(General POV)
As the sun rises over the mountains and covers the forgotten vale in a warm golden sheen a complete silence envelops the expeditionary camp. Lines upon lines of battle ready elves and their Dawnguard allies stand in front of the thick walls risen by magic, their shoulders squared and their backs held straight as their leader leisurely walks through the middle of the formation, his hands folded behind his back and his face hidden behind his war crown.
A light gale blows through the valley, the dozen triangular banners held by his proudest warriors sent fluttering in its passing as he passes the formation by and stands in front of them, silent, observing.
A whole minute passes as he simply stands there, many of the less disciplined soldiers already whispering among themselves, as they were summoned and told to gather without any further explanation. That stopped the moment Lord Dagoth summoned his sword and rose it above him, its dark blade somehow glinting in the sunlight.
And then he spoke, his calm voice carrying across the whole field with no visible effort "We came to this place for a sacred purpose." He pauses as his eyes move across the lines "To rid the world of a great threat, and to protect the very sun that blesses us with light and allows us to wield magic!" A ball of sunlight forms in his empty hand as he lowers his blade "A vampire lord plots to curse the very land we walk simply because a bit of sunlight bothers him, he thinks that just because he sold his soul to a Daedra like a complete idiot he now has the right to dictate how the world itself works!" The elven lord barks out with disgust.
Some of the more experienced elves let out a derisive chuckle at this.
"But that is enough about a worm we will squash and leave forgotten." He waves his hand to the side as if the topic was a waste of his time "We have found something much greater than mere foes to vanquish, far greater than simple glory!" Lord Dagoth proclaims suddenly "This valley, filled with monsters and the discarded as it is... it is our very future!"
The rank and file start to shift in surprise, most of them unaware of their lord's further plans.
"What I see behind me is not a derelict remnant of our snow elven brothers and sisters!" He continues "No, what I see behind me is potential." His eyes shift toward a new recruit among his warriors, a father of four who could barely feed his children in the Grey Quarter "What I see is a new home for our people! Away from those who would hate us, away from the politics or betrayals of those unworthy to rule us! A place where our children may grow without the hate of the world." His voice softens somewhat as he pauses, letting his words sink in.
But only a short inhale later he speaks once again "Do not be mistaken, however, in thinking I merely wish to rebuild something once lost." He shakes his head and looks to the solemn faced Falmer "Together, both Dunmer and Falmer, and all others who would join us in our glorious work, we shall aim to build something far greater than ever was! We will rise above that which our ancestors created and go beyond mere imitation!"
A wave of excitement spreads throughout the small army, even if the true weight of their lord's words went over most of their heads.
"Should we win and plant our banner atop these mountains I pledge that all who fought and worked for it shall find a place of honor in the grand sanctum that I will build!" He points his blade toward the increasingly excited ranks "You are, all of you, given the opportunity to carve your names in history as those who took the first steps toward a destiny that we ourselves will one day build! So I ask you all are you ready to risk your lives for a grander future? Are you ready to bleed so that your children may live in peace? Are you prepared to die for a cause greater than yourselves?!" The elven lord turns silent and silence descends upon the valley once again.
A single halberd strikes the ground.
And then another.
And then a dozen.
And then a full hundred weapons start striking the ground in both a salute and cheer, even those not of House Dagoth joining in by banging on their shields, dragged into the mood by the far more numerous elves.
Lord Dagoth raises his hand, causing everyone to quieten down almost as one "Officers, you already have your orders. Our aim today is to cleanse the entire lower valley and prepare the path for our ascent." He smiles behind his mask "And for those of you who are still unconvinced by mere words... I will personally reward any who perform beyond expectations, so do make sure to give it your all~."
He allows the greed his words caused to settle in and mix with the already present determination within his men, and just as he feels a sense of anticipation starting to form he raises his blade once more "My glorious army!" The sword bursts into flame "Let the conquest begin!"
As one, the warriors of House Dagoth start to march in three different directions, shaking the very ground with their armored boots, almost all of them ready to give their lives for the cause.
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(Reyvin's POV)
I look around carefully "Alright, is everyone gone?"
A very confused Serana blinks and nods "Should be."
"Good." I nod, turn to my side, and start retching, Scorch appearing on my shoulder and doing much of the same.
A good ten seconds pass before a very confused Gelebor shifts on his feet uncomfortably "Is he....?"
"Just let him get it out of his system." Serana sighs tiredly and palms her face.
"This... this is the youngest archmage in multiple eras?" Valerica questions, her voice overcome with disbelief "This... child?"
Scorch turns his head around a full 180 degrees and stares her dead in the eyes "Don't knock it till you try it, less interesting thirsty n'wah." Before turning back toward the ground and continuing to retch.
Valerica's eye twitches in irritation but before she can retort a hand on her shoulder draws her attention to Nightshade who was staring at her with dead eyes "You get used to it."
Finished with my mental cleansing I straighten up and turn to the rest with a sunny smile "Never in my life have I spewed such cringe willingly."
Scorch shivers "Absolutely disgusting."
"Why would you do it if then, if you are so disgusted?" Serana tilts her head "Your soldiers would probably follow your orders, grand speech or no."
I cup my goatee thoughtfully and mutter "What did that one Chinese dude say..." Before perking up and raising my index finger "Ah yes, it went something along the lines of 'Treat your men as you would your own beloved sons. And they will follow you into the deepest valley.' Yeah, that." I nod sagely.
Surprisingly, it is Gelebor that speaks "Motivating warriors before battle is never wrong, if done properly of course."
"Have experience leading Mer into war, Knight Paladin?" I ask.
"By necessity." He nods with a wince "I assure you it was never my choice."
I nod understandingly, Gelebor was obviously once a gentle soul and it no doubt took the start of a genocide to get him to fight in a war. But that was enough of that "We better get moving, care to tell me which wayshrines we can find in the lowest section of the vale?"
"We have already made our pilgrimage through the Wayshrine of Illumination, of which I am the guardian. The following shall be the Wayshrine of Sight and the Wayshrine of Learning, after which we will have to ascend upon the plateau so that our pilgrimage may take us to the final two." He explains reverently.
"Very well then." I start walking "Lead us away and fetch us some holy water!"
Gelebor clears his throat and points behind him "Lord Dagoth, the wayshrine is in the other direction."
I turn around like nothing happened and continue walking "Of course, I already knew that." I feel the stares on my back before everyone just accepts their fate and begins following me.
---
(Oren's POV*)
"Don't let them get close!" I shout as I summon a burst of fire from my hands and push back the small group of feral Falmer that managed to sneak below our wall of polearms. More and more bursts of fire follow as the men follow my example and finally mange to break through the wall of pale flesh guarding the way into their camp.
As we start pushing further in, one of the newer recruits overextends and his less armored thigh is punctured by multiple poisoned arrows. Without hesitating I grab him by the shoulder and shove him back, the Mer behind us having the good sense to move out of the way so that the Falmer magi can heal him before he expires.
Just as I am about to thank the Good Daedra for a swift victory, one of the feral's chitinous pens bursts open and a small herd of massive chaurus skitter into the battlefield, carelessly stomping over their masters as they hungered for our blood.
"Shit, ready antidotes and brace for impact!" I command, my trained vice carrying and stopping some of the fresher recruits from panicking. As instructed by the tiny lizard mage before the battle even began, I order a slow fighting retreat back into the pass as to funnel the attack into a small area, the trio of Falmer magi on our side already levitating above our formation and casting debilitating blizzards as to slow them down even further.
We hold our ground for what feels like an hour before a nearby ice sheet cracks and a massive wooden club bursts through its walls, letting three horned giants into the clearing. Suddenly sharing my subordinates' nervousness I prepare to order a full retreat but then I notice the large orichalcum-clad figure jumping through the opening in the ice, jagged spear already primed for throwing.
I do not even manage to blink as the orc throws the weapon with the force of a ballista and disrupts the entire herd of bugs, and as if that was not enough the icy wall is fully brought down in the next second, letting the rest of the Companions in alongside their new gigantic allies.
Shaking my astonishment away I focus back on the battle, my brothers and I have been given great trust and I was not about to break it due to gawking. I analyze the battlefield and soon find a way to further our advantage.
My head snaps toward one of the Falmer magi "Brelar, get the automatons on that rise as quickly as you can! I want full covering fire as we advance!"
"At once, Captain." He salutes and unsheathes a control rod, directing the two dozen spider automatons toward their destination.
As bolts start falling upon their ranks and reaping their lives by the dozens I notice the opportunity and rise my weapon high, the enchanted banner sending a wave of confidence through the troops "Onwards men, for Lord Dagoth!"
A cheer answers me as we descend upon the Falmer.
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A/n: *Oren, Maren and Varen are the three brothers that became Reyvin's first soldiers, they have been promoted into leadership roles over time and are the current commanders in the army.
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You fell for it you fool!
*Yoinks your stones*
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