Lore:Verkarth (Hammerfell)

Verkarth (also called Verkarth City)   was once the unholy city of the Gray Host, a legion of vampires and werewolves that reigned over the vast wastes of central Hammerfell sometime in the early-mid First Era. Previously known as the "City of the Damned," it has since been rebuilt into a modern settlement by their vanquishers, the Alessian Empire of the venerable Hestra.  The city's architecture resembles that of the Alessian era with hints of its Redguard neighbors, however, older structures are reminiscent of the typical daedric ruin but much more refined.  
 

History
thumb|right|King Styriche of Verkarth
thumb|left|Bangkorai Garrison
Verkarth was founded in a time long forgotten by a cabal of ancient vampires called the   and their monarch. It started out as a underground networks of caves that existed far before it had expanded to the surface. It was theorized by the scholar,   that the city began roughly a hundred years before it surfaced, and that it may have been built in abandoned caves rather then it being excavated.  The   remember that Verkarth and the Gray Host both appeared from out of nowhere and that they soon conquered all of central Hammerfell roughly a century before their demise.  Verkarth's dominion had overshadowed many smaller hamlets in its wake, most notably the city,  . By the time their leader, King   revealed his true nature, his dominion reached as far east as the large city,   and to the west at  . 

The Gray Host sought to expand their armies north into   via the strategic   in  . Their siege on the garrison was relentless and unyielding until a beadle of   named   leaped from the walls and spewed an ocean of blood from his body in an act of divine miracle. The Gray Host was overwhelmed, but their fate was sealed when Empress Hestra and her   finished the rest of Styriche's armies. The Gray Host fled west to their home of Verkarth as Hestra followed suit.  The  s burned down the entirety of Verkarth City and reconsecrated the land in the name of Saint Alessia. It was then given to the liberated people, so that they may rebuild it in her image. 

Verkarth continued as an active and modern settlement since at least the  . Much of the people that lived in Verkarth continued to show veneration for Saint Alessia, despite the Empire's downfall in the late First Era. Her statue is built in the center of the town square. They were generally suspicious of outsiders and were even less privy of sharing their history under the Gray Host. Much like their liberators, the people of Verkarth are righteous and religious. The local outlaws had taken refuge in the underground section of the city, since their corridors intersect with Verkarth's oldest buildings. However, it has since been mostly looted by vagrants and wide-eyed opportunists. 

During the   in the late  , the village of Verkarth City was an active settlement. It was ruled by Lady Chez-si and it had a rivalry with Thorstad Place.  It was neighbored by several settlements, including   to the south,   to the southeast,   to the northeast, and Thorstad Place to the west. 

Notes
Verkarth City is spelled "Verkath City" on the map of West Tamriel,  but this is likely a misspelling.

See Also
For game-specific information, see the Arena article.
Books


References