Lore:Legacy of the Bretons

Book Information
Seen In:	Elder Scrolls Online (Firesong)

Legacy of the Bretons

A series of musings by Stefan Mornard

A look at the cultural dual-nature of the Breton people

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As a Breton, as a noble schooled in the arts and sciences, and as a man who has studied with the druids of Galen, I often find myself contemplating the very nature of my identity. Basically, I constantly strive to understand what it means to be a Breton, and what legacy has come down to us from those who preceded us. More important still, what legacy shall we leave behind for those who come after?

As a scion of House Mornard and a Breton, which of my legacies holds sway and makes me the person I am today? Or better yet, the person I wish to be? Is it my dual nature as both a human and Elf thanks to the blood running through my veins? The Bretons were conceived as unwanted half-breeds at the dawn of our history, but we rose from those dark times to become the dominant people of High Rock and the archipelago. What does that mean, though? Am I man or mer? Or have the two finally merged to become something new, different, perhaps even better than the sum of their parts?

Modern Bretons share another dual legacy, that of the knightly orders and the magic that is inherently ours to call upon. It's in our blood. But the call of the arcane isn't the only magic coursing through our lineage. The natural magic of the druids might be the first truly Breton creation after their first community gathered in High Rock not long after the appearance of the Bretons. The magic of our spell-knights and mages, while distinct, does share some similarities with the magic of the druids, insofar as spells and rituals figure prominently, but whereas the arcane relies on formal teaching and tomes of magic, the druids call on the spirits of nature and the divine power of Y'ffre.

Tied up in all of this is the age-old battle: Which form of society best represents the Bretons? Is it the heraldry and glory of knights and castles that developed first in High Rock before being extended to the Systres, or is the embrace of nature and the call of pure, unadorned living the true mark of Breton culture? I believe that both approaches form our shared legacy, and I long to find a way to blend them into something new, something altogether Breton. That would make a proper legacy indeed.