- For other uses, see Septim.
- "I do what I must do. I cannot stay to rebuild Tamriel, that task falls to others. Farewell. You've been a good friend, in the short time that I've known you. But now I must go. The Dragon waits."
- ―Martin Septim, before shattering the Amulet of Kings[src]
Emperor Martin Septim, also known as Brother Martin or simply Martin, is the illegitimate son of Emperor Uriel Septim VII, and is the last Emperor of the Septim Dynasty.
Interactions
Find the Heir
Find Martin, Uriel Septim VII's last heir.
Breaking the Siege of Kvatch
Assist in defeating the Daedra invading Kvatch.
Weynon Priory
Escort Martin back to the Weynon Priory
Dagon Shrine
Spies
Blood of the Daedra
Locate a Daedric Artifact for Martin to destroy.
Blood of the Divines
Bring the Armor of Tiber Septim to Martin, in order for him to extract the original Septim Emperor's blood.
Miscarcand
Retrieve a Great Welkynd Stone, the final ingredient Martin requires, from Miscarcand.
Defense of Bruma
After Martin and Jauffre are finished speaking, escort them and Baurus to the Great Chapel of Talos in Bruma. After the Oblivion Gates open, make sure to keep Martin alive until you can enter the Great Gate. If Martin dies, the main questline cannot be completed.
Great Gate
Paradise
Light the Dragonfires
After escorting Martin to the Temple of the One, Mehrunes Dagon will invade the Imperial City. Due to the crisis threatening all of Tamriel and Nirn, Martin bids you farewell before smashing the Amulet of Kings. An avatar of Akatosh appears and fuses with Martin, which then battles Mehrunes Dagon firsthand.
History
Early life
Martin was born as an illegitimate child to Uriel Septim VII and an unknown mistress. Uriel could not raise the child, and trusted Jauffre with spiriting him away as infant. Uriel still asked Jauffre for updates on Martin's whereabouts, but never met with the boy anytime after he was given up. Martin was unaware of anything regarding this for most of his life.
In his youth, he grew up believing that his father was a farmer and his mother had died giving birth to him. Early on in his life, he discovered the seductiveness of Daedric magic, practicing it and using it on a daily basis. Martin joined the Daedric Cult of Sanguine. Evidently, Martin briefly came into possession of the Sanguine Rose.
Martin notes that he and his friends got in over their heads and some of his friends died in a disastrous accident. Later, a priest managed to convert Martin to the worship of the Nine Divines. He became a priest at the Chapel of Akatosh in Kvatch.
Oblivion Crisis
Following the death of his father and half-brothers by Mythic Dawn assassins, Martin is the only remaining Septim. Unaware that he is the sole remaining heir to the Septim throne, Martin is sought out by the Hero of Kvatch. Upon being found and informed of his true heritage, he helps to end the Daedra invasion of the mortal world.
Soon after Martin's discovery, the Amulet of Kings is stolen by members of the Mythic Dawn, a Daedra cult based within Cyrodiil, who were also responsible for the invasion. To safeguard Martin, Jauffre, grandmaster of the Blades, takes him to the fortress of the Blades, known as Cloud Ruler Temple, where he also offers to make the Hero of Kvatch a member of the Blades.
A failed attempt by the Hero to recover the Amulet of Kings from Mankar Camoran yields the Mysterium Xarxes, the holy book of the Mythic Dawn cult and a tome of massive dark power. This is taken to Martin, who, recalling his past as a practitioner of Daedric magic, translates the Xarxes. However, it is slow, painstaking work, taking much research.
Eventually, Martin determines that the book could be used to open a portal to Camoran's Paradise and that four other items are needed to do this. These include any Daedric artifact, the blood of one of the Nine Divines (obtained from the armor of Tiber Septim, in which he had fought and bled before his Apotheosis), a Great Welkynd Stone, and a Great Sigil Stone.
The Hero obtains the first three objects on his own but the last may be obtained only by allowing the Mythic Dawn to open a Great Gate (which requires three minor Oblivion gates to open) near Bruma. This could potentially cause the destruction of Bruma. Martin dons the armor of Tiber Septim and leads a defense of Bruma, deliberately allowing the opening of the gate and buying the Hero time to secure the stone.
Martin on the Hero's return from Paradise after killing Mankar Camoran and giving him the Amulet of Kings.
The four objects in hand, Martin binds himself temporarily to the Xarxes and opens a portal to Paradise. The Hero of Kvatch enters, kills Camoran and returns with the Amulet of Kings, presenting it to Martin.
During this raid, Martin sends Baurus, a Blade, to the Imperial Palace to formally present his claim to the throne to Chancellor Ocato of Firsthold, who, with the Elder Council, considers and accepts the claim.
Arriving at the Imperial Palace with the Hero and Jauffre, Martin is about to be formally recognized as Emperor by Ocato when a massive Daedric invasion erupts within the Imperial City. Martin, Ocato, the Hero, the Blades and numerous Imperial Guards fight their way to the Temple of the One District to relight the Dragonfires.
However, they are too late; Mehrunes Dagon himself has entered Tamriel. Lighting the Dragonfires is pointless, as they had merely maintained the barriers between Mundus and Oblivion.
Martin's final battle.
A despairing Martin turns to the Hero and a brief conversation ensues, during which the Hero asks, "What about the Amulet of Kings?" Martin is inspired by the question and orders the champion to lead him to the Temple.
Upon their arrival, the Hero and Martin bid each other farewell. Martin then shatters the Amulet of Kings, binding his blood with that of the kings and gods held within the central gem of the amulet, in order to become the avatar of Akatosh; he takes the form of a giant dragon wreathed in flame. Dagon smashes the Temple Dome as Martin transforms. The Dragon then destroys Mehrunes Dagon's physical body, banishing him back to the Wastes of Oblivion, but not without sustaining a mortal wound itself. After the fight ends, the Dragon arches its neck, roars into the sky and is petrified, becoming a statue.
Soon after this event, Ocato of Firsthold states that Martin would be remembered as the last and greatest Septim, and goes on to say that Martin would have been a great Emperor. As Martin died childless, like all of his brothers, the Line of Septim is completely defunct. The nature of Martin's sacrifice ensures that an Emperor is no longer necessary to maintain the barriers between the worlds; however, the fate of Martin himself remains unknown.
With Martin dead and the Septim line defunct, the Third Era ends but a new one dawns. As the Septims were the Dragonborn line of Emperors, the ending of this bloodline fulfills the prophecy of the Elder Scrolls that foretells the return of Alduin, and the coming of the Last Dragonborn which continues in the events of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
Personality and Characteristics
Martin was humble, softly spoken and compassionate. Although at first he appeared to be somewhat slightly meek, or at least not someone you would usually pay attention to, Martin possessed a strong will and steely resolve. Although (understandably) untrusting of the Hero at first, he soon warms up, and proves to be warm and courteous, while making an effort to treat everyone equally, even as his claim as Emperor becomes stronger and his position more stable throughout the events of the story.
Martin also possesses a very strong mind, and is exceptionally intelligent; he reads almost constantly when he can, and manages to open a portal to Paradise where others couldn't. Furthermore, Martin is extremely brave; he doesn't hesitate to bind himself to the a portal to Paradise, and leads the Defense of Bruma with little to no hesitation, despite the fact he has never fought a battle before.
Perhaps Martin's greatest weakness is his insecurity. It plagues him during the game, the idea he might not be good enough, undermining his work, and his past haunts him, adding to the slightly cold, reserved air he occasionally keeps around himself as protection. But Martin also possessed wisdom to learn from his mistakes, and ensure they don't happen again. Finally, Martin has superb combat abilities. He can wield impressive magic, and on several occasions demonstrates a natural proficiency with a dagger and a sword, no doubt a trait passed down from Tiber Septim himself, and somewhat prominent in the Septim bloodline.
Gallery
Trivia
- While Martin's mother is unknown, Caius Cosades suspected that it was a girl named Gemile.[OOG 1]
- Martin is voiced by Sean Bean (in conjunction with Blindlight studios). He also played Boromir in The Lord of The Rings film trilogy and Lord Eddard Stark in HBO series Game of Thrones. Interestingly, Martin falls in along with many other characters that Sean Bean has portrayed, due to the fact that they are killed during a climactic scene; most notable of these are Boromir in The Fellowship of the Ring, Alec Trevelyan in GoldenEye, and Eddard Stark in Game of Thrones.
- When he is first met in Kvatch, his name is shown as "Brother Martin." When he is brought to Cloud Ruler Temple, he is referred to as "Martin." After returning from Paradise at the end of the Main Quest, he is referred to as "Martin Septim."
- In Skyrim, the Thalmor claim they ended the Oblivion Crisis within the Aldmeri Dominion. It is never explained why they make this claim, but it could be because Martin is a human, while the Thalmor are Elven supremacists. Another reason being that the Thalmor originally made this claim to the people of the Summerset Isles after the Oblivion Crisis ended in order to gain the favor of the desperate people.[1]
- During the quest "The Mind of Madness," Sheogorath says he considers Martin Septim one of, if not the, greatest Septim that has ever ruled. Although he says the only reason for being that Martin turned into a Dragon God, which was "hardly sporting." This could also be attributed to the long standing theory that Sheogorath is, in fact, the Hero of Kvatch, and is speaking from his perspective during the Oblivion Crisis.
- Martin's inventory, weapons and clothing change dramatically throughout the questline. When the Hero meets him in Kvatch, he wears a Grey Robe and Buckled Shoes and wields a Dagger of Sparks. After returning from Miscarcand with the Great Welkynd Stone, he wields a Silver Longsword of Frost and is clad in Emperor's Armor. And upon triumphing over Mankar Camoran in Paradise, he will be wearing the Emperor's Robe and Emperor's Shoes.
Appearances
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
- The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (mentioned only)
References
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| Emperor of Tamriel | ||
|---|---|---|
| Uriel Septim VII | 3E 433 - 3E 433 | Potentate High Chancellor Ocato |
| ← | → | |
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