Official TamrielCraft Development Blog

Bravil

“Old, worn, and wicked. Wet, wounded, and wild. Empty as the eastern horizon, dusk on the Niben. Solemn and bitter as the grave.” – Varon Vamori of Bravil on his home town.

Bravil holds the unfortunate honor of being the poorest major settlement of Cyrodiil. Its poorly maintained streets  lined by ramshackle dwellings, often decades-old and in a state of awful disrepair. The denizens who make their homes in these dwellings also appear to be in worse condition than the average Nibenese citizen, often dressed in pauper’s rags and wearing more than a single day’s layer of dirt. 

Still, like all Nibenese, they are a proud people who enjoy their own unique variation of eastern culture, whether it be their colorful cuisine (utilizing local ingredients, like river prawn and hot peppers), their riverside musicians, or the quaint old courtship rituals inherited from the Ayleids who once made this area home. The latter can often be viewed on days of celebration, when brave young men of Bravil dress in only ceremonial feathers and dive into the river to wrestle with young river dragons, in the hope of impressing the girls of their fancy. 

The town itself has a long and storied history, stretching back to the Ayleid Principalities which once ruled Nibenay. One such principality was overthrown by Alessia’s centurion Teo Bravillius Tasus, who gave the town its name. The particulars of this battle have passed into local legend, and oral accounts of it can be heard both at the Chapel of Mara on Sundas, or from old wives in their rocking chairs, spitting tobacco juice into the river channel on those lazy, humid afternoons where dragonflies dart across the surface of the water and dogs lie in the shade.

The jewel of Bravil is its castle gardens, said to be the loveliest in Cyrodiil aside from those of the Imperial City. They are widely considered by outsiders to be the one bright spot in this old town, but those who bother to stick around long enough to get used to Bravil will note that she is permeated with a particular type of beauty that not everyone can appreciate. What some foreigners or Colovians might consider to be akin to the squalor of a pig pen is simply considered a homely locale that’s “lived in” by the Bravilians. Underneath the layer of dirt and grime, there is much to be admired in this town, particularly in the ancient but sturdy stonework of the castle and the outer walls. It is widely held by people who live there that many of the cornerstones placed by the Ayleids are still in place, thousands of years later.

Its Mages Guild specializes in the school of Illusion, and the Chapel of Mara offers healing and spiritual guidance to the downtrodden. Unlike in certain Colovian cities, there isn’t much of a divide between the magical and the spiritual in Nibenay. Bravil itself was under the stewardship of wealthy Battlemage families for centuries, and while the title of Warlock might be seen as an insult with dark insinuations elsewhere in the Empire, it’s a compliment in Bravil. Magecraft and Sorcery don’t have the dark and impious connotations one would expect elsewhere, either. Many of the local mages are considered paragons of the community. 

Fishing and rice farming are the main industries of Nibenay, and many of her citizens toil from early morning until late in the evening to provide for their families and for the community at large.  Unfortunately Bravil also suffers under a wave of Skooma trafficking, aided and promoted by individuals who don’t value the typical work ethic of the Bravilian, and who amass wealth by peddling poison to the downtrodden and desperate.  If you see anything suspicious, report it an Imperial guardsman immediately. Help keep our streets safe. 

Elder Scrolls Scenery : : Part 1 / ?