Covenant

**The Covenant** is a revolutionary barbarian kingdom. A union of many rebelling clans of Skyrim, the Covenant was founded by Dex, a brother of the Ambassador of Stros M'kai, Neo. The Covenant, or the Bandit Horde as it was known in its early stages, amassed numbers from the raids that Riften ordered on abandoned strongholds or keeps belonging to weak and scattered clans across Skyrim.

Their sigil is a skull wearing the Jagged Crown. This was made so after the fall of Solitude, when a child soldier painted the sigil with blood upon the white flag of a cohort of the Empire who tried to surrender for peace.

## Origin

Neo was an ambassador from Stros M'kai in the court of Riften. Jarl Mannon took him for his paramour and wed him. When he was made consort ruler of the Rift, he granted his younger brother Dex lordship over the stronghold of Trolhetta and charged him to keep Mannon's peace. Surprisingly, every stronghold in the Rift that was overtaken by outlaws or scattered clans had been subdued by the garrison at Trolhetta by the end of the year 4E 217, except for Nimalten and the region of the moors.

The armies of Trolhetta grew and multiplied, enlisting and training the outlaws that were made prisoners after the taking of the strongholds. The scorning name of the Bandit Horde was given to the armies of Trolhetta by the Imperial Legion stationed at Skyrim. The young fiefdom had grown numerous but not liable to punishment for any eventual transgressions of the Imperial Law, as the disciplining in this case was a responsibility of Mannon and her husband, who were exceedingly lax.

## Overthrowing of Falkreath

Despite the involvement of Azaron Hlaalu, who bought lordship over Taarengrav from Neo, in the fall of Nimalten, the first large conquest of the Covenant happened in the end of 4E 223. Dex and the Trolhettans revolted against Goregg of Stuhn, the Jarl of Falkreath, using the old rumour that Goregg had ambitions to expand his border eastward to the Rift and that his inability to keep the strongholds from the occupation of outlaws and landless gentry proved that they needed a representative of the Rift in power.

Ultimately the resistance of Goregg failed in the Battle of the Red Ilinalta. Dex broke Jarl Goregg's van in the battle, slaying Thorrik of Helgen and Tamrand Lasharel, and severely injuring Donovar Tydeus of the Imperial Legion. While protecting his fallen foes, also, Goregg of Stuhn and his two eldest sons, Orndel and Bjarnir, were slain by Athrein, who at the time was a butcher at Trolhetta. After this battle, Athrein was made thane of Falkreath, a position which he only ever held in title.

## The Siege of Solitude

The capital Solitude was besieged without need for much confrontation. While his brother had worked on the military advancement on the southeast of Skyrim, Neo had been purchasing and corrupting the politicians in the capital. The court felt that the Empire had been austere at the taxing and neglectful in sending patrolling cohorts or providing any type of security for the traders and merchants that came from Cyrodiil to Skyrim. When the supporters of a more free North agreed to surrendering Solitude to the Covenant, Neo dispatched the armies of Dawnstar to the capital.

## Jarls of the Covenant

* Dex, born in Stros M'kai, founder of the Covenant. Lord of Trolhetta and Jarl of Haafingar.
	+ Bor Roman, Portmaster and Jarl of the Pale.
	+ Athrein son of Biadir, Guardian of Cidhna and Jarl of the Reach.
	+ Mannon Fjarnordottir, Jarl of the Rift.
	+ Eutayne Brimstone, Jarl of Eastmarch.
	+ Sulivo Deyrion, castellan of Hjaalmarch.
	+ Kronix son of Stygir, Jarl of Whiterun.
	+ Alyssia Worner, Jarl of Winterhold.
	+ Thorgakh gro-Morkul, Jarl of Falkreath.

## Quotes

> *The Covenant has made fearful little cats of all in Cyrodiil. They think the Bandit King a god that cannot be killed. It is the people that cannot be killed, that’s what they forget.*
>
> —a deserter in Cheydinhal

> *A man to unite the country served us well when we were in strife, but we united, and now want to have strife with others. The Covenant refuses to see what is plain before them. The unity they desired died with Nimalten and Taarengrav. It became anger and a wish for vengeance.*
>
> —Bor Roman