The Politics of High Rock

Post » Fri Feb 14, 2014 12:55 am

Just some general questions about High Rock. To my understandind there are five kingdoms in High Rock. Camlorn and Daggerfall, since the two kingdoms joined together, then there's Wayrest. Then there's Shornhelm and Northpoint, which are one kingdom and Evermore. Lastly, there's Farrun and Jehanna. Daggerfall is the provincial capital of High Rock. What are the sigils of these kingdoms. Along with the names Glenumbra, Stormhaven and Rivenspire, what would Farrun, Dunlain and Jehanna be called, that region I mean.

How powerful are the Reachmen in High Rock? Who controls Direnni Tower? Who controls trade in the Iliac Bay? What is High Rock's relationship with Hammerfell, after the province's succession from the Empire? What would happen if the Empire collapsed?

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Marquis T
 
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Post » Thu Feb 13, 2014 9:35 pm

Clan Direnni, as always.

At least I really have never seen anything hinting in a different direction.

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Mel E
 
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Post » Fri Feb 14, 2014 4:01 am

The Direnni have controlled Direnni tower for a long time, Balfiera is considered neutral territory by the kingdoms, duchies and fiefdoms of High Rock and it's prime use is to act as a location to talk about treaties and make truces.
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Matt Terry
 
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Post » Fri Feb 14, 2014 10:44 am

Our understanding about Fourth Era High Rock is almost nonexistent, unfortunately. Skyrim didn't give us many hints about things going on outside of Skyrim itself, with the exception of Morrowind (thanks to Dragonborn) and Cyrodiil (and even then, we don't know enough to make a major judgment about things). The post-Warp kingdoms might have maintained their power in the wake of the Oblivion Crisis, but it is more likely that their power began to falter when the Empire that supported them began to crumble. That is, unfortunately, conjecture.

As for Direnni Tower, if we're willing to consider On Boethiah's Summoning Day as a source for early Fourth Era matters, it appears that the Direnni were still in charge there in the immediate aftermath of the Oblivion Crisis; however, it also appears that the Thalmor were interested in changing that, and were well on their way to succeeding (every iteration of this story so far has stopped before we see the end of it, sadly). Other than that, we again know nothing concrete about Direnni Tower's current masters past Daggerfall, which also put it in the hands of the Direnni IIRC. It's possible that the Thalmor managed to get their hands on it in the early Fourth Era, then, but considering that we still don't know exactly why the Thalmor were so interested in getting their hands on Hammerfell (considering the weakness they discovered in Cyrodiil, the fact that the terms of the WGC still pertained first and foremost to obtaining territory Hammerfell is telling, in my opinion), my best guess has always been that the Thalmor wanted to control coastline on the Iliac Bay--and the most important reason I could think of for that was because the Thalmor still didn't have Adamantine Tower yet, but they wanted to put it in their sights and wait for the next opportunity. (Of course, they could have been more interested in recovering Numidium scraps, too; I didn't think of that before, but it's a possibility.)

Long story short: We have no idea about the current political situation in High Rock; at a guess, it's not pretty, but that's just because the political situation of Tamriel as a whole hasn't been pretty over the last two hundred years. Direnni Tower is probably still held by the Direnni, but the Thalmor are (again probably) interested in changing that. Individual city emblems might have been provided in Daggerfall, but I've never played it, so I don't know.

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Eve(G)
 
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Post » Fri Feb 14, 2014 8:55 am

This is (probably; we don't know what's been going on in High Rock for the last two centuries) true in modern High Rock, but keep in mind that before the Warp of the West, High Rock harbored too many kingdoms to count, and keep in mind that, given the Bretonnic love for hierarchy, I wouldn't be at all surprised to find client "kingdoms" nested within larger kingdoms. So, while the five kingdoms is a good perspective to take in a broad view, it's more complicated than that.

We in the https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dM0O4dV7lMBQjqDMLfM3MIpcISy6JbaJsBOjiw8YxJI/edit?pli=1 project have been brainstorming for that region under the name Dunlain. It's fitting, in a way, to call the whole region that, given the http://pastebin.com/6yDSFhux of the http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Augur_of_Dunlain and the beautiful symmetry between the names http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:16_Accords_of_Madness,_v._XII (another name for the Rivenspire region) and http://static2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120626044012/elderscrolls/images/5/55/Dunlain_Falls.png.

But as far as we have been able to dig up, there isn't yet any 'official' name for the region.

The majority of them are in Skyrim, really. The Reach is more fundamentally a High Rock region than a Skyrim region, but the place is officially (according to the Nords and the Empire) a part of Skyrim, and we've seen it in-game.

Well, no one faction can really ever control the whole of the Iliac, but I'd say that Daggerfall, Wayrest, and Sentinel wield the most clout, as per usual.

I've heard the idea that the http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Cicero%27s_Journal_-_Volume_2 may have stuck around rather than buggering off, though. It'd be interesting to see a Corsair Kingdom or Republic of some sort based in Wayrest, ruling over the Iliac with an iron fist.

High Rock and Hammerfell have always been close cultural and political partners, at least in the Iliac region and along the Bjoulsae. There isn't really a hard line between the two countries; instead, there is a great big blur. We haven't had any word on your specific question, but considering the old ties between the two nations and the Bretonnic penchant for straying from Cyrodiilic management, I'm willing to bet that they're still getting along well.

We haven't had much word of how High Rock is doing under the Empire, but I'm assuming that the Empire only has a minor role around there. Cyrodiil is stretched far enough as it is, and High Rock isn't particularly easy to access, given than there are no certain land routes (Hammerfell is hostile, and Skyrim is not only in a state of chaos, but is cut off from Cyrod by some problems along the Pale Pass) and that any naval journeys would be either dangerous, long, or both. The Empire didn't help when corsairs were raiding Wayrest, apparently.

High Rock has always strained under Imperial rule. If the Empire collapses, they'll get along on their own well enough in all of their squabbling kingdoms.

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Shannon Lockwood
 
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Post » Fri Feb 14, 2014 1:17 pm

I think the Wayrest Corsairs are a bit like the Barbary pirates, who were (if I remember right) a huge group of pirates sponsored by the Barbary States (the Barbary States were a close group of North African countries in the late 1700s).

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Sunny Under
 
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Post » Fri Feb 14, 2014 3:57 am


Couple that with the "client kingdoms", and you'll get the Corsair Federation of Wayrest =) My, I love that. Much better than whatever that pesky Elysana and her descendants might have come up with.
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Valerie Marie
 
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Post » Fri Feb 14, 2014 6:38 am

Hauteroche works like this:

Find a hill,

Get some vassals together,

Oppress the local peasants,

Profit.

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Dezzeh
 
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Post » Thu Feb 13, 2014 10:13 pm

Wayrest has always been one of the more powerful kingdoms of High Rock and the rival of Daggerfall. When Wayrest was taken by corsairs, I'd imagine the city was reclaimed eventually, most likely by the Order of the Raven, the knighty order of Dwynnen, which was conquered by Wayrest in the Warp in the West. Despite being reclaimed, corsairs are still very common in Wayrest. That could be a good questline. A war between Daggerfall and Wayrest would be interesting, fighting for control of the Iliac Bay while the Thalmor prepare for an invasion of Hammerfell to claim Direnni Tower.

Camlorn joined Daggerfall. Rebellion in Camlorn could be a turning point in the war, as would another corsair attack on Wayrest. The region that features Jehanna and Farrun would most likely be controled by Nords, because of it's proximity to Skyrim. I'd image that whatever the outcome of the civil war in Skyrim would be, the Nords would try to expand into High Rock and Hammerfell.

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Jennie Skeletons
 
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Post » Fri Feb 14, 2014 2:06 am


Why not the Knights of the Rose themselves? Have they been disbanded anyhow?

Anyway, I'd love the corsairs and knightly orders to mix'n'merge. But don't listen to me, I'm probably just trying to Russia-fy my favourite High Rock kingdom =D
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saxon
 
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Post » Fri Feb 14, 2014 5:01 am

Even if the post Warp Breton kingdoms are still intact, there's more of the province to take into account than them. For one thing, Orsinium no longer exists there. So the Wrothgarian Mountains and the Bjoulsae river plains (i.e. parts of Gavaudon and Mournoth) could be independent or under the rule of major kingdoms.

That sounds about right for that area.

The other area to consider is the Skyrim border. At the end of the 3rd era, Skyrim still ruled Jehenna, eastern Dragonstar and Elinhir. What this means is that when Northpoint and Evermore conquered their neighbours, this didn't include Jehenna. Furthermore, the 3rd pocket guides refers old kingdoms in the High Rock section, which implies that Jehenna wasn't the only reclaimed territory. I assume they don't now because I've heard nothing about the places and you'd think it would be mentioned during the civil war.

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Holli Dillon
 
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Post » Thu Feb 13, 2014 10:05 pm

You forgot a point. "Build villages." It's a lot easier to profit from oppressing the local peasants when you know where they are all the time, and can keep them from hunting without paying the fees and fines for doing so.

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Nicholas
 
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