A Defence of the Wolf Queen

A Greeting 
Hail, friend! If you find yourself reading this, then we of the Wolf Shield Clan bid you fair winds and a full belly. We are a group of proud warriors and merchants from Haafingar, loyal to the Septim Empire and the people of Skyrim, and we invite you to read on and discover the truth about our maligned queen and the true heirs of Talos.

False Legacy 
Over the past three hundred years, the usurpers' propagandists have worked hard to sully the memory of Queen Potema and her fair son Emperor Uriel III Septim. They paint a picture of bloodshed and strife, and the most daring even go so far as to question the righteousness of our queen's cause. But there are many throughout the Empire who remember the just reign of Uriel III and long for the restoration of the true Septim dynasty across Tamriel. It is our hope that by the end of this pamphlet, you, reader, will count yourself amongst our number.

True History 
When it became known across the Empire that Kintyra, daughter of the sadly-inadequate Emperor Antiochus, was a bastard and ineligible for the throne, Potema moved quickly to protect the security of Tamriel and the legacy of Tiber Septim. Gathering a council of Imperial loyalists from as far away as High Rock and Morrowind, she and the true heir Uriel marched south to assume rightful custody of the Empire; the gates of the Imperial City were thrown open to welcome them and Uriel was crowned Emperor Uriel III Septim before cheering and ecstatic crowds.

But the unworthy Kintyra - despite the promise of clemency and protection from Potema - had slipped away before their arrival and sought refuge with her scheming uncles Cephorus and Magnus. Although none of these reprobates could command the loyalty of the Empire's subjects, their purses ran deep and so Kintyra's rebellion - the so-called "War of the Red Diamond" - began. Everywhere Potema and Uriel's armies travelled, soldiers flocked enthusiastically to their banners and swelled their forces, such that even grievous losses in battle could not diminish their strength. Unable to comprehend such glad loyalty, Cephorus and Magnus spread the rumour (one that regrettably persists to this day) that dark necromancies were the source of Potema's impressive numbers; proper historical investigation has found no evidence that anything of the sort ever occurred.

A Martyr of Talos 
Although Kintyra was quickly captured and the Imperial peace restored to much of Tamriel, Potema's treacherous brothers continued to fight the forces of the Emperor and brought years of devastation to the lands they held. Finally, through deceitful words and bribes of unimaginable size, the traitors swayed the princelings of High Rock to their side, and honourable Uriel III was captured in an ambush far from the field of battle. The rebels wasted no time in murdering the true Emperor (it is believed that Magnus himself lit the fire beneath Uriel's carriage) and in so doing broke the line of succession that began with Tiber Septim's sacred founding of the Empire.

Potema, filled with grief and knowing that she was now the sole worthy heir of Talos, fought with redoubled fury but the tide of war began to shift against her. The coffers of Haafingar had been depleted by the civil works and reconstruction that she and her son had engaged in across Tamriel despite the war, whereas the traitors were rich from their looting and were able to buy ever more unscrupulous lords to their side until only Skyrim itself remained loyal to the Empire. This enduring loyalty is what drives those of us who follow Potema even today.

Legacy of the Wolf Queen 
Potema and the people of Skyrim resisted the incursions of her brothers for ten years - a decade in which the stalwart righteousness of her lands stands in contrast to the misrule and anarchy of the rest of Tamriel - but the rebel forces had grown overwhelming and ultimately Haafingar fell to the traitors. The city was given over to one of their mad bastards, and from that point the Septim Empire began the decline that is so evident today.

But Potema was never found after the siege, and those who remember the goodness of her character and the worthiness of her offspring know that she is under the protection of the Divines. No doubt They plucked her from the harm her regicidal brothers wished and empowered her spirit to guard Haafingar - and, with our aid, the whole Empire - from the predations of these false Septims; this is why we continue to fight for the Wolf Queen and the restoration of Talos' true heirs.

If you have read this tract with a clear heart and been moved by our words, then we ask you to support the Wolf Shield Clan of Haafingar and Potema's loyalists across Tamriel. You can begin by passing this very pamphlet on to one you trust, and spread our message until the lies of the traitors are scorned rather than celebrated. Our time is soon!