The Uprising in Almalexia

The decade of Jagar Tharn's false reign known as the Imperial Simulacrum (3E 389-399) was a turbulent time for all the Empire, but it can be argued that the chaos culminated in the easternmost province of Morrowind. During the Simulacrum, Morrowind engaged in a border war with Black Marsh, and the holds of Old Ebonheart and Firewatch became locked in a stalemate civil war. The event which preceded and attributed to the ignition of these senseless conflicts was the 3E 391 uprising in Almalexia. During the riots the streets of the capital citadel of Mournhold were overrun by masses of revolting peasantry and the regent of Morrowind, Lord Symmachus, was slain.

After the fall of Jagar Tharn, the Commission for Post-Simulacrum Restoration ordered a collecting of witness reports to shed light on events of the revolt. The Commission permitted me to go through their archives and select a number of accounts for publication. In most cases, the interviewees suffered from a severe --and may I say convenient-- amnesia concerning the uprising. The three witness reports that I have chosen to publish here, however, give interesting insight into the uprising from three very different points of view.

 

Did I take part in the uprising? B'vek no. But I saw and knew many who did. I remember this one gang of youngsters particularly well. "We're going to take Godsreach", they were shouting. They had crude clubs and staves in their hands. One boy donned a kettle for a helmet. "Go right ahead, but count me out," I told them. I pictured what their heads would look like on pikes above the city gates.

I've lived in lower Almalexia all my life. The Imperial taxes don't mean a netchiman's wife's fart to me. I'm practically a beggar; how are they going to tax me? And I don't think the taxes meant that much to those youths, either. Sure,  times are tough, but a shrewd guy always gets by, and there's no un-shrewd common folk in this city.

But you see, there were these... what's the fancy word for it... "aggravators"? Anyway, these folks -- outlanders most of them -- on the streets whispering to the commoners' ears. I worked a rickshaw in the city and heard a lot of their talk. One time, this Cyrod gal sits  down on my cart and begins to talk: "You know, the bread is so expensive because the Emperor has issued higher a tax on Deshaan flour." "The Queen probably went  west, because she doesn't care for Morrowind no more." "Where's the common folk going to go?" That sort of stuff. That sort of drivel. Anyhow, I dropped her off, took my money and paid no further attention. Still think she was getting paid for it. [Editor's note: The "outlanders" and the Imperial woman the witness refers to were most likely spies and agitators planted by Jagar Tharn, the Arch-Traitor.]

 

I remember the day Lord General Symmachus talked to the people. They were gathered before the main gates of Mournhold, hundreds of them. Mostly peasants and commoners but I recognized among them some petty noblemer, too. They were disgruntled by the new taxes and displeased with the departure of the Queen. The Lord General walked towards them to soothe their anger, and we encircled him with shields to keep the rabble from reaching him. An Imperial taxman had been torn from his carriage and stoned to death in lower Almalexia the previous day, so we had to be careful.

Symmachus talked reason but they would not listen. They kept clamoring for the Queen, justice, bread... One young lad called Symmachus Septim's cuckold.  I had my longspear at the ready and my arms were keen. My blood was up and I would have done it, but Symmachus stayed my hand. I remember how the Lord General looked at me and said: "Ai. The boy does not threaten me. Do not spill his blood." I am thankful he stopped me. Things would have gotten very ugly very fast.

Then the rocks started flying. More and more people came, and more and more rocks flew. Symmachus fell into my arms, unconscious; a big gash by his temple. I ordered the retreat and we carried the Lord General back inside Mournhold. [Editor's note: Though this account suggests that Symmachus was grievously wounded by the stones flung at him, the more popular account of his death claims that he died of an assassin's poison dart at a much later stage of the uprising. Naturally, it would be disenchanting had the celebrated hero of the Empire fallen before the rebellion had properly begun.]

 

The last day of the uprising... Yes, I do recall. I was working in the High Chapel that morning. The fighting had finally reached the streets of Mournhold the night before. I remember there was smoke all over the Temple courtyard, from the fires that burned in the bazaar and Godsreach.

We were told that Lord Symmachus was coming to seek an audience with the goddess. I expected a war-council. I thought he would plead with the Mother of Morrowind to end the rebellion. But when they came, not long after morning's first light, I saw Symmachus was more fit to receive his last rites from the goddess rather than to counsel with Her. He arrived on a stretcher carried by only a handful of his household guards, all of them Dunmer. No Imperial soldiers  with him. I did not know it at the time, but they had already abandoned him. [Editor's note: There is no evidence in support of this claim. Quite possibly the Imperial Legionnaires were busy with the rebels.] They waited 'til noon, but Lady Almalexia wouldn't summon them. Symmachus' strength was withering away along with the spirit of his guards. He made this feeble, defeated gesture with his hand and the stretcher was lifted and they began to depart.

Before they left, I overheard the guard captain's instructions to one of the royal couriers. Symmachus sent word to all the Houses; a call to arms, but not against the people. He would choose their side, against the Empire, with or without the goddess. Maybe drive Cyrodiil out altogether. And then he ended with "Hai Resdaynia". Now that's just a phrase to you foreigners, but for the Dunmer, there's fire in those words. When the right mouth says them, like Nerevar once did, they cannot be refused. Maybe Symmachus could have been the one; I don't know.

Nothing came of it, of course. Our Lady sees further than we do. Symmachus was dead by dusk and then they placed some puppet on his wife's throne and the whole thing was done and dealt with.