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Lore:Leovic

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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
Reign 2E 564-
2E 577
Previous Ruler Moricar
Next Ruler Varen Aquilarios
Resided in Imperial City
Anvil
Deadlands
Appears in ESO
"The Emperor is dead. Long live the Emperor!" —Leovic, in undeath[1]

Emperor Leovic was the third and final emperor of the Reachman dynasty, called the Longhouse Emperors, who ruled the Empire of Cyrodiil during the Interregnum. Leovic is described as the most Imperialized and cosmopolitan of the Longhouse Emperors due to being born in Cyrodiil and having rarely visited the Reach.[2][3] As the years went on, Leovic's reign was said to have gotten more and more troubled.[4][2] He was preceded by his father, Moricar, and was succeeded by Varen Aquilarios.[3]

BiographyEdit

Early LifeEdit

Leovic was born in 2E 542 to Emperor Moricar and was the first of the Longhouse Emperors to be born in Cyrodiil instead of in the Reach, where his father and grandfather had been born.[3] 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.[2][3] Leovic is said to have been raised and taught by his steward, Farrul Lupus.[5] Some even considered him to be over-educated and spoiled.[2]

When Prince Leovic came back from a successful campaign against border raiders, the Tharn family was in the Great Hall with the Elder Council and great nobles to receive him. His father, Emperor Moricar, praised the prince and decreed that he could name his reward. Prince Leovic didn't hesitate, walking right up to the Tharns and saying, "Your Majesty, I want the Chancellor's daughter." He spoke of High Chancellor Abnur Tharn's daughter Clivia, and though the Chancellor had many daughters, it was understood by all which one he meant.[6][3] Leovic married Clivia at some point after this.[7][6][3] In 2E 561, Leovic and Moricar spent much of their time in the Imperial Palace preparing sacrifices to Mehrunes Dagon with rituals that would finally see the creation of the long-promised Daedric Weapons.[3][8]

Emperor of CyrodiilEdit

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.[9][10][3][11] Upon Moricar's death, Leovic inherited the bargains made with Mehrunes Dagon by Moricar and Durcorach.[5][11][12] Early in Leovic's reign, the Imperial Court is said to have felt much more like the courts that existed before Durcorach's conquest of Cyrodiil.[2] 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.[2] The Icereach Coven served as advisers to Leovic during his reign, as did a Reachman later known as "the Rat".[3][13] According to the Rat, Leovic had a good sense of humor and curiosity.[14][15]

As Leovic's reign continued, he began to embrace more and more of his Reachfolk heritage.[2][3] This embracement was initially minor, such as the placement of Reach fetishes in the Imperial Palace and demands for the kitchen to retrieve the recipes preferred by Durcorach and Moricar.[2] But eventually he had idols and shrines dedicated to the Daedric Princes installed around the Imperial throne room, and eventually he began to be seen as more and more eccentric by his subjects.[2][3][16]

Anvil Castle hosted Emperor Leovic and his court four times during the late 2E 560s.[17][UOL 1] Leovic often visited the Gold Coast during the summer months.[18] Locals used to consider the visionary policies and leadership of Emperor Leovic to have dramatically increased safety across their shores.[19] The Imperial Navy, tasked by the Emperor with patrolling the Abecean Sea, ensured safety and security across the region, guarding the coast against piracy.[19] Some accounts suggest that as of 2E 566, he was well-liked by many, and mention instances of him waving to his loyal 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.[17][UOL 1] After the so-called "Anvil Commotion" of Mid Year 2E 569, he and his court never returned to the Gold Coast again.[17][UOL 1] Leovic sought to show the world the ways of the Reachfolk, and saw Anvil as too "fat and still" and needing correction.[17] His visits were met with him being treated lavishly, and his message was not understood, which angered him.[17]  And so he threw his wine, upended the feast table, and tore the silk finery he had been gifted.[17] When Anvil's court did not "forgo its decadence", he saw Anvil as a lost cause.[17]

At some point, the Emperor put out a request for an Alik'ri trader to transport a shipment of arms across the desert, eventually resulting in a trader named Afarh accepting the opportunity and having his family's estates and businesses seized by the Empire after the caravan was waylaid by bandits.[20] Circa 2E 568, Consul Cardea was sent from her post in the Imperial City by Leovic to aid his cousin, the Imperial Governor of Markarth, Caddach, as an administrator and to provide a conduit between Cyrodiil and the Reach.[21][22] 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.[23][24]

In 2E 576, a revolt against Leovic led by an erstwhile supporter, Duke Varen Aquilarios of Chorrol, was triggered due to Leovic's legalization of Daedra worship in the Empire.[3][16][25] Leovic was intent on completing the bargain of the Four Ambitions that he inherited from his father.[5][11][12] Unfortunately for Leovic, the Four Ambitions weren't ready by the time the revolt broke out, with their "time" still a few years away, but had they been ready, he would have used them to crush Varen's revolt and save his legacy.[26] He attempted to appeal to Mehrunes Dagon for assistance in stopping the revolt, but this appears to have been unsuccessful.[26] He also prepared for the possibility of his defeat, and hid the Four Ambitions so they would not fall into the hands of Varen.[27][28][29] Leovic hid secret documents and clues to the whereabouts of the Four Ambitions, finding it imperative that the promises made to Mehrunes Dagon be upheld and honored in full.[26][5][29]

Death and AftermathEdit

 
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.[3][16][7] Varen subsequently discarded Leovic's corpse in the tombs located in the Imperial City Sewers.[30][15][14] When Leovic was overthrown, the remaining Reachmen retreated from the Imperial Province.[4][3][10] Upon hearing that Leovic had been overthrown, 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.[31][4] In 2E 582, Leovic's corpse was discovered and reanimated first as a zombie and then as a flesh atronach by Worm Cultists, shortly before being destroyed by soldiers fighting in the Three Banners War.[32] His dealings with Mehrunes Dagon, whom his father suspected would renege on his promise of power,[33][34] led to his soul being sent to the Deadlands after his death.[35]

GalleryEdit

NotesEdit

  • A tiny phial containing the blood of Leovic was supposedly collected at his regicide.[36]
  • Cut files from ESO indicate a quest involving Proserpina, a concubine of Emperor Leovic that bore him a child, was cut before release.[UOL 2]
  • Leovic is considered the scion of the Tagh Droiloch.[37]

See AlsoEdit

BooksEdit

ReferencesEdit

  1. ^ Emperor Leovic's dialogue in ESO: Imperial City
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Audiences with the Longhouse EmperorsSentanus Marillin, aide to the Elder Council
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Secret History of the Longhouse EmperorsCouncilor Vandacia
  4. ^ a b c Report on the Despot of MarkarthLady Nilene Devierin of Stormhaven, Teller of Tales
  5. ^ a b c d Deciphered Imperial DocumentEmperor Leovic, deciphered by Beragon
  6. ^ a b Meet the Character - Clivia TharnMagus-General Septima Tharn
  7. ^ a b Chronicles of the Five Companions 4Abnur Tharn
  8. ^ Events of Weapons of Destruction in ESO: Blackwood
  9. ^ A Year Among the Eagleseer ClanGlabrian Tuliel, University of Gwylim
  10. ^ a b The Wolf of SolitudePjetr the Skald, of the Bards College
  11. ^ a b c Secrets of Moricar the InheritorDevastator Irenian Dast
  12. ^ a b Xynaa's Book of ContractsXynaa
  13. ^ Meet the Character - Mother CiannaitOptio Cornelia Midara
  14. ^ a b The Rat's dialogue in ESO: Imperial City
  15. ^ a b Mycaelis Julus Answers Your QuestionsMycaelis Julus and the Rat
  16. ^ a b c Eulogy for Emperor VarenLord Abnur Tharn, Chancellor of the Elder Council
  17. ^ a b c d e f g Vateshran Calbokh's dialogue in ESO: Markarth
  18. ^ a b Gold Coast Guide, Part TwoAstinia Isauricus
  19. ^ a b c Gold Coast Guide, Part OneAstinia Isauricus
  20. ^ Josajeh's dialogue in ESO: Summerset
  21. ^ Scary Tales of the Deep FolkCassia Volcatia, Traveling Scribe
  22. ^ Politics of the ReachConsul Cardea, the Ard's Administrator, 2E 578
  23. ^ The Improved Emperor's Guide to Tamriel: Author ForewordFlaccus Terentius, 2E 581
  24. ^ The Improved Emperor's Guide to Tamriel: CyrodiilFlaccus Terentius, 2E 581
  25. ^ The Frostfall CoupTandemen, Sapiarch of Foreign Observations
  26. ^ a b c The Journal of Emperor LeovicEmperor Leovic
  27. ^ Councilor Jirich's Records — Emperor Leovic
  28. ^ Preserve the SecretHigh Priest Vandacia
  29. ^ a b Emperor Leovic's dialogue in ESO: The Deadlands
  30. ^ Groundskeeper's LetterGroundskeeper Gavros
  31. ^ History of Markarth: A Story in StoneConsul Cardea, the Ard's Administrator
  32. ^ Emperor Leovic in ESO: Imperial City
  33. ^ Emperor Moricar's dialogue in ESO: The Deadlands
  34. ^ Partially Hidden JournalMoricar
  35. ^ Events of The Last Ambition in ESO: The Deadlands
  36. ^ Phial of Leovic's Blood item description in ESO
  37. ^ Chronicles of the Five Companions 5Abnur Tharn

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.