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"Torval is the city-state of Elsweyr's spiritual and temporal ruler, the Mane. He and his tribe live here in stately and exotic palaces built from massive timbers of Valenwood oak, whose territorial borders are only a few hundred miles away. Symmetrical sugarcane gardens surround these palaces, where the Mane is often seen in day-long meditations atop his palanquin, held up by his inexhaustible cathay-raht servants."
Imperial Geographic Society[src]

Torval is one of the eight major cities in the province of Elsweyr, being the capital of the entire province. Torval is the home of the Mane, the spiritual leader of the Khajiit that is born when the moons, Masser and Secunda are aligned into a unique eclipse.

By game[]

Description[]

Geography[]

The city-state of Torval is situated on the western end of the Tenmar Forest, near the border towards Valenwood and the region of Grahtwood. It is roughly a hundred yards from the border. Torval in itself is situated in the southern region of Pellitine, which is filled with jungles and river basins, fertile for the growth of Saltrice and Moon Sugar. The seat of power in Torval is the Palace of the Mane, where the Mane resides. The tribe of the Mane lives in various palaces, surrounded in gardens of sugarcane, where the Mane meditates on a palanquin, held together by their Cathay-raht servants. Many people are not welcome into the gardens, in fear of disturbing the Mane. Torval is situated on the edge of the Quin'rawl Peninsula before it reaches the mainland.

Traditions[]

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  • The Khajiits of Torval celebrate the New Life Festival on the 1st of Morning Star. It is a day of celebration where the drinks are free and people party in the streets all day. It truly is, a day of merriment.[1]
  • The Khajiits of Torval celebrate the South Wind's Prayer on the 15th of Morning Star. It is a day to pray to the Gods for a bountiful harvest, and it is for citizens who cannot afford to heal from the local temple to get healed from an ailment.[1]
  • The Khajiits of Torval celebrate Heart's Day on the 16th of Sun's Dawn. It is in honor of a legend passed down from generation to generation about a couple named Polydor and Eloisa. Every Inn in Tamriel become free for visitors arriving into town.[1]
  • The Khajiits of Torval celebrate the First Planting on the 7th of First Seed. It is the day that begins the harvest, where neighbors reconcile their difference, bad habits are dropped, and the clerics heal people for free.[1]
  • The Khajiits of Torval celebrate the Second Planting on the 7th of Second Seed. The holiday is ideally the same holiday as First Planting, to improve one’s soul, and to improve relationships with others.[1]
  • The Khajiits of Torval celebrate the Mid Year Celebration on the 16th of Mid Year. A day to distract everyone from the increased taxes. It is a day celebrating the halfway mark in the year, where many warriors feel blessed and venture to dungeons they normally cannot defeat.[1]
  • The Khajiits of Torval celebrate the Merchant's Festival on the 10th of Sun's Height. It is a day that benefits the consumer in the market. Traders and Gypsies drop the prices on their stock. The only place that does not celebrate it is the Mages Guild. This is the same day as the Summoning of Boethiah.[1]
  • The Khajiits of Torval celebrate Sun's Rest on the 20th of Sun's Height. It is a day when the workers of Tamriel take a day to relax, businesses across town are closed in observance of this day. Some people have to have to leave the province to actually buy something.[1]
  • The Khajiits of Torval celebrate Harvest's End on the 27th of Last Seed. It is the final day of the harvest, and it is where the people eat the crops they have grown since the First Planting. Travelers are given the option to join a farmer’s family for a feast.[1]
  • The Khajiits of Torval celebrate Tales and Tallows on the 3rd of Hearthfire. It is the day of superstition where the elderly do not speak for an entire day, in fear of evil spirits entering their body. The Mages of Tamriel favor this day since it is a day to study the oldest forms of magic.[1]
  • The Khajiits of Torval celebrate the Witches' Festival on the 13th of Frostfall. A day when Lord Hollowjack of Detritus spreads his influence across Tamriel. Monsters and Ghouls swarm across Tamriel, terrorizing the innocent. Many people do not dare to leave their home, in fear of being nabbed by these creatures.[1][2]
  • The Khajiits of Torval celebrate the Warriors Festival on the 20th of Sun's Dusk. It is a day where many warriors gather to practice their fighting prowess. Travelers buy weapons in stores since their price's drop by half. Young children foolishly buy weapons, only to stab themselves by mistake.[1]
  • The Khajiits of Torval celebrate the North Wind's Prayer on the 15th of Evening Star. It serves as a thanksgiving to the Gods for the year's harvest. It is a day when the local temples heal and bless anyone for a lower price.[1]
  • The Khajiits of Torval celebrate the Old Life Festival on the 31st of Evening Star. It is a day of rest, where many leave the events of the passing year behind and to reflect their past. They rest for the New Life Festival.[1]

History[]

First Era[]

The realms of Ancient Elsweyr & the region of Pa'alatiin[]

During the early first era, the province that would become Elsweyr was divided into sixteen separate sovereignties, which lived together in peace, unlike the war-torn kingdoms seen in human and elven lands. They would trade and commerce with each other. Torval was one of the original nations. Torval would trade with the Khajiits of Ne Quin-al for their warriors of Two-Moons Dance, in exchange for the settlement's prime fish, among other bounties of the Southern Sea. The twin moons, Masser and Secunda had influenced the Khajiiti people, even beyond their kin, each of the realms were given dominance through the land depending on their phases. Torval was given power when the moons are each at Quadrature, each at half moons. As time went on, the Thrassian Plague of 1E 2260 had arrived on the grasslands of Elsweyr, shifting the tides of power forever. Out of the plague came two distinct kingdoms, Torval, like the rest of Tenmar was absorbed into the region of Pa'alatiin.[3]

Second Era[]

The Mane of Torval & the 1st Aldmeri Dominion[]

During the Interregnum in 2E 582, the Mane of Torval was Akkhuz-ri, who was well-loved by the people of Elsweyr. While the Mane served as the face of the people, Lord Gharesh-ri, the Lord of Torval, served as the province's political leader. At around this time, an anomaly in Khajiiti culture had occurred. For the first time, twin Lunar Champions was born, both working and training to become the Mane of Elsweyr. The twins, Khali and Shazah worked alongside Akkhuz-ri, as part of their training. In 2E 580, Lord Gharesh-ri had signed the Elden Accord, which had created the First Aldmeri Dominion. Elsweyr were members of the Dominion. However, when the Legion of the West Weald invaded Reaper's March, Akkhuz-ri was influenced by the magic of the Dro-m'Athra, fleeing the city-state of Silvenar and partaking in the conquest over Reaper's March. After the events of Arenthia, Akkhuz-ri was stripped of his position, and the Lunar Champions went through the process of not only becoming Mane but sealing the Dark Mane away in the ruins of Moonmont. Eventually, one of the sisters was chosen to be Mane, while the other was made into the Dark Mane, and sealed away. After traversing the Two Moons Path in Dune, the sister was named Mane of Elsweyr and ruled out of Torval ever since, under the guidance of Gharesh-ri.[4][5][6][7]

Third Era[]

Main article: Torval (Arena)

Torval during the Imperial Simulacrum[]

During the Imperial Simulacrum from 3E 389 to 3E 399, Emperor Uriel Septim VII was imprisoned along with Talin Warhaft in the Deadlands by Jagar Tharn. Tharn planned for months to capture the throne, and he was able to achieve so in the span of ten years. Tharn had a powerful weapon called the Staff of Chaos, and he split it into nine pieces and scattered them across Tamriel, the staff was the only thing keeping Uriel Septim and Warhaft in Oblivion. A warrior escaped his clutches and traveled all corners of Tamriel to retrieve the missing pieces. The hero was known as the Eternal Champion, and he assembled the staff and defeated Jagar Tharn at the Imperial Palace. The Eternal Champion had at one point visited the city of Torval in their quest to recover the pieces. The city of Torval was under the rule of King Mostabe.[8]

The Five Year War & the Slaughter of Torval[]

The Imperial Simulacrum was a decade of war and conflict, where the provinces waged war with each other over domination. The Five Year War between the Wood Elves and the Khajiit began with an event known as the Slaugther of Torval began the war in 3E 395. The Bosmer raided the city-state of Torval, killing the people before tribes of the Pellitine jungle intervened and drove them back. Eventually, the conflict grew beyond the southern border, reaching as far as Fort Sphinxmoth near Dune. The largest battle in the war was the Wild Hunt situated in Vindisi, a township in the Valenwood side of the Xylo River. The conflict ended roughly in 3E 399, with the Khajiit occupying land east of the Xylo, on the edge of the forest.[3][9]

Ya'Tirrje, the Gold Cat & the Late Third Era[]

During the waning years of the third era, the city-state of Senchal had grown exponentially with the rise of Ya'Tirrje. Under the reign of the Gold Cat, Senchal underwent a renaissance as Ya'Tirrje used the money from his Skooma operation to rebuild the criminal ridden port town. The Gold Cat's Empire had expanded beyond the lower Tenmar, eventually reaching Torval, Corinthe, and even Rimmen in the far north. Ya'Tirrje had utilized the money to keep Senchal crime-free and sanitary, all the while securing the Skooma production in all of Elsweyr. Torval would continue to prosper amidst the realms of the province, all the way into the Fourth Era.[3]

Minor Events[]

  • 2E 560 — Like the rest of the province, the city-state of Torval was hit by the Knahaten Flu, which remained for roughly over twenty years in Elsweyr. Many were killed by the plague but it had eventually passed and Torval was rebuilt.[10]
  • Circa 2E 864 — The Mane of Torval was Nhad-hatta, who ruled during the Tiber Wars. Nhad-hatta had worn the braids and hair-locks of both his entire tribe and warrior guards, as it was a tradition among all Manes. Nhad-hatta's speaker has supposedly signed a treaty with the Second Aldmeri Dominion.[11]
  • 3E 153 — During the reign of Empress Katariah, Pelagius Septim III was sent to the Asylum in Torval, since he was too dangerous to keep in the Imperial City. In the asylum, Pelagius III had hosted a ball, where many witnessed his psychotic outbursts, as he laughed halfway through the stairs.[13]

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • In an earlier stage of development, Arena was going to be a tournament-based game, where each city had their own gladiatorial team. Torval's team was known as the Firedrakes.[UL 1]
  • The origin of Torval's name is likely from Topal the Pilot, who charted all of Tamriel's coastlines, as well as, the Niben River and discovered the primitive Khajiit. He is also known as Torval the Pilot, which cements the connection.[14]

Appearances[]

References[]

Notice: The following are unlicensed references. They are not copyrighted by a ZeniMax Media company, but can still be considered part of The Elder Scrolls lore and are included for completeness.
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