Veiled Heritance

Veiled Heritance
Symbol	Black A golden eagle's head on black
Type	Political faction Resistance group
Seat	Veiled Keep, Errinorne Isle
Region	Summerset Archipelago
Allegiance	The Veiled Queen (formerly) Pelidil Luroren (formerly) Shade of Naemon
Founder	Estre Errinorne
Founded	2E 581
Disbanded	Sometime after 2E 582

The Veiled Heritance was a secretive organisation of Altmeri nationalists and traditionalists which sought to usurp the Marble Throne from Queen Ayrenn I Arana in favour of her younger brother, Prince Naemon Arana, with Lady Estre Errinorne to serve as regent. The resistance group was formed after the return of Ayrenn to the Summerset Isles following the death of her father, King Hidellith II, in 2E 580.

The new Queen of the Isles quickly instituted unorthodox reforms and made proclamations that threatened the sanctity of Altmeri culture by importing large numbers of foreigners with diametrically opposed traditions and cultures to Altmer, instilling harsh resentment among the nobility and commonfolk alike. These disenfranchised citizens sought solace in a group of like-minded individuals that sought to preserve the Altmeri way of life, and expel the newly-arrived Bosmer and Khajiit from the Isles.

Racial superiority was a large part of the Heritance's ideological foundation, which was simultaneously a widespread notion among Altmer at large (and continues to be even in the Fourth Era). This was further fuelled by laws instituted by the Queen which forcefully inserted Bosmer and Khajiit into a resistant Altmeri society, such as by incentivising businesses to dismiss Altmeri workers in favour immigrants or robbing Altmer of their decades-long (or centuries-long) livelihoods. Due to these factors, many inhabitants of the Isles gawked at the notion of cat-beasts and cannibals residing in their serene homeland, driving them to support the Heritance due to the stubbornness of Queen Ayrenn to recognise the overwhelming damage she was causing to her people and homeland.

Organisation

The Heritance's structure consisted of three basic tiers: the every-day member, the officer, and the Veiled Council. Exact specifics of the Heritance's inner-workings have largely been lost to history, as it is unknown if, for example, people were specifically designated as recruiters or if everyone was encouraged to find likely targets and bring them into the fold. Furthermore, it is unknown exactly how each rank tier interacted with the others, or what the extent of their influence was over the organisation.

The Heritance's primary operating strategy before war broke out in Auridon was to infiltrate high-ranking offices of power through the recruitment of lords, canonreeves, advisers, etc, or surrounding such individuals with Heritance members to influence their decisions. This was one of the reasons the attempted assassination of Queen Ayrenn I in Vulkhel Guard was such a well-kept secret, and very nearly successful: much of the city watch were already Heritance loyalists, including the captain herself, Dame Astanya Salingal.

Leadership

The Veiled Council was the ruling body of the Heritance, which answered directly to the Veiled Queen herself, and swore to safekeep her real identity. The Council largely operated out of the Veiled Isle, and convened in the grand hall of the Veiled Keep. Being a political faction to install Prince Naemon Arana on the Marble Throne, the organisation's leadership structure was strictly hierarchical, often with lords and nobility in leadership positions. It is unknown how much influence the Council had on lower-ranked members, as many lords declared for the Heritance during the rebellion and they would have all been of the same feudal rank, with only the Veiled Queen above them.

The Veiled Queen, Lady Estre Errinorne, was the leader of the movement and maintained absolute authority over its actions and strategies, including many of the war councils.

Recruitment & Initiation

It is unknown exactly how the Heritance organised its recruitment efforts, although it seems that word of mouth recruitment was widely used, brining high-ranking lords, ladies, and knights into the fold. Additionally, the Heritance was known to target disenfranchised groups, such as those displaced by newly-arrived outsider races, or veterans that were unwilling to watch their culture be trampled by foreigners.

Many who were unsatisfied with the new social order ushered in by Queen Ayrenn I eventually found their way to the Heritance, whether high or lowborn. Support for the Heritance was generally lower on the Summerset Isle itself, as only Auridon had been opened to foreigners by the time of the Heritance's creation. However, particularly the nobility of Summerset already saw the writing on the wall and knew that Ayrenn would eventually open all the Isles to the lesser races, as she later did in 2E 286. As such, nobility from Summerset offered a great deal of support to the Heritance by way of funding, providing manpower, and in some instances even openly declaring for the Heritance during the Veiled Rebellion.

Before you lies three trials: endurance, intelligence, and strength. A Heritance officer must embody all three of these virtues or they're no officer.

—Palomir explaining the recruitment process for Heritance officers

Vows

The Veiled Oath is a pact made by every initiate of the Heritance. The oath is more than just words, it is a magical ritual that binds the speaker's soul to the Heritance's cause through the use of a black soul gem. This prevents members from betraying the group, presumably because the spell would kill the member in question. In practice there are no recorded examples of Heritance members attempting to betray their cause, so it remains unknown if the Oath would in fact cause death or if it was merely a symbolic deterrent.

Given the fact that this style of loyalty-assurance is not used by any other known group on Tamriel, it can be assumed that it requires an especially powerful magic user (e.g., Lady Estre herself) to arrange, perhaps even with the aid of a Daedric Prince such as Mehrunes Dagon, House Errinorne's secret patron deity. Alternatively, it could also be an exceptionally rare and unknown form of soul magic discovered by Estre herself, or preserved by the lords of House Errinorne.

I pledge my life and soul to the Heritance, and the Veiled Queen.

Notable Heritance Members

• Lady Estre Errinorne (the Veiled Queen)
• Prince Naemon Arana (suspected)
• Shade of Naemon
• Lady Avinisse Liaren (suspected)
• Ondicantar
• Endartirinque
• Nenaronald
• Vicereeve Pelidil Luroren
• Earran
• Aranias (formerly)

Defected to the Heritance

• Canonreeve Malanie
• Canonreeve Valano
• Captain Astanya Salingal
• Author of "Life in the Eagle's Shadow"
• Battlereeve Urcelmo Heleyn (in an alternate reality seen by the Lunar Champion)

Foreign Allies

The Heritance employed the assistance of several allies throughout their rebellion:

• The Maormer of Pyandonea, who raided the coasts of Dominion territory, capturing important strongholds and towns. Under the agreement with Sealord Malleroth, the Heritance would allow the sea elves to conquer the Summerset Isles, naming Lady Estre as viceroy of Auridon. However, Estre secretly plotted to betray the sea elves, effectively using them to distract the Dominion's forces, but never allowing them to hold onto territory after Ayrenn was deposed.
• The Ebonheart Pact, who briefly aided the Heritance by offering troops and supplies through a secret landing ground in Quendeluun. By this point in the war the Heritance was losing ground quickly, and Lady Estre was prepared to negotiate with her rivals if it meant the quick deposition of Queen Ayrenn.
• The Toothmaul Tribe of goblins, who theoretically agreed to serve the Heritance as soldiers and labour under a largely one-sided contract. It was quickly found that the tribe were not as useful as the Heritance hoped they would be, and thus quickly abandoned the partnership after an investigation by Dominion soldiers into the tribe's lair, which resulted in many goblin deaths.

Written Works

• Why Don the Veil?

Quotes

We did not seek, nor did we provoke, this assault on our way of life. We did not expect, nor did we invite this confrontation. The true measure of a people's strength is how they rise to master the moment when it comes upon them. Master the moment, Mer of Auridon. Don the Veil! Rise up against this Queen, against her Dominion. And retake the Summerset Isles!

—writings of an unknown Heritance member in Why Don the Veil?

They don't think we need the Dominion to survive. They think the Queen is making a mistake, "elevating" the Bosmer and Khajiit to be equals with the high elves. Racists; isolationists; and general idiots.

—Razum-dar describing the Heritance