Mariber Sicarius


 * "'I am the Gray Ranger, warlord of the Covenant and Commander of the Free Armies of Skyrim, and the only barbarity you're going to find around me is what I can do with my blade!'"
 * "―Mariber Sicarius"

Mariber Sicarius, sibling of the famed General Kaillus Sicarius, was the Commander of the Free Armies of Skyrim for most of the Covenant Wars. Mariber was originally a legionnaire from the County of Bravil, where he lived his early life. During the Bravil conflict against the Thieves Guild, Mariber Sicarius quickly learned the art of war, specializing in swordfighting. Quickly amassing a great number of kills as a guard, he became respected, but at the same time, feared. He eventually met the female Imperial Rilana Cosatius, a master with the sword, when he was deployed to Morthal with his brother. The two became very close before Mariber was once again deployed to Markarth and returned only to find Rilana had married his brother. Heartbroken, Mariber Sicarius deserted the Imperial Legion and turned all his anger and grief toward his brother. Aided by his elite, he sabotaged the Imperial Legion in Morthal and then swarmed their headquarters, which allowed Kellogg's Rebellion to take over the city. The Imperial Legion of Skyrim turned to the Empire for help, and the surrogates that deserted with Mariber were executed by the Order of the Blades, Mariber being the only survivor.

After being made Commander of the Free Armies of the Covenant, Mariber proceeded to wreak havoc on the Empire for the eight-year–span of the Covenant Wars. The general was turned into a Scion vampire by Er-Shei Rak'tee, who was also part of the Blood Pact. Mariber was a quick study and eventually came to be recognized as one of the most skilled duelists in Tamriel. Aided by his Gray Rangers, Mariber killed many Blades, and led the Covenant to victory in many battles. Quickly gaining a reputation as a savage, merciless brute as well as a tactical genius, the mercenary struck fear into the hearts of many with his flagship, the Fist of Bal.

In 4E 234, Mariber led the Covenant Armies in the Battle of the Imperial City, an attack on the Empire's capital. Sicarius killed several Blades. However, their numbers were defeated and his King, Bor Roman, went missing along with his Protectorate, Er-Shei Rak'tee. Sicarius fled to the lands of Elsweyr and attempted to regain control of the war, though the Covenant had been dealt a great blow with the loss of both Er-Shei and Bor. Sicarius was found shortly after by Dalacard Rethwode. The Battle of Senchal ensued, Mariber escaped the inevitable defeat and the Covenant was dismantled soon after, with the signing of the Accords of Whiterun.

Service to the Empire
Mariber Sicarius was born into the prestigious and powerful Sicarius family of Bravil in the waning days of the Mede Empire. He had an older brother, Kaillus Sicarius. The two youths entered a prestigious military academy and, on graduating, joined the Imperial Outland Provinces Security Force, an anti-crime task force which served to defend the provinces such as Skyrim, more speficially to Morthal, where he was realocated to.

At that time, as the tensions in Skyrim grew, Mariber Sicarius was a visible public figure in the Empire's efforts to counter the secessionist movement of the Stormcloak Rebellion. As rebellious activity spread into Morthal, Mariber negotiated with the Order of the Blades to bolster the sector's defenses, managing to get a squadron of Blades assigned to Morthal. Mariber personally welcomed the Blades detachment to the gates of the city in a public ceremony before speaking with Blade Master Ekone, the leader of the contingent, concerning increasing security for the vital trade routes that crossed the city, which was threatened by rebellious strength in the neighboring cities.

Around the time of his deployment to Skyrim, Sicarius learned of a promising tactician, whose advances had revolutionized the defenses of the Morthal Guard, performing exceptionally in the training of guerrilla corps. Mariber began investigating.. He discovered that this seeming genius was in fact Rilana Cosatius, an Imperial that had graduated alongside him and his brother in the military academy. Seeing in her a potentially great legionnaire, Mariber assigned her to his personal staff, and enlisted her to train also the citizens of Morthal to resist the deceptions of the stormcloaks.

Smitten with Rilana, he began a relationship. In addition to being Mariber's mistress, Rilana was also his protégée; he tutored her in tactics and strategy and guided her ascent through the ranks. As the civil war progressed, Mariber was deployed to Markarth for three months, which led him away from Rilana, despite having invited her to join him. As Mariber returned, however, he found not only Rilana had fallen out of love with him, she had married his older brother. Enraged, Mariber and his most trusted legionnaires defected from the Imperial Legion and went on to sabotage the garrison of Morthal.

For months, Kaillus attempted to stop his crimes in Morthal to no avail. At one point, Morthal declared neutrality and cut off ties with the Imperial Legion, reassigning Kaillus to Solitude and leaving Morthal to Mariber's domain. With the absence of the Imperial Legion, crime rates enhanced greatly, and rulers needed a definitive solution to the many bandits and brigands that had been taking over forts and establishing themselves there. Mariber, along with his fellow rogues, then created the Gray Rangers, who would drive out these bandits out of the forts. However, the Gray Rangers often proved to be ineffective, mostly because they would cut deals with the bandits or trade favors.