Etienne Geles

"Don't get shot or invaded while I'm gone."

- Etienne to Daric  is a Breton spellsword and general of the 3rd Legion, which is stationed in Cyrodiil. He fought alongside the Blade Caesar Autrus during Daric's Rebellion. He initially served as a commander of Daric's forces, but was later promoted to general after he successfully lead the Breton army to Hammerfell and aided King Bodean in defeating the Crowns and taking control of the province.

Early Life
Etienne was born in Wayrest, however parental problems caused him to move out to Daggerfall with his father. From a young age, his father trained him with wooden swords and shields, stating that Etienne would one day grow into a great warrior. It was because of this that Etienne was entrusted with their family's ceremonial Ebony Armor, which unlike regular ebony armor was engraved with gold. Not much else is known of his childhood. Years later Etienne became one of the first to join King Daric's cause, fighting with him in Northpoint as well as Daggerfall.

Character Form

 * Class: Spellsword
 * Skills: Master Heavy Armor, Expert Two-Handed/Speech, Adept Block/Alteration/Destruction.
 * Spells: Ironflesh, Flame Rune, Flame Cloak, Firebolt.
 * Powers: Dragonskin, Magic Resistance
 * Equipment: Elven Greatsword, Ceremonial Ebony Armor (During RotSD). Legion General Armor (After RotSD)

Return of the Septim Dynasty II
Etienne was with High King Daric in Shornhelm's War room. The high king had received word from the Forebears that Stros M'Kai had been captured by them, his allies. Daric told Etienne that he might need to go with the rest of the army to Hammerfell. Even with the help of the Bretons the Forebears were still outnumbered by the Crowns and their Imperial allies. Daric suggested that he should take the rest of the army and go through the Reach and Dragontail Mountais and attack Dragonstar. The commander acknowledged the order and left the war room to coordinate and plan for the attack. Etienne entered his command tent. He took a sip of wine and called his most trusted lieutenant to him. He ordered him to rally the soldiers, since they'd be marching on Dragonstar. The lieutenant hurried away and Etienne started planning the attack. He contemplated splitting the army and attacking from two sides as it would let them split their defenses, quickening the siege. The western side of the city had the weaker military, so attacking there would be easier. Daric entered the commander's tent, it seemed that he decided to check up on him. The High King told him to be careful near the Reach, as that was were Orsinium was located. Etienne said he had a feeling the Orcs would stay put, then he offered some wine to Daric. The king accepted and had a drink with the commander. He told the king that he didn't like the sound of King Bodean, the leader of the Forebears, as the commander thought he only joined up with Daric for personal gain. Daric agreed that it was a likely possibility as one of the terms of their alliance was that Daric help Bodean become High King of Hammerfell. However the king said that as long as they help Bodean the Redguard would help them. Etienne started to discuss strategy with Daric, asking where they should try to get one side of Dragonstar to attack the other. Dragonstar was a city that was split into East and West, and each part had its own government. Daric told the commander that both sides were vassals of the High King of Hammerfell, Ennah, but they still despised each other thanks to their governmental differences, as the West was a monarchy while the East was a oligarchy. Etienne said that he would try diplomacy, but that he would fight both sides if it came down to it. He said farewell to the king and asked that Daric not get shot or invaded while he was away. Daric laughed and told him he would try not to, as the Blades had been doing a good job so far and Ortius was a good Grandmaster. He then suggested that Etienne should take Caesar Autrus with him if he planed on using subterfuge. The King them took another sip of wine then returned to the castle, saying farewell to the commander.

After finishing up in his tent and putting on his armor Etienne called one of his lieutenants and asked if the men were ready to march. The officer replied that they were and Etienne was pleased, he then ordered the soldier to go look for the Blade that Daric had mentioned, Caesar. He walked out of the command tent to observe the army and gave a speech. After it, he summoned the best scouts and told them to eliminate any hostiles along the roads. After the briefing, the march began. A Blade soon walked up to the commander and asked if he was Ethan. The Breton, assuming that the Blade was Caesar asked what it was he wanted. He introduced himself as Knight-Brother Caesar of the Blades and former Penitus Oculatus member, like all the new Blades were. Ethan told him that the Blade would only take orders from him. He then told him about his plan to get one side of Dragonstar to aid them in attacking the other. The commander also shared his B-plan, having Caesar assassinate the monarch of West Dragonstar and have them accuse East Dragonstar for the murder, causing a Civil War. Caesar commended the plan, saying that it was brilliant. Etienne said that this was why he was a commander. He then said that if they were lucky and the scouts cleared the road for them that they'd be able to reach Dragonstar within three weeks, maybe two, as they had just recently exited Shornhelm. The Blade warned that they should be careful when crossing the Western Reach as hostile Reachmen inhabited the area, as well as Orcs that lived in the mountains in between Skyrim and Hammerfell. Etienne agreed, but mentioned that perhaps they could bring up the old Daggerfall Covenant if they got the Orcs to join them. Caesar told him that the Orcs were too fond of Emperor Augurius, as he was the one that reinstated New Orsinium as an Imperial Province to get their support during the Second Great War. He also reminded the commander that it was the Bretons and Redguards that destroyed Nova Orsinium in the beginning of the 4th Era, so he doubted that the Orcs would betray the Empire to join them. Etienne realized that Caesar was right and then asked him if he knew of any passages that they could use to avoid conflict. The Blade suggested that they go straight south from Evermore, as that was a pretty direct path to Dragonstar. However he mentioned that the path would most likely be patrolled by Crown soldiers. He also mentioned that they could go through the mountians and try their luck with the Reachmen and Orcs. The commander said that that they'd need to be effective if they went through Evermore, because if one Crown soldier sees them and makes it to Dragonstar then the city would have its defenses up before they got within miles of it. But they would have to take the risk, as it was the best of the solutions. Caesar agreed and said that all the Breton must do is lead and he would follow. Etienne called his lieutenant and told him to have the army change its course towards Evermore. He also ordered him to send some of their best troops forward, to deal with the Crown patrols that might be ahead of them in the border to Hammerfell.

Etienne and his men arrived in Evermore a week or so later. They headed for the southern passage into Hammerfell. Their plan had worked an their best soldiers took care of the patrols, not letting them warn the city of the incoming army. Before long, after another week, they could see Dragonstar in the distance. Etienne managed to catch a glimpse of Dragonstar. He asked one of his scouts, whom had just returned from scouting the city, how far was it. The scout reported that it was still a good 2 days walk away. He also said that they needed to be careful as he had seen some Crown patrols along the way. He suggested that the elite soldiers continue to lead the way to deal with them. The commander ordered his men to have the fastest horsemen, armed with their best bows and arrows, to head off to deal with the patrols. Caesar went up to Etienne and asked if he had decided with side of Dragonstar were they going to try to reach out to first. He replied saying that they'd reach out to the east side, the Oligarchy. Since they'd likely vote on it, instead of simply deciding like the monarchist west side would. He said that it'll buy them time and increase their chances of a possible alliance. The commander also mentioned that he hoped they could take the city with as little bloodshed as possible, as not only would they win favor with the locals, but their army would be at full strength. The Blade agreed that the eastern oligarchy would be more reasonable, but mentioned that he had heard stories of their corrupt nature. Etienne said that before the voting starts, he wanted Caesar to infiltrate the city and bribe some of the council members. As it was better to be safe than sorry. He nodded, saying that the noble families of eastern Dragonstar that run the council sure do love gold. A day and a half later the Breton Army reached the outskirts of Dragonstar. They dealt with the Crown patrols and set up camp a few miles from the city. Etienne was in his tent when Caesar walked in. The Blade suggested that only the two of them go into Eastern Dragonstar, as a large group would only attract attention. The commander agreed and said that they shouldn't spoil appearances by bringing visible weapons. He said that if something went wrong they could always just bring a dagger or two each. Etienne then put on his helmet and a cloak, with a dagger hidden underneath it. Caesar also put on a cloak on top of his armor. He left his sword and shield and went to grab a dagger from the quartermaster. When he returned he said for them to go. He told the commander that the Council was said to meet in the big building in the center of town. He suggested that they remain undercover so the guards didn't catch them before they made it to the council building. Etienne hoped that the gods would be on their side, for that at least. He exited the command tent and viewed the city. It looked relatively peaceful. He said that they could wait until they started getting at each other's throats before they went in. As that'd distract the guards. Caesar said that that would be at night, as he heard that the city was at constant unrest because of revolutionary groups present in both sides of the city. But he said he didn't think the council was present at the Council Building at night. The Commander mentioned that they didn't have to go to the building at night. As he suspected that there'd be a few good places we could stay unnoticed until the next day. The Blade nodded and said that he would follow his lead, saying that they can leave when he deemed it time. The Breton said that they may as well set off now. Since by the time they get to the part of the city they're going to it would be dusk. And he hoped that'll be good enough. Caesar and Etienne left for Dragonstar.

The commander asked the Imperial what he planned on doing after the war's over. Before Caesar could reply the commander mentioned that honest if he didn't know that Caesar was a Blade he would've thought him to be a trader. The Imperial was a bit surprised, asking if he really looked like a trader. He then replied to the commander's question, saying that he was not much more than a soldier. He told the Breton that he was in the Penitus Oculatus before defecting and before that he was in the Legion. He said that after Daric takes the throne from Augurius he would likely still be a Blade. Etienne confirmed that he did have the look of a trader. He then told the Imperial that before joining Daric he was a mercenary, with a simple life...that he didn't miss. Caesar laughed and said that now he knew that if being a Blade didn't work out for him he could always become a trader. The Breton laughed as well saying that there are traders that are richer than kings and that if he knew what to do he could buy a palace. The Blade said that he'd keep that in mind. He looked ahead to the city gates saying that they arrived. Etienne said to let him handle the guards. He walked up to the guards and said that they were weary travelers and came to seek refuge in the city. The guards asked where do they hailed from. The commander said that they hailed from the Reach and they were travelling toward Stros M'Kai. The guard continued to question the two men, asking what side of the Reach they were from. Skyrim's, Hammerfell's, New Orsinium's or High Rock's. He was suspicious and so he gripped his scimitar. Ceasar replied before Etienne could, saying New Orsinium. The guard seemed more suspicious, as they didn't look like Orcs. The Blade said that other races lived in Orsinium, just like the other provinces. The other guard asked what was the capital of New Orsinium. The Imperial replied that it was Trinimac's Fall. The first guard asked the second guard if that was correct. He replied that it was, and said to let them through. The duo walk through the gates. Etienne commended the Blade for his quick thinking, saying that it was a good trait, and it was something most of my subordinates lacked. Caesar thanked him, saying that when he was a part of the Penitus Oculatus he used to work as a spy. As they were walking through the city the commander said that they were being followed. He nodded towards a shadow on the ground and told the Blade to take a quick left, head straight down the road until the third junction then turn right to the first building on his left. It was an inn. Etienne told him to rent a room and said that he'd meet him there tomorrow. The Imperial acknowledge the order and left to follow the instructions. The commander, attempting to lose his follower, quickly found himself in what seemed to be the city slums. Seeing a guard ahead, he slipped into an open house. He could hear muttering, and he waited for the door to open, but it didn't happen. He hoped he was the only one following them. The Breton opened the door and looked outside. Nobody suspicious there. Quietly, he retraced his steps until he ended up at the place he and Caesar had split up. Remembering his directions, he started making his way toward the inn.

Instead of entering the inn, Etienne headed past it and found himself in a town square of sorts. He assumed that it must be a market. He decided to stay the night in a tavern. He woke up in a chair, donned his cloak and headed out to the point where he and Caesar had split up. The commander appeared out of a corner and saw that the Blade was already at the meeting point. Caesar approached him and bid him good morning asking if they should head to the Council Building. Etienne said yes. He then said that if they denied them to just run. Not even to look around for him as the word around town was that the council may corrupt, but they were swift in eliminating those they hated.

Trivia

 * His original name was Ethan, but it was changed to something more lore-friendly after the user that RPed him quit.
 * Both Etienne and Roderic Acques wore Ebony Armor while serving during the Stormcrown Rebellion, then switched to Legion General Armor after Daric took the Ruby Throne.