Index Librorum Prohibitorum Imperatum Tamrielis 4E 175
Item 1009Cerwen Ilötèania, Lux draconis : Ursus venor
Status: Anathema
One (1) copy may be preserved by the Bureau for use in legal proceedings against the authors and publishers of the prohibited text(s). All others are to be seized and destroyed on forfeiture.
By order of the Imperial Bureau for Approved Writings, this work is condemned for the following reasons:
- Depiction of the worship of Tiber Septim anon Talos, which practice is forbidden in the Imperium and all its Domains;
- Heresy of the 8th order in condoning the worship of Talos as a Ninth Divine
- Multiple instances of discussion and/or mention of the prohibited and anathema organization known as the Blades
- Depiction of a public figure in poor light and false representation of historical truths.
Foreword
Dear Constant Reader,
The reign of the Dragonblood Emperors have been the subject of many popular works of fiction, unsurprising considering that the rulers of the Septim line have given us some of the most colourful episodes of history. From the conquests of the first Emperor, the blessed Tiber Septim, who is now enshrined in all Tamriel’s provinces as the Divine Talos; to the terrible Civil War of the Broken Diamonds and the tragedy of Kintyra, dramatised by Alsten Song-Weaver in his Lay of Fallen Snow; and the bloody aftermath of the long, peaceful reign of the Empress Katariah; the aspiring historian and novelist finds no shortage of subject matter.
The lives of the later Septims are no less colourful, compared to their better known predecessors: Uriel V and his valiant if doomed attempts at the invasion of Akavir would make good fodder for any number of volumes. Research into the reign and governmental policies of Morihatha Septim, namesake of Her Cyrodiilic Majesty and Imperial Splendour, the Empress Morihatha II Mede, Blessed of Heaven, Empress, Mother and Daughter of Emperors, Inspiration of Faith and Safeguard of Justice All the Gods be with Her, has of course seen a marked resurgence in interest. Still, it is the events of the lives of the last two Septim Emperors — Uriel VII and Martin — that have formed the impetus to seize pen and paper for so many novelists and historians of our time.
Taken together, their rule over Imperial Tamriel has produced more history, more romance, than any other period; excepting the Interregnum of the Second Era, just before the Tiber Wars. Heroes arose again and again to save the Empire in its darkest hours: their shining example lives on in the popular consciousness. Whether or not they succeeded is still an open question, a century after the death of the last ruling Septim.
The Imperial Historian Praxis Sarcorum’s recounting of the received history surrounding the Oblivion Crisis summarizes the “and then, and then, and then” of events, well enough for those only interested in the skin of what happened. For those who desire the meat of the events, the official accounts must prove unsatisfying indeed! While the book’s barrenness of contextual details is expected, reliant as it is on the meagre official sources alone, the lack of detail and analysis should be a cause of reproach against what is otherwise a serviceable text.
I, personally, found that I could not be wholly satisfied with what the official sources deign to include in their vision of historical truth. Thus I have sought out those sources extra muralis of Imperial approval; their side of the story too deserves a place in the sun. Whether or not the contributions of those sources have made for a better tale, let you, Constant Reader, be the judge.
Cerwen of Ilötèa
1st Midyear, 4E 109.