Lore:Braig the Bloody

Braig the Bloody
Braig the Bloody (Concept Art)
Race	Reachman	Gender	Male
Died		2E 582 The Reach
Resided in		Morrowind The Reach
Appears in		Betrayal of the Second Era

Braig the Bloody was a Reachman warrior and a prominent member of the Soldiers of the Void. He was one of the two major agents working for the Bosmer mage Deslandra in the Skyrim region, alongside the Falmer known as Pale Fingers. However, their responsibilities and the nature of their collaboration differed significantly. Notably intimidating, he was described as a formidable and feared man, recognized for his strength and prowess. He carried out several of Deslandra's objectives, while also being responsible for forcibly converting numerous foreign individuals into Briarheart warriors. Once transformed, he commanded and controlled them with unwavering authority.

HistoryEdit

MorrowindEdit

Nchuleftingth

At some point circa 2E 582, Braig was an active member of the Soldiers of the Void, a faction seeking to destabilize the Ebonheart Pact in order to operate more freely in Skyrim. An Altmer member of the Soldiers of the Void named Kelkemmemon posed as an emissary for the Eyes of the Queen, deceiving a new spy within the organization into carrying out false flag operations in Morrowind. These operations involved sabotaging the food supplies of the Daggerfall Covenant and the Ebonheart Pact troops stationed at Davon's Watch. Razum-dar eventually caught wind of this plan and intervened, forcing the agent to undo the damage. It was soon uncovered that Kelkemmemon was working on behalf of the Soldiers of the Void. Braig was one of the primary instigators of the conflict. The agent tracked him down and defeated him in battle, but the wounded Reachman managed to escape, leaving behind a significant cache of magical weapons, ready to be shipped to an unknown location.

The group led by Braig was working directly under Deslandra, and they were looking for powerful items capable of augmenting magical items that could utilize in completing her Void Centurion. The tinkered automaton would then provide the formiddable protection needed for her to complete the Great Nullification, which would forever sever the flow of magicka from Aetherius into Mundus, meaning magic would no longer exist. Stories of Deslandra's downfall vary, with one that claims she was slain in Morrowind after Razum-dar and his companions concluded that Nchuleftingth was most likely the group's headquarters in the province. Deslandra in this version of events was ultimately defeated, and the Void Centurion and Deslandra were buried beneath the rubbles of the ruins.

The ReachEdit

Razum-dar, Braig's enemy

In the same year, another man, Fenreld Kjenarik, caught the attention of the Eyes of the Queen, led by Razum-dar. According to their intelligence network, they had evidence that Fenreld was secretly transporting supplies through underground routes to the Falmer, who were launching attacks on Skyrim's cities. At the same time, the Eyes contracted the Dark Brotherhood to assassinate him—ensuring it would be believed that a Reachman was responsible.

Braig the Bloody was also an enemy of the Eyes. He was known for capturing soldiers from the Three Banners War—especially Khajiit—and forcibly turned them into unwilling Briarhearts. Razum-dar had a personal stake in stopping him, as one of his close friends was among Braig's victims. The Eyes decided to cover up the assassins' tracks, planting evidence to shift the blame onto Braig, making it appear as though he was responsible for the crimes Fenreld had been accused of. The Eyes believed that if a Reachman was accused of slaying a prominent local Nord, the Nords themselves would be quick to bring justice down on him. In this way, they hoped to eliminate two troublesome individuals with one action, and perhaps even manipulate the Nords into thinking the idea had originated from them. To achieve this, the Eyes planned to fabricate evidence, making it appear as though Braig was responsible for the death of Kjenarik. A Brotherhood member traveled to a camp near Ysmgar's Beach, a rudimentary Sea Giant settlement on Skyrim's northwest coast, where the Jarl had many loyal followers. The agent, disguised as a Reachman using clothes taken from an uninvolved bystander Reachfolk's corpse, attacked Fenreld and killed him.

Meanwhile, the Eyes of the Queen persuaded some neutral Reachfolk to part with a piece of Braig's old headdress, intending to use it as fabricated evidence. Aware of the Brotherhood's attack, Razum-dar instructed an agent to plant the item near Kjenarik's corpse to implicate Braig. The agent successfully evaded the mourning honor guard stationed nearby and discreetly placed the false evidence. The Brotherhood received their payment for the dark deeds they had carried out. However, it was later found out that Kjenarik was in fact not supplying Blackreach creatures, but Dusktown, a mining village located deep underground. Eyes of the Queen actually paid Brotherhood to murder an innocent, good and honest man. The piece of false evidence that Eyes had planted made it to Solitude, and as a result, the bounty on Braig's head was declared. However, the Soldiers of the Void linked to Deslandra wanted the death of the self proclaimed Jarl to be linked to the Dark Brotherhood.

The agent of the Eyes of the Queen located Braig's camp, but to their dismay, rumors of the Nord's death only strengthened Braig's position. His forces had grown, reportedly with the aid of an outside benefactor—both from above and below Skyrim—as well as Khajiit captives he had transformed into Briarhearts. Ultimately, the Eyes succeeded in defeating and killing Braig, freeing several imprisoned Khajiit in the process. It was revealed that he had been working with individuals connected to Blackreach and had served as the surface conduit for many of the attacks.

See AlsoEdit

• For game-specific information, see the Betrayal of the Second Era article.