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Lore:Martin Septim

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Martin Septim
LG-cardart-Martin Septim.png
Martin Septim In the Chapel of Akatosh
Race Imperial Gender Male
Born Third Era
Died 3E 433
Temple of the One
Resided in Kvatch, Cyrodiil
Reign 3E 433-
3E 433
Previous Ruler Uriel Septim VII
Next Ruler Ocato of Firsthold
Appears in Oblivion, Legends
Unbeknownst even to himself, Martin was the bastard son of Uriel Septim VII, and the last heir to the Ruby Throne. He alone could use the Amulet of Kings to light the Dragonfires that wards the barrier between Tamriel and Oblivion, and save the world from the Mythic Dawn plot. — The Oblivion Crisis

Martin Septim was the illegitimate son of Uriel Septim VII and a mysterious mother.[nb 1] Martin was spirited away as an infant by Jauffre, the Grandmaster of the Blades.[1] Martin grew up knowing nothing of this, and eventually became a Priest of Akatosh in the city of Kvatch. That was where he found himself when his father and half-brothers were assassinated by the Mythic Dawn, leaving him as the unwitting sole heir to the Ruby Throne at the onset of the Oblivion Crisis. Blades agents were able to find Martin and keep him safe until the end of the crisis, when the uncrowned Emperor of Tamriel was forced to sacrifice himself to stop Mehrunes Dagon.[2]

HistoryEdit

Uriel VII asked Jauffre for updates on Martin's progress from time to time,[1] but that was the extent of the Emperor's relationship with his son. That is, until the 27th of Last Seed, the year of Akatosh 433, when the Emperor gave his final instructions to a prisoner he had just met: to find his son, and close shut the jaws of Oblivion.[3]

Rude AwakeningsEdit

"We threw ourselves into the riddles of daedric magic. We hungered for forbidden secrets. Knowledge and power were our gods. You can guess the rest. We got in over our heads. People died. My friends died. I've put those days behind me. But the bitter wisdom that one has been a fool is not without value."
 
Martin fighting a member of the Mythic Dawn

Martin grew up thinking his father was a farmer. As a young man, Martin was an apprentice of the Mages Guild, but like many of his fellow peers he grew impatient with its restrictions. As knowledge and power were their "gods", he and his friends turned to worshipping Sanguine, learning much about the riddles of the magic of daedra. At one point, he briefly possessed the Sanguine Rose.[nb 2] Martin eventually turned away from daedra worship after a tragedy befell him which involved the deaths of several friends, which he attributed to getting in over his head, hungering for forbidden secrets. He rededicated himself to the Nine Divines and became Brother Martin, a Priest of Akatosh at Kvatch's Chapel of Akatosh.[4] When the daedra attacked Kvatch, he joined others in barricading themselves inside the Chapel, and he reportedly saved many lives.[5] The prisoner Uriel VII had trusted, newly minted as the "Hero of Kvatch" for closing the Oblivion Gate at the city, persuaded Martin to come with them to see Jauffre.[6]

Martin and the hero found their way to Weynon Priory only to discover it was being sacked by the Mythic Dawn. They arrived just in time to save Jauffre, but the damage was done: the Dawn found and stole the Amulet of Kings. Jauffre led Martin to the safety of Cloud Ruler Temple, the most secure fortress of the Blades in all of Cyrodiil, where they hailed him as Dragonborn.[7]

Fighting the DawnEdit

From Cloud Ruler Temple, Martin led the effort to unravel the Mythic Dawn's plans and reacquire the Amulet of Kings. Though unsure of himself, he ironically found great strength in his darkest demons, as his experiences with daedric magic had made him well-educated on the nature of the crisis they faced.[8] He proved quite adept at assessing the threat and working out plans to turn the tables on their enemy. When the Hero of Kvatch brought him the Mysterium Xarxes, he was able to protect himself from its evil magic and learned enough from it to devise a plan to track down Mankar Camoran and take back the Amulet of Kings.[9]

Eventually, at Martin's request, Countess Narina Carvain of Bruma allowed a Great Gate to be opened outside her city, and Martin led the defense of the city himself while his champion, the Hero of Kvatch, entered the gate to recover the materials they needed to reach Mankar and the Amulet. When the hero emerged from the closing gate, it was as the Savior of Bruma. Martin opened a portal to Mankar Camoran's realm of Paradise, and the Savior of Bruma entered to reclaim the Amulet. As always, Uriel VII's chosen messenger got back to Martin victorious.[9]

Emperor Martin Septim IEdit

 
Martin as the Avatar of Akatosh

With the Amulet in hand, Brother Martin was proclaimed Emperor Martin Septim I by High Chancellor Ocato, but before he could actually take the throne or be crowned, Mehrunes Dagon launched a last-ditch attack upon the Imperial City to stop him, opening Oblivion Gates all over the city and manifesting personally as a red, four-armed, colossal giant. The veil of Oblivion was torn, the Dragonfires rendered useless, and Dagon himself stood in the heart of Tamriel, intent on its destruction. But his plan would prove fruitless, for once again, Martin had a better one.[10]

Martin and his escort fought their way from the White-Gold Tower to the Temple of the One, where Martin shattered the Amulet of Kings, transforming himself into an avatar of Akatosh (and thereby Mantling Akatosh and achieving Apotheosis according to some sources).[UOL 1][UOL 2] Dagon was defeated, after which the avatar turned into a statue at the center of the ruined temple. The enormous feat cost Martin's life to perform, but his sacrifice "sealed the gates of Oblivion forever", and ensured that the Daedra could never again threaten the people of Tamriel. The new barrier was noted to be too powerful for even a Sigil Stone, an object in the presence of which it was said even "a thousand soul gems would likely dissolve", to breach for more than fleeting moments.[10][11][4][12] Of course, conjecture about what actually happened is rampant across Tamriel,[2] the Nords have passed down stories believing Martin turned into the spirit of Akatosh and "killed" Mehrunes Dagon,[13] while on the contrary the Thalmor have tried to take credit for ending the crisis.[14] Despite this, Martin Septim is still generally, and rightfully, acclaimed as the true savior of Tamriel.[2][14][15] The Hero of Kvatch would also ruminate on Martin's sacrifice, speculating whether he was dead, or whether he might've ascended to join his ancestor Tiber Septim as a god.[16]

GalleryEdit

  • Brother Martin
    (Oblivion Remastered)

  • In Imperial Dragon armor
    (Oblivion)

  • Martin as the avatar of Akatosh
    (Oblivion)

  • Martin in an Oblivion Remastered poster (left)

NotesEdit

  • 1. Martin's mother is not known, but Caius Cosades suspected it was "that Gemile girl" that Uriel VII had "put out of the way" right after the Warp in the West.[UOL 3]
  • 2. That Martin worshipped Sanguine specifically is inferred from his remarks that he was part of a Daedric cult in his youth and that he once briefly possessed Sanguine's Rose.
  • An early design document for the Atmoran Pantheon in Skyrim stated that Nords believed that it was Talos (Martin's forefather) lending his aid instead of Akatosh, but this idea was ultimately scrapped when the totemic religion was discarded in favor of using the Imperial Nine Divines.[UOL 4]
  • In 4E 201, the Daedric Prince Sheogorath, who had been the Hero of Kvatch, described Martin as "the best Septim that's ever ruled", but also noted that Martin had "turned into a dragon god", which was "hardly sporting" towards the other Septims.[17]

See AlsoEdit

ReferencesEdit

  1. ^ a b Jauffre's dialogue in Oblivion
  2. ^ a b c The Oblivion Crisis — Praxis Sarcorum, Imperial Historian
  3. ^ Emperor Uriel Septim's dialogue in Oblivion
  4. ^ a b Martin's dialogue in Oblivion
  5. ^ Tierra's dialogue in Oblivion
  6. ^ Breaking the Siege of Kvatch quest in Oblivion
  7. ^ Weynon Priory quest in Oblivion
  8. ^ The Path of Dawn quest in Oblivion
  9. ^ a b Events of Oblivion
  10. ^ a b Light the Dragonfires quest in Oblivion
  11. ^ Excavation Leader's Journal in Skyrim
  12. ^ Vonos' Journal — Vonos
  13. ^ Alduin is Real — Thromgar Iron-Head
  14. ^ a b Rising Threat — Lathenil of Sunhold
  15. ^ Sheogorath's dialogue in Skyrim
  16. ^ Quest logs during Light the Dragonfires in Oblivion
  17. ^ Sheogorath's dialogue in Skyrim

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. ^ Michael Kirkbride's Posts
  2. ^ Kurt Kuhlmann's comments on Decrypting The Elder Scrolls — Game Informer article
  3. ^ Caius Cosades' Visit to Uriel VII's Tomb
  4. ^ The Nords' Totemic Religion
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