Lore:Stonefalls

is a region in the center of the province of   bordered to the north by the  , the south by   and the west by   and  . Ashfall from the volcanoes of the Velothi mountains fertilizes the soil for agriculture. The region has a history of war and conflict, most notably with the   in an undisclosed conflict, and even the   in the  . There was a settlement called Stonefalls (alternatively called Balfalls)  during the late years of the Third Era.  The village of Stonefalls is shown as a territory of  .  
 

History
Early History & Conflicts
thumb|right|250px|The Brothers of Strife statues overlook Ebonheart

Sometime in the  , the  s had a presence in Stonefalls.  The Nedes continued their conquest over Stonefalls, controlling most of the modern-day region within the span of a few short years, executing many of the population. Leading the battle against the Nedes were the Chimer brothers,   and  , considered the greatest warriors of their time. At first, the brothers and their Chimer armies attempted to push back the Nedes, but as they were slowly overwhelmed, their conflicts focused on defense, until they were left with remnants of their armies in a ruined Daedric temple hidden in a valley. In a last-ditch effort, Balreth and Sadal underwent a ritual to turn into what is now known as the,  s, powerful entities that turned the ash red with the blood of both the Nedes and the Chimeri. Eventually, both brothers were sealed into   and the   respectively, by a group of Chimer mages from Vvardenfell led by  . The Brothers of Strife have been the source of legend and myth throughout Stonefalls ever since.  

In the  , Stonefalls, along with the rest of Morrowind, was invaded by the  s of the   under the reign of  .  Around  , the Kingdom of Ebonheart was ruled by the dunmer king  . The Nordic forces were able to displace King Kronin and his family from Ebonheart. Vrage ruled the city during the two-hundred years. Kronin and his clan fought against the occupation using guerrilla warfare. With the help of   and  , Kronin's forces were able to retake Morrowind. This alliance would later become the  . Following King Kronin's death, his eldest son,   was named the King of Ebonheart. 

In  , the Kamal invaded   under their king,  ,  reportedly searching for a person or object they called the "Ordained Receptacle.”  The Kamal fleet landed near   in Eastern  , catching the  s off-guard and sacking the city.  The Kamal army then headed south into   through  . There, on a beach just to the west of   that would later be named  ,  they were surrounded by a   army led by   and a Nord army led by Prince  .   The Kamal fought ferociously, hoping to last long enough for their fleet to arrive and evacuate them, but, at the last moment, a party of  s joined the fray. With the aid of a tidal wave summoned by  ,  the Kamal were obliterated by the three unlikely allies.   

The Covenant Invasion and the Vanguard's Plot
thumb|left|Tanval Indoril, at the forefront of the campaign in Stonefalls
Sometime around   in  , the   sailed across the   into territory of the Ebonheart Pact, on the outskirts of  .  This was the earliest account of the Covenant's invasion of Pact Territory, before it ultimately landed in Stonefalls. The villagers of Bleakrock were able to escape into   before the Covenant arrived, forcing them to retreat into Stonefalls. The first battle of the Daggerfall Covenant’s Stonefalls campaign occurred in the port-city of  . In Davon's Watch's Manor District, Tanval Indoril and   organized a summit and had surmised a plan to break the siege. The skull of Nam Indoril was stolen from the Indoril Ancestral Tomb underneath the city and was used in the preparation of a ritual to summon one of the Brothers of Strife,  .  While   held the western shore from the Covenant, the invading force was able to bypass the defense by climbing atop the stone cliffs, entering Davon's Watch.  Once the ritual was complete, Balreth rained hellfire across the Covenant Armada until they retreated into Western Stonefalls.  

With the threat of Balreth roaming across   and having already ransacked the town of  , the Pact turned its focus to resealing Balreth back into  . An   of the Pact was sent to   where they convened with the spirit of   and learned how to seal Balreth away.   In the end, the Pact was able to imprison Balreth beneath Ash Mountain, but the Covenant still maintained a presence in Stonefalls. 

The Stonefalls campaign continued into  , on the shores of  .  , a Covenant commander, launched an operation on the shores of  , conflicting with the nearby Pact Soldiers and the local  s of Vivec's Antlers. Conele used the   from the land-coral in the effort to summon the second Brother of Strife,  . After taking hostage a Dunmeri lieutenant, Alexandra Conele was able to learn that the Coral Heart was located in the inner sanctum found deep in the battlefield.  , an Argonian mage, was able to convince the dreugh the armies of the Covenant and that the Coral Heart was friendly. In the Coral Heart Chamber, Conele was defeated. To preserve the Coral Heart, Sings-With-Reed sacrificed herself.  

With the Coral Heart in hand, the Pact pushed the Covenant west, where the General Serien was able to take hold of  , blocking the contact between   and Stonefalls. Between Fort Virak and Ebonheart, the Daggerfall Covenant laid waste against the populace, targeting minor settlements such as   and  . General Serien resorted to  , using the dead Covenant and Pact soldiers who died in battle to fight against the invading forces. The only way to enter Fort Virak's courtyard was for the agent of the Pact to consume a potion that allowed them to enter Fort Virak ethereally.  Once inside, Pact soldiers from each side of the   fought.  In a grueling battle, General Serien was killed by Tanval Indoril and the Ebonheart Pact, but his spirit remained and took Tanval's son,  , with him as revenge. In his grief, Tanval Indoril stole the Coral Heart from Holgunn One-Eye in order to summon Sadal to obliterate the Daggerfall Covenant. 

Tanval Indoril fled south into the ashlands of   seeking out Grandmaster   of   at his home in  . In order to gain the access into the  , Tanval kidnapped the Grandmaster's son and imprisoned him in the House Dres crypts. The Vanguard of   followed Tanval Indoril into Varanis, taking hold of the city from the local barracks and an encampment outside the city. Under the command of Captain Dunveril, the Vanguard oppressed the people of Kragenmoor. An agent of the Pact arrived onto the city limits, freed Sen Dres from the crypts, and gained access to the Tormented Spire for the Ebonheart Pact.   

At the Caldera of the Tormented Spire, Tanval Indoril and the Vanguard fought their way against the Chimeri that originally sealed Sadal.  Tanval realized what he had done and rendezvoused with the Ebonheart Pact in a last-ditch effort to help the Pact. In a dramatic battle, the Ebonheart Pact, along with Mavos Siloreth and the Chimeri spirits, re-sealed Sadal into his  . Tanval Indoril sacrificed himself for the cause.  

Sometime around  ,   traveled to Ebonheart with his Archcanon,  . Vivec's visit to the city left such an impression on the Warrior-Poet that he commissioned a   of his own across the lake from   in Vvardenfell, which was finalized in  . 

The Talosian Conquest and the Katariah Ra'athim
thumb|right|Pelagius Septim III was a controversial figure in the Third Empire

During the   in the late  ,   invaded Morrowind during the  . Tiber Septim's conquest over Morrowind began after the success of his campaign in  . Morrowind's defense developed around the western cities of Kragenmoor and  , and around minor settlements like   and  . Among Morrowind's defense were   mercenaries, as well as House Nobles,  , and the  . The Indoril and Dres sought to deploy guerrilla warfare, while the Hlaalu sought to make peace and the Telvanni did not want to get involved. The battle between the Redoran and   went in Septim’s favor, as the dunmer slowly withdrew from the conflict and Vivec established a peace treaty with Tiber Septim.  This treaty is known as the  , and as a present to Tiber Septim, the Tribunal gave him  , the Brass-God of the  . Tiber Septim's possession of the Brass Tower was a key point in the Third Empire's conquest over the Second Aldmeri Dominion.  In the end, Morrowind, Stonefalls included, was annexed into the Third Empire. 

The Kingdom of Ebonheart and the royal family   was an ally of   in the  ; however, Potema was killed during the final battle at  . Following this,   arranged the marriage of  , the Duchess of Vvardenfell, and his son,  .  In  , Pelagius III, then High King of Solitude, married Katariah and eventually inherited the   in  .   From then on, Katariah essentially assumed the role of Empress while her husband went mad. When Pelagius the Mad died, Katariah assumed the role of Empress-Regent, bringing about the Empire's Golden Age. She became known for traveling across the Empire, more so than other Emperors. Regent-Empress Katariah I had passed away around  .   

By the   in the late  , the cities of Stonefalls were still active.  In  , the   occurred, ransacking the Empire and leading to the downfall of the  . All that is known of the effect of the Crisis in Stonefalls is local interest in a shrine of   in Kragenmoor increased tenfold as people began to worship the  , according to the   agent,  . . 

Geography
thumb|left|The Map of Stonefalls (c. 2E 582)thumb|right|Stonefall's Thorny Cherry Blossom Trees

Stonefalls is located along the southern coast of the  , the large body of water that separates the island of   from the rest of mainland Morrowind. It is bordered by   in the south,   in the east, and the  , The Rift, and Cyrodiil to the west. Stonefalls is divided into three smaller regions:   in the east,   in the northwest, and   in the southwest. 

The six common types of lava, all of which documented in a field guide,  generally come from the twin volcanoes,   and the  . Resources throughout the region include deposits of   and  ,   in the foyadas of the  , and  .  There are also large deposits of   due west of Ebonheart. 

Despite the harsh environment, flora grows abundantly. The common   mushroom can be found throughout the ashlands, but unique flora such as  , which are found in sacred areas of the  , can also be found. In the area known as   are forms of bizarre, bioluminescent land coral, very uncommon in Morrowind. There is a vast network of caves called the  , which are known for the abundance of emperor parasol mushrooms that have overgrown the Chimeri ruins inside and enveloped it in  . Farming in western Stonefalls is possible due to the ashfall coming from the twin volcanoes, Ash Mountain and the Tormented Spire. Like the rest of Morrowind, Stonefalls' flora has adapted to the ashlands, resulting in unique plants that the locals cultivate, such as  s  and  .  

Animals and creatures do not differ wildly from what is found in the rest of Morrowind.   and   live near the volcanoes. Throughout the coast and the crags  ,  , and   can be found. In the farmlands, natural caves, and ruins there are  s and  s. 

When compared to other parts of Morrowind, there is surprisingly little   influence, with the only known   being Inner Sea Armature, whose original name was lost to time. Stonefalls borders the regions of the   in   and   in  . 

 
People and Transportation
thumb|right|Traditional Kagesh Ashlander Armor

Much like the rest of Morrowind, the region of Stonefalls is mainly-populated by the  . There are two dominant cultures: the stationary House dunmer and the nomadic  s. Tensions run high between these two subsets of dunmer. Examples of this can be found in the Iliath Temple, overheard in gossip from people in Davon’s Watch, and by talking to Shaali Kulun outside of Ebonheart.

Most people in Stonefalls live in one of the three main cities, Davon's Watch, Ebonheart, and Kragenmoor. Davon's Watch and Ebonheart provide port access to Stonefalls from the Inner Sea, while Kragenmoor is a gateway to the rural farmlands of southern Stonefalls. Throughout the countryside are small towns such as   and  , and private farmsteads and mining colonies like   and the  . In addition to farming, mining is an important economic staple of Stonefalls. The   in the outskirts of Ebonheart is a prime source of  . Beyond the walls of Davon's Watch lies the  .  , in particular, has significance in the region. Not only does the   have a significant amount of ebony beneath it, but the royal house of Ebonheart, the   are miners by heart and have lucrative mines across their domain.  

There are two known tribes of Ashlanders who call Stonefalls home: the   and the  . The Kagesh live in southwestern Stonefalls, near the Iliath Temple. They are hostile and aggressive, much like other Ashlander tribes. The Ulath are found in the areas surrounding the sacred burial grounds of the   on the edge of Varanis. 

There are two prominent tribes of  s, the  , who ransack the northern farmlands, and the  , who live in the Valus Mountains around the Fungal Grotto. 

Travelers often use   to carry goods throughout the land. A practice that is used not only by the House dunmer, but the Ashlanders and Argonian caravaneers as well.

Government and Religion
thumb|left|80px|A banner of House Dres

::"House Dres, one of the Great Houses of the Dunmer, prized agrarian pursuits above all else. The House built its fortune on saltrice plantations and slave labor while maintaining a persistent tradition of Daedra worship and ancestor reverence. Dres controlled the southeastern region of Morrowind, even extending its influence into parts of central Morrowind. —  ,  "

The province of Morrowind is governed by five ancient clans known as the  , each of whom represents a different aspect of civilization. The two that govern over Stonefalls are the Great  , and the Great  . House Dres' sphere of influence revolves around agriculture and overall agrarian society. They were at the forefront of the slave industry.  Traditionally, House Dres occupies the southeast, near the port-city of  . But it has been known to have certain areas across central Morrowind, such as Kragenmoor and Ebonheart during the mid-Second Era.  The city of Kragenmoor is the Dres' seat of power in Stonefalls. Not only is the Grandmaster's Palace located in the center of Kragenmoor, but the House Dres Crypts are found just west of the Palace. The city of Ebonheart found in central Stonefalls has traditionally been ruled by the  , who were subsequently absorbed into  .  Though in  , Ebonheart was controlled by House Dres, through  . House Dres is also known for their persistence in maintaining ancestral traditions, such as Daedra-worship and ancestral reverence, and because of this, they have gone through various lengths to keep Dunmeri society away from foreign influence, they are proud isolationists.  But as time went on, House Dres slowly became accustomed to foreign interest, specifically in the  . In  , the High King at the time,   had abolished slavery in Morrowind, and with it, both the Dres and Hlaalu had begun to evolve with the times. 

  occupies the southern Inner Sea and the central east coast. This would encompass the city of  , the port-town on easternmost Stonefalls. House Indoril's sphere of influence revolves around religion and the preservation of various Dark Elf customs.  House Indoril were orthodox supporters of the  , the main religion of Morrowind that revolved around the three living-gods known as the  . The Tribunal's reign over Morrowind had lost for most of the province's history until in  , when the   had appeared and fulfilled the Nerevarine Prophecy, which led to the deaths of   and  , as well as,  . With the subsequent disappearance of   and the events of   in  , the Tribunal religion had a large decline. With the death of the Tribunal, came the  . The   of   arrived onto the weakened House Indoril, bringing back the original religion revolving around the Good Daedra ( ,  , and  ).  Underneath Davon's Watch is an abandoned Tribunal Temple which now serves as the Outlaws Refuge, and on the cliffs around Davon's Watch are one of the House Indoril Crypts. As many know, throughout Morrowind are Ancestral Tombs created for various families throughout the province, to inter, or even commune with their dead. The only known tombs are the Dres and Indoril, but in Daen Seeth lies  , a necropolis found just south of Ebonheart. Othrenis dates back to the time of the  i, with one of their most well-known occupants was Mavos Siloreth, who sealed the Brothers of Strife at the end of their onslaught. There are many battlefields throughout Stonefalls, filled with the dead soldiers that perished there.
 

Notable Locations
; : One of the twin volcanoes of Stonefalls. It is where Balreth, the Brother of Strife, is sealed.
; : A sprawling Daedric ruin that sits underneath two stone statues of the namesake.
; : An important port city that is controlled by House Indoril. It is their main holding in Stonefalls.
; : The former capital of Morrowind. It is a port town that was the home of the Ra'athim.
; : The central farming hub of Stonefalls that feeds the entire region.
; : One of the twin volcanoes of Stonefalls. It is where Sadal, the Brother of Strife, is sealed.
; : A large battlefield consisting of bizarre Land Coral that is uncommon in Morrowind.

References