The battle of the Imperial City was the first battle that would be fought between forces loyal to Pericus Thassianus and those forces loyal to the emperor Titus Mede III. The battle was a victory for Pericus' forces, as the daedra were summoned from within the city itself.
The outcome of the battle was the shattering of the First Legion, the deaths of the entirety of the Elder council, and the death of the emperor. Damage to most of the city was minor, though civilian casualties were in the high thousands.
Background[]
In order to perpetuate his plans, Pericus knew he needed to be within the city itself. He and a handful of the Ascended infiltrated the Imperial City, and slipped into the sewer network beneath the streets, setting up a small base of operations there.
At the same time, a large force of imperial legionnaires, apparently on leave, approached the city, and were allowed entrance, setting up in the city's large barracks area, and mingling with the First Legion troops already stationed there.
Unknown to the loyalists, the forces entering the city had already sworn loyalty to Pericus' cause, and waited the signal to strike.
Below the city streets, Pericus lead his hand-picked acolytes towards the heart of the city, until they were beneath the White-Gold tower itself. Then, he began a profane ritual to open the greatest Oblivion gate seen since the great crisis many centuries ago.
As the gate opened, Pericus' acolytes on the surface gave the signal, and imperial soldiers who had been laughing and drinking with supposed comrades drew blades and began to slaughter the loyalists of the First Legion.
The battle[]
A great rift opened up at the foot of the White-Gold tower, vomiting forth thousands of daedric soldiers, lead by the towering, hideous form of the daedric titan, Arbalesk the Forsaken.
Caught completely by surprise, the legion forces and Penitus Occulatus agents around and within the tower were slaughtered to a man. Daedra poured into the tower, killing any they came across, followed by the triumphant Pericus. At his word, his acolytes dispersed into the city with the intent of opening as many portals to Oblivion as they could.
At the same time, the First Legion attempted to assemble their force and respond to the sudden emergence of an enemy not seen in centuries. Unfortunately for the loyalists, the traitorous forces loyal to Pericus disrupted most attempts to form up, forcing the battle to devolve into a series of desperate skirmishes throughout the city.
Though ridiculously outmatched, elements of the city guard managed to pull off a series of holding actions long enough to evacuate several hundred civilians, fighting like possessed men themselves to ensure the safety of their families. Though they were eventually cut down, they accounted for two of the foe for every loyalist that fell.
Loyalists strike back.[]
Legate Primus Varentus Antilde was inspecting several cohorts of his men in the elven garden district of the Imperial City when the traitors struck. His inspiring presence and clear commands quickly rallied the troops in the district, along with elements of the city guard. The legate-primus' force fought their way out of the garden district, slaughtering any traitor or daedric forces they came across.
They managed to fight their way through several districts, surprising the traitors and inspiring the loyalists with their ferocity. However, with the heart of the city under traitor control and more daedra spilling from the Great Gate, it was only a matter of time before they were overwhelmed.
Members of the Ascended had sealed the city gates, preventing escape, so Varentus and his force assembled in the temple district, where they held their positions for several days before the bulk of Pericus' force formed up and pincered the loyalists in a crush of bodies, wearing the loyalist soldiers down through a brutal battle of attrition.
Aftermath[]
After several days of vicious fighting, the last loyalist forces in the Imperial City were either slain or forced into hiding. With the emperor and his council dead, Pericus declared himself emperor and claimed the White-Gold tower as his own. Thousands of civilians had been killed in the fighting, and hundreds more were given to the Daedra in exchange for their continued allegiance.
News of the battle spread quickly, and the other loyalist forces began manuevering to retake the city, unaware that their own ranks had already been infiltrated by members of the Ascended. Despite this treachery, about half of the empires' army remained loyal, and a bloody civil war started as Pericus sought to control the rest of Cyrodiil.