Lore:Hew's Bane

Hew's Bane
Type	Region
Continent	Tamriel
Province	Hammerfell
Appears in	ESO

Hew's Bane

Hew's Bane, originally known as Khefrem's Boot, is a peninsula in southern Khefrem on the south coast of Hammerfell. The region is named after Prince Hubalajad, or "Prince Hew", who attempted to bring civilization to this corner of Hammerfell in the early days of the Ra Gada. He discovered a barren peninsula hostile to most life; scorching heat and seasonal flooding led to brackish water and ground which was unsuitable for crops. Despite his best efforts, Prince Hew was foiled at every turn, and nearly all his endeavors resulted in failure.

The extreme climate of Hew's Bane leads to a landscape of scorched rocks and sand dunes alternating with bubbling streams and lush desert foliage. The peninsula is home to exotic species such as the kotu gava and haj mota, as well as more mundane creatures like lions, lamia, and assassin beetles.

It was during Prince Hew's rule that the city of Abah's Landing was founded. Located beside a natural protected harbor on the east side of the peninsula, what started as a simple soldier's camp and shantytown soon grew into a sprawling walled city which dominates the region. Hubalajad himself constructed a lavish palace within the city, from which his descendants would rule for several generations. The prince also raised the imposing No Shira Citadel to the south of the city, although the fortification was quickly undermined by seasonal flooding and had to be abandoned. The impressive Princes Gate established northern passage to other Ra Gada holdings. Hubalajad's uncle, Magnifico Bahraha, was magically sealed within the royal tomb along with his followers when he was discovered to be a necromancer, something completely repugnant to devout Yokudans. The crypt became known as Bahraha's Gloom, although the nature of its inhabitants was kept secret from the locals. The prince himself was buried in a shuttered tomb beneath a great rock formation in the southern deserts.

At the end of the First Era, the peninsula began to go by the name of "Hew's Bane" rather than Khefrem's Boot. Popular myth had transformed Prince Hew into a comic figure, replacing his tenacity with a perceived thick-headedness. In time the city of Abah's Landing came to be ruled by self-styled "merchant lords", powerful families who profited immensely from the rampant piracy and banditry in the region. The hinterlands of Hew's Bane were populated almost exclusively by pirate crews and Maormer slavers. The local outlaws in Abah's Landing formed a highly structured criminal organization called the Thieves Guild, which profited from playing the merchant lords against each other. The free city of Abah's Landing thus developed a deep rivalry with the opulent kingdom of Taneth to the north, whose traders usually bore the brunt of this thievery.

Rivalry with Taneth came to a head in 2E 582, when the Thieves Guild broke into the royal al-Danobia Tomb and stole Magnifica Falorah's dowry. Falorah, whose influence in Taneth was thought to trump even the queen's, was not only desperate to recover her dowry, but sought to avenge the desecration of Danobia's corpse. Seeing it as an opportunity to cripple Abah's Landing, she contracted a militaristic order of bailiffs called the Iron Wheel to hunt down and imprison the Thieves Guild in its entirety. Their leader, Chief Inspector Rhanbiq, quickly realized that they had been used for political purposes as an occupying force and withdrew the Iron Wheel to the ruins of No Shira. Unbeknownst to the Guild, the guildmaster Nicolas used the dowry to establish himself as a merchant lord under the pseudonym of "Cosh". Cosh quickly proposed to Magnifica Falorah, seeking to exploit her lack of suitors in order to establish himself in Taneth. Falorah accepted, believing that the marriage would turn Abah's Landing into a puppet city and cripple the merchant lords. However, the remaining elements of the Thieves Guild discovered Nicolas' treachery and exposed his true identity. The Guild then infiltrated No Shira, freeing the guild members who had been captured by the Iron Wheel. Grateful for their assistance, Falorah established direct contact with the restored Guild, which in turn re-established the status quo by keeping a handle on the merchant lords on behalf of Taneth.

The Thieves Guild began making contact with other groups of outlaws throughout the cities of Tamriel, and quickly established a reputation. By the Third Era, the guild of Abah's Landing had spread to become the modern Tamriel-wide Thieves Guild.

See Also

• For more information, see the ESO article.