#companions of ysgramor

[late-nite-scholar]

Aug 8th (Day 4): Prompt- Mortal / Sanctuary 

Day 4: Sanctuary- Nythauriel is beginning her journey to see the world outside her people’s hiding places, and meets the last person she ever expects to. But thankfully not everything is as it was when her people went into hiding. Post-Dawnguard. Prompts by @tes-summer-fest

Redguard LDB x Farkas (mention only)

Warnings- None 

Wordcount- ~1400

Description in alt text. Made in HeroForge

***

The world was so much bigger than the hidden valley and the cave network implied. Even the trade network tunnels to the other enclaves didn't truly convey how much world there was out there beyond their sanctuary. 

It's a good thing I've got time to explore it. Nythauriel thought to herself, suddenly thankful for her people's long lifespans. Perhaps she could explore a lot of this world. There were even rumors some of her people had escaped to the old Atmoran homeland. Maybe it would be worth taking a trip. Not that she'd ever been on a boat, but the idea was rather exciting. 

Unfortunately, the world wasn't exactly friendly to someone like her. 

A group of men with pitchforks and improvised weapons blocked her path. The big man in the middle stabbed toward her with the rake he held.

"We don't want no Thalmor in our village!" he snarled. 

She held up her hands, nearly as white as the snow that still held out against the warm sun in shaded corners. "I'm not Thalmor. I'm not even Altmer. I'm just passing through. I won't even stop, I promise." 

"Don't come any closer!" The man shouted again.

"There's no need for that. I'll escort the lady, if she'd like." A soft, gruff voice spoke up behind her. 

She turned, and found herself facing an enormously large Nord as tall as herself but much more broad. He was no doubt a warrior, dressed in well-made (and equally well-used) armor and carrying a large, black battleaxe on his back. But his silver eyes were kind and his smile gentle and she found herself suddenly at ease. She didn't trust humans as a rule, but this one? Somehow she just knew that this one was alright. 

He led her past the mob, offering her a large, muscular arm. She took it, her face warming. Villagers were looking askance at them; this big Nord escorting probably the palest mer any of them had ever seen. He chuckled. 

"This is gonna start rumors. I hope it won't get you in trouble." 

She giggled in return. "I'll be fine. What about you?" 

"My wife'll forgive me when I explain the situation." 

They made their way out of the village and back onto the road. As they walked, she slipped her hand out of the man's arm. "Thank you so much for doing that." 

"You probably get a lot of that, don't you? Hostility, I mean?" 

"Yeah. I haven't been traveling that much yet, but yeah." She held out her hand, "I'm Nythauriel, by the way." 

"Well met. I'm Farkas." They shook hands. 

"Well met, indeed. I'm glad you came by. Not many will stand up for a mer out here in the arse end of nowhere." 

"I'm here to help. I'm a Companion, it's what we do." 

"A Companion? Who are you a companion of?" 

He brightened. "Oh, you haven't heard of us? It comes from our founders, the Five Hundred Companions of Ysgramor." 

She froze, and everything got really far away. Like looking through a small tube. Then blackness overtook her without warning. 

Her eyes opened slightly to the feeling of being shaken. She saw the man's face and immediately fainted again.

***

Awareness came back slowly. She was lying on her bedroll, her pack set beside her. A small fire burned to her right, the man sitting and poking it with a stick. His axe sat propped up beside him, and her blood turned cold as she recognized it. 

He turned at the sound of her gasp, relief washing over his face. "Thank the Nine! I was startin’ to get worried. Here, I made this. You should drink it." He took out a cup and filled it from a kettle sitting by the fire.

"What is that?" she demanded. 

"It's a healing draught. Should make you feel better. Tastes half decent, too. Are you ill, or injured? You just kinda fainted there." 

"Where are we?" She backed up. They weren't on the road. She couldn't even see the road! "Where have you taken me?" 

"It's a wayside camp. Lots of people use it cause it's a little quieter. I didn't want you lyin’ in the road where you could get trampled." He frowned. "Is everything okay?" 

Nythauriel pulled a knife from her belt. Farkas held up his hands as she snarled. "Nice try, Companion of Ysgramor. But your kind has already killed enough of mine. You won't have me, too!" 

His brows knit together, but he made no move towards her. "I don't wanna kill anybody. Are you sure you're okay? I'm getting kinda worried…" 

"Don't play dumb with me! You belong to a group founded on the genocide of my people! You carry Wuuthrad, the axe that yearns to taste my blood! As if you haven't done enough to us! Killed us by the thousands, drove us into hiding, others into the depravity of the Dwemer until they were twisted, wretched husks of themselves! How dare you pretend you don't know!" she shouted. 

She watched realization dawn on his face. "You mean the Falmer… the Betrayed… you're a Snow Elf?" 

"How do you know to call them that?" She hissed. 

"My wife had a quest. We went to an ancient temple of your people. There was a priest of sorts there, a Snow Elf like you. That's what he called them." Farkas shook his head. "But he thought he was the last of your kind besides the Betrayed." 

"What temple? What priest?" 

"We call him Akatosh, but the priest said your people call him Auri-El. It was a huge place, bigger than any human temple I've ever seen. The priest was named Gelebor. He's still there, as far as I know." 

"Knight Paladin Gelebor is alive?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing! "I learned about him in our history studies! He's… and the temple is still there…" 

"Yeah. He's the only one there now." 

"How did you get through the wayshrines then? Didn't you need to go through them to get in?" 

"There were spirits guarding each one. They'd tell us their message and we'd go through." 

"How did your wife end up going there, or even know where it was? We don’t even know where it is anymore!" 

"It's a long story but basically we were dealing with vampires and needed Auri-El's bow." 

"Auri-El's bow?" She shook her head. "Bullshit! Next you're going to tell me you read it in an Elder Scroll!" 

Farkas shrugged. "We kinda did." 

"What is your wife? That is way too much stuff for one person. Is she a goddess?"

"I think she is." He smiled softly. "She's Yokudan, from Hammerfell.”

“I’m not familiar with those people, I’m afraid.”

“You probably wouldn't be. They showed up a lot later. She's also Dragonborn, and that seems to be what attracts all the strange stuff.” 

"Dovahkiin…" She frowned and waved her hand, a flash of blue light sparking from her fingers. "You're not lying…" 

"What was that?" 

"A spell we call 'Liar's Bane'. It's like clairvoyance, but so I can see if you're lying. And… you aren't." 

"I'm not. Drink? You seem better but it couldn't hurt." 

She took the tea and sipped it. It was rather nice, herbaceous and gentle. She looked over at Farkas again. "I'm sorry for freaking out." 

"It's okay. I don't blame you. That must've been quite the shock. I, uh, didn't expect to meet another Snow Elf, either." 

"Yeah, we tend to keep to our hidden places, our sanctuaries. It's the only way to stay safe." 

"I understand. Where will you go now?" 

"I'm traveling, seeing the world. I have heard stories of the Skyforge, and other places." 

"Well I'm heading home to Whiterun, and our hall is right below the Skyforge. I mean, I understand if you don't want to be anywhere near Jorrvaskr…" 

"Do you still have Auri-El's bow?" 

"We do." 

"I'd like to see it." She smiled. "I mean, if the rest of the Companions are like you, I think it'll be okay." 

"Well, my wife is our Harbinger, our leader, and she won't let anything happen to a guest. I can promise you that." 

"And if we travel together, it should be safer, right?" 

"Should be, yeah." 

A giggle burst from her lips. "A Companion and a Snow Elf walk into Whiterun…" 

"Sounds like the start of a joke. Or a good story." 

"Well, I hope it's the latter."

He gave her that gentle smile again. "I hope so, too." 

[motherhenna]

Most gentle, cursed, and lonely son / Last of a people come undone. / Such weight: a heavy thing to bare / Without a kindred's strength to share. / Three-thousand years thy lost to sleep... / Now wake to find new worlds to keep. / So rise like the tides and the winter sun / For a cold, bright dawn has just begun.

A partner piece to my blood moon werewolf illustration: Snow Prince Sivasei, the last true Falmer and the foil to the final dragonborn, Vakna True-Thunder. The apparatus in the center there is meant to be a dwemer vessel that contains the fragmented souls of snow elf test subjects, as the limited lore available seems to indicate that it was more than just generations living underground that corrupted the Falmer into what they ended up becoming. It's supposed to set up a whole possession plot point that thematically mirrors Vakna's Lycanthropy.

[elderscrollsconceptart]

Statue of Ysgramor

Concept art for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Art by Adam Adamowicz

[missile-silo]

Why I think atmora and akavir were geographically close, or a study on wolf and blades armour in Skyrim.

This is long and I’m no blacksmith I just really like learning about blacksmithing and have some thoughts.

So here we can see the similarity in construction, the sloped head piece and the splayed neck. The shaping especially tells me that they would have used similar, if not the same, techniques to draw out the metal. However there are key differences, the blades helmet having a more rounded shape says something about their advanced techniques. This could also be a tell of having only one smith working on each piece of armour, eorland greymane is the only person who sells it, it would make sense if it could only be crafted at the skyforge.

Onto the armour itself, there are even bigger differences.

The obvious is the segmented panels. The blades armour is likely heavily interchangeable. Taking a hit is expected, and having segments be replaceable is cheaper than replacing the whole set of armour. It also leads into how the blades are espionage, wearing only certain sections under clothing to protect them and keep them inconspicuous. Wolf armour has more outright protection, the pauldrons are much larger. The weapons of the companions are bulky, Wuuthrad being a war-hammer.

The similarities are easy to spot though. Around the waist they both have some form of fauld, with both having an ornamental belt. The chest armour is in a similar number of pieces, the more protective wolf armour having less manoeuvrability. Both have some form of thigh protection, and have a piece around the neck.

Onto the last parts of the armour. The boots share similarities, with that central line continuing on both, with some form of armour on the toe. The gauntlets do differ, but they share a similar plate on the back of the hand.

Something interesting; wolf armour is only found in one other game-morrowind. Precisely bloodmoon, which takes place on solstheim. But it’s light armour, not heavy, suggesting an adaptation. Perhaps the concept of wolf armour was made back in atmora, with the Skaal needing light armour to hunt where the companions needed heavy armour to genocide elves.

Tell me if you liked this and I could perhaps do more studies on armour in TES

all pictures found on the elder scrolls wiki

[whitegoldtower]

My masterlist of Skyrim takes:

Both the Imperials and Stormcloaks can eat my ass.

Isran is a piece of shit

I don’t like Brynjolf.

Ancano, Vingalmo, Ondolemar, Garan Marethi, Teldryn Sero and Arch-Curate Vyrthur are the hottest male NPCs.

The companions are a flop.

Ysgramor and Wuuthrad suck.

Muiri’s unsolicited affections gave me the ick

Morthal is my favourite area.

The Ravencrone and Blackbriar women could get it any day.

I’d fuck a hagraven out of curiosity.

Frostbite spiders are adorable

I love Cicero’s voice.

Nazeem is just funny. So are the girls at Radiant Raiment. They all served cunt.

The Reach is for the Forsworn.

In every playthrough I make sure to beat the shit out of Rolff Stone-Fist and scare the fuck out of Mikael.

Mage and double dagger runs are the best.

Destruction and Conjuration are lazy.

My favourite discreet way to assassinate annoying NPCs is to reverse pickpocket poisons and poisoned apples into their inventories, sit back and watch. Alternatively, I like casting frenzy / reverse pickpocketing frenzy potions into their inventories and watching chaos unfold.

I have to purposely paralyse myself at least once in every playthrough, whether through licking Netch Jelly or chewing Corkbulb Root.

Idgrod Ravencrone is the best jarl.

Erikur deserves a slow death.

Delphine’s also a piece of shit.

Astrid instantly pissed me off.

I love just collecting and reading all the books.

The carriage driver Bjorlam (Whiterun) is SO HOT and for absolutely no reason whatsoever. Who made him so fine and why??

Ondolemar is a sweet baby. Even if you refuse to get the amulet for him, he doesn’t get pissy with you (unlike a certain touchy redheaded thief in Riften).

Some people get annoyed with Faendal showing up if you marry Camilla Valerius. I say two for the price of one, in this household we share. How can you be mad at getting a free bosmer femboy? A boyfriend of my wife’s is a boyfriend of mine.

(Will add more soon. If you want me to elaborate on any of these points, just drop an ask.)

[nientedenada]

Five Skyrim Lore Facts You May Not Know!

And unlike some of the clickbait videos on Youtube, these ones are absolutely true. Let me address some of the most common lore confusions I regularly see. As a Listicle, because why not? (It's easier than writing out long lore posts.)

The Blades never served the Mede Empire. Martin was the last Emperor they served. They then devoted themselves to looking for a new Dragonborn and working against the Thalmor. Titus Mede I created a new organization called the Penitus Oculatus, which handled all intelligence and security for the Mede Dynasty. The Penitus Oculatus has been the official Imperial organization for more than 175 years, while the Blades have been an independent force. It makes the Mede decision to outlaw the Blades a lot easier to understand if you know they weren't their employees at all. The Blades were loose cannons they couldn't control.

Ysgramor didn't destroy the snow elves. The stories about Ysgramor say he and his 500 Companions showed up in Skyrim, killed or sent the snow elves into exile, took all of Skyrim, and then wandered over to pick fights with the neighbours. In reality, the Falmer weren't completely driven from Skyrim till the reign of King Harald, thirteen generations after Ysgramor. In the interim, there was a whole Dragon cult and war, culminating with Alduin being flung through the time wound. It's a long period. The real Ysgramor definitely clashed with his snow-elf neighbours but he's accumulated the stories of hundreds of years around his mythic name.

The Companions haven't been a Nord-only organization for a very long time. You might think that a bunch of warriors venerating the legacy of Ysgramor and his Companion would be Nord only, and that was probably true way back in the First Era. But by the end of the First Era, the Companions had boasted both a Redguard and Elf (Altmer or Bosmer) Harbinger. Cirroc and Henantier are some of the most famous Harbingers in the history of the Companions. We're in the Fourth Era now, so if you're playing a non-Nord, you're following in a long tradition by joining the companions. (As is Athis.)

The Imperial Legion didn't win back most of Cyrodiil in the Great War. People often ask why Titus Mede II agreed to the harsh peace of the White-Gold Concordat after his army had destroyed the Dominion army in Cyrodiil and taken back the Imperial City. But that's not what really happened. The Legion destroyed "the main army". Other Aldmeri armies are mentioned in Cyrodiil. After Red Ring, the Dominion still occupied Anvil, Skingrad, Bravil, and Leyawiin. "The Great War" doesn't say that any of these cities were liberated. Put those territories together and you'll realize the Empire never got back its coastline or the Niben river. Titus Mede made his deal while the Dominion still occupied half of Cyrodiil. Maybe he could have won if he'd pushed on, but his decision is a lot easier to understand with this context.

The Bretons Don't Worship Talos. This is one of my favourite lore bits to explain. Talos is not a god in TES II, Daggerfall, though he is a historical figure, Tiber Septim. He's only introduced as a god in Morrowind. So, a lot of people assume that he's been retconned into the Breton religion, like he was into the Nord/Imperial religions. This is not true. In both Morrowind and Skyrim, the book Varieties of Faith in the Empire does not list Talos/Ysmir as part of the Breton pantheon. They worship the Eight (and sometimes Y'ffre, Magnus, and Phynaster), as they always have. Tiber Septim is an important historical figure whom some Bretons regard as one of their own, but he isn't an official god. I love this tidbit because it makes the White-Gold Concordat absolutely brilliant. One remaining province, Skyrim, gets all upset while High Rock wouldn't care. Cyrodiil is presumably somewhere in the middle. It's a perfect way to drive a wedge among the provinces. (Hammerfell's left the Empire, but for the record, they don't worship Talos either.)

[falmerbrook]

A rough timeline of the Snow Elf/Falmer history that we know of

While working on a fanfiction, I tried to figure out a rough order of events and when they happened for what we know about the Snow Elves and Falmer since they are pretty foggy in terms of dates. I mainly tried to figure out 1) when did the Night of Tears (and the start of the Snow Elf/Atmoran conflict) happen, 2) how long did the Snow Elf genocide last, 3) when did the Falmer evolve into the Falmer we know them as, 4) when was the Chantry of Auri-El built, 5) when did Vyrthur create the Tyranny of the Sun prophecy, and when (and how) did Harkon hear about it?

So here's roughly what I put together:

ME = Merethic Era (dates function like BCE), 1E = 1st Era

ME 1000-800 – First human settlements in Tamriel

ME 500s-100s - Atmorans land at Hsaarik Head and settle Saarthal

ME 100s – Night of Tears, war between Nords and Snow elves

ME 100s – Battle of Moesring (death of the Snow Prince)

ME 100s – Dwemer make deal with Snow elves

ME late 100s-0 – Dragon War

Early 1E – Construction of the Chantry of Auri-El

1E 200s – last of Snow Elves thought to be driven away/killed

1E 600s – War of the Crag

1E 700 – Dwemer disappear

1E 800s-??? – Chantry of Auri-El is attacked

1E ???-2300s - Vyrthur creates the Tyranny of the Sun prophecy

1E 2300s-2700 – Harkon discovers the prophecy and Valerica hides Serana away

4E 201 – Events of Dawnguard

Bolded = concrete canon dates directly stated somewhere Normal = dates with canon evidence, but never concretely mentioned Italics = dates I made up based on being between/before and after canon events

Now let's go through that timeline again but with my evidence and reasoning (under the cut for space):

ME 1000-800 – First human settlements in Tamriel

Frontier, Conquest, and Accommodation: A Social History of Cyrodiil cites the first human settlements on Tamriel having been dated to ME 1000-800 (Late Merethic Era) outside of Skyrim, which was colonized later.

PGE3 claims that settlers from Atmora sailed to Tamriel for hundreds of years in the Merethic, but that these included the Nedes as well, and it is implied they came over and settled south and potentially in High Rock first as the interbreeding that would lead to Bretons also begin occurring in the Late Merethic. My conclusion is that the Atmoran ancestors of the Nedes came to Tamriel and settled farther south several hundred years before the Atmoran ancestors of the Nords (according to legend) such as Ysgramor settled in Skyrim.

ME 500s-100s - Atmorans land at Hsaarik Head and settle Saarthal

Before the Ages of Man places the settlement of Saarthal in the Late Merethic Era, but as mentioned above, it was likely after several other Atmoran migrations had occurred earlier.

The UESP page on the Merethic Era puts forward two theories for when the settling of the Atmorans in Skyrim/Saarthal occured. To summarize, Kodlack Whitemane claims the Companions are "nearly 5,000 years old" dating them to at latest ME 550 (it has be 4,450 years since the start of the 1st Era). Alternatively, King Harald is said to be the 13th in the direct line of Ysgramor, and UESP thinks, assuming it is referring to generations, that would put Ysgramor as being alive in the ME 100s.

ME 100s – Night of Tears, war between Nords and Snow elves

The Snow Elves attack and raze Saarthal for reasons that have been lost to time, (supposedly) after having had peace with each other. Ysgramor returns to Atmora with his two sons and returns with the Five Hundred Companions.

This one has to have taken part not too long after the settling of Saarthal; Ysgramor is still alive and will live on for awhile after this, and for the sake of caution I'm putting this at the end of the range established in the previous point because it's one of the last things that we know of happening in the Merethic Era.

ME 100s – Battle of Moesring (death of the Snow Prince)

The Fall of the Snow Prince is the one source for the battle itself.

The Nords view this battle as sort of the final stand of Snow Elves, and took place on Solstheim.

Ysgramor led the Atmorans/Nords in this battle (according to the above), so he was still alive for this to take place, which is why I placed it in the same century as the start of the Snow Elf-Atmoran conflict/genocide.

ME 100s – Dwemer make deal with Snow elves

This journal from a Snow Elf in hiding suggests that the Battle of Moesring and the death of the Snow Prince was a major catalyst in deciding to seek out the Dwemer for aid, so whatever deal or alliance was made likely happened fairly soon after that battle.

ME late 100s-0 – Dragon War

Not necessarily relevant to the Snow Elves, but I was curious if the dragons could've been invovled in the conflict with them (and it's relevant to a scene from that fanfic I mentioned earlier)

Skorm Snow-Strider's Journal implies that the Dragon War had already occurred by 1E 139, and was long enough ago that finding dragon cultists was surprising.

UESP consistently lists the Dragon War as one of the last major events of the Merethic Era. It seems like once the Snow Elf population was significantly eliminated/driven out and the Atmorans/Nords began to significantly settle across the land that the Dragon Cult began to take off and become more tyrannical, inciting the Dragon War.

Personal headcanon: The method of Merethic dating originated with King Harald's Nordic scholars, but the event considered to mark the start of the 1st Era is the Founding of the Camoran Dynasty. I like to think that the original 1st Era Nordic event that marked the beginning of the 1st Era was the end of the Dragon War, but when this method of dating was adopted by Tamriel at large the founding of the Camoran Dynasty was adopted as the official start of the 1st Era.

Early 1E – Construction of the Chantry of Auri-El

Gelebor directly states it was built near the beginning of the 1st Era. This is sort of odd because it implies that there was enough of a presence and culture of the Snow Elves in the early 1st Era to put in the resources to build it. Additionally, Gelebor says, "The Chantry is quite isolated, so it took some time for word of the dwarves' offer to reach us here," an offer that almsot certainly happened before the 1st Era. (if I were to rewrite this timeline I would put it much earlier, pre-Atmoran involvement, but for the sake of consistency we will stick with canon for this post)

1E 200s – last of Snow Elves thought to be driven away/killed

In 1E 139, Skorm Snow-Strider's Journal details Lord Harald attempting to root out left over Snow Elves and Snow Elf "stronghold[s]". They are met with significant resistance and reports of attacks on local Nord settlements, however, the presence of Snow Elves is not treated as surprising, implying that this effort to wipe them out has been ongoing since the Merethic Era.

Meanwhile, PGE1 claims that the Snow Elves were considered "driven out" by reign of King Harald. He reigned form 1E 143 to 1E 221.

Given they were still present in 1E 139, but considered wiped out by at latest 1E 221, I concluded that this must've occurred over Harald's reign.

1E 600s – War of the Crag

The Falmer: A Study is the only evidence of this occurring, but it claims that at some point the Falmer under the control of the Dwemer, having already become the Betrayed, started a rebellion, eventually leaving the control of the Dwemer and settling into the deeper reaches of Blackreach. There, they continued in a conflict with the Dwemer called the War of the Crag.

According to the author of this paper, this conflict lasted for several decades and ended when the Dwemer disappeared, leaving the Falmer to freely spread throughout the underground of Skyrim. For this reason, it must've taken place in the 1E 600s.

1E 700 – Dwemer disappear

Kagrenac bonks the Heart of Lorkhan at the end of the War of the First Council. Rest in pieces, Dwemer. The entirety of the Falmer now have the freedom to spread and create their own communities.

1E 800s-2000s – Chantry of Auri-El is attacked

At some point, the modern Falmer invaded the Chantry of Auri-El and presumably killed everyone there except Vyrthur and Gelebor. Given that the Falmer had access to the Forgotten Vale to do so, and were organized and dangerous enough to do that sort of damage, this probably happened a significant amount of time after the disappearance of the Dwemer.

There are no other indications of a date when this happened, so basically all we have to go off of is "after the Dwemer disappeared" and "before Vyrthur created the Tyranny of the Sun prophecy", which itself doesn't have a date.

1E ???-2300s - Vyrthur creates the Tyranny of the Sun prophecy

So Vyrthur creates a prophecy for the sake of getting a Daughter of Coldharbour to him so he can use her blood to block out the sun to get revenge on Auri-El. How did he do that? How did it get out of the Forgotten Vale for Harkon to find out about? How did it end up on Elder Scrolls? Doesn't matter for the purpose of this timeline. We can presume it was after the Chantry of Auri-El was attacked (although we don't even know that for sure, but it's what I'm going with), but obviously before Harkon learned about it.

1E 2300s-2700 – Harkon discovers the prophecy and Valerica hides Serana away

This might not be relevant to the Snow Elves or Falmer as a whole, but it's relevant to Vyrthur's prophecy (in helping me work backwards to figure out when the attack on the Chantry happened) and the Dawguard quest, and many people have brought up before the context of Serana's "Cyrodiil is the seat of an empire?" comment so I thought I'd look into it out of curiosity.

Serana's empire comment is the only indication we have (that I'm aware of) of when Serana was sealed away (and therefore when Harkon learned of the prophecy), so let's look at Cyrodiil's empires:

The Ayleid empire ruled from sometime in the Merethic Era to the Alessian Slave Rebellion and the beginning of the Alessian empire in 1E 243. Obviously it was after this since there was no break between these empires.

In 1E 2321 the War of Righteousness would break out, leading to the dissolution of the Alessian Empire at its conclusion in 1E 2331.

The Second Empire started with the Reman Dynasty in 1E 2703 after the battle of Pale Pass. The 1st Era would end with the end of the Reman Dynasty and the beginning of the Akaviri Potentate, which would last until 2E 430. There wouldn't be another empire until Tiber Septim at the start of the 3rd Era. So there was a break in empires from 1E 2321 to 1E 2703 and from 2E 430 to 2E 854.

Harkon's UESP page claims he ruled over the Volkihar Clan after Serana's disappearance "for millennia" with a citation to the Skyrim Prima Official Guide, which I don't have, so I'll take the wiki's word on it. Knowing that, and acknowledging that by the time of Skyrim it has only been 634 years since the beginning of the Septim Empire, I assume that the mostly likely break in Cyrodiil empires for Serana to have been born and hidden away during was between the Alessian and Second Empires.

Did this matter? Only to help figure out a very minor detail in Gelebor and Vyrthur's timelines. Did I have fun trying to figure it out? yes!

4E 201 – Events of Dawnguard

-

I believe that's it! If anyone knows of anything I missed (or messed up) feel free to add or speculate on that as well!

[xec]

FACTIONS OF SKYRIM III. The Companions

The Companions are a group of warriors who take on private and public contracts for the people of Skyrim, and who purportedly carry on the tradition of the Five Hundred Companions of Ysgramor. They are based in the city of Whiterun, within the mead hall Jorrvaskr. The most elite members are included in the Circle of Jorrvaskr, and the chief councilor and arbitrator is known as the Harbinger.

[hircines-hunter]

WIP Wednesday

Tagged by wonderful @umbracirrus I know I tagged a bunch of people yesterday. I’ll tag a few of yall!

@mavariel @madamefluffnstuff @vivifriend @thequeenofthewinter @oblivions-dawn

Anyone else feel free to tag me

Have some Thea and Galmar brainrot

“I was Harbinger for six years. All I did was bring honor. And for what!? You wouldn’t let me join something that meant honor to me! So I left! I left cordially. Ysgramor would be rolling in his grave right now….” Thea spat again. Divines, her jaw hurt.

Galmar looked back. He’d never heard her raise her voice. In fact, he’d never heard her speak more than pleasantries to anyone else but him.

Galmar could see the anger that pooled in her eyes. Her clenched jaw. Her knuckles went white. She was ready to pounce.

“People still see you as Harbinger, despite you passing the mantle to me.” Vilkas growled.

Thea narrowed her eyes. “That’s your fault then.” She whispered. She turned away.

Galmar walked over to Thea. He put a hand on her shoulder. “You okay?” He leaned close as he whispered. He put his hand on her cheek where a large bruise started to form. He saw the swelling already. By Talos.

She nodded. “Aye.” She moved away and turned her back. “Just, get them out without harm. They were once family.” She looked over her shoulder at Aela and Farkas. Both looked considerably less angry. Farkas grabbed Vilkas’ shoulder.

Galmar turned and faced the Companions. “You best return to Jorrvaskr before we remove you by force, boy.” He grabbed the waraxe off his back.

Vilkas scoffed. “Gladly. Can’t stand the filth in here anyways. Can’t believe you would let them put Vignar on the throne. I know you hate him.” Vilkas whispered as he turned. The Companions followed after him.

Thea’s shoulders shook. Galmar couldn’t tell if it was from anger or…. He heard a sniff. She was crying. He walked over and put a hand on her shoulder. “Let’s go. Somewhere without people.” He directed her up the stairs and to the Great Porch. She nodded.

Thea walked around the area and made her way to the open end. She looked out onto the plains below. The mountains in the distance. She looked up and saw the first stars twinkling. The auroras started their dance when she finally spoke. “You can go back down. I’ll be okay.” She wiped her face.

“How’s your jaw?” He walked over and put his knuckle under her chin, moving her face to get a look at it. His eyes wandered to her lips when they parted for a moment and then up to her eyes.

Thea listened to Galmar’s heart before answering. “It does hurt. But, I’ll be fine. Vilkas doesn’t hit that hard.” She smiled a bit. “His brother now….” She felt tears prick the corners of her eyes. “Ah. They were my family for fifteen years. At least away from home. Sorry.” She tried to move her face, but Galmar placed his thumb on her chin, keeping her face in spot.

Galmar watched the auroras swirled in her eyes. The moons illuminated her face. Her lips. By Talos. He leaned forward. He needed to kiss her.

Thea watched. She felt her world stop. It also felt like she was spinning. She…. She had wanted to kiss him since they retrieved the Jagged Crown and…. Here she was. She leaned forward, her eyes half closed.

The doors burst open. “General!”

Galmar moved away. He thanked the Divines that there was a great distance from the door to where they were. He cleared his throat. He straightened out his armor and walked towards the soldier.

Thea watched him walk away. She was disappointed in the interruption. But, he had tried to kiss her. She smiled and leaned against the wall. She looked up and watched the sky.

[elderscrollsconceptart]

Ysgramor Axe and Shield

Concept art for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Art by Adam Adamowicz

[umbracirrus]

Self recs? I'll try!!

The rules are to recommend some of my own fics that I've enjoyed writing, and to tag some people back to recommend their own... but I admittedly don't know who to tag back!! I'm an awkward little bean so I'll leave it as an open tag. Yeah, you - take the opportunity to be proud of what you've done if you're a writer!!!

Tagged by @pitiable-arisen and @thequeenofthewinter!

So... In terms of things which I have posted, I have a few things...

Number 1, quite obviously, has to be my beloved fic The Perfect Storm! A long fic based around my dear dragonborn Elyse and my favourite Jarl Balgruuf, and their developing relationship in the face of many hardships of both the personal and political kind...

Number 2 sticks with Elyse, and that is Seeking the Sun! This is Elyse's journey as the dragonborn, from the moment that she leaves her family home in Chorrol following the death of her mother and disappearance of her father, and travels north to her mother's homeland... just to get caught at an ambush at the border. Only the first two chapters are posted so far, but the next chapter is slowly progressing....

Number 3 is With light comes shadow, my Oblivion fic! Based around my two Heroes of Kvatch, Florian and Drissa, as they fulfil the Emperor's final wishes, and send themselves down paths of light and shadow, redemption and ruin... And of course, it has Martin. Who doesn't love Martin :)

Number 4 is Purity! A oneshot based upon my dragonborn harbinger of the Companions, Thea, as she guides Vilkas through Ysgramor's Tomb to cleanse him of the beast blood, and Hircine is not happy. I'm actually wanting to write some more for these two...

Number 5 is a bit harder to think of, because the first four is what I have posted on AO3 because I'm happy with them and think they're at a point in which I could post them! So... looking through what I've posted on here... It's gotta be a little thing I wrote with a kiss between Balgruuf and Elyse, and all because they shared a dessert with one of her favourite sweet treats, strawberries! I'm debating trying to work this into The Perfect Storm somewhere.

[sylvienerevarine]

@oblivions-dawn tagged me in WIP Wednesday, and I couldn't resist showing you guys a random idea I came up with for my Dawnguard fic. The Companions are so fun, but they have such horrible beginnings, so I wanted to inject a little redemption into their arc.

I tag @nostalgic-breton-girl, @inkysqueed, and @elavoria!

Sophrine gave a low whistle. “Harbinger, eh? That’s a big responsibility. How are you liking it?” “It’s complicated, honestly. On one hand, I love the Companions. They’re like a loud, drunk, incestuous family. On the other…well.” Amaal smiled guiltily. “Ysgramor was kind of a bastard, wasn’t he? I know he practically founded Skyrim, but he wasn’t exactly a gentleman about it. Can’t help but feel sorry for the Snow Elves.” “Would you learn more about the Falmer, if you could?” Sophrine asked carefully. “Maybe even help them, if that turns out to be possible? It could make up for Ysgramor, a little.” Amaal’s eyebrows went up. “Go on.” Sophrine pulled out her journal, ripped out a page, and wrote down a few words. “There’s a fellow named Gelebor who knows everything there is to know about the Snow Elves. Look him up in Darkfall Cave sometime, I’m sure he would appreciate your help.”

[wolfbrawn]

VERSES .

✶ verse — it begins with boyhood

canon . Farkas grows up in the shadow of Jorrvaskr.  There are no mother’s skirts to cling to, only the tassets of warriors who call themselves Companions.  His brother is at his side, and Farkas reaches for his hand when he needs to.  Together, they are raised on a diet of watered-down mead and tales of Ysgramor.

✶ verse — we fight so that other people don’t have to

canon . Farkas proves his mettle and becomes a Companion.  He and Vilkas are the youngest in the faction’s history to be granted this honour. Meanwhile, under the tutelage of Eorlund Gray-Mane, he becomes an increasingly proficient blacksmith.

✶ verse — his heart beats with fury and courage

canon . Farkas is invited into the Circle and accepts the gift of lycanthropy. He sees it as an extension of his own physicality, a weapon to be wielded with honour and purpose. Standing among the most trusted and capable of Companions, his work continues much as it ever has, taking him to distant, frozen corners of Skyrim.

✶ verse — just tell me who needs bludgeoning

canon . They live in the shadow of dragons, in a time of tremendous unrest. Farkas wishes only to exist as he always has. Simply, with an open heart and closed fists. He does not concern himself with politics or the machinations of the powerful.

✶ verse — empty hands hold so much promise

modern . Raised in the care system and vomited unceremoniously out into the world, Farkas learned to work with his hands. Qualifying as a welder, he spends much of his free time at the gym, and is the first to offer newcomers help and encouragement. This verse can be mundane or supernatural.

✶ verse — there’s a bad moon on the rise

modern . It is hardly surprising Farkas falls into a more transient existence. Raised in care, doomed to flunk school. Looking for highs in low places, he finds himself on the fringes of the music industry, putting his muscle to use as a roadie. This verse can be mundane or supernatural.

✶ verse — the beast’s embrace

bloodborne . A hunter and weaponsmith, first of the Workshop and then the Powder Kegs. Farkas seizes on the forbidden Caryll Rune and swears his oath, granting him the gift of beasthood. Now he is branded a heretic and is left factionless. He hunts as and when he sees fit, sympathising both with his former associates and the beasts he once culled without remorse.

✶ verse — how fast can you run? a wolf’s question

general fantasy . You can find him on the road or in the wilds, sometimes in the taverns with their stoop-back rooftops. He takes work where he can find it, usually in the forges or by fulfilling bounties. Farkas never stays in one place too long, for fear the locals will smell the wet-fur stench that clings to his skin, or notice how his eyes gleam unnaturally in the dark.

✶ verse — hear me howling / calling on my darling

exclusive to @shellcrack . Following the premise of the general fantasy verse, only here Farkas crosses paths with Miriam.  She is in the spring of her life, born with lycanthropy in her blood – and the beast frequently bursts out of her with devastating consequences.  They are mates, their lives together marked by the conflict between their humanity and the call of the wild.

[landgraabbed]

the trip of the companions to the tomb of ysgramor was peaceful though bizarre since they got stuck on this stretch before dawnstar

[nientedenada]

On the Arrrant Lies of The Septims' Most Deplorable Toady, My Former Employer, Bertrand Rielle, Duke of Camlorn

Apocrypha/Microfic written for r/teslore. Read it here or on AO3.

This angry pamphlet was published in the early years of the Septim Empire, during the reign of Emperor Pelagius I. Our one copy of this text comes from the Archives of the Adamantium Tower, and bears the simple notation "This is most diverting" in the hand of a Direnni scribe. The fate of the author is unknown.

I, Bazile Guimard, am a historian of the First Era, a role which means I am constantly thwarted in my researches by the imaginative genealogical efforts of the Breton aristocracy. Nowhere in Tamriel will you find such a mendacious crew as the nobles of this land. Pedigree means everything to them.

Don’t mistake my meaning here, certainly all nobles boast of their pedigrees. If you’re ever invited to a Summerset country estate for the weekend, I advise you to decline the invitation lest you succumb to the boredom of hearing an enthusiastic Altmer host monologue about his ancestors back to the Dawn. Breton stories of ancestral glory are much more palatable; largely because everyone is aware that most of them are hogswash. There is a tacit agreement among us Bretons not to look too closely into the actual facts of other people’s ancestors. Our friends and neighbours repay us the favour by not looking into our own.

Yes, pedigree means everything to Breton nobles. This does not entail respect for their ancestors. Instead, it means that they make up their pedigrees out of whole-cloth to suit their situation. The frustrated historian is left to sift through the nonsense of centuries to get at the truth.

And still, I’ve never met such an arrant liar as Bertrand Rielle, Duke of Camlorn.

The man doesn’t lack a grand ancestry. There’s been a remarkable consistency in the Rielle rule of Camlorn over generations. Even if they’re thrown out on their ears, eventually they turn up again. I can trace Duke Bertrand’s lineage back to the hero of Glenumbra Moors, Prince Aiden Direnni himself. That, however, does not please Bertrand. Of late years, he has cozied up to the Septim family and with that, reinvented his ancestry to be more palatable to the current fashion. The last time I visited the Duke, he was boasting about his heroic Nord ancestress, Inge Blood-Swan. Bertrand knows damn well that Inge was the husband of the first Duke of Camlorn, Robert Rielle, and that he is descended from that Duke’s younger sister, Yselle. At least Bertrand knew it as late as last year before he met a so-called antiquarian who informed him that Inge could be a woman’s name as well and introduced to Bertrand the lure of a new more Nordic descent. The Septims will surely be impressed by this one!

In this new version of Rielle family history, Inge Blood-Swan, descendant of Ysgramor, (and as Bertrand tells it, most of the other five hundred Companions), inspired her Breton husband Robert Rielle to throw off the hated scourge of elven oppression. How utterly ridiculous, and what an insult to the memory of the First Duke of Camlorn, the wily opportunistic manmer who carved out his own chunk of the Direnni Hegemony.

Bertrand has revoked my access to his archives and disrupted my work of two decades chronicling the rise of the manmer polity of Camlorn. But In an instance of what I can only see as Divine Justice, he has also lost the boot-licking hobbyist who started him down this path. Scarcely a week into his new job, this idiot reportedly borrowed a late-Hegemony Levies Scroll for a bit of light bedtime reading. The servants report they had to scrape his viscera off the ceiling.

Duke Bertrand is in search of a new lorekeeper. Since no reputable Breton scholar will now associate with him, perhaps he can install a travelling Nord street magician next, as is the Septim-approved fashion.

Notes: Inspired by finding out Inge: a woman's name in Skyrim is more often male in Sweden/Norway. And by sorting through all sorts of dreadful amateur genealogy done by folks with big dreams of glorious ancestry and no skepticism or discernment.

The Pocket Guide to the Empire, First Edition, and the complaints of texts such as Frontier, Conquest, paint a picture of a period of Nord Fatherland nonsense in the early Septim Empire. If the Septims have loudly-declared roots in Atmora, would the Breton aristocracy pass up on acquiring some for themselves? The Breton aristocracy has a high turn-over and a strong self-aggrandizing streak. From the PGE1

Today, the social structure of the Bretons has divided itself into a poor middle class and destitute peasantry, a magical elite separate from their squalor, and an often incoherent jumble of nobility and ruling families above them all. It is beyond the small ambition of this pamphlet to address the latter in any better terms, for even the natives have difficulty distinguishing their leaders from one another. Indeed, it is an old joke among the Bretons: "find a new hill, become a king," and many have taken it to heart. Youths of all professions and trades in High Rock spend their free time in knightly pursuits, real and imagined, performing good deeds and the like for all and sundry, in oft-vain efforts to achieve, one day, a noble status.

Once you've found that new hill, you need a pedigree, I figure.

There are two more references to the PGE1 here: Altmer commenter YR's allegation that Tiber Septim hired a fake street magician to run his Thu'um college, and the dangers of trying to read Direnni Hegemony official documents without the proper ciphers.

[thequeenofthewinter]

(Sort of) Fic Friday

It pains me a lot to not post this week, but delicate political matters require a lot of attention, and this chapter is getting long. (As of right now, I have 6,000 words, and I'm only half done.) It is far better for me to take my time and not rush than to post something half-finished or not up to my standards. So, instead of posting a chapter, have a second snippet of some delicious Moot drama.

“As is the tradition of our people since Ysgramor brought the first 500 Companions from Atmora, we have come here together for the selection of a new leader just as our fathers and forefathers.” The Jarl of Whiterun scans the room, eyes finding each and every participant in the room. “Today is no different. We will fulfill our duty to our people, our nation, and to our ancestors in choosing our next High King and Queen with dignity and honor.”

Polite clapping erupts from the room, and Vignar raises his arms to indicate quiet.

“First, we will hear opening arguments from both Jarl Ulfric and Jarl Elisif as to why they are the best choice for Skyrim’s future. Following this, lunch will be served, and there will be an opportunity for all of you to converse with and ask questions to the candidates and mingle with the other Jarls. This will bring the day to a close, and you will be asked to go home and make careful considerations as to whom you will cast your vote for. 

The following day we will make our decisions known. Votes will be cast aloud by each of the Jarls, saving Jarl Ulfric and Jarl Elisif, as they are our candidates.” He nods to each of them in turn. “It is very important to note that as dictated by the rules for the Moot, all votes are final, and cannot be changed once a name is spoken.” 

Vignar then motions to the warriors around the room. “By now, all should have noted our guests. The Companions have been invited here as neutral participants for the security and safety of all here in attendance. That is to say that violence will not be tolerated in any form. Respect and fairness are prized above all in order to bring about a new era for Skyrim.”

“That’s rich.”

All eyes turn to the voice which has cut into Vignar’s speech.

“Is there something you’d like to say, Jarl Elisif?” 

“We once put our trust in one of the Jarls here today thinking that he would be fair and accepting of this tradition, yet he took it upon himself to answer it with violence. How do we know that he or his wife will respect anything we decide here?” Elisif’s eyes burn with bitter grief as they find Dahlia’s, and for one singular moment, the Dragonborn is taken aback by the raw emotion she sees there. Never before has she seen her show more than cool indifference or frivolous selfishness.

“This whole thing is a farce, anyway,” she continues, her eyes still holding Dahlia’s. “Why hold a Moot at all when they just take what they want by force?  They care not for those they ravage in their wake. Their path is one of lies and deceit and their only concern for what power they can grab. So tell me, Vignar, how am I supposed to feel safe here with my young child when—let’s face it—none of us are any match for either of them?”

“We are all bound by the sacred tradition of the Moot and the Divines’ eyes upon us as we carry out their will. Surely, Jarl Ulfric and the Lady Stormcloak have no intention of spitting in their faces and incurring their disfavor, especially since Dahlia is Akatosh’s chosen.” Vignar waves an imploring hand towards Elisif. “And I will remind you that the challenging of Kings is also a long accepted tradition. All who take the position implicitly accept that risk.”

“It’s barbaric, and he’s a murderer.” Elisif points an accusatory finger across the table towards Ulfric. "As far as I am concerned, he is not fit to rule and neither is the Dragonborn. She is apologetic of his war crimes and therefore complicit in them."

Outraged yelling erupts from all seated at the table, as any previous control Vignar held of the event is lost. One voice yells over the other as insults are thrown every which way across the room and many limbs point furiously in various directions—a descent into chaos, pure and simple. 

All the while, Elisif remains seated primly in her chair across from Dahlia, her arms folded over her chest daintily as one of her lips quirks into a smug smirk.

Slowly, the realization sinks in as Dahlia’s teeth work their way into her tongue, biting down hard to keep the look of disbelief off of her face: She did all of this on purpose, and no one can dare to accuse her of it, least of all them.

Stinging anger prickles under Dahlia’s skin as heat blooms through her face—almost as if Elisif had reached across the table and slapped her herself. Her hands curl on themselves, fingernails digging deep into the palms of her hands as she struggles to keep a hold on rational thoughts. Any previous sympathy she felt for the woman is squashed therein, dispersing like smoke between her fingers. She was a fool to feel anything for her at all. 

She’ll not make that mistake twice.