Lore:Firsthold

Firsthold (also spelled as First Hold)  is one of the eight major cities in the province of the Summerset Isles,  situated on the vernal groves and craggy cliffs of Auridon. Built on the highest point of the island, in the region of Vafe, Firsthold is one of the oldest cities built by the Elves in all of Tamriel, founded by High Lord Torinaan after he guided his people across the Eltheric Ocean from the doomed continent, Aldmeris.  The city was also the location of the original charter of the Mages Guild, one of the biggest organizations dedicated to the practice and study of magic.  
 

Layout & Geography
Firsthold is built at the highest point of the island, in the northwest, which mostly consists of steep ridges and sparse, sprawling forests of   and   trees.   The southern gate leads to an idyllic road that goes down the hill and runs through the forest until it reaches the coastal town,  . The eastern gates goes across the river and runs through the northeast woodland that makes up most of the region. In the historical fiction,   claims that the residents of Firsthold live high in the trees, taking what   has offered.  Technically speaking, this statement is correct in a certain sense. Its people do live high above the ground, as the city lies atop the colossal and steep cliffs of the north coast and juts out into a wide promontory that goes above the  . The only way to enter the city from the beaches is through a well-guarded hollow that is large enough to fit ships and the port town.  Inside the walls, the city contains gleaming spires,  and royal parks. The Diceto River flows through the entire city in a Y shape and   is found all over the riverbank.  At the north end of the city, walled off from the rest of Firsthold is the seat of power, the Firsthold Castle. It looks across the great expanse of the sea. Off the coast of the city is a small island called  , which is often used by local pirates.  Firsthold is neighbored by several settlements, including   to the far southeast. 

Notable Locales


History
The Lay of Firsthold & The Odyssey of Topal
thumb|left|Depiction of the Lay of Firsthold
thumb|right|The Nine-Prow Landing
Firsthold is one of the oldest cities in Tamriel, built by the  i refugees that escaped the destruction of Aldmeris. These early ancestors of the Summerset   are known as the  , and they were guided to the Summerset Isles by the great ship, the   led by High Lord Torinaan.   The fleet landed on the northernmost tip of Auridon, now called   and followed Torinaan, who claimed the newfound land as its new Kinlord. They built their new settlement, the "First among Holds" and disembarked across the region to further expand their colony. They built their kinhouse in the north end of the town, and made gardens and forges. However, the region was still untamed and dangerous, riddled with predators like the  , and the   folk, the   and the  .  Torinaan led his forces and conquered the island, becoming a hero and paving the way for more kinholds across Summerset. 

By the early years of Summerset society in the mid- , Firsthold was a prominent port city and it was the staging ground for expeditions across mainland  . Three ships were chosen by the lords of the   to explore uncharted territories and find a way back to Old Aldmeris, however, records of only one of these ships have been lost in the annals in time. One of the ships, the   manned by   was sent south toward   while the other, the   manned by  , was sent to the northeast toward mainland  . They went on their way for eighty moons and only the Niben returned. It returned with  , spices, furs, and strange creatures. It is theorized that if Topal did in fact sail straight northeast, he would have landed in somewhere around modern day  . Since then, Topal and the Niben came back and forward from Firsthold while charting Tamriel's sea lands and even until he discovered the  . 

The Rilis Dynasty & Galerion's Mages Guild
thumb|left|High Kinlord Rilis I
thumb|right|Vanus Galerion
At some point after Torinaan's reign, Firsthold was ruled by the royal  , whom ruled over the city since as long as the Altmer lived on the island.  It started with High Kinlord   and continued for many centuries later, each ruling from the old  .  They each wore the  , an ancient helm that is described as the clan's source of power, but their curse.  It was worn on several occasions like when   donned it at the  .  As the Kingdom of Summerset expanded, more and more cities were built and soon rivaled the likes of Firsthold. Throughout the   and  s, the city of Firsthold was in constant conflict with their sister city,  , and internal conflict with them often evolved into full-scale warfare.  By the third century of the Second Era, Firsthold was ruled by High Kinlord  . Prior to his rule, the land was in turmoil but the young Rilis XII brought order and peace to the country. But in the years afterward, the High Kinlord thirsted for power even beyond his kingdom.  

In the midst of his rule in  ,  the aspiring mage,   gathered magic users, from students to artificers across the Summerset Isles and brought them to his conclave in the urban center of Firsthold to form the earliest form of the Mages Guild. Galerion wanted to spread the knowledge and practice of the magic arts, and even sell magical items like potions and spells. His actions brought him before his former master, Ritemaster   of the   and High Kinlord Rilis XII, where he was forced to explain his intentions.  The formation of the conclave incited fear among the people, since it was widely agreed that magic practice was best done away from people. Rilis XII felt that he could use this as an opportunity to play the mages and the people against each other for his own agenda.  A transcript of the event was not documented, but regardless, Vanus Galerion's conclave was approved, and the newly-formed Guild of Mages had quickly spread across Tamriel.  At around this moment, Rilis XII had dabbled with the dealings of the   and the dark side of magic. All of it had finally caught up to him and he was sentenced to  , where he died in prison in the 22nd of Frostfall.  

The Reign of Rilis XIII and the Daedric Invasion of Firsthold
thumb|left|High Kinlord Rilis XIII
thumb|right|An Oblivion Gate in the Castle Courtyard
In his place, he was succeeded by his son,   sometime around  .  He was the first monarch to not rule from Castle Rilis, deciding to rule from inside Firsthold than the old castle or the actual capital of the region.  In that same year, Princess   returned after years of traveling the world until the death of her father, King  . She arrived into Firsthold's docks of   and was escorted to Firsthold Castle, where they took part in a grand feast hosted by Rilis XIII. Many notable figures were present at the dinner, such as the Court of  ,  , Prince   and his fiancee,   of Skywatch. Even an   of the   was present at the time.  Ayrenn returned to the main island and was fully recognized as the Queen of the Summerset Isles.  

Not long after, she founded the First   with the   of   and the   of  . Two years later in  , Queen Ayrenn and her entourage traveled to Auridon, where she toured across the region to meet with her people and commune with the dead per tradition. Much to the dismay of many, it was revealed that Estre was the leader of the  , a radical group of High Elves that wanted to topple the Dominion and Ayrenn's reign. The High Kinlady escaped Skywatch and made a proposal to Rilis XIII not long afterward. The High Kinlord declined her offer and privately told her that Firsthold shall remain neutral in the affair and only serve to protect Auridon.  Now working with  , Estre began her last resort and razed the small town,   with  . It was revealed much later that the attack was only a diversion for a much larger target, Firsthold. 

High Kinlady Estre had entered Firsthold and opened the gates of oblivion to the dread  , unleashing the daedra across the entire city. She then placed a barrier over Firsthold Castle, blocking it off from the rest of the city. Battlereeve   of the   led the retaking of Firsthold and made his way to the local Mages Guild, where he hoped to devise a plan to open the shield. The Battlereeve enlisted the help of an   of the Dominion to crack down on the barrier's wards all over the city.  With the wards dismantled, there was a final assault on Castle Firsthold, where the Agent had to now close three oblivion gates to the Refuge of Dread. One by one, Estre's forces were dwindling until she hold herself in the final gate and took Rilis XIII as her hostage. The Agent had stricken down Estre in the Deadlands and was able to rescue the High Kinlord before the gate had collapsed. Firsthold had been liberated but the destruction was too great.  Much of the city was in ruins and even the Great Library's archives were destroyed in the chaos.  The Agent provided to be a more then valuable asset to the Aldmeri Dominion, and so their assistance was needed in Valenwood. They were soon en route for   on the south coast. 

Firsthold in the Third Empire
thumb|left|Morgiah, the Black Queen
thumb|right|Mannimarco, the King of Worms
According to the historical fiction novel,  , Prince  , son of Emperor   traveled to Firsthold to met with the Archmagister of the Mages Guild.  Many years later, the Princess of Firsthold visited the city of  , where she met then King  . It was after her encounter with the King, she famously wrote to her brother, "the king's gripped my hand and it felt like I was being clutched by a skeleton. Pelagius is greatly emaciated, indeed." 

During the   in the late  , the city-state of Firsthold was an active settlement. It was ruled by King Kalalian and had a rivalry with  .  Sometime around the turn of the fifth century, the city was ruled by King  , whose son later died around in  . At around this time, he was encountered by the King of Worms,  , who provided Reman the means to communicate with his dead son for a short time. In exchange for this service, the King became engaged with the Princess of  ,   and officially married three years later in  . 

Their union was controversial to the people of Summerset, while it garnered significant support from the province's youth and the nascent revolution in the later years of the Third Era.  However, it did bring contempt to the people of their kingdom, from their highest officials in the capital to their peasant population in the country, the latter of which began calling her, the "Black Queen." One of the most notorious examples was the case with King Reman's chief concubine, Lady   of Skywatch and the local  , whose schemes led to a revolution within Firsthold. They were unprepared for Morgiah's skills as a tactician and the culprits were swiftly dealt with. Gialene was exiled back to her home.  By the waning years of the Third Era, the couple had two children,   and  , both of whom stood to inherit the throne. 
 

Gallery
 

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



Notes
The city is the birthplace of  , the former High Chancellor of the   in the latter years of the Third Era, and later the Potentate of the Third Empire after the death of the  . He served alongside   for many years and was both his closest confidant and chief advisor.
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, Firsthold's gladiatorial team would have been called "the Reapers". 

References