The Enigma of Ragnvald

Imperial Scholar Lucius Flavius

In our study of the ancient Nordic ruins of Skyrim we have been able to identify the function and purpose of many of these ruins. Bleak Falls Barrow and Rannveig’s Fast stood as temples to the Dragon Cult, Forelhost served as a fortress and bastion, Bromjunaar (Labyrinthian to the lay person) was the capital of the Dragon Priests and the cult. Countless others served as tombs to warlords, heros of the ancient Nords, and even the Dragon Priests themselves. One, however, still remains a mystery. Not so much what its function was but as to why and where it is located. The ruin of Ragnvald lies on the extreme western limit of the Reach and much on the surface it does not seem to fit.

First of all, its location. The Reach has long been claimed by the Reachmen as their homeland and have violently resisted any who try to infringe on what they see as their sovereign territory. Yet the number of Nordic ruins located in the Reach and now fortified by the Forsworn terrorist group indicates that the Dragon Cult must have expanded its power and either encompassed the local Reachmen, or a more likely explanation, subjugated them. The Reach is also home to a surprising number of Dwemer ruins. Ragnvald finds itself located between two Dwemer cities, present day Markarth and to the north, Bthardamz. Other scholars and I have noted that Ragnvald’s location is peculiar as the Dwemer may have held more control over this area. The Dwemer were fairly reclusive but surely there was trade between the cites as several cities and research centers located in the Reach had an alliance with one another. This Nordic ruin is also quite far from any of its contemporaries. What the Reachmen have called Hag Rock Redoubt is unquestionably Nordic, lies quite far to the south and situated higher in the Druadach Mountains. The closest ruins to the north is the Deepwood Redoubt and Hag’s End as the locals have called them. So Ragnvald is quite isolated in its own right. Now if Ragnvald was simply a tomb we probably would not have questioned this. It is, however, more than that.

In our excavation of Ragnvald we have determined that this was no mere tomb or temple, but a city of the ancient Nords. The exterior is the first clue that there is more to this ruin than meets the eye. There is ornate stonework on the stairs leading to the main doors themselves. The doors are quite large and reminiscent of those of Bromjunaar with even more ornate metal carvings of dragons and the like. Just inside the main doors is no doubt a temple, we would have just assumed that it was one and moved on if we hadn’t explored further within the ruin. Now every ancient Nordic settlement we have excavated so far also included a temple of some sort. The Dragon Cult and the worship of the animal spirits and avatars was extremely prevalent in this society and the leadership could only be described as a theocracy. Religion was an integral part of daily life for those living under the Dragon Cult. Now the ruin is set up with a main thoroughfare running through the center and offshoots to two areas. The first area we explored was the crypts, quite common as well in Nordic cities. The ancient Nords also may have practiced ancestor worship or at the least, reverence, in addition to their worship of animal spirits. Even today no city in Skyrim is complete without its Hall of the Dead where the Nords inter their dead for their final rest and so that one may visit and pay their respects. Ask any Nord and they’ll be able to tell you of their proud clan history all the way back to their great great grandda. This also wasn’t enough to make us believe that is was just a tomb for the dead and the living were often in close quarters in ancient Nordic settlements and cities. The final area was the most telling and it solidified our theory. Canals were what are to be found in the last area. My peers and I immediately asked ourselves as to why a tomb would need running water, its obvious that this was once a thriving city of the ancient Nords and prosperous enough to contain its own set of aqueducts and canals. Their function is quite simple, to provide clean running water for drinking, washing etc. My colleagues and I are also confident that once we clear more of the collapsed sections of the ruin, we will find living quarters and other areas only a place of residence would contain.

Now that we had determined the true nature of Ragnvald, we were still left with the question of its odd local, and to the nature of the ruler of this city. There is an oral tradition that is still half remembered by the Nords and we have finally located a written copy of the poem. The poem itself tells of two warriors, Sarek and Torsten, who saved the people of Ragnvald from the fallen Dragon Priest Otar the Mad. (This poem is also written confirmation that Ragnvald a city.) The figure of Otar the Mad has left me puzzled. He was undoubtedly a high ranking member of the Dragon Cult and perhaps one of the highest ranking priests, but he stands out amongst all the others. References to other Priests are few and far between, their true names lost to history, but they seemed to adopt titles of names in the dragon language. The few named ones we have been able to identify are Vokun, Hevnoraak, and Rahgot. All names in the dragon language either referring to themselves or their masks. Otar however is remembered by what we can only assume was his original name. Otar is a common enough Nordic name and is clearly not dragonic. From the poems it is clear that Otar was once a grand warrior and a fair ruler, but then fell into a madness that consumed him. After turning on his subjects two heroes were called on to defeat him. The tale tells that heroes were unable to destroy Otar only contain him and lock him away with two keys, afterwhich they swore to guard against Otar’s return. Although we can only speculate, Otar must have been one of the highest ranking Dragon Priests but was cast out and stripped of his title due to his madness. It’s impossible to tell if he was the founder of Ragnvald but it seems appropriate that he would rule over such a unique and frankly mysterious city.

In conclusion we can only hope that once we excavate more, we will unearth more answers about this ruin, the why and how of its location and its fallen Priest. Our preliminary conclusion is that Ragnvald was located as such to disrupt Dwemer influence in the region and to the Dragon Cult a further foothold in the Reach. It could also be that Otar the Mad lead his people here and had them construct a new city, all of this being a symptom of his madness. The answers surely lie deeper within.