Lore:Cath Bedraud

Cath Bedraud
Type	Cemetery
Continent	Tamriel
Province	High Rock
Region	Glenumbra (King's Guard)
Appears in	ESO

Cath Bedraud ca. 2E 582

Cath Bedraud is an ancient cemetery, a series of concentric circular bands found in the highlands of Glenumbra, in the province of High Rock. Cath Bedraud is the burial ground for the province's greatest heroes and monarchs, who fought to the death to protect High Rock for millennia. The surface level of the cemetery is reserved for warriors that were deemed heroes, while below the earth are catacombs and ornate mausoleums for the many kings and queens of the past. The center of the cemetery contains the oldest and most prestigious graves. It is heavily advised to avoid Cath Bedraud in the heavy fog, ghostly lights and hollowed moans occur across the area.

History

Circa 1E 298, a charger of Meridia manifested on Tamriel to deal with a nest of bloodfiends in the area. It is said that this luminous blue horse blazed into Cath Bedraud at sunrise, and that the vampires were reduced to ashes by Meridia's righteous flames.

The cemetery at Cath Bedraud began as a mass grave in the early First Era, roughly around 1E 480 in the wake of the Battle of Glenumbria Moors. Along with the Burial Mounds, this cemetery was made to inter the countless soldiers that fell in battle.

While it is easy to explore the outside area, the underground catacombs are inaccessible. It is theorized that the Direnni used long-forgotten magic to seal the tomb and protect their fallen so that no one could disturb them. The cemetery is a well of speculation and theorization for Imperial scholars. For example, the reason it was built on this exact location is debated among historians, one such notion is that it was designed to bring sunlight on certain graves during High Rock's holiest days. Royal families from the Cumberlands and the Gardners may be found here, as well as courtiers of King Joile's court.

Sometime in the Second Era, the Bloodthorn Cult of Reachmen took residence in Cath Bedraud and for several years, the site was riddled with thick and thorny vines. The Order of Arkay would send special members to investigate the area. By 2E 582, the Bloodthorn Cult began their conquest over Glenumbra, but the tides of victory slowly turned away from them as the Lion Guard and the Knights of the Dragon advanced onto Cath Bedraud. The cult's leader, Angof the Gravesinger sealed himself deep in the inner sanctum. The knight, Sir Thomas Kinlin had his spirit controlled by Angof, to protect one of the shards that led to Angof. An Agent of the Daggerfall Covenant recovered all three shard-keys and confronted Angof. The necromancer was stricken down and Cath Bedraud was freed from his wicked magic. However, the undead continued to roam the cemetery. The Northern Elsweyr Defense Force used these creatures to train warriors to face an invasion of Dragons in Elsweyr.

Gallery

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  Cath Bedraud (ESO Concept Art)

Notes

• The nobles of Rivenspire are normally buried in the Sanguine Barrows southeast of Shornhelm, but the kings and queens of the kingdom are instead interred in Cath Bedraud, per long-standing tradition.

See Also

• For game-specific information, see the ESO article.