[h1][CENTER][color=0072bc]ARNVIDR FROST-WEAVER[/color][/CENTER][/h1]
[hr]

When Arnvidr was approached by agents from the Blades, recruiting him to be part of a secret division referred to as 'Hidden Militia' he was sceptical. After all, ever since the Oblivion Crisis, the Empire under the Mede Dynasty had been far too preoccupied with inner Cyrodiil matters to care about the provinces, let alone the threat brewing to the South in the Aldmeri Dominion. They had grown too complacent, thinking of themselves to still be the Septim Empire with its dominance over Tamriel, even when—if you look at history—the Septim Empire had already been in decline ever since the Imperial Simulacrum. One would have thought that the Umbriel Crisis would have been the wake-up call for the Empire to get their act together, but it turned out they became even more entrenched in inner Cyrodiilic politics instead of paying attention to what has been happening in the rest of the world.

Which was why, when he was given the basic outline of what the Hidden Militia sought to do, he was pleasantly surprised. It was a proactive approach to start strengthening and consolidating power—which, Arnvidr suspects was done in anticipation of a possible war against the Dominion—he might not agree with all the Empire had done since then, but a more proactive stance that concerned itself with matters outside of Cyrodiil was a promising start.

He had his issues with the Empire, even now, but if it was between the Empire and the Aldmeri Dominion, he would have picked the Empire every time. And at present, the Empire was the bulwark they needed against the predation of the Aldmeri Dominion. His ideal scenario would be of an independent Skyrim, returned to its glory days, but the current Skyrim was so far removed from their actual culture. They were nought but Colovian Cyrodiilic with a superficial Nord coat of paint. They had nothing that made the Nords and the Imperial great and all of their worst aspects. In short, Skyrim as it was, was nowhere ready for the Aldmeri Dominion on its own.

Therefore, he made the decision to join the Hidden Militia and support the Empire, despite his misgivings of the Empire.

He was rather surprised that their first meeting took place in a priory, however. He supposed the Alessian Nine Divines was the state religion of the Empire, but he wasn't quite sure why a Confessor of the Alessian Church would be this involved.

Nevertheless, as the woman offered to bestow the blessing of Talos, Arnvidr shrugged, before replying, [color=0072bc]"I do not worship Talos as a Divine, but I will take the help offered."[/color]

Indeed, he had no qualms about doing so. Unlike most in the Alessian Church that would have seen the Nordic Pantheon, he worshipped as 'heathen worship' his view was more nuanced. In the first place, most of the Nine Divines Priests were Restoration mages, using spells that were named after the Divines. But even were this one was one of the rare anomalies, Talos had its place even in the Nordic Pantheon, as one of the many aspects of Ysmir, such as Wulfharth and Pelinal. Traditionally, even as recent as the end of the Third Era, these aspects of Ysmirs had been venerated in the many hero cults of the Nords, though not as Ysmir himself. It was in the past 200 years since the Oblivion Crisis that due to cultural assimilation, the Nordic Pantheon had been completely eroded and replaced by the Nine Divines, with many Nords confusing Talos for Ysmir. But he digressed, the point was even in the Nordic Pantheon, Talos had its place, so he did not mind receiving a blessing from Talos.