Snowmane Family

The Snowmanes are a family of Nords living primarily in northern Cyrodiil and southern Skyrim. They are a wealthy family, though they use their wealth not for personal gain, but to help those in need. The family was formed in 3E 433 when Eric Whitecaller renounced his family name and became Eric Snowmane.

Origin
The Snowmane family was originally the Whitecaller family, taking on the name of Snowmane in 3E 433 when Eric Whitecaller changed his surname to Snowmane when he was fifty-four years old, and going out on the quest to gather the Crusader's Relics of Pelinal Whitestrake to battle Umaril the Unfeathered.

The reason for his name change is unknown, although it is speculated by historians that he either wanted a fresh start, after tarnishing the noble Whitecaller name with his petty thievery, prison time, and dishonorable discharge from the Imperial Legion in 3E 412, an act that had never happened in over 150 years of the family serving in the Legion.

Other sources speculate that the people he met on his journeys viewed him as a wise man, and with his graying hair, he took on the name "Snowmane", similar to the prestigious Greybeards of Skyrim, to allow the name and his wisdom to travel together and give him a noble history to hold up to.

Whatever the situation was, as the only child of Roggvir Whitecaller and his wife Ava, the Whitecallers line ceased to exist, and a new line of Snowmanes rose from the remains.

Modern Times
Two centuries later, Eric Snowmane is long deceased, though his heirs keep the name going strong. Eric Snowmane is remembered among all as the original Knight of the Nine of the 4th Era, and the Divine Crusader, and his family has lived up to the history, carrying a strict military tradition and a firm belief in Talos and the Nine Divines, despite the Thalmor banishment of Talos as a Divine.

Military Tradition
All males of the Snowmane line are sent to the garrison nearest to their place of residence when they come of age, and they begin two years of intense Legion training before being garrisoned all around Tamriel to serve the Legion. The Snowmane family views honor and piety above all, and the men who pass training and become warriors quickly rise in prestige.

Those who fail to make it into the Legion are typically sent abroad to other provinces to learn various trades, although this is rare. There has only been two instances of a Snowmane male not becoming a Legionnaire: Hewer Snowmane, who, in 3E 24 traveled to Vvardenfel to the ruins of Bal Isra, home of his father Eric, to dig up the ruins to see what was salvageable, and he used the thousands of Septims of wealth still safely in strongboxes in the basement to help refugees fleeing into Skyrim; and Sifynn Snowmane, a notorious necromancer who lived near Winterhold capturing and murdering to study bodies.

Wealth
The Snowmane wealth was acquired in Vvardenfell, Morrowind during the late 3E 420s when Eric Snowmane joined House Redoran and rose in ranks to become business partners with Athyn Sarethi. Eric was able to carefully invest his money in Vvardenfell and abroad, making large sums of money making and selling wines, silks, or anything he could turn a profit on. The money and gems he made were kept in a series of strongboxes in his Bal Isra home, which he returned to for funds when needed, and generally left in the trust of his loyal servants.

During the Red Year in 4E 5, the settlements of Vvardenfell were destroyed as nearby Red Mountain errupted, and a series of earthquakes leveled the manor, which was then buried as the ash settled. Nineteen years later, Eric's son Hewer was successfully able to find and uncover Bal Isra, and discover the strongboxes safely preserved in the basement, where the thick base of the manor was able to stay firm during the Red Year.

Religious Beliefs
The Snowmanes are firm believers in the concept of nine Divines, and they openly worship Talos as the Ninth, much to the displeasure of the Thalmor, who seek to eradicate the family.

Relations with the Empire and the Thalmor
The Snowmanes are firm believers in the necessity of a unified resistance against the Thalmor, and they are a prominent family in the Empire, thanks to their longstanding military tradition, which dates back to the Whitecallers, and their ever growing benevolence and desire to extend their wealth to the beggars.

The Thalmor, on the other hand, view this family of open Talos worshippers as a threat, but have yet to successfully suppress their "heresy". There have been three attempts at dealing with the Snowmanes, all of which failed, due to the superior training of the Imperial Legionnaires that the family has, and the last attempt at kidnapping a Snowmane, young Siri, resulted in a public uprising being led by Holger, who led a militia to assault the local Thalmor agents and secure the release of his daughter.

With the public on the side of the Snowmanes, the Thalmor are bidding their time until they can strike and deal with the family without causing such a scene, because, thanks to the Snowmanes' Legion influences, it is very likely that a force required to suppress a whole city in the Empire would result in direct intervention by the Legionnaires.