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Hegathe (also called Old Hegathe) is a city in southwestern Hammerfell. It lies along the Abecean coast, south of Sentinel. The name is an Aldmeris word roughly translating to "Deathland". The Aldmer had originally given the name to the entire region of modern-day Hammerfell.
When the Ra Gada first arrived, they landed at modern-day Hegathe. The area was inhabited by beastfolk, whom they drove off. They gave the area the name Hegathe, and made it the capital of their new realm. It remained the capital of their territory until the Interregnum, when the capital was moved to Sentinel as the result of a power struggle between the Crowns and the Forebears (Hegathe has historically been a Crown city). The austere ramparts of the city are renowned for their antique splendor.
Hegathe has some association with assassination. The first mention of the Dark Brotherhood was found in the journals of the "Blood Queen" Arlimahera, who ruled Hegathe circa 2E 412. She wrote of slaying her enemies by her own hand, or if necessary “with the help of the Night Mother and her Dark Brotherhood, the secret arsenal my family has employed since my grandfather's time". According to the historical fiction 2920, The Last Year of the First Era, it was an initiate in the local Morwha conservatorium who killed Emperor Reman III, an event which heralded the end of the First Era.
The city played a key role in the Great War. After instigating hostilities, the Aldmeri Dominion invaded southern Hammerfell, and by 4E 172, they controlled the entire southern coastline except for Hegathe, which they besieged. But in early 4E 173, a Forebear army from Sentinel broke the siege. This defeat and a subsequent bloody clash with the Imperial Legion left the Dominion forces too weak to advance any further. Additionally, the Forebears coming to the aid of the Crowns led to the reconciliation of the two factions.
- Arena was originally conceived as a fighting game featuring a tournament that took the player to each of Tamriel's cities to challenge different gladiatorial teams. According to a file from that stage of development left behind in the final game, Hegathe's gladiatorial team would have been called "the Bloodhorns".[oog 1]
- The Osseous Crux was discovered on the coastline near Hegathe. The Crux was relocated to Sentinel, though it soon vanished.
- Sacrilege and Mayhem in the Alik'r is a report to the Hegathe royal family on rumors of necromancy in northern Hammerfell.
- ^ Map of Hammerfell
- ^ a b Pocket Guide to the Empire, 1st Edition: Hammerfell — Imperial Geographical Society, 2E 864
- ^ Pocket Guide to the Empire, 3rd Edition: The Ra Gada: Hammerfell — Imperial Geographical Society, 3E 432
- ^ Sentinel, the Jewel of Alik'r — The Unveiled Azadiyeh, Songbird of Satakalaam
- ^ The Brothers of Darkness — Pellarne Assi
- ^ Book Twelve of 2920, The Last Year of the First Era - Evening Star — Carlovac Townway
- ^ A Concise Account of the Great War Between the Empire and the Aldmeri Dominion — Legate Justianus Quintius
- ^ The Vanishing Crux — Masura-dra, Sentinel Magister
Note: the following references are not found in game. They are included to provide a rounder background to this article, but may not reflect established lore.