Lore:Haven

Haven is one of the eight major cities in the province of Valenwood, situated in the dense marshes of southeast Grahtwood. On the stormy waters of the Long Coast, the city is a major trading post and built on a strategic location on the Southern Sea. It has shifted control between several races, from the Imperials of the Second Empire to the Altmer of the Aldmeri Dominion.  Not only is it one of Valenwood's six major countries,  but it is considered the gateway of Grahtwood and a key link on the Lane sea route.  It acquired its name because it "seems a place of safety in an otherwise dangerous world."  
 

Layout & Geography
thumb|left|The Aquifers
thumb|right|The Harbor Side of the Fort
Haven is built on the southeast coast of Valenwood, in a clearing between the shallow marshes and the steep ridges that separates it from the rest of the mainland. Haven is at the epicenter of several trade routes. From the sea, it is an in-between stop on  , an active sea route between   and  , as well as a gateway between the sea and the rest of the mainland.  While on land, it is a halfway point between  , which lies on the other side of the region to the west and  , the biggest city in the province's southeast quadrant. The beaches outside of Haven are known to contain well-preserved rare fossils and shells that circulate across the provinces. 

Haven is built in a small crater, at the base of a hill. The city is lowest in the north-half, but places such as the Mages Guildhall and the gates are built above the incline and even have stairs leading to them. The south-half of Haven is called the Fort, a walled-off sea keep that is built on a steep hill that looks over the north-side and the harbor district. All of the import that goes into Haven has to go through the Fort, but smugglers have always looked for ways around it.  The mound west of the Fort is called Widow's Rock and at its base is the entrance to the Aquifer, an old  n-styled sewer that runs underneath Haven.  Haven is neighbored by several settlements, including   to the north,   to the northwest, and the province of   to the northeast, toward  .  

Notable Locales


History
Early History and the Treethane's Autonomy
thumb|left|The White-Gold Tower
Haven's founding dates back many years ago at an unspecified time in the  . It flourished with trade following the construction of the   along with other significant cities at the time, such as   and  .  From what can be surmised, Haven was originally a settlement inhabited by Wood Elves, independent from the rest of the region until it was claimed under the  . It began with King  's reign, which started at the beginning of recorded history, at  . Each of these nations were ruled by a Treethane that served under the Camoran Empire. 

thumb|right|The Imperial Sewers under Haven
This era of rule continued for many years until the   invaded Valenwood and conquered the province in  . To disrupt the Camoran monarchy's influence over their people, the Empire granted the treethanes full autonomy, including Haven, and turned them from local trading hubs to full-fledged nations of their own regard.  Haven was governed by the Second Empire, who built upon the city's foundation and turned into a more  n-esque environment. They even built a sewer system that went underneath the city and emptied out from the southwest called the Aquifer.  

Haven had been the prime trading post in the area for many years since its independence. That was until  , when it had lost much of its business to the newly-built colony of  .  After the Second Empire dissolved in  , the Camoran Empire tried to annex these nations but they had become too culturally different to become one united identity. But without one government to mediate their ambitions, Haven and the other nations went to war with each other and they all fell apart. Sometimes even outside forces like the   attack these nations,  such as when Haven and Woodhearth were sacked by the Sea Elves sometime around  . 

Haven in the Aldmeri Dominion & the Third Empire
thumb|left|The Battle of Haven
thumb|right|The Necromantic Ritual
By the time the High Elves came into Haven, they built over the old Imperial foundation and converted it into their racial architectural style.  During the   in  , Haven had seen little activity from the local natives until it had become a stop for the  , a large fleet of Aldmeri Dominion ships that were en-course for   on an important diplomatic mission with some of the Dominion's highest authorities. Haven saw an intense amount of activity when the first few ships arrived at port. The   under General   were sent to Haven to help the city guard maintain peace and watch out for smugglers. 

The next day after Haven was practically empty and General Endare left with her militia to seek out Ayleid ruins inland, leaving the city completely defenseless.  This gave the  , led by Captain  , an opportunity to take over and pillage the city. But shortly after, a  i galleon under   led the charge to retake Haven. By the time   had arrived on the scene, Haven city had been engulfed in conflict. An   of the Dominion joined the fray and slowly thwarted their plans. They rendezvoused with Lord Gharesh-ri and his militia by the east gate and gradually defeated each of Gjarma's high-ranked crewmates. The Fort had been sealed away, so the Agent was forced to infiltrate the compound from the Aquifers. They defeated the pirate captain at the Fighters Guildhall, where she was performing a ritual to engulf Haven in a sea of undead.  Recognized for their actions, the Agent was sent to Elden Root to lend their help to the   of the Wood Elves. 

During the   in the late  , the city-state of Haven was an active settlement. It was ruled by King Silrim and it had a rivalry with  . 

Gallery
 

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


Notes
The High Elves of Haven celebrate the   with the War Orphan's Sojourn, in which they make a pilgrimage to the Temple of the   northwest of Elden Root and donate for the children. 
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, Haven's gladiatorial team would have been called "the Red Spears". 

References