I recently glanced over a UESP article which made reference to:

"An arcane energy explosion occurs in the Imperial City that sends mystical aftershocks across Nirn, causing mages to die or go mad, Daedra to appear in greater numbers, and the constellation of the Serpent to dominate the night sky. In the ensuing chaos, the Daedric Prince Molag Bal deploys Dark Anchors to begin pulling Nirn into his realm of Coldharbour to merge the two together."

I've not been following the lore of TES:O very much, but I have several questions which I feel must be answered.

Firstly, the text implies all mages were either killed, or driven mad. Is this correct? I'm not sure, since the Altmer and Bretons seem to be very magic orientated races, and the Altmer queen is often depicted using magic.

Secondly, on the topic of Daedra, are the Dragon Fire not lit? I understand the Potentate is gone now, but can someone explain Cyrodiil's current political structure, and how the Daedra are making their way into Nirn?

Also, what is the significance of the Serpent dominating the night sky?

Thank you, and I'm sorry for appearing so woefully ignorant. Dx