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"The place is called Silverhoof Vale. Their elder tried to tell me all about her love for the Herd Mother, and ... yeah. My eyes just kind of glazed over when she got to the part about talking horses."
Bumnog[src]

Horsemen, Horse-Folk or simply Horse Nomads[1] are a primitive, tribal society inhibiting the caves of the Silverhoof Vale in the region of Rivenspire in High Rock. They survive mainly by breeding and trading horses in nearby Breton settlements.[2] The tribe is lead by an elder.

History[]

First Era[]

Horsemen lack written historical records of their own and are not documented or examined by modern Tamrielic scholars. Some records might have existed in their ancestral homeland on Yokuda, but have undoubtedly been destroyed during the great Yokudan cataclysm. However, the Horsemen poses a very strong oral tradition, tales of their elders make the task of piecing together their history difficult, but possible.[3]

It is not entirely wrong to consider the Horsemen a lost Yokudan colony. It is believed that they might have descended from the northern herding clans of the Akos Kasaz steppes on the lost continent of Yokuda. Some nuances in their language are surprisingly similar to the Old Yokudan spoken by the clans.[3]

The tales of Horsemen tell a story of great journey over "seventeen seas" on their "swimming horse-ships." While their tales could be open for interpretation, it is entirely possible that the clans took their horses with them. This is supported by the fact that the horses bred by the Horsemen are remarkably close to the Yokudan Chargers found in Hammerfell.[3]

The clans are said to have begun their migration to Tamriel in order to preserve their worship of the Herd Mother. Who endangered this unique belief remains unknown. But Horsemen came ashore sometime in early sixth century of the First Era, nearly two hundred years before the Ra Gada came to Hammerfell. The timing of their arrival was very fortunate - Direnni Hegemony was already dying and the Breton kingdoms were still to young to drive the colonists out. This allowed the Horsemen to find their niche in the Silverhoof Vale and safeguard their ways for at least the next three thousand years.[3]

Second Era[]

Life among Nedic cultures had left its influence on the tribe and it had become "Bretonized."[3] While the majority of the Horsemen still remained similar to the Redguards, many different races could be found among their kind - Breton, Orsimer and even Khajiit.

The region of Rivenspire had been left unstable after the fall the Breton King Ranser. This escalated into a great power struggle between the local noble houses during the Three Banners War. Trade became difficult and so the way of life Horsemen were used to became endangered.[2]

Harpies infesting the cliffs above the Silverhoof Vale had begun to raid the herds. This was seen as a very bad omen among the tribe and caused much unrest.[4] Makar the Elder seeking to prevent further chaos and preserve the tribe hired a group of mercenaries known to be experts on harpies - The Daggers, who with the help of the Vestige dealt with the situation.[5]

Religion[]

Main article: Herd Mother

Horsemen seem to follow a unique religion to all of Tamriel. They worship an animistic spirit known as the Herd Mother. She serves as both their guiding and protective deity[6] and woven throughout their traditions and history.[3]

Similar to the Redguard tradition of Walkabout, young members or the tribe must go though a vision journey as an rite of passage to adulthood.[3]

To some outsiders this belief seems odd and is dismissed upon hearing of "talking horses."[1]

Quests[]

Rusty Daggers[]

A crew I once helped in Glenumbra was hired to hunt harpies in Silverhoof Vale. They may need my help to complete the job.

Members[]

Related literature[]

Appearances[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Dialogue with Bumnog
  2. 2.0 2.1 Dialogue with Makhayh
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 The Horse-Folk of Silverhoof
  4. Dialogue with Makar the Elder
  5. Events of Rusty Daggers
  6. Dialogue with Darya Marquad
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