The Tower of Ebonarm.

Welcome to the Tower of Ebonarm. From your presence here, I assume that you know little of the Dreadarmies?

Before there was the world called Tamriel, there was Time, and before there was Time, there were the Gods. The Gods created Time and then the world of Tamriel was created in an accident.

The world of Tamriel flourished and many different types of life came to exist on it. Eventually, the people of Tamriel learned to read and to write, and a great age of prophecy dawned.

During this age, many prophecies were written, but one is remembered. That one was the Elder Scroll, that told, among other things, that one day in the future, the Hordes of Daedra from Oblivion would seek to conquer Tamriel and make it black and dark as their own home. The people of Tamriel prayed to the Gods and a solution was reached.

Ebonarm was the reluctant God who took the task upon himself. He was chosen to be the God of War and so he was also chosen to be Tamriel's protector from invaders. He created a great city called Geddon and a tower for himself in the centre. Surrounding the city was a great labyrinth.

The God of War took on a human shape on the world of Tamriel. Appearing as a man, dressed completely in Ebony Armour, with a great Ebony Tower Shield and, instead of a right hand, a great Ebony Blade, he searched the world. Eventually he found what he sought. A man who he believed had the courage and the skill to lead an army against the Daedra Hordes. This man he took to the Labyrinth and told him that he had thirteen hours to reach the city of Geddon, or he would be cast back to Tamriel. The man succeeded and was named Dreadlord. To him was given four things. The first was immortality - the man would not die unless he was killed. The second was the power to open Windows - with this, the Dreadlord could instantly travel to any place he had been to before. The third was the power to Spirit Walk - the Dreadlord could allow his spirit to leave his body for a short time. The fourth was Antilight - the Dreadlord could release Antilight and it would drain the power and strength from any who meant him harm. Ebonarm, who insisted on being called the Great Lord of War so that enemies would not know his true identity, charged the Dreadlord with seeking out the men and women who would form this army.

Over the years many came to the Labyrinth and were tested in the same way the Dreadlord had been. The men and women who reached Geddon were named Dreadknights and given immortality and the power to open Windows. Eventually, in the time of the fourth Dreadlord (sometimes people did not wish to take the test and proved it in a less than friendly manner) there became so many Dreadknights that the Dreadlord could not hope to command all of them in battle. A great tournament was held and the winners were named Dreadmasters. They were given the power of Spirit Walking and each was given command of one hundred Dreadknights, called a Fist. From that moment on, a great change came upon the Dreadarmies - it was discovered that the Dreadlord could, over short distances, telepathically contact any Dreadmaster. It was also found that the Dreadmasters could similarly contact any Dreadknight in their Fist.

It was at this time that the Great Lord realised that when the Hordes came, they would bring powerful magic to bear against the Dreadarmies. The Great Lord acquired a great deep blue stone that had the effect of negating magic in one's enemies and increasing it in one's friends. He named this stone the Breath of Heaven and stored it in his tower until the day when it would be needed.

The Dreadknights are currently led by the thirteenth Dreadlord, Tenaka Khan, the Prince of Shadows.

Now you know how the Dreadarmies came about. Here is an excerpt from when a new Dreadknight, Holm'ka Jeer Nomn was raised.

'All people in Geddon work for the joy of serving the Great Lord,' said the Father of all Werre. 'He provides all food and other necessities so that money is not needed. People can take pride that their wares have been chosen because of their quality, not their price.' Holm’ka looked at his Dreadmaster in surprise. 'I know what you are thinking as you think it, Holm’ka,' he said. 'There is a sort of telepathy between a Dreadmaster and his Dreadknights over short distances, and between the Dreadlord and the Dreadmasters, again over short distances. That way runners and bannermen are not required in battle. Just another of the great gifts given us by the Great Lord. At the moment I can hear your every thought. Eventually you will learn to control it so that I only know what you want me to know.'

The two of them stopped outside a building. The Dreadmaster pointed at it. 'This is the barracks of Fist Sollar,' he said. Again, Holm’ka looked around. 'Yes,' said Th’Sollar again answering Holm’ka’s unasked question. 'It is larger than the other barracks. That is because Fist Sollar is larger than the other Fists. All other Fists have a maximum of one hundred Dreadknights. Fist Sollar currently holds five thousand, three hundred and eleven Dreadknights, including yourself. Why? Because to us is given a special task that requires many. What is that task? I shall tell you that shortly. You will live here. Even now, a room is magically being constructed for you. By nightfall it shall be ready. Come along. There is much still to see.' Lord Sollar again led Holm’ka into the bustling city.

'You were wondering about out task,' said the Dreadmaster as they walked. 'When the first Werre died and was offered a place in the Dreadarmies, the Great Lord noticed something that surprised even me. The fact that there was no magicka within his being allowed him to detect Daedra. Because of this, Fist Sollar are the security of Geddon. Our main task is to make sure that new recruits are not Daedra in disguise. We also control the Labyrinth that is the test for new, living recruits. Finally, we are the defence of Geddon. From time to time, it is necessary for differing numbers of Fists to leave Geddon – but Fist Sollar never leaves. We shall only leave this city when the Final Battle comes. Currently there is one Fist in Tamriel, a Dreadmaster and the Dreadlord in Oblivion and a couple of Fists in other dimensions that the Daedra hope to make like Oblivion. We do not only protect Tamriel, but all other dimensions that touch Oblivion.

'Tomorrow you will go into training. Before you can perform your duties, you must learn how to accurately open Windows, control your telepathy and several other things. Yes, you can open Windows. They are not a thing of magicka, but of Divinity. The only limit to their creation is that you must have been to the place you wish to go to before and you must be able to concentrate. There are rumours that it is possible to stop a Window opening, but the things that can do this are rare. As far as we know only Daedra Princes and Counts are capable, and Counts sometimes have problems if the opener is strong. The Dreadlord could open a Window if a Count tried to stop him, but it would be dangerous for him.

'That will be the most important part of your training, for Windows can be dangerous. Allow me to demonstrate.' With these words the Dreadmaster opened a Window before him. Through it Holm’ka could see a strange land that he did not recognise. Dreadmaster Sollar drew a tanto from somewhere within his armour and used it to press against the side of the Window. The tanto snapped as if it had been a piece of paper run along an axe. 'Windows are very sharp and can therefore be used as weapons if you so wish, though the need is rare and the death unpleasant. When opening one, a resistance will be felt if it would be dangerous to open it, giving the opener a chance to change the location slightly. Of course, this resistance can be ignored…' Holm’ka gulped quietly.