Lore:Seamount Clan

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Clan Chief Tazgol circa 2E 582

The Seamount Clan (or Khazun Ghash) was a clan of Orcs active in the Second Era that lived in the island that they called Betnikh, a location more commonly known as Betony. Their main city, Stonetooth Fortress, had a lodge, bank, market, and other facilities. They were a proud and self-reliant people who fiercely defended their home from invasions.

History

Seafaring

Before their conquest of Betony, the clan had an era of seafaring. Their stories claim that their ancestors tamed killer whales in the Abecean Sea and trained them for war. Riders of those whales were said to be capable of harpooning ships and using the strength of the animal to steer them, and evidence of this long-lost tradition survives in siege gear recovered during the Second Era. They were also described as the fiercest raiders of the sea before they settled on Betony.

Second Era

Nine generations before 2E 582, after the reign of Emperor Reman II, the Seamount Clan launched an invasion into Betony. They used siege engines to destroy the wooden defenses of the Bretons and were said to have slaughtered many of the locals. At some point during their conquest, they were faced with the threat of a spell that the Breton King Renwic was preparing to kill the entire Seamount Clan army. The clan captured some Bretons who they hoped would yeild information about their King's plan.

Stonetooth Fortress

After interrogating the prisoners and using necromancy via a charm that the clan obtained from a Reachwitch, the Seamount Orcs were able to learn how to breach the defenses of King Renwic. The clan's War Chief killed the King, ending the threat of his spell. The War Chief then proclaimed that survivors who did not accept exile would be killed. This possibly included the exile of the Queen and the Princess of Betony, although it is unclear whether they were killed during the interrogation.

Despite the final efforts of the defenders, which included an attempt at using an ancient Ayleid relic to raise an undead army, the Seamount successfully took the island for themselves, likely building Stonetooth Fortress in the bones of the old Breton defenses. After their victory, they respected the dead of the enemy and never desecrated their graveyards in the hundreds of years that followed.

Around the time of the Alliance War, the Seamount Clan an outsider reported being treated poorly by the Seamount Clan and wrote that no one from the Kingdom of Daggerfall had been able to establish a viable trading contract with them. At least one of their members, Lambur, had previously left the island by that time and joined a group of pirates under Captain Kaleen, showing that they were not completely isolated.

By the year 2E 582, the clan remained strong in Betnikh but now faced the threat of the Bloodthorn Cult on its lands. The Cult went as far as attacking their Fortress, but the Orcs were able to defend their position, killing most invaders while the rest fled. This caused the clan to become even more unwelcoming to outsiders, although they did not protest the arrival of the Vestige since they had sailed to the isle with Captain Kaleen.

In order to help the Clan against the Bloodthorn, the Vestige was asked to investigate several locations. After witnessing several visions with the help of a Seamount Shaman, the hero discovered that the Bloodthorns were desperate to enter the spirit realm and were able to access it, making the danger to the Orcs much clearer. Another investigation in the Ayleid ruin of Moriseli revealed that the cultists were violating and tormenting Orc spirits in order to bind them to their side. The Vestige was able to defeat the cultists, but it is unclear if they freed the warriors that were dragged back into the mortal realm or not.

The Vestige was also able to stop the threat of Bloodthorn necromancers trying to raise the dead of Grimfield, an old Breton graveyard. In the process, they were even able to experience the old invasion of the Seamount Clan through a vision of the past in which they played the role of Warcaller Targoth and learned the dangers of the Ayleid relic the cult planned to use. Thanks to the investigations, the Vestige and the Clan were able to determine that the relic was located in the ruin known as Carzog's Demise and that they needed to stop the Cult before they could use it.

With the investigations complete and sightings of cultists around Carzog's Demise increasing, Chief Tazgol raised an army to attack them. The combined might of the Clan, Captain Kaleen's pirates, her allies, and the Vestige was used to deactivate the wards of the ruin, kill several cultists and their leader, and even capture the Ayleid relic. It is unknown whether or not the Ayleid relic was destroyed, although the Clan preferred its destruction.

Regardless of the relic's outcome, the Clan decided to join the Daggerfall Covenant, saying that the attack of the Bloodthorn Cult proved that Betnikh was not as well defended as previously thought. The Vestige delivered the clan's petition to join to Sir Lanis Shaldon, a Knight of the Dragon who then took it to High King Emeric.

Third Era

During the fifth century of the Third Era, the War of Betony broke out when Betony sought protection from the Kingdom of Daggerfall and the Kingdom of Sentinel invoked a two hundred-year-old contract proclaiming Betony as a traditional holding of Sentinel. The Orcs' relationship to this contract is unclear. By 3E 405, the territory had been retaken by the Bretons, and at this point in history the Orcish race as a whole was popularly believed to be nothing more than savages and mindless barbarians.

Although the fate of the Seamount Clan is unknown, their Stonetooth Bash chicken recipe was still considered a popular New Life Festival dish circa 4E 180. It was considered the favored dish of the Bloodfall Queen. Originating from this clan, the Hunt-Wife's Beef Radish Stew also survived to this time period.

Society

Like most other Orcs, the Seamount Clan worshipped Mauloch and had heavy wrought-iron statues depicting him in battle. The statues were heavy enough to suggest that they had very sturdy tables able to withstand the weight. Another tradition that they shared with other clans is that their chief-daughters are supposed to marry into another clan in order to forge an alliance. Some seek to escape this tradition, although accepting it is considered an honor, and avoiding it is considered a mistake. A clan rarely permits a daughter to leave and never without a cause, those who leave without permission becoming clanless while those who remain can be seen as assets.

The Stonetooth Bash was one of their celebrations and involved a constant party with good food, good drinks, and generally good times. It was considered their version of the New Life Festival. Food consumed during the Bash included ingredients such as honeycomb collected from wasps and fresh meat obtained from rabbits, rats, mudcrabs, and wolves. After the food was prepared, they ate and showed appreciation for it by using a napkin. Possible meals included Honeyed Wolf Pie and Bitter Goat Cheese with Spiked Betnikh Ale.

At least one Seamount Clan member practiced enchanting, being familiar with the use of soul gems for the practice and mentioning that those who use it could arm-wrestle trolls. Another member practiced alchemy, saying that she started as a brewer, which worked well until her beer started turning people into mudcrabs. This result eventually caused her to change her profession.

The Seamount Clan had a very weak musical tradition, to the point that jaw-harps that disappeared were very unlikely to be missed.

They used mighty toothpicks to take care of themselves, with larger whale-bone toothpicks likely used by chiefs. Others also decorated their faces with dark green war paint described as thick, smooth, and perfect for Seamount warriors.

Some of the Seamount Clan were able to read and write. All of the clan's laws were previously engraved in law-stones, some of them rendered illegible by use and age.

Some of their pewter drinking flasks featured etched motifs of the clan.

Gallery

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  A Seamount Executioner

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  A Seamount Soldier

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  A Seamount Hunter

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  A Seamount Scout

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  A Seamount Forge-Wife

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  Stonetooth Bash Chicken, a New Life Festival favorite associated with the Betnikh Orcs (Blades)

Notes

• One of their members mentioned the sacking of Orsinium and said that he could repay it in battle after being approached by an outsider, suggesting that at least some of them knew about the old stories of the city or that the clan was a part of it at some point.

See Also

• For game-specific information, see the Elder Scrolls Online article.