103 days left - The Liberation Of Cyrodiil

The first humans who lived in Cyrodiil were either killed or enslaved by the Ayleids. The ones who were enslaved were oppressed by their masters and had very little freedom to do what they wanted. Saint Alessia was born around 1E 200, in a human tribe that was close to the Ayleid city Sardavar Leed in Cyrodiil. Since the Ayleids worshiped Daedra, Alessia turned to the Aedra Akatosh for aid. Akatosh looked at the humans and saw their pain. He drew blood from his own heart and blessed Alessia with the blood of Dragons, and promised that as long as the Alessia's generations were true to the dragon blood, Akatosh would seal the gates of oblivion and make sure that no Daedra would aid the Ayleids.

Akatosh gave Alessia the Amulet of Kings, an amulet with a large red diamond surrounded by eight other gems. Each of the smaller gems represent the Aedra of the Eight Divines, and the red diamond collects the soul of all Alessia's generations. It is important to note that this was before Talos became an Aedra, and therefor it is not nine smaller gems that surround the diamond. In a way you could say that the Amulet of Kings is a soul gem for the Dragonborn.

Alessia began to gather an army to overthrow their elven oppressors. With the help of Kyne's son Morihaus and the human slaves, she managed to take some land away from the Ayleids. Alessia's army consisted of slaves, warriors from Skyrim and Ayleid lords who had switched sides. In 1E 242, the immortal warrior Pelinal Whitestrake walked into her camp covered in Ayleid blood. He became her second champion and after a while they had conquered the eastern side of the Niben.

Pelinal Whitestrake was a rather odd person. His name means "Glorious Knight" and there is a lot of stories about the warrior. Apparently he hated all elves and once slaughtered an entire village of Khajiit before realizing that they were not elven. Many think of him as a hero, but there is also a lot of people who see him as a madman and murderer.

The armies of Alessia arrived at the White Gold Tower in 1E 243. The Tower was guarded by Ayleid lords and Aurorans. The Aurorans are from the realm of the Daedra Meridia, and were summoned by the Ayleids to fight by their side. Umaril The Unfeathered was half elven and half Auroran. He served as the Ayleids champion. When the White Gold Tower was under siege, Umaril taunted Pelinal. This made the Alessian champion frustrated and he ran into the tower alone and slaughtered it's guards. Umaril had prepared a trap and sent his best soldiers to battle the warrior, knowing that they would die. Pelinal was injured when he finally battled Umaril alone. It did not stop him from slaughtering the demon, but his victory was short lived. Pelinal Whitestrake was cut into eight parts by the Ayleid lords before the Alessian army stormed the tower.

After the fall of the White Golden Tower there were still Ayleids in Cyrodiil, but they were scattered and the ones who did not flee south were killed. Alessia declared herself empress of the new Cyrodiilic empire. She also created the religion of the Eight Divines (the present Nine Divines), which was a mix between Nordic and elven religion. It is why many gods have different names in Skyrim, because many still believe in the old versions.

/R

105 days left - Nirnroot

Today I have been having problems writing anything coherent, so I went out in the woods for some inspiration. In the forest area I live close to there is a small lake which I visit from time to time. When arriving at the lake I was kindly greeted by a flock of mosquitoes who made sure that I was not having to much blood in my veins. It always feels nice when donating blood so others may survive.

When  looking over the water I thought thought to myself that the area would be a great place to find Nirnroots in. I liked looking for Nirnroots in Cyrodiil, it became a bit of a hobby. Whenever I found a lake or river I went around listening for the distinctive sound that the plant makes. But another thought came across my mind. The planet of the Elder Scrolls is Nirn, does this mean that the Nirnroot has more to it then we originally thought? They were always fun to collect but they never came across as more then a plant needed for a quest.

Perhaps the Nirnroot plays a bigger roll in Skyrim, and if it does we might be able to find out more of its origin. Maybe it's just a plant named after the planet, but it would be nice to find out why it has its name. Perhaps the alchemist Sinderion has a book that someone might be able to borrow for a while. I will get back to this as soon as possible.

/R

106 days left - The Failed Invasion Of Akavir

Why do we know so little of the races and culture of the beast folks of Akavir? As far as history goes, the last Akaviri who walked on Tamriel was the Tsaesci potentate known as Savirien-Chorak (who was also assassinated by the Morag Tong). Why haven't there been anymore visitors from Akavir?

When the Tsaesci Potentate Versidue-Shaie was in charge of the Empire between 1E 2920 and 2E 324, he had given some information about the different races of Akavir. The information known is written down in the book Mysterious Akavir. There are four major nations of Akavir, all named after the race which controls the area:

• Tsaesci - A vampire beast race that is related to serpents. The Men who walked on Akavir were all eaten by the Tsaesci. There is no exact description of how the Tsaesci really look like, only speculations (which is odd considering the fact that Versidue-Shaie was a Tsaesci).

• Kamal - Snow demons. Every summer they attack the Tang Mo, and during the winter they wait for the next summer. Once the Kamal leader Ada'Soom Dir-Kamal tried to invade Morrowind, but was defeated in the battle at Red Mountain.

• Tang Mo - A monkey-like beast race. They are said to be kind and generous. They are allied with the Ka Po' Tun.

• Ka Po' Tun - A cat-like people with the Tsaesci as rivals. They are stronger then the Tsaesci and they have fought many battles with the serpent-people. During these conflicts, the dragons of Akavir where killed. The leader Tosh Raka is said to be the first to actually become a real dragon. Stories say that when the Ka Po' Tun have defeated the Tsaesci, they will invade Tamriel. 

It's important to remember that this information was based off what the Tsaesci prisoners knew after surrendering to Emperor Reman, which also means that no one knows what has happened in Akavir during the last 1700 years. Except for the knowledge collected by Uriel V. 

Once, Tamriel actually made an attempt to colonize Akavir. Somewhere around 3E 270, Emperor Uriel V laid plans to invade Akavir. The plans were set to action in 285 and 286, when the Tamrielic-navy scouted the shorelines of the foreign continent. The information gathered by the spies confirmed that the Tsaesci kingdom was at the south-western part of the continent, and the invasion was to set foot on their lands first.

They managed to set up a colony and things were going smoothly. The Imperial's met little resistance and even found an abandoned town called Ionith where they set up base. However ships were lost at sea and the supplies were starting to run low as the months passed by. When winter arrived, the empire cut off all supplies to the colony and said that they had to wait for spring. As the colony grew weaker, they also realized that the Tsaesci were much stronger then they had expected. Uriel V, who had tried to negotiate with the Tsaesci, had gathered an expedition to travel into Tsaesci territory. The Emperor and his fellow knights were slaughtered in a rain of arrows and in the end, it was a disaster for the Empire.

The information was gathered from the book Report: Disaster at Ionith. There have been no attempts to colonize Akavir since then. And even after the fiasco, little is known of the current state of the armies of Akavir.

/R

107 days left - Remnants of the Past

When looking at Alduin's Wall, have you ever noticed the Blades armor the Dovahkiin is wearing when fighting Alduin? The armor type originated from the Tsaesci Potentates who helped rule Cyrodiil during the beginning of the second Era. The Katana's found throughout Tamriel are also from the continent of Akavir.

If your wondering why I am constantly bringing Akavir up in my posts is because Akavir is the land of the dragons. The dragons of Tamriel are since long gone and have not been sighted for thousands of years and disappeared long before the first Era. Did they vanish in thin air, or did they simply move somewhere else? There are endless of theories about why the dragons have returned and where they came from and there is no evidence about them being from Akavir. In The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, M'Aiq the Liar claims that there are lots of dragons in Tamriel.

----

"Dragons? Oh, they're everywhere! You must fly very high to see most of them, though. The ones nearer the ground are very hard to see, being invisible."

----

But lets return to the wall of Alduin. It is said that the wall is ancient, but the Akaviri styled armor was not used before the end of the First Era. Does the armor have more to it then just a great sense of style? There are not many remnants left of anything that is from Akavir. The Blades headquarters Cloud Temple in the Jerall Mountains is the most characteristic structure made by the Tsaesci in Cyrodiil.

It was made after the Battle of Pale Pass by the prisoners of war in the beginning of the Second Era. Perhaps the Tsaesci left more structures like this in Skyrim, which possibly could be found in present time. It would be great to fend off a dragon from a settlement like this. As mentioned, it is the headquarters of the Blades and was still being used during the Oblivion Crisis 3E 433. It is uncertain if it is used during the events of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, since the Empire collapsed somewhere around the first years of the Fourth Era. Logically it would not affect Cyrodiil and Cloud Ruler Temple is probably still in use. But the condition of the Blades is unknown.

/R

108 days left - The Battle of Pale Pass, What Really Happened

In the post called "Tsaesci" I was discussing the different ways the Akaviri invaders could have gone through during the invasion that ended at Pale Pass, and made the assumption that they landed close to the city of Winterhold. As I was writing a new article about the Tamrielic invasion of Akavir, I stumbled upon a text that stated that the Tsaesci who fought at Pale Pass landed at the eastern shore of Morrowind. I tracked down the source to Akaviri expert and collector Countess Narina Carvain of Bruma. Thanks to her (I had to scrap an entire article that I had been working on for the last forty minutes, where I had analyzed several maps and texts) we now know exactly what happened.

The Akaviri forces where trying to establish some sort of base in Tamriel, and they arrived at  the eastern shore of Morrowind in 1E 2703. They were well supplied and ready to move through the province. The Tsaesci must have passed the border at Riften to later move through the Jerall Mountains. However when engaging the forces of Emperor Reman up in the snowy mountaintops, the Tsaesci reinforcements where cut off by the poet and god Vivec, who had allied himself with the Dreugh. Therefor the Tsaesci had to fight the war from too sides.

The red arrows indicate the movement of the Tsaesci, and the blue circle indicates the area where Vivec intercepted the reinforcements and made sure the Tsaesci could not retreat

Pale Pass itself was the command post where the Tsaesci generals issued their orders. A note was sent to the station, but it never arrived. In the note it stated that the food supply for the headquarter in Pale Pass was delayed for a month, and since the note was lost they all starved to death. Without any orders the Tsaesci had to surrender.

Someone is going to get knocked unconscious the next time I visit Bruma.

/R

109 days left - The world of Elder Scrolls

Mundus is the mortal realm, or universe, which the Elder Scrolls series is set in. The planet Nirn, where Tamriel is in, lies in Mundus. The realms creation was a product of the god Lorkhan, who came up with the idea of a mortal realm. The realm itself was created by the Aedra and the Anu-spirits, and thus started the Dawn Era. It is now it becomes complicated, but I will explain it as best as I can.

There was once a wizard god named Magnus. He helped the god Lorkhan to design the mortal realm. He made the schematics and plans for the universe (it was just like lego) and implemented his powers to balance out the world. Later the Aedra and Anu spirits did the hard work of creating everything, with the help of god Magnus. But after Nirn was created, Magnus and the Anu spirits suddenly disappeared from Mundus and returned to the immortal realm of Aetherius. What is left of the god and spirits is now what is known as magic. The stars of Mundus is actually light from Aetherius, which can be seen through the teardrops of the Anu spirits who left them there as they fled back to their immortal realm. Some say that the two moons of Nirn is the physical remnants of Lorkhan. He is referred to as the forgotten god, as not many know about his existence.

The following text is from the book Spirit of Nirn, God of Mortals

----

Lorkhan is the Spirit of Nirn, the god of all mortals. This does not mean all mortals necessarily like him or even know him. Most Elves hate him, thinking creation as that act which sundered them from the spirit realm. Most Humans revere him, or aspects of him, as the herald of existence. The creation of the Mortal Plane, the Mundus, Nirn, is a source of mental anguish to all living things; all souls know deep down they came originally from somewhere else, and that Nirn is a cruel and crucial step to what comes next. What is this next? Some wish to return to the original state, the spirit realm, and that Lorkhan is the Demon that hinders their way; to them Nirn is a prison, an illusion to escape. Others think that Lorkhan created the world as the testing ground for transcendence; to them the spirit realm was already a prison, that true escape is now finally possible.

----

Some say that the Aedra and Daedra also are trapped in Mundus, but I will return to that in a later post.

/R

110 days left - Morag Tong and the Dark Brotherhood

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"Brother, I still call you brother for we share our bonds of blood, tested but unbroken by hatred. Even if I am murdered, which seems inevitable now, know that, brother. You and I are not innocents, so our benedictions of mutual enmity is not tragedy, but horror. This state of silent, shadowed war, of secret poisons and sleeping men strangled in their beds, of the sudden arrow and the artful dagger, has no end that I can see. No possibility for peace. I see the shadows in the room move though the flame of my candle is steady. I know the signs that I …"

----

The note was found under a floorboard in the Skyrim village of Jallenheim in 2E 358. It was the first note ever to be found that is connected to the Dark Brotherhood.

The Morag Tong and the Dark Brotherhood were once part of the same organization. The Morag Tong was not an illegal organization in Tamriel, and they committed murder in the name of the daedra Mephala. They were the Empires executioner and were permitted to execute people to preserve order. But after the assassination of the Akaviri Versidue-Shaie, the Morag Tong was outlawed. Desperate to find political cover, they went to the only province that would accept them. The province where the Morag Tong probably originated from, Morrowind.

To be able to become a legal organization in Morrowind, the Morag Tong would have to change their beliefs from Mephala to Morrowind's Tribunal. The part of the organization that was the Dark Brotherhood had another belief. They worshiped Sithis and were not willing to give away their religion for the sake of remaining a legal administration. It was around this period when the two groups became rivals. They saw each others as traitors of the cause and they never worked together again after 2E 324.

The biggest difference between the two rivals is that the Dark Brotherhood is more to be seen as a business enterprise, and the Morag Tong as a guild that commits murder in the name of religion. If there is going to be one of these two present in Skyrim, it feels more natural for the Dark Brotherhood to be present. The need of assassins that work outside of the law seems like something that a lot of lords would be in need of, especially if there was a civil war going on (why it's almost like I am referring to the current events of Skyrim).

This is however a theory and it is not certain that it is entirely true. And if anyone stumbles across a text that contradicts the information about the split-up I would be very happy if you sent me a message about it. If your interested in finding out more, read the book called "Fire and Darkness: The Brotherhoods of Death". It is from there i snatched the quote in the beginning of the post.

/R

Our Facebook Page

Today I created a Facebook page for the blog, and I will be notifying the page whenever we create a post on the blog. This way it will also be easier to find the blog. If your interested, feel free to press the like button:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/About-The-Elder-Scrolls/180487598682842

/R

Tsaesci

East of Tamriel lies the land of the dragons, known as the continent of Akavir. There is very little known about the continent. Many times have Akaviri forces tried to invade Tamriel, but they have always been fended off by the forces of Tamriel. In the "Pocket Guide to the Empire, 3rd Edition" there is a segment about the Battle of Pale Pass, which was fought between the Akaviri race known as Tsaesci, and the Cyrodiilic Emperor Reman the First. After defeating the Tsaesci, Reman made some of the prisoners his advisers to help give insight to the strange continent of Akavir. The little information known about the races and culture of Akavir comes from this period.

Pale Pass is located in Skyrim and Reman was the emperor of Cyrodiil, which means that the Tsaesci invaders must have arrived from either Morrowind or the northern part of Skyrim before beginning their assault. 

Judging by the map, the Tsaesci navy could have landed near the present city of Winter Hold. They could also have moved through Morrowind, but then the army would probably have gone south, not through the mountain chain between Morrowind and Skyrim, simply to move through a new mountain chain to get to Cyrodiil from Skyrim.

The Tsaesci is a snake-like people. If they could they would have avoided going through cold landscapes. Maybe it is the reason why they lost the Battle of Pale Pass, because they were not prepared for the cold landscapes of Skyrim. Another thing is confusing about the invasion. In the "Report: Disaster at Ionith", which was written during the attempt to colonize Akavir in 3E 288, the writer says that the Akaviri inhabitants didn't seem to have any navy to speak of. If the Tsaesci had no navy after a thousand years, how did they get to Tamriel in the first place? Where they so desperate that a whole army swam across the sea? Are the Tsaesci running from something back home, if so it could be the reason why the Akaviri inhabitants have tried to invade Tamriel so many times.

After Reman the Third was assassinated by Morag Tong in 1E 2920, a Tsaesci known as Versidue-Shaie took over the throne and started the Second Era. He Ruled in over 300 years before too being assassinated. That means that a Tsaesci have been in charge of Cyrodiil, yet there is hardly anything known about the race Tsaesci.

 /R

(Note from the 25 of July: I have recently found evidence that they actually moved through Morrowind. For more information see 108 days left - The Battle of Pale Pass, What Really Happened)

111 days left - On a different note

Seeing as quite a few people have actually visited this blog in the past few days, we feel like a re-introduction is in order. Or rather a completely new one, since me, the person currently writing this entry, is doing it for the first time. Hi! I’m RRFGI’s fellow adoring fan of the Elder Scrolls and his new partner in crime. You can call me S.

Since R and I tend to discuss this amazing series close to every waking minute we spend together, I was thrilled when he started this project, and even more so when I was asked to join in. To finally be able to analyze the choice of wording in The Lusty Argonian Maid or discuss which province should be the next to be featured in a game (I know, I’m getting ahead of myself, it merely being 111 days left until Skyrim)! But oh, the possibilities!

Since my partner already cover the part of overall lore, politics and the actual countdown pretty well, my main focus for a start is actually going to be mostly aesthetical but I’m also going to share some of my ideas of Nirn and what it looks like beyond what we know for a fact. And I should probably admit already that there’s probably going to be some ES nostalgia as well, since there’s just too much good stuff out there not to write about it.

Well, that’s basically me in a nutshell. Nice to make you acquaintance and hope to see you reading here again soon.  

Blessings of Mystara upon ya!

/S

Necromancy

A while ago i saw a comment on YouTube where a person wondered about what the view on necromancy was in Skyrim. It interested me so i thought i would check out the history of the necromancers and suddenly I remembered the connection between the Mages Guild and Mannimarco, who is the leader of the largest necromancer cult known as the Order of the Black Worm.

In the book "Mannimarco, King of Worms" it states that there were two students with great talent living and studying at the isle of Artaeum, which is the largest island of Summerset Isle, under the Psijic Order. One of the students where kind and warm, but the other was dark and cold (I wonder which one is Mannimarco). It was at Artaeum that Mannimarco began to rise the dead and trapping souls for his own use. However the other student was known as Galerion, whom is the founder of the Mages Guild. Galerion had confronted Mannimarco about his necromancy and commanded him to stop his black art. To no surprise Mannimarco did not cease his hobby and moved to the mainland, to Tamriel.

----

"You have found a wolf, and sent the beast to flocks of sheep,'
Galerion told his Masters, 'A terror on Tamriel has set."

----

The leaders of the Summerset Isle cared little for the young necromancer, and when Galerion asked for the right to pursue the beast he was told to forget about it. It was now that Galerion decided to create a mages guild, where magic would help others. He too left Artaeum.

In Tamriel, Mannimarco had become the first of the undying liches by consuming the power of other wizards and relics. He practiced his dark arts and left trails all over the land. He had become a moving corpse and there was little left of him that was human (which is strange since he seems quite normal in The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion).

Galerion gathered mages and knights to fight against the necromancers. He swore to kill every undead walking on Tamriel. He led his troops to a mountain pass where a great battle against mages and necromancers took place. The battle was a chaos of magic and weapons. The necromancers summoned the dead from the ground and the battlemages slew countless of lives with their fire and swords. Suddenly Mannimarco had joined the battle and true horror was inflicted to his enemies. He sucked their lives right out of them. What happened next is uncertain but it seems as if most died, including Galerion and Mannimarco. The relics that had given the King of Worms his power was recovered by the mages guild. It really seemed as the King was gone, but you can't kill an undead.

So what is the view on necromancy in Skyrim? If there is going to be a mages guild with roots from Galerion, necromancy is probably not going to be that popular. If not, maybe it is not illegal but not that common. To be honest i am guessing that it is not that popular since the other regions of Tamriel seems to have similar opinions about raising the dead.

/R

Ayleids

Mer is the definition of elves. Almost all of the elven races have it in their name, like the

Aldmer - First Folk or Elder Folk
Altmer - High Elves
Bosmer - Wood Elves
Chimer - Changed Ones
Dunmer - Dark Elves
Dwemer - Deep Ones
Falmer - Snow Elves
Maormer - Sea Elves
Orsimer - Corrupt Elves

As far as I know, the only elven race that does not include -mer in their name are the Ayleids, the Ancient Elves. It was they whom were the first race to build a civilization in Tamriel. They are the founders of the Imperial City of Cyrodiil and built the White Gold Tower where the Cyrodiilic and Tamrielic emperors have reigned since Saint Alessia overthrew the Ayleids during the human slave rebellion in 1E 242. By then the Ayleids had built a large empire throughout the Cyrodiilic region, and the ruins of the great civilization can still be found in Cyrodiil. The Ayleids originated from Summerset Isle but moved to the mainland somewhere around Merethic Era (please correct me if i am wrong). They were devoted Daedra worshipers and they were feared amongst men. Judging from the size of their doors, and Umaril the Unfeathered, they were quite tall and intimidating.

As mentioned before, there was a slave rebellion. The human races had been enslaved by the Ayleids for a long time before Saint Alessia gathered the rebel army and destroyed the Ayleids empire. The remaining elves fled south and the last recorded event where an Ayleid was spotted was over a thousand years ago, and there are probably no more left in Tamriel. Possibly in Summerset Isle, hopefully someone will have written a book about it during the years before the event of The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim so we may read about it there.

I was never a big fan of visiting the Ayleid ruins in The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion because they were too creepy and i am a bit of a coward when it comes to the undead. They ruins do however look very clean and i imagine that when they where in use they were very beautiful and well lit. How the welkynd stones lit up the large underground cities i still don't know, maybe they were stronger back then.

/R

112 days left - Tiber Septim Part Two

Talos traveled south to the Cyrodiilic  region and became a general under King Cuhlecain. Cuhlecain was a minor King of the Colovian Estates (and shortly the Emperor of Cyrodiil), which is the western part of Cyrodiil. While under Cuhlecain's reign, Talos faced an army of combined Skyrim and High Rock forces. When Talos spoke the Thu'um, the Nords saw him as a son of Skyrim and switched sides.

Thu'um is a power used through the Tounges, the ancient Nordic power that is based on their worship of Kyne (The Nordic version of Kynareth). When the Nordic war cheifs of Skyrim where to attack a city they didn't use regular siege weapons, instead they used their Voice to break down the city gates and swarm the city head on with their warriors. A Dovahkiin (dragonborn) uses dragon shouts, which could be related to Thu'um.

The Breton's of High Rock wasn't to fond of the whole side-switching and made an assassination attempt on Cuhlecain and Talos, where a nightblade slit both of their throats. Cuhlecain died, but Talos managed to survive. He could no longer use his Voice power, instead he commanded his kingdom through whispers. This somewhat confuses me, in "The Real Barenziah" the Dunmer lead is actually having an affair with Talos, and in the text his voice is referred to as calm or soothing. Perhaps he could speak normal but simply lost his gift of the Voice.

Talos changed his name to Tiber Septim when he was declared Emperor of Tamriel. He became one of Tamriel's greatest heroes and after his death he became one with the Nine, and thereby a god under the name of Talos. In Skyrim he is referred to as Ysmir, Dragon of the North. In The Elder Scrolls: Morrowind the spirit of Tiber Septim can be found in Ghostgate, where he is disguised as Wulf. He will give you a special coin that grants a bonus to luck for a certain amount of time. If your ever swinging by Ghostgate after receiving Wraithguard and before ending the prophecy, go visit the old man.

/R

Tiber Septim Part One

General Tiber Septim, 2E 854 - 3E 38, is one of Tamrielic history's most memorable figures. He united all provinces of Tamriel in 2E 897 and started the third era while doing so. He was declared as one of the Nines under the name of Talos, his birth name.

He is said to be born in Atmora, which is a continent north of Tamriel. The first Nords of Tamriel came from Atmora sometime during the Merethic Era. By then the present land of Skyrim was populated by Falmer, snow elves. The Nordic leader Ysgramor and his people built the city of Saarthal and had decided to live there in peace with the elves.

The Nords and the Falmer got along well at first, but as the Nordic population grew the Falmer felt threatened that they would loose their land. The elves burned down Saarthal and slew all Nords except for Ysgramor and his two sons, who fled back to Atmora. By then, Atmora had become a peaceful place and Ysgramor gathered a large army which is referenced to as "the Five Hundred Champions". With the army he made sure that no more Falmer would ever walk on Tamrielic ground again.

Anyway, back to Talos. He was born in Atmora but spent his youth in Skyrim, which means he must have immigrated to Tamriel as a child. In Skyrim he learned the art of Tounges and strategies of war. When he was 20 years old he led the invasion of Old Hrol'dan, to reconquer the lands from the witchmen of High Rock. Shortly after storms gathered, which apparently meant that the Graybeards where about to speak.

Who are the Graybeards? Apparently they live on High Hrothgar, the largest mountain of Skyrim.  The Graybeards live in silence to better attune themselves to the voice of the sky, and they are said to be the last mortal Voice users. Maybe this have to do anything with the dragon shouts?

Talos climbed the seven thousand steps to High Hrothgars highest peak, known as the Throat of the World. There the Graybeards spoke his name and it made the ground shake (they must have been Barry White's ancestors). They told Talos that he would rule Tamriel, but that he must travel south to do so.

I strongly recommend that you visit http://www.uesp.net/ yourself if you want to find out more. Most of my information is from there and it is an amazing website.

/R

Location of Saarthal

There is not much suggesting that the city of Saarthal is still in use, but the ruins should be near the city of Winter Hold.

/R

113 days left - Vampires in Skyrim?

There have been no spoilers from Bethesda if there is going to be an option to become a vampire in the game, however if your interested i have come across a little story about the vampires of Tamriel. Maybe you can guess from where they came from?

In the Vile Lair there is a book called "Opusculus Lamae Bla ta Mezzamortie". It explains how the first vampires came to be:

The translation was made by the University of Gwylim Press in 3E 105.

----

"As brighter grows light, darker becomes shadow. So it passed that the Daedra Molag Bal looked on Arkay and thought the Aedra prideful of his dominion o’er the death of man and mer, and it was sooth.
Bal, whose sphere is the wanton oppression and entrapment of mortal souls, sought to thwart Arkay, who knew that not man, nor mer, nor beastfolk of all Nirn could escape eventual death. The Aedra was doubtless of his sphere, and so Molag Bal set upon Nirn to best death.

Tamriel was still young, and filled with danger and wondrous magick when Bal walked in the aspect of a man and took a virgin, Lamae Beolfag, from the Nedic Peoples. Savage and loveless, Bal profaned her body, and her screams became the Shrieking Winds, which still haunt certain winding fjords of Skyrim. Shedding a lone droplet of blood on her brow, Bal left Nirn, having sown his wrath.

Violated and comatose, Lamae was found by nomads, and cared for. A fortnight hence, the nomad wyrd-woman enshrouded Lamae in pall for she had passed into death. In their way, the nomads built a bonfire to immolate the husk. That night, Lamae rose from her funeral pyre, and set upon the coven, still aflame. She ripped the throats of the women, ate the eyes of the children, and raped their men as cruelly as Bal had ravished her.

And so; Lamae, (who is known to us as blood-matron) imprecated her foul aspect upon the folk of Tamriel, and begat a brood of countless abominations, from which came the vampires, most cunning of the night-horrors. And so was the scourge of undeath wrought upon Tamriel, cruelly mocking Arkay’s rhythm of life and death through all the coming eras of the et'Ada, and for all his sadness, Arkay knew this could not be undone."

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I would like to bring notice to the specific line that states "and her screams became the Shrieking Winds, which still haunt certain winding fjords of Skyrim". Something to remember while running around exploring in Skyrim.

/R

114 days left - Fleeing to Skyrim

Throughout Tamriels history, Nords and Dumner have had many quarrels with each other. Nords have always disliked all elven races. However I have a theory that a lot of Dunmer have had to flee to their ancient enemies land because their own was destroyed.

The fifth installment of the series is set 200 years after the Oblivion crisis, and during this time Morrowind is more or less destroyed. When the poet Vivec lost his godly power, he also lost control of The Ministry Of Truth. The story behind the building was that a moon was heading for Nirn and was going to land on Vvardenfell, but just before it landed, Vivec stopped it by using telekinesis.

Now somewhere during the first years of the 4th Era (that started after the Oblivion Crisis) Vivec dies. This meant that the power that held the moon in place was now gone, and it smashed in to Vvardenfell with the same strength it had when it fell from the sky. This basically ruined the entire island and much of the surrounding area of Morrowind.

Now what does this have to do with the Nords?
Shortly after the catastrophe of the moon, Argonians from Black Marsh invaded Morrowind. In the book "The Real Barenziah" it states that the Skyrim city of Riften is at the border of Morrowind. This could mean that a rather large amount of Dunmer refugees fled to Skyrim via that city. If so there should be a lot of Elves in the south-eastern part of Skyrim that also would reflect on architecture and economy.

Now this is just a far fetched theory. It has gone 200 years since the invasion and the people of Morrowind could have returned to their land. Or they might not even have gotten past the border when they needed to, if the guards between the two countries didn't let them in. A lot of Dunmer probably emigrated to Cyrodiil via Cheydinhal or the passage near
the Drunken Dragon Inn (although it might be a bit to close to Black Marsh). Who knows, maybe we will find an old guarskin drum in a basement somewhere in Riften.

/R