Lore:Leovic

The UESPWiki – Your source for The Elder Scrolls since 1995
Jump to: navigation, search
Emperor Leovic
ON-npc-Emperor Leovic 02.jpg
Emperor Leovic
Race Reachman Gender Male
Born 2E 542
Imperial City
Died 2E 577
White-Gold Tower, Imperial City
Resurrection 2E 582
Imperial Sewers
Final Death 2E 582
Imperial Sewers
Resided in Imperial City
Anvil
Deadlands
Reign 2E 564-
2E 577
Previous Ruler Moricar
Next Ruler Varen Aquilarios
Appears in ESO

Leovic was the third and last emperor of the Reachman dynasty called the Longhouse Emperors, who ruled the Empire of Cyrodiil during the Interregnum. Leovic was described as the most Imperialized and cosmopolitan of the Longhouse Emperors due to being born in Cyrodiil and having rarely visited the Reach.[1][2] As the years went on, Leovic's reign was said to have gotten more and more troubled.[3][1] He was preceded by his father, Moricar, and was succeeded by Varen Aquilarios.[2]

Biography[edit]

Early Life[edit]

Leovic was born in 2E 542 to Emperor Moricar, and he was the first of the Longhouse Emperors to be born in Cyrodiil instead of in the Reach, where his father and grandfather were born.[2] As Leovic was born and raised in Cyrodiil, this meant that he was primarily immersed in the culture of Cyrodiil and the Imperial City instead of the culture of the Reach, and he was educated by Imperial tutors, including High Chancellor Abnur Tharn.[1][2] Leovic's steward, Farrul Lupus, helped raise and educate him.[4] Because of his upbringing as an imperial prince, some considered him to be over-educated and spoiled.[1]

When Prince Leovic came back from a successful campaign against border raiders, Moricar, the Tharn family, the Elder Council, and great nobles were in the Great Hall to receive him. Moricar praised the prince and decreed that he could name his reward. Leovic did not hesitate, walking right up to the Tharns and saying, "Your Majesty, I want the Chancellor's daughter." He spoke of Abnur Tharn's daughter Clivia, and though the Chancellor had many daughters, it was understood by all which one he meant.[5][2] Leovic married Clivia at some point after this.[6][5][2]

In 2E 561, Leovic and Moricar spent much of their time in the Imperial Palace preparing sacrifices to Mehrunes Dagon and rituals that would see the creation of the Four Ambitions.[2]

Emperor of Cyrodiil[edit]

In 2E 563, Moricar was wounded during an invasion of Western Skyrim, and he died in 2E 564 as a result of his injuries; thus, Leovic succeeded his father as emperor.[2][7][8] Upon Moricar's death, Leovic inherited the bargains Moricar and Durcorach made with Mehrunes Dagon, including the Four Ambitions.[4][7][9][10]

Early in Leovic's reign, the Imperial Court was said to have felt much more like the courts that existed prior to Durcorach's conquest of Cyrodiil.[1] There was hardly any mention of the Reach or the practices of the Reachfolk, which had been much more common in the courts of his father and grandfather.[1] The Icereach Coven served as advisers to Leovic during his reign, as did a Reachman later known as "The Rat".[2][11][12] According to The Rat, Leovic had a good sense of humor and curiosity.[13][14]

As Leovic's reign continued, he began to embrace more of his Reachfolk heritage.[1][2] Initially, Leovic's embracement of his Reachfolk heritage was minor, as he simply placed Reach fetishes in the Imperial Palace and demanded that the kitchen retrieve the recipes that Durcorach and Moricar preferred.[1] However, eventually, he installed idols and shrines dedicated to the Daedric Princes around the Imperial throne room, leading his subjects to perceive him as increasingly eccentric.[1][2][15]

Anvil Castle hosted Leovic and his court four times during the late 2E 560s.[16][17] Leovic often visited the Gold Coast during the summer months.[18] Locals used to consider the policies and leadership of Leovic to have dramatically increased safety on the Gold Coast.[19] The Emperor tasked the Imperial Navy with patrolling the Abecean Sea to guard the coast against piracy, which ensured safety and security across the region.[19] Some accounts suggest that as of 2E 566, he was well-liked by many of Anvil's citizens, and mention instances of him waving to his subjects from the balcony of Anvil Castle.[19][18] However, according to later sources, he was perceived as ungenerous and unpopular among the free-spirited citizens of Anvil.[16][17] Leovic sought to show the world the ways of the Reachfolk, and saw Anvil as too "fat and still" and needing correction.[16] His visits were met with him being treated lavishly, and his message was not understood, which angered him.[16] During a lavish feast for him in the city, he discarded his wine cup, upended the feast table, and tore the silk finery he had received.[16] When Anvil's court did not "forgo its decadence", he saw Anvil as a lost cause.[16] After the so-called "Anvil Commotion" of Mid Year 569, he and his court never returned to the Gold Coast again.[16][17]

Circa 2E 568, Leovic sent Consul Cardea from her post in the Imperial City to aid his cousin, the Imperial Governor of Markarth, Caddach, as an administrator and to provide a conduit between Cyrodiil and the Reach.[20][21] In 2E 573, Leovic commissioned The Emperor's Guide to Tamriel, a comprehensive text describing the histories and cultures of each of Tamriel's provinces.[22][23]

At some point, the Emperor put out a request for an Alik'ri trader to transport a shipment of arms across the desert.[24] The trader Afarh accepted the request, and he put his family's entire estate as collateral.[24] When bandits waylaid the shipment caravan, the Empire seized his family's lands and businesses.[24] At some point during his reign, Leovic granted an Argonian named Raxalee the title of lady.[25]

The Colovian Revolt[edit]

In 2E 576, Leovic issued a decree that legalized Daedra worship in the Empire.[2][15][26] The legalization of Daedra worship quickly triggered a revolt against Leovic, led by an erstwhile supporter, Varen Aquilarios, Duke of Chorrol and Count of Kvatch.[2][15][27][28] Varen secretly contacted Abnur Tharn, seeking his assistance, and Tharn agreed to assist him.[6]

He appealed to Mehrunes Dagon for assistance in suppressing the revolt, and the Prince of Destruction supplied the Emperor with Daedra to reinforce the Imperial Legion.[29][30] Leovic's Imperial Legion forces, bolstered by Reachman auxiliaries and Daedra, defeated Varen's forces at Fort Ash, but Varen then took command of the Legion of Chorrol, which enabled him to push the Emperor's forces into the Heartlands.[15][30] Following Varen's victory, the Colovian Estates joined the rebellion, with the exception of Anvil, where the count and prefect, Ephrem Benirus, remained loyal to Leovic.[15][31][17] With the support of troops from the Colovian Estates and rebel legions, Varen led his forces north, where they captured the city of Bruma, which became the rebellion's primary base.[32][33] Leyawiin initially remained under imperial control, but Sai Sahan, one of Varen's allies, eventually defeated the imperial defenders and took control of the city.[32][34] Sahan managed to capture the city, even though his mercenaries turned against him after Leovic had paid them off.[32][34]

The Four Ambitions were not ready by the time the revolt broke out, with their time still a few years away, but had they been ready, Leovic would have used them to crush Varen's rebellion and save his legacy.[29] He prepared for the possibility of his defeat, and hid the Four Ambitions so they would not fall into the hands of Varen.[29][35][36][9] Leovic believed it was imperative to uphold and honor the promises made to Mehrunes Dagon, so he hid secret documents and clues to the whereabouts of the Four Ambitions.[29][4][9]

Death and Aftermath[edit]

Emperor Leovic, slain by Varen Aquilarios

Leovic's reign ended in 2E 577, when Varen Aquilarios and his forces stormed the Imperial City and killed Leovic in the Imperial Palace at the foot of the Ruby Throne, and Varen immediately declared himself emperor.[2][15][6][28] Varen subsequently discarded Leovic's corpse in the tombs located in the Imperial City Sewers.[37][14][13] After Leovic's overthrow, the remaining Reachmen retreated from the Imperial Province.[3][2][8] When he learned of Leovic's overthrow, Caddach set aside his Imperial title and instead took the old Reach title of Ard, and he purged all surviving members of the Blackdrake Clan, securing his hold on Markarth against his rivals.[38][3] In 2E 582, Worm Cultists discovered Leovic's corpse and reanimated it, first as a zombie and then as a flesh atronach, but soldiers fighting in the Three Banners War fought and destroyed Leovic's corpse shortly after its reanimation.[39]

Afterlife in the Deadlands[edit]

Because of the Longhouse Emperors' bargains with Mehrunes Dagon, whom Moricar suspected would renege on his promises,[40][41] Leovic's soul was sent to the Deadlands after his death.[42] Before his death, Leovic failed to pass responsibility for the Four Ambitions to an heir, leading to the declaration that the Longhouse Emperors had defaulted on their bargains with Mehrunes Dagon.[10] Eventually, the souls of Leovic, Moricar, and Durcorach were imprisoned in the Brandfire Reformatory in the Deadlands, where Daedra tortured them by fusing the Longhouse Emperors' souls with a chunk of iron slag.[42][43]

Leovic did not inform the High Priest of the Order of the Waking Flame, Ertus Vandacia, of the locations of the Four Ambitions prior to his death, triggering a search for them in 2E 582.[36][29] To locate and preserve the secret of the Four Ambitions, Vandacia ordered his cultists to kill anybody with knowledge of them, that being Leovic's steward Farrul Lupus and councilors Abor, Faleria, Itinia, Jirich, and Velan Sophus.[36]

That same year, the Vestige and Mairead, one of the Four Ambitions, released the Longhouse Emperors' souls from a chunk of iron slag in the Brandfire Reformatory Forge.[42] The Vestige then questioned the spirits of the Longhouse Emperors about the Four Ambitions.[42] Sombren and Calia, two of the Four Ambitions, along with Eveli Sharp-Arrow and Lyranth the Foolkiller, interrupted when they entered the Reformatory Forge through a portal.[42] Sombren then destroyed the Longhouse Emperors' spirits with frost magic, although he claimed their spirits would reform in the Deadlands eventually.[42][44]

Gallery[edit]

  • Emperor Leovic

  • Emperor Leovic as a flesh atronach

  • Emperor Leovic as a zombie

  • Phial of Leovic's Blood

Notes[edit]

  • A tiny phial containing the blood of Leovic was supposedly collected at his regicide.[45]
  • Cut files from ESO indicate a quest involving Proserpina, a concubine of Leovic that bore him a child, was cut before release.[UOL 1]
  • Leovic was considered the scion of the Tagh Droiloch.[32]

See Also[edit]

Books[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Audiences with the Longhouse Emperors — Sentanus Marillin, aide to the Elder Council
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Secret History of the Longhouse Emperors — Councilor Vandacia
  3. ^ a b c Report on the Despot of Markarth — Lady Nilene Devierin of Stormhaven
  4. ^ a b c Deciphered Imperial Document — Emperor Leovic, deciphered by Beragon
  5. ^ a b Meet the Character - Clivia Tharn — Magus-General Septima Tharn
  6. ^ a b c Chronicles of the Five Companions 4 — Abnur Tharn
  7. ^ a b Secrets of Moricar the Inheritor — Devastator Irenian Dast
  8. ^ a b The Wolf of Solitude — Pjetr the Skald, of the Bards College
  9. ^ a b c Emperor Leovic's dialogue in ESO: The Deadlands
  10. ^ a b Xynaa's Book of Contracts — Xynaa
  11. ^ Meet the Character - Mother Ciannait — Optio Cornelia Midara
  12. ^ Arvnir's dialogue in ESO: Harrowstorm
  13. ^ a b The Rat's dialogue in ESO: Imperial City
  14. ^ a b Mycaelis Julus Answers Your Questions — Mycaelis Julus and the Rat
  15. ^ a b c d e f Eulogy for Emperor Varen — Lord Abnur Tharn, Chancellor of the Elder Council
  16. ^ a b c d e f g Vateshran Calbokh's dialogue in ESO: Markarth
  17. ^ a b c d Special ZOS Lore Master Interview with Lawrence Schick
  18. ^ a b Gold Coast Guide, Part Two — Astinia Isauricus
  19. ^ a b c Gold Coast Guide, Part One — Astinia Isauricus
  20. ^ Scary Tales of the Deep Folk — Cassia Volcatia, Traveling Scribe
  21. ^ Politics of the Reach — Consul Cardea, the Ard's Administrator, 2E 578
  22. ^ The Improved Emperor's Guide to Tamriel: Author Foreword — Flaccus Terentius, 2E 581
  23. ^ The Improved Emperor's Guide to Tamriel: Cyrodiil — Flaccus Terentius, 2E 581
  24. ^ a b c Josajeh's dialogue in ESO: Summerset
  25. ^ Lady Raxalee's dialogue in ESO: Gold Road
  26. ^ The Frostfall Coup — Tandemen, Sapiarch of Foreign Observations
  27. ^ Saga of Varen's Rebellion, Part 1 — Capiton Casca, Poet to Regent Clivia Tharn
  28. ^ a b Tarnian Lovidicus' dialogue in ESO: Blackwood
  29. ^ a b c d e The Journal of Emperor Leovic — Emperor Leovic
  30. ^ a b Saga of Varen's Rebellion, Part 2 — Capiton Casca, Poet to Regent Clivia Tharn
  31. ^ The Wolf and the Dragon — Midara Salviticus, Historian, University of Gwylim
  32. ^ a b c d Chronicles of the Five Companions 5 — Abnur Tharn
  33. ^ Saga of Varen's Rebellion, Part 3 — Capiton Casca, Poet to Regent Clivia Tharn
  34. ^ a b Meet the Character - Sai Sahan — Abnur Tharn
  35. ^ Councilor Jirich's Records — Emperor Leovic
  36. ^ a b c Preserve the Secret — High Priest Vandacia
  37. ^ Groundskeeper's Letter — Groundskeeper Gavros
  38. ^ History of Markarth: A Story in Stone — Consul Cardea, the Ard's Administrator
  39. ^ Emperor Leovic in ESO: Imperial City
  40. ^ Emperor Moricar's dialogue in ESO: The Deadlands
  41. ^ Partially Hidden Journal — Moricar
  42. ^ a b c d e f Events of The Last Ambition in ESO: The Deadlands
  43. ^ Mairead's dialogue in ESO: The Deadlands
  44. ^ Sombren's dialogue in ESO: The Deadlands
  45. ^ Phial of Leovic's Blood item description in ESO

Note: The following references are considered to be unofficial sources. They are included to round off this article and may not be authoritative or conclusive.

  1. ^ ESO Cut Content — Imperial City
Retrieved from "https://en.uesp.net/w/index.php?title=Lore:Leovic&oldid=3196221"