Forest Warden, Volume III

The Tale of the Unsung Hero of Valenwood

By Lorekeeper Vincalmo

The previous two volumes of Forest Warden was authored by the historian Alariel of Woodhearth in the Third Era. Alariel's notes, recovered by lorekeepers of the Aldmeri Dominion, reveals that she was looking for information for a potential third volume that would speculate on what happened to the Boskara following the Tiber Wars. Alariel never returned from her search, and the third volume was never started. Perhaps she encountered a threat in an ancient ruin that was too great for her to overcome, or the Empire silenced her as they so often do with those who offer contradictory facts to their version of history.

Fortunately, we no longer live under the tyranny of the Septims. Having personally encountered the Boskara, I took it upon myself to complete Alariel's chronicles. Before I get to this encounter, I will first begin from speculations of the Forest Warden's activities in the years between the destruction of the Numidium and the Oblivion Crisis. These are only speculations, as the Boskara no doubt hid her identity after her role in destroying the Brass Golem. However, with the revelation that Forest Warden is indeed still among us, these are now much more likely to bear truth.

As Alariel proposed in her first volume, the summoning of the Daedric army during the Camoran Civil War bore a striking resemblance to the Daedric army used by Camoran Hart-King. The conjuration of monsters from Oblivion is a practice that many mages are familiar with, but such large scale rituals are not common knowledge. Its usage by two members of the Camoran Dynasty is no coincidence. Alariel herself wrote in her notes that something did not add up, as the ritual seems to have been the work of the Twisted One, not the Camoran throne claimant. With the Twisted One dead, the only other confirmed to have knowledge of her magic was the Boskara, who retrieved the Twisted One's spellbook and utilized it to unbind her Daedric forces.

Camoran Hart-King fought to free the Bosmer from the control of the Septims, and then attempted to invade other provinces of the Empire. Some of the final accounts of the Boskara tell of her role in defending Valenwood from Tiber's forces and subsequent involvement in the destruction of the Numidium, proof that she was no friend to the Septims. While not confirmed, it is not difficult to imagine her lending her support to the Hart-King in the form of ancient magics that would grant the Bosmer a chance at taking on the Imperial Legion. As for why her involvement is not mentioned anywhere, both Alariel and myself suspect that even the Hart-King might not have known about her identity as the Boskara. She either shared her knowledge with the Bosmer from the shadows, or worked under the guise of a skilled but otherwise unknown mage.

The other event with which the Boskara could have been involved occurred after Alariel's death. It is known today as the Warp in the West. During this time, the Mantella that powered the Numidium and contained the Underking's heart was recovered in the Illiac Bay region. Along with this the Underking resurfaced and reclaimed his heart, dying a final death. Due to the disruption of time which occurred, the details of what transpired is difficult to discern. Given that the Boskara fought alongside the Underking to destroy the Numidium the first time, I believe she may have played a role during the Warp in the West as well.

It was during the Oblivion Crisis that the Boskara finally revealed herself. When gates to the realm of Oblivion opened throughout Alinor, many Altmer rushed to meet the threat. Direct confrontation was in vain though, and like the battle against the Twisted One's Daedric forces, the Altmer were pushed back despite our highborn affinities. Defeat came after defeat, and in the end every warrior and wizard on the Isles had converged at the Crystal Tower to make a final stand. Then, she appeared.

An Altmer clad in shining mithril armour charged into the fray, obliterating the foremost line of Dremora invaders with a powerful chain of lightning. She rallied the despondent defenders, renewing spirit through a combination of magicka and charisma. Though the Tower fell, she held the Altmer forces together long enough for the Thalmor to close the gates. Some say that it was merely a pretender dressed to resemble an Elven hero to inspire the failing troops. I disagree.

I was there at the Crystal Tower on that fateful day, and I saw the Forest Warden with my own eyes. Her golden hair and silver mail was the definition of a beacon of hope. She fought like only the heroes of yore could. Her command of magic was impressive even for an Altmer. I watched her parry a strike from a Dremora Lord with a blade she conjured a mere second before, then use her other hand to blast him back into an Oblivion Gate. I watched as her lightning crackled across the battlefield, turning even the largest of Daedroth to ash. This was no ordinary sorceress. This was the Boskara Returned.

Yes, she would be at least five hundred years old by the time of the Oblivion Crisis, but it is not unheard of for Altmer to be that age. Accomplished mages have been known to extend their lives far beyond that, with the Telvanni wizard Divayth Fyr said to be over four thousand years old and not even of High Elven blood. It should not be difficult to accept that the Boskara lives still. Where she went after the battle is a mystery, but throughout the tale of the Forest Warden she has been known to appear when Altmer and Bosmer lands were in danger, then suddenly disappear from history for years. She was last seen among the Thalmor leaders during their victory announcement, where they named her as the Boskara and commended her for her service to Alinor.

Perhaps it was she who gave her knowledge of Daedric rites to the Thalmor in the first place, allowing them to close the Oblivion Gates just as the Altmer wizards turned the Twisted One's Daedra on her centuries ago. Perhaps she communes only with the highest members of the Thalmor, or perhaps she communes with no one, simply studying the secrets of magic in times of peace and coming to the aid of mer in times of need. All we need to know is that the Boskara continues to watch over us and will protect us should the Aldmeri Dominion be threatened again.