The Blades began not as Imperial guardians but as the Dragonguard, an Akaviri order of dragon hunters. In the Late Merethic Era, the Tsaesci of Akavir invaded Tamriel, pushing deep into Cyrodiil. Though defeated, they left behind warriors who swore fealty to Reman Cyrodiil.
These Akaviri became his protectors and founded the Dragonguard, charged with defending the Dragonborn Emperor and hunting the dragons that plagued Tamriel. Over time, their dragon-slaying traditions and Akaviri martial discipline evolved into a broader order: the Blades.
Thus, the Blades’ origins are foreign, yet they became inseparable from the Empire’s destiny.
Under the Reman Dynasty (1E 2703–2E 430), the Dragonguard flourished. They served as bodyguards, spies, and generals, wielding Akaviri katanas and distinctive armor. Their strongholds dotted Tamriel, most famously in Skyrim, where they hunted the last dragons into near extinction.
The Remans relied on them as enforcers of Imperial authority. Their loyalty was absolute: to the Dragonborn Emperor, not the Council or nobles. When the Reman line ended, the Dragonguard dwindled, their influence waning during the Interregnum.
The order was reborn under Tiber Septim, who reconstituted them as the Blades. They became his bodyguards, agents, and intelligence network, spreading across Tamriel. Unlike the Dragonguard, they were not just dragon hunters but defenders of the Empire itself.
Roles of the Blades under the Septims:
Personal Guard: Shielding the Emperor and heirs.
Intelligence Network: Spies and emissaries across provinces, monitoring threats to the Empire.
Military Commanders: Leading legions, negotiating with rulers, enforcing Imperial law.
Keepers of Lore: Maintaining records of dragons, Akavir, and prophecies.
The Blades wielded Akaviri weapons and wore dragon-crested armor, symbols of their heritage. They became both feared and respected — secret police and sacred guardians alike.
The Blades maintained a strict structure:
Grandmaster: Leader of the entire order, usually stationed in Cyrodiil.
Spymaster: Controlled the intelligence network across provinces.
Agents: Operatives embedded in courts, guilds, and armies.
Knights of the Blades: Elite warriors serving directly as protectors of the Emperor.
Their headquarters was the Cloud Ruler Temple, a vast fortress in the Jerall Mountains, built during the Reman Dynasty. It remained their sanctum for centuries, housing archives and training grounds.
The Blades reached their height under the Septim Dynasty. Emperors relied on them as bodyguards and spies. Their loyalty was legendary, their network vast. Commoners saw them as mysterious protectors, while rulers saw them as Imperial eyes in every hall.
They also remained keepers of dragon lore, though by the late Third Era dragons were thought extinct. Records of dragon sightings, Akaviri texts, and prophetic scrolls were preserved by the Blades, even if forgotten by others.
Their secrecy made them controversial. Many accused them of overreach, but their service to the Dragonborn Emperors ensured their legitimacy.
The Oblivion Crisis (3E 433) marked the beginning of the Blades’ downfall. When Emperor Uriel Septim VII and his heirs were assassinated, the Blades failed their sacred duty. They aided the last heir, Martin Septim, but could not prevent the end of the Septim line.
With no Dragonborn Emperor to serve, their purpose faltered. The Mede Dynasty retained them as bodyguards and spies, but their prestige declined. Their sanctuaries fell into disuse, their numbers dwindled.
The final blow came after the Great War (4E 171–175). The White-Gold Concordat demanded the Blades be disbanded, their order outlawed, their members hunted by Thalmor Justiciars. The Empire, desperate for peace, agreed.
By 4E 201, the Blades were nearly extinct. Their temples were destroyed, their agents slain. Only scattered survivors remained, hunted and in hiding.
Though diminished, the Blades endure. In Skyrim (4E 201), a handful survive: Delphine, last known Grandmaster, and Esbern, archivist of dragon lore. When dragons return, they seek out the Last Dragonborn, reviving their ancient role as dragon hunters.
Yet their survival is fragile. Without Imperial sanction, they are fugitives. Without numbers, they cannot wage war. They cling to prophecy, hoping to guide the Dragonborn against Alduin.
For the first time since the Merethic Era, the Blades return to their original purpose: protectors of the Dragonborn, slayers of dragons, keepers of prophecy.
The Blades embody Akaviri tradition blended with Imperial loyalty.
Weapons: Akaviri katanas, curved and sharp, symbols of their heritage.
Armor: Dragon crests, lamellar plates, and masks evoking Akaviri ancestors.
Discipline: Monastic training, secrecy, and loyalty. To become a Blade was to surrender identity for service.
Philosophy: Service above self. The Emperor — and later the Dragonborn — is the axis of their existence.
Their culture is alien to common Tamrielics, shaped more by Akaviri traditions than by Imperial ones.
Relation to Empire:
The Blades served the Septims absolutely. Their loyalty to the Mede Dynasty was pragmatic, but their outlawing after the Great War severed ties forever.
Enemies:
Dragons: Their eternal foes, though absent for centuries.
Thalmor: Nemesis of the Blades, who hunt them relentlessly in the Fourth Era.
Daedra Worshipers: Long opposed by the Blades as threats to Imperial order.
Archives:
Blades maintained secret records on prophecy, dragons, Akavir, and Elder Scrolls. Much of this knowledge was lost when their temples were destroyed, but fragments survive with Esbern.
The Blades’ legacy is paradox. They were protectors of the Dragonborn and guardians of the Empire, yet their failure marked the end of the Septim line. They were once the most feared order in Tamriel, but by 4E 201 they are fugitives, hiding in ruins.
Yet their destiny is not finished. With the return of dragons, they are once again relevant, bound to the Last Dragonborn as their forebears were bound to Reman and Tiber. Their survival ensures that even in ruin, the Blades remain part of Tamriel’s story.
The Blades are history itself: born of Akavir, raised by Reman, ennobled by Septim, broken by Concordat, reborn with Dragonborn. Their name is whisper of loyalty, myth of dragon-slaying, and warning that even the mightiest orders can fall — but not vanish.