—Zurin Arctus, the Underking
A Hero[1] or Heroine, sometimes referred to as a Prisoner[2][3] or Prisoner Unbound,[4] is a mortal blessed (and cursed, from another point of view) with a special fate and the ability to rule their own destiny. They are described as doom-driven.[5][6] Heroes are said to be uniquely able to forge their own fate.[7] Some believe that Heroes are blessed by Akatosh,[6][8] while others believe they exist by the will of the Prime Archon, Ithelia.[9] 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.[8][10]
Eternal ChampionEdit
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.
The AgentEdit
The Agent, also known as the Hero of Daggerfall, (b. 3E 375)[nb 1] was an operative of the Blades, sent by Emperor Uriel Septim VII to the Kingdom of Daggerfall to exorcise the spirit of King Lysandus, and on a lesser request to find and destroy a letter of a "sentimental and personal nature" sent by the emperor to the then-Queen of Daggerfall, Mynisera, several years prior.
The Agent would end up caught in the complex political battles being fought in Iliac Bay, eventually finding himself in a power struggle between the Empire, the various kingdoms of the region (including the Orcs of Nova Orsinium), the King of Worms Mannimarco, and the mythical Underking himself, all seeking to claim the great Numidium.
While it remains unknown who the Agent ultimately decided to give control over the Numidium to, its activation in 3E 417 would cause the Warp in the West and reshape the landscape, both politically and literally, of the Iliac. He disappeared immediately after the Warp, with the Blades being unable to contact him despite their efforts to resolve the paradoxical and contradictory reports of the event. It is presumed the Agent died by the Numidium's hand when activating it for himself.
The ApprenticeEdit
The Apprentice, also known by their full name Josian Kaid,[nb 1] (b. 3E 372) was a hero of obscure origins who was sent to the Battlespire in 3E 398 after placing second in the Imperial Martial Arts competition determining the next Imperial Guard candidates to be tested there. The Apprentice found the citadel captured by the legions of Mehrunes Dagon, and fought an army of Daedra to rescue his fellow trainee, Vatasha Trenell.
CyrusEdit
Cyrus the Redguard, also known as Cyrus the Restless and Sura or Sura-do-Hega in Yoku, (b. 2E 831) was a hero best known for leading the Stros M'Kai Uprising in 2E 864. Having spent the early years of his career under the captaincy of Cyro-Nordic pirate Tobias, Cyrus travelled to the island of Stros M'Kai in search of his missing sister, Iszara, ending up leading his fellow Redguards in a rebellion against the Empire alongside her.
NerevarineEdit
The Nerevarine, the prophesied Incarnate, is the reincarnation of Chimeri warlord Indoril Nerevar. 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. 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.[11]
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.[12]
Soul of ConflictEdit
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.[13]
Hero of KvatchEdit
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, also simply known as the Dragonborn or Dovahkiin, and referred to as Ysmir, Dragon of the North, is the hero foretold in the ancient Prophecy of the Dragonborn inscribed on Alduin's Wall. In 4E 201, the Dragonborn arrived in Skyrim and, with the assistance of the last of the Blades and the Greybeards, fulfilled his destiny by ending the renewed dragon threat and slaying Alduin the World-Eater. That same year, the Dragonborn also recovered lost Elder Scrolls to end a vampiric plot to permanently blot out the sun, and journeyed to Solstheim to stop the return of Miraak, the First Dragonborn.
The VestigeEdit
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 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.[14]
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.[15]
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. [16]
Talym RendEdit
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.[17] 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.[18]
WarriorEdit
The Warrior[19] was born in the small town of Rivercrest[20] in Cyrodiil,[21] part of a kingdom ruled by the Bloodfall Queen.[22] Trained in combat by Henrik Seven-Swords since a young age,[23] 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.[24] The Warrior returned to Rivercrest circa 4E 180[25] 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,[26] and the Warrior undertook to rebuild the town and save all of Tamriel from the reawakened Ayleid Lich.
Sheathed BladesEdit
The Sheathed Blades[27] 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.[27] 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.[27] 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.[27]
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.[2] Tsun once reminisced of at least one battle with a doom-driven, Dragonborn Hero before the coming of the Last Dragonborn.[5]
- 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]
ReferencesEdit
- ^ Heaven Stones in Oblivion
- ^ a b Sotha Sil's dialogue in ESO: Clockwork City
- ^ Sotha Sil and the Scribe — Andrunal, Seer of Verse
- ^ The Nine Coruscations, Volume I — Star-Queen Varalias
- ^ a b Tsun's dialogue in Skyrim
- ^ a b Paarthurnax's dialogue in Skyrim
- ^ Leramil the Wise's dialogue in the Prisoner of Fate quest
- ^ a b Messages given by Doomstones in Oblivion
- ^ The Nine Coruscations — Star-Queen Varalias
- ^ 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.
- ^ Events of Stormhold
- ^ Events of Dawnstar
- ^ Events of Shadowkey
- ^ Events of The Forgotten Hero story in Legends
- ^ Events of the Fall of the Dark Brotherhood story
- ^ Events of the Return to Clockwork City story
- ^ Sheogorath's dialogue in the mission The Final Battle in Isle of Madness
- ^ Events of Isle of Madness
- ^ Name used in dialogue by Jena Matius, Saashi, and other NPCs throughout Blades
- ^ Default Town name in Blades
- ^ Destane's dialogue in Blades
- ^ Bloodfall Banner item in Blades
- ^ Henrik Seven-Swords' dialogue in Blades
- ^ The Rise and Fall of the Blades — Anonymous
- ^ Junius the Elder's dialogue in Blades
- ^ Saashi's dialogue in Blades
- ^ 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.