Battle of Red Mountain
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In the video game The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, the Battle of Red Mountain is an important historical event that is one of the main plot points in Morrowind's story. The battle, and its aftermath, set in motion key elements of the storyline: the creation of the religiously dominant Tribunal Temple, the emergence of the enemy Dagoth Ur, and the appearance of the Nerevarine, Morrowind's protagonist.
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[edit] The Battle
After a long war between the Chimer, under Indoril Nerevar and the Dwemer, under Dumac, the two sides met on the island of Vvardenfell and battled on the slopes of Red Mountain for possession of three enchanted artifacts named Wraithguard, Keening and Sunder, which are a gauntlet, shortsword and warhammer, respectively. Nerevar defeated his one-time friend Dumac, but the source of the conflict, the sorcerer Kagrenac, had fled deep into the crater of Red Mountain. Accompanied only by his friend Voryn Dagoth, Nerevar entered the citadel to find Kagrenac. There, Nerevar battled Kagrenac before the Heart of Lorkhan. Kagrenac eventually fell, but not before mortally wounding Nerevar.
From here the accounts related to the battle differ:
[edit] Tribunal Temple canon
Nerevar's mentors, the gods Vivec, Almalexia and Sotha Sil were last to see Nerevar before he died. He told them that Voryn Dagoth had been corrupted by the Heart of Lorkhan and must be destroyed. After his death, he became the Martyr Saint Nerevar the Brave, patron of warriors. The next few millennia in the Tribunal's history were spent battling the new enemy, Dagoth Ur, and raising defensive measures against him. In 3E 426, a reincarnation of Nerevar went to Red Mountain and destroyed Dagoth Ur for the glory of the Tribunal.
[edit] Ashlander legend
Nerevar's three advisors (his lieutenant Vivec, his archmage Sotha Sil, and his wife Almalexia) came to their dying leader in the bowels of Red Mountain, along with Voryn Dagoth, to hear his last wishes. Dagoth requested that the Heart of Lorkhan be destroyed, but Vehk, who coveted the heart's power, disagreed. Nerevar ordered his three advisors to summon the Daedric Prince Azura that he might take counsel with her. Vehk, Seht and Almalexia, however, used poisoned spells, robes and incantations, and so Nerevar died. Nonetheless, Azura came, and cursed the three advisors for their faithlessness. The Chimer were instantly transformed into the Dunmer. Azura also promised that Nerevar would come again to make things right and cast down the three.
Undaunted, the advisors went to the heart of Lorkhan to gain its power, but were met with an unexpected adversary: Voryn Dagoth. Nerevar's closest friend was brave and noble in his sentiment, but hopelessly outmatched. The three savagely defeated him and left him for dead, using Kagrenac's three artifacts to gain the power of the Heart, which transformed them into "living gods". Taking the name of "Vivec", Vehk left and built a holy city in his own honor; Almalexia returned to this Dunmer capital of Mournhold and renamed it after herself; Seht, now calling himself Sotha Sil, built a vast Clockwork City in the far south of Morrowind, and dwelt there ever after.
Voryn Dagoth, however, was still alive, albeit barely. Tapping into the power of the Heart to ensure his survival, he brooded in the depths of Red Mountain and plotted the downfall of the Tribunal of Vivec, Almalexia and Sotha Sil. Driven mad by the power of the Heart, he eventually became the sinister Dagoth Ur. Eventually, he was destroyed by a reincarnated Nerevar; his madness had made him a danger to all of Morrowind. However, Nerevar accomplished Dagoth's original purpose: Sotha Sil, Almalexia and possibly Vivec were dead by the time the Nerevarine left for Akavir.
[edit] Actual account
As is stated previously, the Chimer and Dwemer met in battle on the slopes of Red Mountain. Nerevar defeated Kagrenac, and the Dwemer vanished from Tamriel. Unlike the Ashlander's story, which claims the Tribunal murdered Nerevar, the true event which transpired involved Nerevar telling them not to use the Tools, and to destroy them. They swore not to, and Nerevar died from his wounds. The Tribunal moved to defeat Voryn Dagoth, who, by that time, knew nothing of what had happened. He carried out Nerevar's order to protect the Tools, but was overcome. Sotha Sil saw the potential of the Tools, and persuaded the Tribunal to use them. They did, and gained immense power.
However, Azura appeared and cursed them for breaking their oath to Nerevar. The Chimer became the Dunmer. For some reason, the Tribunal did not get red eyes. They used their godly powers to found the Temple, and the Dunmer people were mostly won over. The Ashlanders resented these "usurpers" and continued the ancient ancestor-worship. Nerevar returned in a new life and slew Dagoth Ur and the Ash Vampires, and destroyed the Heart of Lorkhan. This inadvertently caused the decline of the Tribunal. Eventually, it was found that Almalexia had gone mad with delusions of grandeur, and slew Sotha Sil. The Nerevarine, after finding Sotha Sil's body, was confronted by Almalexia. The two fought, and the Nerevarine killed Almalexia. At the time of the events in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion the fate of Vivec is unknown.
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The Elder Scrolls lore
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Artifacts • Battle of Red Mountain • Corprus • Daedric Artifacts • Lorkhan • Major regions • Nirn • |
