Oblivion
From the OblivioWiki – your guide to everything Oblivion
- This article is about the realm known as Oblivion. For general information about the game itself, see The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.
Oblivion, also called The Void of Oblivion, is a collective term, used to describe one subset of the planes of existence. The planes of Oblivion are those which have the least connection with the mortal plane, Nirn.
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[edit] Description
The planes which make up Oblivion are defined primarily by exclusion. Any plane which is not Nirn itself, not one of the planets or moons, and not Aetherius itself, is generally considered to be an Oblivion plane. It is commonly believed that there are an infinite number of such planes, though Tamrielic scholars are aware of only a small handful. In particular, is it believed that each of the sixteen Daedric Princes rules over their own plane, which is formed into an image of their choosing.
The Elder Scrolls universe began as a single, formless void called Aetherius. Within this void, a number of powerful divine entities, or et'Ada, formed into self-aware, independent personalities. The strongest of these entities carved out their own space within the ether, forming the individual planes that make up the universe. (Note that, within the Elder Scrolls universe, a planet and a plane are one and the same.) One group of these et'Ada, which the mer revere as the Aedra, collaborated to form the mortal plane, Nirn, and populate it with mortal beings. Nine of these Aedra, which included those worshipped as the Eight Divines, gave up much of their divine energy to form the mortal planet. These nine were thus permanently bound to their own planes: Lorkhan's physical body became the planet Nirn, and the other eight planes surrounded his plane. To the mortal brain, these infinite and formless planes appear as spherical bodies floating across the sky, making up the planets.
The rest of the divine planes, which exist outside of the eight planets but still within Aetherius itself, are the planes of Oblivion. These planes have no real connection to the mortal world, and the normal rules of physics do not apply. Scholars assume that only a very few out of a nearly infinite number of such planes are known to mortals, and those that are known share only a few common features. They are all ruled over by one of the Daedric Lords, and the plane takes a form reflective of its lord's personality. The native inhabitants of these planes are collective referred to as daedra, and are not mortal in the traditional sense. If they are killed, especially on the mortal plane, their innate spark of life, what is sometimes called their "soul", returns to a new physical body. However, there is a portion of the universe, the true Void, which is outside of any of the planes of existence; when a sufficiently powerful being manages to kill a daedra in their native plane, their "soul" is lost to the void forever.
Unlike the planes of the Aedra, mortals cannot see or detect the existence of the Oblivion planes. Instead, the mortal brain interprets Oblivion as the vast black nothingness of space, literally seeing it as an empty void. The only real indication that Oblivion exists are the sun and stars. These are actually holes of various sizes that were punched through Oblivion at the forming of Nirn, by those Aedra which managed to escape before their divinity was compromised. These holes reach all the way from Nirn, through Oblivion, to Aetherius, and permit the magic of that outer realm to reach Nirn.
[edit] Known Planes
Generally speaking, each plane of Oblivion is a unique, distinct world, with its own natural laws and native inhabitants. They range from the violent and inhospitable Deadlands, to the paradise-like Moonshadow. Not all of these planes take a form that even permits the existence of mortals, though most of those known to Tamriel's scholars have been visited at least once. In addition to those known to be ruled by a Daedric Prince, the powerful college of Imperial Battlemages has made contact with a number of other realms, and built their training grounds (the Battlespire) in several of these.
[edit] Planes of the Daedra Lords
- Azura's Moonshadow
- Moonshadow is described as impossibly beautiful, made up of impossible shades of colors, and in perpetual twilight. This realm is believed to be permanently sealed off from mortals, but those who ventured there in the past usually went half-blind or half-mad from the unnatural beauty.
- Boethiah's Snake Mount/Attribution's Share
- Boethiah's plane is made up of vast mazes gardens and labyrinths, and the architecture has a very twisted and sinister appearance. Betrayal and deception are a matter of natural law in this realm.
- Clavicus Vile's Realm
- The true name of this realm is not known, but is it one of the most tranquil and peaceful of the Oblivion realms, resembling a rustic countryside.
- Hermaeus Mora's Apocrypha
- This is the central repository for all knowledge in the entire universe, and is said to resemble an infinite library. Its books are all identical, having black covers and no titles, but there is one of every book ever written, and includes knowledge normally forbidden to humans. Mortals who wander here usually die and remain behind as ghosts, still seeking knowledge.
- Hircine's Hunting Grounds
- This plane consists of a vast expanse of islands, inhabited by the various daedra. Hircine's plane has a higher than normal population of atronachs. The most popular hunted prey are those unlucky mortals who find themselves here accidentally.
- Malacath's Ashpit,
- The Ashpit is a barren, barely-habitable wasteland. Of those realms accessible by mortals, this is considered the hardest to reach.
- Mehrunes Dagon's Deadlands
- The Deadlands represent as close to the mortal vision of hell as any of the Oblivion planes. Ash storms and vast seas of lava make up the majority of this realm, which is populated by the highly intelligent Dremora. It is from this realm that Dagon has attempted to launch his repeated invasions of Nirn.
- Meridia's Colored Rooms
- Little is known about this realm, save that the Auroran are native to this plane. This is where Umaril's spirit fled when Pelinel Whitestrake slew him.
- Molag Bal's Coldharbour
- Molag Bal built his realm to resemble an apocalyptic Nirn, where familiar landmarks appear scorched and ruined. It has been described as what Nirn would look like, were it to undergo centuries of cataclysmic war. Mortals who make their way here usually end up in the slave pens or charnel houses.
- Namira's Scuttling Void
- Little is known of Namira's realm beyond its name, and that no known mortals have traveled there and returned.
- Nocturnal's Shade Perilous
- Shade Perilous is actually the name of Nocturnal's central stronghold, though no other name is known for the plane itself. It was one of the realms that made up the Battlespire.
- Peryite's Pits
- This plane is considered to be one of the lowest orders of Oblivion, and is possibly more than one plane. The least of the lesser daedra make their homes here. Little is known of this plane, as it is completely inaccessible to mortals.
- Sanguine's Realms
- Sanguine is said to be in control of tens of thousands of individual, unnamed realms housing all forms of pleasure and decadence.
- Sheogorath's Madhouse/The Shivering Isles
- The Madhouse, like it's master, has a split personality. One half of this realm appears cheery and light-hearted, but hides a deeper manic undercurrent. The other half is more obviously sinister, representing Sheogorath's demented side. This is one of the few realms that has permanent mortal inhabitants.
- Vaernima's Quagmire
- The Quagmire is the source of all nightmare and terror. Mortals on this realm describe scenes of impossible horror, which change every few minutes with a blinding flash of lightning into ever more horrifying visions. Mortals in the midst of a nightmare are frequently brushing against the edges of this realm.
[edit] Other Oblivion Planes
- Chimera of Desolation
- This realm, the last of the Oblivion realms in the Battlespire, was created by Mehrunes Dagon to punish a mortal conjurer.
- Mankar Camoran's Paradise
- Mankar Camoran, using instructions left by Mehrunes Dagon, created his own personal plane of Oblivion, which appeared outwardly to be an idyllic garden realm, but hid a number of torture chambers and other forms of punishment in the underground areas.
- Soul Cairn
- This is an unaligned plane of Oblivion, also used as part of the Battlespire. It is inhabited primarily by the undead, including an odd race called Gem Vampires which controls the realm.
[edit] Note on Tamriel
At one point during the main quest, the idea is put forth that Tamriel, Aldmeri for Starry Night, is itself a plane of Oblivion. This idea stems from a combination of intentional deception of the part of the speaker, and a basic misunderstanding of how the Elder Scrolls universe is defined. Nirn is the plane of existence that is tied to Lorkhan, much like the planets are those planes tied to the Nine Divines. Presumably, the other Aedra also have their own home planes, though we know little about them. It is true that Nirn is just another plane of existence, like the Oblivion planes. However, by definition, Oblivion excludes those planes tied to Aedra, which includes Nirn itself.
On the other hand, the related idea that Tamriel was somehow "stolen" from the Daedra Lords, by Lorkhan or its population, makes no sense. Tamriel exists only as a result of Lorkhan's existence, and the mortal population was created specifically to live there.
[edit] Oblivion Barriers
For the most part, the planes of Oblivion are remote and distant, metaphysically, relative to Nirn. While it is physically possible for inhabitants of certain realms to travel to Nirn, and for mortals to enter certain Oblivion planes, is it extremely difficult. In particular, the Princes themselves are generally barred from entering Nirn, though they seem to have no problem crossing between Oblivion realms.
The most common means of crossing the boundary between Oblivion and Nirn is by conjuration magic. This allows a mage on Nirn to summon a daedra from one of the Oblivion planes, and bind it to his will, for some period of time. In some cases, the daedra arrives bodily on Nirn; in other cases, the daedra's essence is bound into a item, such as armor or weapon, for use by the conjurer. Rarely, a truly powerful magician can permanently bind a daedra to an enchanted item, but typically, the item vanishes once the daedra's conjuration ends. Extremely powerful mages can also transport themselves to certain of the Oblivion planes; in addition, the Daedric Princes can, in some situations, bring a mortal to their realm. This works much the same as with summoning daedra to Nirn. If a mortal is transported bodily to an Oblivion plane, they can die just like they would on the mortal plane. If they are drawn into the realm magically, it usually involves their body remaining on Nirn, and their death is no more permanent than the death of a summoned daedra.
In the early centuries of Tamriel's history, Daedric Princes commonly walked on Nirn. Certain Daedra Lords played pivotal roles in the development of the early races of man and mer. Near the beginning of the First Era, after the Ayleid slave wars were over, the Aedra made a pact with Alessia to prevent this from continuing. Since the Aedra's planes sit between Oblivion and Nirn, they were able to erect barriers that kept the daedra away from Nirn, unless summoned by someone from the mortal side. After this, only a few very rare locations existed where mortals could travel to Oblivion, and the Daedra Lords were forced to communicate with their followers via their shrines, and never in person.
