Wayshrines

Ashnarug · May 2020

Was there ever an official explanation why the Wayshrines disappeared … as they are no longer available at the time of "Arena", Daggerfall", "Morrowind", "Oblivion" and "Skyrim".

Maybe the God who created them decided to remove them to punish the habitants of Nirn ?

Ajaxandriel · May 2020

My theory is that the way to use them was long lost, and few mages arose to provide this kind of support:

https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Daggerfall:Teleporter_Service
https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Daggerfall:Travelers_League

Danikat · May 2020

The official lore is that, as the name implies, wayshrines are small shrines built to honour the Divines or other dieties, and the only factors they all have in common are a central brazier and the (largely unknown) ability to draw lost souls back to the Mundus. (This is why the player character in ESO is able to reappear here after being killed, or teleport between them. NPCs can't do that and technically players shouldn't if they haven't completed the Soul Shriven in Coldharbour quest.)

Some of them are already largely abandoned by the time of ESO, and one thing Tiber Septim's new empire does is to unify religion across the continent so it's not a big leap to imagine that even the ones which are maintained during ESO's time are abandoned in favour of the 'offical' temples to the Divines and wouldn't look like much more than another pile of rubble by the time of the other games.

Having said that wayshrines do appear in Oblivion, but they don't act as fast travel points. Instead they give you a small buff if you find and activate them.

Aristocles22 · May 2020

There are some wayshrines in the Gold Coast, but most of them aren't useful for teleportation.

VaranisArano · May 2020

We do see them in Oblivion, where they offer a buff and, in Knights of the Nine, feature a pilgrimage that results in visions/getting yoinked up into the clouds.

We also see them in Skyrim, where they are used to teleport around the Forgotten Vale in the Dawnguard DLC.

Additionally, ESO's lore suggests that one must be soulless to use them as transport, so there's the nod to why they aren't transport in Oblivion.

RaddlemanNumber7 · May 2020

I think the Vestige's ability to use wayshrines to resurrect and teleport is due to them being a paragon of Nirn. Nirn, in this case being "the Spirit of Nirn", not the place called Nirn.

The vestige's status as a paragon of Nirn is suggested in the lore book Chaotic Creatia: The Azure Plasm by Doctor Rythandius: "The Heart of Nirn would spontaneously generate such "paragon" individuals as a way of defending itself from destruction."

https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Online:Chaotic_Creatia:_The_Azure_Plasm

I favour the theory that the Player Character, as a Paragon of Nirn, is an avatar of the Spirit of Nirn. The "Spirit of Nirn" is also known as Lorkhan, which makes the Vestige a Shezarrine - an avatar of Lorkhan. The association with Lorkhan is reinforced by Skyshards, which the Prophet says are linked by many with Lorkhan.

In the time that ESO is set the "Spirit of Nirn" is actually the Aurbic Dreamer (the ascended Lorkhan, Anu-Padomay), and so has a presence everywhere in the Aurbis, not just Nirn. Thus allowing the Vestige to use wayshrines in Coldharbour apparently dedicated to Molag Bal, for example.

The key factor is that wayshrines are primarily places of worship. The Dreamer is the one god that has many faces, so effectively owns all the wayshrines. The Vestige is an avatar of the Dreamer. So, the Vestige gets to use all the wayshrines.

Heroes in TES III, IV, V are not Paragons of Nirn, or Shezarrines, and they can't res or teleport using wayshrines (I didn't play TES before Morrowind, so can't say for Arena, Daggerfall, etc.) The only exception may be in Knights of the Nine, where the Player Character is acting in the role of Pelinal Whitestrake (who is a Shezarrine), and is apparently transported through a wayshrine.

Wayshrines are quite unlike the propylons and mages guild teleporters used in other TES games. In TES IV we see wayshrines being put to their intended use - as shrines to the gods.

Those wayshrines in the Gold Coast may no longer function like wayshrines in ESO because they are no longer used as shrines - as one NPC says - no one goes there to pray anymore. We also see one of those wayshrines being used as a secluded rendezvous by another couple of NPC's.

The Vestige ceases to be soulless after the Main Quest is complete. When the Vestige is no longer soulless they are still able to use wayshrines to res and teleport. Therefore being soulless does not seem to be relevant.

Aigym_Hlervu · May 2020

I'm sorry for such a large answer, OP, I've written just a part of what I can say on this topic, but it is already huge to read and if I just say the wayshrines were switched off and destroyed, my opinion below would not be understood properly for sure. Your question is the one I asked myself too among many others I asked myself on this topic several years ago. So here I share my thoughts.

I agree with all the fellow players above and especially with @RaddlemanNumber7 here. Those wayshrines of the eras ahead are not the same in comparison to those we see today in 2E 582. There are two major differences: the first difference is their origin - the wayshrines in Dawnguard were constructed by the Falmer and the ones in Cyrodiil we see in the 3rd Era were built by the Ayleids. None of the types is used today in ESO. We use the modern Transitus Network maintained by our alliance mages to travel between the keeps in Cyrodiil and the only real modern wayshrines situated there are the ones at the gates to travel back to our home territories. The second difference is the wayshrine's design - even if we will be able to use those Falmeri wayshrines it's braziers should be lit just like all the other modern wayshrines we use in order to make a wayshrine operative. Do you remember any of the 3rd and 4rth Era's wayshrines with their braziers lit? My memory tells me there are none of them there.

Well, the point of my post is the following: since we have no lore developed regarding the fate of all the Soul Shriven yet, and considering the wayshrine difference I've mentioned above, my logic leads me to thinking of the only logical answer to your question I find possible today, OP: to permanently destroy or banish all of the likes of us the challenger must strip them of all the soul gems they possess or somehow to change their very nature - say, to sort them out into the White and Black soul gem types, to change the soultrapping spell and ban the one used today

. Ok, then he must kill some of us twice in order to make the Soul Summons passive go off. And finally the challenger has to destroy or switch off the braziers of all the wayshrines in Mundus or at least on Nirn. I emphasise it - this is the only way a mortal denizen of Mundus can stand against us.

A hard task, isn't it? So, for the change of soul gems and the soul trap spells we have to "thank" our old friend Vanus Galerion for he has been planning it for quite a time already. And as we know it, his plans will come true in about 700 years. To destroy or switch off all the wayshrines a challenger must face a great threat to his life or authority we pose to him. Thus he must either ally with other challengers all over Tamriel or simply conquer Tamriel, so nobody opposes his will. The best known candidate to fit this role is Tiber Septim. Well, at least yet, of course. He conquered all of Tamriel, he might have used Numidium as the only possible mean to overwhelm us, and since that time he was also able to destroy or turn off the wayshrines everywhere in Tamriel and the Mage's Guild with it's Mages Guild monopoly on all public magical services given by one of the terms of the The Treaty of the Armistice, such as Soul Gem policy, spellcrafting, teleport service and scrolls of divine intervention became quite a good tool to do that in every part of his domain.

Of course, this is just a theory based on my logic of the existing lore, games mechanics and the lack of certain answers in the lore all combined. It all could have happened before Tiber Septim's times due to some lore phenomenon yet not created. But if the loremasters won't subject this part of the lore to the glare of truth, then it is highly likely to be the way I've written above. Thanks for reading and have a nice day

!

Ashnarug · May 2020

Wow ! I was not expecting this kind of answer … thank you …

If I want to create a new character … let's say an Altmer Necromancer …

Abnur Tharn ! Wasn't he responsible for the death of the late Emperor Varen Aquilarios ? Mannimarco's bootlicker ? I haven't heard that name in almost 4 years ! Why did I answer that letter ? I'm returning home to Summerset … long travel back … Rimmen by caravan to Senchal … then by boat to Elden Root … finally I found Ciryelda, a merchant, who was returning home to Alinor.
I received a message from Grand Warlord Sorcalin. She is at the Eastern Elsweyr Gate in Cyrodiil and wants to meet with me.
The Grand Warlord was please with our first meeting - she will call on me shortly for the war effort !
While I wait for her call back she asked me to meet up with Queen Ayrenn in Vulkhel Guard on Auridon.

Now, since I have not met with the hooded figure yet. How do I get out of Cyrodiil without the wayshrines and without abandoning the campaign ?

Foefaller · May 2020

Ashnarug wrote: »

Wow ! I was not expecting this kind of answer … thank you …

If I want to create a new character … let's say an Altmer Necromancer …

Abnur Tharn ! Wasn't he responsible for the death of the late Emperor Varen Aquilarios ? Mannimarco's bootlicker ? I haven't heard that name in almost 4 years ! Why did I answer that letter ? I'm returning home to Summerset … long travel back … Rimmen by caravan to Senchal … then by boat to Elden Root … finally I found Ciryelda, a merchant, who was returning home to Alinor.
I received a message from Grand Warlord Sorcalin. She is at the Eastern Elsweyr Gate in Cyrodiil and wants to meet with me.
The Grand Warlord was please with our first meeting - she will call on me shortly for the war effort !
While I wait for her call back she asked me to meet up with Queen Ayrenn in Vulkhel Guard on Auridon.

Now, since I have not met with the hooded figure yet. How do I get out of Cyrodiil without the wayshrines and without abandoning the campaign ?

I want to say there are gates at each of the main camps (i.e. the only two with legitimate wayshrines) that will let you leave the map without wayshrine-ing away.

RaddlemanNumber7 · May 2020

Ashnarug wrote: »

Wow ! I was not expecting this kind of answer … thank you …

Now, since I have not met with the hooded figure yet. How do I get out of Cyrodiil without the wayshrines and without abandoning the campaign ?

The player character is born as a Paragon of Nirn. You have had the ability to res and teleport using wayshrines since birth. Maybe you just never got the chance to put these innate abilities to the test before.

Getting turned into the Vestige is obviously irrelevant

VaranisArano · May 2020

Getting out of Cyrodiil:
1. Transitus or travel back to one of your Alliance's home gates. Each one will have a proper wayshrine that you can use to go back to PVE zones

2. Queue up for Imperial City. This will put you in your Alliance's Sewer Base, and you can exit from there.

If you meant, lorewise, despite not yet being the Vestige, it really depends on how you want to roleplay your Character's journey. By the internal chronology of ESO's story (but not its gameplay), everyone starts out by becoming the Vestige. Its really only a problem because ZOS puts new players further in the timeline in the new Chapters, so I lean towards "whatever you roleplay to make it make sense to you, go for it" as an answer.

Ashnarug · May 2020

VaranisArano wrote: »

Getting out of Cyrodiil:
2. Queue up for Imperial City. This will put you in your Alliance's Sewer Base, and you can exit from there.

Thank you I forgot about that. Using this option returns me exactly where I was when I entered Cyrodiil.

Now I can go back to Alinor and make my way to Shimmerene in order to start "Decree of the Queen" and "The Psijic Calling".

And, no I do not want to start using wayshrines before I meet the Prophet. I have found 9 so far (as well as 2 nodes of the Transitus Network)

.

UPDATE:
I finally made it to Coldharbour … 15 hours 36 minutes of play using only the roads, caravans and ships … two Transitus Network nodes … and the Artaeum portal at the Keep of the Eleven Forces. I died once at the hands of a Gryphon retrieving the Ever-filling Chalice so I know something is … wrong … with me !!!

Ashnarug · May 2020

I found a solution for new characters:

Since I was a child I have known I was different.

Invoking the name of any of the Nine Divines: Akatosh, Arkay, Dibella, Julianos, Kynareth, Mara, Stendarr or Zenithar at any wayshrines would enable me to travel between wayshrines I have found.

Other people could not do that.

Ashnarug · November 2020

This time regarding Transitus Shrines and the way to join battlegrounds.

1) what are Transitus Shrines really. We can move armies through them. They are not restricted to the Vestige.

2) how do we get to battlegrounds and return ? for a toon it's really simple we join a queue but how do we explain how we get there and back.

Ashnarug · November 2020

Ashnarug wrote: »

2) how do we get to battlegrounds and return ? for a toon it's really simple we join a queue but how do we explain how we get there and back.

what about this explanation ...

Battlemaster Rivyn at the Gladiator's Quarters explained to me that battlegrounds are fighting games like tournaments. But unlike in Cyrodiil, Battlegrounds are not Alliance-based. Instead, players can fight for the Fire Drakes (Orange), Pit Daemons (Green), or Storm Lords (Purple). Your team is assigned randomly on entering each Battlegrounds. These factions are ancient and were created during the First Era: Fire Drakes originated from Torval in Pellitine, The Pit Daemons from Helstrom in the Black Marsh, while the Storm Lords came from Narsis in Deshaan.

The eight sites where these tournaments take action can be reached with the aid of the Travelers League Faction of the Mages Guild using the School of Mysticism created by the Psijic Order. A mage can teleport you using a Recall Spell to the desired Battleground and by an anchor set at the Gladiator's Quarters return you to your original location afterward.

Still need an explanation about the Transitus Shrines

Vevvev · November 2020

I always thought of the Transitus Shrines as an internal portal network controlled by the Alliances, which is why the links can be severed and why its impossible to use them to teleport inside of another faction's keep. The mages guarding the shrines are keeping the portals open for troops to use like what happens at the battle of the Doomcrag in Rivenspire where you use portals to move troops around.