Lore:Ald'ruhn

Ald'ruhn (translated as "Old Home" in the Dunmer language   and also spelled Ald-ruhn)  was one of the four cities on the district of Vvardenfell. In modern history, Ald'ruhn served as the district seat of power for the Great House Redoran,  but before it was occupied by the House Dunmer, it was neutral meeting ground for the four tribes of the Vvardenfell Ashlanders. The settlement was built around the carcass of Skar, an ancient Emperor Crab that was slain by the united tribes and a long-forgotten hero of legend.   
 

Layout & Geography
thumb|left|Map of the Ald'ruhn Region
thumb|right|The streets of Ald'ruhn
Ald'ruhn is situated on the western-side of the  , between the main road that runs through the   and the   that surrounds the caldera of  . The land is inhospitable for the common-folk, its riddled with steep hillscapes, dead wood, and jagged rocks, and not much can be found beyond the city limits, other than the banks of the   to the west. Even so, the community of Ald'ruhn had always lived through the harsh environment, from the ash storms to the sparse grazing. The main road that runs through the West Gash forks toward Ald'ruhn and another thoroughfare that scales north through the Ashlands until it comes toward   and  .  The land has its fair share of  , from the ancestral tombs of Clans    and  ,  to the cairns of the First Ashkhans,  and even the mythos of the city's most iconic landmark, the carcass of Skar. 

The settlement was built just south of Skar's carcass, and its maw was used as the entrance. The front of the carcass was typical the settlement's central square and the carapace itself was used as a place of great importance. Back when the town was an Ashlander meeting ground, there was a large campfire and circle in front of Skar and several yurts assembled around the circle. As the hill descended downward to the west, yurts became less prevalent and the local   sat solemnly on the road.  When the proper Redoran city was founded, Ald'ruhn became walled-off and it had large, perched watchtowers. Much like other Redoran townships, the city was built in the typical Redoran village style, with organic curves and undecorated exteriors reminiscent of the environment. There were three principal districts in Ald'ruhn. There was Ald'ruhn Town, the outer-half of the city. The southern-half of the area consisted of business and guildhalls, as well as the city's entrance and   port. The other side of the area was the local temple. The northern-half of Ald'ruhn Town was various homes and local businesses. The second district was the Ald'ruhn-Under-Skar, which was built inside the Emperor Crab's shell. The Manor District was connected together with wooden bridges over the ground floor and wooden boardwalks that went around the wall of the carapace. Manors dedicated to each member of the Redoran Council and the Council Hall were located on this upper level, while more upscale businesses were found on the bottom. 

Notable Locales


History
The Battle of Skar and the Folly of Clan Hleran
thumb|right|The Ashlander Meeting Hall in Skar
thumb|left|Spirit of Dranoth Hleran
Before there was Ald'ruhn, there was the Emperor Crab known as Skar. Back when the   were nomadic-folk  and lived in tribes that later became the  ,  Skar was an unstoppable force of nature that wreaked havoc across the land. The First Ashkhans of the  ,  ,  , and   tribes banded together to fight the beast.    of   wielded his spear,   and slew the Emperor Crab.  Skar's carcass provided a vast wealth of sustenance, and ancestors of House Hleran decided to settle next to the Foyada Drura, to live a quiet but well-equipped life. The Hleran provided to the Velothi wanderers with Skar's resources but after the First Ashkhans passed away, their successors took up their arms and slaughtered the Hleran until they were forced out of the Ashlands. 

Since Skar's defeat, the Ashlander tribes used the site as a neutral meeting ground, where they would silently pray around the campfire in the center. Dranoth's legend and name were forgotten by the people ever since, and only the faintest memory remained with them. To the wise women and loremasters of the Ashlanders, he was known as "The Unsung".  The Nordic scholar,   made her best attempts to uncover the history, but fell short with just a mention of a hero and a spear.  She believed that Skar now served as a sign of hope for strength. The Ashlanders make an annual pilgrimage to Ald'ruhn, where they would gather to celebrate their victory over Skar and bring offerings to the cairns of their first Ashkhans. 

Trail of the False Incarnate and the Return of Clan Hleran
thumb|right|Drelyth Hleran and Calderas
thumb|left|The Trial of Conoon Chodala, the False Incarnate
Sometime during the   in  , the Urshilaku Ashkhan,   came across a powerful staff called the   and proclaimed himself the destined  . His first course of action was too unite the Ashlander tribes, including the notorious  , who became his personal guard.  Chodala's sister and ambassador,  , as well as an   tried to talk him out of his claim, but he was absolutely confident, and managed to convince the Wise Woman in Ald'ruhn,   to meditate on his claims in the  . 

In her place however, the Outlander and Seryn delved into the cave and gathered information from the   that detested the Ashkhan's claim. It was presented on trial at the Council Hall in Skar, which was mediated by Wise Woman Dovrosi. In the end, Dovrosi acknowledged the two's counter argument and denounced Chodala's claims as the Nerevarine. Unable to accept defeat, Chodala flees Skar and the Red Exiles led by Gulakhan   assaulted the council hall. After a couple waves of enemies, the council hall was at peace but war was stirring as long as Chodala wielded Sunna'rah. The Outlander began a new quest to defeat Chodala and claim Sunna'rah. 

Since their expulsion from Vvardenfell, House Hleran had made several attempts throughout the years to locate their ancestral tomb but to no avail, but in the mid- , a minor house noble named   discovered an old text from an ancient Velothi temple that referred his family's old home in the shadow of Skar. He made his pilgrimage to Ald'ruhn, where he met an Outlander that agreed to help him learn his heritage.  The adventurer spoke with Farseer   and took on the ritual to place offerings in the First Ashkhans' cairns. Once they finished their ritual, the adventurer managed to locate the Hleran Ancestral Tomb on the banks of the Foyada Drura.  

The adventurer found the Ancestral Tomb with forsaken and hostile spirits, and fought their way through and prayed at each shrine until they came across the spirit of Dranoth Hleran at his tomb. Honored by the patronage of the Outlander, Dranoth gave them his legendary spear, Calderas to pass onto Drelyth in the hopes that the Wise Women will know its power. In the end, Drelyth was accepted by the Ashlanders.  and he began negotiations with House Redoran to build a settlement. There were hopes that Skar could be shared with both the House Dunmer and the Ashlanders.    but in the end, House Redoran took complete control of Ald'ruhn and displaced them out of the settlement by the Third Era. 

Ald'ruhn in the Third Empire
thumb|right|Archmaster Bolvyn Venim
thumb|left|The Manor District, Under-Skar
When the Temple-territory of Vvardenfell was re-organized into an official Imperial Provincial District and the ban was lifted by King   in  , House Redoran and its rival Great Houses,   and   saw fit to re-claim lost territory on the island.  The Redoran District was much less significant compared to its Second Era counterpart, as it spanned between Ald'ruhn to the south and Gnisis to the north, as well as the Redoran Canton in  .  Their territory around what is now   and was even grabbed by the  , much to their chagrin.  At the time, the conservatives of House Redoran were endangered of being marginalized by its rival houses,  but when the Redoran Archmaster,   moved the Redoran Council into Ald'ruhn and took shares of the frontier land, it reportedly saved the Great House from defeat. 

When   broke out in  , the destined   appeared on Vvardenfell and began the necessary steps to earn the title of Hortator. The warrior made their way to the city of Ald'ruhn, where they met the Councilor,  . The Councilor told them that all of the council members, except for the Archmaster, Bolvyn Venim will acknowledge them as the Hortator of House Redoran. Sarethi also asked the Nerevarine a favor, to rescue his son,   from his prison in Venim Manor. After they rescued his son, the Nerevarine met with other councilors who each gave them their blessings, but when they confronted Bolvyn Venim, he outright rejected them. With no other solution, the two agreed to a duel to the death in the Arena Canton of  . In the end, the Archmagister was struck down and Athyn Sarethi proclaimed the Nerevarine as the Hortator. 

Ald'ruhn in the Oblivion Crisis and Onward
thumb|right|The Fall of Ald'ruhn
Details on Morrowind during the   of   vary depending on account, one contemporary source claiming that the   could not assist  's counties because they could not be pulled from the other provinces,  while more recent sources claim that the Imperial Legion was indeed pulled from other provinces such as Morrowind and left the locals defenseless.   Regardless, the Redoran of Ald'ruhn suffered severe casualties when the   was unleashed from the  . In a futile attempt to defend themselves, the mages of House Redoran performed ancient rituals and re-awoke Skar. Alas, even with the ancient Emperor Crab's assistance, the Dark Elven defenders were defeated.  A year later, the Great Houses sent out small groups to seek out new places to settle. House Redoran's group was led by the Lady of Maar Gan,  Councilman  , who quickly set forth for   and its mining colony,  . 

It is unknown how Ald'ruhn faired after its destruction in the Oblivion Crisis, but the town saw further devastation a mere five years later with the eruption of Red Mountain in  . Remembered as the   in modern history, the   crash-landed onto Vivec City and caused a chain reaction that led to the volcanic eruption that wiped the island clean. Many people on the mainland mourned the loss of loved ones in Ald'ruhn and other cities, but almost a month after the event, the Redoran councilors in   created a relief effort for the settlements hit the hardest. It is unknown how Ald'ruhn faired in these events or if it received any relief, but its close proximity to Red Mountain may have sealed the city's fate. 
 

Gallery
 

Notes
In an early concept map of Morrowind based on the province in Arena, there was a town called Aldrun that was in turn based on a village called Old Run. It was located on the west side of the island next to the island's center, as opposed to Old Run's original location, on the southeast corner. In the final product, it retained its new location but also had its name slightly changed to Ald'ruhn.  Since they are located in different locations, they apparently cannot be considered one of the same.

See Also
For game-specific information on Ald'ruhn, see the Morrowind and ESO articles.
For game-specific information on Fort Buckmoth, see the Morrowind article.
Books





References