Red Mountain

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Red Mountain is the most common name given to the large active volcano that makes up the majority of the island of Vvardenfell, in the province of Morrowind. The volcano is also sometimes referred to as Dagoth Ur, though this is likely due to an error on the part of an Imperial scribe. (Dagoth Ur is the name of a Chimer general who's undead form was trapped under Red Mountain for centuries.)

[edit] History

The volcano currently called Red Mountain was not always an active volcano, and not always red. It has, however, always played a very significant role in the history of Tamriel. Near the end of the creation process, as many of the Aedra began their exodus from Nirn, a smaller group chose to stay and forfeit their divine existence to give life to the planet. Among these was Lorkhan, the Aedra generally credited with devising the original plan for the mortal plane. According to Aldmeri legend, the remaining Aedra were furious with what they considered Lorkhan's trickery and tried to destroy him. However, the physical manifestation of Nirn (called the Ehlnofey, Earth Bones) came from Lorkhan himself, and so he could not truly be destroyed. Instead, his heart was torn from him and cast to Tamriel, where the Aedra hoped it would never be found. Over the place where the heart landed grew a vast mountain -- Red Mountain.

During the Merethic Era, the Aldmer left their home and travelled to Summerset Isles on Tamriel. One particular group of mer, led by their prophet Veloth, chose to split from the core population, and travelled across the continent to their new home, which they named Resdayn. Once there, these mer, now called Chimer, were somewhat surprised to see that the caves and tunnels under Red Mountain wre already inhabited by mer, who called themselves the Dwemer. An uneasy peace grew between these races, primarily motivated by their drive to keep the Nords of Skyrim out of their homeland.

Sometime during the early First Era, the Dwemer located Lorkhan's Heart beneath Red Mountain, and began trying to use its power to achieve godhood. The Chimer were horrified, and attempted to stop their neighbors, quicky leading to a vast war. This war changed the face of Tamriel forever, quite literally. In addition to the complete disappearance of the Dwemer, and the emergence of the Dunmer, Red Mountain now erupted for the first time in history.

[edit] Climate

As the single largest geographical feature on Vvardenfel, Red Mountain clearly plays a major role in shaping the climate. For centuries, the mountain would spew ash into the air, covering most of northern Vvardenfell, which was aptly named The Ashlands. The rocky, cavernous foothills of the mountain reach across nearly three quarters of the island, and constant lava flows have created deep, smooth channels that are often used as roads by the Ashlanders. The land to the north and east of the mountain is arid and barely inhabitable, all the way down to the Padomaic Sea.

For the past few decades, the climate around the volcano grew increasingly worse. Violent ash storms began skidding down the mountain faces, blasting high winds and tons of ash at the nearby cities and settlements. The storms seemed to be at least partly magical in nature, as they would often corrupt wildlife, and even people, in their wake.

Near the end of the Third Era, a major struggle was once again fought in the caverns beheath the volcano. Among the most notable outcomes of this battle was that Red Mountain had reverted to, presumably, its pre-volcanic form. The area continued to be rocky and cavernous, but the ash storms and hard weather had subsided. It remains to be seen how long this relatively idyllic state continues.

[edit] Religious Significance

Red Mountain holds different religious significance to the various factions on Morrowind.

For a brief period of time, a cult known as the Sixth House used Red Mountain as their home. This cult was led by a reanimated Dagoth Ur, and inhabited many of the long-abandoned Dwemer workshops beneath the mountain. The members often spoke of the mountain as an animate object, which spoke to them in their dreams. In this sense, the mountain symbolized Dagoth Ur himself, attempting to control his subjects from within his undermountain prison.

For the Ashlanders, the mountain is a haunted place, containing the remnants of the hated Dwemer.

The Tribunal Temple taught that Red Mountain was a place of trials, and of great evil. The Tribunal themselves built a huge magical barrier, the Ghostfence, around the mountain to contain Dagoth Ur and his attacks on Morrowind. The Ghostfence became a religious symbol of the Tribunal itself, and was a popular pilgrimage destination.