Lore:Jagar Tharn

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Face of Jagar Tharn, as seen at the end of Arena

Jagar Tharn in the briefing of Arena

Jagar Tharn, as a creature in Arena

Jagar Tharn was the Imperial Battlemage from some time before 3E 389 to 3E 399. Little is known about his life before 389, but he is generally assumed to have been the bard Nightingale who appeared in Barenziah's court. He seduced her in order to take the Staff of Chaos from under the city of Mournhold. It was this staff that he used in 389 to betray and imprison the emperor Uriel Septim VII in a dimension of his creation.

He ruled the empire for ten years, during a period known as the Imperial Simulacrum, using illusion magic to make himself appear to be the emperor. During that time, Tharn used Imperial privileges, but did not continue Uriel VII's schedule of reconquest. Under his false reign the empire fell to pieces with wars raging between the provinces everywhere. In the east, Morrowind attacked Black Marsh in the Arnesian War; in the north, Skyrim battled High Rock and Hammerfell in the War of Bend'r-Mahk; in the south, Elsweyr took arms against Valenwood in the Five Year War; in the west, Valenwood also lost land to its old ally Summerset Isles in the War of the Blue Divide. It is not entirely known yet what Tharn's goals and personal accomplishments were during the Imperial Simulacrum.

Finally, in 3E 399, his former apprentice Ria Silmane assisted an unknown champion in reforging the Staff of Chaos and taking the empire back from Tharn. This champion defeated Tharn in the dungeons of the Imperial Palace and freed Uriel VII from his otherworldly prison. Uriel VII returned to throne and gradually repaired most of the damage done by Tharn.

Tharn is also credited with assisting Mehrunes Dagon in conquering the Battlespire Academy (in the game Battlespire) and as being the true master behind the elimination of powerful battlemages in Dragonstar (in The Elder Scrolls Travels: Shadowkey).

[edit] See Also

• The Real Barenziah, in particular volumes IX and X. (This is primary reference to Jagar Tharn)
• Brief History of the Empire, Part 4 (some information about his rule over Tamriel)
• A Life of Uriel Septim VII (Tharn as a ruler over Tamriel)
• The Light and the Dark (mentioning Tharn's connection to the Evil)
• Response to Bero's Speech (Tharn as a Battlemage)
• Mystery of Talara, v 4 (Tharn mentioned, with some additional information)
• Words and Philosophy (Tharn mentioned)
• The Doors of Oblivion (Tharn mentioned)
• A Dance in Fire, Chapter 7 (Tharn mentioned)
• Hallgerd's Tale (Tharn mentioned)
• Confessions Of A Thief (Tharn mentioned)

Jagar Tharn is also the author of Jagar Tharn's Letter and the Brown Scroll.