The Forebears The Forebears are a faction in Hammerfell . They are the descendants of the Ra Gada , from which the name Redguard was adapted , who first landed on the coast of Hammerfell to pave way for the Na - Totambus or Crowns after the sinking of Yokuda . They were in a civil war with the Crowns over dominance in Hammerfell until they united to drive back and defeat the Aldmeri Dominion in the Fourth Era . The Forebears are seen as more adaptable than the Crowns , who are more traditional . They are confirmed to appear in , where they have temporarily ceased hostilities with The Crowns due to the threat from Molag Bal . Religion . The Forebears have a different religion than the Crowns do . Their pantheon is largely attributed to the good relations the Forebears had with the Second Empire , other say that the Forebears adopted the Cyrodiilic gods because of the Second Empire ruling over Hammerfell . Whatever the case , their pantheon is listed below . History . First Era . Originally formed from the Ra Gada in the First Era , the Forebears are one of the two militaristic and political powers of Hammerfell . The Forebears first landed in the city of Hegathe , which they had conqeured from the native Betmer who lived there . Shortly after , the Forebear Sword - Singers started to expand along the coastline , and claimed the city of Sentinel , which was then occupied by men and elf . Sword - Singing was originally a part of Forebear culture , but started to fade away in later years . Second Era . During the Alliance War , king Fahara ' jad of the Forebears ruled over Hammerfell . Crown loyalists saw him as a usurper , and said he was guilty of working with the Ash ' abah , an order dedicated to slaying the undead if they were to appear in Hammerfell . Due to the Redguards seeing the dead as honored , this somewhat tainted the king ' s reputation . During the Tiber Wars , after the death of King Thassad II , Hammerfell was plunged into Civil War . The Forebears were succesful at first , claiming the city of Sentinel in a massacre , which resulted in Prince A ' Tor of the Crowns sailing to the mainland from Stros M ' kai in order to reclaim it , resulting in one of the bloodiest massacres of Tamrielic history . After this defeat , the Crowns started winning the Civil War as they pushed the Forebears back across the deserts of Hammerfell . To avoid getting beaten by the Crowns , Baron Volag , leader of the Forebears at the time , signed a pact with Tiber Septim . In return for the aid of Septim ' s Imperial Legion s , the Third Empire would be granted some border territory of Hammerfell . Septim sent his Legions to fight the Crowns , crushing their armies , and eventually slaying the Prince during the Battle of Hunding Bay . However , just before the war ended , Baron Volag had dissappeared , which resulted in the Empire creating its own , new , terms for the treaty , which resulted in all of Hammerfell falling to the Empire . However , after a rebellion on Stros M ' kai , and the death of Amiel Richton , Tiber Septim discussed the terms of the Treaty of Stros M ' kai with Iszara , who led the Crown resistance , and Baron Volag , who had come out of hiding . Third Era . During the invasion of the Camoran Usurper , the Forebears asked the Crowns for aid , but were denied . According to the Redguards Rihad and Taneth would have been able to easily stop the Usurper , but they were proven wrong . Only two weeks later word got out that the cities of Rihad and Taneth had been obliterated by the Usurper , who seemed unstoppable . Until the defeat of the usurper , the lands of the Forebears were ravaged by his armies . As a result of the lack of aid for the Forebears during the events of the Camoran Usurper , the Forebears did not answer the Crown ' s call for aid during the War of Bend ' r - Mahk , resulting in Elinhir and half of Dragonstar getting conqeured by the Nord s . Fourth Era . In the early days of the Fourth Era , Hammerfell had seceded from the Empire , though it was later reclaimed by Titus Mede I . Since 4E 168 , the Crowns and Forebears had been at Civil War again , until the Great War took place three years later . Shortly after the war broke out , Forebear and Crown alike lost many cities , as almost every city along the southern coastline was conqeured by the forces of the Third Aldmeri Dominion . In 4E 172 , only the city of Hegathe still held out . In 4E 173 a rare event occured , where a Forebear army from Sentinel broke the Aldmeri siege on Hegathe , which was a Crown city . Due to this act of kindness , the Crowns and Forebears stood united . At the same time , the city of Skaven was conqeured by other Aldmeri forces . When the Empire signed the White - Gold Concordat , Hammerfell saw it as a betrayal and refused to sign the treaty , resulting in the province being renounced and the Empire getting hatred from the Redguards . The Great War in Hammerfell lasted for five more years than in the Empire , as it lasted until 4E 180 . It ended with the signing of the Second Treaty of Stros M ' kai . The Redguards claim that the Dominion could have truly been defeated had they stood united with Hammerfell .