Lore:Foyada Mamaea

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Foyada Mamaea
Type Landmark
Continent Tamriel
Province Morrowind
Region Vvardenfell
Appears in Morrowind, ESO
The Foyada Quarry ca. 2E 582
Map of the Foyada Mamaea

Foyada Mamaea is one of the several fire-rivers of Vvardenfell, the island district of Morrowind.[1] It is very old, and is also very recognizable thanks to its large size.[2] The foyada starts from the caldera of Red Mountain travels south through the southwest quadrant of the island until it reaches the southern tip of the West Gash, where it divides it from the Ascadian Isles.[3] The ravine is a major route that bridges the BalmoraPelagiad road and directly leads to the Ghostgate.[4][5][6] The path to the shrine is easy to follow, but dangerous beasts threaten pilgrims who travel this route.[7] Some places are built on the ravine, such as the daedric temple of Assarnatamat,[8] the Dwemer ruin of Arkngthand,[9] the ebony mines of Vassir-Didanat,[10] the Imperial compound, Moonmoth Legion Fort,[11] and the Yassu Glass Mine.[12] Caves such as Adanumuran and Hassour are found in and around the ravine.[13][14] Both the Shrine of Pride and the Foyada Esannudan diverge from Foyada Mamaea.[15][16]

History[edit]

At some point prior to 1E 700, the Dwemer built a bridge over the foyada as a means to cross over it unharmed.[2] Because Foyada Mamaea is the only way out of Red Mountain's caldera, the Tribunal Temple built the Ghostgate over the gap between the volcano and the outside, and subsequently the Great Ghostfence around the rest of it. It was built as a line of defense where Dagoth Ur and his horde of Ash Creatures might emerge from to threaten Morrowind.[17]

In the mid-Second Era, the foyada was inactive and the construction company that oversaw Vivec City's assembly built a large quarry for granite a little bit east of Foyada Mamaea. The operation was overseen by the two foremen, Mevel and Telleno and the transport of granite was done on a series of wooden conveyors and pulleys. From the quarry's entrance, slabs of granite are pushed on a conveyor to the western shore of Lake Nabia, to which it sails down toward the mouth of the River Nabia, from there it goes down the river to Lake Masobi and then directly to Vivec City.[18]

The operation came to a sudden close when Red Mountain erupted and Foyada Mamaea began to fill up,[19] up until it reached Assarnatamat, where the lava cooled over.[8] The lava spilled over to the east and flooded the quarry, rendering it unusable.[19] The Circle of Champions saw fit to re-work the quarry into a battleground, a place for gladiatorial combat,[20] much to the dismay of the foremen.[21] Because the lava did not spill further down the foyada, the rest of the ravine was left intact and the operation in Vassir-Didanat continued without interruption until it was taken over by the Iron Hound bandit gang.[10]

Foyada Mamaea was filled with lava at the time of the Imperial Simulacrum.[22]

By the late Third Era, the Imperial Legion built one of their forts on Foyada Mamaea, over the exact point where the Pelagiad–Balmora road met the foyada. It was called Moonmoth Legion Fort and it was the legion's base of operations in nearby Balmora.[11] In 3E 427, the foyada was emptied and accessible for travel.[5] The Nerevarine scaled the ravine, all the way up to the Ghostgate before they entered Red Mountain to face Dagoth Ur and his inner council.[23]

Gallery[edit]

See Also[edit]

References[edit]