User:VergilSparda/The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Location	Windstad Manor
Race	Ayleid & Dremora	Gender	Male
Level	87	Class	Dovahkiin
RefID	N/A	BaseID	N/A
Other Information
Health	550	Magicka	500
Stamina	300
Faction(s)	The Crimson Order; Court of Eastmarch, Whiterun, The Rift, Falkreath, The Reach, Haafingar, Hjaalmarch, The Pale & Winterhold. The Dark Brotherhood; Thieves Guild, Nightingales; College of Winterhold; The Companions, The Circle; Namira's Coven; Volkihar Vampire Clan; Imperial Legion; House Telvanni

Two hundred years later...

After the collapse of The Crimson Order in Cyrodiil and the disappearance of doorway to The Shivering Isles, Vergil had no choice but to flee the war-ravaged province and attempt to start anew. The sacking of Battlehorn Castle years before left Vergil with nothing but a few rusty blades, armour and rags of clothing. And in an attempt to gain more magical power, Vergil's apparently failed attempt to imbue himself with the remainder of Martin's blood left his magical capability severely restricted, most spells he knew had been wiped from his mind, except for a minor flame spell and healing spell. Vergil decided to make for Skyrim, the province which he was born as it seemed to be the only sensible choice as Morrowind was still recovering from the eruption of Red Mountain and had also been invaded by Black Marsh and western provinces were under control of the Thalmor.

A New Fate

Vergil travelled alone as he lost most of his allies many years before to death or betrayal, he was planning on catching a carriage in Falkreath to Skyrim's capital city, Solitude. As Vergil just crossed the boarder he saw a group of Imperial Soldiers, he tried to get around them but then was spotted by a marksman. The nearby soldiers were alerted and Vergil attempted to flee but was stumbling on the rocky landscape, Vergil tripped and smashed his head on the ground, knocking him unconscious. He woke up on on a prison carriage, along with other prisoners who later turned out to be Stormcloaks the rebellion at the heart of the civil war in Skyrim. Vergil knew little about modern-day Skyrim, this was the first time he had been in the province for over 200 years and he had little knowledge of Skyrim's current internal struggle.

When Vergil arrived at Helgen, old memories came flooding back, and believed that he would be executed at his birthplace, his life coming full circle. However, when a dragon attacked and destroyed the town, he knew straight away that this was not the end, but a new beginning. Vergil escaped through Helgen's keep with Hadvar, a soldier in the Imperial Legion. After escaping the caves beneath Helgen, Hadvar offered his uncle's house in Riverwood as a place to rest, but then suggested they split up on the way there. Before heading to Riverwood, Vergil took a diversion to South Skybound Watch, a ruined nordic tower that Vergil and his brother Dante fled to as children. As Vergil arrived at the ruined tower, he was attacked by a Wispmother who strongly resembled his deceased mother, Eva, albeit more ghostly and aged. He was still in a weakened state and so fled through a door inside the tower, where he collapsed with a grief he hadn't felt for centuries. After a while, he got up and ran through the pass, his grief now converted to rage and killed all of the bandits and the Giant Frostbite Spider that had taken up residence there with little effort. Emerging from the ruin, he decided to head for Riverwood and vowed to return to South Skybound Tower, when he was ready to confront this spirit once again.

After meeting up with Hadvar in Riverwood Vergil was told that the Jarl of Whiterun, Balgruuf the Greater, should be informed of the return of the dragons. Upon arriving in Whiterun, Vergil learnt some basic Smithing skills from Adrianne Avenicci and befriended some of the local townsfolk. After conferring with the Jarl, Vergil was tasked with retrieving the Dragonstone from Bleak Falls Barrow by the court wizard Farengar Secret-Fire (a task he had already completed when retrieving The Golden Claw for Lucan Valerius in Riverwood). A short while later a dragon was spotted at Whiterun's Western Watchtower and so Vergil, the Jarl's housecarl Irileth and a contingent of Whiterun guards were sent to defend the tower from the dragon. After an epic battle, Mirmulnir was defeated and crash-landed into the ground and was then slain by Vergil's hand. The dragon's flesh disintegrated and Vergil absorbed the dragon's soul and was then surrounded by the guards praising him and calling him "Dragonborn". At this moment, Vergil knew that the ritual he performed with the remainder of Martin's blood did actually work and he had adopted the powers of a Dovahkiin. Nobody ever found out that Vergil was not a "natural" Dragonborn, however Alduin is thought to have known the truth as he said the following to Vergil during the resurrection of Sahloknir : "Ful, losei Dovahkiin? Zu'u koraav nid nol dov do hi." (So, my false Dragonborn? I do not recognize you as dragon.) Miraak and his cult also somehow knew that Vergil was not a true Dragonborn as Miraak sent his minions to kill the "false dragonborn" before he was to reach Solstheim.

Vergil's ascension to Dragonborn status was not mere coincidence however, fate had a hand in it too. Alduin's Wall prophesied the return of the Dragons accompanied by a hero who had "dragonblood" running through his veins, this prophecy was about Vergil and since it had been predicted many centuries ago, it can be argued that Vergil became a legitimate Dragonborn through his own will and if anything this sets him apart from all of his dragonborn predecessors as potentially the most powerful host of the Dragonblood to have existed.

Resurgence of The Crimson Order

Vergil decided to rebuild The Crimson Order once again. However this time it would be an organisation that wouldn't be visible to the public. Only certain trusted individuals knew of its existence, outside of its greatly restricted membership. Vergil's aims remained basically the same as his aims in Cyrodiil, to maintain control of the province through indirect means therefore gaining personal power. Which meant controlling all major guilds from a leadership position and also having a presence in all of Skyrim's courts. Vergil became Thane of every hold in Skyrim but he also aspired to be the Arch-Mage of the College of Winterhold, Harbinger of the Companions & Master of the Thieves Guild eventually. He investigated rumours of The Dark Brotherhood in Skyrim too, hoping to find redemption with his former brothers and sisters but instead ...they found him.

The Companions

Vergil made Breezehome in Whiterun his first home. Living with his personal Housecarl Lydia, Vergil began to plan out the long-term aspects of his future in Skyrim, alongside dealing with the Dragon Menace. The first thing Vergil did was taking full advantage of The Companions by working his way through their ranks until he became their Harbinger. Vergil cared little for Nord traditions and the history of The Companions, but he knew that being Harbinger of The Companions was a great symbol of honor and integrity to the citizens of Skyrim and it helped him to become a well-known figure in Skyrim's society and placed him in a position that demanded respect. With The Companions at his disposal and the gift of the beast blood coursing through his veins, Vergil began to regain power once again, and with this came an insatiable hunger for more power.

Vergil assembled The Circle and Aela the Huntress was appointed as the representative of The Companions on The Crimson Order's council and was placed in charge of day to day operations, if Vergil were to be absent from Jorrvaskr. Farkas and Vilkas were worn to secrecy and reminded of their beast blood by Vergil and that they would be cast out of society if anyone would find out.

The College of Winterhold

Vergil spent much of his time honing his skills with The Companions by learning new techniques with blade, bow and axe until he had mastered all three weapon variants. Alongside this training, Vergil was picking up new spells and shouts too. His magical capability however remained limited as there were few sources of new spells and such in Skyrim due to the stigma that surrounded magic users in the province. The only true way Vergil would have been able to let his magical talents come to fruition, would have been to enroll at the College of Winterhold which was the only place, besides a Jarl's wizard, where an aspiring mage could practise and learn new magical skills in the whole of Skyrim. Vergil was rapidly gaining magical powers from his time spent at the College of Winterhold. He learnt much both from independent study and also challenges set by The College directly.

After the crisis that occured following Ancano's attempts to control Eye of Magnus, Vergil was named Arch-Mage of The College as he defeated Ancano with the help of the Staff of Magnus. Vergil did not hesitate to settle into his position and quickly closed off The College to anymore Thalmor "advisors" and initiated all three apprentices (Brelyna Maryon, Onmund and J'zargo) into The Crimson Order. Tolfdir became Master Wizard of the College and handled day-to-day duties. Urag gro-Shub was appointed as the representative of The College on The Crimson Order's council.

Thieves Guild

Upon joining the Thieves Guild Vergil knew that it was in a weakened and desperate state. He managed however to turn the guild around within a matter of months by doing extra jobs that were made availible by Delvin Mallory and Vex which allowed to guild to rebuild its connections with high profile individuals in major cities which gave them a foothold in each city. Benefits of this were being able to corrupt the guards by bribing them half of a person's original bounty and then said bounty would be wiped from the records. It was also virtually impossible for Vergil to be arrested without the guards fearing persecution from the guild or even worse, a visit from the Dark Brotherhood who the guild now had closer ties with due to Vergil being their Listener. The Thieves Guild was also a major source of gold and allowed Vergil to purchase many things that were needed to sustain The Crimson Order, such as building materials for his headquarters & safehouses, armor & weaponry for members and for his personal wealth too.

Vergil restored the guild to its former glory by assisting Karliah in getting revenge against Mercer Frey and restoring Nocturnal's presence with the guild by reopening the portal to Evergloam with the Skeleton Key in the Twilight Sepulcher. Nocturnal's restored connection with the Thieves Guild rekindled the luck that the guild was missing thus allowing it to become a force to be reckoned with across Skyrim. All members of the guild provided him with a share of their monthly takings and Brynjolf was appointed as the representative of the guild on The Crimson Order's council.

Dark Brotherhood

When Vergil was taken by Astrid to pay back the debt he owed, he was invited to join the Skyrim branch of The Brotherhood. He knew that dozens of sanctuaries across Tamriel had been torched and heard the gut-wrenching news years ago of the riots in Bravil which were rumoured to have the destroyed Night Mother's crypt. He now realised the reason Aventus Aretino's Black Sacrament went unnoticed for so long, because the Night Mother had been silent and therefore the Brotherhood in Skyrim were merely a group of assassins with no true connection to the Night Mother. Combined with the knowledge that he would not be persecuted for abandoning The Brotherhood all those years ago and also his renewed blood lust after killing Grelod the Kind, Vergil decided to join this splinter group of the Dark Brotherhood.

After completing a few pretty average contracts for The Brotherhood Vergil began to settle into the sanctuary nicely. His comfort was rocked when Cicero, a jester whom Vergil had assisted some weeks ago, turned up at the sanctuary with the coffin of The Night Mother. For the first time in a long time, Vergil felt the cold touch of fear when he stood near The Night Mother's coffin, awaiting judgement from her. But no such judgment was made. The Night Mother spoke to nobody and there continued to be no Listener.

Soon after completing the Muiri contract, Astrid tasked Vergil with finding out who Cicero was speaking to when he was supposedly alone in The Night Mother's chamber, a task which required Vergil to hide within The Unholy Matron's coffin. Vergil reluctantly agreed despite airing his concerns about it being disrespectful to The Night Mother. After a few minutes of listening to Cicero's ramblings, The Night Mother spoke. But it wasn't to Cicero, she spoke to Vergil. "You are my listener" were the words that resonated in Vergil's head over and over, accompanied with a wave of relief that absolved him of judgement on his abandonment all those years ago. The Night Mother had waited for a chance to whisper in his ear for so long that she risked the collapse of The Brotherhood in the process. Astrid however did not take too well to her authority being threatened by the emergence of a supposed Listener, and so sent Vergil on his way to complete more mundane contracts, instead of going to Volunruud like instructed, until she had thought upon this predicament further. Vergil now more than ever wanted to reclaim full control of The Brotherhood once more, but he did not foresee what he would have to do to reach that goal.

Astrid eventually gave Vergil permission to contact Amaund Motierre in Volunruud. He was taken aback but remained professional when Motierre revealed his contract which involved assassinating The Emperor of Tamriel, Titus Mede II, and several other prominent figures. After getting Motierre's Elder Council amulet appraised by Delvin Mallory of the Thieves Guild, Vergil began the first part of the contract, assassinating The Emperor's cousin, Vittoria Vici at her own wedding. Vergil recently infiltrated Stormcloak Rebellion in order to gain information to use against them. Vergil assassinated Vittoria Vici & left Stormcloak attire nearby to further strengthen the idea that her assassination was a political statement made by the Stormcloaks and was not carried out by the Dark Brotherhood. The Empire believed that the Stormcloaks were the perpetrators which further vilified them, and the Stormcloaks believed that they were just using her death as propaganda and that they were framed, which of course they were, just not by The Empire.

After the first attempt to assassinate The "Emperor" turned out to be a trap for Vergil and The Brotherhood by the Penitus Oculatus it looked like the end for The Dark Brotherhood in Skyrim. But after fending away the Penitus Oculatus from the Falkreath sanctuary and uncovering Astrid's betrayal, Vergil assumed full control of the guild and firstly moved the remaining members; Nazir, Babette and The Night Mother herself to the Dawnstar Sanctuary, where Vergil spared Cicero. The Brotherhood lay dormant for a while in order to lull The Empire into a false sense of security. After The Empire crushed the Stormcloak rebellion, Titus Mede II decided to visit Solitude in order to congratulate General Tullius on his success. However, upon The Emperor's departure, Vergil managed to sneak aboard The Katariah and assassinated him. The contract was fulfilled and The Dark Brotherhood was once again an organisation that struck fear into the hearts of the men and women of Tamriel. Vergil appointed the spirit of Lucien Lachance as the representative for The Brotherhood on the Crimson Order's council.

Inauguration of The Council

Similar to its Cyrodiillic predecessor, The Crimson Order was comprised of a ruling council which convened regularly to discuss and influence economic, political and social issues. A significant difference between the previous incarnation of the council was that this version was much less autocratic, in the sense that members had more personal powers and authority. Vergil wished to prevent jealousy and resentment which would inevitably have led to treachery.

The Crimson Order's Membership ~ (Circa 4E 204):

Vergil Sparda | Leader of The Crimson Order; Thane of Haafingar, Hjaalmarch, The Pale, Winterhold, Eastmarch, The Rift, Whiterun, Falkreath & The Reach; Imperial Legion Legate; Arch-Mage of The College of Winterhold; Harbinger of The Companions & Leader of The Circle; Listener of The Dark Brotherhood; Guildmaster of The Thieves Guild & Member of The Nightingale Trinity; Lord of The Volkihar Vampire Clan; The Last Dragonborn

Adelaisa Vendicci | Second-in-Command, Representative for The East Empire Trading Company, Steward of Windstad Manor

Illia | Lorekeeper of The Dark Arts, Steward of Lakeview Manor

Eola | Former Military Adviser - "The Karthwasten Cannibal", Steward of Heljarchen Hall

Aela the Huntress | Representative of The Companions

Urag gro-Shub | Representative of The College of Winterhold & Head Lorekeeper

Brynjolf | Representative of The Thieves' Guild

Lucien Lachance | Representative of The Dark Brotherhood

Serana | Representative of The Volkihar Vampire Clan

Adril Arano | Representative of Raven Rock

The four major guilds of Skyrim had one seat each on the council and were ultimately the true ruling powers. However they were all kept in line by Vergil and his second-in-command: Adelaisa Vendicci. Adelaisa was a representative for the East Empire Company and helped in the handling of political & economic affairs. She was moved from Windhelm to become the steward of Windstad Manor, The Crimson Order's headquarters de jure. Adelaisa would often visit Solitude to receive paperwork from the East Empire Company Warehouse and also make appointments with General Tullius and Solitude's court Adelaisa was an honourable person and was sceptical of The Order's darker dealings, but her loyalty to Vergil for saving her life meant she was a reliable friend and ally. Vergil valued her somewhat-principled worldview and lukewarm attitude towards the crime factions as it allowed her to look at them objectively when dealing with them, preventing said factions from becoming too boisterous or ambitious which might attract the wrong kind of attention. She dealt with day-to-day duties and issues, which were delivered by courier to Windstad Manor. A monthly report would be delivered to Vergil's personal residence: Sjel Blad[1]. The expansive fortress, recently dilapidated before being discovered and refurbished, was the de facto headquarters of The Crimson Order where all of its wealth, knowledge and powerful artefacts were fiercely guarded by Vergil's private militia.

Illia was appointed as steward of Lakeview Manor, which housed a respectable library and enchanting & alchemy labs in its three towers. She befriended Vergil and due to her intense magical knowledge which was accrued by spending her entire life in a witch coven. She advised on magical endeavours, usually ones which involved the Dark Arts.

Eola had extensive knowledge of The Reach & its citizens. Her insight was instrumental in retaking the hold from the Stormcloaks during the civil war. She was notoriously public with her ways of dealing with problems that faced Vergil, and by extension the Legion. One such incident involved several Stormcloak sympathisers being murdered then eaten. This earned her the unofficial title of "The Karthwasten Cannibal" amongst Imperial Legion ranks. After several similar incidents, she was assigned to a less public role as the Steward of Heljarchen Hall, a safe-house The Order's membership.

The Civil War

When Vergil was on the Empire's chopping block in Helgen, his frustration was not focused on the Imperials, it was on Ulfric Stormcloak. If it were not for Ulfric's nationalist rebellion and his lust for power, Vergil wouldn't have been in the Empire's custody in the first place. As time went on, Vergil's frustration with Ulfric simmered into a deep hatred. Ulfric's ideals reminded Vergil of the closed-minded people who were responsible for the death of his parents and estrangement between him and his brother. Vergil saw Ulfric as a racist, nord-supremacist who was ignorant of any other culture but Nordic culture, especially Dark Elf, Argonian and Khajiit culture. And in remembrance of his parents, he vowed to humiliate, expose & destroy the Stormcloak Rebellion, with the help of the Imperial Legion.

Before joining the Legion, Vergil infiltrated the Stormcloaks. After defeating an Ice Wraith as an initiation test, Vergil travelled to Korvanjund with a small group of Stormcloaks in order to retrieve The Jagged Crown which was to be delivered to Ulfric in an attempt to legitimize his claim to the High King's Throne. After viewing the Stormcloaks in combat and learning all he could know about them, Vergil paralyzed Galmar Stone-Fist and escaped with The Jagged Crown, gifting it to General Tullius and then formally joining the Legion.

Before The Legion's offensive could be furthered, however, The Dragon Crisis entered a critical stage which required a peace council to be formed which took place within neutral territory, High Hrothgar. Vergil brought Adelaisa Vendicci as his advisor and both surprised to find that Elenwen was part of the Imperial delegation upon arrival. Before the council commenced, Elenwen greeted Vergil coldly: "And so we meet again. But this time I know who and what you really are." Vergil delicately manipulated The Empire and The Stormcloaks in this peace council, keeping General Tullius satisfied and exposing Ulfric's less noble intentions (his first demand being Markarth, the source of most of Skyrim's silver). The peace treaty was as fair as it could have been, something which Vergil felt obliged to stick to please The Greybeards. Plus, he knew that any ground gained by the rebellion in council would be taken back by force in the future.

After dealing with Alduin, The Civil War resumed almost immediately. Within the space of a few months Dawnstar & Winterhold were under Imperial control and Whiterun was successfully defended and back under Imperial authority. Markarth was the only major obstacle before the siege on Windhelm and took significantly longer to regain than Vergil had anticipated. He could now see why Ulfric wished to gain Markarth during the peace negotiations at High Hrothgar, it's a challenging terrain to mount an attack on and an extremely easy terrain to defend. The long stalemate in The Reach eventually ended when Vergil struck a deal with Madanach. In exchange for liberating him from Cidhna Mine the Forsworn King directed attacks on Stormcloak aligned fortresses and encampments, significantly weakening their grasp on the area until Markarth itself was vulnerable to a full scale siege. After the change over of power and the re-occupation of The Reach by The Empire, Vergil returned to Druadach Redoubt and executed the Forsworn leadership. Several Imperial Legion officers that had knowledge of the Forsworn pact were also later assassinated.

After retaking The Reach, it was finally time for the killing blow to the rebellion, thus began the assault on Eastmarch. After retaking nearby forts and blockading the major roads leading into and out of Windhelm, The Imperial offensive was well underway. The streets of Windhelm were chaotic during the siege and many soldiers from both sides lost their lives during the offence. Upon entering the Palce of The Kings Ulfric was discovered on his throne with Galmar Stone-Fist ready to defend him. Attempting to persuade them both to surrender was a fruitless endeavour as Legate Rikke soon realised. After a brief skirmish, Galmar fell first and then as Ulfric was on his knees he pleaded that the Dragonborn should be the one to execute him for it would make a better song. Vergil happily obliged, stabbing him with a soul-trap enchanted dagger, preventing Ulfric's spirit from entering Sovngarde.

The Stormcloak Rebellion had been defeated and Skyrim was reunited politically. Many Stormcloak sympathisers still remained in society, especially in Windhelm, some of which formed terrorist splinter cells based out of their hidden encampments. Vergil, newly appointed to the rank of Legate, led the campaign to stamp out these embers of hatred that were still scattered across Skyrim.

Dawnguard

Upon hearing rumours across Skyrim of the Dawnguard re-emerging in The Rift, Vergil decided to investigate. Before Vergil even entered Fort Dawnguard he had been given a Crossbow courtesy of Durak. Vergil didn't take a liking to Isran immediately, viewing him as dirt. Isran's hatred of vampires and zero tolerance attitude offended Vergil as he had met and befriended many "civilised" Vampires in his time such as Vicente Valtieri, Janus Hassildor, Sybille Stentor & Babette. No fondness was fostered for the Dawnguard's cause in Vergil's meeting with Isran but his curiosity with the Volkihar Vampire Clan's actions across Skyrim led him to investigate Dimhollow Crypt when sent byd Isran. When Vergil met Serana he pitied her and instantly befriended her, returning her back to Volkihar Keep and the cold embrace of her father Lord Harkon.

Lord Harkon offered Vergil his own blood as a reward for his daughter's (and his elder scroll's) safe return to Volkihar Keep. Without hesitating, Vergil accepted this gift and became a Vampire Lord which increased his powers tenfold and assured his immortality. By accepting Harkon's gift he turned his back on the Dawnguard and aligned himself with the Volkihar Clan. After doing numerous tasks for the Volkihar Vampires, Lord Harkon spoke before the court demanding them to find a moth priest to read Serana's Elder Scroll in order to get one step closer to the completion of the prophecy|. When the scroll had been read and little information had been garnered from it, Vergil and Serana set out to find the other two Elder Scrolls. One which was in the Bowels of a Dwemer Ruin but had been recently acquired by Vergil, and the other scroll which was apparently in the possession of Serana's mother, Valerica.

Valerica persuaded Vergil that eternal night would mean the destruction of the Vampire race and so from then on he and Serana worked alone and effectively against Harkon. With the recovery of Auriel's Bow they were left with an ultimatum: to kill Lord Harkon or wait for him to kill them. The choice was clear and the two confronted the ancient vampire lord. After a lengthy battle, Lord Harkon was defeated and melted into a puddle of blood and ash. Despite Vergil's actions towards Harkon, he felt only respect for him upon his death. Vergil assumed the mantle of Lord of the castle and head of the Volkihar Vampire Clan in Skyrim which extended his influence across the province even further.

One of Vergil's first decrees was to eliminate the Dawnguard. With the help of Fura Bloodmouth, Vergil planned a lone assault on the leaders of the Dawnguard which would demoralize and eventually kill off the group as a whole. Vergil assassinated most of the leaders at night as they slept. Only Isran was allowed to live until sunrise. Vergil and Isran engaged in a challenging duel fuelled with anger and hatred. Vergil lured Isran outside into the sunlight which seemed detrimental to the newly appointed Vampire Lord, however, Vergil paralysed the weakening vampire hunter and used Auriel's Bow and bloodcursed elven arrows to block out the sun, temporarily fulfilling the prophecy. Isran was then choked to death by Vergil, in vampire lord form, as he faced the vampiric sun knowing that the Dawnguard's mission had ultimately failed.

Upon returning to Castle Volkihar, Vergil asked Serana to be the representative for the clan on The Council of Order. Her intense knowledge of the clan and vampirism as a whole, meant she was an ideal candidate, she also had a calm and sensible demeanour unlike some of the other members of the clan such as Vingalmo and Orthjolf.

Dragonborn

After a few months of settling into his new position as Lord of Castle Volkihar, Vergil began to search Nordic Ruins for Words of Power and the eight high-ranking Dragon Priest masks in order to unlock the mystery of Bromjunaar Sanctuary and the Wooden Mask. Eventually, after a lot of exploring, research and frustration Vergil finally had in his possession all eight high-ranking dragon priest masks and had mastered all of the words of power scattered across Skyrim's mainland. Vergil's knowledge of the thu'um now made him the wisest and most powerful carrier of Dragonblood to have existed for a millennia. His strength and knowledge struck fear into the few who opposed him such as the Thalmor, Stormcloak and Dawnguard remnants and other minor groups. He had captivated Jarls, Generals, and a potential High Queen and had almost every tier of society under his influence or control.

Even though Vergil's newly acquired nature involved sticking to the shadows and in the background, he remained a prominent figure in society. This combined with his recent exploits in learning new words of power, drew the attention of a threat that Vergil had never anticipated. Cultists carrying a note demanding the murder of "the false Dragonborn" attacked Vergil in the streets of Whiterun. The cultists themselves posed no threat physically to Vergil, but their orders would have carried a far more damaging effect if they were publicly revealed. The name Miraak was unknown to the unconventional Dragonborn, but whomever he was, his seemingly accurate knowledge of Vergil's transcendence to Dragonborn status was a serious issue. Vergil made his way to Solstheim via The Northern Maiden and for the first time in a long while, felt the cold touch of fear.

In order to have a sufficient foothold on Solstheim, Vergil needed to be in a position of relative importance in Raven Rock. Within a week of being part of the small settlement, Vergil was a well-known and valued member of its community, especially after saving Councilor Morvayn from an assassination plot & reopening of Raven Rock's ebony mine.[Dragonborn:Adril Arano|]] and Vergilbecame good friends in short space of time and Vergil offered him a place on The Council of Order which was eagerly accepted by the second councillor as the position boosted trade therefore income of gold to Raven Rock. Running alongside gaining an influence in Raven Rock was Vergil's investigation of the strange behaviour exerted by some of its citizens, who were building some sort of shrine around the Earth Stone and chanting supposedly to or about Miraak, a name that the townsfolk remembered but at the same time had forgotten its significance.

Vergil eventually made his way to Miraak's Temple and broke into it with Frea of The Skaal. At the end of the lengthy dungeon, Vergil discovered a Black Book similar to one he had discovered in Bloodskal Barrow which transported him to Apocrypha, Hermaeus Mora's plane of Oblivion. After being transported back to Tamriel by Miraak in Apocrypha, Vergil feared that he had just met the most powerful opponent he would ever face but also felt a small sense of relief that Miraak referred to him as 'Dragonborn' as opposed to 'False Dragonborn' as he had done previously.

After Vergil's first encounter with Miraak, he was tasked by Storn Crag-Strider to cleanse the All-Maker Stones which had been corrupted by Miraak's influence. Vergil learnt the first word of the Bend Will shout which allowed him to cleanse the elemental stones dotted around Solstheim. Vergil also sought out the help of Neloth, a Telvanni wizard who had taken up residence on Solstheim in order to research the increasing activity of the Ash Spawn. After a few weeks of assisting Neloth with his problems & seeking out more of Hermaeus Mora's Black Books in order to have an advantage over Miraak, Neloth made Vergil a member of House Telvanni and Vergil gained a powerful ally.

Vergil recovered all of Hermaeus Mora's Black Books on Solstheim, increasing his power dramatically. The Daedra Lord recognised him from his past endeavours and promised that the Oghma Infinium was only the beginning of Vergil's path to enlightenment. When the time came for Vergil to confront the first dragonborn, Hermaeus Mora made it clear that he favoured Vergil before he reached the summit of apocrypha. The battle between Miraak and Vergil was long and destructive. Vergil threw everything he could at Miraak and vice versa, they were equals in magical power and physical strength or so they both thought. The dragonblood flowing through Vergil's veins was at its peak during this battle, combined with the essence of Lord Harkon's blood and his father's blood Vergil unlocked a power unimaginable to Miraak who attempted then to flee the battle, but was halted by Hermaeus Mora who ultimately put an end to Miraak and his influence over Solstheim, which allowed Vergil to take his place.

Marriage

After travelling with Mjoll the Lioness for an extended period of time and spending much time at her semi-permanent residence (Aerin's house), in order to gain her favour so she would be less of a nuisance with Thieves Guild activities in Riften, Vergil found himself falling in love for the first time in his life with Mjoll's closest friend. This made him emotionally vulnerable as he had been so used to being defined as a solitary soul for so long. Vergil's marriage to Aerin helped to further normalise same-sex relations in Skyrim, due to his many prestigious deeds & titles. Vergil's high profile marriage and relationship became a shining beacon for many other same-sex couples in Skryim who were perhaps afraid to come out in public.

However, Aerin was not as impressed or as understanding of Vergil's lust for power as Vergil wished he would have been. This became a frequent topic of argument between them and suspicion grew between the couple. Aerin began to intercept information packages delivered by Adelaisa Vendicci and uncovered some of Vergil's darker dealings. After these revelations, Aerin became evermore cold towards Vergil and steadily their relationship began to break down. Aerin, working with Mjoll in secret, disrupted several Dark Brotherhood & Thieves' Guild Contracts which led to several arrests.

Seeing Aerin's actions as an outright betrayal of his love and protection, Vergil decided to make an example of his former lover's deception. He gathered The Crimson Order at the Sacellum of Boethiah where he maintained an alliance with Boethiah's cultists; and put Aerin on trial. Aerin's crimes were put to The Council objectively: Aerin had put them all at risk by intentionally disrupting The Order's operations. The Council voted unanimously to execute Aerin, he was then slaughtered upon the Pillar of Sacrifice by Vergil. Mjoll The Lioness was ambushed in the streets of Riften by members of the Thieves' Guild and was imprisoned in Mistveil Keep, where she would rot for the remainder of her days at the mercy of the Blackbriar family.

Aerin pleads with The Council for forgiveness