Lore:Veiled Heritance

The Veiled Heritance was a covert group of Altmeri nationalists formed in 2E 582 in response to the rise of Queen Ayrenn and the Aldmeri Dominion. Vehemently against the young queen and her Bosmer and Khajiit allies, they sought to depose her and appoint their own monarch, the Veiled Queen, High Kinlady Estre of Errinorne.

The Heritance consisted mainly of disenfranchised veterans and youths. Many more traditional Altmer despised the Dominion due to their feelings of racial superiority and disliked Ayrenn due to her unorthodox wanderings as a youth, and as such the Heritance enjoyed widespread support. The group's main presence was on Auridon, and their base of operations was a ruin on Errinorne Isle known as the Veiled Keep. Recruits would be taken to the island to train and pledge their souls to the Heritance. The group were aligned with Mehrunes Dagon due to Estre's secret worship of the Prince, although they eventually fell under the sway of Molag Bal.

Timeline

The opening act of the Heritance's rebellion was the attempted assassination of Ayrenn at Vulkhel Guard at the beginning of her island-wide coronation ceremony. Following the plan's failure, the Heritance attempted to disrupt Ayrenn's journey several times, going so far as to bind the ancestral spirits at Tanzelwil. The Heritance was driven out of Silsailen, Mathiisen, and ultimately Skywatch when Estre's treachery was revealed by the Eyes of the Queen. The group grew more desperate as time went on, making various nefarious alliances (see below). With the Heritance largely subdued, Estre offered her own soul to Dagon in return for Daedric support. After desecrating the shrines at Torinaan, Estre entered the city of Firsthold and opened Oblivion Gates within the walls. Dominion forces successfully closed the gates, and Estre was killed during a final confrontation in the Deadlands.

Despite being defeated in Summerset, the Heritance had already spread to mainland Tamriel, where they continued to attempt to collapse the Dominion. They were quickly driven from the capital of Elden Root. After the death of Prince Naemon following his attempt to usurp Ayrenn's throne, the Heritance captured his body and stole the Staff of Magnus from the Dominion vaults in Marbruk. Naemon was resurrected as a lich, and began the attempted corruption of the whole of Valenwood, planning to transform it into a dark domain known as the Shadow Wood. This plan was ended following the death of Vicereeve Pelidil during a sea battle and the destruction of Naemon's lich at Hectahame.

The shattered Heritance then retreated underground, where they continued to use their local connections on Auridon to facilitate smuggling. Despite their defeat, the group still posed a serious threat to the Dominion, as revealed to the new Mane during the Two-Moons Dance. During this vision, it was revealed that the Heritance would rise up after the Dominion's collapse, if the Khajiit had been left without a Mane. It was foretold that Battlereeve Urcelmo would betray Ayrenn and deal her a fatal blow, while the Daggerfall Covenant and Ebonheart Pact invaded the former Dominion territories.

In death, Estre's soul was claimed by Molag Bal to be eternally punished for her failure. Many Heritance members suffered the same fate, forced to fight alongside her on the Cliffs of Failure.

Alliances

The Heritance sought alliances with several enemies of the Dominion:

• The Sea Viper Maormer were perhaps the Heritance's most important allies, and raided important coastal locations across the Dominion. Sealord Malleroth of the Maormer High Command promised Estre the post of Viceroy of Auridon should she aid the Maormer in conquering the Summerset Isles. The Sea Vipers, however, desired to conquer the coastline of Valenwood.
• The Ebonheart Pact attempted to aid the Heritance by landing troops and supplies on Auridon, but were driven off.
• The Heritance tricked the Toothmaul Tribe of goblins into signing a largely unilateral contract, which theoretically allowed the Altmer to use them as soldiers and labor. The brief alliance was ended after local authorities investigated the goblin cave and alerted the goblin chief, Koth.