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Jehanna

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Braggi
Seigneur

Registration Date: 2006.09.23
Posts: 287
Location: B.C. Canada

Jehanna

With this thread, we begin to come full circle, re-introducing some of the developed Lore for the mod from 2006. The current sketch of Jehanna is offered here to serve a few purposes. Firstly, it is an example of how using only a tiny bit of Lore, a healthy amount of proto-Lore and a large amount of inspiration, one of the largely Lore-free cities can be brought to life for Oblivion. Secondly, it is also an example of how current Lore can be refined to make a place more interesting and complete, since the War of Bend'r Mahk was both a problem and a blessing.

As with the other major cities Jehanna is a work in progress and will be added to and refined. I would like to offer my personal thanks to Deeza for vital assistance in solving the problems caused by the recent war with Skyrim in a Lore-respecting manner while preserving the integrity of High Rock as a province.

Jehanna

Facts
- Landlocked in the Wrothgarian Mountains on the border of Skyrim.
- Is still recovering from the effects of the War of Bend’r Mahk in 3E 396, during the Imperial Simulacrum

Lore
The only developed Lore for the city comes from a minor reference about the Bend’r Mahk conflict in the Skyrim section of the PGE: Resistance by the Bretons and the Redguards is feeble in the cities of Jehenna and Elinhir, and more active in the border zones of the countryside.
Source: Pocket Guide to the Empire 3rd Edition

TES1 Proto-Lore
- In-game, there are many statues throughout the city (more then any other city in TES1, to be exact).
- The city is laid out as straddling a river.
- When you enter the city, the following message appears: “Welcome to Jehanna, a city as beautiful as her name. We greet you, and wish you only peace on your stay.”

Developed Lore

History
The city of Jehanna was founded in 1E 243 by King Haakig Frostfoe. Haakig styled himself as “King” after founding the city on the site of a previous Nedic settlement. The Nordic King found the high altitudes and mountainous terrain perfectly to his liking - Haakig is recorded as having said that, in the future, his would be a realm renowned for it beauty and tranquility. Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and repeated feuds with native inhabitants, neighbouring newly-conquered Breton states and the ever-present Nord lords deeper in Skyrim soon proved the “tranquil” portion of this claim to be impossible.

The phrase “A city as beautiful as her name.” came about because of King Haakig’s pretensions. Jehanna does have her pleasing areas, but not as many as the phrase would lead one to believe. The city was originally named after Queen Jehanna Frostfoe, Haakig’s wife and a healer of some skill. King Haakig was known to be an arrogant mule when crossed, but would defer to his wife out of genuine love for her. As for Queen Jehanna she was very well thought-of by her subjects and would minister to commoners in times of war or siege. This in turn has shaped the local attitudes towards the healing and the alchemic arts, setting up a tradition of alchemic experimentation and excellence that has been part of the city’s history ever since.

After Jehanna’s establishment, talented sculptors and artisans flocked here, partly due to the wishes of the founding King, but largely due to the city’s plentiful mineral and metal resources provided by her mines. One of the side effects of this is the number of statues that can be found in the city –a result of King Frostfoe’s pride. Many of these works were commissioned as a way to draw the miners and craftsmen needed to exploit Jehanna’s natural resources. The King founded a tradition of commissioning such works - indeed, many the earliest of which aggrandized him personally. King Haakig believed that a large number of statues would show aesthetic taste, but missed the point that things can be overdone. As a result, there is a grand craftsman’s competition every 100 years named “The Fashioning”, with the winner’s statue added to the city’s collection. The losers‘ items are either purchased by the Jehannan upper class or sent as gifts to whatever foreign faction is currently in favour with the city’s ruler.

One of the more unusual customs set down by King Haakig which is still respected today is the insistence that his patronym be taken by all succeeding rulers. In a rare burst of historical insight the First Era King saw that time might eventually do away with the memory of his deeds and thus this custom was set in place to combat the possibility. The city rulers traditionally take a new last name upon coronation in line with that of the first rulers - thus, were a Dunmer male ever to somehow become ruler of the city for example, tradition would demand he take the Nordic surname “Frostfoe” to maintain the legitimacy of his claim to the throne of the city.

Physical Location*
Jehanna is in a valley with steep mountains around it for protection. A sheer cliff wall above provides cover to the south and contains entrances to the local mines, which historically have also provided emergency shelter during times of siege and attack. Since the passing of control of all High Rock to the Bretons in 1E 420, such times have been frequent, considering the city’s proximity to the Skyrim border. The valley is deep enough, to provide some relief from the cold in spring and fall, with a slightly longer growing season then is normal for this part of the Worthgarian Mountains. The prevailing winds and weather patterns also assist, permitting farms to the north, east and west of the city proper. Nonetheless, Jehannan winters are bitterly cold and much trapping, hunting and trading in food is done to allow the city to continue.

The original Nedic settlement used to establish the city was built straddling the (Need a name!) river, a vital source of water for the land-locked location. There is also a waterfall in the city, near the south-western edge of the cliff face, adding to the area’s reputation for beauty. Fresh water from the river and falls, associated plants and herbs, plus spawning river fish all provide seasonal food sources. The falls in particular are vital as a secondary water source - the central river has been poisoned upstream before by invaders or besiegers hoping to weaken the city’s defenders. Fortunately for the city, the waterfall has proven too swift moving for any attempts to poison it to succeed.

Fortifications
Defensively, Jehanna takes advantage of her geography. The city walls are roughly oval in layout, with the southern parapets hoarded (wood-roofed) to provide protection from plunging archery fire. This has proven vital to defenders in the past when enemies have gained strong points in the mountains or cliffs above. The city’s architecture was originally heavily Nordic, with some newer areas that were unabashedly Breton in design. Today, only a few of the original half-timber homes remain, tending to be crowded out by the more Breton-esque “mountain chalet” designs.

The city's castle is ornate for such an isolated location, being built by King Haakig during the heady early days of the Nordic expansion and empire of the First Era. The grounds are quite beautiful and the nearby waterfall outside the castle gates feeds small pools within the castle grounds. Some time in the 2nd Era these pools were permanently enchanted to prevent freezing and thus they provide a reliable source of fresh water for the castle’s occupants year-round.

* Note: This description is based on the prototype height map and will be altered to suit the terrain on the new one when it is completed.

Current Status
Only the intercession of Uriel Septim VII, after his rescue from Jagar Tharn’s treachery, has had any mitigating effects on the War of Bend’r Mahk for the city of Jehanna. By denying the Nord claim to the border territories of High Rock, the Imperium set a precedent that both Orsinium and the newly expanding Evermore were quick to exploit. Officially viewed as a barony subject to Evermore, Jehanna is only nominally in allegiance to it’s sister city. The change in status has altered nothing of the political realities faced by the city and area. In fact, the changes are largely cosmetic – the King is now simply titled as a Baron. No taxes or tithes have been levied by Evermore, which is wise since that city has currently provided the Jehannans with no military aid whatsoever to help stabilize their territory. In truth, the Jehannans resent the sudden overlordship of their more centrally located neighbor. The situation is tolerated only so long as Evermore does not make financial or legal demands of its new vassal and as long as the perceived political protection of the Evermorian government remains of some value in keeping the Nord armies from attacking in force.

Relations with the Rest of High Rock
Wayrest, Daggerfall and Camlorn tend to view Jehanna as “barely Breton”, due to its proximity to the Skyrim border, its traditionally Nordic ruling bloodline and the city-state’s acceptance of the Reachmen. This openness to the Reach “savages” has lead to Jehanna being regarded as a “lesser” city by much of the province. Jehanna has some strong trading ties with the Reachmen, who act as trappers and hunters, helping the city provide food for itself. They are also willing to act as guides for a fee. After the events of the Warp in the West, these three states have been too busy dealing with the changes to the fabric of their collective societies to do much more then register mild diplomatic complaints about the outcome of the Bend’r Mak conflict. They do support Jehanna’s membership in the province politically, but there is some doubt as to whether this is a truly heartfelt show of unity with the Imperium’s intercession to reinstate Jehanna or if it is simply the easiest (and cheapest) means to maintain the integrity of the province as a whole. Whatever the truth, the probability of aid being rendered to Jeahnna would likely be “too little, too late”, since the three Kingdoms would are currently liable to mobilize military forces only after Jehanna has either stood or fallen on her own against a future invasion force.

Farrun is secretly sympathetic, being physically closer to the Skyrim border and having more dealings with the Reachmen. Despite this, there have historically been disputes between Farrun and Jehanna over rulership of Cloud Spring on their mutual border. The two squabble off and on during peaceful times and then usually ally if the Nords look particularly warlike. Given Farrun’s long-standing rivalry with the powerful city of Solitude, this comes as no surprise. Sadly, an alliance was not enough to prevent High Rock from losing the War of Bend’r Mahk over twenty years ago. Jehanna has paid the price of guerrilla warfare in her territory ever since, although there have been occasionally rumors of men and women in the livery of Farrun aiding some of the Breton partisan groups along the Nord border. If these rumors are true, Farrun is being unusually circumspect about her aid eastwards.

Evermore currently regards Jehanna’s lands as a vassal state, although this is largely ignored by those who reside in Jeahnna herself.. Jehannans view Evermore as the lead representative of “those Westerners” (i.e. the rest of High Rock) whose position further from the Skyrim border protects them from the worst of Nordic aggression. Any loyalty to Evermore has been greatly damaged by that city’s overall stance of neutrality regarding military assistance in the continual partisan warfare since the Bend’r Mahk conflict. Evermore’s main importance to Jehanna is as a source of political protection, although it is dubious as to just how effective such protection will be in the future. With the current Imperial instability due to the Oblivion crisis, it is anyone’s guess just how long it will be before the Nords seek to reclaim what they attempted to take by force previously.

The recently recognized state of Orsinium has some ties with Jehanna, due to the orcs' friendliness with the Reachmen and their animosity towards the Nords to the east. A small orcish population established in the and orcish immigrants are welcome, especially those who have new techniques of metal working to share.

(This entry needs expansion.)

North Point: (Currently under development.)

Shornhelm: (Currently under development.)

The Reachmen**
The Reachmen themselves are semi-nomadic barbarians, using their mountain ponies and mules for transport. Wealth is counted in horses, dogs (valuable hunting companions), the amount of warriors/hunters a tribe has and the number of healers a tribe possesses. The Western Reach can be brutal at times, thus healing as a part of survival is highly valued, perhaps more so here then anywhere else in the province. Amongst themselves, Reachmen are surprisingly gentle, respectful and civilized. To enemies, they are implacable foes. To neutral parties, they are faintly scornful, mainly due to foreigners’ inabilities to survive in the northern climes. They refer to such people as “cahluk-cervil” or “Nord bait” in their tribal dialect.

Reachmen are dedicated foes of the Nords and some have blood feuds going back centuries with them, due to invasions and conquest attempts. There are occasional exceptions – Reachman healers of both sexes are valued highly by both groups, as are Nordic bards (skaals? Need to know what Skyrim factions are close to HR border), thus some intermarriage can occur. It is often through these intermarried groups that peace will be brokered in a feud. These groups are also accepted because they tend to favour Breton independence and thus frown upon Nordic expansion tactics.

In Jehanna, the Reachmen have been known to use their knowledge of the land to help warn the city against Nordic raids, working closely with the Rangers of the Reach stationed within the city. The relationship between these two groups is largely cordial, with mutual respect.

** - This description will change as the Reachman culture is developed in detail for the mod. It is currently based on the Lore developed by Kulkuza for High Rock's first incarnation.

The Jehannan Point of View
Jehanna’s main power historically has always been financial, in the form of her raw materials from mining, with furs as a secondary income source. Her citizens know she is valuable as a source of income for High Rock due to her metals and minerals. The city is also the first point of defence for the province against the brunt of Nordic raids, as history has proven time and again. Jehanna’s army is small, but tough and well equipped due to the city’s craftsmen. However, high attrition amongst the city guard due to cold or other hardship is an occupational hazard, should they venture too far from the city walls. It is for this reason that the Jehanna’s military forces remain both small and largely ineffectual in aiding partisan activities along the Skyrim border.

The citizens of the city are quite aware that their current “liege”, Evermore, is completely out of touch with Jehannan conditions. Since Evermore has no standing military presence in the region, the city is virtually a free agent. Chafing at the idea of an overlord other then the Empire has lead to occasional claims amongst the populace of outright independence from both Evermore and Skyrim. Despite this, Jehannans are also equally aware that they cannot completely rule out the rest of the province, due to trade, military and cultural ties. Historically the previous Kings of Jehanna were known to make occasional speeches about conquering close-by parts of Skyrim, but the population (and the Nords) have always known this for what it is – complete hogwash. Given the current political situation with the Nordic Jarls, the likelihood of such braggadocio re-asserting itself in the future is small to nonexistent.

The greatest pride Jehannans take is in their works – the fine emeralds and bluish-silver veins of mithril they daily mine, refine and shape into useful items are their truest source of satisfaction. Aside from being quite profitable, craftsmanship is considered an art form here. It is perhaps as much due to a fascination with the orcish smithing techniques as with the idea of the orcs friendship gestures towards both the Reachmen and the city that orcish delegations have been welcomed openly.

Religion
The long-accepted patron god of the city-state publicly is Zenithar, especially revered by the smiths, craftsmen and miners long established in Jehanna. The current ruling family are split in their religious beliefs. The Baron encourages the worship of Zenithar amongst his citizens since this religion promotes stability and trade, both items being needed to combat the disastrous effects of the War of Bend’r Mahk. Privately Brandr pays homage to the Nordic Ysmir and the Baroness Rianale is a devout Mara worshipper, in stark contrast to the majority of their city’s citizens. Although the new Baron’s beliefs are a departure, the Baroness’ faith is simply a continuation of long tradition - Queen Jehanna had her own private chapel devoted to Mara attached to the castle when it was built. Jehanna and most of the female descendants of the line since have always been strong Mara supporters, due to their innate healing talents.

Jehanna's concept layout and Heraldry look like this:

Braggi has attached these images (downsized versions):