Lore:Stonehands

The Stonehands were a Reachfolk group sworn to serve Ard Caddach who ruled the city of Markarth as well as the eastern part of The Reach during mid-Second Era. The exact date of the group's forming is unclear, but they are known to have pledged loyalty to Caddach long before he claimed the title of ard and rose to power in Markarth. The Stonehands mainly acted as Caddach's personal guard  and occasionally as spies, scouts and counselors.  Yet, the Stonehands themselves saw their mission spanning beyond that of a personal guard, claiming to have devoted their lives to protecting all of the Reach and its people.  

Although Stonehands referred to themselves as a clan  they were primarily known for their service to the Ard. Becoming a Stonehand was not exclusive - it was widely known among the Reachfolk of Markarth that they were willing to admit members of other clans into their ranks if they proved worthy.     

Ard Caddach was known to have frequently been accompanied by an escort of half a dozen of the Stonehands in public. 
 
History 
thumb|right|One of the Stonehands
It is unknown when Stonehands were formed but they pledged their loyalty to Caddach long before   when Caddach of Blackdrake Clan took the title of Ard.  

A member of the Stonehands escorted Helvar Tarperian, an agent of Councilor Itinia of the Elder Council to his second audience with Ard Caddach, which took place on the high ramparts of ancient Dwarven stonework that protect the city rather than in the Understone Keep, the usual place of the meetings with Ard. 

Hroltar the Boaster, a member of the   and inventor of Scrolls of Glorious Battle served as one of Ard Caddach's royal Stonehands before the events of the  . He claimed to be a high-rank member of the organization prior to his exile.   

Since the rise of the threat associated with the activity of   in the Reach in   the City of   became a shelter for numerous Reachfolk clans of the wilds, causing tensions within the city walls. Attempting to ensure the inner stability of Markarth, the Stonehands were spread too thin to deal with the outside threats and Ard Caddach thus decided to forbid Stonehands from fighting against the Icereach Coven, instead tasking Stonehands with employing capable and worthy outsiders.   
thumb|left|Hroltar, a former high-rank member of the Stonehands
During the Gray Host invasion in Markarth, Stonehands played an important role in defending the Ard, the city, and its residents. They cooperated with the   and Markarth soldiers and together they managed to successfully defend the city.   Immediately after thwarting the invasion, the Stonehands were ordered to eliminate any remnants of the Gray Host forces within the walls of the city by Ard Caddach. The forces of Gray Host who remained in the hills of the Reach were left to be dealt with by wilder clans and Wayward Guardians. 

A delegation of Stonehands was present during the ceremony when peace was declared between the nation of the Reach and the province of  . 

The organization recruited the help of the Vestige and others to deal with the risks associated with the rituals performed by the survivors of the Ghostsong Clan.  The actions of those rogues included performing ancient practices and were suspected of using Namira's power for evil deeds such as the possibility of actions that would cause calamity across the Reach, even going as far as capturing innocent members of Reachfolk clans in order to sacrifice them for the power. 

The Stonehands also requested aid with closing the rifts created by the rituals performed by the Ghostsong Clan remnants. Ard's personal guards offered an outsider a charm that was capable of closing the rifts. Those rifts were considered pockets of unstable forces.  They also requested an outsider to bring the notes of the witch responsible for the dangerous ritual.  Ultimately, the Vestige was able to deal with this group of the clan, freeing their captives, closing the ruptures and taking the ritual notes to the Stonehands so that they could destroy them. 

One of the scouts of the Stonehands ventured deep underground to the Blackreach and uncovered a Dwarven Dynastor.  The organization requested the able-bodied warriors to destroy the construct which may be a threat to the inhabitants of the Reach. Another request from the Stonehands was to provide the group with the Dwemer metal scraps.  On another occasion contractors requested adventurers to verify whether the rod devised by outsider scholar works as intended. 

Another task bestowed upon the outsider warriors by the group was putting an end to the Icereach Coven rituals that were causing the dangerous Harrowstorms. 

By  , the Markarth was ruled by Jarl of Nordic origins and Reachfolk title of Ard was no longer used. No remaining traces of the Stonehands existed by that point. 
Gallery
 

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

References