Lore:Helm of Oreyn Bearclaw

The Helm of Oreyn Bearclaw, also known as the Helm of Kharag gro-Khar,  is a prized artifact with a history of conflicted attribution. The helm itself is an engraved skull, which is enchanted to improve the wearer's agility and endurance. 

Those that claim it is a Bosmeri artifact know it by the former name, and attribute it to the legendary Dunmer  hunter of Valenwood,  .  Legends claim that Bearclaw singlehandedly killed Glenhwyfaunva, the witch-serpent of Elven wood, and thus brought peace to his clan. He would bring the helm and his name further reverence by performing many more great deeds, until he lost his life to the Knahaten Flu. After Bearclaw's demise, his helm stood as a monument of his stature, although it was eventually lost after his clan split.   

Those that call the helm by its latter name believe that Oreyn was falsely credited, and that the feats were actually performed by his Orc friend, Kharag gro-Khar,  hero of the Shatul Clan. Thus they consider it an Orcish artifact,  and the relic has been claimed by Malacath himself.  Those that believe the former story however, state that Kharag stole both Oreyn's helm and reputation, and thus both camps have tried to claim it.  

History
Second Era
In  , the helm was kept in the  , a site sacred to Malacath that is occupied by the Shatul Clan, which Kharag gro-Khar is descended from. That same year, King Kurog opened a museum known as the House of Orsimer Glories to preserve the culture and history of the land, as he found the collection of the historic treasures of the Orsimer a vital part in his efforts to rebuild Orsinium.  The helm was one such treasure, which he sent an adventurer named Algutha gra-Varda to recover from the Shatul. Unbeknownst to Kurog, Algutha desired to gain Kurog's trust, so she could learn where the helm was currently stored and take it for herself. Algutha was actually Myvryna Llothri of the Seven Secretives, rogues that attempted a coup of the Morag Tong alongside the former guildmaster. The helm was needed for the Simulacrum Rubric, a plot to use 7 powerful artifacts and developments that would allow them to replace the heads of state that could force them to go into hiding, such as what resulted from the Potentate assassinations. 

The Seven Secretives' plot would not be appreciated by the traditionalists of the Morag Tong, and so the Mother of Blades, Naryu Virian, sought to carry out their writs of execution.  During her investigation into Llothri's whereabouts, Naryu encountered a Bosmer descendant of Oreyn Bearclaw, Gadnuth Oreyn. Gadnuth sought to aid her and reclaim the helmet for his clan so he may be elevated to the role of Treethane. They deduced that because Kharag is a hero to the Shatul Clan, the helm would likely be found in the  . Upon their arrival, they discovered a bloodbath of Malacath adherents. They also found that Llothri had recovered the skull helm and placed it on her head. The helm made her incredibly agile. Naryu used her enchanted amulet to send a gale of wind to launch Llothri to the ceiling, stunning her, and leaving her open to be finished off. Naryu then gave the helm to Gadnuth Oreyn, who presumably returned it to Valenwood. 

Third Era
The helm would later be lost for centuries, until  ,  when the Nerevarine gained an audience with Malacath at his shrine of Assurdirapal, located in the Sheogorad region of Vvardenfell. He tasked the hero with ending Bearclaw's bloodline and undeserved fame. The supposed last descendant of the false Elven hero was the Dunmer, Farvyn Oreyn. When confronted about the validity of his ancestor's feats, he believed them to falsehoods, and sought to perform heroic deeds to justify his own fame. He could not let anyone know of his confession, and attacked the Nerevarine and had to be slain. With his death, Malacath believed the family line to have ended and rewarded the Nerevarine with the helm.  Later that year, the Nerevarine sold the helm to Torasa Aram, who put it on public display in the Mournhold Museum of Artifacts. 

Some time after, the helm was brought from Morrowind to Cyrodiil and given to  , second-in-command of the Cyrodilic branch of the Fighters Guild, and another descendant of Bearclaw who was unknown to Malacath.  In  , after the Blackwood Company was destroyed by the guild for their treachery, Modryn gave the helm to the new Master of the Fighters Guild, who replaced  . Unlike Farvyn, Modryn believed in the legitimacy of his forebear's achievements, and hoped that the new Master would restore the Oreyn name to glory by wearing the helm of his ancestor. 

Fourth Era
Sometime in the Fourth Era, the Helm of Oreyn Bearclaw was recovered by complete accident. A necromancer was collecting for his lair items that ranged from trinkets to artifacts that fit the morbid and macabre. He had become fixated with obtaining the artifacts of Mannimacro; the Bloodworm Helm and the Staff of Worms. An apprentice was tasked with retrieving the former, to which they brought the Helm of Oreyn Bearclaw, confusing one skull helm for another. Regardless, the master was pleased with the find, and contemplated reanimating a Skeleton, and having it reenact the slaying of Glenhwyfaunva.  He recruited a new apprentice named Naara after this ordeal, who then attempted to slay him and take the artifacts he had found for her own ends. This would be their downfall, For the apprentice was trapped within the room which had been turned into a puzzle. Should Naara want to take the artifacts, they would have to earn them by using them to figure out the puzzle to be freed from the trap. 

Circa  , The Last Dragonborn located the Necromancers lair at Mara’s Eye Pond, and completed the puzzles there. They navigated the necromancer's puzzle, earning the right to keep Mannimarco's artifacts. Within the necromancer's chambers lay the Helm of Oreyn Bearclaw, to which the hero claimed for themselves. 

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See Also
For game-specific information, see the Morrowind, Oblivion and Skyrim articles.

References