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Lady Aerissa of Falinesti, the Queen of Men and Mer and the Saint Mother, was a legendary heroine of prophecy known as the Dovahkiin, or "Dragonborn", who saved the souls of the mortal living and dead by slaying Alduin, firstborn of Akatosh and Nordic God of Destruction.

She became a revered prophetess and warrior-queen who was blessed by Auri-El and conquered Tamriel in his name, establishing the Divine Imperium in the process. She married the Snow Elf, Gelebor, and sired many mortal children with him as well.

Description[]

Personality and traits[]

Aerissa was small in stature and possessed a lean, graceful figure. She was considered by both men and mer to be unnaturally beautiful, save for a scar on the side of her left eye. She was born with golden hair but dyed it nearly black from a young age to conceal her identity. In her youth, Aerissa was described as "spirited", with an unyielding curiosity and fiery temperament. She was bold and aggressive for much of her life, but had a keen intellect about her that allowed her outwit many of her foes. Because of her family history and certain events, Aerissa held a great hatred for the Thalmor which remained with her even as she aged.

As she grew older, however, Aerissa became more composed and stoic. She developed a quiet ferocity and passionate demeanor, as well as a motherly compassion which, as Queen, her subjects saw as a comforting trait. While more solemn and wise than she had been in her youth, Aerissa maintained her curiosity and sense of humor for the rest of her life, and her ability to be both kind and stern made her loved. Aerissa was a devote follower of Auri-El, having bore his child, and devoted the rest of her life to uniting and advancing the people of Tamriel as she believed it was what Auri-El wanted of her and the realm.

Abilities and equipment[]

Aerissa was a talented fighter, possessing expert-level skill with both the one-handed sword and the bow. As the Archmage of Winterhold College, she was also a powerful mage and mastered the schools of Destruction, Alteration, and Restoration. While her talents with blades or magic were regarded with respect, her mastery over the Thu'um was what set her apart from other warriors. Learning from the greybeards and eventually, the Red Dragon Sahqonag, Aerissa grew to possess a Voice so powerful that she could speak life back into dead dragons and make them bow at her command.

During her adventures in Skyrim, as well as her conquest of Tamriel, Aerissa was most commonly clad in a set of Blades armor obtained from Sky Haven Temple, which she improved and enchanted herself, and held the holy artifact known as Auriel's Shield which she obtained from the Forgotten Vale. As the Empress, however, Aerissa was adorned in a finely-crafted set of cream-colored, enameled armor and silken blue robes inspired by the ancient Falmer kings, queens, and knights. She temporarily wielded Meridia's sword, Dawnbreaker, before exchanging it for a weapon of her creation -- a dragonbone sword known as Judgement. She was also known to wield another holy artifact in battle, Auriel's Bow, which she used to fire Sunhallowed arrows sanctified by her husband. After her final battle with Alduin, Aerissa was commonly seen in the company of a powerful Red Dragon -- Odahviing -- whom she rode into battle on numerous occasions.

History[]

Early life[]

Aerissa was born in Valenwood at the great capital of Falinesti as the only daughter of a Bosmer woodsman and an Altmer priestess. Some years after she was born, the Thalmor came to her home in the night and attempted to take her without explanation. What ensued was a fight in which both Aerissa's father Glendyn and eldest brother Garyn were killed and their home burned -- Aerissa also received a large wound down her left cheek. Aerissa's mother Lienne managed to escape with Aerissa and her younger brother Theron to Cyrodiil. Here, Aerissa saw her mother for the last time during her childhood as Lienne left her with a Bosmer named Algor to be raised in secrecy.

During her childhood, she was raised under the guise that she was Algor's daughter and had her hair dyed dark-brown to give the illusion that she was full-blooded Bosmer to better hide her from Thalmor justiciars. Aerissa learned much from her adoptive father, including the basics of swordsmanship and archery as well as magic and smithing. In 4E 201, at the age of seventeen, Aerissa would also finally learn why the Thalmor killed her family; that apparently, Aerissa was suspected to be a child born of prophecy who possessed a great power which the Thalmor sought to use for themselves. While Algor didn't know much of the esoteric prophecy himself, he did know that it mentioned Skyrim. It was then that Aerissa left Algor and Theron in Cyrodiil and journeyed to Skyrim to find answers pertaining to the prophecy and her destiny.

Becoming Dragonborn[]

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Aerissa in Skyrim. (4E 201)

Soon after crossing the border into Skyrim, Aerissa was in danger. After being taken captive by the Imperial Legion and sentenced to death with a group of Stormcloak rebels and their leader, she narrowly escaped the Executioner's axe when a black dragon descended on the fortress of Helgan and lay waste to the Imperial garrison there; while at first she considered such an event a blessing, she quickly learned that the return of the dragons meant the coming destruction of the world and that this dragon in particular, Alduin the World-Eater, would personally herald it.

Soon afterward, she did battle with another dragon, Mirmulnir, slew it in the fields of Whiterun, and devoured its soul. By those who witnessed the feat, she was recognized as Dragonborn and was summoned by the legendary masters of the Dragon thu'um known as Greybeards at High Hrothgar. From them, Aerissa learned of her power to absorb the powers of dragons and use it in the form of shouts. She also learned that she was a Dragonborn unlike any from the past but was instead the "Last Dragonborn", a hero of prophecy destined to slay Alduin and halt the end of the world.

What transpired was a series of adventures that took Aerissa across Skyrim and even to the neighboring island of Solstheim. During her journey, she became the College of Winterhold's archmage and a battlemage legate of the Imperial Legion, serving under General Tullius. She also helped to restore both the Order of the Blades, sworn enemies of the Thalmor, and the Dawnguard, which hunted vampires and the undead. Over time she grew incredibly powerful in various aspects; she mastered several forms of magic and combat arts, as well as her thu'um, but also gained political power as the Thane of all nine Holds in Skyrim and was known to have strong ties with the mysterious Psijic Order. She defeated the powerful clan of vampires known as the Volkihar and the dark cult led by the First Dragonborn, Miraak, before engaging Alduin in a final battle in the realm of Sovngarde and destroying him, thus ending the threats that besieged the world.

The Saint Mother[]

In 4E 202, some time after her battles in Skyrim, Aerissa began to see visions of Auri-El which led her to become a devout worshiper over time. She eventually went into seclusion within the Forgotten Vale to pray and study at the Temple of Auri-El under the tutelage of its last occupants, Knight-Paladin Gelebor and the ghosts of the Chantry's former-Prelates; during this time, Aerissa and Gelebor grew very close to one another.

Most of Aerissa's time at the temple was spent deciphering the meaning behind her visions of Auri-El. Gelebor's understanding of them were that the god-king was attempting to ask for her help but for what, he did not know. Eventually, as her connection to her spirituality grew deeper, Aerissa would be contacted by Auri-El again -- not in a vision, but in a worldly manifestation. He placed his hand on her stomach and through his touch, a light traveled into her stomach. Auri-El then told her that she and her heirs were His chosen to unify the world and from her bloodline, a hero that carried His light would be born to lead Nirn in its darkest days and deliver salvation upon it.

At that moment, Auri-El vanished and Aerissa knew at that moment that she would have to depart from the temple to begin her holy crusade to unify Tamriel and, eventually, all of Nirn. Gelebor, believing that he could serve Auri-El better with Aerissa, pledged himself to her and followed.

War of Conquest[]

Aerissa's Conquest 00

Aerissa leads her army. (4E 205)

Aerissa's emergence from the Vale was announced by the Greybeards' summons, which hadn't been heard since she first learned of her identity as Dovahkiin. From them, she learned of the death of Titus II and the chaos that ensued from it which left the Empire on the brink of civil war and collapse -- it was then that Aerissa decided it was her holy duty to end the chaos and reunify the Empire through conquest. Aerissa journeyed to Sky Haven to regain the allegiance of the Blades, only to learn that Delphine had died, making her the new Grandmaster. She bolstered the Orders forces by knighting many new members and eventually reformed the Blades into the Dragonknights -- a knightly order sworn to act as Aerissa's personal guard and agents.

She later traveled to Solitude to speak with General Tullius, her former-commander, to persuade him to join her caused. After a discussion about events that transpired over the year, Tullius proclaimed that Aerissa had done more for the people of Tamriel than anyone on the Elder Council and that she was the best possible candidate to sit on the Ruby Throne. It was then that Tullius and his Legates swore their fealty to her, giving her command over the legion that they commanded.

Already beloved and trusted in Skyrim, it did not take long to consolidate power with the province's Jarls. Before departing to conquer the rest of Tamriel, however, Aerissa began using her thu'um to bring surviving dragons to heel and bolster her forces even greater. She and the vast majority of her army swept west across High Rock, pushing as far as Wayrest with minimal bloodshed -- the sheer threat of a dragon army was enough to cause even the mighty Orsinium to bend the knee and swear their their fealty. She eventually conquered both High Rock and Hammerfell before finally unleashing the full might of her army against the Elder Council. In the Summer of 4E 205, Aerissa and her entire army marched into Cyrodiil and captured the Imperial capital with the help of her long-lost family Algor and Theron, and the small army that they led.

After capturing the Imperial City, Aerissa proclaimed herself Empress. With no detractors to oppose her claim, the interregnum was declared over and a new empire was formed. Soon afterward, war with the Aldmeri Dominion began and Aerissa used her friendships with powerful individuals within Morrowind's House Redoran and House Telvanni to consolidate power in that province as well. Elsweyr's leaders knelt to Aerissa next then Valenwood, a victory which could be heavily attributed to the renewed rebellion in that province, and before she could even send her armies against them the An-Xileel leadership of Argonia came to her and offered their allegiance to her. With every other province of Tamriel now under her control more or less, Aerissa led her final assault of the war in 4E 207, in which the vast majority of the Thalmor's leadership was devoured by dragons and the conflict came to its conclusion.

Later Life[]

After the war, Empress Aerissa spent the rest of her reign consolidating power and rebuilding a land marred by war. Under her rule, Tamriel was restored to the beauty it once held and beyond, being united for the first time since the Septim Dynasty. She had the Inner Sanctum within the Forgotten Vale completely restored and many Altmer worshipers of Auri-El became the temple's caretakers.

She also married Gelebor, who fought valiantly and stood loyally by her through her crusade, and birthed numerous children with him. Aerissa died in 5E 580, at more than 600 years of age, and her passing was mourned for 180 days. She was recognized by many as one of Tamriel's greatest rulers and became the subject of legends. She was succeeded as Emperor by her eldest son, Sirendor.

Quotes by Aerissa[]

Quotes about Aerissa[]

List of appearances[]

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