Lore:Direnni

:"Few families in Tamriel can boast so many famous figures, wielding so much power over the fate of so many. Our warriors and kings are stuff of legend, and it is not to dismiss their honor and their achievements to say you have heard quite enough about them." — Vorian Direnni, De Rerum Dirennis

The   were an aristocratic clan of Altmer  merchants, alchemists, and sorcerers who became a powerful dynasty ruling over High Rock for hundreds of years. They formed the Direnni Hegemony, a loose area of influence around the Isle of Balfiera.   
thumb|right|The Direnni Acropolis on Summerset Isle
 
History
Early History
200px|right|A clan Direnni banner

Clan Direnni originated from the small farming village of   which sat on the banks of the river Caomus (then called the river Diren hence the family's name) on Summerset Isle. Using his knowledge of alchemy, Asliel Direnni poisoned a barbarian tribe called the   that were continuously raiding Tyrigel. With this external threat dealt with, the way was paved for the future prosperity of the Direnni farms, and generations later they would leave Summerset and travel to mainland Tamriel which would further increase their power and influence. 

According to Beredalmo the Signifier, Direnni Cygnus, "the Swan of Tyrigel", was the progenitor to Clan Direnni as she discovered the Isle of Balfiera and decreed that her descendants should carry her name.  In the Middle Merethic Era the Adamantine Tower was rediscovered and captured by the Direnni, a prominent and powerful Aldmeri clan. 

The Direnni Hegemony
Clan Direnni rose in power on the mainland through political maneuvering and devious machinations in  .  In  , the joint army of Cyrodiilic Emperor   and   attacked the Clan Direnni in the Western Reach of  .  With the rise of the Alessian Order in Cyrodiil in  , many Ayleids fleeing Cyrodiil migrated to High Rock to escape the order, and this exodus may have strengthened Clan Direnni as these immigrants were absorbed into their hegemony.  When   and his people arrived at the Bjoulsae in  , they were welcomed by the Direnni and given a place to settle. 

The Isle of Balfiera was later acquired by Ryain Direnni in      and used as a base for their war against Skyrim, which later ended in  . 

Clan Direnni managed to conquer High Rock, some parts of Skyrim and   until   , going as far east as   and  .  The Kings of the Colovian West joined with Kvatch and Skingrad to resist the Alessian Empire. Soon after, Skyrim under High King   and Ryain Direnni of High Rock joined the resistance. Ryain Direnni outlawed the Alessian Reform and put its major advocates to death. Direnni forces began to harass the Colovian West, pushing for the Heartland. 

Following the Direnni involvement in Cyrodiil, the Alessians began conquering territories of the Direnni Hegemony. By   Craglorn had fallen to the Imperials. 

Between   and  , the Alessian Order was trying to conquer High Rock.  It was in    that Prince Aiden Direnni led the Direnni against the Alessians in the decisive  , with Raven Direnni, King   of  , and Hoag Merkiller helping to secure the final victory.  
Daggerfall became a minor base of operations for the Direnni and their allies in  ,  and the enchantress Raven Direnni was one of the earliest occupants of Castle Daggerfall. 

Although the Direnni Clan won the Battle of Glenumbria Moors, they could not regain the power they once had. One by one, control fell to the emerging nobility of Greater Bretony, who seized power throughout most of High Rock within two decades of the Alessian defeat. In the end, only the   was left in their hold. Around  , almost all of High Rock was freed from the Direnni.  Clan Direnni are the only known Altmer ruling family that still remains in human lands.

Retreat to Balfiera
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While most Direnni relocated to the   in  , some members of the clan stayed on Summerset, retaining the clan's holdings around the  . Some time in the  , one of the remaining Direnni—by the name of Lauriel—became highly skilled in the arts of  , to the horror of her family. Facing the possibility of execution, Lauriel refused to repent and claimed that she could not be killed and would only rise again. To prevent Lauriel from doing this, the Direnni buried her alive in a sarcophagus deep below the  , and bound her spirit to it by kindling two sacred flames in braziers. A Keeper was then appointed to make sure the braziers remained lit, and the title was passed down between generations. However, the Direnni population on Summerset diminished with time, and they lost contact with their kin on Balfiera. By the mid- , the last Keeper was long dead, and the braziers had gone out. In time, Lauriel managed to manifest as a ghost, and haunted the Acropolis, hoping to contact and convince someone to release her from her imprisonment. Around  , the   entered the crypts of the Direnni Acropolis. Lauriel tried to convince them to release her by burning her remains, while the lingering spirits of the dead Keepers wished to see the braziers relit. It is unknown what decision was made by the Vestige. 

During the Three Banners War, both the Daggerfall Covenant and Aldmeri Dominion used the history of the Direnni against each other in propaganda leaflets. With the Daggerfall Covenant pointing out that they let Clan Direnni live in their borders as proof that they could live with elves in peace.  Whereas the Aldmeri Dominion used the history of Clan Direnni to generate sympathy for the Altmer describing their Direnni cousins as "cruelly suppressed". 

The master summoners of the Direnni were the first to discover that a conjurer could impose any desired shape on a Flame Atronach, such as that of a horse, which they used in the Battle of Glenumbria Moors.  Peregrine Direnni was also the first to conjure the first ever Flame Atronach in the form of a camel. 

The  , which was used as a fortress, prison, and palace by the Direnni Hegemony, still bears their name. 
 

Notable Figures
Direnni Cygnus, the Swan of Tyrigel, discovered Balfiera and its Tower and claimed it for her own, decreeing that all of her clan who came after would bear her name. 

Asliel Direnni is believed to have been the first individual to formulate   into an art and science. As such, some Direnni banners feature an alembic in recognition of his accomplishment. He also became a Member of the    

Raven Direnni, with her better known cousins Aiden and Ryain, brought an end to the tyranny of the latter  . Before the   of  , it is said, she created the art of enchantment, learning how to bind a soul into a gem and use that to enchant all manners of weaponry.   One known creation of hers is an inflammable rug, which was supposedly one of her first creations after she discovered the principles of enchantment. 

Ryain Direnni, who bought the Isle of Balfiera and made it his seat of power. He then started conquering High Rock,  making the Direnni Hegemony stretching as far east as   and  . 

Prince Aiden Direnni, who led Direnni forces to victory against the Alessians in the Battle of Glenumbra Moors in   

Corvus Direnni was the Arch-Conjurer of clan Direnni at some unknown point and mentored students for the Master Conjurer test.    

Peregrine Direnni drove an entire Ra Gada flotilla back to Sentinel by merging her very will with the waves of the Iliac Bay. 

Pelladil Direnni, who was Imperial Battlemage to the first ruling Potentate,  , and encouraged the Guild Act which allowed for the creation of the Mage's Guild and Fighter's Guild. Pelladil was also responsible for the construction of Blackrose Prison.  He was the great great grandfather to Jovron Direnni.

Jovron Direnni, an Imperial Battlemage to the court of the Dunmer Empress of Tamriel, Katariah, assisting her in creating peace in a time of turmoil. He was also the grandfather to Medora Direnni.

Medora Direnni, who had a curse placed on her by the insane Nulfaga and was helped by The Agent.

 was a human retainer of the Direnni, and a master of  . He was cast into   and forbidden to die after scheming against   circa  , trapped in the   for all eternity. 

, also known as Lady Ingerien, was an Altmer Vampire Lord who ruled over   in the Second Era. 

Maalanrie Direnni, who "walked through dreams" and summoned the first Iron Atronach Senche to free her from captivity. 

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