Basil (Character)

Basil is a Redguard and the leader of the Restless League, a group of pirates and freedom fighters bent on restoring the Redguard monarchy and ridding Stros M'kai of the Empire's influence.
==History==
With the death of High King Thassad II, a civil war erupted in Hammerfell between the two major factions, Crowns and Forebears. The king's son Prince A'Tor fled to Stros M'Kai after Sentinel was captured and gathered his forces. The Crowns won many battles and planned to retake the capital, but the Forebears signed a treaty allying themselves with Tiber Septim and his Empire. Imperial Legions and Forebears combined were no match for the Crowns. Knowing the fate of his kingdom was at stake, the Prince prepared to make his last stand.Opening sequence of 
Before Iszara joined the rebels, they were little more then "a wild pack of nationalists with sharp sword and enthusiastic schemes." They worked for A'Tor in secret, removing Forebear traitors on the mainland and killing Imperial emissaries who lingered too long on their borders. The League was forced to watch from afar during the Battle of Hunding Bay, since the prince could not risk openly affiliating with them. During the conflict, the prince was mortally wounded by the poisoned arrow from the Dunmer assassin Dram and, in a desperate attempt to save his life, the arch-mage Voa trapped the prince's soul within a gem, which would later come under the League's safekeeping. While Basil mourned his death, Iszara, frustrated with the League's indecisiveness, stole the soulgem and fled to Stros M'Kai to find a way to resurrect the prince. Cyrus made his way to the League's hideout and spoke to Basil to uncover her whereabouts, but found little that he did not already know.Cutscene after "Meeting the Restless League"
When Cyrus succeeded in locating and freeing Iszara, she made her way back to the hideout and together concocted a plan for retrieving the lost soulgem and finding someone to bring the heir to the throne back to life. Basil promised Cyrus that "when you have the prince, you have his men."Cutscene after "Saving Iszara"
With preparations made, Cyrus sent Coyle to signal the Restless League from the Saintsport's Lighthouse. After sneaking the Yokundan gypsy Saban into the Temple of Arkay, Basil and his men docked in and killed the nearby Imperial guards before arriving at the temple themselves. When the resurrection failed, placing the soul of A'Tor in his sword rather then his body, Basil threatened to abandon the cause until Cyrus gave a rousing speech, promising to go to the palace and kill the provisional governor Lord Amiel Richton himself with the now enchanted royal blade. Basil and the Restless League then took to the water again, securing the harbor and destroying the Empire's ships.Cutscene after "Resurrecting Prince A'Tor" 
After Richton's defeat and the Second Battle of Hunding Bay won, Basil aided in restoring the Old Quarter to its former glory, now a decorated Captain under Iszara's wise rule.Ending cutscene of 
==Interactions==
===Meeting the Restless League===
Speak to Basil to find out what happened to Iszara.
===Saving Iszara===
Basil provides the first clue in regards to Iszara by pointing out she took A'Tor's soulgem with her.
===Resurrecting Prince A'Tor===
Basil and his men make their way over to the Temple of Arkay to be present during the resurrection.
===Attack on the Palace===
Basil and his forces take over Stros M'Kai and its harbor, while also engaging with the Imperial fleet. After the successful raid on the Palace, Basil is named Captain.
==Dialogue==
Show: Meeting the Restless League
"(Vander) There's the bastard that spoiled my raid." That was you? I remember two jokers who couldn't handle their sabers, but you must have been hiding.
"(Vander) You see me now, though, don't you?" "Vander."
"(Vander) Plain as day right here--" Are you Basil? You're a hard man to find.
"Mystery maintenance, Cyrus. What do you want?" "(Vander) We don't need to talk to him! Let me--"
Listen here, spotlight, I'm not here for you. I know everything you have to say. Draw your sword anytime you're ready.
:(Iszara) Where is she? "Wrong strategy this early in the dialogue, son. The game is to find out what the other one knows first, not show how much of the map you can't read."
::"(Vander) Can he die, now?" Step off, shiny. We'll get to that in a minute.
::"See, I thought you were Iszara's messenger boy, which would've granted a longer audience, but you're standing there looking like the last loose end of many."
:::(Iszara's Messenger Boy) I'm Iszara's brother, and all my loose ends have led me to you. "(Vander) She never mentioned a brother."
::::"And she's been part of us for a long time now. And from her omission of reference to you, I infer little pride or confidence in you... ...A judgement that seems well-supported in the course of our brief and non-too-gratifying acquaintance."
::::"(Vander) He has no idea where she is either." Shut up.
::::"He's got the same cordial manners as his sister, that's for sure."
:::::(Part of you) When and why would have Iszara ever joined you? Did her association with you get her killed? "There are some who cannot admit a demise, who in the face of defeat create theories of retaliation. But the secret of theory is that truth doesn't exist. Iszara disappeared appropriately into the very same void."
::::::I hope that meant something to you, because it gets me no closer to Iszara. I want to know what happened to her now. "Wake up, sucker! We're thieves and we're bad guys. And Iszara was a part of it whether you like it or not. In case you didn't notice we're hiding out here, so it stands to reason if Iszara isn't here then she's in trouble. Don't you think the Empire might be able to help you solve this mystery a little better? You're wasting your time here."
::::::What kind of trouble would she be in? "(Vander) He can't help us, Basil. It's my turn now."
::::::Come on!
:(League) So you lead this band? "If you say so."
::So you plan to take on the Empire? "A'Tor did that already and died for it. The Empire won't suffer us to live against her, or a history written without her name , so there's no point to resist so overtly."
::How very restless of you. "(Vander) Let me cut this smart ass."
::"I'm not suggesting the League greet the Emprie with open arms. I propose we greet them with secret arms, with subtle stings, with blood and coin spilt in stealth. Sublunar threat. Our purpose is to hint, ever so politely, that there is no profit in Hammerfell... And no prospect of profit. When the Empire despairs of getting rich in Stros M'kai, she'll turn her hand to more profitable enterprises."
:::(Empire) I've seen the Cyrodiils expanding throughout the rest of Tamriel. You're not going to stop them. "Hark! The wise man speaks! But let me advise you, that's the worst thing you could ever say to Iszara when you find her."
:::(No point to resist) If there's no point in resisting why do you stay here? "Hear that, Vander? The man thinks to probe my innermost thoughts. Should I share with him a list of my heart's desires?"
::::"(Vander) Your list is too long, Basil. I'll tell mine. It's short... and to the... point!" Your list will be short enough, fool, if you pull that sword on me.
:(Stros M'kai) Why are you still preying on Stros M'kai? "My. How glibly you parrot Imperial propaganda. Perhaps an ignorant tourist like you wouldn't notice that we touch only the Empire's and Richton's ships. Excitable ship owners and Imperial fellow-travelers raise a hue and cry against plunder and piracy ... but the people of Stros M'kai know the real targets of our activities."
After having fought Vander:
I'm done with your bully boy. And I left him alive. "And now the altruistic brother-pup wants his bone. First, here's a bandage. Tidy yourself up. Unless you were planning to use that sweet little puppy tongue to lick your wounds clean."
You like breathing, Basil? "Fine. Here's the key to Iszara's lodge. We've already ransacked it for clues to her whereabouts, but maybe you can find something we couldn't. Clues particularly in a journal, one we can't open.. If you can tell me what's in the journal, I'll tell you what I know about Iszara's disappearance."
If approached again:
"I expect to hear what Iszara says in her journal before I'll say anything more to you."
==Conversations==
Show: Meeting the Restless League
The following conversation occurs in a cutscene after reading Iszara's Journal:
Cyrus: "Where is she?"
Basil: "I don't know. I was hoping this would tell me."
Cyrus: "What do you know then?"
Basil: "When Iszara joined the League she changed its face. She gained us the attention of Prince A'Tor. Before Iszara, we were a wild pack of nationalists with sharp swords and enthusiastic schemes. Our wanting reputation kept A'Tor from announcing an open affiliation, but we worked for him in secret. Removing Forebear traitors on the mainland and killing Imperial Emissaries too long lingering at our borders."
Cyrus: "And then the war came all the way to Stros M'kai."
Basil: "Where A'Tor should've won. He had Hunding's fire with him that day. He would turn back Tiber Septim from Hammerfell forever. The League wasn't invited to join in the battle for discretion's sake. And we were forced to watch from afar and at that battle, we saw the face of the new Empire. They sent a dragon, and no man could stand against it."
Cyrus: "It killed Prince A'Tor?"
Basil: "A'Tor challenged the beast, but he never reached it. A poisoned arrow from Richton's henchman felled the Prince just as he rushed headlong to meet the dragon."
Cyrus: "What does this have to do with Iszara?"
Basil: "As A'Tor lay dying his wizard, the Archmage Voa, tried desperately to save his life. The dragon was upon them and there was little time. Voa gathered A'Tor's lifeforce into a soulgem just as the fire rained down. The Battle of Stros M'kai ended then, and Iszara's trouble began."
Cyrus: "Get to it."
Basil: "In another story altogether, the League got its hands on the soulgem, reservoir of the Prince's power, and the narrative of wishful thinking began. The Restless League now had the means to bring back the Prince. We could restore Prince A'Tor from the soulgem, and under his banner fight the Battle of Stros M'kai again. This time rightly at his side and then that little witch took it."
Cyrus: "Iszara took the soulgem?"
Basil: "And with it the fate of Stros M'kai. The Prince's spirit within that gem was the spark to ignite a revolution. When Iszara stole the soulgem she stole from us that fire."
Cyrus: "Where would she have gone with it?"
Basil: "If we knew that, you wouldn't be here right now. The only reason we let you in the hideout was to find out what you know... ...Or what this could tell us. We both seem to still be looking for our answers yet."
Cyrus: "I'll be back if you're lying. And I'll spare no one then."
(Cyrus heads for Yaeli's ship)
Basil: "Find the soulgem and you'll find Iszara."
Cyrus: "Take me back to Stros M'kai."
Basil: "This is bigger than your sister, Redguard. Remember that. This is about the kingdom this is about Hammerfell now. Damn fool."
Vander: "Maybe just the damn fool we need to find Iszara and the soulgem."
Basil: "Maybe so...."
Show: Saving Iszara
Iszara: "Where am I?"
Cyrus: "You are safe, Iszara."
Iszara: "Is it you?"
Cyrus: "I'm afraid so."
Iszara: "Where is N'Gasta? Is he dead? Where is the soulgem?"
Cyrus: "Iszara, I"
Iszara: "I,I have to get back to the League."
Cyrus: "But"
Iszara: "What have I done?"
Cyrus: "Iszara"
Iszara: "Are you coming or not?"
Aboard Yaeli's ship:
Yaeli: "Caught up already, have you?"
Cyrus: "Shut up."
Cyrus moves to Iszara:
Cyrus: "Iszara...."
Iszara: "Do you plan to stay this time?"
Cyrus: "Yes."
Iszara: "Because you could run again."
Cyrus: "Yes."
Iszara: "It wasn't your war then."
Cyrus: "No."
Iszara: "And it's not your war now."
Cyrus: "No."
Iszara: "And if you expect anything more than that right now you can go to hell."
At the League hideout:
Basil: "That's just great, Iszara."
Iszara: "Don't give me that. Even if we still had the soulgem we'd be in the same place. You'd still be hiding in this cave and Richton still be in our prince's Palace."
Basil: "There's a difference between hiding from the Empire and biding, our, time."
Iszara: "We're losing time."
Basil: "You lost the soulgem what now, girl?"
Cyrus: "I know where it is."
Basil: "Yeah, huh?"
Cyrus: "Richton has the soulgen."
Basil: "You've seen him with it?"
Cyrus: "I gave it to him."
Iszara: "How could..."
Cyrus: "I didn't know what it was the necromancer had it fashioned into an amulet, a gift for the Governor. He needed someone to deliver it. I did, thinking I could somehow get to you."
Basil: "My heart just broke. Yours, too?"
Vander: "A million pieces."
Cyrus: "We'll just have to get it back."
Basil: "We'll be killed as soon as we step onto the shore."
Iszara: "Cyrus is right."
Cyrus: "What's the point of being condemned as rebels in arms if we never take up those arms against the Empire?"
Basil: "We?"
Cyrus: "I tell you, Basil, and hear me well. Whether you like it or not, I'm in this now, until the end."
Basil: "I'm not sending my men to Stros M'kai, soulgem lost or no. Hammerfell needs us alive."
Cyrus: "What good are you, Basil, if you do nothing? Are you afraid of shedding a little blood?"
Iszara: "Here it comes."
Basil: "You speak grandly of spending blood that is not your own, Cyrus. As for the League, we do what we can, even in hiding. We're pirates, man, the purest form of sedition- to thieve, snare, slit the throat unbeheld- the ever-resident thorns, keeping all sides at guard, alleviating every inertia with our own. Our raids force the Emperor to garrison Stros M'kai, and tie up ships and men here. And our piracy hits Richton where it counts... In his gold purse. If he doesn't squeeze this province for the profits the Emperor demands, his head will roll."
Cyrus: "Don't forget the dragon, Basil. Because that's the thing you relaly fear, isn't it? The Battle of Stros M'kai hung in the balance until the Governor called in his dragon, right?"
Basil: "Well, there's that, too."
Cyrus: "I'll take care of the dragon."
Basil: "Big man."
Vander: "Can I feel your muscle?"
Iszara: "Richton probably has the dragon guarding the soulgem in the Palace treasure vaults."
Cyrus: "Where are they?"
Iszara: "You can enter them through the catacombs, but you need the key."
Iszara hands Cyrus the key:
Cyrus: "Where'd you get this?"
Basil: "The prince and your sister were good friends, Cyrus. The treasure vaults were to be her jewelry chamber."
Cyrus: "I've had enough of your chatter, Basil I'm going to find the gem and then I'll find somebody who'll bring the prince back when that's done, should I tell him to expect your aid or not?"
Basil: "I expect you'll have just as much success as your sister had, Cyrus. You can hardly do any worse."
Iszara: "I'll go with you."
Cyrus: "You're too weak, still. Look, I've done well enough to this point. I can finish this. For you."
Iszara: "For Hammerfell."
Cyrus: "Fine. For Hammerfell. When I have the soulgem and somebody that can break its magic, what should I do?"
Iszara: "Send us the signal and we'll meet at the Temple. Brother Nidal has A'Tor's body hidden there."
Basil: "Redguard. When you have the prince, you have his men."
On the boatride back to Stros M'kai:
Iszara: "I should help you."
Cyrus: "You're too well known on the island. The Imperials"
Iszara: "I could handle them."
Cyrus: "And you will after the Temple. I won't fail you. Not like last time."
Iszara: "Look. Let's get this straight. You murdered my husband, and ran away. One one day you robbed me of the two people I loved and trusted most in all the world. Hakan was not much of a husband, but you were not, and are not, fit to judge him. Nor am I fit to judge you. You're guilty of gods-know how many crimes and cruelties, not the least of all what you've done to your own flesh and blood. But... whatever harm you've done to me, I forgive you. You are my blood, and younger brother, and I can do no less. But if you trifle with the affairs of the League, and with the fate of Hammerfell and her people, then run away like you did last time, I will find you. You are a charming, vain, self-absorbed child, never thinking of anyone but yourself and your own profit... But if you take up this thing, you will see it through to the end... or I will kill you."
Cyrus: "I am going to find that soulgem. And I will get your prince back. Iszara. I know what you think of me. I'm not proud of what I've been. But something... is happening here, and I...I don't really know what I'm saying, but...."
Iszara: "Then don't say anything. I'm not interested in your words, Cyrus. It's enough to have you here. I just have to believe you'll stay when I need you."
Cyrus: "I will finish this."
Show: Resurrecting Prince A'Tor
Saban: "Tro dura-hi. Go Tuwhacca. Nogo Tuwhacca. Shami. Shami. Go kukri. Nogoh. Ngaro. Tuktura. Nogoh. Shami. Shami. Shami. Shami. Go kukri nogoh. Ngaro. Tuktura nogo go Tuwhacca. Nogo Tuwhacca. Shami. Beteki matana,sura."
Coyle: "The soulgem."
Cyrus shows the soulgem, Saban takes it:
Saban: "Tro dura-hi, sura."
Coyle: "The ring."
Cyrus gives the ring, Saban uses the soul gem:
Saban: "To-trang no mo."
Basil: "What is it? Did it work?"
Saban: "A'Tor no mangai, sura."
Coyle: "I'm sorry, Cyrus."
Basil: "What's wrong? What happened? What did you do wrong?"
Coyle: "It didn't work."
Basil: "What now, Redguard?"
Basil hits the coffin, a bright light appears:
Cyrus: "The sword..."
Saban: "Uta-teni."
Cyrus: "His soul is in the sword."
Coyle: "Mother...?"
Cyrus: "How did this happen...?"
Saban: "Tuktu naredi."
Coyle: "She doesn't know. It was"
Basil: "Who cares how it happened? It's over, Cyrus. We can't follow a sword. You've failed us. We are through."
Cyrus takes up the Soul Sword:
Cyrus: "Is this how you will honor your prince then? Cautious I've thought you, Basil, but never before a coward. We all have waited for the prince's return. Now that he has returned, you walk away. The form is different, true, but his spirit is here, here. And isn't his spirit the truest part of him? Did it occur that maybe he chose this shape and symbol as the sign of his intentions? Aye, perhaps that soul, in hated delay, snared helpless in a jewel while his men hid and shirked their duties his duty, perhaps that soul honed itself to this and by mistake comes to you now in no more fine and final form as this a sword. You say you cannot follow a sword well, I say that you have strayed from your own too long why are you here but to fight your prince has shown you the manner of his purest mette, aye in metal itself and this true unerring razor's message is clear beyond words for now's not the time for words, but for brave hands, bright swords, and blood. Aye, boys, it's about blood now too long frozen in your veins and you'd rather yourself be rigid than follow me. Well, if you won't, then shamefully know that your prince will. For his blood be solid, too, but straightened to steel and tempered in death rise alike as he as swords as we are Crowns alike as he the prince is dead long live the prince"
Cyrus is cheered on:
Basil: "What shall we do?"
Cyrus: "You shall secure the harbor, we can't have any more of them coming in. Once that's done, take it to the Imperials still left on the water. When they see the harbor is ours again they will make sail for the mainland."
Iszara: "What about you?"
Cyrus: "I'm going into the Palace to kill the Governor."
Iszara: "You can't do that alone. How will you get in?"
Cyrus: "I won't be alone. And the prince shares secrets."
Coyle: "Let me come with you, Cyrus."
Iszara: "And you aren't going without me."
Cyrus: "No,you help Basil and the League take the harbor. If we storm the Palace Richton and his men will dig in. It has to end now. With the League running amok in the water, the Palace will be near empty as they try and stop you. I'll reach Richton easy and remind him whose seat is the throne of Stros M'Kai."
Iszara: "They will hear of this in the rest of Hammerfell."
Cyrus hands Iszara his saber:
Cyrus: "Then let's make sure it's loud."
==Quotes==
*"Yes, yes, yes."
*"Well? You want something?"
*"Play nice, boys." – While Cyrus fights Vander
*"Oh, ho-ho. Very nice!" – While Cyrus fights Vander
==Gallery==
Redguard - Opening Loading Screen - Basil.png|Opening screen.
Redguard- Basil Concept Art.jpeg|Concept art.
TESRED Concept Basil.png|Concept art.
==Appearances==
*
==References==
pl:Basil
Category:Lore: Characters
Category:Redguard: Restless League Members