The Elder Scrolls Lore FAQ

This FAQ was originally compiled from contributions made by a large number of this forum's regular users.

• http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?act=findpost&pid=2972575
  
• http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?act=findpost&pid=2972591
  
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• http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?act=findpost&pid=2973155
  
• http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?act=findpost&pid=2973364
  
• http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?act=findpost&pid=2973408
  
• http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?act=findpost&pid=2973522
  
• http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?act=findpost&pid=2973699
  
• http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?act=findpost&pid=2973706
  
• http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?act=findpost&pid=2973714
  
• http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?act=findpost&pid=2973728
  
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• http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?act=findpost&pid=2973818
  
• http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?act=findpost&pid=2974014
  
• http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?act=findpost&pid=2974225
  
• http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?act=findpost&pid=2974788
  
• http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?act=findpost&pid=2976455
  
• http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?act=findpost&pid=2976556

1. What are the Elder Scrolls?

These powerful tools of prophecy and divination, the prize of the Empire, tell of every event that ever has happened or will happen. The Cyrodilic Moth priests, who are their keepers, invoke the Elder Scrolls by ritually attuning them to a specific time or space and attempt to interpret the glyphs that form upon their surface.

The Scrolls are believed to be kept in the Imperial City and may be stored in the Hall Of Records, which is itself likely to form part of the Imperial Palace.

The Moth priests belong to a monastic order founded by http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?act=findpost&pid=2973408 and dedicated to the god Julianos, the Cyrodilic Divine whose sphere is 'literature, law, history, and contradiction'. It is likely that they form part of the Nibenese http://www.imperial-library.info/pge/cyrodiil.shtml

http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=15282

2. What is the Elder Scrolls game world called?

The world itself is known by many names but the most commonly used are Nirn or the Mundus. Both of these describe the planet or plane of mortal experience, upon which the Elder Scrolls games are set. The name Nirn means 'Arena' in an ancient tongue, called Ehlnofex, and relates to the notion that the mortal world has always been the focus of immortal rivalries.

http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=15282

3. Are there other worlds then?

Yes many. Other worlds are the realms of various immortals, many of whom are revered as http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?act=findpost&pid=2973364 by different mortal cultures. The immortals and their worlds tend to be categorised as relating to either Aetherius (the 'plane of magic') or Oblivion.

You can begin to learn more about Nirn and other worlds from the official source http://www.imperial-library.info/cosmology.shtml

from the game book http://www.imperial-library.info/mwbooks/onoblivion.shtml

from the unofficial study http://www.whirlingschool.net/studies/introwheel.html

and from the site http://dwemer.whirlingschool.net/planets.html.

http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=15282

4. What is Tamriel?

http://www.elderscrolls.com/codex/races_map.htm is the continent of http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?act=findpost&pid=2972591 upon which the Elder Scrolls games are set. The continent is divided into nine distinct regions which, during the Third Era, are all provinces of the Cyrodilic Empire.

Here is a brief look at the nine provinces of Tamriel:



• Cyrodiil - also known as the Heartland, Cyrodiil is a vast tropical interior province in the central-south of Tamriel. Cyrodiil is the home of Cyrodilic humans (Imperials) and the seat of their Empire.
  
  
  
• Morrowind - the home of the Dunmer or 'Dark Elves'. This is the most north-easterly province. It is divided between the continental mainland and Vvardenfell, a large island surrounded by the Inner Sea, an inlet issuing from the Sea of Ghosts to the north. Vvardenfell is the setting for the game http://www.elderscrolls.com/games/games_overview.htm.
  
  You can learn more about Morrowind from the official source http://www.imperial-library.info/savant/
  
  and from the unofficial report http://www.imperial-library.info/fsg/ghanburighanarticle1.shtml.
  
  
  
• Skyrim - this is the most northern of Tamrielic provinces. Skyrim is a cold and mountainous region that is home to the hardy Nord race of humans.
  
  
  
• High Rock - a temperate coastal region in north-western Tamriel. High Rock is a sprawling, political morass of Breton city states and minor kingdoms.
  
  You can learn more about High Rock from the game book http://www.imperial-library.info/dfbooks/b061_daggerfall_hist_2.shtml.
  
  
  
• Hammerfell - the broad, arid, coastal region of western Tamriel, dominated by the vast Alik'r desert. Hammerfell is home to the Redguard race of humans.
  
  
  
• Summerset - a large archipelago at the south-western tip of Tamriel, dominated by the sub-continental Summerset Isle. Summerset is home to the Altmer or 'High Elves'.
  
  
  
• Valenwood - the densely forested, sub-tropical region that forms the south-west coastal plain of Tamriel. Valenwood is home to the Bosmer or 'Wood Elves'.
  
  
  
• Elsweyr - divided across arid badlands to the North and a more populous sub-tropical zone in the South, this region marks the southern coast of Tamriel. Elsweyr is home to the Khajiit.
  
  
  
• Black Marsh - a huge and mostly unchartered region of densely vegetated wetlands, at the south-eastern tip of Tamriel. Argonians thrive in the foreboding swamps of Black Marsh.

You can study maps of Tamriel at the sites

http://www.imperial-library.info/maps/

http://www.uesp.net/tamriel/geography/tamgeog.shtml

and you can learn more about the provinces of Tamriel from the game book http://www.imperial-library.info/pge/.

http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=15282

5. Are there other continents apart from Tamriel?

It is generally agreed that there are, or have been, five continents besides Tamriel.

• Akavir - home to a wide variety of demon and beast races, many of whom have designs on Tamriel. This large continent is east of Tamriel.
  
  
  
• Atmora - harsh and frozen homeland of Atmoran humans, the persisting ancestors of both Nords and Cyrodiils. This land lies to the north of Tamriel.
  
  
  
• Pyandonea - home of the Maormer or Tropical Elves. This is a land far to the south of the Summurset Isles, the most southern territory of Tamriel.
  
  
  
• Thras - domain of the Sload race. Sometimes described as 'the coral kingdoms', this land is said to have risen out of the Abecean sea between Tamriel and Yokuda. History records that this land was razed by the All Flags Navy of Tamriel, in retribution for the Thrassian Plague unleashed by Sload in 1E2200. Whether it continues to exist in the Third Era is disputed.
  
  
  
• Yokuda - continent from which the Redguard race originated. It was somewhere west of Tamriel before the Redguard apparently destroyed most of it during the First Era, although traces of the continent still appear on maps dating from the end of the Second Era.

You can learn more about these other continents from the game books,

http://www.imperial-library.info/mwbooks/mysterious_akavir.shtml

http://www.imperial-library.info/pge/wildregions.shtml.

http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=15282

6. What is known about different races?

Races are numerous and diverse upon Nirn. Most can be classified as either civilized or uncivilized, although the distinction between these groups is frequently blurred, usually by ignorance or prejudice.

The list of civilized races includes most of those that can be further classed as hominids, usually men or mer ('Elves' in the common parlance of men, lit. 'People', 'Folk' or 'Ones'), but should also include certain of those races commonly referred to as betmer or 'beastfolk', such as Argonians, the lizard people of Black Marsh.

Here is quick look at the known civilized races of Tamriel:



• Aldmer (Elder People, First Folk)- depending upon its context, this term is used to describe either all mer collectively as a distinct racial grouping or the original progenitors of all mer that first settled Tamriel in the Merethic Era. In the latter sense, Aldmer are frequently identified with Altmer, who continue to inhabit the earliest centralized elven homelands of Tamriel and who try to preserve their original racial purity.
  
  
  
• Altmer (High People, High Elves) - the golden-skinned mer of the http://www.imperial-library.info/mwbooks/provincesoftamriel.shtml (2E part of the Aldmeri Dominion) the original homeland of Tamrielic Aldmer. They consider themselves to be both the purest strain of mer in Tamriel and its most civilized race. Altmeri culture is deeply traditional, highly organised and exclusive, preferring little contact with 'lesser' races of mer and men. Altmer show a great propensity for magic and much of their culture is founded upon use of the arcane.
  
  
  
• Argonians (People Of The Root) - the lizard people of Argonia, the marshland expanse of far south-eastern Tamriel (Imperial Province of http://www.imperial-library.info/mwbooks/provincesoftamriel.shtml). Sadly, little is known about either their history or culture, but it is clear that Argonians are intelligent and agile, adapted for life on land or in water, and show an aptitude for magic.
  
  You can learn more about Argonians at the site http://www.rpgplanet.com/morrowind/ral-jiktar/index.htm.
  
  
  
• Ayleids (Hidden Folk, Wild Elves) - these reclusive mer are reputed to inhabit the wild areas of every region of Tamriel. They isolate themselves from all other races, even Altmer, preferring to maintain an exclusively Ayleidic, traditional culture that is removed from and alien to the mainstream of Tamriel.
  
  You can learn more about Ayleids from the game book http://www.imperial-library.info/mwbooks/wildelves.shtml.
  
  
  
• Bosmer (Tree-Sap People, Green or Forest Folk, Wood Elves) - tan-skinned inhabitants of the dense rain forests of http://www.imperial-library.info/mwbooks/provincesoftamriel.shtml (2E part of the Aldmeri Dominion) in south-west Tamriel. Their society is clan based and largely informal; Bosmer care little for most of the civilized trappings of other Tamrielic cultures, preferring to live harmoniously with their natural surroundings.
  
  
  
• Bretons - a diverse, hominid race native to the region of http://www.imperial-library.info/mwbooks/provincesoftamriel.shtml in north-west Tamriel. Their fragmented society is violently sectarian and, before Imperial domination in the Third Era, comprised many rival city kingdoms that warred with each other regularly. Bretons are likely to have originated in the late Merethic or early First Era, from interbreeding between Altmer, who then dominated High Rock, and Nedic (early men) settlers. It is likely to be this part-Altmeri lineage that has gifted Bretons with their great affinity for magic.
  
  
  
• Chimer (Changed Ones, People Of The North) - a tribe of Aldmer who undertook the Velothi exodus from the Summurset Isles, during the Merethic Era, after assuming religious beliefs based upon the veneration of Daedra Princes. They settled in the land now known as Morrowind where they eventually became the Dunmer.
  
  You can learn more about the origins of the Chimer from the game book http://www.imperial-library.info/mwbooks/changed_ones.shtml.
  
  
  
• Cyrodiils (Imperials, Men) - the modern descendants of Merethic Era Nedic (proto-Cyrodiil) and First Era Nord (Cyro-Nord) settlers who thrived in the Nibenay and Colovian interior regions of Tamriel that are now known as http://www.imperial-library.info/mwbooks/provincesoftamriel.shtml. The Heartlanders, as they are also known, have a long and rich heritage and a highly developed society. Third Era Cyrodilic Emperors of Tamriel have ruled the continent for over four hundred years, since the conquest of http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?act=findpost&pid=2973408.
  
  You can learn more about the origins of Cyrodiils from the game book http://www.imperial-library.info/mwbooks/frontier_conquest.shtml.
  
  
  
• Dunmer (Cursed People, Dark Elves) - the dark-skinned mer native to volcanic http://www.imperial-library.info/mwbooks/provincesoftamriel.shtml in the north-east of Tamriel. They have a strictly hierarchical society based upon their organization into settled Great Houses, although a few nomadic tribes remain in northern Vvardenfell. Dunmer are regarded suspiciously by other races, but Dunmeri culture is colorful and vibrant, albeit somewhat cool towards foreigners or 'outlanders' as they are known.
  
  You can learn more about Dunmeri culture from the game book http://www.imperial-library.info/mwbooks/great_houses_of_morrowind.shtml.
  
  
  
• Dwemer (Deep Folk, Dwarves) - although widely used, the term 'dwarves' is a misnomer, the Dwemer were actually of average hominid height. They formed close knit communities in subterranean dwellings across Tamriel. Dwemeri society was highly organised and based upon their common passions for logic and 'technological' innovation. Almost the entire race mysteriously disappeared during the http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?act=findpost&pid=2973728 (ca. 1E700).
  
  You can learn more about Dwemer from the game books http://www.imperial-library.info/mwbooks/abcindex.shtml
  
  from the unofficial reports
  
  http://www.imperial-library.info/dwemer/
  
  http://www.imperial-library.info/fsg/strikerarticle1.shtml
  
  http://www.imperial-library.info/fsg/tsbasiliskarticle1.shtml
  
  and from the site http://dwemer.whirlingschool.net.
  
  
  
• Ehlnofey - believed by many to be one of the earliest mortal races upon Nirn and ancestors of both men and mer. However, "Ehlnofey" can be translated as 'Earth Bones' and, as such, the term is often used to describe the mythic foundations of the mortal plane itself, created by a sacrificial transition which certain immortals undertook during the legendary Dawn Era. Altmer specifically revere these immortals as http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?act=findpost&pid=2973364, that is, 'our ancestors'.
  
  You can learn more about the Ehlnofey and the possible origins of mortals from the game book http://www.imperial-library.info/mwbooks/anuad.shtml
  
  and from the official source http://www.imperial-library.info/history/dawn.shtml.
  
  
  
• Falmer (Snow People, Snow or Ice Elves) - these legendary mer are reputed to have once inhabited the cold wastes of northern Tamriel. They feature in Nord folklore, but there are no modern accounts of them and they are widely believed to be now extinct. One myth holds that they were exterminated by the Nords of Skyrim, during the reign of King Vrage the Gifted (ca. 1E230), while another suggests that the last of the Falmer were killed by the Nords of Solstheim.
  
  
  
• Hist - 'The Anuad' (see Ehlnofey above) portrays the Hist as an ancient, sentient race of trees; a distinct racial group that coexisted with the Ehlnofey in the Dawn Era. Argonians hold the Hist to be sacred, but it is difficult to say whether they venerate them in the same way that men, and even mer, worship gods. To Argonians, the Hist appear to represent life, as both the wellspring of life and the guardians of their life cycle.
  
  You can learn more about the Hist from the game book http://www.imperial-library.info/mwbooks/marobar02.shtml.
  
  
  
• Khajiit (lit. Desert Walkers) - an often hominid race who credit their own creation to the http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?act=findpost&pid=2973364 Azura, from the same ancestral roots as Bosmer. She tied them to the ja-Kha'jay or 'lunar lattice' so that their individual forms would be dictated by the phases of the moons. The feline Khajiit originate from the arid northern wastelands and southern jungles of http://www.imperial-library.info/mwbooks/provincesoftamriel.shtml, in southern Tamriel.
  
  You can learn more about Khajiit from explanations given by Jobasha in the official source http://www.imperial-library.info/interviews/jobasha.shtml#Jobasha.
  
  
  
• Nords (Men) - descendants of the men of Atmora that migrated to northern Tamriel in the early First Era. Nord traditions are resplendent with legendary heroes that battled their traditional enemies, elves and orcs, using the Thu'um, a powerful voice-magic. They are a hardy and warlike race, innovative woodcrafters, skilled sea farers and shrewd traders. Nords are naturally resistant to cold and thrive in the harsh climate of http://www.imperial-library.info/mwbooks/provincesoftamriel.shtml.
  
  You can learn more about Nords from the game book http://www.imperial-library.info/mwbooks/children_sky.shtml.
  
  
  
• Orsimer (Pariah Folk, Orcs) - originally a tribe of Aldmer that venerated Trinimac the Champion of the Aedra. During the Merethic Era they became corrupted by the transformation of Trinimac into the Daedra Prince Malacath (Malauch) and were exiled from Summurset; eventually they founded the city-state of Orsinium near High Rock. Modern Orcs are stalwart warriors and widely respected for their service in the Imperial Legions; their armour is among the finest quality and most prized in Tamriel.
  
  You can learn more about Orsimer from the game book http://www.imperial-library.info/mwbooks/truenatureoforcs.shtml.
  
  
  
• Redguards (from 'Ra Gada', Men) - former inhabitants of the continent of Yokuda, who migrated to Tamriel and settled in the http://www.imperial-library.info/mwbooks/provincesoftamriel.shtml region in the later First Era. Yokudan culture developed in isolation from other races of men and Redguard society is largely founded upon disciplined and self-reliant martial prowess. They are typically skilled sea farers and there are no finer warriors than Redguards in all of Tamriel.
  
  You can learn more about Redguards from the game book http://www.www.imperial-library.info/dfbooks/b004_redguard.shtml.

You can also learn more about many of the races of Tamriel (and beyond), their classification, homelands and cultures from the official source http://www.elderscrolls.com/index.php?url=/codex/races_map.htm&bg=03

and from the game books

http://www.imperial-library.info/pge

http://www.imperial-library.info/mwbooks/notesracial.shtml.

Other civilized races upon Nirn include:



• Imga - the Ape Men of Valenwood. Aspiring to be more like mer, they often shave their fur, wear Altmeri clothing and even adopt superior attitudes towards men and other beast races.
  
  
  
• Kamal - the Snow Demons of Akavir that thaw out each year and attempt to overrun the Tang Mo. In the past, they have also attempted to invade Tamriel.
  
  
  
• Ka Po' Tun - the Tiger Folk of Akavir. The last of the Akaviri Dragons were destroyed long ago, during a war between the now Ka Po' Tun and the Tsaesci. Now the Tiger Folk seek to become Dragons; their leader, Tosh Raka, has reputedly succeeded and is now the largest Dragon on Nirn.
  
  
  
• Maormer (Tropical Elves) - originally outcast Aldmer, who now have a well established culture on the continent of Pyandonea. Their skin has a natural chameleon-like quality that tends to give them an unusual, colorless appearance.
  
  
  
• Sload - a slug-like race despised by all of Tamriel for unleashing the Thrassian Plague which wiped out most of the inhabitants of Tamriel (ca. 1E2200). Their homeland of Thras was subsequently sunk by a united Tamrielic armada and it was believed all had been killed, but some remain. They are slow and deliberate creatures with a very high aptitude for magic and a particular interest in necromancy.
  
  
  
• Tang Mo - the hugely diverse Monkey Folk of the Akaviri archipelago. They have always managed to resist becoming enslaved by the other dominant races of Akavir. They do not appear to be related to the Imga.
  
  
  
• Tsaesci - the Akaviri Serpent Folk credited with having eaten all of the Akaviri men and attempting to eat all of the Akaviri Dragons. During the First and Second Eras, Tsaesci were quite accepted in Tamriel and, for a substantial part of the Second Era, they controlled the Empire.

You can learn more about the races of Akavir from the game book http://www.imperial-library.info/mwbooks/mysterious_akavir.shtml

and from the unofficial article http://www.rpgplanet.com/morrowind/chalice/corner/akavir.shtml.

http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=15282

7. What about gods?

Pantheons of gods vary hugely across the full range of Tamrielic cultures, but many of the same personalities can be identified in common. Most of these more generally recognised gods essentially fall into a couple of main groups:-


Aedra

Fundamentally, "Aedra" is an Aldmeri term with the very specific meaning of "ancestors". This meaning only applies within the context of the underlying Aldmeri belief system. In particular, it is of central importance to the Altmer, for whom the term reinforces the belief that Aldmer are the direct, mortal descendants of this particular group of immortals. In a wider sense, scholars have adopted the term Aedra to describe all immortals who are aligned to the divine pole of Anu (Stasis).

Of these immortals, eight in particular are widely revered across Tamriel as the primary agents responsible for the creation of the mortal plane, an act known as the Great Construction. These same eight Aedra form the core of the Cyrodilic pantheon, for example, as eight of the Nine Divines, the ninth being Tiber Septim. They are also regarded almost universally as the eight planets (or god-planes) that orbit Nirn.

You can learn more about the Aedra and the Divines from the game book http://www.imperial-library.info/mwbooks/monomyth.shtml

from the official source http://www.imperial-library.info/cosmology/

and from the unofficial articles

http://www.imperial-library.info/nine_divines/

http://www.whirlingschool.net/studies/nigedo01.html.


Daedra

The term "Daedra" is Chimeri in origin. It is difficult to translate since it is an intentional wordplay on the term "Aedra". In one literal sense, it means "stronger, better ancestors" but in another it can mean "not our ancestors". The Chimer intended the irony of the word to highlight their separation from other Aldmer, especially the Altmer, and their allegiance to those they judged to be a more worthy set of immortals than the Aedra.

Over time, Daedra has grown to be a more widely used and broader term. It has come to include all gods who are aligned to the divine pole of Padhome (Change), although these same immortals are still widely referred to as "demons" by the human races. It is generally agreed that there are sixteen Daedra Princes, each of whom occupies a distinct realm of Oblivion, the plane that mortals perceive as the night sky.

You can learn more about the Daedra from the game books

http://www.imperial-library.info/dfbooks/b053_oblivion.shtml

http://www.imperial-library.info/mwbooks/book_of_daedra.shtml

and from the unofficial report

http://www.imperial-library.info/book_daedra/


You can also learn more about the Aedra and Deadra, and other gods of Tamriel, from the game books

http://www.imperial-library.info/mwbooks/aedra_daedra.shtml

http://www.imperial-library.info/mwbooks/varietiesoffaith.shtml

http://www.imperial-library.info/mwbooks/anuad.shtml

and from the sites

http://www.imperial-library.info/gods/

http://www.uesp.net/wiki/index.php?title=Morrowind:Tamrielic_Pantheons

http://www.whirlingschool.net

http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=15282

8. Who was Tiber Septim?

Tiber Septim is the Imperial name taken by the founding Emperor of the Third Era Cyrodilic Empire of Tamriel. His other titles include Stormcrown, Talos the Dragonborn and Ysmir, Dragon of the North. There are conflicting accounts of his origins, some report that he was born in Atmora, others High Rock and still others proclaim him as a Nord from Skyrim.

He unified Tamriel at the end of the Second Era, negotiated an armistice of peace with Vivec of Morrowind and conquered the resistant Aldmeri Dominion using http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?act=findpost&pid=2973522, a gigantic Dwemeri golem of incredible power. Tiber Septim died in 3E38, aged 108, and is now venerated as the ninth http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?act=findpost&pid=2973364 of the Cyrodilic pantheon.

You can learn more about Tiber Septim from the game book http://www.imperial-library.info/pge/cyrodiil.shtml.

http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=15282

9. What was Numidium?

Numidium (or 'Anumidium', lit. Divine Metal [Golem] or "Brass God") was a massive automaton, forged in the First Era by Chief Dwemeri Tonal Architect Kagrenac as the new god of the Dwemer. Issues surrounding the construction of Numidium and its intended magickal link to the Heart of Lorkhan were the principal causes of the http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?act=findpost&pid=2973728. Numidium later came into the possession of http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?act=findpost&pid=2973408 who employed it in his conquest of Tamriel.

[list]Here is a brief timeline summarizing the historical events surrounding Numidium:


[*]Pre 1E668 - Dwemeri tonal architect Kagrenac first constructs Numidium intending to 'power' it with the Heart of Lorkhan.


[*]ca. 1E670 - Battle of Red Mountain, Numidium is destroyed or captured by Dunmeri forces, led by the later Tribunal.


[*]2E864 - 2E896 - Tiber Septim learns of Numidium, and acquires it from Morrowind; either piece by piece or possibly through secret treaty with the Tribunal in return for self-government. Imperial Battlemage Zurin Arctus researches the construction and activation principles of Numidium - he prepares it for use and creates the Totem to control it.


[*]2E896 - Using the Mantella as its 'power source', Tiber Septim activates Numidium and employs it to conquer the Aldmeri Dominion and establish himself finally as Emperor of Tamriel. Following the capitulation of Summurset, Numidium is destroyed in a battle with an individual assumed to be the http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?act=findpost&pid=2973756, a possibly undead entity of uncertain identity.


[*]3E1 - ca. 3E400 - Imperial agents collectively known as the Blades collect together and re-assemble the broken fragments of lost Numidium.


[*]3E401 - The lost Mantella is rediscovered by Nulfaga of Daggerfall, High Rock.


[*]3E405 - 3E410 - The Totem is found by a personal agent of Emperor Uriel Septim VII and, as rumours spread of their discovery, various Tamrielic factions vie for control of this and the Mantella, and consequent control of Numidium.


[*]3E410 - Numidium is re-activated and a parallel reality paradox occurs whereupon the golem is employed by six different masters, to achieve six geographically separate series of tasks simultaneously. This phenomenon is known historically as the 'Warp of the West' or the 'Second Numidian Effect'.


[*]After 3E410 - The whereabouts or state of Numidium are unknown.


[*]2E882 - ca. 3E427 - Working from Kagrenac's plans, Dagoth Ur constructs Akulakhan (Second Numidium) at Red Mountain also intending it to be 'powered' by the Heart of Lorkhan.
http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=15282

10. What's the deal with Nerevar?

Lord Indoril Nerevar was the Chimeri King who led his people into peace with the Dwemer (ca. 1E401) so that they might defeat their common enemy, the Nords. He and Dwemer King Dumac named their united land the Kingdom Of Resdayn and the peace they negotiated lasted about two hundred and fifty years, until it was shattered by the http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?act=findpost&pid=2973728, in which Nerevar was slain. In Morrowind, Nerevar is now venerated as the 'Herald of the Triune Way' and is the foremost saint of the Dunmeri pantheon.

You can learn more about Nerevar from the game books

http://www.imperial-library.info/mwbooks/nerevar_moon_star.shtml

http://www.imperial-library.info/mwbooks/nerevar_real.shtml.

http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=15282

11. Who were the Tribunal?

The Tribunal, or ALMSIVI, were the three god-kings of Morrowind; Almalexia, Sotha Sil and Vivec.

Once, they were the personal advisors of Chimeri King http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?act=findpost&pid=2973699. Following Nerevar's death at the http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?act=findpost&pid=2973728(ca. 1E700), the Tribunal seized upon the divine power of the Heart of Lorkhan. Mediated by Dwemeri enchantments, they used this power to transform themselves into gods.

In apparent retribution for the Tribunal's "profane" act, the http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?act=findpost&pid=2973364 Azura visited a curse upon the Chimer, the children of these 'new' gods, transforming them into the Dunmer. The Tribunal then continued to reign over the Dunmer as the 'true gods' of Morrowind, for more than two thousand years.

The appearance of the http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?act=findpost&pid=2976455 marked the end of the time of the Tribunal. The Nerevarine destroyed the Dwemeri enchantments upon the Heart of Lorkhan that mediated its divine power to Dagoth Ur and the Tribunal, going on to kill Dagoth Ur himself. Almalexia, driven mad by the loss of her divinity, murdered Sotha Sil and conspired to murder the Nerevarine, but failed and was killed.

You can learn more about the Tribunal from the game book http://www.imperial-library.info/mwbooks/fellowship_temple.shtml.

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12. What happened to the Dwemer (Dwarves)?

Almost the entire race disappeared, suddenly and mysteriously (ca. 1E700). This is a subject that is further complicated by conflicting reports of the circumstances of their disappearance.

The most consistent accounts appear to suggest that the Dwemer were either destroyed or transported to another time or plane of existence, in the midst of the http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?act=findpost&pid=2973728 through the actions of their High Priest Kagrenac in relation to the Heart of Lorkhan.

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13. What was the Battle of Red Mountain all about?

This battle was the final conflict of the War of the First Council which was fought across the land of Resdayn (now Morrowind) in the earlier part of the First Era. The opposing Chimer and Dwemer armies met at the volcanic mountain, Vvardenfell, which was the location of the last great stronghold of the Dwemer. There are many contradictory accounts of this battle, but the essential outcomes were the conclusive victory of the Chimer and the sudden disappearance of the Dwemer.

You can learn more about the Battle of Red Mountain and the disappearance of the Dwemer from the game books

http://www.imperial-library.info/mwbooks/battle_redmountain.shtml

http://www.imperial-library.info/mwbooks/wulfharthsongs.shtml

http://www.imperial-library.info/mwbooks/kagrenacs_tools.shtml

http://www.imperial-library.info/mwbooks/nerevar_redmountain.shtml

http://www.imperial-library.info/mwbooks/war_firstcouncil.shtml

and from the unofficial study http://www.imperial-library.info/fsg/sindervelvinarticle1.shtml.

http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=15282

14. Who is the Underking?

The Underking is a powerful individual of uncertain identity, who has been quietly feared throughout Tamriel during the course of the Third Era. He is believed to command undead servants and most common folk believe him to be an ancient lich or a necromantic mage.

Some scholars have linked the Underking to Zurin Arctus, Imperial Battlemage of http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?act=findpost&pid=2973408, and have said that the energy within the Mantella used to power the http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?act=findpost&pid=2973522, was actually the trapped life force of Arctus, which prevented him from dying after a natural time. If this is true, the Underking finally found release in death, after battling with Numidium to reclaim his life force from the Mantella.

However, a conflicting viewpoint purports that the Underking is an ancient Nord hero called both Wulfharth and Ysmir, who has had several incarnations throughout human history and who may have divine origins.

You can learn more about the controversy surrounding the Underking from the reliable source http://www.imperial-library.info/tsod/

and from the game book http://www.imperial-library.info/mwbooks/arcturian.shtml.

http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=15282

15. Who are Marukh and the Marukhati Selectives?

Marukh was a Cyrodilic prophet who claimed to have visions of Saint Alessia (formerly Queen Alessia, first Emperor of Cyrodiil, who led the liberation of Heartland humans from their elven 'overlords' ca. 1E243). During the First Era, Marukh's austere, monotheistic doctrines were enforced throughout most of Tamriel under the aggressive, theocratic rule of the Alessian Reform. At least one of Marukh's teachings survives as a basic tenet of Cyrodilic law, "All are guilty until they have proven themselves innocent."

The Marukhati Selectives were members of a particularly fanatical and ritually elite Alessian sect of the First Era. They apparently caused the http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?act=findpost&pid=2974014 by magically attempting to separate the identity of Akatosh, the Cyrodilic Divine, from the elven god Auriel.

http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=15282

16. What the heck is the Dragon Break?

The Dragon Break is the term applied to the disruption of the normal flow of Time that is documented to have occurred during the First Era. The "Dragon" refers to Akatosh (aldmeri: Auriel) the http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?act=findpost&pid=2973364 Dragon god of Time. History records that time stopped for "one thousand eight years", during the Break (however paradoxical this seems).

In a general sense, scholars sometimes use the term 'dragon break' to describe the impact of similar instances of temporal disruption (e.g. the http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?act=findpost&pid=2973522 or the apotheosis of the http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?act=findpost&pid=2973706). However, the historic Dragon Break is the only universal example of this phenomenon that has been documented.

You can find out more about the Dragon Break from the game books

http://www.imperial-library.info/mwbooks/dragonbroke.shtml

http://www.imperial-library.info/mwbooks/dragonbroke_ex.shtml

and from the unofficial reports

http://www.imperial-library.info/fsg/dragonbrokestudy.shtml

http://www.imperial-library.info/fsg/philarticle1.shtml.

http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=15282

17. Who are the Psijics?

The Psijics form the most ancient monastic community of Tamriel, secreted on the elusive Isle of Artaeum near the Summurset Isles. The first mention of the Psijic Order was recorded in the year 1E20 by the Breton sage Voernet, who travelled to Artaeum to meet with the Psijic Rite Master, Iachesis.

Artaeum disappeared from Tamriel at the beginning of the Second Era, about the time the Mages Guild was founded, and reappeared five hundred years later. No one has ever explained this disappearance, or discovered the fate of Iachesis and his council.

The precise location of the Isle of Arteum remains a mystery to this day. Some scholars believe the island moves to evade discovery. Legend also holds that the Psijic Order once magically summoned a storm which destroyed the entire naval fleet of King Orgnum of the Maormer (ca. 3E110).

Although it used to be common for Psijics to act as counsellors for royalty, the present Empire shows distrust, even hostility, towards the Order.

You can learn more about the Psijics from the game books

http://www.imperial-library.info/mwbooks/on_artaeum.shtml

http://www.imperial-library.info/mwbooks/oldways.shtml

and from the reliable sources

http://www.imperial-library.info/gttpo/

http://www.whirlingschool.net/road.html.

http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=15282

18. What is the Staff of Chaos?

The Staff of Chaos (Balac-thurm) is a hugely powerful, magical artifact that, according to legend, was fashioned in the early First Era (ca. 1E500) by an exceptional human enchanter called Loreth.

The artifact was deemed so dangerously powerful that it was eventually hidden, and magically bound, in catacombs beneath the city of Mournhold in Morrowind. Jagar Tharn, Imperial Battlemage to Emperor Uriel Septim VII (ca. 3E389), disguised himself as a common bard and tricked the Dunmeri Queen Barenziah into helping him to retrieve the Staff.

Tharn used the Staff of Chaos to transport the Emperor and his personal guard to another plane and then broke the Staff into eight pieces, concealing one piece in each province of the Empire. A hero, now remembered as the Eternal Champion, collected these pieces and used the Staff of Chaos to defeat Jagar Tharn and restore the Emperor. The present whereabouts of the Staff is unknown.

You can learn more about the Staff of Chaos and Jagar Tharn's deception from the game book series http://www.imperial-library.info/mwbooks/realbarenziah.shtml.

http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=15282

19. What Elder Scrolls games have been released and what happened in them?

Central titles:



• 1994 - TES: Arena
  
  
• 1996 - TESII: Daggerfall
  
  
• 2002 - TESIII: Morrowind

Associated titles:



• 1997 - TES Legends: Battlespire
  
  
• 1998 - TES Adventures: Redguard
  
  
• 2003 - TES Travels: Dawnstar
  
  
• 2004 - TES Travels: Stormhold
  
  
• 2004 - TES Travels: Shadowkey

Here is a brief summary of the events from each game:

TES: Arena (3E389 - 3E399)
Emperor Uriel Septim VII is betrayed by the imperial battlemage Jagar Tharn and imprisoned in a dimension that Tharn creates using the http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?act=findpost&pid=2974788. Tharn then uses his magic of illusion to assume the Emperor's aspect. For the next ten years, Tharn abuses Imperial privileges, but discontinues Uriel VII's schedule of re-conquest. Eventually a hero, now remembered as the Eternal Champion, steps forward to defeat him and free the true Emperor.

TESII: Daggerfall (3E405)
A personal agent of Uriel Septim VII, ordered to the Iliac Bay to investigate the death of King Lysandus and to find a missing letter that the Emperor had sent to the Queen of Daggerfall, becomes embroiled in a complex weave of political struggles. His adventures peak when he recovers the lost Mantella, the power source of the great http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?act=findpost&pid=2973522.

TESIII: Morrowind (3E427)
On the personal orders of Uriel Septim VII, a prisoner is released on the shores of Vvardenfell in Morrowind. In time, the former prisoner is revealed to be the incarnation of the foremost Dunmeri saint, http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?act=findpost&pid=2973699, and takes the title of Nerevarine. The Nerevarine is destined to free Morrowind and all of Tamriel from the terror of Dagoth Ur, a deranged god who controls the fiery region of Red Mountain and the power of the Heart of Lorkhan.

TES Legends: Battlespire (sometime between 3E389 - 3E399)
The http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?act=findpost&pid=2973364 Mehrunes Dagon takes control of the Battlespire, the extra-planar proving ground of the Imperial Battlemages, destroying or possessing all of the mages inside. A young initiate arrives at the Battlespire gates and quickly realises that, to survive and return to Tamriel, he must somehow overcome the Daedric terror within.

TES Adventures: Redguard (2E864)
Cyrus, and his sister Iszara, lead a Redguard rebellion against Imperial forces on the island of Stros M'Kai, off the coast of Hammerfell. Together they destroy the Imperial fleet in the harbour and defeat the Imperial Legion forces commanded by the Governor Amiel Richton, representative of the Emperor http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?act=findpost&pid=2973408.

TES Travels: Dawnstar
In the extreme northern town of Dawnstar, Governor Vinticae instructs a young recruit to find his four champions, one of whom is probably a traitor in league with local raiders.

TES Travels: Stormhold
A prisoner in the dungeons of Stormhold prison fights against the evil regime of the lunatic warden Quintus Varus.

TES Travels: Shadowkey (sometime between 3E389 - 3E399)
The defender of a small village in the Western Reach assumes a pivotal role in the contest between two powerful mages. Shadowmage Skelos Undriel is on the run from Battlemage Jagar Tharn, driven from the heart of Tamriel by Tharn's agents. Undriel hatches a desperate scheme to collect the Star Teeth sown about the region hoping their power is sufficient to thwart Tharn's agents, and perhaps even destroy the Battlemage himself.

http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=15282

20. What is the Eye Of Argonia?

The Eye of Argonia is a priceless gem that also serves as a key to the Lost City of Black Marsh. Little more is known about either the gem or the City. (Eye of Argonia was also the name that Bethesda gave to a follow up game to TES Adventures: Redguard that was designed but never developed.)

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