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<div align="center"><FONT COLOR="000000" SIZE="3" FACE="Magic Cards"><strong>Legions of Morrowind: Legio Argonis</strong><br>
    <em>[This book appears to be part of a series of Imperial publications, describing the various Legions in the province of Morrowind.]</em></font></div>
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<br><br>The Bitter Coast is a hostile and infertile region, stretching south from the Redoran fishing village Ebbedin all the way down to the Velothi Mountains. Latrys Island is also part of this region, as is a large portion of southwestern Vvardenfell. The area is mostly uninhabited, except for small scattered villages near the coast. Most of these villages survive by fishing, like the aforementioned Ebbedin, others - like the imperial settlement Steadhelm - rely on food supply from other parts of the Empire. Farms cannot be sustained in this region, due to the salty soil; only poisonous plants and inedible mushrooms grow here.

<br><br>The temperature and climate of the Bitter Coast is similar to the conditions found in Black Marsh, the vast swampland beyond Morrowind's southern border. A century ago, disaster struck an Argonian tribe living near the border when disease killed all the fish in their waters. Moving elsewhere in the marsh wasn't an option, as no Argonian tribe would welcome the competition over food. They had no choice but to leave their beloved marsh and find a new home, but where on Tamriel could an Argonian live if not in Black Marsh?

<br><br>Emanciated slaves, returning to the marsh, had told stories of a place called the Bitter Coast, but none of the slaves had actually been there themselves. It wasn't until now that any Argonian had reason to investigate if those stories were real. Fortunately for the unlucky tribe, they had some returned slaves among them, which could give sketchy directions.

<br><br>So the tribe packed up their meager belongings and set off on a long journey to the north. Sneaking on the outskirts of Dres farmlands and climbing the perilous Velothi Mountains, they finally arrived at what they figured must be the Bitter Coast. It was colder than they were used to, and they didn't like the saltiness (which made their feet sting), but the waters were abundant with fish and no enslaving Dunmer were in sight.

<br><br>The tribe lived peacefully for many years in their new homeland. It's doubtful anyone in Morrowind knew they even existed, and if they did, they didn't care since the Dunmer had no interest in the Bitter Coast at that time. But the Dunmer population boomed, and with imperial settlers coming to Vvardenfell, the island became a busy place. The fishermen in Hla Oad also felt this, because the demand for slaughterfish rose steadily, and they rowed their boats further and further west to catch ever more fish.

<br><br>During this period, the Argonian tribe had also flourished, thanks to continued peace and stability in their wilderness. Before long, the tribe found Dunmer fishing boats in their waters, pulling out the fish that sustained them. The conflict was inevitable; at first the Argonians contended with jumping up and down and waving their spears, which didn't help much - they were just laughed at. The dark elves didn't laugh as much when half a dozen spears skewered their boats. A number of fishermen were lost at sea that way. A popular tale among the Dunmer holds that the tribe claimed the fishermen's bodies in place of the fish they had lost. No one knows for sure if the myth was true or if it was told just to fuel Dunmer anger towards the Argonians.

<br><br>House Hlaalu soon demanded that the Empire delt with the situation. This wasn't just of concern to the Dunmer, they argued, Hla Oad's fishermen helped feed Vvardenfell's Imperial troops as well. There was no question that the southern part of the West Bitter Coast belonged to House Hlaalu, and Hlaalu wanted the Argonians relocated back to Black Marsh - else they would consider the Argonians their property, and enslave them.

<br><br>The Empire knew very little about the situation and wanted more information before taking any action. They sent out an expedition to meet with the Argonian tribe. Much to their surprise, the Argonians didn't turn out to be anything like the ferocious animals the Dunmer had made them out to be, in fact they were rather civilized. During the decades in the Bitter Coast the Argonians had developed a crude alphabet, a system of law, and sharing of food. The developments were attributed to their unusually intelligent leader, a female named Ha'Zhorra.

<br><br>The soldiers presented her with the two options, either be escorted back to the Black Marsh or voluntarily become slaves for the Dunmer. Ha'Zhorra wasn't very fond of either choice, and countered with a proposition of her own. ''The West Bitter Coast is a lawless area. It's ripe with organized crime and smuggling, thriving without Imperial presence'', she argued. ''What if our tribe agreed to enter into the Empire's service, both to maintain Imperial law in this region and to function as your eyes and ears? And in return, we could continue living here.''

<br><br>The commander was intrigued by the idea, and certainly saw the benefits of her proposition from the Empire's angle. ''It could work,'' he said, ''but there's still the matter of your fishing. You know you're on Hlaalu soil and they have the legal right to evict you from their land.''

<br><br>''Yes,'' she replied, ''but what if we agreed to never go further east than Latrys Island? I've never seen a Hlaalu fishing boat that far west anyway. And the Hlaalu couldn't evict us if we were an Imperial Legion. We would need to get food somewhere else, though.''

<br><br>''Have you tried eating kwama eggs?'', the commander asked, as he pulled one out of his pack guar's satchel. He cut it up in some pieces and gave it to the Argonians. While Ha'Zhorra didn't think it was nearly as tasty as a slaughterfish, she could see herself making it a part of her diet, and nodded approvingly.

<br><br>It was decided that the commander and his expedition would head back to Silgrad and make the report to his superiors. The Argonians were overjoyed at the recent turn of events - now they wouldn't just be protected by the law, they would BE the law, and no one could drive them away from their home! About a month later, an Imperial caravan came to them, carrying food and supplies. Vetham Orana introduced himself to Ha'Zhorra, and explained that he'd been chosen as the Empire's advisor to their budding Legion. Vetham started out in the Legion before a revelation led him to serving the Imperial Cult instead, and he also had many years of experience as an egg miner before he joined the Legion. Supplies continued to come to them once a month, and the Argonians found it easy to live up to their promise of restricted fishing.

<br><br>And so, Legio Argonis was formed. At first, they were simply patrolling the swamp, dressed in imperial leather and carrying the banner of Septim. They tried to educate estranged tribesmen, which had moved to other parts of the swamp, and persuaded them that joining Legio Argonis was the only long-term way they could continue living in the West Bitter Coast. During the following years Vetham aided the Argonians in starting up their very own kwama mine nearby, reducing their dependency on Imperial caravans. As the years went on, a small keep was constructed near the border between Velothi Mountains and West Bitter Coast. And today, the once ragged bunch of argonians are as prominent as any other legion. Their stronghold is recognized by a large Argonian statue on top of the main keep, which serves as a beacon to any kinsmen that they can find shelter -- and a new life -- behind those walls.

<br><br>Vetham and Ha'Zhorra grew close, and he chose to remain with them after the Legion was up and running. They've been married for some years now. He's currently serving the Cult in educating and ministering the Argonians.<br><br>

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