| Battle of Bruma | |
|---|---|
 Forces of Mehrunes Dagon prepare to besiege the city of Bruma | |
| Important Information | |
| Location | Bruma, Cyrodiil |
| Date: | 2nd of Morning Star 4E 2 |
| Result: | Imperial Victory
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| Commanders | |
Divine Crusader Ra'rgo Grandmaster Jauffre Knight Commander Thedret Martin Septim |
Mehrunes Dagon (Not Present) |
| Strength | |
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| Casualties | |
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The Battle of Bruma was a massive battle that took place in the beginning of the Fourth Era. It was fought between the daedric hordes of Mehrunes Dagon and the armies of the Empire (joined by Ra'rgo and his Knights of the Nine) in order to bait the Mythic Dawn into opening a Great Gate so that the Blades could find a Great Sigil Stone. The stone was the final piece in the ritual to open a portal to Mankar Camoran's Paradise, where he waited with the Amulet of Kings.
Background[]
In the later days of the Oblivion Crisis, things were complicated and essentially put into a halt by Gareth's rise to power. By creating a false Amulet of Kings and relighting the Dragonfires, he had effectively stopped the daedric invasion. Unfortunately, the false Emperor also proved to be a tyrant who attempted to enslave all of Tamriel's citizens much like his Ayleid ancestors had done so before.
Before Gareth took power, the Hero of Kvatch had nearly obtained all of the items needed to open a portal to Mankar Camoran's Paradise realm, which would allow him to challenge Camoran for the real Amulet of Kings so that Martin Septim could claim the Imperial Throne and stop the invasion. Before this could happen, however, the events of the Siege of Castle Relleis occurred in which Gareth created a portal to the past to alter time and become Emperor. Nearly two years later, Ra'rgo, who was also sent into the portal, returned to the present day (now considered the second year of the fourth era) in order to regroup with the Knights of the Nine and stop Gareth. In the process, however, he managed to darken the Dragonfires once again, restarting the Oblivion Crisis.
Martin Septim and his Blades guard (who had retreated silently to Skyrim after a siege of Cloud Ruler Temple by Gareth's forces) returned to Cyrodiil to reunite with Ra'rgo, who learns of Martin's plan to finish the ritual: they need a Great Sigil Stone, which can only be obtained by entering a Great Gate like the one that led to the destruction of Kvatch. The only way to open another one is to bait the Mythic Dawn into doing so, which he believes can be done by making the city of Bruma a target too good to turn down.
Before the events of Gareth's rise to power, Ra'rgo had assembled an army of volunteers from most of Cyrodiil's cities which had been camped out in Bruma for quite some time. Most of the army disassembled on the order of the new Emperor, but upon Ra'rgo's return many of them received word and moved back to Bruma. Moreover, Ra'rgo ordered the bulk of his Knights of the Nine - roughly a hundred knights - to reinforce the city's garrison.
Before the Battle[]
On the turn of the new year, Martin Septim devises the plan to retrieve the Great Sigil Stone, though he feared it would not be easy. In order to make the Mythic Dawn risk spawning a Great Gate, he would have to put himself - and the city of Bruma - in great danger.
He and his Blades would move out of Cloud Ruler Temple and into Bruma, where he would be far more at risk. It was no secret that the temple was under constant surveillance by Mythic Dawn spies, so if he were to relocate it would be widely known within the cult. From there, Martin and the Blades would have to rely on faith that they would eventually strike the city with the same might that they used at Kvatch. In the meantime, Ra'rgo has assembled a massive host of spare garrison soldiers from the cities of Cyrodiil. Honoring their obligations, the Counts of Cyrodiil send all the soldiers they can spare and the Elder Council sends several regiments of the Imperial Legion.
Martin struggles to convince Countess Narina Carvain that his plan will work. She refuses to potentially sacrifice her city for a chance at ending the war, but Martin eventually overrules her and uses his power as Emperor to declare martial law and take over the city temporarily. This nearly causes a conflict within the city as many of the Countess' guardsmen refuse to accept Martin's authority, but they eventually submit to their future liege.
Before the armies can arrive, however, Oblivion gates begin to spawn outside the city walls. Daedra begin to assemble a crude siege camp in the surrounding countryside, demolishing forests to build siege towers and battering rams. Without Ra'rgo's forces, the situation appeared to be hopeless.
Bruma is nearly defenseless. Within its walls, it only has the entirety of the Imperial Blades - roughly 12 men and women in total - in addition to the city garrison (no more than 300 guards). They are hopelessly outnumbered by the thousands of daedra outside. Ra'rgo, only recently returning from being stuck in the first era, wastes no time in calling his banners. He orders several of his knights to send word immediately to each of the Counts and demand that they honor their obligations. The armies quickly assemble and meet outside of the Imperial City, where Ra'rgo regroups with them surrounded by all of his Knights of the Nine.
Back in Bruma, the situation worsens. Food stores begin to degrade and morale worsens. Many of the garrison attempt to desert the city - a pointless task considering that it is surrounded - or even form factions for a mutiny. The daedra grow exponentially in numbers and the ritual to create a Great Gate is nearly complete. Within a day, the city will be sacked effortlessly.
Martin Septim can sit idle no longer. Jauffre has pleaded with him to remain in the safety of the castle where he can escape if the situation becomes dire enough. He refuses, demanding that he leads the battle himself. Jauffre is hesitant but knows he is in no position to defy the Emperor. He agrees, and arranges to find some armor for the last Septim.
Ra'rgo takes charge of the army in the south and forces them to march as hard as they can to reach Bruma before it falls. The situation appears futile, but Ra'rgo refuses to give up hope. By the end of the day, the grand host - roughly two-thousand soldiers strong - arrives outside of Bruma. More than a dozen Oblivion gates have been opened; thousands of daedra begin to siege the city.
Hope[]
The daedra approach. Martin, addressing the roughly three hundred men and women who are charged with defending the city, delivers a rousing speech. Their spirits are lifted for the time being.
Siege towers reach the walls within minutes and hordes of daedra pour out into the walls. The garrison can barely hold them. In the distance, however, Ra'rgo's armies can be seen charging up the hill to the outskirts of town. The morale of Bruma changes almost instantly. The daedra divide their attention between the city and the oncoming forces.
A massive battle ensues. Thousands of daedra and Imperial soldiers fight for the fate of Tamriel.
Within half an hour, the climax finally happens: in front of the city's front gate, a gargantuan gate to Oblivion emerges from the ground. Ra'rgo, in the middle of the chaos, quickly navigates the scores of daedra and soldiers to enter Dagon's realm one more time. While he searches for a way to find the stone, the desperate battle rages back on Nirn.
Martin takes a direct role in the fighting and inspires a great deal of morale in his troops. Soon enough, the daedra abandon the siege for the time being and focus all of their attention on the army outside. Martin takes advantage of this and orders the remnants of his small garrison to enter the fray outside the city, flanking the daedric host from behind. It is a foolish move that could easily end up with him dying, but the future Emperor sees it as his destiny.
In Oblivion, Ra'rgo cuts his way through hordes of daedra to reach the sigil tower. He only has so much time: a massive siege engine is slowly crawling to the gate. If it reaches the mortal plane, it will completely wreck the city of Bruma much like a similar device did to Kvatch.
Within half an hour, he finally reaches the tower. It is well defended and the Khajiit barely survives the endeavor. Nonetheless, he removes the great stone from his perch and returns to Tamriel alive.
Victory[]
Each of the Oblivion gates, including the Great Gate, collapse into dust. The remaining daedra panic and attempt to flee but are cut off and slain by Ra'rgo and Martin's forces. Though there have been many losses, the battle is over.
Martin, Jauffre and most of the Blades survive the battle. There are nearly a thousand mortal casualties in total; no one can even begin to guess how many daedra fell.
Ra'rgo and his friend Martin finally reunite in the sea of bodies. Both covered in blood, they embrace. "I brought friends," Ra'rgo jokes.
With everything they need to complete the ritual to open a portal to Camoran's Paradise, Martin, Ra'rgo and the Blades return to their home in Cloud Ruler Temple and prepare to retrieve the Amulet of Kings.