Loremaster’s Archive Q&A- Lost Depths & All Other Dungeon Lore

ZOS_Kevin

We are pleased to announce that Dhulef of the Mages Guild has agreed to answer some of your questions surrounding Elder Scrolls Online's Group Dungeons during the Second Era. If you have a lore question about Earthen Root Enclave or Graven Deep (arriving soon as part of Lost Depths), or any of the dungeons of Tamriel share them here! Our guest will answer as many as he can, offering his years of experience as a pirate, adventurer and representative of the Mages Guild.

Please keep your dungeon-related questions specific to Tamriel’s Second Era. In this case we are specifically taking questions about ESO’s four-player Group Dungeons. Not delves, public dungeons, or Trials.

Try also to keep your questions succinct and no more than two or three lines. We’re aiming to collect and publish answers to your questions on the official ESO website late August.

Aliyavana

Thank you Loremaster for hosting this, as we appreciate you having a second one this year!

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Group Dungeons End Game Materials:
The Undaunted have slain many formidable foes, from Daedric artifact wielders to even Dragons. To overcome such odds, the elite of this group are known to use materials superior to even Ebony, namely Ancestor Silk, Rubedite, Rubedo, and Ruby Ash. The silk is ritualistically harvested from Ancestor Moths, but where do the other three come from? I've been informed that your faction, the Mages Guild, holds secrets to refining materials of this quality.

Graven Deep Dungeon:
I hope your exploration of Graven Deep to investigate the Druids of Galen's voyage bears fruit. I've heard they were the Nedic inhabitants of High Rock during the Merethic Era, but how much had their intermingling with Elves transitioned them into Bretons by the time their exodus occurred circa 1E 330? I ask as there's documents describing Bretons existence which are dated as early as 1E 20 and 1E 200, but were these encounters truly of the modern Breton race we know of today?

BlissfulDeluge

Regarding Moon Hunter Keep and Red Petal Bastion:

To Dhulef of the Mages Guild,

The Order of the Silver Dawn's and Silver Rose's motifs speak of silver's effectiveness against abominations, but you adventurers* always bicker over how it actually harms them. Does silver burn them on contact, or can they safely handle it? Do silver weapons lacerate and cause them blunt trauma more easily than other kinds? Or does silver have a different effect?

- Andrea Beaufort, Author/Scholar and member of the United Explorers of Scholarly Pursuits


* The roleplaying community.

Tyrvarion

Thanks! It's a neat surprise to have another loremaster archive so soon.

Greetings Dhulef.
1.
I was curious about a spirit known by the Dreadhorn Clan, Cernunnon. I once met a Dreadhorn witch, who exclaimed "blood for the Hunt-Father, soul for Cernunnon." The nature of the Hircine is known to me, but I never heard of Cernunnon, except for the outlandish tales of folk claiming that he protects those oathbound to him from death. Do you know anything about him?

2.
A friend of mine, of the Undaunted, recently ventured to the old keep of the Silver Rose Knights. She mentioned a realm full of ancient elven bridges floating in the air. She claimed that old scholars called it Goriseli Moraburo and likened it to the Golden Path of the Ayleids. I wonder if you know anything about it, for it sounds like a very interesting topic.

3.
When venturing through the Black Drake Villa, I stumbled upon documents about the mysterious coven Tagh Droiloch cooperating with the Longhouse Emperors. Yet aside from a few rumors and whispers here and there I know very little of this group. Have you by chance met anyone who knows more of this coterie of dangerous wizards?

—Tyrrosh of clan Firewolf

Lore sources:
Cernunnon https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Online:Cernunnon
Eld Angavar and Goriseli Moraburo https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Eld_Angavar
Tagh Droiloch https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Tagh_Droiloch

Froil

Honored son of Ruptga, have you ever seen or made contact with a centaur? I remember one of my adventures took me to the depths of the Elden Hollow; I had asked a Breton there, a member of the Mages Guild, about some strange necromantic altars there and he said that the Hollow was the resting place for centaurs and minotaurs. While adventuring around Tamriel, I've seen minotaurs and, unfortunately, had to fight many but have yet to see any centaurs, even when I was deep in High Rock. I was hoping I could've seen some on High Isle, but I saw none. Talking to druids, wyresses, even some Reachfolk, they say nothing concrete of them, but townfolk always seem to have rumors about sightings. --- Imaya af-Ryjahl

TheRimOfTheSky

All dungeons you say? lemme think of somethin real quick

Oof everytime I try to edit this comment the changes gets deleted Wrote my questions in a new one

TheRimOfTheSky wrote: »

Also I know the Guardian's eye was originally called the Pearl of Zeht and Fahara'jad wanted it as an infinite water source, the Crypt of Hearts was called the Heartland and was built by Nerien Malanon the Mad Architect, Beltis and Brerama Indoril found dwemer devices in Darkshade Mine like bringing the machinery-riddled head of the Kwama Queen back to Nelam Indoril while Taron Hlaalu found maps of the research facility, Arlois Leyron and his monster hunters buddies specialize in killing unnatural creatures (Werewolves, Daedra, and so on) and prefer operating in out-of-the way locations like Spindleclutch, close to Daggerfall while offering privacy, the Pellingare Smugglers were manipulating Evan Chapelle's daughter and framing him, Selene's most trusted Champions razed the Wood Orc villages in the area and captured Scout Mithiel, and Bakkhara ran into the Worm Cult while looking for rare alchemy components at the Elden Tree. But those other questions are what I wanna ask

Legoless

Guildmate Dhulef,

Rumours abound of an underwater observatory built by the Dwemer at Graven Deep. Was this the work of Rourken's clan? What business did the Dwarves have with the ocean floor?

According to the Undaunted, the darkness within Elden Hollow led to the dark domain of Bogdan the Nightflame. Is this realm without light a plane of Oblivion? What danger does this Daedra pose?

I have heard reports of the Ascendant Order attempting to tame Gryphons on the Coral Aerie islet off the coast of Summerset. The Welkynars of Eton Nir must raise gryphons from birth and train many long years to ride such a beast—how do these rogue knights plan to do so in time for their mad campaign?

—Legoless, Tiger-Doyen of the United Explorers of Scholarly Pursuits

CE_Nex

According to Loremaster Celarus, the White-Gold Tower exists on a level beyond the physical realm, and it is even said to be adjacent to all of time and space in Aedric creation. When Molag Bal attempted to use White-Gold to initiate the Planemeld Obverse to merge Nirn into Coldharbor, were there any adverse phenomena observed in Tamriel beyond the Imperial City?

- C.E.Nex

CoolBlast3

This sounds fun! Will do my question in RP format!

To Dhulef of the Mages Guild
As a member of the Undaunted, I hear tales of valor often, and the Crypt of Hearts happened to catch my attention. I'm aware of the legendary Star Teeth held within. So I wonder, do you have any idea if the original shadow-mage Azra Nightwielder has any connection to the Crypt? I'd be most delighted in any possible answers. As a shadow-mage myself, one can't help but look up to the best, no?~
Furthermore, if you've heard of Azra, do you have any clue about his race? A Breton, surely? And if not, is there anything more you can tell us about the Star Teeth of the Crypt of Hearts?

Yours truly,
Alexis Ashwing, Shadowmage & Undaunted

ZOS_Kevin

Tyrvarion wrote: »

Thanks! It's a neat surprise to have another loremaster archive so soon.

We love doing them! We try to get at least one per release. However, some of that is dependent on our Loremaster's workload. Just wanted to follow up to set expectation. So if we miss a release window, now you know why!

Aliyavana

ZOS_Kevin wrote: »

Tyrvarion wrote: »

Thanks! It's a neat surprise to have another loremaster archive so soon.

We love doing them! We try to get at least one per release. However, some of that is dependent on our Loremaster's workload. Just wanted to follow up to set expectation. So if we miss a release window, now you know why!

So happy to hear he is hosting a second one this year. Appreciate Zenke taking the time to do this.

IceFireWarden

I erect the spines of welcome and congratulation, Master Dhulef. Ever since my interview with Phrastrus of Elinhir and Lady Cinnabar of Taneth I've been having a question smouldering within my heart I hope someone with an esteemed reputation can answer for me.

Although Scalecaller Peak bears architecture and history stemming from the Dragon Cult of the Ancient Nords, the location itself lies within High Rock and I have much assumed its Peryite Cult came from that province as well. Did the Dragon Cult leave any lasting impressions/organizations within Breton society during early intercultural interactions with the Nords? Does Peryite, being a dragon god, nature god, and god of balance, have an influence within Breton beliefs and philosophy due to their focuses on alchemy, blending perspectives, and taking care of nature? Pray tell, what is their opinion on dragons in general? I fear there is little information or delightful myths concerning Aka and Sheor in the Imperial Library and the knowledge stores of the United Explorers of Scholarly Pursuits.

- Eis Vuur Warden, Wayward and Contract Scholar

Proventus

Domihaus the Minotaur warlord has been known to manifest wings capable of flight, has demonstrated shouting attacks that are devastating in power, and speaks to himself having a right to rule over the land with an unbroken line. Is Domihaus perhaps speaking to being a direct descendant of the Emperor Belharza, and by extension the divine Morihaus? And would this mean his Shout attack he demonstrates is Thuum?

- Proventus, of the United Explorers of Scholarly Pursuits

omnimuffin

On The Crypt of Hearts:

Are Nerien'eth and Alanwe, founders of the now-lost early second era academy of the Agea Realle located adjacent to the Crypt of Hearts connected to the Direnni of Balifera in any way? It would certainly make sense, given their proximity to Adamant, but I cannot seem to find records indicating one way or another.

On The City of Ash:

If Dagon was capable of opening fully-functional gates to his realm in Whisper Grove, why did his incursion into Blackwood require experimentation with developing a method to open gates?

On Scalecaller Peak

Scalecaller Peak seems drastically outside of known Nordic territory during the age of the Dragon Cult. Did Nordic rule truly extend that far into the Illiac?

Additionally: Is Zaan's reliance on her patron dragon for access to the Thu'um typical of other Dragon Priests?

Sincerely,
Marcus Pavo of Gwylim

Supreme_Atromancer

Esteemed Dhulef! On a recent excursion into the ancient ruins of Fang Lair, we were struck by how deep beneath the mighty Druadachs the Dwarven halls seem to lead. Unfortunately, due to pressing business involving a particularly nasty necromancer and his ambitions regarding a certain ancient and long-forgotten Dohv, our hopes for comprehensive exploration were somewhat curtailed.

It occurs to us, however, that those sheer depths and vast breadths of the Dwarven tunnels might possibly exhaust the span of those grand mountains, and as such, place the deeper recesses somewhere in the vicinity of Deep Dwarven delves found on the eastern slopes.

In lieu of the detailed reconnaissance duty forbore, we defer to your considerable erudition regarding the deeper demesnes of Tamriel, and ask whether there exist connections between Fang Lair and Nchuand-Zel, Blackreach, or, indeed, to any other Dwarven through-ways.

C,
Mages Guild,
Evermore Chapter.

Supreme_Atromancer

During a foray into Selene's Web, our party was privy to a command from Selene to one of her dominated;

Deal with them, I am nearly finished!

With a growing sense of panic, our plucky posse promptly dispatched the shapeshifter's puppets and pelted through to her deepest parlour in the hope of preventing whatever precocious plan she must have been completing.

And yet- defeated, looted, parlour cleaned out- nothing. No indication of what sinister works she was about to realise.

I know that the Mages Guild had particular interest in the entity known as Selene, and hoped that this curiosity might have brought about some clue as to what actions Selene was so close to finishing, but which we never detected!

Supreme_Atromancer

Regarding Fungal Grotto, our guildmate Defender Two-Blades explains that travellers moving through the Grotto were being enthralled by the Spider Cult. Our explorations revealed the enthralled travellers were not few in number, and as Two-Blades explains, there are more travellers every day. While exploring the Grotto however, it is not clear what "through" the travellers were moving.

We note old sources explaining the Chimer ruins long since abandoned, and sealed before the Spider Cult reopened them, but speculate that the caverns before the Chimer door actually serve as one of the "canopy tunnels" described in the First Edition of the Pocket Guide to the Empire . Our hypothesis would explain the presence of a not-inconsiderable, not-infrequent number of travellers in such an otherwise out-of-the-way locale, because it would serve as a convenient access and egress to and from war-torn Cyrodiil, perhaps used by the more desperate- smugglers, spies and refugees.

Dhulef, do you believe it is likely that the shallow parts of Fungal Grotto serves as a canopy tunnel under the Valus Mountains? If so, (roughly) can we speculate where in Cyrodiil it opens?

Or, if not, why are there so many travellers "moving through the Grotto"? Where are they going?

Edit: Two-Blades, not Kailstig!

AJTC5000

Thanks for doing these @ZOS_Kevin , always love a good dive into the lore

I've a few questions of varying topics:
- What more do you know of Zelvraak the Unbreathing, aside from what we already uncovered? Any mentions of him in the literature? You mentioned it was likely that he was a druid, but did he have a particular station in the company of the Druid King?
- Have you seen or heard of any other instances of Dwemer marine installations? Graven Deep appears to be the first of it's kind, maybe designed for a singular, unique purpose?
- What do you know of the Dwemer presence in Blackreach, and the smaller associated areas of Frostvault and the Stone Garden?
- Have you ever been to Oblivion? The Undaunted have made forays into Coldharbour, the Deadlands, the Hunting Grounds and the Spiral Skein before, and even some more isolated pocket realms.

ZOS_Kevin

Thanks for participating, @AJTC5000. Our web team and Loremaster are the real MVPs here. I'm just a messenger guar.

AJTC5000

ZOS_Kevin wrote: »

Thanks for participating, @AJTC5000. Our web team and Loremaster are the real MVPs here. I'm just a messenger guar.

You're a pretty good messenger guar haha, pass on my regards to the web team and Loremaster

Supreme_Atromancer

AJTC5000 wrote: »

Thanks for doing these @ZOS_Kevin , always love a good dive into the lore

- Have you ever been to Oblivion? The Undaunted have made forays into Coldharbour, the Deadlands, the Hunting Grounds and the Spiral Skein before, and even some more isolated pocket realms.

And the Coloured Rooms, and (if you count trials) the Scuttling Void!

nitasu987

Hail, guildmate Dhulef! I have a few questions that I am hoping you might be able to answer.

My compatriots and I have recently ventured into the Lair of Maarselok within Tenmar Forest, and were wondering how his Azure Blight has affected its environs. Are Torval and Corinthe safe? It has been a dream of mine to see the seat of the Mane with my own eyes!

I've also heard of the events at the Ruins of Mazzatun concerning the Xit-Xaht tribe. I've read Tribes of Murkmire by Emmanubeth Hurrent, who has provided the names of the tribes of Murkmire for those of us who don't speak Jel. Would you happen to know what Xit-Xaht translates to?

Many thanks!

Melegil

Guess I can also chime in with a question for the first time!

__________________________________________________________________

As a well-travelled man and scholar, I am certain you have heard rumours of the so-called Dread Cellar that was once operated by the Battlespire. What I am curious about is if you have perhaps heard of other similar facilities that were once operated (or perhaps such that still are) by the Imperial Battlemages. Another matter that is of concern to me is if you also happen to know of fellow scholars that have successfully petitioned the Battlespire Council to study their extraplanar fortress and if so-how did they even manage it?

PS: I do advise you not to waste your talents and knowledge on a measly, ignorant fraternity such as the Mages Guild. A more honourable establishment like the University of Gwylim or the School of Julianos would befit you far more.

Signed,
Anglorig Ashdawn, Knight Mentor of the School of Julianos

WhiteCoatSyndrome

Very happy to see another of these!

White-Gold Tower
To the Honorable Adept Dhulef,

Has the Mages Guild discovered any leads as to the whereabouts of Clivia Tharn, now that it is known that the woman in the Imperial City was a Daedric impostor?

Kindest Regards,
First Emissary Rohais, Craglorn Embassy


Red Petal Bastion/Banished Cells II
Friend Dhulef,

A compatriot of mine told me of Daedric corruption afflicting mortals – High Kinlord Rilis, members of the Silver Rose – corruption so strong they appeared to become Daedra themselves. Is there any way to cleanse such lost souls of Daedric influence? Were all lesser Daedra mortals who were afflicted in such a manner?

Khayrat al-Cheydinhal, Priest of the Eight


Depths of Malatar
Why did Meridia leave half the Wrathstone laying around? It’s not like the thing could unleash a horde of vampires, and last I heard, she didn’t give a broken scale about Dragons one way or another.

– Away-From-Keyboard

Benefactor

Greetings Dhulef,

I am hoping to gain some insight into two different matters that have peaked my interest in the past few years.

The first is regarding an artifact called the Guardian's Eye which resides in the Dwarven ruins of Volenfell. From the report I read from a recent expedition the eye was almost recovered but disappeared and sadly nothing was learned about the artifact. It is not as mysterious as the Eye of Argonia so I'm hoping you might be able to tell me about the history and purpose of the Guardian's Eye?

The second question I have is in regards to what you can tell me about the creature named Tzirzhalir which was recently awakened but thankfully put back down in the Unhallowed Grave. What is the history and origin of this creature? Is it related to the walking Old Bones that are found in the Bone Orchard of Grahtwood or perhaps a wild hunt creature from long ago?

Thank you,
Benefactor, Librarian of The Imperial Library

Thevampirenight

From an Undaunted Scholar,
Dear Dhulef

A question, regarding alchemical lycanthropes, I know alchemical vampires are a thing, vampires created outside the means of Daedric means but I have yet to see a full lycanthrope created through alchemical means, like I have vampires. The alchemical lycanthropes created by Arkasis, seem to just grant a temporary form. Would it be possible to create an actual lycanthropic condition through just alchemy?

One other question, that I find more important to be answered if you are willing. Werewolf lords and their descendants, the sable manbeasts share many qualities with vampires. Given their unique creation looks to be inspired by Molag Bal's creation of Lamae, the first vampire, as there are to many similarities to Lamae and Vykosa that cannot be ignored. When noticing this, it made me theorize that Hircine took inspiration from Molag Bal himself or possibly even worked together with him when creating the first lycanthropes. Would such a thing be possible? Could Molag Bal and Hircine worked together to create the first vampire strain and first manbeasts and exchanged notes? Could this be the reason why those with Noxiphilic Sanguivoria share the werewolves love for moonlight, and the reason Vykosa and her sable manbeasts share many vampire like characteristics?

Cactus_Back

Master Dhulef,

Would you happen to know anything about the current nature of the infamous Dragon Priest Zaan the Scalecaller who, as I've been told, has recently been "brought to life" by a group of Peryite cultists? Is she a lich? Or another form of undead? Has she been fully resurrected? What exactly is she now?

I'm very curious to know your thoughts and findings on the matter.

Many thanks,
An anonymous researcher.

thejadefalcon

Vaults of Madness

Well met, Dhulef! Thank you for lending us your knowledge. During our united invasion of Coldharbour, I was kept occupied defending the eastern front of our assault, but I heard rumours of a revolution among ghosts, long held captive in an insane and endless prison, then nothing since I returned to our glorious Tamriel. Do you know whatever became of these brave souls?

Kelara Whitesnake

ZOS_Kevin

Hi All! Just wanted to give a heads up that we'll be closing question submissions on Wednesday morning. So there is a bit over 24hrs to get your dungeon ore questions in. Thanks to everyone who have submitted questions so far!

Aliyavana

Thank you for the heads up! its appreciated.

spartaxoxo

Have you ever got a drink from the bar at Blackheart Haven? What kind of spirits do they sell?