The Blackwater War, Volume 1
Original media : TES Online
By Valenca Arvina, Historian-in-Residence at Gwylim University
When the invasion of Black Marsh began in 1E 2811, the Imperial Legion was confident of victory. Imperial forces had won a great and decisive victory in the Battle of Argonia, as well as in several other clashes. These battles were one-sided affairs, with Argonians suffering significant casualties and Imperials hardly getting winded. By First Seed 1E 2811, the Lizard-Folk were in full retreat—taking refuge in the shadowy depths of the region's interior. The Empire decided to press the advantage and mount a full-scale invasion before the Argonians could regroup. The column was led by a young and charismatic commander named Augurius Bucco. Bucco was a popular figure in Cyrodiil. His good looks and practiced oratory catapulted him through the ranks of the Legion hierarchy with unprecedented speed. By the time he was twenty-five he was already wearing the General's Diamond. Upon receiving his generalship he was offered legions in practically every corner of Cyrodiil. He chose the Fourth Legion of Black Marsh as his command. Other historians have offered countless theories as to why he would choose such a bleak and dangerous post. As for me, I would propose that simple pride was the determining factor. Rumors of the Legion's successes along the Black Marsh border had reached the inns and alleys of Imperial City as early as Rain's Hand, 1E 2811. Seeing the swamp's conquest as his ticket to Grand Marshal, Bucco greedily took on the mantle of Fourth Legion commander, convinced the war for Black Marsh would be a quick and glorious affair. He could not have been more wrong.
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