The Dark Men of the Desert

The Redguards of Hammerfell are a sturdy breed of Men, from the deserts that cover their province. While in the past regarded as only linked to the other Humans in appearance, recent theories have indeed linked them to the other races of men on Tamriel. They are a curious breed of Men, with a strange, and often confusing religion, and a different appearance than that of their ethnic cousins.

Biologically, the Redguards are the easiest distinguishable race of Men, as they have a vastly different appearance from the other races of man. While the other Men have a pale skin colour, the Redguards are dark skinned, sometimes with a slightly red tan. Along with this, they have very dark coloured hair, often incredibly curly. They are relatively muscled, more so than the Bretons and Imperials (while not more than the Nords), and are skilled fighters, often seeking their fortune in mercenary work or piracy. Their ferocity as fighters is only increased by their ability to gain a rush of adrenaline at will, making them almost, if not as, deadly as the Orcs, while retaining control and discipline. While not specially skilled in the use of magicka, the Redguards (or at least their ancestors) were known to be able to “sword sing”, an ancient technique used to conjure one’s spirit into a blade. While now lost to the sands of Yokuda and the Alik’r, this technique used to be a weapon dreaded by their enemies.

The Redguards are, like all Human, descendent of the Wanderers. The ancestors of the Redguards soon left for Yokuda, and evolved into the Yokudans there. While already in contact with Tamriel, the Yokudans only left for the continent only well into the First Era, due to the developments in their homelands. There are multiple theories of what happened exactly. The Imperial Geographic Society holds that Yokuda vanished due to natural disasters. In recent years, however, a new theory was proposed that stated the Yokudans destroyed their own continent on purpose. For years the Yokudans were at war with the Left-Handed Elves. In a last stand, the Yokudans employed a sword-singing technique called the “pankratosword”, a technique strong enough to cut the uncutable, the “atomos”. What followed was a huge explosion big enough to level almost the entire continent. It caused the surviving Yokudans to flee (even though small parts of Yokuda still remain, and have trade relations with port towns as Stros M’Kai and Anvil). The Yokudans drove the Orcs off and settled in Hammerfell, on the Western coast of Tamriel. Since then, the Yokudans were known as the Redguards, named after the Ra’Gada, the first batch of warriors, sent to clear the way for the people of Yokuda.

Redguard culture is focussed on fighting and combat. All Redguards, both men and women, are expected to be able to swing a sword. This is necessary, as almost all Redguards find their fortune in mercenary work or seafaring. The Yokudans were surprisingly advanced for their time, which made it able for their descendents to build big and important cities in the middle of the harsh desert. This also made Redguard culture very secluded, as it limited contact with other parts of Tamriel. While most Redguards nowadays have no problem with assimilating in the Imperial culture, outsiders are still frowned upon in Hammerfell, especially by the higher castes of society. Redguard culture despises the use of Magicka. Why is unclear, but it might have something to do with their long conflict with the Left-Handed Elves.

Politics in Hammerfell used to be divided between the Forebears and the Crowns, while the Lhutonics have also emerged in recent years. The Crowns used to be the most influential group in the province, since they are composed of the royalty of the Redguards. They descent from the highest castes of the Yokudan society, and will do everything to preserve this heritage. As a result, they often look down on foreigners and any Imperial influence (or Tamrielic in general, for that matter). They are very conservative. The opposing force are the Forebears. These warriors, descendent of the Ra’Gada caste, were the first Yokudans to set foot on Tamriel, and as such were exposed to many Tamrielic (especially Nedic) influences. While the Crowns want to remain as they were centuries ago, the Forebears want to progress, and become full fledged member of Tamrielic culture and society. The difference of these groups is easily seen, as Forebears are known to wear Breton or Cyrodiilic clothing, to fit in with Imperial culture, while the Crowns wear more traditional Yokudan clothing. In recent years, the Lhutinic faction has also risen to prominence. This group seeks a more balanced approach, advocating a mix between Tamrielic and Yokudan culture and society. The exact details of this mix are unknown.

An important skill for the Redguards, especially in past times, is sword-singing. Originally this was linked to a cult of sorts in Yokuda, the Ansei. Children, mostly from influential families, were given to the cult, to be taken to the dessert and trained in the ways of fighting. The Ansei were among the best, if not the best, swordfighters in history. the greatest of this order were able to conjure swords from nothing more than their spirits, creating deadly weapons as the “pankratosword”, powerful enough to destroy an entire continent. The influence of the Ansei was big enough that they were, for sometime, the only ones allowed to wear swords. While sword-singing was still being studied well into the Third Era, the grandmasters at that time were only able to conjure insubstantial swords, unable to seriously harm a opponent.

Redguard religion is strangely asimilair to that of the other races. While most races venerate, or at least recognise many of the same deities and spirits, many of the Redguard gods seem to have no counterpart in Nordic or Elven mythology, with the obvious exception of Sep (Lorkhan). Strangely enough, while still men, Redguards agree with the Elves, that in their eyes, creation was a mistake. What is very interesting, and also fitting for Redguard culture, is the amount of war-gods, like HoonDing, Leki, Onsi, and Diagna. Along with these, the Redguards believe that the HoonDing can manifest himself in the form of a person or a weapon, or multiple at the same time, aiding the Redguards in times of need.

Redguard history starts somewhere in the First Era, when the first Ra’Gada came to Hammerfell to fight of the locals (mainly Orcs, as they were already pariahs, and no one else was desperate enough to try and live in the desert). After just months, the now Redguards had raided and destroyed any other settlement in Hammerfell, building upon the remaining ruins. While resentful of foreign influences for a long time, the Redguards eventually adopted Tamrielic as their native language, to accommodate trading (which was surprisingly easy for the Redguards, due to their impressive sailing capabilities), shortly after the first razing of Orsinium, in which the Bretons proved their worth, in the eyes of the Redguards. Even though they adopted an increasing amount of Tamrielic culture, they still resented the Empire, and all things of the Nedes and Nords. This might have contributed to the theory that the Redguards didn’t originate from the same stock as the other races of Men. Eventually, the fear of losing their sovereignty exploded at the end of the Second Era, which saw a huge uprising, led by the Redguard pirate and hero Cyrus the Restless, against the forces of Tiber Septim. While initially victorious, Hammerfell was eventually subdued and incorporated by the Empire. Since then, Redguards have been seen all around Tamriel, and have been proud members of the Empire. Indeed, many legionnaires were Redguard. After the Oblivion Crisis, Hammerfell was one of the few provinces to remain within the Empire, along with Cyrodiil, High Rock, Skyrim, and the remains of Morrowind. This changed, however, after the White-Gold Concordat. This saw the Empire handing over the south of Hammerfell to the Aldmeri Dominion. The Redguards, who didn’t take part in negotiations, were furious, and decided to cut all contact with the Empire. There formidable fighting skills saw the Thalmor retreat from Hammerfell, keeping the province independent.