Ever since they started calling them Heartstones, I started wondering...

WhiteCoatSyndrome

Are the Heartstones the Reachmen are using in the Horns of the Reach DLC the same as the ones we saw in the Dragonborn DLC for Skyrim? Which is to say, are the Heart Stones that got spat out of Red Mountain made of Nirncrux, just not known by that name since the substance didn't get a name until Craglorn?

(Yes, I know officially it only comes from Craglorn. It comes out of the earth, so I see no reason a vein of the stuff couldn't pass through Red Mountain and Craglorn is just the only place it comes out near the surface where people can find it.)

Tyrobag

It the name is more likely a coincidence.

The red mountain Heartstones are named because they came from the heart chamber of Red Mountan, and were charged with power form the Heart of Lorkhan.

The HoTR Heartstones are named because they are literally stones that are used to replace the reachmen's hearts.

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So halfway through writing this post I came to a realization. If you look at a map of Tamriel, Craglorn (Northern Craglorn in partiular) is on the direct trajectory between the Isle of Balfiera/ The Adamantine Tower and Red Mountain. The Adamantine Tower is where Akatosh supposedly fired Lorkhan's Heart from his bow, and Red Mountain is the site where it landed.

Due to this, it is very possible that Nirncrux is the blood that fell form The Heart of Lorkhan as it passed over Craglorn.

So although the name is still likely a coincidence, it is very possible that they are the same substance, or at least contain the same power.


PS: I just blew my own mind O.O

WhiteCoatSyndrome

Tyrobag wrote: »

PS: I just blew my own mind O.O

Glad I could help.

My line of reasoning went more along the lines of: it's red, it's a rock, it's supposed to grant power, and we already know of one person who used it as a replacement heart, just like the Reachmen are supposed to be doing. On the other side of the equation, nirncrux may or may not have been drawn up from the molten regions of Nirn:

Another possibility indicates that the Nedes may have used arcane rituals to draw the substance up from deep within the core of the world, as hinted at in a few wall decorations we examined in Skyreach's ruins.

...which a volcano could do naturally.

Tyrobag

WhiteCoatSyndrome wrote: »

...which a volcano could do naturally.

The thing is, we know how RM Heartstones came to exist, it was due to the close proximity to he heart of Lorkhan. Due to the similarity of their power it makes some sense that they could be related.

Also, this line form the same text: "The leading candidate suggests that the substance was deposited in the region in the distant past by chunks of rock that fell from the sky." Supports the theory that it fell from the Heart as it flew over Craglorn. And its presence in only the upper half of Craglorn (where the heart would have passed) supports the theory as well. "Why the substance only appears in Upper Craglorn remains a mystery."

LMar

I also thought the same initially. Also remember that the Nedes took some knowledge from the Dwemer to construct the Apex stones with nirncrux which also again puts it close to the heart of lorkhan though not all dwemer would know where that was or what their chief tonal architect was doing. Especially a grouo that splintered off and left Resdayn

Tyrobag

LMar wrote: »

I also thought the same initially. Also remember that the Nedes took some knowledge from the Dwemer to construct the Apex stones with nirncrux which also again puts it close to the heart of lorkhan though not all dwemer would know where that was or what their chief tonal architect was doing. Especially a grouo that splintered off and left Resdayn

Actually, the Apex stones used Aetherium in their construction, not Nirncrux.

Hermaeus Mora: "The text says the constellations are gods. They can be brought to earth using stones carved from Aetherium. Make of that what you will. en.uesp.net/wiki/Online:Gem_of_the_Stars

"The Celestials are bound to this realm by their Apex stones. These stones were constructed using knowledge stolen from the Dwemer. To defeat the Celestials, you must find the stones" en.uesp.net/wiki/Online:Strange_Lexicon


From what I can discern, the Celestials were given power (or at least consciousness) using Nirncrux, but they are bound to Mundus with their Apex stones (which use Aetherium). The simpler Mundus stones that are scattered around Tamriel act to spread their "blessings" (for lack of a better word).

LMar

Oh yeah i totally forgot the Aetherium part. I stand corrected