Lore:Taneth

Taneth
Type	Settlement
Continent	Tamriel
Province	Hammerfell
Appears in	Arena

Taneth (Arena)

Map of Hammerfell

"The port city of Taneth welcomes thee unto its soil. We bid thee, be not fearful of this world, but stand forward tall and proud..." — In-game description in Arena

Taneth is one of the eight major cities in the province of Hammerfell, situated on the coastal highlands of southern Hammerfell. Taneth is a bustling and important port city occupied by the Forebears, the modern-day remnant of the Ra Gada.

Layout and Geography

Taneth is located in the south-central region of Hammerfell, deep in the Forebears' territory. The ancient tomb of the Al-Danobia bloodline is located northwest of the city and it is considered part of the Kingdom of Taneth. However the peninsula from across the bay, Hew's Bane is considered far from their reach. Taneth is established on the eastern side of Hew's Bay and is equipped with a harbor. A short river flows through the city, and the Tark River is found far to the north. Taneth is neighbored by several settlements, including Lainebon Place to the west, Riverview to the northwest, and Roseguard to the southeast.

Notable Locales

Iron Wheel Headquarters Hew's Bay

Taneth Palace Tower of the Fifth Doctrine

History

Taneth was founded by the Ra Gada, but the al-Danobia bloodline had always held significant power over the Kingdom for many untold years. It is named after the ancient noble, Danobia. It is unspecified which wave came through the region, but the Tavan wave (who are known for their avian-inspired imagery) was known to have traveled along the southern coast of Hammerfell. There has always been some form of contempt between Taneth and another trading city, Abah's Landing and their Merchant Lords, who supposedly benefit from the pirates and bandits that steal from Taneth.

The Thieves Guild and the Iron Wheel

Falorah al-Danobia; Magnifica of Taneth

The Wedding in Abah's Landing

After Fahara'jad of Sentinel became the High King of Hammerfell in 2E 560, in the wake of the Knahaten Flu, he married the "Flower of Taneth," Za-Rifah al-Danobia, who bore three children, Maraya, Lakana, and the Crown Prince, Azah. She later died from childbirth and was greatly mourned throughout the province. After the incident, King Fahara'jad and Za-Rifah's younger sister, Falorah al-Danobia became rather close. When the Bailiffs Guild collapsed in the mid-Second Era, they were soon employed by Magnifica Falorah and rebranded into a private militia, the Iron Wheel.

Sometime later, the Thieves Guild of Abah's Landing had attempted an elaborate heist to steal the dowry of Danobia herself in the Al-Danobia Tomb. However, after the heist had ended in failure and the subsequent "death" of the guildmaster, Nicolas. Sometime after the incident, Magnifica Falorah was approached by the merchant-lord and proprietor of Hubalajad's Palace, Cosh, who promised to return the dowry that was stolen from her. He pointed her to the city across the bay, Abah's Landing, where the perpetrators were located. Thus she dispatched the Iron Wheel to Hew's Bane, where they began their search for the missing dowry and the Thieves Guild. The other merchant-lords had feared that Taneth wanted to conquer Abah's Landing.

Not long after, the merchant-lord, Cosh was set to marry the Magnifica at Hubalajad's Palace, however, the current guildmaster, Zeira exposed Cosh as Nicolas, the former guildmaster and the one that not only stole the dowry but desecrated the tomb. Both guild masters were promptly arrested. Before they would be taken to Taneth for trial, the Thieves Guild had freed Zeira from her prison in No Shira Citadel and made peace with the Magnifica. They made a secret deal, one that allowed the Thieves Guild to operate in Taneth while they keep the merchant-lords in check. Both parties had left the ordeal behind in good faith and the Iron Wheel left Hew's Bane with Nicolas in chains. His fate is unknown.

Taneth in the Third Empire

Map of Hammerfell ca. 3E 433

The cities of Taneth and Rihad were in the path of the Camoran Usurper, who began an invasion of Western Tamriel in 3E 249. Most of the Redguard locals claimed that the cities would have defeated his armies easily, but when the Battle of Dragontooth took place in 3E 253, both the cities were sacked relentlessly. Those refugees traveled northward until they eventually came into the Barony of Dwynnen. Considering that these were Forebears cities, the Crown warlords of Elinhir did not assist them, and in return, the southern cities did not help defend Elinhir during the War of the Bend'r-mahk later in the Third Era, preferring to watch from afar.

During the Imperial Simulacrum in the late-Third Era, the city-state of Taneth was an active settlement. It was ruled by King Lhezem and it had a rivalry with Gilane and Rihad. Years later at the tail-end of the Third Era, King Lhotun founded a third political party called the Lhotunics that brought contempt between the Crowns and the Forebears. Queen Clavilla of Taneth tried to have charters of independent guilds revoked from Sentinel, albeit unsuccessfully. Her argument was that accepted worship of Satakal was heresy in the eyes of the Third Empire.

When the Great War began in 4E 171, the Aldmeri Dominion landed onto southern Hammerfell and swiftly took control of the region. Roughly a year or two later, every city across southern Hammerfell, including Taneth were sacked and captured by the High Elves, save for Hegathe to the west. While it is known that Taneth had fallen, the story of how is currently uncertain. The Alik'ri Warrior, Kematu claimed that the city would have stood its ground at least had it not been sold out by the noblewoman, Iman of House Suda. When the noble houses realized her deception, she reportedly fled east into the province of Skyrim, where he followed suit. It is unknown what happened to Taneth after the Great War had ended in 4E 175. Much of southern Hammerfell was ceded from the Third Empire per the agreement in the White-Gold Concordat, even though there were already Aldmeri soldiers there. Hammerfell's fight against the Dominion ended in 4E 180 and while the province was liberated from the elves, the south was left in complete ruin.

Known Rulers

• The Second Era
  • Unnamed Queen of Taneth (ca. 2E 582)
• The Third Era
  • King Llezem (fl. 3E 389 - 3E 399)
  • Queen Clavilla (ca. 3E 432)

Culture and Society

Prince Hubalajad

For more information, see the: Culture and Society sections on the Redguard page.

Taneth is the seat of power of a kingdom that spans Hammerfell's southern coast and the only known place in the region is the Al-Danobia Tomb. Its coat of arms depicts a heron. In a Taneth-styled marriage, it is a tradition that the groom should be presented to the guests before the wedding.

Beyond the Danobia bloodline, Taneth is the home of several noble families, such as House Suda and the Moguls. The latter is held in high prestige and is famous for its calvary. Their family's totem is the Fennec Fox, a creature that is commonly native in the wastes of Hammerfell. The musk of the Fennec Fox is also very fashionable for nobles across southern Hammerfell cities, such as Taneth.

Like other cities on the Hammerfell coast, the Redguards of Taneth observe the 20th of Rain's Hand as the Day of Shame. According to legend, the Crimson Ship, a vessel full of Kothringi victims of the Knahaten Flu first left Black Marsh on the 9th of First Seed and was denied refuge from every port on Tamriel. It was later westbound for the Abecean Sea and it was never seen again. It is said to one day return and the Day of Shame was created in remembrance of that.

Taneth and nearby Abah's Landing, or more specifically Hew's Bane has a connection with each other and often influence each other. Trade going to Taneth, either through the mainland or through the sea has always been affected by the merchant lords of Abah's Landing. They tend to hire pirates or bandits to interfere in the traffic in Taneth. There is an oft-repeated expression from Taneth for wasting money, "laying foundation with Hubalajad's coin", which is in reference to the eponymous prince's unfortunate history. One of Taneth's most esteemed historians was Lady Cinnabar, who wrote about many topics but also wrote the book, "In Defense of Prince Hubalajad".

Taneth is located on a major western trading route utilized by the East Empire Company. Through this route, it is connected to the cities Rihad and Hegathe. The city is the home of a guild of bodyguards called the Iron Wheel, which was formerly a prominent branch of the Bailiffs Guild. In its prime, it overshadowed the branch in Sentinel and it rebranded into what it is now after the Imperial troubles.

Gallery

• 

  The al-Danobia Tomb found in the wilderness near Taneth

Notes

• Arena was originally conceived as a fighting game featuring a tournament that took the player to each of Tamriel's cities to challenge different gladiatorial teams. According to a file from that stage of development left behind in the final game, Taneth's gladiatorial team would have been called "the War Eagles".

See Also

• For game-specific information, see the Arena article.

References

Note: The following references are considered to be unofficial sources. They are included to round off this article and may not be authoritative or conclusive.

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