Lesser-Known Peoples of Tamriel IV: The Gohei or Arrow Saints

North of the city of Elinhir the mountains become steep and impassable. The sharp ranges mark an abrupt divide between the peoples of Hammerfell and Skyrim, and in isolated valleys there are societies which are almost entirely hidden from the wider world. The tribes and petty kingdoms of these secluded regions have taken on the status of legend. None more so than the Gohei, also called the Arrow Saints or the Cowards.

Gaining access to the kingdom of the Gohei was challenging. Their realm is ringed by lofty mountains, and one must ascend hidden paths and makeshift wooden stairwells in order to reach one of their impregnable border forts. They are wary of outsiders, and with good reason, but they respect the efforts of those who make the journey to them with peaceful intent. Upon crossing their border one is faced with a great bowl-shaped valley, far more vast than seems possible from maps of the mountains and dotted with small villages and farms. The architecture is vertiginous, with slim stone towers rising above every settlement and good straight roads connecting them. It is dizzying to stand, as I did, at the border post and see an entire nation laid out beneath me.

The Gohei are a mixed society, having absorbed tribes of Orcs and Bretons and Nords that wandered into their realm. However the majority are of Redguard stock, and it is the culture of Hammerfell that predominates- with a few peculiarities. The word “Gohei” means “Arrow Saint”, and the learned will make the connection with the famous Sword Saints of the Yoku. Historically the Sword and Arrow Saints were two powerful warrior cults of old Yokuda, but I was told of a dispute over battlefield etiquette that blossomed into a religious war and a purge, driving the outcast Gohei into exile deep in the mountains. All of this happened in the distant past, yet the Redguards of Hammerfell still disdain archery and send occasional fruitless raids against their old enemies, the persecuted Gohei.

The modern Gohei revere the Yoku god Ruptga above all others. They believe he lives in the sky and sends shooting stars as omens, so they forbid any sort of light outdoors in the hours of darkness so that his messages may not be missed. Their priests are all astronomers who tattoo birthsigns on the heads of infants. Their signs are a little different- they have no horses, so the Steed is known as the Hawk. They call the Ritual the Bow. Apparently shooting stars regularly land in their valley, bringing secret gifts from the gods. When I pressed them they refused to explain this further.

As might be imagined, the Arrow Saints practise a form of magical archery. Indeed it is the cornerstone of their culture. All citizens master the philosophy of the bow and can perform miraculous feats, guiding arrows to their mark with uncanny precision. Whether this is due to the mystical techniques of the Redguards, the fletching craftsmanship of the Orcs, the words of power of the Nords or some combination thereof is a matter for speculation. I saw messages delivered across the valley on blunted arrows, and I saw children no older than ten shoot eagles out of the sky.

The Gohei mine copper in vast quantities, and all men and women are drilled for battle with a longbow, a quiver of arrows and a tall bronze shield which they carry on their backs. They adorn themselves with eagle feathers, copper jewellery such as armlets, finger rings, and nose rings, and undyed wool from the sheep they graze. And yet, despite their fearsome appearance and military skill, they utterly reject the blade as a weapon. No swords or daggers exist in their land, and even working knives are used sparingly and require the user to be symbolically cleansed after handling them. Their villages occasionally raid one another- largely symbolic conflicts in pursuit of livestock or to redress grievances- but they fight only with the bow. In close quarters the defender always surrenders without a fight as they abhor violence in close quarters. A child could conquer these people, if it could get past their formidable ranged defences.

The Gohei call themselves guardians of the true culture of Yokuda, which they say has withered everywhere else. They accuse the swordfighters of destroying their homeland, and confidently predict that they will wreak the same havoc on Tamriel. They predict that all beyond their valley will be destroyed, whereupon they will be lifted, mountains and all, to the heavens by Tall Papa. The world to which they have been shackled will be incinerated by their ancient foes, and all will be well.