Lore:Shornhelm

thumb|right|Map of High Rock
  
Shornhelm (sometimes spelled Sharnhelm)   is one of the eight major kingdoms in the province of High Rock,   located in the center of Rivenspire. Shornhelm is historically the seat of power for the Kingdom of Rivenspire, the north-central region of High Rock and it is aptly ruled by the Riven-King  and if no monarch is present, then the regency council, the Council of the North takes over. It is a triumvirate of the kingdom's three major houses, Dorell, Montclair, and Tamrith.   The city acquired the epithet of the "Crown City of the North" for its status.  
 

Layout and Geography
thumb|right|Castle Shornhelm
thumb|left|The Fevered Mews
Shornhelm is located in the tumultuous landscape of the   in north High Rock,  which is known for its rough, tricky terrain and oppressive environment, one that many people find hard to survive in. Even so, the city is found in the center of a varied kingdom, between the narrow canyons and basins in the west, the windswept moors of the east,  and the nearby  .  Shornhelm itself is surrounded by flinty crags and hills that contain ruined towers from a bygone era of conflict, such as the   that overlooks the city from the east, or even the old ruins south of it.   In the mountains behind Shornhelm is a ravine called the Fevered Mews, which have been used by the city to quarantine those infected with a  s and the plague. It also contains a series of caves and an ancient ruin found deeper in the ravine. 

The city is built on a hill that overlooks the entire central region and it even boasts a strong defensive parameter of high walls and watchtowers. Shornhelm is split between two districts, the lower city where the common folk dwell and trade with one another, as well as the upper city, where the nobility live. Each of the noble houses has a manor in the district, as well as the local barracks and even the local wayshrine.  The city's substructure is a series of interconnected cisterns that connect to each of the city's water wells, like a honeycomb of pocketed caches. Some of them have leaked into each other after years of exposure and their shoddy craftsmanship. The one that distributes the most water is sometimes called the master source, that bridges an underground river to the rest of the system.  The sewers also serve as the city's outlaws refuges, and its were many noble families flock toward after the death of King Ranser.  Shornhelm is neighbored by several settlements, including   to the southeast,   to the northeast, and   to the west. 
 
Notable Locales


History
Shornhelm's Early History
thumb|righ|Spenard's throne of the Riven King
thumb|left|The Fevered Mews
The  s of the Shornhelm heights and nearby   have a long and storied history that dates back to ancient times, such as the   in legend, and the Purge of the Wyrd-Hags in the Year of   ( ). The Bretons of Shornhelm and even lancers from   were present in the   in  , in an event remembered as the Charge of the Montclair Knights (often erroneously called the Charge of the Shornhelm Knights). 

In the mid-fifth century of the  , Shornhelm was ruled by  , a despotic dynasty that lasted for one hundred and eighty years, starting from King   all the way to King  . And while there have been many tyrant kings in Rivenspire, none lived up to the Spenard's reign. Their territory was always in a perpetual state of famine  and one of the vassal clans,   patronized the notorious knightly order, the  .  They were later dissolved by   and they faded away in the annals of history.   of the   claimed that each of the six kings were one person and that Frestrien Spenard was a  .  Coincidentally, the vassal-clans were also accused of being vampires back in their time. 

Shornhelm and the rest of Rivenspire was hit greatly by the   in  , and while most the population was affected by the pandemic, the noble and merchant class of Shornhelm quarantined themselves in the Fevered Mews. They eventually emerged from the caves after over five months, only to find the entire kingdom virtually de-populated.  Shornhelm came under control of House Dorell by the twenty-fourth century of the First Era, and held the kingdom for many generations. Their control had cemented their place in the kingdom's upper echelon, where they maintain their position to this day. 

In  , the Akaviri Potentate,   placed specially trained   in Shornhelm which caused a panic in the city, according to   of  .  The region of   was sanctioned as an official Imperial Province under the  , at the time ruled by  .  By with his death in  , the Bretons of Shornhelm took up their arms and laid waste to the province. 

Shornhelm in the Post-Reman Era
By the Second Era, Shornhelm had been ruled by   for at least twenty-two generations, and one of the most well-known monarchs was its twenty-first monarch, King  , who reigned over the Kingdom of Rivenspire between   and  . He led his kingdom in the historical  , which led to several years of peace in High Rock. King Hurlburt married Countess   of House Montclair and later sired his crown-prince,  .  When Emperor   the Black Drake invaded High Rock, his forces were destroyed by the combined armies of High Rock's kingdoms led by Earl   of Cumberland in  . King Hurlburt and Shornhelm joined together with Emeric and created the first iteration of the  .  The King died two years later and so the royal houses of Rivenspire became to sponsor which son would take the throne. The fourteen year old Phylgeon was championed by House Montclair for the throne, but both House Branquette and   endorsed the older half-brother,  . 

The hidden maneuvering that led to the political race's conclusion is largely lost to history. Baron Phylgeon's advisors contended that he was the legitimate heir to the throne, not only because of his heritage, but by quoting the famous codicil, the  , which declared that "Howse Mount Clayre" was the royal house of Shornhelm. The Council of the North reviewed the claim, but one day, the codicil mysteriously disappeared and Ranser came forward with a long-lost decree from the   that named House Branquette the royal delegates of Rivenspire. In a narrow victory, Prince Ranser won the crown and was proclaimed King of Shornhelm, and while House Montclair wanted Phylgeon to pursue it further, he declined and preferred to stay the house Baron.  Ranser later had a daughter, Princess   and when Earl Emeric was named King of  , he began to search for a bride. At first it was Princess Rayelle, but he later married Princess   of  , which strengthened relations with  . 

King Ranser's Fury and Wrath
thumb|left|King Ranser of Shornhelm
thumb|right|King Emeric of Wayrest
King Ranser took great offense to Rayelle's rejection, and saw fit to wage civil war with the rest of the Daggerfall Covenant in  .    began in the spring of that year and every royal house of Rivenspire, from Montclair to Dorell, the entire kingdom rallied behind their king. Count Phylgeon did not have faith in his brother's cause, and offered to serve as a peace envoy between the two kings. While Emeric's response is lost to history, Ranser's angry answer was quite clear and well-known, and so Phylgeon relented and leased the Montclair knights to Ranser's armies.  After a failed siege against Wayrest, Shornhelm's armies fled north back to their domain, but found their capital city on fire, caused by the  s of Orsinium, led by King  . It was their revenge for the sack of Orsinium, some one hundred and thirty-five years earlier. Unable to retreat back home and caught between the Bretons and Orcs, Ranser took his armies east into Markwasten Moor, where the final battle commenced, as most historical documents dictated. 

The Battle of Markwasten Moor ended with a resounding defeat, but what most people did not known was that Ranser and a small contingent of soldiers retreated to a nameless tor that overlooked ruined Shornhelm. Ranser had a plan to create an unstoppable army, with the help of his court magician,  . Only a blood sacrifice was needed to fulfill the ritual and his plans, but he was slain by his trusted Captain,  , whose name was struck from history. His armies and confidants were now undead skeletons, and instead of pursuing Emeric's armies, remained on the tor to strengthen his position. That site was hence named the  ,  and his soldiers remained vigilant on the tor for fifteen years after the war until Ranser was ultimately defeated and the curse was lifted. 

With their defeat at the previous Battle of Markwasten Moor, not only was King Ranser presumed dead, but with him was House Branquette's dynasty. The Crown of Shornhelm was also lost to the war. The Council of the North led by Baron  , Baron  , and Baron   continued to govern over the kingdom until further notice and tried their best to re-instate order and peace across the country. There was a common sentiment across Rivenspire that the kingdom needed a king, something that Baron Montclair believed that he could accomplish. Not only because was he a direct descendant of King Hurlburt through his father, Phylgeon, but he also re-discovered the Bretonnick Natalitie, which claimed that "Howse Mount Clayre" was appointed rulership of "Sharn Helm" and its contingent land. The Baron set forth his plan for the throne of Rivenspire. 

Montclair's War and Shornhelm Divided
thumb|left|High King Emeric's summit after the battle
thumb|right|Shornhelm's celebration after the war
After all these years of Wylon Montclair's preparations, the Baron's plans came to fruition with his annexation of Shornhelm's upper district in  . He brided the city guard and attacked other nobles before he took the upper district. As the Shornhelm City Guard were unable to withstand the Montclair Knights, the Daggerfall Covenant were tasked in the city's retaking, as they assembled south in Oldgate.  Countess Eselde Tamrith returned to the kingdom took up the mantle of head of House Tamrith after news of her father's death a few months prior,  only to find the capital city entrapped in conflict.   The Countess, Baron Alard Dorell, and Count   of   gathered at the Chapel of the Divines, where they would devise their strategy to retake the upper city. 

An   of the Covenant approached the meeting and was caught up on the situation. They delved in the occupied upper district and defeated the two traitorous guards that allowed Montclair's annexation. The Montclair court mage, Reezal-Jul kidnapped three nobles and attempted to flee via the Fevered Mews before he was confronted by both the Agent and Verandis Ravenwatch. Despite their best efforts, the   escaped west into the Eyebright Feld but regardless, the city was liberated but the looming threat that House Montclair posed was ever-present. High King Emeric arrived after the city was freed and believed that the threat was far greater than it may had seemed. With his blessing and his forces, the pursuit for both Reezal-Jul and Baron Montclair commenced,  but before the Agent could continue further, he was sent to   by the High King, where they would assist Count Verandis and learn about Montclair's history. 

After the Baron's defeat at the hands of both Count Ravenwatch and the Agent, all of Rivenspire celebrated and gathered in Shornhelm for the coronation of the kingdom's new ruler. It was decided that either Countess Eselde Tamrith or Baron Alard Dorell would be given the crown but it was the High King that chose one of them to led. The Countess believed that she would make a thoughtful leader, one that had the people's best interest at heart. Her first act as Queen would have been to restore the people's faith and return their lives to some form of normalcy.  The Baron on the other hand believed that Rivenspire needed a decisive leader and a firm hand to guide them in troubled times. His first act as King would have been to bolster the kingdom's defenses and enlist hundreds of youth to restore their strength.  It is unknown who was chosen at the end of the day, but Rivenspire was finally at peace. 

Shornhelm in the Third Empire
Because of the fractured state of High Rock's kingdoms,   was able to conquer High Rock with ease and incorporated the province into the  .  Shornhelm had been the seat of power for Rivenspire kingdom since at least the First Era, and since then it has encompassed other large settlements such as Northpoint and their noble family, House Dorell.  But by the late Third Era, Shornhelm and Northpoint were kingdoms in their own right, no longer tied together. 

With the death of Emperor   in  , his son,   was disinherited from the throne by the decree of the  , and instead his cousin,   of Skyrim ascended to the throne. For the next nine years, Andorak and his loyalists waged a minor civil war against the Empire. The Council granted Andorak and his allies the Kingdom of Shornhelm, an act that the Sage,   described, "Tiber Septim's heart beating no more". Andorak's dynasty continued to rule there since at least the late    by the tail end of the fourth century.  During the   in the late  , the city-state of Shornhelm was an active settlement. It was ruled by King Rodore, and it had a rivalry with   and  . 

Culture
thumb|left|The Order of the Crypt
thumb|right|Dame Marcelle Stenric; Knight of Shornhelm
:For Breton culture as a whole, see the: Culture section on the Breton page.
As stated earlier, Shornhelm is one of the eight kingdoms of High Rock and as such, it is the seat for an entire kingdom in north-central High Rock.  While the scope of the kingdom is currently unknown, the ancient ruins, the   are located within its borders. By the  , the mausoleum hosted a knightly order known as the  . However, unlike other orders that swore fealty to their kingdom and operate in its border, the Order of the Crypt travels beyond its borders and fights anyone they deemed savage or unruly. Roughly in  , they traveled to   in   and came to blows with both the   and the  . 

The Kingdom of Shornhelm and the nearby Markwasten Moor have a shared and storied history that dates back to antiquity. Some of which include the   from legends and the   in the Year of  . Some of these stories involve knights and nobles of Rivenspire's great houses, such as the Charge of the Shornhelm Knights in the Battle of Glenumbra Moors,  or the legend of Dame  , the Knight of Shornhelm and loyal servant of House Dorell. She fought the notorious brigands loyal to House Tamrith, the   to free the scion of Dorell,  . Dame Marcelle also defeated a   that threatened Shornhelm. They fought for a day and a half but the knight was able to behead the monster with her sword,  . 

In the city, there is a faction of powerful wizards called the  , who represent mages in Shornhelm and work in tandem with the local   and the Guildmagister. The Council of Three met with the young   before he became the legendary Sage. The Guildmagister,   gave them a series of challenges that he need to do to prove his qualifications as a mage, and several years later, he returned to the Council of Three with the fruits of his labor. He was recognized as a mage by his peers until he left for greater prospects at the  .  The Bretons of Shornhelm have their own version of   called "Shornhelm's Lusty Orifice" and it has circulated throughout the northern tier of Tamriel in taverns.  While the nobles of Rivenspire are buried in the   southeast of  , the Kings and Queens of Shornhelm are taken to  , where they are buried with other Kings of High Rock, as per tradition. 

Gallery
 

See Also
For game-specific information, see the Arena and Online articles.
Books




Notes
Arena was originally conceived as a fighting game featuring a tournament that took the player to each of Tamriel's cities to challenge different gladiatorial teams. According to a file from that stage of development left behind in the final game, Shornhelm's gladiatorial team would have been called "the War Mages". 
:*The War Mages of Shornhelm is another name for the Order of the Crypt, the knightly order based in the Crypt of Hearts and the Kingdom of Shornhelm at large. That is a name only used in the Reach, by the local  . 

References