The turmoil outside did not concern Duanmu Huai. While the name of the Tribunal spread across the continent, he began establishing branches of the organization everywhere.
The first Tribunal base was not in Skyrim, but in Hammerfell.
The reason was simple. When the Empire signed the White-Gold Concordat with the elves, much of Hammerfell was ceded to the Dominion. The people of Hammerfell would never forgive this. To understand why, one had to recall the Elven War.
According to history, the elves had the upper hand throughout the war, even capturing the Imperial City, where they pillaged and slaughtered. They hunted for the Emperor, hoping to negotiate. The Emperor pretended to yield while secretly rallying his armies. When the elves grew careless, he launched a three-pronged assault to retake the capital.
The humans reclaimed the city, but at terrible cost—three legions annihilated, the rest battered remnants. Using that victory, the Emperor signed the White-Gold Concordat, ending the war.
Politically, it was understandable: the Empire was spent, unable to fight further. Better to secure peace from a position of apparent strength.
But the people of Hammerfell were outraged. To them, surrender after retaking the capital was cowardice. They believed the Empire should have pressed the advantage and driven the long-eared bastards into the sea.
So many in Hammerfell had died—only for their lands to be handed to the very elves who killed them? Never.
Thus, even after the treaty, resistance in Hammerfell raged on. They ignored the Empire's orders to stand down, swearing that even if they all perished, they would reclaim their soil. In truth, Hammerfell had already half-separated from the Empire.
In such a climate, the Tribunal's arrival was a rallying cry. Given their hatred for elves, Duanmu Huai placed the first base in Hammerfell's mountains.
Administration he left to the Night Watch, who had long experience in training soldiers.
There was also the matter of the Tribunal's Holy Codex.
In Starsea Online, this had always been controversial.
By lore, the Tribunal represented the Empire and the Emperor; every Inquisitor fought in his name.
But players often despised the Emperor. Some even called him a heretic, a traitor within humanity. They argued he was no savior, but a manipulator using mankind for his grand schemes.
Their reasoning? Several points.
First: the Emperor banned all human superstition.
At first glance, this was to deny Chaos Gods power through faith. But history showed that humans, god or no god, always developed belief. And in that world, gods truly existed. For players, his decree was absurd, self-deception.
It was like America's Prohibition. Lawmakers thought banning alcohol would end crime, stop domestic abuse, and improve productivity. Instead, bootlegging flourished, crime rose, and the ban failed.
The Emperor's "Imperial Truth" was no different: denying objective reality through will alone. Inevitably, it collapsed.
On the forums, players mocked it: Imperial Truth was not materialism, but idealism.
True dialectical materialism holds that the world is unified in matter, and consciousness is a product of material reality. Materialism does not deny gods outright—it merely denies them until proven. If gods exist objectively, materialism would acknowledge them.
By that logic, in a world where gods and demons are real, Imperial Truth's denial was a lie.
Look at history: Prohibition (1919–1933) failed. Imperial Truth lasted only until the Emperor's death, then collapsed.
Materialism > Idealism. Any attempt to bend or erase reality with will is meaningless.
If gods "don't exist," then stop granting miracles. Denying while still empowering prayers? Hypocrisy.
So players concluded: the Emperor's decree was a colossal mistake. He could have taught mankind to objectively understand gods, instead of blunt denial. Even redefining gods as merely "powerful beings" would have worked better.
His contradictions extended further. Why didn't he repair the Webway before the Great Crusade? He knew it existed. Why wait? Logistics 101: prepare before war. Yet he blundered.
Either the Emperor was not the flawless genius the tomes claimed—or he had darker designs, weaving hidden schemes.
Thus, while Inquisitors swore to protect mankind, they often rejected or even opposed the Emperor's doctrine.
In the old Imperium, Duanmu Huai would have been branded heretic. But with the Empire gone, no one paid his wages, so he acted freely.
The Tribunal's Holy Codex was simple: humanity must be protected above all. Any threat must be destroyed—or, if deemed worthy, spared at an Inquisitor's discretion.
The Tribunal's symbol was a warhammer.
Those blessed by it gained +10% damage against non-human foes.
Hammerfell, land of warriors, was fertile ground. Many Redguards eagerly joined the Tribunal to fight elves.
Everyone awaited the final reckoning.
Meanwhile, Duanmu Huai met an old man.
The Emperor of the Empire—Titus Mede II.
"You wish the Tribunal to cease its war on the Dominion?"
Duanmu Huai's eyes narrowed.
"Yes, great warrior."
The frail emperor nodded. He was not physically imposing, but his bearing still showed strength.
"Now is not the time to break with the Thalmor. The Empire—"
"I think you misunderstand, Your Majesty."
Duanmu Huai raised a hand, cutting him off.
"The Tribunal is not the Empire's friend. As I've said, our sole duty is to destroy threats to mankind. Human politics are none of our concern. To us, the Empire's survival is meaningless. Even if the Empire falls, so long as humans endure under a new banner, we do not care."
The emperor's eyes flickered with unease.
"This… is the Tribunal's stance?"
"Indeed. This is our stance."
Duanmu Huai rose, towering over him.
"To the Tribunal, any enemy of mankind must be crushed or annihilated. The Dominion has shown its malice. To us, they are enemies that must die."
He looked toward the window.
"Time is nearly up. It seems the elves have chosen."
Then his voice dropped cold.
(End of Chapter)