Shornhelm

Shornhelm or SharnhelmTamriel Anthology Map is one of the eight major kingdoms in the province of High Rock, being the capital of the Rivenspire region, specifically in the Eyebright Feld. Shornhelm is one of the more influencial cities in High Rock, being the seat of power for the entirety of Rivenspire, even over its companion city, Northpoint.
==By game==
*Shornhelm (Arena)
*Shornhelm (Online)
==Description==
===Geography===
The city-state of Shornhelm is situated in the center of the Rivenspire region, near the foothills of the Kurallian Mountains. The land around Shornhelm descends towards the land, to the west towards Crestshade and to the east towards Markwasten Moor. The land south of Shornhelm is nothing but farmland, with the Hinault Farm being the most prominent. The northern end of the city holds the Fevered Mews, which is a cave near the Doomcrag. East of Shornhelm is several ruins of historical worth, such as the fortress of Traitor's Tor and the Old Shornhelm Ruins. West of Shornhelm is nothing but light grasslands, in what is traditional House Tamrith territory. But deep in the mountains is the Silverhoof Vale, where a group of Yokudans had traveled with the destruction of their homeland.
Shornhelm itself is walled-off, split into two separate districts. Upper Shornhelm is the home of the nobility as well as the political powers. This district overlooks the rest of the city, and it has an entrance to the Fevered Maws. The triumvirate of Rivenspire resides in Upper Shornhelm, where they can discuss matters of the region. Lower Shornhelm is virtually everything else, where the people congregate and trade with each other. The Shornhelm Market Plaza is situated in the center of the area, with the main entrance directly south of it. The northwestern end of the market is the Dead Wolf Inn. Northwest towards the western gate is the Shornhelm Chapel, where the religious deity is worshipped. On the west and east walls are the local Mages Guild and Fighters Guild chapters, respectively. The northeast leads to the forge, as well as the stables and the eastern gate. The Shornhelm Outlaws Refuge has entrances on the east outer wall and an alley near the Market Plaza.
===Traditions===
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*The Bretons of Shornhelm celebrate the New Life Festival on the 1st of Morning Star. It is a day of celebration where the drinks are free and people party in the streets all day. It truly is, a day of merriment.Holidays in Arena
*The Bretons of Shornhelm celebrate the South Wind's Prayer on the 15th of Morning Star. It is a day to pray to the Gods for a bountiful harvest, and it is for citizens who cannot afford to heal from the local temple to get healed from an ailment.
*The Bretons of Shornhelm celebrate Heart's Day on the 16th of Sun's Dawn. It is in honor of a legend passed down from generation to generation about a couple named Polydor and Eloisa. Every Inn in Tamriel become free for visitors arriving into town.
*The Bretons of Shornhelm celebrate the First Planting on the 7th of First Seed. It is the day that begins the harvest, where neighbors reconcile their difference, bad habits are dropped, and the clerics heal people for free.
*The Bretons of Shornhelm celebrate Jester's Day on the 28th of Rain's Hand. The holiday’s purpose is unknown, likely to celebrate the Daedric Prince of Madness and Whimsicality, Sheogorath. It is a day to play pranks on each other and to have overall fun.
*The Bretons of Shornhelm celebrate the Second Planting on the 7th of Second Seed. The holiday is ideally the same holiday as First Planting, to improve one’s soul, and to improve relationships with others.
*The Bretons of Shornhelm celebrate the Mid Year Celebration on the 16th of Mid Year. A day to distract everyone from the increased taxes. It is a day celebrating the halfway mark in the year, where many warriors feel blessed and venture to dungeons they normally cannot defeat.
*The Bretons of Shornhelm celebrate the Merchant's Festival on the 10th of Sun's Height. It is a day that benefits the consumer in the market. Traders and Gypsies drop the prices on their stock. The only place that does not celebrate it is the Mages Guild. This is the same day as the Summoning of Boethiah.
*The Bretons of Shornhelm celebrate Sun's Rest on the 20th of Sun's Height. It is a day when the workers of Tamriel take a day to relax, businesses across town are closed in observance of this day. Some people have to have to leave the province to actually buy something.
*The Bretons of Shornhelm celebrate Harvest's End on the 27th of Last Seed. It is the final day of the harvest, and it is where the people eat the crops they have grown since the First Planting. Travelers are given the option to join a farmer’s family for a feast.
*The Bretons of Shornhelm celebrate Tales and Tallows on the 3rd of Hearthfire. It is the day of superstition where the elderly do not speak for an entire day, in fear of evil spirits entering their body. The Mages of Tamriel favor this day since it is a day to study the oldest forms of magic.
*The Bretons of Shornhelm celebrate the Witches' Festival on the 13th of Frostfall. A day where the creepy ghouls and creatures of the night gather to terrorize the denizens of Tamriel. Many have not dared to wander the streets at night, in fear of being nabbed by a creature.
*The Bretons of Shornhelm celebrate the Warriors Festival on the 20th of Sun's Dusk. It is a day where many warriors gather to practice their fighting prowess. Travelers by weapons in stores since their price's drop by half. Young children foolishly buy weapons, only to stab themselves by mistake.
*The Bretons of Shornhelm celebrate the North Wind's Prayer on the 15th of Evening Star. It serves as a thanksgiving to the Gods for the year's harvest. It is a day when the local temples heal and bless anyone for a lower price.
*The Bretons of Shornhelm celebrate the Old Life Festival on the 31st of Evening Star. It is a day of rest, where many leave the events of the passing year behind and to reflect their past. They rest for the New Life Festival.
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*The Bretons of High Rock villages celebrate Scour Day on the 2nd of Morning Star, serving as a second party after the New Life Festival, even though this day is when everyone cleans up after the initial celebration.
*The Bretons of High Rock celebrate Mad Pelagius on the 2nd of Sun's Dawn. It is a mock memorial to Pelagius Septim III, infamously known as Pelagius the Mad during his reign. It is intentionally the summoning day of Sheogorath.
*The Bretons of High Rock celebrate Flower Day on the 25th of First Seed, where the Children would pick new flowers from the spring while older Bretons would come out from home and dance the night away.
==History==
===First Era===
====The Legend of Dame Marcelle Stenric====
During the 24th century, the Great House Dorell had ruled over the city-state of Shornhelm for several generations, after establishing themselves from distant Northpoint. One of these rulers was Aaric Dorell, who had a loyal niece known throughout the land as Marcelle Stenric, the Knight of Shornhelm. Stenric was loyal to her family and their holdings, defending them from various threats. When a powerful Troll threatened Shornhelm, she stood her ground and defeated the beast, with the fight lasting for a day and a half. It ended with the Troll's heading being severed by Stenric's blade, Dauntless. When the Great Feud occurred and Lanciot Dorell was taken by House Tamrith, it was Stenric who fought the Hammers of Umbrage (a brigand loyal to the Tamrith), to rescue her cousin. These two legends were what established Marcelle Stenric as a hero of Rivenspire.Northpoint: An AssessmentThe Legend of Dame Marcelle
===Second Era===
====The Legacy of the Sage, Gyron Vardengroet====
The Sage, born as Gyron Vardengroet, is well-known throughout Tamriel as a champion and counselor of magic. Gyron was born in a poor family from a humble village called Moonguard. From a really young age, Gyron was skilled in the arcane arts, more so than the typical Breton. This would begin his journey in learning more about the magic surrounding us. By the time he was one year old, he was able to levitate the family dog. He eventually took training from his local wizard, though he would surpass him, seeking out the Mages Guild in Shornhelm. After traveling throughout the Kurallian Mountains, Gyron had arrived at the city gates of Shornhelm, the first city he had ever visited. At the Mages Guild, he took lessons from Morkledder, the Guildmaster in Shornhelm. But even then, Gyron surpassed the Mages Guild, leaving his homeland and studying at the Crystal Tower.The Sage
====The Feud for the Throne; Ranser & Phylgeon====
A common consensus in Rivenspire was that King Hurlburt Branquette was the greatest post-Reman leader for Shornhelm, ruling from 2E 522 to his death in 2E 546. He led Shornhelm at the fateful Battle of Granden Tor. Hurlburt was the twenty-first leader of Shornhelm, belong to House Branquette. In the aftermath of the Black Drake's Invasion, King Hurlburt joined the newly-formed Daggerfall Covenant, an alliance that this point, consisted of the Kingdoms of High Rock. When he had passed away, the throne was passed to his legitimate son, Phylgeon Montclair, who was only fourteen years old when he assumed the throne of Shornhelm. The Bretons of Branquette and House Tamrith supported his older brother, Ranser Branquette, who was born out of wedlock from a poor Tamrith cousin. What would follow was a competition for legitimacy for the throne, both brothers are each other's necks with the most prominent houses of Rivenspire taking part in the event.Shornhelm, Crown City of the NorthTriumphs of a Monarch, Ch. 3
====The Brothers' Defense & the Feud Aftermath====
The advisors of Phylgeon insisted that he was the legitimate heir, citing a codicil claimant called the "Bretonnick Natalitie" that states "Howse Mount Clayre" is the royal house of Shornhelm. The Council of the North took in various pieces of evidence, but at one point, the Bretonnick had disappeared, and Ranser appeared with a suspicious decree from the Direnni Hegemony stating that House Branquette was their "Royal House Delegates" in the Kingdom of Rivenspire. Eventually, the competition had ended when Ranser became the King through a narrow victory. Phylgeon's advisors urged him to wage war for the crown, though he declined, rather being content with just being the Baron of Montclair. He went on to have a child named Wylon Montclair. During his reign, Ranser was known for his brutality and bitter temper. Sometime later, Ranser had a daughter named Rayelle, who would catch the eye of High King Emeric, leader of Wayrest. Though he would soon have other plans.Triumphs of a Monarch, Ch. 6
====King Ranser's Tirade over the Covenant====
To further establish the Daggerfall Covenant, Emeric of Cumberland married Maraya, the Princess of Sentinel, to form an alliance between High Rock and Hammerfell. Knowing that his daughter was rejected, Ranser was furious. He withdrew the Shornhelm ambassador from the Court of Wayrest and did not attend the wedding in 2E 566. After the wedding, the Covenant flourished from the trading, but all the while, Ranser amassed his army throughout Rivenspire, with help from the houses of the Kingdom. On the Last Seed of 2E 566, King Ranser's War had begun with the Siege of Wayrest. Ranser utilized the Oldgate Lancers to fight at the forefront and siege weapons to break down the wall. Though eventually, the forces of Rivenspire were pushed back into their territory, where the city-state of Shornhelm would be razed by the Daggerfall Covenant and their new allies, the Orsimer.
====Ranser's Demise & the Battle of Traitor's Tor====
As time went on, the Great Houses of Rivenspire withdrew from Ranser's Army. Both House Tamrith and House Dorell had left the conflict while minor factions such as House Ravenwatch never even took up arms in the first place. Despite the feud from the throne, House Montclair remained with Ranser to the bitter end, all the way to his demise, and even afterward. With their forces overwhelmed by the Covenant and the Orcs under Kurog gro-Bagrakh, Ranser's Army was pushed into Markwasten Moor, where their army was nearly obliterated. With what little they had, they escaped to a nameless tor where Ranser took a serious initiative. With the help of his court mage, Reezal-Jul, Ranser turned his remaining soldiers into immortal warriors, as the Orcs were demolishing them. Before Ranser could complete his ritual, he was killed by General Dathieu, who spilled the royal blood that made the ritual backfire, turning everyone into undying skeletons. To this day, Ranser's spirit remains there, taking a position of the tor, in case of an attack by Emeric. This nameless tor would live in infamy as the Traitor's Tor.The Fury of King RanserThe True Fate of King RanserHouse Tamrith: A Recent History
====The War Aftermath & Wylon Montclair's Initiative====
In the end, the Kingdom of Rivenspire had given up on the fight, joining the Greater Daggerfall Covenant. The city-state of Shornhelm was left without a King, leaving the Council of the North to leading the region. This triumvirate consisted of the Bretons of Dorell, Tamrith, and Montclair. Baron Wylon Montclair felt that Rivenspire was in need of a King and that he should be that King. At one point, Wylon's historians were able to find the long-lost Bretonnick Natalitie which states, "... seeing all in order then in Sharn Helm and its Lands Contyguous, the most royale and high ... (unintelligible) ... appointeth in Perpetuitie sayde Howse Mount Clayre in rulership over ... (unintelligible) ... and Sharn Helm. So mote it bee." With the document in hand, Wylon Montclair took the initiative, annexing the northern portion of Shornhelm, and waging civil war with the Daggerfall Covenant, continuing where Ranser left off. The Covenant and High King Emeric were forced to step in, traveling to Shornhelm.Events in "Shornhelm Divided"
====Shornhelm Divided; Enter the Daggerfall Covenant====
Ahead of time, High King Emeric had tasked a prized Agent of the Covenant with dealing with the situation after the dilemma in Stormhaven. The Agent convened with both Countess Eselde Tamrith and Baron Alard Dorell, who were able to provide intel on House Montclair and the recent annexation. Members of the Shornhelm Guard, Orlozag gra-Yarzol and Juberic Gane had left their faction and joined House Montclair in their pursuit. After defeating both of them, the Agent was able to free the nobility and the rest of the Guard. Afterward, Verandis Ravenwatch had intervened, attempting to confront Reezal-Jul at the Fevered Mews. Both the Agent and Ravenwatch fought waves of Bloodfiends and Montclair warriors until Reezal-Jul escaped into the Eyebright Feld. Once Emeric had arrived into Shornhelm, beginning the war against the Great House Montclair.
===Third Era===
====The Story of Andorak Lariat; the Legacy of Uriel IV====
During the reign of Uriel Septim IV, the Emperor was at odds with the Elder Council, since he was an indirect heir to the throne. Since his parents are Katariah Septim and Gallivere Lariat, noble of Shornhelm. Once Uriel IV had passed away, the Ruby Throne would have been passed onto Andorak Septim, but it was voted by the Elder Council that Andorak would disinherit the throne. This caused controversy with Andorak's supporters, who fought against Imperial forces. In response to this, the Elder Council had granted Andorak leadership of the Kingdom of Shornhelm, where his family had ruled ever since. The Ruby Throne was passed onto Andorak's cousin, Cephorus Septim II. Andorak Lariat and his family would rule over Shornhelm for quite some time.Brief History of the Empire, Book III
====Shornhelm during the Imperial Simulacrum====
During the Imperial Simulacrum from 3E 389 to 3E 399, Emperor Uriel Septim VII was imprisoned along with Talin Warhaft in the Deadlands by Jagar Tharn. Tharn planned for months to capture the throne, and he was able to achieve so in ten years. Tharn had a powerful weapon called the Staff of Chaos, and he split it into nine pieces and scattered them across Tamriel, the staff was the only thing keeping Uriel Septim and Warhaft in Oblivion. A warrior escaped his clutches and traveled all corners of Tamriel to retrieve the missing pieces. The hero was known as the Eternal Champion, and he assembled the staff and defeated Jagar Tharn at the Imperial Palace. The Eternal Champion had at one point visited the city in their quest to recover the pieces. The city of Evermore was under the rule of King Rodore.Events in 
==Gallery==
RivenspireShornhelmCastle.jpg|Shornhelm circa 2E 582.
Shornhelm (Arena).png|Shornhelm circa 3E 399.
Shornhelm Champion (Legends) DWD.png|Shornhelm Champion in .
==Trivia==
*In an earlier stage of development, Arena was going to be a tournament-based game, where each city had their own gladiatorial team. Shornhelm's team was known as the War Mages.Go Blades!
==Appearances==
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==References==
es:Timón Despojado
uk:Шорнхельм
ru:Шорнхельм
Category:Cities in High Rock
Category:Lore: Cities
Category:Lore: High Rock Locations