- Not to be confused with the Blades.
- "Reports differ widely on the nature of the battle at Pale Pass. But the end result is the same, that the remaining Dragonguard, upon hearing the voice of Reman Cyrodiil, knelt and swore their lives to him, their conqueror and savior."
- ―Anonymous[src]
The Dragonguard were an organization during the First and Second Era. They are the descendants of the Tsaesci who invaded Tamriel,[3] and would later form the Blades.[2]
By game
Conflict with Dragons
The Dragonguard is recorded to have slain a number of Dragons when they arrived on Tamriel, following their success on Akavir.[2] This event would be known by the Dragonguard as "the Crusade".[4] By 1E 2809, the Dragonguard had become feared by the remaining Dragons of Tamriel, who fled at the approach of the Dragonguard.[5]
At least fourteen Dragons are recorded to have been slain, twelve of which are unnamed. The named ones being Grahkrindrog, which was slain in 2E 184 following a great slaughter in Winterhold and Eastmarch, and Krahjotdaan, which was slain in the Jerall Mountains in 1E 2871.[4]
Some other Dragons were also known by the Dragonguard to have survived during their Crusade. Ahbiilok, who was sighted in the early years of the Dragonguard, and is believed to have fled to Morrowind. Mirmulnir, who was last sighted in the Reach in 2E 212. Nahfahlaar, who had survived due to a number of alliances with protectors, the last of which was king Casimir II of Wayrest, who was killed by the Dragonguard in 2E 369, though the Dragon escaped.[4]
The most notable of the surviving dragons is Paarthurnax, who was a lieutenant of Alduin during the Dragon War. The Dragonguard were aware of his presence atop the Throat of the World, as well as his protection by the Greybeards. Due to the policy of the Dragonguard forbidding them from direct confrontations with the Greybeards, the Dragonguard had to wait for an opportunity to exact justice upon him.[4]
History
First Era
In 1E 2700, the Akaviri Tsaesci invaded Tamriel.[3] Looking for the Dragons which had fled Akavir,[2][6] they invaded and conqeured large portions of Skyrim, until they fought against the forces of Reman Cyrodiil at Pale Pass in Cyrodiil. After a short battle, the Akaviri surrendered and announced that they had been searching for Reman. The combined forces of Akaviri and the Imperial Legion would go on to take over most of Tamriel, with Reman Cyrodiil becoming Emperor and founding the Second Empire.[3] With the completion of their war against the Dragons,[2] those Akaviri who were the best and wisest became the Dragonguard, who answered solely to Reman Cyrodiil and his descendants.[3]
During the reign of Emperor Kastav in 1E 2801, the Dragonguard was in a turbulent time. Kastav ordered the seizing of hostages from the holds of Skyrim which had not met their conscription quotas. The Master of the Dragonguard was ignored in this regard. Three years later, Winterhold would enter a rebellion against the Empire, and once again the Emperor and Dragonguard had different motives. The Dragonguard refused to fight against the rebellion, and as such, the Emperor ordered their supplies to be cut off. Local allegiances with the Reachmen, however, enabled the Dragonguard to survive without Imperial supplies. The Grandmaster of the Dragonguard at the time supported this behavior, as Kastav had violated the Oath of Allegiance. Only a year later Sky Haven Temple would be besieged due to an Akaviri unrelated to the Dragonguard sacking the city of Winterhold. Salvation would come at the rise of Reman Cyrodiil II in 1E 2806, however, as he lifted the siege on the Temple. The Dragonguard of Sky Haven Temple would serve as his honor guard in a means of returning prestige to the Temple.[5]
By 1E 2812, the Dragonguard of Sky Haven Temple had officially been granted permission to begin construction on Alduin's Wall. Members of the Dragonguard were summoned from across the entire Empire to work on the project. Some who came from the Temples of western Tamriel would be dismissed a year later, which delayed the work. Alduin's Wall was considered a gift to those who would come after the Dragonguard. In 1E 2815 the Wall was viewed by the Grandmaster of the order, who was so impressed that the Master of Sky Haven Temple was provided with a Writ or Requisition, sealed with the Emperor's seal. Three years later, the Wall was finished, and Reman Cyrodiil II came to view the work. The Blood Seal was created at Sky Haven Temple, and all of Skyrim's Dragonguard were present. It was a rare craft of which only a few Temple could boast.[5]
Following the death of Reman Cyrodiil III in 1E 2920, the Dragonguard was officially disbanded. Some of these former Dragonguard went on to join Dinieras-Ves when he founded the Fighters Guild, while others became adventurers. One of these former Dragonguard would go out to teach the ways of the Dragonknight to those who he believed would teach it on to others. With the rise of Versidue Shaie, however, the organization was unofficially reformed, being more focused as an intelligence service rather than a bodyguard.[3]
Second Era
During the rule of Emperor Varen Aquilarios, the Dragonguard was commanded by Sai Sahan. Sahan trained many of the Dragonguard captains himself, teaching them the arts of swordplay, leadership, and tactics. The Dragonguard at this time was diverse, consisting of many races of Tamriel.[7]
Alliance War
A Dragonguard Outcast during the Alliance War.
During the Alliance War, one member of the Dragonguard, known as the Drake of Blades was involved with the ending of Molag Bal's influence in the Imperial City. At this time, Empress-Regent Clivia Tharn had forced the Dragonguard to go into hiding.[8] The Drake of Blades would work alongside the Vestige in liberating the Imperial City from the Daedra. First they would save Father Egnatius, a priest of the Temple District, and use his wisdom to advance their own goals.[9] Not long after, they began looking for a specific book the Daedra kept. It would turn out this book spoke of the Sublime Brazier, which was previously unknown to the Dragonguard, and related to the Dragonfires.[10] Likewise, they would discover that the Worm Cult was using their undead to find the Dragonfire Cathedral. Though this place was presumed to be a myth, the work of the Worm Cult was sabotaged by the Vestige through the blowing up of the digging process.[11] Through research in the old archives of the Dragonguard, however, the Drake of Blades would discover that the Dragonfire Cathedral did exist.[12] The Drake of Blades, the Vestige, and a unit of Legion Zero would eventually make their way to the Dragonfire Cathedral, where the Drake of Blades would take on the role of defending the Sublime Brazier. Through doing this, she was bound to the Dragonfire Cathedral, and imbued with incredible power which enabled her to defeat an attacking army of Dremora.[13]
Reforming in Elsweyr
An unknown period of time afterwards, the Dragonguard would disband, and form into a new organization, known as the Blades.[2]
Appearances
References
- ↑ Events of The Elder Scrolls Online
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 The Rise and Fall of the Blades
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Legacy of the Dragonguard
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Atlas of Dragons
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Annals of the Dragonguard
- ↑ The Book of the Dragonborn
- ↑ Chronicles of the Five Companions 7
- ↑ Dialogue with the Drake of Blades
- ↑ Events of "The Bleeding Temple"
- ↑ Events of "Knowledge is Power"
- ↑ Events of "Of Brands and Bones"
- ↑ Dialogue with the Drake of Blades during "The Watcher in the Walls"
- ↑ Events of "The Sublime Brazier"