Lore:Brisienna Magnessen

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Lady Brisienna Magnessen
DF-npc-Lady Brisienna (face).png
Lady Brisienna Magnessen
Race Nord Gender Female
Born 3rd Era
Appears in Daggerfall
Brisienna, Lady Magnessen, emissary of the Emperor

Lady Brisienna Magnessen (formally styled Brisienna, Lady Magnessen, informally Lady Brisienna or Lady Magnessen) was a noblewoman and also a highly skilled agent of the Blades during the reign of Emperor Uriel Septim VII.[1] She was the sister of the Great Knight, the leader of the Blades at that time.[1][2]

Lady Brisienna was once in the employ of Queen Mynisera of Daggerfall, though she was secretly the Emperor's agent in the kingdom's court.[2][3] However, after King Lysandus was killed during the War of Betony, Brisienna found herself out of favor with the new regime and was forced into hiding. Nevertheless, she remained the Emperor's emissary in High Rock, assisting another agent sent by the Emperor to investigate Lysandus' death. Lady Magnessen was instrumental in helping this agent recover a powerful artifact, an act which led directly to the event known as the Warp in the West.[1][4]

At some point, Lady Brisienna evidently caught some of the public's imagination, as she was featured as a character in the popular historical fiction Mystery of Talara.

History[edit]

Personal Life[edit]

Little is known about Brisienna's life outside of her work with the Blades. Though she was a Nord, her political connections ran deep in many kingdoms of Hammerfell and High Rock that surrounded the Iliac Bay.[1][2][5] Her only known family was a brother, known only as the Great Knight, who was rumored to lead the Blades.[1][5]

Lady Brisienna was also a friend of Lord Naigon Strale, the future Imperial Ambassador to Wayrest.[4] The pair were featured as characters in the novel Mystery of Talara. The novel's depiction of Brisienna choosing "the most public of places for her most private of conferences" is an accurate description of her techniques.[1][6]

The War of Betony[edit]

Queen Mynisera
Queen Aubk-i

In the early years of the Fifth Century of the Third Era, Lady Brisienna was a member of—and secretly the Emperor's agent in[7]—the court of Daggerfall.[1][2] There, she served Queen Mynisera as her lady-in-waiting.[3][5]

Such was the case in 3E 401, when the Emperor learned of the discovery of the Totem of Tiber Septim, an artifact that would allow its bearer to control Tiber Septim's ancient weapon, Numidium.[8] It was in the hands of Lord Woodborne, a minor noble of Wayrest. Uriel VII wrote to Mynisera, asking the queen to use her influence with the court of Wayrest to "persuade" Lord Woodborne to give her or Lady Brisienna the Totem, on his behalf.[9] Some claim the letter was actually meant for Brisienna, with a special seal used to alert the Blades agent to this effect.[5] In the end, however, the letter never reached either of them.[1]

In 3E 402, the War of Betony erupted between the kingdoms of Daggerfall and Sentinel. As a result of this conflict, the Emperor's agent was unable to reach Queen Mynisera, and hired a courier to deliver the Emperor's letter when it was possible.[7][10] The war ended the following year; Daggerfall emerged victorious, though King Lysandus was killed in the climactic battle at Cryngaine Field (in reality, assassinated).[1] Prince Gothryd was crowned the new King of Daggerfall, and took the princess of Sentinel, Aubk-i, as his new Queen.[11] The courier was finally able to deliver the letter, but as it was addressed to "the Queen of Daggerfall", it was delivered to Aubk-i.[12] Lady Brisienna soon found herself out of favor with the court. With her position compromised and fearing her life was in danger, Brisienna went into hiding.[7]

The Warp in the West[edit]

After many adventures, the agent revealed that Lord Woodborne was Lysandus' murderer, and brought him down.[13] Some time after, Lady Brisienna and the Blades sacked Woodborne Hall, but by then the Totem was in the hands of Woodborne's co-conspirator, King Gothryd.[7] The two operatives met once more, and Brisienna, fearing the power of Numidium in the wrong hands could lead to a civil war, offered the agent the famed Warlock's Ring in exchange for retrieving the Totem from the treasury of Castle Daggerfall.[14]

The artifact was recovered, and the word quickly spread; six other powers around the Iliac Bay also made offers for the Totem. And while Lady Brisienna was awarded the Totem, so were each of the other claimants—simultaneously.[1][4] After one more adventure to recover Numidium's heart, the golem was activated by each bearer of the Totem on the 9th of Frostfall, 3E 417.[4][15] In what became known as the Warp in the West, time and space were distorted as the Numidium-led armies of Daggerfall, Sentinel, Wayrest, and Orsinium did battle across the Iliac Bay region. The event ended on the 11th, as the Imperial forces—their Numidium's ferocity tempered by the Blades—crushed the rebellious armies and brought order to the region. Numidium was apparently annihilated in the process, and peace eventually settled across the warring lands, though their political borders were permanently changed.[1][15][4] Lady Brisienna was known to be in the vicinity of Wayrest during the Warp,[4] but if she survived the chaos, her later actions have remained unrecorded.

See Also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Events of Daggerfall
  2. ^ a b c d The Daggerfall Chronicles — Ronald Wartow
  3. ^ a b Instructions from the Empire quest in Daggerfall
  4. ^ a b c d e f The Warp in the West — Ulvius Tero
  5. ^ a b c d The Elder Scrolls - 10th Anniversary, originally found at Elderscrolls.com
  6. ^ Mystery of Talara, v 3 — Mera Llykith
  7. ^ a b c d Lady Brisienna's dialogue in Daggerfall
  8. ^ The Mantella Revealed — Letter 2
  9. ^ Uriel Septim VII's letter to Queen Mynisera
  10. ^ The Daggerfall Chronicles narrative
  11. ^ The War of Betony — Vulper Newgate, 3E 404
  12. ^ Mynisera's dialogue in Daggerfall
  13. ^ Events of Lysandus' Revenge in Daggerfall
  14. ^ Events of Totem, Totem, Who Gets the Totem? in Daggerfall
  15. ^ a b Events of Journey to Aetherius in Daggerfall
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