Taneth

Taneth is the name of both the Kingdom of Taneth and it's capital city. Taneth was a city that was of little importance before the Crimson Archer rose to the throne and, along with his wife, turned it into a military and diplomatic power.

First Era
Ansei from the Order of Diagna arrived on the spot that would be Taneth. Orsimer, as at this time they controlled a large portion of what was then called Volenfell, had constructed a small town there, and the Ansei fought them for control of it. After the orcs were slaughtered, the Ansei built a new Hall of the Virtues of War on the spot, to replace the one they had lost when Yokuda fell, and Yokudan immigrants--members of the Ra Gada fleet, later known as Forebears--built up a small village around it. This village would steadily grow into Taneth, under the steady and hand and defense of the Ansei. It is these origins that lead to Taneth's reverence for the Way of the Sword.

The al Danobia, a royal family from Yokuda that had arrived with the Ra Gada fleet, came and asserted their control over Taneth. They used what wealth they had to build the original Royal Palace and set up the initial ebony mines. Their rule was at first unpopular, as they upset the balance the Ansei and common folk had struck, but was eventually accepted. A faction of Ansei, the al Dins, never warmed to the al Danobia rule.

Second Era
The Iron Wheel, a band of warriors, was founded in Taneth at this time.

Third Era
The third era saw the first al Din take the throne. Rej al Din, the first monarch of the dyansty, unseated the al Danobia family through the use of talented swordsmen which defeated their poorly trained military, believing he had greater claim to the throne because he stuck to the old ways of the Ansei. Rej al Din was the great grandfather of Najm al Din, father to Sahir al Din, also known as the Crimson Archer. Sahir al Din would be arguably the most impactful figure in the city's history. It would his reign that would make the city a provincial power. He also fathered Aleera al Din, arguably the second most important figure in the city's history. Sahir's reign also saw an severe increase in the military power of Taneth.

The end of the Third Era saw the death of Daireg, Final Battle on Corten Mont, and the defeat of the Adversary.

Fourth Era
The Fourth Era marked the end of the Oblivion Crisis, which had been a troubling time for Taneth and all of Hammerfell. Taneth entered a golden age under the rule of Aleera al Din who rose to the throne in her early forties, after her brother abdicated it to her, and would rule until the age of ninety-seven. During this time the Hall of Virtues was rebuilt, Taneth's military was strengthened, and the treaties that Aleera's father had drafted were put back into place, ensuring peace between the Forebears and Crowns for many generations. Aleera passed without issue, and thus the throne went to a favored grandnephew of her's.

When the Aldmeri Dominion invaded Hammerfell, it was the treaties between nations, the very ones Sahir al Din had authored centuries ago, that allowed for the Crowns and Forebears to unite against the elven scourge. However, the city was sacked and it's army defeated by the Dominion during the Great War. It would liberate itself when a member of the royal bloodline, Jarrah al Din, led a rebellion against them.

Fifth Era
Samir al Din rules Taneth following the year one hundred sixty. King Dorian al Din is monarch in the year 205

5E 226 Taneth is made the capital of Hammerfell, placing it over it's longtime rival, Sentinel. The al Dins had fulfilled the dreams of their ancestor, Rej al Din.

In 5E 432, Taneth was burned by Daea Morgan, and the ruling family fed to her dragon, Maegor. The throne passed to a young scion of the family instead, and a regent ruled until the boy was grown.

In 5E 459 the young king was married to Rhesa Daekar.

In 5E 502 the King of Taneth reconquers Rihad from the invading Maormer.

Military
Taneth has a specialized and disciplined military, boasting many cavalry divisions, elite infantry, and talented archers. It was through King Sahir al Din's experience as a military commander that the military achieved meteoric rise. Many of Taneth's officers undergo training at the Hall of the Virtues of War, which offers some of the best military training available. The highest rank in the Taneth military is the Captain-General, who is subject only to the monarch.

The military of Taneth has two groups of elite fighters. Once such group is the Janissaries, elite irregular infantry. Each are near masters in the Way of the Sword. They typically number around three thousand and are led by the "Warden of Taneth," which is a position filled by a member of the royal family or a high-ranking noble. Joining the Janissaries is a highly intensive process, in which the prospective recruit must train rigorously over a period of two years. Typically Janissaries are selected young and trained up. They are paid well, but have to serve for a minimum of ten years. Their numbers are kept at three thousand to keep the integrity of the force, as to not allow it to be inflated with half-trained soldiers, and so that it is more manageable.

The other elite group Taneth boasts is the Keshik, an army of horse archers. They originally numbered around eight thousand, but their numbers were raised to twelve thousand by Shayera al Din. They train less rigorously and are not as selective in who joins their ranks as the Janissaries, but the Keshik are the more famous of the two forces as they are led by the renowned Crimson Archer. The position of Crimson Archer is always filled by a member of the al Din dynasty, typically the second born of the reigning monarch.

Politics and government
Taneth is a unitary constitutional monarchy. The monarch of Taneth is the supreme power within the kingdom, but his power is constrained so that he cannot become a tyrant. The king does not have full control over the military, instead the two most elite forces of Taneth, the Janissaries and Keshik, are given to high-ranking officials, typically members of the royal family. This is done so that, should the monarch do something that is to the detriment of Taneth, their is someone around to stop them, or at least the monarch wouldn't have the full support of the military.

Taneth operates on a feudal system, like most of Tamriel. It's monarchy is hereditary, although not necessarily through the male line--any member of the al Din dynasty can become monarch, should they get enough support behind them, either from within the family or among the nobles of Taneth. Members of the royal family frequently occupant high-ranking positions within Taneth's government, such as mayoral rule of the city, generals in the military, ambassadors, religious advisors, or as a court mage. Several such important political positions are: the Lord/Lady of Taneth (essentially a mayor), the Captain-General of the armed forces, the Warden of Taneth, or the Crimson Archer.

Taneth's nobility is composed of two castes, a merchant and warrior caste. The merchant caste is called the No Shira and the warrior caste is called the Hel Shira. The No Shira deal solely in the economic side of Taneth, mining and metalurgy. The warrior caste was formerly called "the Ansei" but underwent a name change near the end of the Second Era. The term "Ansei" went out of fashion, replaced by Hel Shira, meaning "Sword Person." Hel Shira train from birth to join the various military groups that are apart of the kingdom as officers or elites, typically becoming Sword-Singers. This has allowed Taneth to have a highly specialized economy and military, as with each generation new specialists are born and trained to fill their predecessors places. Before rising to the throne of the kingdom, the al Dins were a member of the warrior caste.

The current ruling faction, the al Dins, are extremely popular among the citizens of Taneth. They have the respect of the warrior caste, the adoration of the peasants, and the appreciation of the wealthy merchant caste. There are only a few dark spots in history where Tanes have grown upset with the al Dins and in all instances good relations were quickly restored.

Economy
Taneth is a major exporter of ebony, which is easily mined, due to it's proximity to Corten Mont. It also has a highly specialized weapons industry, with blacksmithing being an important trade. This is a result of the emphasis placed on swords in the kingdom.

Taneth's ebony mines are not nationalized and are owned by many different private individuals in addition to the al Dins. What the al Dins do own in abundance are the ore refineries in the city. It allows them to maintain control over Taneth as they provide jobs for the free serfs living in the city.

Since the turn of the 4th Era Taneth's economy has been on an upward climb. It took a hard hit during the Altmeri invasion and occupation and a second hit when it was burned by Morgan dragons in the 5th Era. However, this preemptively crashed the market and as a result Taneth has suffered no purely economic disasters.

Culture
The citizens of Taneth worship Ruptga, Leki, the HoonDing, and Diagna. There is a heavy emphasis on sword-fighting in Taneth's culture and one's worth can be judged by their knowledge of the Way of the Sword. Most of Taneth's holidays involve sword fighting in some way.

Metalurgy is an important part of Taneth culture, picture surrounding the metal Orichalcum and ebony. Orichalcum is primarily an industrial metal, used in the creation of weapons, armor, and clothing. Ebony is used in ornamentation, such as jewelry, or for creating the valuable ebony swords.

Tanes put a heavy emphasis on purpose and destiny. Every Tane is born with a purpose, decided for them by the gods. Their goal in life is to live out that purpose to the best of their ability, trying to make the most of themselves that they can. Most find that their purpose is being born to farm, to fight, to trade, or to rule. Taneth's society is very structured in this sense, but not restrictive. One can decide that despite being born into an economic class their purpose lies in the military, and vice versa. There is not a great amount of upward social mobility, as most tend to be satisfied with their station in life.

Despite limited social mobility, civil freedoms are very important in Taneth. Corporal punishment is all but outlawed, and capital punishment is only used in the most extreme cases. Speech is not limited, nor is what is allowed to be published, but citizens cannot gather to protest as it constitutes as rebellion. Any citizen of Taneth can appeal to the royal court, however. The Warden of Taneth, Lord/Lady of Taneth and Crimson Archer can also hear appeals, should the monarch deny the appeal.

Guilds
The Iron Wheel acts as the local fighters' guild, where warriors of all shapes and sizes can sign up for jobs, or join and become mercenaries. The Iron Wheel are hired for any number of jobs, sometimes even banditry.

The Alik'r Coterie acts as the local assassins' and theives' guild, Obviously, it's practices are outlawed, but it has its place in society.

There are two merchants' guilds in Taneth. One is the Traders' Guild, an organization of Ebony, Orichcalcum, weapons, and commodities traders. The other is the Metallurgists guild, the organization of skilled metal workers in the city, such as blacksmiths, jewelers, swordsmiths, et cetera. The two guilds often are associated with one another.

Trivia

 * The city of Taneth is a metropolis, as it's population is notably larger than the surrounding area.
 * Master Ishien was one famous leader of the Hall of the Virtues of War. Following Ishien's death the Hall of Virtues was destroyed for a brief 40 year period. It was rebuilt by Hakim al Din around the time his sister, Aleera al Din, ascended to the throne.
 * Someone from Taneth is called a "Tane."

Appearances

 * Reign of Chaos: Chapter 6 - Hammerfell
 * Reign of Chaos: Chapter 6 - Hammerfell Part II
 * Reign of Chaos: Chapter 6 - Hammerfell Part III
 * ''Reign of Chaos: Chapter 6 - Hammerfell Part IIII
 * Twelve Stars of Taneth: Part 1
 * Twelve Stars of Taneth: Part 2
 * Twelve Stars of Taneth: Part 3
 * Twelve Stars of Taneth: Part 4
 * Twelve Stars of Taneth: Part 5