Roads to Skyrim: the Pale Pass, part 1

###Roads to Skyrim: the Pale Pass, part 1###

4E 201

By Lucius Ferio, Scholar of the Imperial Geographical Society.

Moving between the provinces of Tamriel can sometimes cause a problem. The expansion of peoples was often limited by natural borders, in particular by mountain chains. The most pertinent example is probably the Jerall Moutains, located on the borderline between Cyrodiil and Skyrim. If these ones are occasionally passable by high cols, there are only a few passes enough large and negotiable for passing merchant caravans and entire armies. This is by the way this geographical factor which limited the expansion of Nords to the south in the past, since it was enough to the Cyrodiils to block these passes with only a few regiments. These cols found back a crucial strategical importance with the recent Stormcloak Rebellion.

Among these few passes, the most famous was of course the Pale Pass. Located near Bruma, most of land trips between Cyrodiil and Skyrim are made across this pass. From Cyrodiil, the travelers go until Bruma city, then cross the mountains by the Pale Pass, before coming to Helgen, the “Gateway to the North”, a Falkreath Hold town. The history of this pass is one of the richest.

For a long time, during the First and Second Eras, the Pale Pass was the main access between Cyrodiil and Skyrim. Around 1E 240, it seems having been used by mannish armies of the First Empire of Nords, when this one conquered the North of the Nibenay Valley and established what was only the Bruhmaht outpost. Then, the Alessian Empire took back these Nibenese lands, next it started a military campaign in Skyrim itself, led by Emperor Gorieus, on the pretext that lands of ‘Kreath would rightly belong to Cyrodiil (I will not enlarge on this never-ending argument today). The Alessian thus crossed the Pale Pass to the north, to finally snatch victory in the Battle of Sunguard, face to King Kjoric the White.

In the next centuries, the Alessian Empire gradually collapsed (despite the recovery performed by Empress Hestra) and the Colovian Estates identity arose. Falkreath was one of these Colovian Estates, but claimed by Skyrim, whose the armies ended up seizing it. The Pale Pass became the main communication point between Colovians of Cyrodiil and Colovians of Falkreath, between Nords of Bruma and Nords of Skyrim. It is for this period that Alessian raised the Sentinel statue at the Pale Pass, to mark their will to defend the Cyrodiil territory facing Nords and their more and more numerous raids (whereas they were incapable of keeping Falkreath and the other Colovian Estates under their rule). All a set of strongholds and small forts was built in the Pale Pass, mostly on the Cyrodiil side, but also on the Skyrim side. The most famous one is obviously Fort Pale Pass. The kings of Bruma continued maintain these constructions after the final fall of the Alessian Empire, being very careful to prevent Nordic invasions for the Nibenese kings, or for keeping their independence regarding the High King of Skyrim for the Colo-Nordic ones. However, the kings of Bruma power diminished over time and the maintenance of the Pale Pass roads and fortifications was given up.

The next publication will be about the Pale Pass role in the events of Reman Cyrodiil’s advent.

OOC- This text is the first one of a series, inspired by the Pale Pass post of Pilaf the Defiler and /u/ladynerevar and the theme of the week: Roads. It’s a great theme! And sorry for my bad English language.