Battle of Kvatch

"This is only the beginning of the battle for Kvatch."

- Savlian Matius

The Battle of Kvatch was the first major conflict of the Oblivion Crisis, fought between the Daedra of Oblivion, and the severely outnumbered Kvatch guards. In reality, it was a plot by the Mythic Dawn cult and the Daedra to kill the final heir to the Septim throne and at the same time set off the invasion of Tamriel by the forces of Oblivion.

Prelude
Prior to the attack, the Mythic Dawn, a cult devoted to the Daedra Lord Mehrunes Dagon, had successfully orchestrated the assassination of Emperor Uriel Septim VII, ruler of Tamriel, along with his three known heirs. These deaths, leaving the Dragon Throne empty, allowed the magical barriers between Tamriel and Oblivion to fall. This allowed Mehrunes Dagon to launch a full scale assault on the mortal plane, with the Mythic Dawn setting the stage. It was learned, however, that a final heir remained; Martin Septim, a priest at the Chapel of Akatosh in Kvatch. Dagon and Mythic Dawn leader Mankar Camoran began plans to attack the city and kill the heir.

The Initial Siege
The attack was swift, and entirely unexpected. The Mythic Dawn, led by Eldamil, a lieutenant of Mankar Camoran, opened an Oblivion Gate directly before the city, and the Daedra attacked. The Mythic Dawn continued to open two more Gates, meeting the Gate requirement to summon their true power. Eldamil opened the Great Oblivion Gate, allowing the massive Daedric Siege Crawler to emerge and overtake the city.

The Daedra swarmed into the city, killing anything that moved. The casualties were enormous. The Siege Engine blasted at the walls, and came crawling over them to set fire to the city. The Kvatch guard bravely tried to resist, but the Daedra were too many. In no time, the city was completely ablaze, and its people were retreating haphazardly. Few managed to survive. During the slaughter, Martin helped a group of people into the chapel, where they would remain for the duration of the siege. Count Ormellius Goldwine and his men were also stranded in the castle. Guard Captain Savlian Matius managed to get a sizable group of people and guards out of the main gate and to safety.

The attack took only one night, and by the time it was over, Kvatch was nothing more than a ruin. Those that survived were left with nothing, and were gathered in a small encampment south of the city. Eldamil and the Mythic Dawn closed the Great Gate, but left one Oblivion Gate open in front of the city gate in order to prevent any attempts at retaking the city. The Daedra and Mythic Dawn began searching the city for survivors. While searcing, Eldamil was killed by three townspeople hiding in a cellar, who were then killed by his companions. The Daedra took full occupation of the city, while Savlian and what few guards were left set up a barricades in front of the city in an effort to defend the encampment.

The Hero Arrives
During this time, an anonymous prisoner who had witnessed the assassination of Uriel Septim brought the Amulet of Kings to Jauffre, the Grandmaster of the Blades. The Amulet was the one way to restore the barriers between the mortal world and Oblivion, and Jauffre revealed that Martin, the final heir to the throne, was still alive. The prisoner then went to Kvatch to find Martin. Upon arriving, the prisoner was greeted by a panicked survivor of the attack, who was fleeing the city. The prisoner proceeded into the encampement, and there learned what had happened to Kvatch. The townspeople said that Savlian Matius would know what had become of Martin. The prisoner went to the barricades, and there found Savlian and his men fighting Daedra that came from the remaining Oblivion Gate. Savlian informed the prisoner that Martin was still in the city, in the chapel, and that he and the remaining survivors could not be rescued until the Oblivion Gate was closed and their path into the city was clear. The prisoner, to the great surprise of Savlian, then proceeded into the Oblivion Gate.

Upon entering the Gate, the prisoner assisted Ilend Vonius, who had been part of a team Savlian had sent into the Gate in an effort to close it. After sending Vonius to help Savlian, the prisoner went further into the deadly plane of Oblivion. After fighting numerous Daedra and making it to a tower, the prisoner encountered Menien Gould, another member of the guard team, who was being held captive by the Gate's Sigil Keeper. After the prisoner killed the Keeper, Menien said that the only way to close the Gate was to remove its Sigil Stone at the top of the large Sigil Tower. The prisoner proceeded into the Tower, and after a lengthy climb and fight to the top, succeeded in entering the Sigillum Sanguis and removing the Gate's Sigil Stone. There was a great flash of fire, and the prisoner was transported back to the barricades, the Oblivion Gate disappearing. Seeing that the Gate was closed, Savlian ordered an assault on the occupied city, assisted by the prisoner.

In the first area of the city, the prisoner and the guards succeeded in killing what Daedra were there, along with the Dremora leader. They then proceeded into the chapel, finding the survivors, two guards, and Martin safe and sound. Savlian ordered that the survivors be taken to the encampment, then began to plan out a way to rescue the Count from the castle and end the occupation of Kvatch.

The Siege is Broken
"Ha, ha! We wiped the bastards out!"

- Savlian Matius

Savlian, determined to retake Kvatch, enlisted the aid of the prisoner once more. Along with what guards were left, they entered the city proper and attacked the Daedra there. They found, however, that the castle gate was shut tight, accessible only from the gatehouse. Savlian told the prisoner to go with guardsman Berich Inian, who had the gatehouse key, and open the gate. The prisoner and Inian were aided by three Imperial Legion soldiers, who had seen the smoke from Kvatch and come to help. The five fought their way through the city to the gatehouse, where the prisoner and the Legion soldiers went on to open the castle gate, allowing Savlian and the guards to attack the castle courtyard.

In the castle's great hall, the guards fought off more Daedra, and Savlian ordered the prisoner to rescue the Count. The prisoner, the Legion soldiers, and several guards went further into the castle, killing more Daedra, until at last they came to the count's quarters. After killing the final Daedric creature, they discovered the body of Ormellius Goldwine. The prisoner brought the count's signet ring back to Savlian, who was thankful for it, and gave the prisoner the Kvatch cuirass from his own back. The prisoner then left the city under Savlian's control and found Martin amongst the survivors in the encampment.

Aftermath
The events of Kvatch spread quickly to the rest of Cyrodiil. The prisoner soon earned the title "Hero of Kvatch". Martin and the Hero returned to Jauffre, but were too late to prevent the Amulet of Kings being stolen by the Mythic Dawn. The coming days would be filled with peril as Martin and the Hero conspired to retrieve the Amulet and halt the Daedric invasion.

Kvatch would remain ruined long after its siege was lifted. It is unknown when it was restored, or who the new count was. Some believe it to be Savlian Matius himself. After the battle, the Oblivion Crisis officially began, and Oblivion Gates began opening all across Tamriel.

Behind the Scenes

 * The Battle is the first conflict of the Oblivion Crisis, and is a major part of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. It is seen in the quests "Breaking the Siege of Kvatch" and "The Battle for Castle Kvatch".


 * The initial attack is never seen (although the game's opening cutscene includes a shot of the Siege Crawler exiting the Great Gate). Likewise, the city is never restored ingame, and remains firey and ruined.


 * In the quests, it is possible for all the soldiers to die save Savlian. This usually happens if the quest is being attempted at higher levels