Right, so I've only been able to glean a -little- of what has happened in Tamriel since the Oblivion Crisis. I know that with the loss of the Septim line, the Empire has been in decline for the last 200 years, with Morrowind and Elsweyr seceding and Skyrim in a civil war between secessionists and Empire loyalists (Which fulfills the prophecy of the dragons' return.) The rest is very foggy. I've come across some refferences to a floating city that come outta nowehere and caused some trouble, I heard that the Mages guild has split into two opposing groups. That's about it.

Can anyone knowledgable in lore give a full picture, here? Have Morrowind and Elsweyr really seceded? What state do they and all the other provinces find themselves in? (Speaking of Morrowind I even heard NPC pvssyr in Oblivion that Skyrim had invaded after Vvardenfel's crisis, how'd that turn out?) How has it's decline affected the Empire itself and Cyrodiil? Mention of the Mages guild splitting makes me ask of the condition of all the other organizations. What of the Fighters guild? The Thieves guild and the Dark Brotherhood? What was this giant floating city? Any word from Akavir?

So my question essentially is, lore-people, what events have taken place and how has the world of Tamriel changed since Oblivion? What kind of historical, cultural and societal context and situation will we find ourselves in in Skyrim as a result of that change?

Really the only info we've gotten is what you wrote in your post and what was talked about in the http://uesp.net/wiki/Lore:The_Infernal_City novel, which is set 40 years after the events of Oblivion.

From what I understand, the giant floating city was Umbriel, which basically floated across Tamriel and created an army of undead in it's wake. It somehow caused the Ministry of Truth to crash into Vivec, which caused Red Mountain to erupt and destroy Vvardenfell, which was then taken over by the Argonians along with the rest of Morrowind.

I haven't read the book myself, so someone else can probably give a more in depth explanation. Also, you might get better results if this was moved to the Elder Scrolls Lore section.

Umbriel appears around forty years after the Red Year, which itself only occured a few years after the Oblivion crisis. Umbriel doesn't cause it. (The Red Year is the series of events that started with the Ministry of Truth falling, Red mountain erupting, and ending with the argonian invasion of Morrowind)

The info we have is from the Infernal City novel, which takes place 40 years after Oblivion, and thus 160 years before Skyrim. Here's what's mentioned in the book:

-with the end of the Septim line, the Empire fell completely apart.
-with the loss of imperial support, the Mages Guild (and I would presume, the Fighters Guild) also fell apart.
-a warlord named Titus Mede managed to capture the Imperial City and crown himself emperor. By the time of the book, Mede had just managed to reunite Cryodiil under his rule.
-Mede replaces the Mages Guild with two new organizations: the College of Whispers and the Synod.
-a good chunk of Morrowind is destroyed when Vivec's enchantments holding the Ministry of Truth frozen in time finally fail, leaving it free to crash into Vivec City, which causes a chain reaction that causes Red Mountain to erupt. The surviving Dunmer flee the province, many fleeing to Solsthiem.
-the Argonians of Black Marsh, seeing Morrowind's weakness, decide to strike back against their historic oppressors, and invade southern Morrowind.
-Elsewyr falls apart into independent city-states, after someone assassinates the Mane.
-Summerset captures Valenwood, forming a new Aldmeri Dominion.

From what we've been told since Skyrim was announced, it sounds like, in the time between the book and Skyrim, the Empire managed to retake Skyrim, which lasted until the High King of Skyrim dies, triggering a civil war in the province.

From what I have read so far The Blades have been completely wiped out.

At least one remains alive.

Not completely wiped out I thought Esbern is a blade?
edit; ninja'd

No, but they've had a "reduction" in numbers by the time TES5 starts.

Nobody went around murdering Blades or anything. They serve the Covenant and the Heir of Talos.

The Mede dynasty is not Dragonborn so the Blades withdrew to their temples without an apparent sovereign to protect or serve.

Thinned out, yes, but I thought they were scattered to the four winds?

Called the Thalmor.

And many Blades were civilians, unaffiliated with the spies. The honor had become something like modern knighthood.

That's just the name of the ruling governmental body. The Dominion is still the Dominion. It's just governed by the Thalmor.

Not to split hairs.

I thought the Dominion was the name of the government but the Thalmor described the ideology and their stealthy actions. That's how I've read it but I guess I could be mistaken.

Hmm, to be honest I'm drawing my usage from the Pocket Guides, not from Infernal City in regards to the new state of affairs. And the Pocket Guides are certainly not infallible sources.

In reference to the historical Aldmeri Dominion of the second era, the pocket guides present the Dominion as the name of the country, and Thalmor was the name of the regime. It's the difference between the United Kingdom and Parliament. I think the ideology aspect might be more consistent with the Thalmor as presented in MK's gifts to the community, but MK's Thalmor strikes me as the more modern Thalmor rather than their historical predecessors.


Thalmor of the pocket guides != Thalmor of the Infernal City. They might have similar ideologies or practices, but their different entities. There's a whole era separating them.

@Hairdo, I'm checking the book right now for how Dominion/Thalmor are used in reference to the new state. I don't have a Ctrl+F for the book though, so I'll get back to you guys in an hour or so.

edit2: page 152, chapter 7:


This is from a segment that follows Colin. It talks about the Thalmor like it's a terrorist group.

Page 154, Titus Mede refers to the Thalmor as "our quiet enemies." They apparently fund a gang that likes to decapitate people called the "natives."

Page 154, Colin's training focus is the Thalmor.

Page 154 again, Colin claims their (Thalmor) goal is to bring about a new Merethic era and the pacification and purification of Tamriel.

Page 154, The thalmor "put the old Aldmeri Dominion back together."

It looks to me that the Thalmor are, as a unit, operating in a Hamas/Hezbollah like organization that both operates as a terrorist group and the ruling entity in their state, which seems to be the Aldmeri Dominion again. However, it's notable that no one really talks about the Dominion, it's all about the Thalmor.

...and how do we get a new Merethic Era?

Oh, hello Alduin, what big teeth you have.

Also reformat the hard drive and get rid of the Tal[OS]

Though isn't that about the same thing?

Thanks DarthRavager for clearing that up. I can't find my copy of Infernal City -- I think it's in storage somewhere.

@Mehrunes & Qazicle -- this is funny, because now I'm envisioning Alduin as a gigantic magnet on a colossal I/O head.

...except, it seems, there's a speck of Padomaic dust on the magnet, and it keeps scattering bits in a way that might prevent the full erasure of Tal[OS]. Pesky read/write errors.

I now believe the oracles have been badly misinterpreted - Septim may indeed be the Dragonborn as foretold. The Mer must unite at last or be consumed one by one. Father, blessed be his name's numeric mystery, was one of the few on the Thalmor to oppose Andel Crodo's policy of nonintervention that if continued will be the doom of all the Elder Races.

The Surrender of Alinor happened in one hour, but Numidium's siege lasted from the Mythic Era until long into the Fifth.

The Elder view is often disregarded. They're under constant bombardment from Talos. Who fired the first shot? More importantly, who can stop the war?

(I love having the pge in my hands!)

If Talos continues to wage war with the Aldmer on a metaphysical level until the Fifth era, that kind of kills the theory held by some around here that Talos dies at the end of TES IV. (With the breaking of the covenant/amulet of kings, etc.)

V'vek killed him. He's the hydra god. Many-Headed.

(People hold that belief? Strange) No, yeah, why would Wulf advocate a chain of events that would get him dead?

Someone brought it up a few months ago when I posited the more popular theory that the statue of Akatosh takes the place of White Gold Tower. It's the new Tower, or maybe just the new Stone. I don't remember who it was but somebody claimed Talos is dead, and others agreed. I made an angry face and went to my room.

That was me. He'd died before. Why not? Certainly, the ascent of the Dominion, and the return to pre-Talosian Tamriel, suggests he's died. Again.

Never mind the fact that he's incorporated himself into the myth structure of the freakin' Monomyth, never mind that Empire != Emperor or Tiber Septim, and never mind that even with a circular view of time you can never actually return to something once it's been changed.

Sorry, you're taking a way too simplified approach to things. By you're reasoning, the Dunmer have returned to a pre-Battle of Red Mountain state and therefore should turn back into Chimer.