters will be completed every day, try to ensure the amount of updates. There have been a lot of explanatory words recently, which are just to warm up the plot that follows. When the end is approaching, it is even more important to keep calm and do not rush or slow down.
