The Martyrdom of Saint Pelin Content . Welcome , young ones ! As the subject of my annual children ' s sermon , I have chosen " The Martyrdom of Saint Pelin . " Now I know you have probably heard this story already , but in this time of trouble I think it is good to revisit the tales of our ancestors so we may draw strength and lessons from them . Now Saint Pelin lived back in the early part of the First Era , when the world was stranger than today . At that time Tamriel was largely untamed and our ancestors had to be strong and brave , for the woods and hills were home to things like bull - men , and centaur s , and fire serpents . Saint Pelin wasn ' t a saint at first , of course : he was a humble man , a beadle at the Chapel of Stendarr at the Bangkorai Garrison , where he tended to the spiritual needs of the soldiers guarding the walls . He had other tasks as well , such as bringing the sentries water when the sun was high . One day as he carried around his bucket dipper he noticed there were more guards than usual . He stopped at the main gate and asked his friend , Sergeant Clancie , why that was . " It is because the Gray Host is coming , " said Clancie , " which is a terrible army of vampires from Verkarth , and I ' m more than a little worried about it . " " Oh , my ! " said Pelin . " Is there anything I can do to help you and the other soldiers ? " " Pray for us , Pelin , " said Clancie . " For a great trial is upon us . " Sergeant Clancie ' s words made Pelin anxious , so when he was done with his chores he climbed a tall tower and looked south . And there he saw the Gray Host coming out of the desert , a whole army of bat - men , wolves , and even worse things ! So Pelin went back to the chapel to pray , and as he heard the sounds of battle , he prayed to Stendarr , to Akatosh , to Julianos , to Kynareth , and to all their saints for help . But then folk began to come into the chapel , setting up cots and tables and bringing in wounded soldiers for aid and surgery . " Come and help us , Beadle , " called the Doctor . " It ' s your strong arms we need now , not your prayers . " So Pelin came and looked at the wounded soldiers , and found them wondrous pale . " What has happened to them , Doctor ? " he asked . " These soldiers are as white as the sheets on my bed . " " It is the bat - men , Beadle , " the Doctor said . " When they bite our soldiers , they drain the blood from them in great draughts , leaving them pale and empty . " " Horror ! " cried Pelin . " You ' re right , Doctor , this is time for more than prayers . For Stendarr says , ' He who fights hardest prays loudest . ' I know nothing of fighting or of doctoring , but I will go to the battle and trust Stendarr to show me what to do . " So Pelin ran to the fighting at the top of the great gate , where he found his friend , Sergeant Clancie , fighting a bat - man . The vampire beat at the sergeant with its wings and tried to grip him so as to bite , but Pelin grasped the bat - man by the legs so Clancie was able to kill it with his sword . " This is no place for you ! " the sergeant cried . " The bat - men are at the gate , and soon they will burst it open and take the garrison ! " Pelin looked down and saw that what the sergeant said was true : a great press of bat - men was ramming against the gates , and the doors were bulging inward . Pelin cried , " Is there nothing we can do ? " " The stone wall here has been loosened by flying stones , " said the sergeant . " I had hoped to gather enough soldiers to push it down upon the bat - men — see , reinforcements are coming ! — but the Gray Host will be through the gates before they can get here . " " Then I must delay them , " said Pelin . And he flung himself from the battlements and upon the horde of vampires . The wings of the bat - men broke Pelin ' s fall , and he landed among them hale and alive . " Vampires ! " cried Pelin . " Push not upon the gate , for what you want is here : a strong , healthy body full of fresh , warm blood . Take ! Drink ! " And the Gray Host turned as one and fell upon Pelin , fastening upon his veins . Then Pelin felt himself collapsing like a wine - sack at the harvest - festival , and knew that before the sergeant could gather enough soldiers he would be drained dry . So he prayed a mighty prayer , saying , " O Stendarr , God of Justice , fill me with an ocean of blood that I might beguile these daemons away from the gate but a few minutes more ! " And then Pelin felt himself filled anew with blood , flowing from him in a very fountain , and the divine geyser of gore drew every bat - man within sight into a great feeding mound before the gate . Meanwhile Sergeant Clancie and his friends pushed against the wall above , until all of a sudden the great stones went crashing down . The bat - men were nearly all slain , and by the time the ones who weren ' t had gathered their wits , they saw that the pursuing legions of Empress Hestra were almost upon them . And that was the end of the Gray Host . So that is how a beadle from Bangkorai Garrison became a saint . Now I ask you , children — does not our time resemble that of Saint Pelin ? Is there not once again an army at our gates ? Yes , indeed . And that ' s why our leaders ask each and every one of us to do as much as we can to help defend our homeland . Some of us may even have to give our lives . So when the time comes , tell yourself that you , too , have the strength to do what ' s needed . For I think , if we have to , we can all be as strong as a humble man like Pelin . Don ' t you ?