[hider=Sagax's musings on the last true Emperor, Martin Septim, Last Heir of the Dragon Blood]
As a child, my father would tell me stories about the Empire's past, local heroes, its Emperors and their achievements. I remember my favorite story being the exploits of the Hero of Kvatch and Martin Septim, illegitimate heir to the Septim dynasty sired by Uriel Septim VII himself.

Just what was going through his head when they broke the news to him? When they told him his whole life prior was an utter lie and that he, and he alone, was the last surviving heir of Emperor Uriel Septim VII(may he ever sit by the side of Tiber Septim)? Surely he was confused, maybe with a hint of pride...or perhaps resentment? My father admitted that he could not tell me, as the man didn't leave behind many writings, and he confided in few, if any, that he interacted with. 

The reign of Emperor Martin Septim(may he ever sit by the side of Tiber Septim) was sudden and unfortunately short, yet he accomplished so much in just a few weeks time. He led the counter-assault on the Bruma Oblivion Gate alongside the Hero of Kvatch and saved the city from destruction, just before sacrificing himself to forever seal the Oblivion Gates and cast Mehrunes Dagon back into his realm of obsidian and fire. But before then? Nobody really seems to know, as the short-lived Emperor was ultimately an unknown entity before the Oblivion Crisis. Rumors abound that Emperor Martin was a cultist of the Daedric prince Sanguine in his youth, but evidence is lacking, and such gossip was most likely concocted by those opposed to His Imperial Majesty. 

I was always found stories of Emperor Martin and the Hero of Kvatch interesting and almost uplifting, and now I believe I know why. Their stories exemplify that ordinary people can eventually become larger than life, that a man need not always remain at the station designated to him for the rest of his days. Emperor Martin lived his early years as a simple priest, while the Hero of Kvatch was nobody at all. But then they became so much more, they became legends, the subject of heroic tales told around fires all over the world.

In the times we live in now, we could use more heroes. Above all, we could use more people with the wisdom and courage of men like Emperor Martin Septim and the nameless hero that saved Tamriel.
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