Okay, this may be a stupid question and, if so, I'm sorry. At what point were the Forts in Cyrodill built? Obviously, they're in-game to give dungeons to crawl through, but if Tamriel and the Empire were united at the beginning of the Third Era, then why would the forts even be needed?

I'm working on a quest mod and I'd like it to be as lore specific as possible. Would it be too illogical to place these forts in the Second Era?

Thanks for the help.

~ Dani ~

I don't know when they were built, but I'd like to know why they chose such odd locations for these fortalices. You'd think they would have strategic locations to protect important routes or operations, but they seem to be just here or there.

I actually assumed most of them were from the Reman Dynasty, at the end of the first era. Sancre Tor, being the tomb of Reman III, surely was.
It wouldn't make sense for them to have been built, or even used, in the third era IMO; But the second era for a lot of them could be possible. There was enough military strife in the second era to allow for it.


I justify that by thinking that "strategic locations" have changed over time. Maybe there was some previous relevance to an area that is now just forest. :shrug:
That would make more sense if most of these weren't built by a cohesive empire, but rather by warring feudal kings and whatnot. There was a lot of that in the 2E, if I recall.

They're from the crest of the pre-Crisis Disguise-our-forts-to-look-like-ruins Period. This was when, modern theologians say, the gods buried our awful dialogue in plentiful combat.


The forts with histories should be simple enough to find. Find those, then you know you can do whatever you want with the rest.

In reading through the First, Second, and Third Era timelines, what you suggest makes the most sense. Most of them would have been built during the Reman Dynasty to forestall the Akavari invasion. That would also explain - to some degree - their placement.

Thanks for the help.

~ Dani ~

It's been quite awhile since I played oblivion, but I *think* that there's specific mention of a fort with regards to fighting the Akaviri.
Pale Pass, maybe?
Anyways, glad I can help.

Yes, you are correct. Pale Pass is one of the Akaviri forts.

~ Dani ~

I dont think Beth has given it much thought themselves.So i dont think the forts are built in a specific timeline.

Beth never thought about this. Oblivion was just a bunch of randomly placed ruins, caves and `mines′.

But the first and second era sounds possible. Perhaps some of them built during the early third era as barracks, or as hastily made defences. Later on with a more stabile empire these forts were all left to bandits... Although that doesnt sound very smart. If you would let me chose I would ATLEAST completely destroy any unused forts (including the interior) which are close to cities, roads, villages or other strategic points. Those forts in the wilderness arent as important and can be left to the bandits to use.

There's a difference between lore-motivated and lore-explained. The lore explains the reason why the forts exist: the province has previously been very wartorn, but not for quite a while. The reason why they exist is not the motivation for why they exist, if you catch my meaning. The motivation is to have dungeons to explore. Mines and caves... to a lesser degree I'll agree with you, since it seems like some, albeit abandoned, mines exist far from any kind of settlement past or present. As for your randomly placed theory, look at a map containing the Hestra runestones and then look at the constellations. Then tell me they weren't placed randomly.

I'd also put forward that some forts were constructed and used, especially in the west, during the Camoran Usurper's conquest.

I say the majority of them are 1'st era. The mere fact that some appear in the Heartlands as opposed to the borders of Morrowind, Valenwood, and Black Marsh indicates that infighting between pre-Cyrodiilic dukes and barons before unification.

My knowledge of TES history is small, but I thought that for most of the first era, humanity was either subjugated by the Ayleids or united under Alessia's empire? It was my understanding that it was only during the second era that humans were a dominant force but lacked central leadership, as evinced by:
Would men have been strong enough and civilized enough in the Heartlands before the Alessian Rebellion to build forts and fight wars? I thought they were all slaves.

slaves who spent their life building aylied ccities. If any escped they'd be more than experienced in masonry

Well, maybe, but being a knowledgeable stone-mason and building a fort are very different things. You don't build a fort unless you're someone with population to command, and soldiers to support, and enemies to fight. Slaves rarely have those things.

So the Nords (or just northern people, I don't know if they were Nords at that point) weren't enslaved by the Ayleids, right? It was just the heartland people? I seem to recall something about Alessia making a deal with some northern chieftain.
Not that it matters, since they wouldn't have been building forts in a foreign land.

[quote name='the2crow' date='10 September 2010 - 08:30 PM' timestamp='1284165037' post='16377934']
My knowledge of TES history is small, but I thought that for most of the first era, humanity was either subjugated by the Ayleids or united under Alessia's empire?[quote]

The era before Reman Cyrodiil was the Mythic Age. The first era began after the creation of the first Empire by Alessia. The large number of forts in Heartland Nibenay and the Nibenay Valley would be remnants of the War of Righteousness, while forts in near Skyrim would probably date back close to the early 1E: 2700 and the Akaviri invasions.

The First Era began with the founding of Valenwood. The Alessian Rebellion started in 1E272. Reman I founded his empire in 1E2703.