Lore:Thornroot Clan

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Clan Matron Grygarsnit circa 2E 582

The Thornroot Clan was a Reachmen organization active during the Second Era, when they were considered one of the most powerful clans of the Reach.[1][2] By the time of 2E 582, they were considered fierce and strong, known to usually camp by the area of the ruins of Briar Rock, with the leaders of the clan usually being Hagravens, who allowed the clan to be peaceful to other Reachmen clans, with the group focusing their wrath against foreigners, with many of their warriors being briarhearts, which made the Clan very dangerous in battle.[3] They were also considered to be an extremely reclusive coven of witches.[4]

History[edit]

The earliest known records of the Thornroots date back to circa 2E 302, when Xandier Edette's book The Translated Works of Tosmorn was published. Prior to its publication, Edette allegedly secured safe passage into the holdings of the Thornroots and discovered collection of ancient headdresses and ancient manuscript of The Death of Faolan.[4][5]

Despite the Clan usually being peaceful against other Reachmen, this was no longer the case by 2E 582, when they were led by a Hagraven known as Matron Grygarsnit, as they often attacked other clans, capturing their people and transforming them into briarhearts, an action done due to the rise of Gray Host activity in the Reach as it was meant to guarantee their protection against the enemy army.[6] They took over Their attacks against other Reachmen included the capture of a Vateshran Barth, a revered lore keeper of the Reach, and also the imprisonment of several members of the Hillhunter and Wildblood Clans.[6][7] They also intended to attack both Six-Fords and Wildspear Clan.[8]

In the case of the Hillhunter Clan, they had not only been captured, but also betrayed, as the Thornroots previously invited them to their territory before turning on the Clan, which led to the capture of several members, including the clan's leader. The Vestige was eventually asked for help by the daughter of the imprisoned chieftain, with the hero being able to rescue several members of the Hillhunters but also destroying the Thornroot's briar heart tree in the process, an action that prevented the Clan from enslaving more people as briarhearts.[9] It is possible that the Hagraven Matron of the Thornroots was also killed during the attack as she was next to the tree and might have defended it.[10]

Around the same time, the Vestige also helped to free the captured Vateshran, who had previously been threatened by the Thornroots' Hagravens even while imprisoned.[7][11] Concurrently, several ritual tools of the Clan used to transform others into briarhearts were also destroyed by the hero, further crippling their ability to create new improved warriors, with hope that the destruction would allow for the Wildbloods to rescue some of their captured brethren.[12]

Another piece of the Wildbloods that the Thornroots captured during a raid was a totem of power which held religious significance to the Wildblood Clan, with the effigy being taken to their area of operations in Briar Rock Ruins and used by the Hagraven to draw power from. Some time later, the totem was taken by the Vestige and given back to the Wildbloods, likely causing the quelling of the violent tendencies of the Thornroot Clan.[13]

While the Wildbloods doubted that the Thornroots allowed many of their clanmates to survive, they still asked for help to retrieve the talismans left behind in Briar Rock ruins that were in the possession of the capturers, which caused yet another attack against the Thornroot Clan. The talismans were then successfully retaken thanks to the Vestige and sent back to the Wildbloods.[14]

Around a thousand years later, Briar Rock Ruins was still in control of the Reachfolk, but by this time in the form of the Forsworn instead. It is unclear if the Thornroot Clan was able to survive the many attacks that they suffered, but clear traces of their presence were no longer found in Skyrim by the time of the return of the dragons in 4E 201.[15]

Gallery[edit]

  • A Thornroot Hagraven resurrecting a Briarheart

  • A Thornoot Briarheart Brute

  • A Thornroot Archer

  • A Thornroot Warrior

  • A Thornroot Hagraven

  • A Thornroot Ritualist

  • A Thornroot Predator

Notes[edit]

  • Despite the series of attacks the clan suffered, none of the missions received by the Vestige asked for the death of their leader in the form of Matron Grygarsnit, so there is a chance that she might have been spared, but the Hagraven would still fight against the hero if they encountered her, using her powers to resurrect briarhearts to fight by the Clan's side.[16]

See Also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Politics of the Reach — Consul Cardea, the Ard's Administrator, 2E 578
  2. ^ Bretull's dialogue in ESO: Markarth
  3. ^ On the Clans of the Reach — Theopho Harvian, Imperial Scribe
  4. ^ a b The Translated Works of Tosmorn, IV — Xandier Edette
    Edited by Vanesse Aurilie
  5. ^ The Translated Works of Tosmorn, I — Vanesse Aurilie
  6. ^ a b Medone's dialogue in ESO: Markarth
  7. ^ a b Vateshran Barth's dialogue in ESO: Markarth
  8. ^ Dialogue overheard from Thornroot Clansmen in ESO
  9. ^ Events of Betrayal at Briar Rock in ESO
  10. ^ Faorin's dialogue in ESO: Markarth
  11. ^ Events of Vows and Oaths in ESO
  12. ^ Events of The Tainted Briarheart in ESO
  13. ^ Events of What's Hers is Ours in ESO
  14. ^ Events of Wild Talismans in ESO
  15. ^ Events of Skyrim
  16. ^ Matron Grygarsnit in ESO: Markarth
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