Lore:Raven Rock

is a colony built by the   in the  , on the southern coast of  . The colony was founded in  , when it was just a patch of open snow, and soon became a fully-functional   mining colony.  

Although the colonists encountered early resistance from  s,   and even the local  s, funding from the   saw the settlement grow at a rapid pace. In addition to ebony, the miners stumbled upon a sample of ancient  , creating further trade once the Company learned how to exploit the material. Although initially managed remotely by Factor   from  , the community came to look towards the on-site Deputy   for leadership, which eventually led to a violent internal power struggle. However, the settlement survived, and large stone walls were erected to aid the local militia in defending Raven Rock as construction continued. 

When the   arose in  , most of the soldiers were recalled to Cyrodiil, as there were no known occurrences of   opening on Solstheim. As the resources of the Empire were directed towards combating the invaders, rumors surfaced that Solstheim had been conquered by the Nords of  . Some residents of the   at the time claimed to have lived in the colony since its inception but had to move to Cyrodiil after the money ran out. 

In  , in the aftermath of the Crisis and the destruction of  ,  , a   Councilor, made a deal with the East Empire Company to allow the   to settle there.  They proved to be a valuable, hard-working addition to the colony, and built a strong relationship with the East Empire Company. Following the  , Brara designed The Bulwark, a massive fortified wall designed to protect the town from  's ash storms, and it was constructed with funding from the Company. As the storms had devastated Fort Frostmoth, the local   garrison, Redoran Guards were brought in to bolster security, and have been the primary peacekeeping force ever since. 

Solstheim was proffered to the Dunmer in  , and Raven Rock became a House Redoran sovereignty, resulting in the exodus of the   residents back to Cyrodiil.  This also marked the end of any significant East Empire Company presence on Solstheim, as their ventures there had proven consistently unprofitable.  Raven Rock flourished under Brara and House Redoran's rule until her death in  , when her son,  , took over control of Raven Rock as its new Councilor. In  , members of   attempted to assassinate Councilor Morvayn as part of a coup attempt. However, the coup was stopped by the Redoran Guard and its ringleader executed.  In  , Morvayn used his personal wealth to restore The Bulwark, which had showed signs of imminent collapse. In  , a small group of  s attempted to wreak havoc on Solstheim, but were driven off. By about 4E 170 the mine started showing signs of drying up and by  , Raven Rock Mine was exhausted and had to be shut down.  The colony went into a state of decline, as the economy moved towards hunting and fishing, though the constant influx of ash made it impossible to base a sustainable industry on local fishing. In addition, the Bulwark deteriorated, seeping ash through large cracks. Even the Redoran Guard were being lost faster than new recruits could be acquired.  Raven Rock was regarded as insignificant among House Redoran's possessions, with little strategic or economic importance. 

In  , a decade-long plot was uncovered where a descendant of the earlier Hlaalu coup leader was hiring   assassins for another attempt on Councilor Morvayn's life.  The plot was again dismantled and the leader slain. In the same year, Raven Rock Mine was reopened after an investigation into sealed sections of the mine revealed an old draugr crypt connected to  , as well as large amounts of ebony deposits. The populace also briefly fell under the nocturnal influence of  , and helped corrupt the nearby  .  
 
See Also
For game-specific information, see the Bloodmoon and Dragonborn articles.

References