Caldrin

Caldrin was the capital of the region of the same name. It was founded early in the fifth century of the second era. Caldrins territory included the southern boundary of the Jerall mountains, and bordered by Hammerfell to the west. To the south and east, were the Colovian Highlands. It was a small, independent  kingdom, and because of this, managed to avoid most major wars. Unfortunately, this also meant that large bandit groups, monsters, and the like, preyed upon its inhabitants.

To combat this, they maintained a professional fighting force, and an elite order of knights. The army and knights themselves made Caldrin a force to be reckoned with. It wasn't long before merchants from Skyrim, Cyrodiil, and Hammerfell, along with quite a few from High Rock. Due to its' positioning between three of the largest provinces of the Empire quickly made the region extremely wealthy.

Geography
Caldrin was backed by the Jerall mountains to the north, with Hammerfell to the west and had the Colovian highlands and Cyrodiil to the south and east.

Like the highlands, most of Caldrin region was forested with evergreen trees. To the east, the land became dry grasslands, and to the west, more deciduous forests and plains. To the north, the region became more mountainous and rocky. Because of the regions proximity to Skyrims' border, it was often cold and snowy in the area.

Structure
The city was surrounded by tall, thick stone walls, going around it in a rough, oval shape. The city itself sloped upwards, with the kings palace, and the homes of the wealthy higher up. Caldrin had a large merchant area, located just past the lower city.

The lower city, was home to the poor and sick. Despite this, peace reigned in the city for the most part. The church of the Divines, was located just past the Merchants' gate, and the priests there offered meals and healing of the sick. The lower city was also home to several soldiers and guard garrisons who kept order.

The knightly order who called the city of Caldrin home, had a large chapter house located below the wealthy district of the city, but higher than the merchant sector. The city had three main gates, one leading to the north, into the mountains, the second to the south, Cyrodiil, and the third facing east. Each gate was defended by a pair of high, square towers.

History
The Breton lord, Morthegaine Valhart, left High Rock in order to seek his own fortunes. His house, having been on the losing side of several wars, meant he had little choice in the matter, after all. He moved with his entire household, loyal to Valhart, to a stretch of land north of the Colovian highlands. The lord hired Nordic and Imperial labourers to build his city, and named it Caldrin.

Though initially a small hamlet, lord Valhart had a keen mind for money. He hired several dozen miners, who set about mining the nearby mountains. The workers came across ores and rare gemstones in the cold mountains. The occupants of Caldrin began bringing in a profit immediately, by refining the ores into ingots, and selling both them and gemstones to merchants from Cyrodiil, Hammerfell, and Skyrim.

The sudden influx of wealth allowed Caldrin to bring in skilled craftsmen and those seeking a new life for themselves. However, dangers were very much present. Bandits and monsters frequently preyed on the settlement. This prompted one of the knights that had accompanied Valhart from Highrock to found an order of knights to defend it.

They were successful in deterring the weaker bandit groups that roamed the area, and the city of Caldrin steadily expanded. By 2E 545, nearly eighteen thousand people called it home, and the city was able, through trade with it's neighbors, to maintain a small army to defend the region. Morthegaine was named king of the city, and forged alliances with all of his neighbors, mostly based on trade.

The people of the region began to call themselves Caldrinar, and became known for their stubornness, militaristic attitudes, and keen minds for money. King Morthegainne, already in his late fifties by the time he came to kingship, died a decade later. He was succeeded by his son, Morthrenn, who, being a more religious man, built the grand cathedral of the Divines, in the center of the citys' Upper district. The priests of the city, under his rule, began offering healing and free meals to the less fortunate of Caldrin. By the end of king Morthrenns' reign Caldrin and the region was seen as one of the most prosperous and peaceful lands throughout Tamriel.

The Oblivion Crisis
Like the rest of Tamriel, Caldrin suffered the invasion of the Daedra in 3E 433. After centuries of peace, disturbed only by bandit raids in the surrounding countryside, the reign of king Reginald Valhart, was disrupted by the invasion of Daedric forces. An Oblivion gate opened just inside the gates of Caldrin, and Daedra spilled into Lower Caldrin.

Despite being outmatched and caught by surprise, the guardsmen and even local peasantry held the invaders long enough for the royal army and Caldrinar knights to assemble and counter attack. The fighting in the city went on for months, and despite the best efforts of the army and knights, they were unable to close the gate.

Near the end of the Crisis, prince Jared Valhart was leading the assault on the cities lower sector, while his father devised tactics to stymie the Daedric advance. The Daedra, realizing this, infiltrated into Upper Caldrin with a small force, and assassinated the king. Upon hearing of the kings death, Jared vowed to retake the city. He was crowned among the army, and lead his forces in a renewed offensive. Well loved by the populace, the entirety of Caldrin massed behind him, fighting the invaders all the way back to the Oblivion gate.

Martin Septims' sacrifice closed the gates, assuring victory for the Caldrinar, but leaving much of lower Caldrin in ruin. Despite the heavy losses suffered by the army and the populace in general, the people of Caldrin refused all aid in rebuilding. By the end of king Jareds' reign, in 4E 22, much of Lower Caldrin had been rebuilt.

Years of prosperity
For the rest of king Jared Valharts' reign, the region of Caldrin, and the city itself, enjoyed decades of prosperity. Merchants from all Tamriel were drawn by the renewed ore mining operations. The regions exports of timber, ingots and top of the line mining tools, brought the city great wealth. Even with the tensions rising between the Empire and the Aldmeri Dominion.

In the year 4E 58, the Grand Vault of Caldrin is built, on the order of the newly crowned king, Rauth Valhart. The vault itself is made not only to hold the cities accumulated wealth, but also rare artifacts, gathered by knights and wanderers hailing from the city. Passing adventurers often left valuable trinkets, that they discovered on their journeys.

Several of the best weapons smithed by the Altmer weaponsmith Fyrol Aldrenest, were also stored in the Grand Vault.The Vault was protected by dozens of mundane and arcane traps, made to stop thefts and trespass. Rauth also commissioned a group of guards that protected the entrance of the Vault, aptly named the Vault guard. This prosperity would last until the reign of queen Maubreth Valhart, in 4E 89.

Decline
The decline of the the kingdom of Caldrin began in the 89th year of the 4th era. The ruling monarch, queen Maubreth Valhart, a Dunmer woman, daughter of king Rauth Valhart and his queen, Omerea, took the throne that year. The kingdom faced a number of problems, including political pressure for Maubreth to take a husband. Unknown to the general public, but suspected by her nobles, she was the lover of the current lord-commander of Caldrins' royal army,Erisus Orpheus.

Many stations of the Tower wall, long since the first line of defence for the kingdom went unmanned, as raids on merchant caravans grew more common. Maintenance on every tower was simply impossible. The queen sent patrols out to assist the caravans, specifically to the north. However, the bandit groups there, known as the Ironborn, had been reorganizing themselves into a powerful fighting force, and most patrols were slain along with the merchants.

Closer to home, smaller bandit groups sprang up, as well as the Caldrin Collective, a powerful criminal organization that secretly funded the rogues. Worse yet, the assassins known as the Venomblades, were killing prominent nobles that supported the queens reign. Near the border with Hammerfell, troll packs were growing in number, and becoming more violent.

Due to these threats, trade suffered, as merchants were much less willing to risk travelling to the kingdom. Communications with the monarchy's ancestral homeland of High Rock eventually ceased as well, though whether this was because of the dangers throughout Caldrin, or the tense political situation in the city was unknown.

The Iron War
Eventually, the Ironborn became so strong, that they descended from the Jerall mountains in force. The royal army responded swiftly, and engaged the Ironborn in a battle in Iceleaf vale. The Caldrinar were successful, defeating the majority of the raiders. The lord-commander had a large portion of the army remain in the vale, while he, a contingent of Caldrinar knights and the rest of his men chased the supposedly broken Ironborn into the Jeralls.

However, the Ironborn had deceived the Caldrinar, and a much larger force was waiting for the smaller force. After several bloody battles, the regiments that had accompanied their lord-commander were defeated. Only a few dozen survivors and a trio of Caldrinar knights returned to fort Icespire, where the queen waited, having accompanied the army north. After a brief siege, that was lifted by Xanthor Andantus, the royal army regained their footing and eventually defeated the Ironborn definitively.

Death of the Queen
Queen Maubreths' reign was further plagued by obstinate nobles and near the end of her reign, an attempted coup. The coup was put down by the royal guard, and a large loyalist force, but Maubreth had, seemingly, lost her will to rule. She was said to remain in her private quarters for days, denying even her most loyal servants an audience. Weeks into the 120th year of the 4th era, she fell sick, though her physicians and healers could not discern the cause. Days later, she died in her bed. She was succeeded by her son, Halbrent Valhart.

The Fall of Caldrin
The fall of Caldrin was not all at once. For the first three decades of king Halbrents' reign, the royal army and Caldrinar knights were successful in securing the areas nearest the city, and eventually diminished the troll hordes to the west. In Caldrin itself, the city guard, and Caldrinar royal mages hunted down and executed members of the Caldrinar Collective and the Venomblades.

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