Beyond Skyrim:Cyrodiil/In Defence of the Ruby Navy
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| Added by | Beyond Skyrim: Cyrodiil | ||
| ID | xx08BB0D | ||
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| Type | 3 | ||
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Found in the following locations:
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Published 3E329
The Imperial Navy is a vital, but often neglected subject among the citizenry of the Empire. While the sailors and soldiers who serve honorably are the bravest men and women to be found in all of Tamriel, the lack of deep water channels within many areas of the Empire gives rise to the opinion that an Imperial Navy cannot possibly be worth the expenditure it requires.
While such concerns may have some degree of validity, they do not take into account many other issues. Individuals do not typically look far outside their own borders but the sight of the Emperor must reach farther. Indeed, Imperial authority does not encompass one province, but all of them! So it is, that one cannot consider merely the coast of High Rock or Elsweyr but the whole, unbroken coastline of Tamriel. What many do not often consider is that this vast span is often totally undefended from outside threats, making the Imperial Navy a key part of any advance warning and the first line of defense. In addition to defending against foreign dangers, the Navy also plays an essential part in maintaining Imperial Law on the high seas.
In that cause, ships are often anchored along routes known to be used by smugglers and other criminals who seek to evade justice by fleeing to the water. For example, the north of Morrowind is heavily patrolled, effectively blocking a once-popular route around Skyrim used to take stolen ebony and Dwemer artifacts to other Provinces. Such scavengers must now employ the more naturally shallow and treacherous Inner Sea between the isle of Vvardenfell and the mainland. In response, The Navy and the Census and Excise Office now use smaller, lighter cutters with flatter hulls in this area to chase down the smugglers and combat general lawlessness. As a second example, ships also patrol the waters south of Black Marsh in a noble attempt to stop the illegal trade in slaves. This effort, however, seems to have produced mixed results; the more smugglers that are slain or brought to justice, the more difficult it becomes to obtain slaves. By increasing the probability that slaves will be more difficult to obtain, the Navy has sadly increased the value of slaves on the black market and so the lure of gold has drawn more to the trade. The Navy is also very active on the western coast of Tamriel, given the large number of familiar sea routes and the number of provinces that share a connection to the Eltheric Ocean.
The Ruby Navy, the pride of the Septim Empire, is a martial force that is more in need now than ever. Let the critics gossip amongst themselves - for if this great power were ever to be reduced, or, gods forbid, scrapped entirely, pirates and smugglers would be the least of our worries.
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