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The Races of TESO: Redguards
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by Merari, Contributor — Category: Lore Articles
Post #20056
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With The Elder Scrolls Online approximately one year away from release, TESOF has decided to educate fans of the game on the playable races in TESO, so you can have a good idea of their backgrounds before you dive into the game. Today we'll be continuing with the Redguards.
Keep an eye peeled on the Articles section for more articles related to the races of TESO! Previous articles: The Dunmer The Bretons The Altmer The Argonians The Khajiit ![[Image: banner-redguard.jpg]](https://image.cemmos.net/443af01ba1fe224d39e968e6e3ca3df6dbf58059?url=http://www.tesof.com/xthreads_attach.php/54_1351745294_67364150/e9028e76724e1a9ab523c8a69288d189/banner-redguard.jpg) Redguards The Redguards are a dark-skinned mannish race living in the province of Hammerfell. They hail from the now mostly sundered and sunken continent of Yokuda. Fleeing its demise around 1E792 they returned to Tamriel, which legend holds is the cradle of all life. At first the bulk of the refugees remained on the western island of Herne, but their Warrior Wave or Ra Gada continued on to scout the mainland, arriving in 1E808 Eventually the Ra Gada carved out the territories of Hammerfell for their people and their name became used to describe all Yokuda refugees. Redguard in Cyrodiliic tongue is a phonetic approximation of Ra Gada. Redguard culture values pride and independance and they are undoubtably the most able warriors among the mannish races. Superior strategy, agility and training makes up for what they lack in brute strength. Redguards solely among the mannish races claim no ancestry to the Nordic homeland of Atmora.  Male RedguardHistory of Hammerfell Redguards are the former inhabitants from the sunken and destroyed continent of Yokuda. Yokuda was a continent consisting of several large islands to the west of Tamriel, the largest of which was called Akos Kazaz. Remnants of Yokuda likely still exist as Anvil sailors speak of travelling there. The cause of the devastation is debated, some claim it was due to natural causes. The Yokudans however were an advanced civilisation with a navy superior to that of Tamriel. They possesed great knowledge of martial arts, science and philosophy. Some claim that a rebel band of Ansei or sword-singers were responsible for the (partial) destruction of the continent. The Ansei could form a sword out of their own spirit and the rebel band of Ansei called the Hiradirge were said to be masters of stone magic. When they were defeated in battle in 1E 792, the story goes, they chose to destroy the land when they realised they could not rule it. Many Yokudans fled their doomed homeland and their Ra Gada, or warrior wave, began to conquer the Hammerfell territories around 1E808 while the bulk of the refugees remained on the island of Herne. The native Nedic and Merish inhabitants proved no match for the Ra Gada and it took less than a year for them to establish strong footholds on the western Hammerfell shores, preparing the land for the arrival of their ruling class, the Na-Totambu. Redguard agriculture and society was more advanced and better adapted to Hammerfell's harsh climate than that of its natives and it did not take long before the Nedes were completely replaced and the Orsimer driven back, the Redguards absorbing Tamrielic customs and language into their own culture in the process. Contact with neighbouring Breton and Cyrodilic tribes resulting in foreign commerce and treaties hastened this assimilation. The original Redguard language, Yoku, has been almost completely replaced by standard Tamrielic as a result.  HammerfellUnder the provincial rule of the Second Empire there were two Redguard factions to aid Cyrodiil in its administration of Hammerfell. The Na-Totembu lost some of their power but retained the rights of noble council and were known as the Crowns and the Ra Gada, who were now given the right to own land. The rise to ruling power changed the Ra Gada and they started to call themselves the Forebears, referencing their status as first Redguards on Tamriel. However this new republic was not to last. When Cyrodilic support vanished during the interregnum the Na-Totembu were quick to seize back power they had lost. The new high king moved his throne from Hegate to the more prosperous city of Sentinel, formerly under Forebear control. Just before the events of TESO a Redguard princess from Sentinel married the high king Emeric of High Rock. The alliances formed by this marriage allowed the rise of the Daggerfall Covenant, a political union between Hammerfell, High Rock and Orsinium. Many Redguards remain wary of the Covenant however and have refused to join it. Hammerfell Hammerfell is a province in the west of Tamriel, bordered by High Rock and Skyrim in the north and Cyrodiil in the east. The interior of the province is dominated by the great Alik'r desert and its populace is mostly concentrated around the great port and trade cities near the ocean. Originally named Volenfell, Hammerfell was the territory of Dwemer clan Rourken, named after the great hammer Volendrung. Legend holds that when clan Rourken left Resdayn due to differences with the Chimer - Dwemer alliance their leader flung this hammer and clan Rourken settled where it landed. After the dissapearance of the Dwemer the land was named Hegathe by the Altmer and the Deathlands by the Nedes, beforfe the Redguards arrived and named it Hammerfell, a translation of the ancient Dwemer name. Hammerfell is a barren and rocky place, its major cities around the coastline while the inner country is mainly inhabited by nomadic tribes. The northern Dragontail mountains are the home of the Orcs and where Orsinium is located. 2012 written by Merari. With thanks to Deveron and Tecca for editing and images. |
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