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Lore:Hero

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"Each event is preceded by Prophecy. But without the hero, there is no Event."
Zurin Arctus, the Underking

A Hero[1] or Heroine, sometimes described as being doom-driven[2][3] or referred to as a Prisoner,[4][5] is a mortal blessed (and cursed, from another point of view) with a special fate and the ability to rule their own destiny. Some believe that Heroes are blessed by Akatosh.[3] Heroes are closely related to the prophecies revealed in the Elder Scrolls, but are not bound by them. They often grow to become far more powerful than most other mortals.[6][7]

Eternal ChampionEdit

 
The Eternal Champion on horseback
Hero of TES I: Arena

The Eternal Champion, also known by their given name Talin, (b. 3E 370) was an otherwise unknown hero best known for ending the Imperial Simulacrum in 3E 399 by bringing together the pieces of the Staff of Chaos and killing the impostor emperor Jagar Tharn and rescuing the true emperor, Uriel Septim VII, and the general of the Imperial Guard, General Talin Warhaft,[nb 2] from a dimension of Tharn's choosing where they had been imprisoned for ten years.

HistoryEdit

Early lifeEdit

 
The Champion's childhood home

The Champion was the adopted ward of General Talin Warhaft, who he treated as his father. The Champion's father fought in a battle at Borim Valley, and he had a great-aunt and a great-uncle who each lived in separate villages close to the Champion's home village. During his childhood, the Champion worked at the stables of his home village and was taught how to fight by Armsmaster Festil, an elderly warrior. He became friends with Ria Silmane after he was summoned to the Imperial Court to learn under her tutelage the ways of sorcery. At the Imperial Court he was considered only a minor member of no real consequence. On his seventeenth birthday, he was bidden by his father to go out and explore Tamriel and return as a member of the Imperial household, at one point returning briefly to the Imperial City to celebrate the Mid Year's Festival.

Imperial SimulacrumEdit

 
The Staff of Chaos

In 3E 389, Jagar Tharn would overthrow Emperor Uriel, imprison him and General Warhaft in Oblivion, and kill Ria Silmane. The Champion would coincidentally return home from his year-long journey immediately after this occurred. They would be imprisoned by Jagar Tharn in the Imperial Dungeons and left to die. Using what little of her life force remained, Silmane contacted the Champion from between the mortal world and the afterlife and guided him to freedom, tasking him with reassembling the Staff of Chaos and rescuing the emperor.[nb 3] Silmane aided the Champion in this task by using her magic to mask the Champion's identity, which successfully concealed the Champion's name from Tharn until seven of the Staff's eight pieces had been recovered.

Using Silmane's guidance to find the location of the pieces, with covert assistance from Queen Barenziah and King Eadwyre who through contact with Silmane would gather intelligence on the locations of the pieces of the Staff of Chaos to be passed on to the Champion, the Champion journeyed to Stonekeep, Fang Lair, the Fortress of Ice, Labyrinthian, Selene's Web, the Elden Grove, the Temple of Agamanus, the Halls of Colossus, the Temple of Mad God, the Crystal Tower, the Mines of Khuras, the Crypt of Hearts, the Vaults of Gemin, Murkwood, Black Gate, and Red Mountain on a quest that spanned the course of a decade, before ultimately descending into the depths of the Imperial Palace to face Tharn. The Champion would defeat Tharn in 3E 399 (their battle doing considerable damage to the Imperial Palace) by draining the Jewel of Fire of its power and restoring the Staff of Chaos to its full power, killing Tharn in the process. The Champion would then free Emperor Uriel and General Warhaft from Oblivion and be proclaimed by the Emperor as the Eternal Champion. He would then take his place at the emperor's side and would be tasked with seeing to the needs of the Empire.

The AgentEdit

 
The Agent being carried on a bier

The Agent, born in 3E 375,[8] was sent as an operative of the Empire to exorcise the spirit of King Lysandus, but ended up caught in the complex political battles being fought in the Iliac Bay. The Agent would eventually find himself in a power struggle between the Empire, the Orcs of Orsinium, the King of Worms Mannimarco, the various kingdoms of the region, and the mythical Underking himself, all seeking to claim the great Numidium.[9][10] While it's unknown who the Agent decided to give the Numidium to, its activation would cause the Warp in the West and reshape the political landscape of Tamriel.[11]

The ApprenticeEdit

 
The Apprentice entering the Pillar of Light

The Apprentice, born in 3E 372,[8] was sent to the Battlespire in 3E 398 after placing second in a competition determining the next Imperial Guard candidates to be tested there.[8] The Apprentice found the citadel captured by the legions of Mehrunes Dagon, and fought an army of Daedra to rescue their fellow trainee.[12]

CyrusEdit

 
Cyrus wielding his saber

Cyrus the Redguard was a mercenary born in 2E 831[13] (or 2E 834 according to some sources[8]). He spent the early years of his career under the pirate captain Tobias working for the Khajiit crime boss S'rathra. He returned to the island of Stros M'Kai in 2E 864 to find his missing sister, Iszara, but ended up leading his fellow Redguards in a rebellion against the Empire.[14]

NerevarineEdit

 
The Nerevarine


The Nerevarine, the prophesied Incarnate, is the reincarnation of Chimeri warlord Indoril Nerevar, whose return was predicted by the Nerevarine Prophecy. The Nerevarine arrived in Morrowind in 3E 427 by the order of Emperor Uriel Septim VII, having been sent to Vvardenfell as a prisoner of the Empire. His arrival was directly linked to a prophecy which dictated that Lord Indoril Nerevar would be reincarnated and return to Morrowind to defeat Dagoth Ur and restore the glory of Resdayn. The hero fulfilled the prophecy, ending the Blight, and defeated Dagoth Ur, among many other things. In recognition of this, he was also known as Nerevar-Born-Again, Nerevar Reborn, Starkborn, Moon-and-Star Reborn, Hortator, Mourner of the Tribe Unmourned, Redeemer of the False Gods, and Blodskaal.

As destiny unfolded, he battled against living gods, and then, in the frozen wastes of Solstheim, against the champions of the Daedric Prince Hircine. Rumors swirled at the end of the Third Era that the Nerevarine went on an expedition to Akavir and has not been heard from since.

Master Tunnel RatEdit

The Master Tunnel Rat was sent to Stormhold prison in the late Third Era circa 3E 427,[UOL 1] where they were forced to clear the underground ruins in search of crystals. After the Mad Warden Quintus Varus' plot to rid the Empire of evil by using the Storm Crystal backfired horribly, the Tunnel Rat slew the Mad Warden and used the Storm Crystal to remove the excess of evil from the mining camp.[15]

Hero of DawnstarEdit

The Hero of Dawnstar arrived at the exile post of Dawnstar in the late Third Era circa 3E 427,[UOL 1] while it was besieged by the Ice Tribes and betrayed by someone from within. Unable to ferret out who of his four champions was in league with the enemy, Governor Cyril Vinticae had banished them all, tasking the Hero with singling out the traitor and saving Dawnstar. After investigating the champions, they revealed the traitor and returned to Dawnstar with the three loyal champions to defend from the ensuing assault. With the power of the Starfrost, the Hero helped slay the traitor's forces and finally emerged victorious with the defeat of the Gehenoth Thriceborn.[16]

Soul of ConflictEdit

 
The Soul of Conflict

The Soul of Conflict's destiny began when their home village of Azra's Crossing was attacked by bandits during the War of the Bend'r-mahk. The hero became entrenched in the war and learned of an evil incarnation being created with shadow magic and sustained by the conflict caused by the ongoing war. This Shadow of Conflict, or Umbra' Keth, was sought by Jagar Tharn and Pergan Asuul for their own ends. The Soul of Conflict gathered the seven Star Teeth and destroyed the monster.[17]

Hero of KvatchEdit

 
The Hero of Kvatch[Note 1]


The Hero of Kvatch, also known by a number of other titles, is a Daedric Prince and once a hero of prophecy. As a mortal, they assisted in saving all of Tamriel from the Oblivion Crisis and ascended to godhood as the new Prince of Madness in 3E 433.

Last DragonbornEdit

 
The Last Dragonborn[Note 1]

Also known as the Dragonborn, Dovahkiin or Ysmir, Dragon of the North. Attempting to cross the border into Skyrim, the Dragonborn was caught by the Imperial Legion and sent to the village of Helgen to be executed. Unexpectedly, Alduin attacked the settlement, which allowed the Dragonborn to escape. As destiny unfolded, this hero turned out to be the fabled Last Dragonborn from the prophecy inscribed into Alduin's Wall. With the help of the last Blades and the Greybeards, the Dragonborn entered Sovngarde and defeated Alduin. The Dragonborn also recovered lost Elder Scrolls related to a vampire plot to blot out the sun and journeyed to Solstheim to stop the return of Miraak, the First Dragonborn.

The VestigeEdit

 
The Vestige's soul

The Vestige, known as the Soulless One and by a plethora of other names, was a Soul-Shriven hero of prophecy. As a mortal, they were sacrificed to Molag Bal by Mannimarco as part of a dark ritual in 2E 582.

With the aid of former emperor Varen Aquilarios, the Vestige escaped imprisonment in Coldharbour and reformed the Five Companions, as foretold by the Elder Scrolls in the omen "The soulless one will become the brightest of five stars, and they shall guide us to the coming dawn."

After participating in the Three Banners War for one of the three alliances throughout its territory and Cyrodiil, the Vestige joined an invasion of Coldharbour by the Fighters and Mages Guilds. The Vestige became instrumental to that effort, restoring Meridia's Hollow City in Coldharbour as a beachhead for the invasion. The Vestige, with Meridia's assistance, thus ended Molag Bal's Planemeld and regained their soul.

Forgotten HeroEdit

 
The Forgotten Hero overlooking the Imperial City
Hero of TES: Legends

The Forgotten Hero is an individual whose adventures are told by a moth priest named Kellen. The Hero was captured by a Dremora, Reive, and managed to escape with a fellow captive, a Blade named Tyr during the Great War. They discovered that Lord Naarifin tried to bring about a prophecy known as the Culling, for which he intended to sacrifice all of the Imperial City's inhabitants. They found the Emperor, and the hero, disguised in the Emperor's armor, led an attack on the Imperial City to defeat Naarifin.[18]

The Forgotten Hero also played a role in the fall of the Dark Brotherhood during 4E 188. The Hero was recruited by a man named Uther, who asked him to infiltrate the Dark Brotherhood and kill his daughter Alisanne. He aided the citizens of Wayrest, captured a traitor in the Falkreath Sanctuary, and was present when Alisanne was killed in Bravil.[19]

Kellen's final tale tells about the Forgotten Hero's journey to the Clockwork City in 4E 201. Here, the Hero unfolded Mecinar's plans to achieve godhood with Sotha Sil's reconstruction of Lorkhan's Heart. Though Mecinar was defeated, the fate of the Heart, the City, and the Hero are unknown. [20]

Talym RendEdit

 
Talym

Also known as the Conqueror of Madness, Talym Rend was a Dunmer spy for the Empire who journeyed to the Shivering Isles in the Fourth Era and descended into madness.

In seeking to forget the painful memories of his involvement in the Worm Cult's ritual sacrifice of his son Novos, Talym Rend struck a deal with the Daedric Prince Sheogorath, who wanted three souls driven mad in return. Sheogorath manipulated his mind for "motivation" and caused him to think he was fighting to cure his son of his madness instead.[21] When Talym completed this task, he returned home only to realize that his son had been dead the entire time.

Sheogorath denied Talym another audience with him when he returned to his realm, causing his unanswered questions to eat away at his sanity as he wandered endlessly around the Shivering Isles. Eventually, he regained a semblance of composure and journeyed to Knifepoint Hollow. There, Talym was informed by Dyus, the librarian of Jyggalag, that he might gain an audience with Sheogorath if he retrieved an artifact of Jyggalag. Sheogorath granted Talym an audience when he retrieved the Sword of Jyggalag, and used the Memory Wand on him to reveal Talym's original intent and memories. Sheogorath mocked Talym, and in his anger, Talym turned the Memory Wand against Sheogorath and forced him to recall his memories of his previous incarnation: the Daedric Prince of Order, Jyggalag. The memories pained Sheogorath, who pleaded with Talym to stop. He fulfilled Talym's wishes and would leave him and his companions free from his grasp. Talym returned home and was last seen making preparations for getting revenge on the Worm Cult for his son's death.[22]

WarriorEdit

 
The Warrior
Hero of TES: Blades

The Warrior[23] was born in the small town of Rivercrest[24] in Cyrodiil,[25] part of a kingdom ruled by the Bloodfall Queen.[26] Trained in combat by Henrik Seven-Swords since a young age,[27] the Warrior left to become a member of the Blades, but was forced to go into hiding after the end of the Great War in 4E 175 when the organization was formally disbanded and its members systematically hunted down by the Thalmor.[28] The Warrior returned to Rivercrest circa 4E 180[29] only to find it ablaze and reduced to rubble. The destruction of the town's Elder Statue caused an undead Ayleid Sorcerer-King named Celemaril Light-Bringer to be released from his ancient bindings in the Abyss,[30] and the Warrior undertook to rebuild the town and save all of Tamriel from the reawakened Ayleid Lich.

Sheathed BladesEdit

 
Blades emblem

The Sheathed Blades[31] were a small party of the Order of Blades who worked against the Thalmor interests in Skyrim Province before the White-Gold Concordat was signed. Before they could succeed in their mission, their Order was outlawed and all members were open for hunting season by the Thalmor.[31] The Sheathed Blades survived the initial purges and went into hiding, before emerging fifteen years later during the Skyrim Civil War, and unraveling the Chosen of Boethiah cult that had been enflaming cultural tensions between the Imperials and Stormcloaks.[31] They later faced off and slew the Dragon, Grahkrindrog, who had been the size of a palace and terrorized Skyrim for hundreds of years in the distant past.[31]

NotesEdit

  • Aside from the known, titled Heroes, there are several who have not appeared but have been alluded to. Sotha Sil, who had advanced knowledge of the Prisoners, claimed the Vestige was one of very few Heroes he had met.[4] Tsun once reminisced of at least one battle with a doom-driven, Dragonborn Hero before the coming of the Last Dragonborn.[2]
  • Bendu Olo is frequently used as a placeholder name for many of the player characters.
  • Following mentions of Talin in Arena, it later became a policy of Bethesda to avoid canonizing the identities of player characters (including the Eternal Champion), so as to not cheapen the player's own personal experiences in the games.[UOL 2]
1.This image is a depiction from a game trailer.

ReferencesEdit

  1. ^ Heaven Stones in Oblivion
  2. ^ a b Tsun's dialogue in Skyrim
  3. ^ a b Paarthurnax's dialogue in Skyrim
  4. ^ a b Sotha Sil's dialogue in ESO: Clockwork City
  5. ^ Sotha Sil and the ScribeAndrunal, Seer of Verse
  6. ^ Messages given by Doomstones in Oblivion
  7. ^ Remarks by Dyus and Jyggalag state that the fate of the Hero of Kvatch is blurred and uncertain, as the Hero defies all their logical formulae.
  8. ^ a b c d Elderscrolls.com Timeline
  9. ^ The Daggerfall Chronicles — Ronald Wartow
  10. ^ Events of Daggerfall
  11. ^ The Warp in the WestUlvius Tero
  12. ^ Events of Battlespire
  13. ^ Cyrus' biography on Redguard's official website
  14. ^ Events of Redguard
  15. ^ Events of Stormhold
  16. ^ Events of Dawnstar
  17. ^ Events of Shadowkey
  18. ^ Events of The Forgotten Hero story in Legends
  19. ^ Events of the Fall of the Dark Brotherhood story
  20. ^ Events of the Return to Clockwork City story
  21. ^ Sheogorath's dialogue in the mission The Final Battle in Isle of Madness
  22. ^ Events of Isle of Madness
  23. ^ Name used in dialogue by Jena Matius, Saashi, and other NPCs throughout Blades
  24. ^ Default Town name in Blades
  25. ^ Destane's dialogue in Blades
  26. ^ Bloodfall Banner item in Blades
  27. ^ Henrik Seven-Swords' dialogue in Blades
  28. ^ The Rise and Fall of the Blades — Anonymous
  29. ^ Junius the Elder's dialogue in Blades
  30. ^ Saashi's dialogue in Blades
  31. ^ a b c d Events of Skyrim — The Adventure Game

Note: The following references are considered to be unofficial sources. They are included to round off this article and may not be authoritative or conclusive.