Episode 1 "The Act"

dagnome

Episode 1
“The Act”

“Must we do this Hasvious? We know this town had nothing to do with the raids on the Imperial Convoy.”
Hasvious, a taller man than I but commanding more respect within the imperial order, would put any normal officer to their knees for such reasoning. I have the distinct advantage of knowing him as a child which grants me his ear.

“Yes Dagnome, it is by order of the Imperial Envoy that these villagers be punished for their anarchist ways, to remind them that the Imperial Order is strong. They capitol will thank us for teaching this lesson.”
With my jaw clenched tight I signal my men to follow me into the village.
Our horses shake the ground as we gain speed coming down the hill. The stench gets worse as we approach the once prosperous fishing village of Taluhn. Ash begins to cloud my vision as the shops burn to the ground, the screams continue to grow louder as we approach the church.

“Did you men carry out your orders?”
“Yes Sir!”
The fools, they are so proud to please a captain that they would dare smile, almost proud, of what they have done. I can hear a woman screaming, her screams became movement as two squires approach my saddle.

“Sir, we found her hiding beneath her home with several others.”
Torn robes, her chest breathing heavily as she is tossed to the ground in front of me. So beautiful, so young, She reminds me of my daughter, Isaela, my little girl. She was always so passionate about pleasing her father, showing how successful she was in her studies and her tapestry work. She would do anything to put a smile on the battle hardened face of her father.

“Put them in the church with the others.”
The terror can be felt in the air like a looming spirit, the taste of burning flesh and wood makes some of the men nauseous, to no surprise, some of the have not seen a real war since the Dwemer squelch years ago. Taking one last breath i remove myself from my horse, armor bearing weight on my shoulders. My guards follow in suit, preparing to give their lives to defend mine a captain of the Imperial Army. We begin to make our way to the church, I can see the several survivors being pulled from her home and dragged into the church with the others. “It is your duty, your duty to keep the Empire safe and prosperous from all enemies”. I regurgitate that line from my captains oath over and over as the weight of what I am about to do begins to bear down on my very soul. The church doors are guarded by several Lanceman who promptly move aside rendering a proper salute and expose my eyes to the horrors about to take place, the horrors about to take place, on my command. Women, children, fathers and sons all huddle together as close as they can in fear of what will happen next. Men from the Capital squelched their defenses in what appeared to be moments and those who would dare to fight back were quickly dispatched.

“Good People of Taluhn, some of you would dare to worship gods who would tell you to seize your own power from the empire. These false gods would tell you that they will protect you, keep you safe. As of this morning none of you were safe, we cleared your defenses and captured your town square in the blink of an eye. Now, tell me, who among you wishes to speak for your village against these accusations?”

A veil of silence fell upon the old stone built church. Not a sound was to be heard except the burning memories of what these people once had. As my eyes crossed the room I removed my helmet to gaze upon the souls of these people, they do not know death is at their door and it has a face, mine. As I searched for someone to speak on their behalf my search was halted. There she was. Her chest was breathing slower now, her garbs still tarnished and her hair was now wrapped in a leather tie, why was such beauty going to be put to waste over something this village had nothing to do with?

“Daddy, why do you wear armor when you go out?” Abby said to me one day.
“Well child, I wear armor to show the people that I am here to fight for them, to keep them safe and to protect me from those who would do us harm.”
With her innocent blue eyes she gazes up and down my armor, still on the stand.
‘When I grow up I want to wear armor too! Then I can protect the people like you, can’t I daddy?”
Her sweetness made me smile, she knew nothing of the real threats in the world and how little armor can actually protect you from. I place my hand on her head and stroke her hair behind her ears.
“Yes child, you can wear armor but I don't want you to wear armor like daddy’s, no, I want you to wear the best armor that you can find. I want you to be free, free to do what you want with your life free of tyranny and ridicule. When you find freedom, you will be untouchable Isaela.”
Her curious eyes searched mine for the solution to the apparent riddle I just gave her and though she didn't understand it at them time, she quickly embraced me with her arms, accepting my wisdom.
“I love you daddy”
“And I love you Isaela”
“I will speak for the people!”
My mind snapped back into focus. The smell of burning flesh and wood filled my nostrils I began to cough as the thick smoke caught my lungs off guard.
“These people do not worship false idols as you call them, they choose to worship freedom! We shall not let the imperial warlords tell us how to hold our faith in the gods!”
My eyes make contact with the man who would dare speak to an Imperial officer with such disrespect. He was a older man, not quite an elder but not an adolescent. The crowd grew silent, and for a moment the world seemed to stop turning. The man approached me, slowly while he looked into my eyes. He was searching for something within me, searching for that shred of humanity that would disobey my emperor and let them free. He instead found my blade pierce his chest. Blood began to spill from his mouth, he began to let out a small moan as the life began to flee from his body. His mouth moved near my ear and he whispered:
“Don't let the last of your humanity die within you, find the light, find your own freedom just as you told your daughter so many years ago.”
I could feel the last of his life slip through my fingers as his bloodstained corpse fell to the floor. As I saw the warmth leave his body I felt parchment tucked in my Gauntlet.





“Isaela”
I looked at the crowd, every face staring back at me every life filled eye was pleading. They were pleading for their lives, sheer terror was gripping them after witnessing such an act.
“What have I done” My words did not fall on deaf ears.
"Dagnome! Why have you not carried out your orders!"
I could feel his towering presence behind me, Commander Hasvious was here to ensure the emperors will was executed with the precision and the brutality we have become known for.
"After reviewing the evidence sir, there is nothing connecting these people..."
"Enough of this talk. You soldier, execute your orders!"
The men moved quickly. They removed me from the church doorway, the citizens of Taluhn were searching for hope and the gods did not hear their cries of anguish, not today. The lance man quickly placed steel chains on the doors of the church, I could hear the cries bellow from inside the church. The women screaming, the children crying, the people of Taluhn knew what was to come next and they were powerless to stop it. As was I.
"By the order of the Emperor, all religious anarchists shall be sentenced to purification by the flames of the Imperial Order!"
The soldiers began to cheer and began to set the church a blaze. As the flame rose, the sounds coming from inside, the screaming the crying, the sound of flesh pounding on stone in hopes of escape, or a miracle began to die down. The stench of smoldering flesh began to fumigate throughout the town causing our soldiers to cough and even vomit. There were no cheers of success, no songs of great triumph being played, there was simply silence after the flames took hold of the ancient church.

dagnome

I could feel the tears begin to swell, i dawned my helmet to hide my weakness. Silence, not a sound of distress, not one babe crying for their mother. The whole town was purified.

"I love you daddy." Isalea said to me as I left her bedroom.
The healer had to come from the capital, Isalea had been showing symptoms of the plague for weeks now. Her soft cheeks were bright red, her sweet voice was rusty but her enthusiasm was never dull.
"There is nothing I can do for her Captain, she has the plague. It has breached her heart and it is only a matter of time before it consumes her, she will not survive the night."
"There must be something I can do Skarleth"
"There is nothing Dagnome, nothing we can do to save her. Be with her now, let her spirit leave this life with happiness in its heart and memories of your love."
The healer left my home, and I went back to my child. As I approached her bed she looked at me with such love in her eyes and such innocence, innocence that has not seen the world for its true evils.
"Daddy, it is ok, The goddess will take me home and I will have the most amazing story to tell her."
"And what story will you tell the goddess Isalea? Tales of dragons and princesses in distress? Will you tell her of your studies and what you learned?"
"No." she said with the confidence of a child who has nothing to lose.
"I will tell her about the best protector in all the land. A brave knight who protected the people from evil monsters and men. He wore the finest armor in all the land so he would be safe, that way he could come home to his princess."
Isalea began to cough, blood was bursting through her lips with each cough. The plague had spread to her lungs.
"Isalea, will you do something for me when you meet the goddess? Will you tell her to take special care of this knights princess because she was all he had in the world."
She laid back in her bed, her hand started to become cold.
"Isalea..."
She turned and looked out the window.
"Daddy, Promise me that every night you will look up and find me among the stars so I can go to sleep until morning."
Holding back all emotion, I grasped her hand tightly they were stone cold. She turned her head back towards me, looking to me for an answer.
"I promise Isalea, you will never be alone, I will always love you."
"I love you too daddy."

"Move out!" Hasvious ordered to the remaining troops.
The smell of burnt flesh fills my nostrils, I can hardly breathe through the thick ash. I mount my horse and began to ride north towards Morrowind where the battle for our Empire was moving. As I moved down the road a clearing in the trees opened and I could see the stars. It has been several hours since I saw the sun, the transition was seamless. I look up toward the constellations and find her, my little girl was glowing brightly in the sky. I slow my horse down to a stop. After removing my helmet I look up towards Isalea.
Those people were not being protected, they were being murdered. The life of I have lived is not what I promised I would do.

"Dagnome!" I could hear Hasvious shout as I reared my horse and began racing South, towards my tormented past, towards all the pain and sadness. These are the things I must face alone. I must make amends for what I have done under Isaleas watchful eye. The time of the Empire, the time of Captain Dagnome of the Imperial Order is over. It is now time to wear this armor to protect and to server the people not one mans greed.

"I will fufill my promise Isalea, I will be everyone's armor."

---

Authors Note:
Thanks for reading, obviously I am not a writer nor an artist but for some reason I felt like writing this. Stirred up a lot of emotion, I plan on adding more parts to this but this is my characters background.