Prologue: A Historian's Introduction

While Skyrim is surely the Land of Nords, this doesn't mean that compelling lives weren't forged in the shadows of our nation's snowcapped mountains by other races. As this journal clearly demonstrates, a Red Guard and native of the desert lands of Hamerfell, Fida, lived a noteworthy life and blazed a trail unique in the annals of Skyrim history--if not all of Tamriel's. Surely his life will stand as a parable for future generations to contemplate.

Fida's journal, which has been corroborated by numerous first-person records of the time, give us a clear picture of his life in Skyrim. Records of his early life in Hammerfell and subsequent stints in Tamreil's other provinces are often spotty.

The best scholars can surmise is he was born in 4E 167in Hammerfell's Sentinal kingdom. His mother appears to have died in childbirth. His father, a locally well-respected blacksmith, didn't fair much better, dying in a civil conflict in Fida's fourth year. (Whatever psychological impacts this had on Fida's life is pure speculation.) It appears he was taken in by his paternal uncle, also a sound blacksmith, but bounced around from relative to relative. He seems to have been a difficult adolescent to have reared and the extended family tried to spread the burden. 

While his childhood and family life were less than idyllic, Fida's exposure to armor and weaponry throughout his youth seems to have paid off. He separated himself from his peers in swordsmanship in a culture that covets aptitude in all things combat and martial arts. His prodigious skill set was highly sought after. He was recruited by and became a member of the the Order of the Candle, the Sentinal kingdom's knightly fraternity and official protectors and warriors. He showed much promise and quickly rose through the order's ranks. His warrior proficiencies were well known throughout the region. It is said his prowesses were so great he never suffered a scratch in combat. 

In one skirmish between kingdoms though, his life took a turn for the worst. He received a wound to his face that nearly cost him an eye. Perhaps because he was unaccustomed to being injured, always being the inflictor of pain, he fled the battlefield in a panic. His departure left a void of warrior cunning and leadership, sending his troops into disastrous chaos. A handful of his order's brothers were subsequently lost. 

He is alleged to have turn to drink for months and hid in the slums of Sentinal. After three months, he approached the Order's headquarters. The leadership is said to have wanted to kill him on sight but deferred to the king's judgement. Sentinal's king, known for his decisiveness, anguished for hours over the proper punishment for Fida's cowardice. When the verdict was rendered, he cited Fida's sterling service record and battlefield accomplishments to that point as reason for sparing his life, opting instead to banish him from all of Hammerfell to live an outcast life of disgrace. Many of the time believed the otherwise firm king granted leniency because Fida had saved his young daughter from bandits seeking a handsome ransom years earlier. In 4E 196, Fida left the only land he'd ever known.

There are few authenticated records, outside of Fida's journal, to tell us much about the next five years of his life. What little we do know if he resorted to becoming a sword for hire, plying his craft to the highest bidder. When law enforcement seemed to be closing in, he'd escape to the next region or different country. It's likely he was essentially a roaming vagabond who made ends meet using the only skill he ever knew and was taught to value.

Accounts vary, but in 4E 201 he was captured by Imperial troops and for reasons unclear was immediately sentenced to death. Apparently the initial dragon outbreak was of immense benefit to him, saving his head from the executioner's ax. Shortly after, he started up this journal that has been passed on through the ages and transcribed for your benefit. His observations of, and sometimes participation in, the turbulent events of such a consequential time are invaluable.

May Fida's Perils enthrall and enlighten as you take fledgling steps into forging your own journey and place in history. 

-Asger Spearman
(Historian Laureate, Blue Palace)

(You can watch Fida's adventures in the new series: Fida's Peril, both Live and archived in Videos, on my Twitch Channel!)