Lore:Ilayas

Ilayas Ruins
Type	Ayleid Ruin
Continent	Tamriel
Province	Valenwood
Region	Malabal Tor; (Broken Coast)
Appears in	ESO

Ilayas ca. 2E 582

Ilayas Ruins is a ruined citadel built on a seaside hill of Malabal Tor, in the province of Valenwood. The keep is occupied by an ancient order of lightning wizards called the Stormwardens, who defend the coast from foreign invasion and operate an ancient Ayleid artifact called the Sphere of Storms, a potent orb that utilizes weather magic to manipulate the waves of the coast and supply water for crops.^[1] The entire ruin was built around the focus of the Sphere of Storms, and the Stormwardens will go through great lengths to protect it.^[2]

HistoryEdit

The fortress of Ilayas was built many years into the Merethic Era, centuries before the Alessian Slave Rebellion occurred in 1E 243, and it was also active during the golden years of the Ayleid Empire, roughly between ME 850 and ME 900. The Ayleid lords of Ilayas were represented with a storm-cloud symbol.^[3] The storm mages that lived in Ilayas were called the Stormwardens and they used the Sphere of Storms, much like other defense outposts across the Cyrodilic coast.^[1] Ilayas was an active settlement amidst the Ayleid Diaspora that came after the slave rebellion^[3] and while the Ayleid order continued to survey the keep, the order eventually incorporated the local Bosmer until the remnants of the Ayleid society merged with the locals and seemingly went extinct. The modern-day Stormwardens are sworn to protect the sphere at all costs and they have learned how to use it from their predecessors.^[2]

At some point in time, the province of Valenwood was incorporated into the Aldmeri Dominion, and so the Thalmor enlisted the Stormwardens to safeguard the Strident coast.^[4] In 2E 582, Ilayas was sacked by the Maormer brigand force, the Sea Vipers, in allegiance with a former member of the Stormwardens, Firras. In his defiance against the Aldmeri Dominion, he hoped to take control of the order from his superior, Cirnean. A local ranger enlisted the help of an adventurer to break the siege against Ilayas and rendezvous with the Stormwardens. First and foremost, the adventurer acquired the Sky-Key to the keep and was able to delve into Ilayas where they met with Stormwarden Cirnean. They told them that they needed to restore the Sphere of Storms with the thunderstones of a Storm Atronach. Once they recharged the sphere, the adventurer escaped the ruins of Ilayas while cutting down Firras along the way. The Sphere of Storms was secured, but the Stormwardens were sealed inside the keep for however long.^[5]