The Ash'abah and the Scourge of Senth'enel

On the weekly topic of cults, I'll write something about the Ash'abah, one of the more interesting pieces of lore about Hammerfell.

In the northern reaches of Hammerfell, in the vast Alik'r Desert, roams a nomadic tribe of Redguards known as the Ash'abah, named from the old Yokudan word for 'not undead'; they are shunned by the normal Redguard society for their desecretion of mausoleums and the buried dead. In Redguard tradition, the deceased are honored and should not be disturbed, but the Ash'abah are vehement necro-hunters: purgers of the living dead.

Now, some might say their quest is noble, and to some extent it is: Undead are a regular blight upon Tamrielic civilizations, having been used by necromancers for eons in their various attempts to conquer the known world. As such, the Ash'abah have taken on the responsibility to purge that which no other Redguards dare approach. Some Redguards might not even try to defend themselves should a walking undead attack them, as a sign of - deadly - respect.

But the Ash'abah are also shunned for more reasons than that: They have been known to regularly harass Redguard caravans throughout the Alik'r, mainly to gather resources. Considering they aren't allowed inside cities to purchase supplies for their bands, they have to resort to more violent measures to ensure their survival. Now, some might say the Redguards brought this on themselves: Should the Ash'abah not be shunned, they might not attack caravans which gave the reason for their exile in the first place. This issue has been debated among the Hammerfell courtrooms for centuries.

However, the Ash'abah also conducted a scourge which would forever put a black spot on their organization. In 3E 127, after the revelation that Wolf-Queen Potema had been building an army of undead in secrecy in Haafingar, the Ash'abah reacted with furios rage. Suspect that the same might be happening in their own province, further suspicion fueled by the current king being not particularly popular, the Ash'abah staged a raid on the capital of Hammerfell, Senth'enel, better known as Sentinel.

With an army of wrathful necro-hunters, the Ash'abah stormed each and every maosoleum in Senth'enel, fighting both the city guards and militia. Once they broke through the gates of a maosoleum they proceeded to forcefully open each sarcophagus, cut open the bandaged mummies and chopped off their limbs to prevent any undead from walking. Corpses that were too tough to cut through were doused in oils and burned to ash. It was only until hundreds of corpses had been desecrated that the Ash'abah came to a realization that there was no illegal necromancy at stake here, after which they fled in great numbers.

Many were hunted down and executed, but many escaped authorities. To this day, the Scourge of Senth'enel remains a black spot on both Ash'abah and Sentinel history. In order to further protect their maosoleums, additional guards have been posted and all sarcophagi are sealed shut - impossible to open. The Ash'abah continue to roam the Alik'r in hunt of necromancy, while the citizens of Sentinel fear their every move.

On the subject of cults, for your SotW consideration.