Lore:Oreyn

The Oreyn family is an Elvish bloodline that consisted of Dunmer and Bosmer that at one point in time, ruled a kingdom in Valenwood.

History

Helm of Oreyn Bearclaw

The earliest known member of the family, King Faume Toad-Eye was the leader of this unknown Valenwood clan. Faume's heir, a Dunmer who would come to be known as Oreyn Bearclaw, was a respected clan hunter and eventually succeeded his father as the leader of the clan.

Bearclaw accomplished various heroic deeds, most famously the slaying of Glenhwyfaunva, the witch-serpent of the Elven wood, which brought everlasting peace to his clan. Bearclaw eventually succumbed to the Knahaten Flu, his legendary Helm was enshrined as a monument for future generations of the clan to remember his greatness. The clan eventually was divided, and in the process the Helm of Oreyn Bearclaw was lost.

In what could have been no longer than a few decades after Bearclaw's death, one of his descendants, a Bosmer named Gadnuth Oreyn aligned with the Morag Tong assassin Naryu Virian to retrieve the lost Helm of his ancestor, claiming that if he returned the prestigious Helm to his clan, he would be named Treethane. The pair succeeded in retrieving the Helm.

Five generations removed from King Toad-Eye, circa 3E 427 a Dunmer by the name of Farvyn Oreyn had risen to some renown and resided in Vvardenfell. At this time, the name of Oreyn Bearclaw was still widely known, and he was still known as "slayer of beasts and protector of man and mer." For being an Oreyn, Farvyn received great adoration and even a stipend from the Empire. Deeds such as single handedly slaying a Daedra Lord and disposing of troubling Netches were attributed to Farvyn by the locals, who viewed him as a heroic, powerful battlemage. He was ultimately far from what he seemed and both he and his personal guards were killed by the Nerevarine. His death was ordered by the Daedric Prince Malacath, who had wrongly believed Farvyn to be the last of Oreyn Bearclaw's bloodline, but there was at least one other.

In 3E 433 another Dunmer, Modryn Oreyn had established himself as a high-ranking member of the Cyrodiil Fighters Guild, he was known as a no-nonsense, mighty warrior. Modryn worked alongside the Hero of Kvatch to root out corruption in the rival Blackwood Company, eventually destroying the faction altogether. The Hero of Kvatch became the new Master of the Fighters Guild and was given the Helm of Oreyn Bearclaw by Modryn.

Disputed Legacy

The most famous member of Clan Oreyn, Bearclaw is tied to some level of controversy when it comes to his deeds. Oreyn Bearclaw had an Orcish ally by the name of Kharag gro-Khar who by some accounts, was the rightful bearer of the Helm of Oreyn Bearclaw and responsible for the various heroics.

Orcish belief, championed by Malacath himself maintains this as the truth of the matter with the Orcs referring to the Helm as the Helm of Kharag gro-Khar. The Bosmer see it as a legitimate Bosmer relic and instead remember Kharag as the deceiver who took credit for Bearclaw's deeds and also stealing his sacred Helm. Dunmer and other Morrowind natives see the Oreyn family as true heroes. The Empire seems to endorse the Oreyn family to a degree as well, giving members of the family an Imperial stipend.

As for the descendants of Bearclaw, Modryn and Gadnuth before him believed the oral history passed down their bloodline of the legacy of Bearclaw. Farvyn on the other hand, seems to have believed the disputed account and merely enjoyed the spoils and glory that came with being an Oreyn. A scholarly account of various artifacts found in Tamriel, penned by the Last Living Dwarf, Yagrum Bagarn, recants the Oreyn Bearclaw telling of events, and makes no mention of the Kharag gro-Khar narrative.

Gallery

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  Farvyn Oreyn

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  Modryn Oreyn

Notes

• In content that was ultimately cut from the final game of ESO, Faume Toad-Eye's undead form was going to guard over an area known as the Bonebarrows in Grahtwood.

References

Note: The following references are considered to be unofficial sources. They are included to round off this article and may not be authoritative or conclusive.