Lore on the Empires of Tamriel, Part II: The Reman Dynasty and the Akaviri Potentate

Series Posts (links to be updated as more posts come out):
Part I: The Alessian Empire | Part II: The Reman Dynasty and the Akaviri Potentate | Part III: The Third Empire (The Septim Dynasty) | Part IV: The Third Empire (The Mede Dynasty), Reflections on the Empires, and a Look Ahead

Introduction

I got interested in the histories of the various empires of Tamriel, so I wanted to make a comprehensive series detailing the lore behind each of them. I mostly used UESP for my research, and on several occasions came across claims which were unsupported by any sources. I'll be including those claims here, but marking them as such; though it is possible that the source does exist and I either missed it or saw it but didn't make the connection. I'll also be providing sources when I feel like I should, but remember-- even if I'm presenting something as fact, some of this lore is so obscured that you might just have to take it with a grain of salt. I'll try to be as objective as I can, though. And if you want a source for any claim I make here, all you have to do is ask! I would be more than happy to edit in in to the text :)

Lastly, these will be my first ever posts on teslore, so I apologize if there's anything I've done wrong. I'm more than happy to edit in corrections and additions of all kinds, as well.

Disclaimer: The title of this post is a bit misleading, as I will also be touching on other, smaller empires from the same time period which I though significant to mention, such as the Empire of Cyrodiil.

Series Overview

This series will of course cover The Alessian Empire, The Second Empire (Reman Dynasty/Akaviri Potentate), The Third Empire (Septim Dynasty), and The Third Empire (Mede Dynasty), including their origins, durations, lands occupied, and downfalls. To that end, this will involve some lore on eras, the divines, the Chim-el Adabal/Amulet of Kings, and Sancre Tor. I will also briefly cover The Camoran Dynasty, The First Empire of the Nords, the Interregnum, the Empire of Cyrodiil, and the Aldmeri Dominion, though you'll see that they're not quite the same thing. I call them "minor empires" to distinguish them from the Big Three. You'll also see that the Mede Dynasty is quite unlike its precursors, and I hope to see some discussion about the ramifications of this/possible futures for the Mede Dynasty/end of the Third Empire. And with that, let's begin!

The Reman Dynasty

Like the Alessian Empire before it, the Second Empire would be founded at the end of an important war for Cyrodiil, in which men are victorious against their aggressors. As Alessia would found her Empire on the defeat of the Ayleid slavers, Reman Cyrodiil would found his on the defeat of Akaviri (most likely Tsaesci) invaders. With his victory at the Battle of Pale Pass in 1E 2703, he would become the leader of the dominant military force of Tamriel, the likes of which had never been seen before and could only be resisted by the Living Gods of Morrowind.

Reman Cyrodiil

Reman Cyrodiil I gets a legendary origin story which may be little more than a myth. As the story goes, Cyrod lay in darkness, ruled by incompetent minor kings, engaged in petty squabbles. The land was plagued by famine, war, and even more supernatural maladies: ghosts and portals to Molag Bal's realm, free to wander Tamriel while the covenant went forgotten.Threats of the Tsaesci went ignored, and even the Chim-el Adabal was missing. It was at this time that King Hrol came from the "lands beyond lost Twil" (of which I can find no reference to; UESP links it to the Aurbis page but that can't be right, but I have honestly no idea what Twil is supposed to be, though Hrol definitely sounds like a Nordic name, further supported by the use of "Shor" and "shieldthane" in the text) with 17 knights (plus the King makes 18! the Eight and the One!). Each member of this party was a son or daughter of the West (likely Colovia). King Hrol came because he had seen visions of the Tsaesci, and wished to protect his lands. They were eventually beset by a spirit resembling El-Estia, founder of the first Empire, who held the Dragonfire of Akatosh in her left hand and the Amulet of the Kings of Glory in her right, with a wound on her breast that "spilt void onto her mangled feet". The party begged for her to help set things right again, but the Paravant's spirit replied that though she was the healer of men and mother of dragons (hello Daenerys Targaryen), she would run from them as they had run from her, until they knew the pain they had caused her, the pain which killed Cyrod. As she fled, the party gave chase, splitting up to find her and lamenting their own villainy. Hrol and his shieldthane eventually found her, and the king proclaimed his love for her and his desire to heal the land by once more honoring the ancient covenant. His shieldthane watched as she "open[ed] naked" to him, and carved "AND HROL DID LOVE UNTO A HILLOCK" on a nearby rock before the sight of their union killed him. The rest of the party eventually found Hrol, dead after "his labors against a mound of mud." (You can't make this stuff up...unless you can, in which case you probably work for Bethesda) After that, they just left. Some of them went crazy, and the two that went back to their homeland refused to talk about Hrol, ashamed of their former king. But nine months later, that mound of mud which Hrol "did love unto" grew into a small mountain, and a group of shepherds noted this, believed in it, and were the first to name it Sancre Tor, "the Golden Hill". The Shepherdess Sed-Yenna dared to climb it, and what did she find but a infant? What's more, the fabled Amulet of Kings lay on the babe's brow! She named the boy Reman, or "Light of Man", and she took him to the White-Gold Tower and placed him on the throne, where he proclaimed "I AM CYRODIIL COME."

So, that's kind of a lot. It reads very much like a myth, but this is the world of the Elder Scrolls, after all; much of it and more may be rooted in fact. We do know that Sancre Tor was a holy site long before the time of this supposed event (likely in the late 1E 2600s or early 2700s, 400ish years after the fall of the previous Empire), though I guess it could have been called something else. It's apparently an Ayleid name though, so I'm willing to bet that's what Alessia called it, too. I haven't been to Sancre Tor yet in my playthrough of TES IV: Oblivion, so I'm not sure if that rock carving can be found or not. However, the part about Reman being placed on the throne is unlikely, given the rest of his story. His legitimacy to the throne is somewhat increased by this legend of him being the son of Alessia's spirit, but given the rest of his story I'm not so sure that mattered. What IS important is that he likely received the Amulet of Kings at Sancre Tor. This story also lends some credence to the idea that Alessia is buried at Sancre Tor, rathyer than at the Temple of the One (remember, nobody knows where she's buried, but it's pretty much narrowed to these locations). One final point on his name: "Cyrodiil" is not named after Reman, but the other way around. He took it for his surname, naming himself after the elven name for the province.

The Akaviri Invasion

In 1E 2703, the Akaviri invaded Tamriel. They were likely either Tsaesci invaders or Akaviri men, but we don't really know for sure. The 2920 series seems to state pretty authoritatively that they were Tsaesci, as does Remanada, but the former is a work of historical fiction (some pages in UESP list it as such, though I can't find any other confirmation that this is the case) and the latter is likely a myth. In TES IV: Oblivion, you meet the ghost of Akaviri Commander Mishaxhi, one of the Akaviri who invaded Tamriel. He is implemented as an Imperial in the game, which might be chalked up to game limitations, but the point is that he is incredibly humanoid, rather than serpentine like the Tsaesci should probably be. Given this, and the fact that Versidue-Shaie (whom we will get to later) lives for hundreds of years, the likely conclusion is that the Tsaesci and the Men of Akavir are likely one and the same (as a possible result of the Tsaesci consuming the men).

Regardless of who they were, they were a serious threat. The Akaviri army consisted of the Dragonguard, some of Akavir's fiercest warriors. They invaded through Skyrim into Cyrodiil, through the Jerall Mountains. In response to this attack, Reman was able to reunite the whole of Cyrodiil for the first time in centuries to form an army capable of fighting back. The war reached its climax at the Battle of Pale Pass, where accounts conflict with each other, but one thing is certain: Upon hearing Reman's voice (or Voice), the Akaviri surrendered as they recognized him as Dragonborn. Allegedly, they had not come in war in the first place, but were merely searching for the Dragonborn the entire time. How touching.

The Rule of the Reman Dynasty

After the Akaviri proclaimed Reman a Dragonborn, they aided him on his quest to form an Empire. I can't find any sources to back up this next claim, found on UESP, but he was able to unite all of the races of man against a possible Aldmer threat. A year later, in 1E 2704, he would split the Reach between High Rock and Skyrim to keep the Reachmen from rebelling against him. The effects of this are seemingly still felt during the events of TES V: Skyrim. The rest of Tamriel was not very willing to submit to him; Valenwood was not conquered until 1E 2714, and would still continue resisting Imperial rule; in 1E 2811, the Empire won the Battle of Argonia, but it would be another 27 years before the province would be admitted into the Empire as Black Marsh. In 1E 2840, Reman II declared war on Morrowind, igniting the Four-Score War (guess how long that one lasted?). It was ultimately unsuccessful, ending with Morrowind retaining their independence under the Tribunal. The end of the Reman Dynasty, as well as the end of the First Era, would bring about the end of the war in 1E 2920. By this time, Morrowind was the only province in Tamriel which was not under the rule of the Second Empire, though I could not find when the Summerset Isles or Elsweyr were taken. Also, it is possible that Summerset was never taken. Perhaps the above referred only to the mainland, and thus Summerset was not included.

During Reman's rule, the Akaviri who knelt before him at Pale Pass would gain positions of influence and power. I believe the Emperor's Potentate was always an Akaviri, and that each Emperor had one, though I can't confirm this. That said, I can't disprove it either. The Dragonguard would also devote itself to the protection of the Dragonborn Emperor, as dragons had mostly (but not entirely) been wiped out. They would eventually become the organization known as the Blades. Apparently, Reman would also institute the rites of becoming Emperor, including a ritual involving the Amulet of Kings. I'm inclined to believe, however, that these rites actually date back to Alessia as part of the covenant, just because I think it makes a little more sense. Those rites kept the Dragonfires lit, and Tamriel safe from Daedra, so it makes sense that they're from the First Empire...unless this is something completely different, in which case it's probably a meaningless ritual.

Reman Cyrodiil I would die in 1E 2762, and in death was worshiped as a cultural god-hero, The Worldly God. I'd like to note, as a recent post mentioned it, the book Reman son of Reman, though it should be noted that this book is from a Morrowind mod, and I don't think it's canon. It does tell how Reman's son and heir was birthed by a cow named Morihatha, which I fond hilarious. However, Reman's actual heir was Emperor Kastav. He's not known for much, though a fort in Winterhold is named after him. He was deemed an incompetent ruler after his handling of the Winterhold Rebellion (which his actions in 1E 2801 likely contributed to), and was deposed in 1E 2805 or 2806, to be succeeded by Reman II.

Reman II was said to be a great tactician, and quickly ended the rebellion which began against his predecessor in 1E 2804. In 1E 2811, he began the Blackwater War against Argonia. In 1E 2812, he allowed the construction of Alduin's Wall in Sky Haven Temple. He visited the temple 6 years later to dedicate the Wall, and to consecrate the Blood Seal. In 1E 2837, he finally had conquered all of Black Marsh, but it would seem that the Emperor would not be sated until all of Tamriel was under his rule. In 1E 2840, he was fool enough to declare war against Morrowind, whose Living Gods would give the province strength to resist the Empire for 80 years, and even then were able to reach the end of the war without submitting. According to his tombstone in Sancre Tor, he died in battle in 1E 2851. He was succeeded by Emperor Brazollus Dor, who really didn't do anything (I guess you have to literally be named Reman to get anything done in the Reman Dynasty). He preferred to leave his affairs of state to his potentate, Sidri-Ashak. He was said to be the last of the strong potentates, improved Cyrodiil's roads, was a competent statesman, and (like Hestra of the Alessian Empire and Reman I) got a classification of runestones named after him, likely due to his road-building.

Brazollus Dor was succeeded by the last emperor of the Dynasty, Reman III. We don't know much for sure about him, besides that he continued the war against Morrowind, and imprisoned his wife, Tavia, in Gideon, Black Marsh. Most of our other information about him comes from the 2920 series, which is likely a historical fiction. Additionally, the author definitely gets some facts wrong, such as linking the Night Mother to the Morag Tong (the Morag Tong worships Mephala; the Dark Brotherhood, which is more common in most of the Empire in modern times, worships Sithis and the Night Mother). In 2920 he is portrayed as a paranoiac, and a weak, petty, arrogant ruler. However, his son Juilek is portrayed as competent, strategic, and wise, with many characters (most notably Vivec) noting that he would make a good Emperor, much better than his father. Unfortunately, it was not to be, as both men are assassinated by the Morag Tong. I can't find any other sources to support that Juilek is also assassinated by them, but it might be true. With no heirs left, the Reman Dynasty had come to an end after a mere 217 years, and the First Era as well. However, the Second Empire would not crumble yet.

The Akaviri Potentate and the Fall of the Second Empire

Reman III's Potentate, Versidue-Shaie, would assume control of the Empire upon his death, marking the beginning of the Second Era. It is possible that he was behind the assassinations of the Emperor and his heirs, though he would not take the title of Emperor. He would instead keep his old title of Potentate, though this was likely just a political move-- he essentially had the power of an Emperor. After claiming leadership of the Empire, he also made the declaration that the Era had changed. Despite his best efforts, he had a tenuous hold over the Empire, as many armies were loyal to Reman, and many others wanted independence now that the Dynasty had ended. He spent the next 283 years subduing these armies in order to maintain control, impoverishing the Empire. In order to allow order to continue without having to spend so much on a standing army, Versidue-Shaie passed the Guild Act in 2E 321 in order to charter the Fighter's Guild, founded the year before by his kinsman, Dinieras-Ves. The act also chartered the Mage's Guild, as well as several others. Three years later, he was assassinated by the Morag Tong, like his predecessor. His son, Savirien-Chorak, would inherit the title of Potentate in 2E 324, though he proved to be somewhat incapable as a ruler. He did lift a ban on the formation of local armies so his vassals could properly protect themselves, and admitted Orsinium into the Empire. He, and all of his heirs, were assassinated in 2E 430 or 431. Who is responsible is disputed, but it may have been the Morag Tong or the Dark Brotherhood. At last, after almost 650 years, the Second Empire had come to an end. This marked the start of the Interregnum, a dark time which would last for over 400 years.

The Interregnum

Note: I'm probably not going to dive in too deeply here, as a lot of this will overlap with ESO events/gameplay. I'm going to try and stick to the history which is most relevant to lore on Empires, and that's it, because this post is long enough already.

The Interregnum was a generally terrible time to be in Tamriel, much like the period between the First and Second Empires. There was frequent warring between minor kingdoms and petty states, and the general welfare of the populace suffered. Roads and fell into disrepair, an attitude of anti-intellectualism pervaded the land, and the fabled Chim-el Adabal was lost once more, gone like the Empire is symbolized. However, some regions like the Iliac Bay, which had historically been ruled by city-states rather than a powerful central authority, would fare much better during this time. The Dark Brotherhood would also prosper during these dark times, making large profits off the aforementioned petty squabbles between minor rulers.

The Empire of Cyrodiil

Though the Second Empire fell in 2E 430, it kind of remained intact. Its domain would only extend to the reaches of the Heartland, as the other provinces had all declared independence, but the Imperial Legion, Elder Council, and the office of the Emperor survived. Of course, the Ruby Throne saw no Dragonborn claimants; these Emperors were mere pretenders who claimed the Empire by right of war. The earliest known "Emperor" was Durcorach the Black Drake, a Reachman who began a dynasty known as the Longhouse Emperors. When Durcorach invaded High Rock in 2E 542, the first Daggerfall Covenant was united to drive him out. Durcorach was slain in battle outside Daggerfall in 2E 543, but the Longhouse Emperors would continue their rule for a couple more generations until Varen Aquilarios slew Leovic in 2E 577, at the end of a rebellion formed when Leovic legalized Daedra worship. Varen's claim to the throne would lead to an event called the Soulburst (detailed below), during which he is believed to have been lost, and his wife Clivia Tharn ascended to the throne.

Clivia's rule would see increased instability throughout the "Empire". Outside Cyrodiil, three separate alliances would form, both due to a fear of Imperial aggression/corruption and other, unrelated threats. Eventually, they each decided they would vie for power in Cyrodiil, claiming the Ruby Throne for themselves. As the heartland was wracked by war, its populace fled to the mountains in the north and east, to Blackwood in the south, and to Colovia in the west. While the alliances invaded Cyrod, the Empire still tried to expand its influence by invading High Rock, Hammerfell, and Valenwood. (Why? Why was this considered a smart move?) Septima Tharn led the invasion of Hammerfell and High Rock, while an Imperial Legion from Colovia attempted to claim Valenwood's Arenthia Vale, which the Count of Skingrad and the Elder Council named the South Weald. However, both forays into enemy territory were failures. Little is known about the outcome of the war or the fall of the empire, but the empire was long gone by the time Tiber Septim came around in 2E 854.

The Three Banners War

I've already mentioned the important parts of the actual war, so here I'd like to dive into the alliances who fought in it.

The Daggerfall Covenant

This is not the same covenant as mentioned above, which only consisted of minor kingdoms of High Rock. This is known as the Greater Daggerfall Covenant, and came about after King Emeric of Wayrest married the daughter of a Redguard king, Fahara'jad. It was expected that Emeric would wed the daughter of King Ranser of Shornhelm, and when this did not happen, Ranser invaded Wayrest in anger. Meanwhile, the other kingdoms of High Rock decided to honor the first Covenant, and came to the aid of Wayrest. Fahara'jad also sent troops of his own, and Ranser's army was summarily defeated. Ranser's army was forced to retreat, only to find that Orcs had destroyed it, led by King Kurog. The shrewd Emeric had promised Kurog the re-establishment of Orsinium as a sovereign territory in exchange for his aid. High Rock prospered under the rule of now High King Emeric. The Covenant launched a failed naval invasion of the Ebonheart Pact, as well as fighting for control in the daedra-occupied Imperial City. The rulers of the Daggerfall Covenant had planned to name High King Emeric as Emperor of a mighty Third Empire, forming a new dynasty after conquering the central province and taking the Ruby Throne, then conquer the other two provinces and declare the Tamriel Covenant; this plan was not to be, as the Greater Daggerfall Covenant would eventually crumble without taking the throne.

The Ebonheart Pact

In 2E 572, the city of Winterhold was met with yet another surprise invasion from Akavir. There were no Tsaesci to be found this time; these were the Snow Demons of Kamal. Led by their terrible king, Ada'Soom Dir-Kamal, they killed Queen Mabjaarn and her elder son, leaving the crown to her younger son Jorunn. Jorunn mustered a defense, but Dir-Kamal had set his sights on Mournhold. As he attacked the Dunmer, Jorunn joined his forces with Almalexia's in an unprecedented show of cooperation between two races who historically, well, hated each other. They fought to surround the invaders at Stonefalls, where they were surprised yet again by the aid of Argonian armies. With these fresh troops to bolster their ranks, the races of Tamriel were able to drive the demons back from whence they came, and the Ebonheart Pact was formed soon after. Treaties were signed in Ebonheart to solidify this most unlikely of alliances, which included the freeing of Argonian slaves in Morrowind. It would prove difficult for the Pact to reconcile the differences between its constituent regions, but it remained strong as it fought the Dominion and the Covenant. Soon, the Tribunal would learn of dark events occurring in Cyrodiil, and call upon the Pact to fight a war of righteousness against a corrupt and disintegrating empire.

The Aldmeri Dominion

There have been three known Aldmeri Dominions, of which this is the first. Each would see a political faction known as the Thalmor, but each Dominion and Thalmor faction were quite distinct, and should certainly NOT be confused with one another.

The First Aldmeri Dominion was founded by Queen Ayrenn in 2E 580. She assumed the throne of Alinor after traveling Tamriel, and she had seen the dire threats facing the land. She saw it as the duty of the High Elves to restore order to Tamriel, and to that end she annexed Valenwood and Elsweyr, who were struggling and in need of allies. The Dominion set out to usher in a glorious golden age of High Elven rule in Tamriel, as the younger races were too careless to be trusted with rule. They entered the Alliance War to claim the Ruby Throne, and to prevent the Covenant and the Pact from doing the same, though their own goal was never realized and the Dominion would eventually fade.

The (first) Thalmor began as an Altmeri Council in the government of Summerset, whose task was to preserve Altmeri heritage. When the Dominion formed, they became its executives, managing day to day affairs. It was comprised of representatives from each member of the Dominion, proportional to that race's administrative abilities (read: more High Elves, fewer Khajiit). The Thalmor Inner Council served as Queen Ayrenn's personal advisors, consisting of important members such as King Aeradan Camoran of Valenwood and Lor Gharesh-ri of Elsweyr. Also of note, the Fists of the Thalmor are not related to the Thalmor. They are the military arm of the Dominion, though not the Dominion Army. Due to this confusion, the Thalmor have proposed that the Fists be called the Justiciars, as had been in the past.

The Soulburst

The Soulburst is one of the more significant events of the Interregnum, occurring in 2E 578 or 579. Varen Aquilarios, having claimed the throne but being painfully aware of the fact that he was no Dragonborn, felt his claim was illegitimate. He formed the Five Companions, and set out on a quest to recover the legendary Amulet of Kings. Mannimarco claimed he knew the ritual to use it to light the Dragonfires, and could even alter this ritual to make Varen a true Dragonborn in the process. They were actually able to recover the Amulet, but four of them had been deceived: Mannimarco, the necromancer, had aspirations of godhood he had corrupted the Chim-el Adabal, and his ritual caused an explosion of magical energy which set Nirn adrift in Oblivion as the covenant with Akatosh was broken and daedra were free to roam Tamriel once more. The Elder Scrolls would name this event the Soulburst. Varen disappeared during the explosion, and one of the companions grabbed the Amulet and escaped with it, hiding it in the ruins of Sancre Tor, where the Remans were buried. With this, Molag Bal was free to attempt his merging of Coldharbour with Nirn, beginning the Planemeld.

The Vestige, along with three of the Five Companions, was able to recover the Amulet and use it to defeat Molag Bal, stopping the Planemeld and foiling his plans. Abnur Tharn, a Companion, then fled with the Amulet to Cyrodiil. Though he probably planned on making use of it, he did not know that its power had been expended for at least a generation, according to Meridia.

One thing which perplexes me about the Soulburst is the breaking of Alessia's covenant with Akatosh. The covenant clearly states that it is broken when the Dragonfires are dim, and no Dragonborn wears the Amulet, the daedra will be free to wander Nirn. This is further corroborated by the events of TES IV: Oblivion, when the Septim Dynasty comes to an end. This leads the Dragonfires to darken, and portals to Oblivion open across Tamriel. It also seems like this happens after the fall of the Alessian Empire, but interestingly, this DOES NOT happen when Reman III and his heirs are murdered. The covenant is a little off here, claiming that the Empire will fail at this point, but even when the Empire finally does fail, it takes a corrupted ritual to cause what, by all rights, should have happened almost 600 years earlier. If anyone has ANY explanation for this, please leave a comment below, as it makes absolutely no sense to me.

Final Notes on the Second Empire

  • Reman Cyrodiil (allegedly) finds the Amulet of Kings at Sancre Tor (He definitely gets it from somewhere, though the only real source on this that I could find is more of a legend than anything else)
  • Reman Cyrodiil is worshiped as a god in the Imperial Pantheon after his death
  • The end of the Reman Dynasty brings about the end of the First Era
  • The end of the Second Empire as a political entity sees little impact besides a decline in general quality of life
    • This is probably just a continuation of a trend that began at the fall of the Reman Dynasty, which in turn caused the fall of the Empire, which caused further decline
  • The Reman Dynasty would conquer much more land than the Alessian Empire (Seven or eight provinces compared to ??? [at least two likely 3 or 4]), but would last for a much shorter time (647 years compared to 2088).

I know I didn't source a lot of claims towards the end here, I got a little lazy. If I see any desire to put them in after, I promise to get around to it very soon.