The Autumnshade Coven

The banner of the Coven

The Autumnshade Coven, whose members were often referred to as the **Pale Orc's**, was a vampire clan founded by Mogrith the Crooked in the closing weeks of 4E 181. Formed after the Battles of Largashbur and Avanchnzel, the Coven was initially composed of the Orsimer who had contracted Vampirism in the defense of their stronghold. As time passed members of other races were brought into the fold, such as Hreffna the Night-Claimed and Orvan Telloth, for the unique skills they offered that benifitted the clan as a whole.

Standing out amongst Skyrim's vampire clans for it's repurposed dwarven technology and stable government, this faction was led by Mogrith to industrialize, expand and prospour, with the ultimate goal being to establish a sovereign nation composed of a vampiric populace. This goal would first begin to experience setbacks during the expansion stage, as the Autumnshade Coven would come into conflict with the many creatures and factions of the province, many of whom held enemites with the clans founders.

## History

The precise date of the Coven's creation was the 26th of Sun's Dusk, 4E 181. Having finally purged the Phantomsnare Coven from Avanchnzel after a bloody two-day battle, the Pale Orc's of the former Largashbur tribe swore fealty to Mogrith the Crooked in order to ensure their survival. Once settled into the abandoned dwarven city the Coven began the first stage of it's development; industrialisation.

### Industrialisation

A wide expanse of forest was cut down to fuel the massive blast furnaces the Coven built within the city. As few thralls were available (those that had been captured from the Phantomsnare occupiers) for this dangerous labour, the vampires themselves were forced to build the furnaces, which resulted in the occasional loss of life prior to their completion. Under cover of night scavenging parties were sent to the surface to harvest all available materials. In the ruins of Largashbur large quantities of Orichalcum were recovered, and local mines overrun by bandits would be attacked and briefly occupied by the prospecting vampires. Within Avanchnzel, all scrap metal made of dwarven alloys was collected and melted down alongside the natural resources. Animaculi carcasses were spared from this endeavour.

Anticipating their future dependancy on a larger thrall population, Mogrith had the deforested area outside of the dwarven city receive basic stone walls around it's perimeter. The soil was cultivated for crop-growing and was seeded, providing the Coven's future thralls with a food source. Small wooden huts were built for the future slaves to reside in. The small settlement later becomes known as Nasphödol. The vampires lived within a common area inside Avanchnzel at first, although homes were being built into the walls of the city's main chasm. A basic Throne Room was created for the Battlemage and his court. The structures jutting out of the mountains were carefully rebuilt and a formal (though fortified) entrance to the stronghold was established. With the rebuilding of Avanchnzel complete, it was finally renamed Alum Sharr, the headquarters and stronghold of the Autumnshade Coven.

### Expansion

Once they had fortified their headquarters the Coven began to organise itself for expanding further into the province. This was necessary in order to sustain their growing resource demand; in particular other dwarven cities were their targets. With no mainline military at the time and a still-recessive thrall population, each 'pack' deployed to different regions of the province was formed primarily of vampiric milatia; although they would also serve host to a powerful Chieftain, as well as Rassal-Orsim after the Activation.

With the Activation prompting new advances, the Autumnshade Coven gained new knowledge of how to aquire blood from unsuspecting mortals. Combined with their growing numbers thanks to the Stygian Order thralls were finally deemed expandable enough to serve as front line soliders. After proper training they would be introduced into existing packs, often doubling the chapter's headcount. As years went by these Chapters made gradual progression north into Eastmarch, where in 4E 183 the second Autumnshade stronghold of Dascah Lozoug was founded.

**\*This section will be expanded as more information becomes established as canon.\***

## Organization

In the early months of the Autumnshade Coven, the Battlemage had intended to hold a complete autocracy over his new clan. Illusion magic and indoctrination techniques were used to supress the wills of his subordinates, and for a time he also controlled them with their dependancy on the thrall cattle he harboured. As the Coven expanded and new territory was established other individuals would take charge of different regions; this role was typically rewarded to the Chieftain who had established the stronghold or colony. Spies for the Battlemage existed in every pack however, and in the event of a territory being established they would moniter the new Dignitary for any insubordinate behaviour born of their seeming independance.

### Finance

Though cautious in their methods, the Coven began to acquire substantial wealth by selling off the products of it's labour. Using it's 'puppet towns' to serve as a trading hubs for their goods (mostly consisting of metals and quarried stone), as well as organized fronts for their thrall production, the Coven made enough money to continue it's funding of the frontier campaigns, as well as refurbishing the interiors of their strongholds. Their usage of thralls, who served essentially as slaves, also contributed to these towering profits. In time most members of the clan owned at least one thrall to do their bidding, and their supply, purchase and sale became regulated by the Stygian Order. The advanced dwarven technology reverse-engineered by the Coven was reserved for it's own usage.

### Military

The Coven's 'military' initially consisted of raiding parties and an untrained milatia group. In time organisation would be brought to the ranks to increase their combat effectiveness and ability to fight as a unit. Packs served as the offensive side of the Coven, striking enemy locations and forming the front-line forces on the Coven's frontier. The rest of the army were left to serve in the defense of Alum Sharr and its colonies. Though their skill in battle was typically inferior to those who fought in the packs, they had access to a network of defenses (featuring Crossbow and Ballista mounts), and reserved the official right to draw upon any combat-able thralls residing in their stronghold or colony.

### Society

A citizen of the Coven could expect varied standards of living. Once thralls were able to fully accomadate the manual labour required to keeping the clans economy rolling, vampires were able to begin careers in some of the non-exclusive caste's, or serve as traders within their stronghold. Non-militant vampires were only allowed to live in strongholds in order to maintain the secrecy of their Coven proper, but none took issue with this, as their affliction left them preferring the underground confines of the strongholds.

Citizens were allocated homes, and although they could puchase and own possessions everything available for their purchase was regulated by the Coven authorities; thralls were educated prior to public sale to report any of their owners possessions that could be deemed evidence of insubordinate behaviour. The rare instances of crime were dealt with varying methods of retribution that were dependant on the offender; a vampire could recieve anything from fines to corporal punishment, whereas thralls could face public execution.

### Culture

Though reluctant in the early months, the Battlemage worked towards diminishing his clan's faith to Malacath, the patron deity of the Orc race. In time and without prompt, most of the Pale Orc's collectively abandoned their old tribe lifestyles, believing their Vampirism had rendered them forfeit in the eyes of Malacath. This showed in some of the new values adopted by the Coven; Age was no longer seen as a burden as it had been before, magic talent was nurtured and most came to accept that their current leader would be more permanent than what they had previously been accustomed to. Eventually religious practices within the Coven's number was outlawed, and this censoring led to an eerie cult of personality being established, centred around the Battlemage.

## Adversaries

### Act I

#### **The Phantomsnare Coven**

*Main Article*

Bitter enemies of the Battlemage and his subjects even prior to the formation of the Autumnshade Coven, the Phantomsnare Coven had faced potential decimation after their defeats at Largashbur and Avanchnzel. Their founder and leader Regnus Beleath had survived however, and returned to Mara's Eye Pond, reclaiming her Coven's hideout from the Silver Hand by her lonesome. She assembled the remnants of her clan and stationed them within the hideout, before departing with a small escort to the annual Blood Summoning.

No enemy the Autumnshade Coven had faced was as persistent and dedicated to their downfall as the 'Phantom's'. Their clan had always favoured guerilla warfare over conventional battle, and their continued efforts greatly hampered the Pale Orc's on the frontier, with entire packs sometimes winding up dead without a trace of their killers.

##### **The Midnight Pantheon**

*Main Article*

This alliance was formed by three powerful vampire clans that attended the Blood Summoning, and had privately offered their assistance to Regnus Beleath, in the form of weaponry and auxiliary troops. Adopting this title to preserve the anonymity of its benefactors, soliders of the Pantheon took a more direct approach to warfare in contrast to their Phantomsnare allies.

The Pantheon forces sent to conquer the Rift consisted of warriors, archers, cavalry and at least one magus. They would be the ones to attack the town of Nasphödol in 4E 182.

#### **The Silver Hand**

*Main Article TBC*

A large faction spread across the province of Skyrim, the Silver Hand were monster-hunters known for their barbaric behaviour. After the Eastmarch chapter was wiped out a large new force was sent to re-occupy the fort Gallows Rock, led by the mysterious Altmer Cellathiel Fayedor. Although they are viewed as glorified bandits by many, their supposed victory over the Grimclaw Pack at Autumnshade Clearing left them in good standing with the Riften authorities.

The Silver Hand wore mainly simple fur armours, but they held a key advantage over their abominable foes by utilising Silver weaponry, which could be used to gruesome effect against undead opponents. Their forces consisted of heavily-armed barbarians, archers wielding rudimentary steel crossbows and the occasional mounted spearman.

## Territories

#### **Strongholds and defensive locations**

* Alum Sharr- Stronghold and headquarters of the Coven, found to the southwest of Riften. (Formerly Avanchnzel)
* Dascah Lozoug- The Coven's northernmost stronghold, that guards the Eastern path into the Rift. (Formerly Mzulft)

#### **Puppet towns**

* Nasphödol- Puppet town, found in the Fall Forest northeast of Alum-Sharr.
* Trozbolt- Puppet town, found to the north of Riften.

## Notable Members

* Mogrith the Crooked- Orc male, Lord Battlemage and leader of the Coven.

* Hreffna the Night-Claimed- Nord female, former Blade, seasoned warrior and war-chieftain of the Coven.

* Korbus Morghal- Rassal-Orsim male, leader of the Stygian Order.
* Orvan Telloth- Dunmer male, former Acolyte of Varen, a magus of the Coven.

## Notes

* The number of Pale Orc's to survive the Battle of Avanchnzel was approximately 150, and whilst the number of thralls captured from the Phantomsnare Coven in the battle is unspecified, the vampires were known to ration their blood intake at the time, but rarely fear deprivation through lack of sustanence.