The Oblivion Heresy

The end of the Third Era, the year 3E 433, was marked by Mehrunes Dagon's invasion of Tamriel. This event was named the Oblivion Crisis. Everyone in Alinor and Valenwood knows that it was the work of the Thalmor which finally brought an end to the crisis, but those on the northern side of the continent believe a different tale, a fabrication spun by the Imperial propaganda machine. Whether willingly or through hearsay, many elves have been exposed to this twisted variation of the truth.

This retelling have become surprisingly prevalent in the Imperial provinces of Cyrodiil, Skyrim, Hammerfell and High Rock due to the hegemony exerted by the Empire. However, a close examination of their story exposes just how absurd it is, and that is exactly what this book will do. I will take apart the Imperial heresy and attempt to piece together what really happened in Cyrodiil during the Daedric invasion.

The assassination of Uriel Septim VII, who by all accounts state died right before the invasion, is claimed to be the primary cause of the Oblivion Crisis. According to the legend of the Amulet of Kings, the jewel when worn by someone with Dragon Blood can allow for the lighting of the Dragonfires, which preserves a barrier between Mundus and Oblivion. Regardless of the validity of that legend, the assassins clearly believed in it as they murdered the Emperor and his three sons, who supposedly carried the Dragon Blood of the conqueror Tiber Septim.

From here on, the Imperial account details how a secret illegitimate son of Uriel Septim VII, the so-called Martin Septim, sacrificed his life to close the Oblivion Gates. This is where the story falls apart. Empress Kintyra II, daughter of Antiochus Septim who was infamous for his many mistresses, was accused of being illegitimate yet allowed to be crowned regardless. Years later, Uriel Septim IV was known to be the illegitimate son of Katariah, the wife of Pelagius Septim III who had died by the time of Uriel IV's birth. Despite having no blood relation to the Septims, he was crowned Emperor. While he faced resistance from the Elder Council, the Empire as a whole though has certainly crowned half-bloods and even complete outsiders to the bloodline in the past, and holds no stigma against bastards.

Uriel IV's story not only shows the secret son idea to be complete nonsense, but also discredits the Amulet of Kings legend. There were indeed still members of the true Septim bloodline alive during the reign of Uriel IV, but they were not Emperor and would not have had access to the amulet, yet Daedra did not invade Tamriel then. There is also the manner of Martin Septim's 'sacrifice,' which is described as shattering the Amulet of Kings to embody Akatosh's power. Anyone with the slightest knowledge of Aedric or Daedric artifacts knows this is not how they work. Even if such an artifact could be destroyed so easily, doing so would not grant the power of the artifact's creator otherwise many people would not be seeking to obtain artifacts but to destroy them.

If Martin Septim never existed, then what really happened in Cyrodiil during the Oblivion Crisis? An unnamed Hero is consistently mentioned in accounts and records all across Cyrodiil, with a statue of them even being erected by one of Bruma's gates. This Hero is credited with stopping at least the attacks on the cities of Kvatch and Bruma before making a stand in the Imperial City. Meanwhile, all mentions of Martin comes from information embellished by the Empire and later pieces of Imperial propaganda. It is obvious that this Hero is the only reason the Empire was still standing when the Oblivion Gates were closed.

According to an obscure Imperial document, a copy of which was recently recovered by the Thalmor, the Hero was allowed to wear the Emperor's Dragon Armor by the Elder Council. Now, the truth begins to reveal itself. The Hero, a very capable combatant, was present at Kvatch during the initial Daedric attack in Cyrodiil and probably participated in many battles and events since. Meanwhile, the leaderless Empire was growing more and more desperate as the situation worsened. News of the Hero eventually spread throughout the province and the Elder Council, likely with the assistance of the ever-scheming Blades, decided to dress up this legendary warrior as a new Emperor to provide their people with much needed moral support. It would not be possible for anyone to tell who was really underneath all that armor from across the battlefield. Thus, they invented the character of Martin Septim, conveniently from Kvatch, the first city of Cyrodiil destroyed by the Daedra.

When the Thalmor closed the Oblivion Gates and the invasion ceased, the Elder Council did not want the Hero to actually become the new leader of the Empire. They decided to kill off their fabricated Emperor in a brilliant stroke that both solidified their power and took the glory of ending the Oblivion Crisis for their Empire. The Elder Council alone was not able to hold on to that power for long, and the Stormcrown Interregnum ensued. After Titus Mede ascended to the throne, he saw no reason to change this story since it served well as propaganda for his Empire.