“HELLO MORTALS! SHEOGORATH HERE!”

“Before we begin, we have some news that might be sad for you mortals to hear about which honestly I could care less about but I hear it’s good for the soul. Much like cheese!”

“On Saturday, September 7th, 2024, Jason Damron, aka Kankennon, aka The Fallout Storyteller, passed away from Stage 4 Adrenal Cancer”

“Since this entire thing was started thanks to the Shoddycast Fallout Lore series, the writer would like to say special thanks to the Storyteller for being one of his favorite characters in YouTube history. Too bad we never found out his name, huh?!”

“To watch the tribute done in his honor, click here with those little mouses of yours. And you better click on it or I’ll turn that mouse into a real one and have it eat our eyeballs. With a nice dash of jam!”

“Now with that out of the way, let us continue!”

“...What is he talking about?” Gallus asked Sandbar.

“I have no cl-”

Chapter 13

Breton's of High Rock

After that strange interruption from the mad god that left them with more questions than answers (Something the group suspected would be expected), Student Six sat down and prepared to watch the following video. Ocellus looked at her notes and scratched her head. "So, these Bretons are...half-human and half-elf?"

"Is that even possible?" Silverstream asked in confusion. "They might look the same but are two different species."

"Well, it's not like our world doesn't have crossbreed races. Look at the kirins. They're the offspring of ponies and dragons from hundreds of years ago," Ocellus said.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot about those guys," Smolder said with a blink. "Huh, we don't discuss them much in the dragon lands."

"Why not?" Sandbar asked.

"I don't know? They just never come up," Smolder said with a shrug.

"Probably because they were persecuted by both ponies and dragons at the time. It's why they prefer their isolation," Ocellus said.

"Well, Spike will be happy if he gets together with Rarity," Sandbar chuckled.

"Please, we all know that's not going to happen," Gallus snorted as he waved his hand. "He's totally going to be dating Gabby. When they started hanging out, they practically acted like a couple."

"I don't know," Ocellus rubbed her chin. "He might actually have a chance with King Thorax."

"He's got a crush on Rarity. Why would you think he's gay?" Smolder asked.

"You never know! He's still growing up to find out his sexuality!"

"Isn't it a bit disturbing that we're pairing Spike with creatures who are older than him?" Silverstream asked with uncertainty. "I mean, why not with any of the Cutie Mark Crusaders? They seem like good friends, and they are around his age."

"Spike's a dragon. He'll live a long life, so all he has to do is wait until a certain age, and that's not a problem," Smolder said with a smile. "Which is why I got my money on him and Dragon Lord Ember getting together."

"What about you, Yona?" Ocellus asked. "Do you think Spike will get together with anyone?"

"Princess Twilight!" Yona said, which made everyone rear back.

"What?! Yona, Twilight practically raised Spike!" Gallus said in shock.

"But Spike is's only friend of Twilight when other friends pass! Also, they are not related by blood! So, no incest! And they are close!" Yona said

"...I guess that's kinda true," Ocellus said before shaking her head. "Uh, let's just get to the video and move on from this."

"No arguments from me," Sandbar said with a nod.

High Rock lived up to its name, having many mountain passages that reminded Gallus of the Griffin Homeland. Castles of various sizes were seen on the bases or tops of these giant mountains, each grandly designed as if fit for an entire nation of nobles. According to Legend, it was High Rock that the Gods had not only started the creation of Nirn but also ruled it there for a time. The Adamantine Tower, similar in design to the White-Gold Tower in a way, stands as the oldest structure in Tamriel and was rumored to be the seat of the god as they created Nirn. Regardless of whether it is myth or fact, the elves discovered the tower long ago, and it was already built.

The map showed High Rock, described as a land of temperate climates, rolling hills, and incredible mountain paths. Its late summer/early autumn-like atmosphere was considered a popular attraction to many races over the years, chief among them being the Bretons, the hybrid race of humans and elves mating and bearing children. A female Breton was shown, and you'd be forgiven for thinking she was a human, but her eyes, ears, and stature were similar to that of an elf.

"I wonder how often people mistake Breton's for human or elf?" Sandbar wondered out loud.

Despite some discrimination, the Bretons benefited greatly as a hybrid race. Thanks to their combined elven magical blood and human physical prowess, they were considered the best battlemages in the realm.

"We got battlemages in the Royal Guard," Sandbar nodded. "They're unicorns considered among the best soldiers in the armed forces. I think Prince Shining Armor started out as one in his military career."

While technically, any Breton could be a combination of any of the Mer and Men races, most Bretons were offspring of the Altmer and the Nords. This is no surprise since the High Elves first discovered High Rock and occupied it, while Skyrim is their closest neighbor. People of a vibrant culture, Breton's were seen as poetic, flamboyant, intelligent, and active. However, this didn't include the word "united" politically; they were some of the most divided people in Tamriel. In fact, politics in High Rock was almost a deadly game in itself.

"Oh boy," Silverstream whimpered. "If it's anything like politics back home, then we're in for a doozy."

High Rock's political system was confusing, as there was not just one king but multiple. The same was true for queens, princes, dukes, nobles, and more. In fact, there were so many, with new ones rising and falling every hour, that it was said that every hill had a king. Despite this confusion, the tradition of so many nobles competing against one another was a time-honored tradition, and nobody in High Rock wished to see it end.

"So, how does anything get done?" Smolder asked in disbelief. "I mean, yeah, there are a lot of Dragon Clans who act like this, but we all still obey the Dragon Lord."

Thanks to the unique medieval culture, knighthood was a favorite occupation for many young Bretons. Such a young knight could be seen slaying a wild bear in triumph while looking proud of his accomplishment. These knights, with their code, dream of achieving great deeds to be granted noble states of their own. Entire orders of knights are even formed, and some even travel outside High Rock to find glory and prestige. These knights are seen as the pride of High Rock's national identity.

"Cool!" Silverstream said with glee.

However, this lifestyle has caused a gap between the rich and the poor. The middle class barely exists, and those unable to find power and money are often treated as dirt by humbling themselves to serve their superiors.

"Not cool," Silverstream moaned.

However, while it might seem like a poorly thought society, with many voicing their opinions on the concept of such a system, the Bretons embraced it. Even the poor. There was no greater challenge or reward than to rise above your station, and many tales have been told of poor peasants becoming rich and powerful nobles in High Rock's history.

"I guess that makes it slightly better," Ocellus said as she took more notes. "Unlike most caste-based systems, where you are stuck in your caste for life, you have the means to rise above your station if you work hard enough."

"Plus, everyone likes a good underdog story," Gallus pointed out.

The first recorded instance of the Bretons being discovered was when a Nord war party, believing they were elves, slaughtered them and only realized that they were also of Skyrim blood. The group was disgusted that the Skyrim warriors did such a thing to a group of innocent people, even if the tensions between humans and elves at the time were hostile.

Further investigation by the Nords discovered they were the mixed breed between High Elves and one of their lost Nordic tribes far west in High Rock. The tribe's culture became absorbed into the High Elven one, and over time, between the various breeding between the two tribes, the Bretons were formed. The first generation of the Bretons were considered second-class citizens due to their mixed blood. Still, as centuries passed, they soon became the dominant population, and their kind became nobles. Be it Elven or Breton, High Rock has always been ruled by nobles and will continue to be so.

"The life of an oligarchic society," Ocellus shrugged.

However, no clan was more successful early on than Clan Direnn, who established their Hegemony after they emerged victorious through political maneuvering and devious machinations. Originally a merchant family, it was hard to believe that they ended up ruling over the various fighting kingdoms that comprised the lands of High Rock. But the reason for its success all started thanks to the Ayleids.

"Wait, the Ayleids?!" The six said, as they weren't expecting to hear from them again so soon.

"I thought they all got wiped out?" Sandbar asked in confusion.

When the narrator reminded them of those exiled after their Empire's downfall, Ocellus gasped. "Oh yeah, I forgot about them! Are we gonna learn what happened to them?!"

Clan Direnn welcomed the exiles as part of their clan. With the power of the Ayleids, who once commanded the first great Empire of Tamriel, Clan Direnn found itself rising to power. It soon became known as the "Hegemony of Direnn." They grew to such great heights that they took over a quarter of Tamriel, including parts of Skyrim and Hammefell.

However, like all Empires, they too fell. From their end, the Bretons would rise. Having grown in population over the centuries, the Bretons soon overpopulated all the non-Bretons. They began establishing themselves as the new nobility as the old elven bloodlines died. Thanks to living under the Elves, they slowly learned politics, culture, fighting, magic, and more. Unbeknown to them, the elves had crafted their successors who had watched, learned, and waited while playing the game of politics to their advantage. But the best lesson they learned? How to assimilate other cultures into their own.

"Ha! Elves beaten at their own game!" Yona claimed.

By the end of the First Era, High Rock belonged to the Bretons, but that didn't mean they stood united as a race. As evidenced by two Bretons fighting each other, they did learn a lot from the High Elves, but in turn, this created a hundred different kingdoms, with a hundred different kings, all fighting each other. The only thing that ended up stopping this was the invasion of Mogal Bal during the Second Era.

"It's amazing how that one incident caused so many infightings to end," Silverstream said in awe as the dark history was once again revealed.

"I think a demonic invasion is enough to put aside all differences for survival's sake," Sandbar pointed out.

"Kinda makes you wonder what really happened at that time," Gallus said.

For the first time in their history, the Bretons pledged themselves to a single High King, Emeric. Using politics and diplomacy, they were able to create an alliance called the "Daggerfall Covenant," which saw the Bretons ally themselves with their old enemies and rivals: the Orcs and the Redguard.

"Just like the Ebonheart Pact," Yona pointed out as she recalled the alliance between the Nords, Dark Elves, and Argonians.

After the threat was gone, the alliance fell apart. Emeric would be the first and only High King of High Rock. Come the Third Era, the Legions of Tiber Septim came, and although some Kingdoms were able to resist, the High Rock nobles realized that they had no chance and soon became part of the Empire. However, they were able to use their diplomacy and gifts of politics to make sure they benefited from this and slowly influenced the Empire in a certain way thanks to their machinations. So much so that many Emperors of the Third Era were Bretons themselves.

"Well, if you can't beat them? Join them and make it worthwhile," Smolder said with a grin.

Despite being under the control of the Imperials, the Bretons still never stopped their political fights with each other. And then something strange happened. It was called "The Miracle of Peace," also known as the Warp in the West. Although much of it is unknown, many say that the gods had intervened in High Rock to see it united. And although there was much destruction, what came out of it was a more united High Rock than ever since the time of High King Emeric. Where there were once hundreds of kingdoms, now only three stand united.

Daggerfall.

Wayrest

And Orsinium.

"I guess that's better, in a way?" Sandbar said in confusion.

"Considering there were like a hundred kingdoms fighting each other? Yeah," Gallus pointed out.

That being said, there was still one major issue. You see, Orsinium was technically not a Breton kingdom but belonged to a different race—one that the Bretons had rarely gotten along with, save for very few moments in history.

A green-skinned warrior race built from strife, struggle, and hardship. A race that had been mistreated for ages and yet found strength in it.

But that was a story for another day.

Author's Note

Yeah, a moment of silence for the Storyteller. He will be missed. Orcs are next