Lore:Nerevarine

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Hortator Nerevarine
The Nerevarine
Race	Unknown	Gender	Male
Born		Third Era
Resided in		Vvardenfell Solstheim
Appears in		Morrowind

In the waning years of the Third Era of Tamriel, a prisoner born on a certain day to uncertain parents was sent under guard, without explanation, to Morrowind, ignorant of the role he was to play in that nation’s history...

The Nerevarine, the prophesied Incarnate, is the reincarnation of Chimeri warlord Indoril Nerevar. The Nerevarine arrived in Morrowind in 3E 427 by the order of Emperor Uriel Septim VII, having been sent to Vvardenfell as a prisoner of the Empire. His arrival was directly linked to a prophecy which dictated that Lord Indoril Nerevar would be reincarnated and return to Morrowind to defeat Dagoth Ur and restore the glory of Resdayn. The hero fulfilled the prophecy, ending the Blight. In recognition of this, he was also known as Nerevar-Born-Again, Nerevar Reborn, Starkborn, Moon-and-Star Reborn, Hortator, Mourner of the Tribe Unmourned, Redeemer of the False Gods, and Blodskaal.

As destiny unfolded, he battled against living gods, and then, in the frozen wastes of Solstheim, against the champions of the Daedric Prince Hircine. Rumors swirled at the end of the Third Era that the Nerevarine went on an expedition to Akavir and has not been heard from since.

Biography

Prolepsis

At some time soon after the climax of the Battle of Red Mountain, following the disappearance of the Dwemer, Nerevar insisted that he, Almalexia, Sotha Sil, and Vivec swear upon and before Azura never to employ the Tools of Kagrenac in the profane manner that the Dwemer had intended. A few years after the battle, when the Tribunal broke their oath to Nerevar and used Kagrenac's Tools to seize divine power, Azura appeared and cursed them. She assured them that her champion Nerevar would return to punish them for their perfidy, and to make sure such profane knowledge might never again be used to mock and defy the will of the gods. When Sotha Sil dismissed her claims, all Chimer were changed into Dunmer, and she professed that all the Dunmer would share the fate of the Tribunal until the end of time. Despite this, the Heirographa claimed that he lived long enough to bless the new Tribunal as protectors of his people.

Before the Coming of the Nerevarine

During the time of the Nerevarine, Morrowind was under the rule of the Tribunal, the three living gods of the Dunmer. In the late Second Era, the ancient enemy Dagoth Ur had awoken and was biding his time. Eventually, in the late Third Era, Dagoth Ur struck, releasing the Divine Disease across Vvardenfell and stealing Sunder and Keening from the Tribunal. While the living gods erected the Ghostfence in response, Dagoth Ur has cut off the Tribunal from their source of power and took it for himself. If Dagoth Ur couldn't be stopped, Dagoth Ur would establish a theocracy around the machine god Akulakhan, take over Tamriel as god-priests, and share his divine madness with the rest of the world.

Arrival in Morrowind and Recruitment Into the Blades

A prisoner was released from the Imperial City's prison by Uriel VII's authority and sent to Morrowind with a missive for Caius Cosades. The prisoner was entered as a Novice in the Imperial Order of the Blades, and was to serve under his absolute authority with the exception of Uriel VII's wishes that the Nereveraine Prophecy be fulfilled. The prisoner's first order was to speak with Hasphat Antabolis of the Fighter's Guild about the different cults of the Nerevarine and the Sixth House. Upon retrieving a Dwemer Puzzle Box from Arkngthand, Hasphat answered the prisoner's questions and pointed to Sharn gra-Muzgob of the Mages Guild for more information. After retrieving the Skull of Llevule Andrano, Sharn gives the prisoner a note concerning the Nerevarine, their prophecy, and their cult. The prisoner was then promoted to being an Apprentice in the Blades. Following further orders from Caius, the prisoner met with a few informants in the city of Vivec to learn more about the Nerevarine and the Sixth House, and relayed the information back to the spymaster. For this, the prisoner was promoted to the rank of Journeyman. The prisoner then traveled to Ald'ruhn to meet with Hassour Zainsubani to retrieve notes on the connection between the Nerevarine Cult and the Ashlanders. With this information, Caius bid the prisoner to go find the Urshilaku Tribe of Ashlanders and to learn more about the Nerevarine Prophecy. After retrieving the Bonebiter Bow of Sul-Senipul, the prisoner became Clanfriend of the Ashlanders, and was permitted to speak to the Wise Woman of the tribe, Nibani Maesa. She revealed that the prisoner was a potential incarnate of the Nerevarine, the prophesied reincarnation of famed Hortator Indoril Nerevar that would save the Dunmer, defeat the Sharmat, and cast down the false gods.

The Hortator and the Sharmat

The potential Incarnate received orders from Caius to find a Sixth House base and kill the priest Dagoth Gares. As the Incarnate tracked down the base and fought the Ash Creatures, he eventually reached the Ash Ghoul Dagoth Gares. The priest spoke of Dagoth Ur inviting the Nerevarine to join him as a friend and submit to his lordship. The Incarnate refused and defeated Dagoth Gares, who managed to curse the Incarnate with Corprus before he died. Concerned about the Incarnate's health, Caius sent him to go to Divayth Fyr in Tel Fyr to hopefully be cured. Upon arriving in Tel Fyr, the Incarnate was tasked with venturing into the Corprusarium and retrieving some enchanted boots. After making his way through the Corprusarium, the Incarnate reached an bloated elf named Yagrum Bagarn. The elf revealed he was not just any elf, but the Last Dwarf, and a former Master Crafter under the service of Chief Tonal Architect Lord Kagrenac. He spoke to the Incarnate and gave him the Dwemer Boots of Flying. In return for giving these boots to Divayth Fyr, the Telvanni mage gave the Incarnate an experimental cure. While not curing Corprus completely, the treatment managed to remove the negative effects of the disease. After this, Caius will give the Incarnate his last mission, to go free the Dissident Priest Mehra Milo from the watch of the Ordinators in the Ministry of Truth and escort her to the Holamayan Monastery. After doing so, Mehra revealed the Lost Prophecies of the Nerevarine. These prophecies revealed the Nerevarine to be an outsider, which made the Incarnate more likely to be the true Nerevarine.

After returning to Nibani, the Incarnate learned of the Seven Trials of the Nerevarine. Since the first two were already completed, Nibani told the Incarnate to speak with Sul-Matuul about the third trial. Before telling the Incarnate of the trial, Sul-Matuul tasks him with braving the halls of the ancient Sixth House stronghold Kogoruhn. The stronghold was defended by Ash Creatures, including two Ascended Sleepers in Dagoth Uvil and Dagoth Reler. After returning with some items, the Incarnate learned the third trial from Sul-Matuul. The trial was in the form of a riddle, but it lead to the Cavern of the Incarnate, where the Incarnate picked up Moon-and-Star from the hands of a statue of Azura. Due to the enchantments on the ring, the fact that the Incarnate could wear it confirmed him as the true Nerevarine.

The task now fell to the Nerevarine to meet with three Great Houses and four Ashlander tribes and convince them to acknowledge his authority. Through various means and challenges, the Nerevarine convinced the Redoran, Telvanni, and Hlaalu Great Houses to name him Hortator, and the Ahemmusa, Erabenimsun, Urshilaku, and Zainab Ashlander tribes to name him Nerevarine. Uniting Morrowind behind him like Nerevar in ages past, it was now time for the Nerevarine to turn his attention to the mad god Dagoth Ur.

As Hortator and Nerevarine, the hero met with the living god Vivec about his plans on how to defeat Dagoth Ur. Vivec gave the Nerevarine Wraithguard, and detailed the five-step plan to defeating the Sharmat. Following the first phase, the Nerevarine performed reconnaissance on the other side of the Ghostfence to better prepare for the challenges ahead. In accordance with the second phase, the hero systematically raided various Ash Vampire Citadels, defeated the Ash Vampires protecting them, and retrieved numerous artifacts of power. This prevented Dagoth Ur's kin from helping the Sharmat in future battles of the war. The third phase saw the Nerevarine assault Gate Citadel Vemynal, slay Dagoth Vemyn, and recover the legendary artifact Sunder. Likewise, the fourth phase saw the Nerevarine assault Gate Citadel Odrosal, slay Dagoth Ordros, and recover the legendary knife Keening. The fifth phase would see the final confrontation between Hortator and Sharmat under Red Mountain, mirroring the conflict long ago. The Nerevarine fought through hordes of Ash Creatures before finally making his way to Dagoth Ur. The two spoke, as Dagoth Ur attempted to convert the Nerevarine to his cause one last time. The hero rejected the offer, and the two clashed. After a hard fought battle, the Nerevarine struck down the Sharmat, and ventured into Akulakhan's Chamber. Dagoth Ur reappeared, sending hordes of minions at the Nerevarine once again. Fighting through them, the Nerevarine found Dagoth Ur to be invincible in his divinity. The two fought again, but the Nerevarine could do nothing to harm the mad god. Eventually, the Nerevarine found the Heart of Lorkhan, the source of Dagoth Ur's power, in the chest of Akulakhan, Dagoth Ur's mighty golem of destruction. Under the protection of Wraithguard, the Nerevarine struck the Heart of Lorkhan with Sunder, making it corporeal, then cut it using Keening, destroying the enchantments on the Heart and dissipating it across all of Nirn. With this, Dagoth Ur was made mortal once again, and Akulakhan was destroyed. The Hortator slew the Sharmat, and Azura appeared before the hero proclaiming the end of the ruinous Blight. Following the death of Dagoth Ur, The remaining Ash Creatures will perish, and the Sleepers will finally awaken.

The Mad Goddess and the Ambitious King

At some point, the Nerevarine was attacked by Dark Brotherhood assassins in his sleep. After defeating the assassins, the Nerevarine followed the assassination plot to the capital city of Morrowind, Mournhold. Upon arrival, the Nerevarine asked the city guards and tracked the Dark Brotherhood to the Great Bazaar in the sewers beneath the city. There, the Nerevarine found the leader of the Dark Brotherhood, Dandras Vules. Upon defeating the assassins, the Nerevarine discovered the assassination contract on him, and deduced it was signed by the new King of Mournhold, Hlaalu Helseth. After continuing his investigation, the Nerevarine ended up speaking to the Captain of the Royal Guard, Tienius Delitian. While he confirmed that the king was behind the attack, he ignored this topic. Instead, he roped the Nerevarine into investigating rumors about the death of the previous king, King Llethan. After gaining the trust of the populace, the Nerevarine eventually heard about "The Common Tongue", a publication that was critical of King Helseth. The publication, and the populace, hinted towards King Helseth poisoning the previous king. After reporting this information to Delitian, the captain sent the Nerevarine to report on the Temple's view of King Helseth. After speaking to Galsa Andrano, a healer at Almalexia's Temple, the Nerevarine concluded that Almalexia and the Temple wished to destroy King Helseth if he sought in earnest to be king. Delitian appreciated the Nerevarine's work, and asked him to investigate a potential plot to kill King Helseth among the Royal Guards. Pretending to be a new candidate for the guards, the Nerevarine spoke with the guards and looked around, ultimately finding a suspicious note. The Nerevarine brought the news to Delitian, who concluded that this was proof of disloyalty among the guards. The Nerevarine was tasked with looking into another conspiracy against King Helseth, this time by the previous king's widow Ravani Llethan. The Nerevarine tracked down the three conspirators and killed them on orders of Delitian. At this point, Delitian asked the Nerevarine to look into the Common Tongue publication and to deal with the author. The hero found the author to be Trels Varis, and while it is not known how the Nerevarine dealt with him, Varis stopped publishing about the king. The Nerevarine then spoke with Queen Barenziah about how he may help the crown, and the queen told him of the importance of understanding the dual powers of Mournhold, the monarchy and the temple. As such, she directed the hero to speak with the leader of the Hands of Almalexia, Fedris Hler.

While acting in service to Almalexia, the Nerevarine was tasked by Hler with tracking down a [[Lore:Goblin|Goblin] army supposedly being prepared by King Hlaalu Helseth and killing the two warchiefs in command, as well as the Altmeri trainers assisting the army. After this, Archcanon Gavas Drin sends the Nerevarine to the Shrine of the Dead to kill the Profane Acolytes and cleanse the shrine. After completing this mission, Fedris Hler informed the Nerevarine that Almalexia herself wanted him to retrieve Barilzar's Mazed Band from the Abandoned Crypt in the sewers below the Temple. The band was a powerful artifact capable of creating rifts in space, allowing for teleportation and portal summoning. The band was far more powerful than anticipated, with it even capable of opening the gates of Oblivion itself. After venturing into the crypt, the Nerevarine came across the powerful Lich Lore:Barilzar:Barilzar. The hero defeated the lich and claimed the ring before delivering it to the living goddess. With this, the goddess was pleased, and thanked the Nerevarine.

A day later, Fabricants suddenly attacked the city and overwhelmed the city guards. Fortunately, the attack was repulsed due to the help of the Nerevarine. The attack destroyed parts of the Memorial Statue within the city, revealing a Dwemer ruin, and soon the Nerevarine was asked to investigate the ruins due to the mechanical design of the Fabricants. After making his way through the ruins, the Nerevarine found the Fabricants fighting against the Dwarven constructs, proving that the Fabricants were not of Dwemer make. After returning to the Royal Palace, King Helseth finally apologized to the Nerevarine for trying to assassinating him, citing reports that the Nerevarine was vying for the throne. He then asked the Nerevarine to help stop another assassination plot. He sent the hero to meet with an Orc informant named Bakh gro-Sham to learn more about the plot. After returning to the King and informing him that the plot was against his mother Queen Barenziah, the hero was requested to protect her. That night, three Dark Brotherhood assassins entered the queen's bedchamber, where they were stopped by the Nerevarine. However, numerous signs pointed to this being a ruse in order to test the Nerevarine's loyalties. After this, King Helseth requested the Nerevarine duel his personal bodyguard Karrod to prove his worth. After defeating King Helseth's champion, the king gave the hero the Dagger of Symmachus.

By this point, a cult called the End of Times began appearing around Mournhold. They called for the Cleansing, a form of ritual suicide. Almalexia, protector goddess of the city, was concerned about this and wanted to demonstrate her power. Unfortunately, she had expended much of her power in caring for the citizens, so she tasked the Nerevarine with venturing into Bamz-Amschend and activating the Weather Witch inside. The Nerevarine did so, unleashing ashstorms over Mournhold. Afterwards, Almalexia then requested the Nerevarine to eliminate Salas Valor, a former Hand of Almalexia that had begun slandering the goddess due to her changing personality. The Nerevarine killed the former Hand and returned to Almalexia. The living goddess began to see the hero as the Nerevarine, the reincarnation of her long-dead husband Indoril Nerevar, and told him of the two swords Hopesfire and Trueflame. Hopesfire remained with Almalexia, but Nerevar's sword Trueflame was split into three shards and lost. Almalexia gave the Nerevarine one of the shards, and wished him to return the blade to its former glory. The Nerevarine retrieved the second shard from King Helseth's champion Karrod, and found the third shard to be within an artifact in Torasa Aram's Museum of Artifacts. After a sizable donation to the museum, the Nerevarine is allowed to retrieve the shard. The three shards are reforged with the help of Yagak gro-Gluk. The Nerevarine then takes the blade to the ghost of Radac Stungnthumz, a Dwemer weaponsmith. He is able to enchant the blade using Pyroil Tar from the Daedric Shrine of Norenen-dur in the Citadel of Myn Dhrur. With the blade reforged and reignited, the Nerevarine returned to Almalexia. The goddess told the hero of the mad god Sotha Sil, the third member of the Tribunal, and declared him a threat to Morrowind. She asked the Nerevarine to go to the Clockwork City and kill the god using Trueflame. The Nerevarine fought through the city, destroying Fabricants and Factotums as he made his way to Sotha Sil. Upon reaching the god, the Nerevarine realized Sotha Sil was already dead. When the Nerevarine tried to leave the area, Almalexia appeared before him. In her rambling, Almalexia was revealed to be the one who had gone mad from the loss of her divine powers. She revealed that the Fabricant attack on Mournhold was in fact her doing, with the aim of appearing to save the city from the disaster which she in fact caused, thereby rekindling the love of her people. She meant for the Nerevarine to die as a martyr in the city, but he survived, and so she needed to kill him herself. The goddess fought the hero, Trueflame against Hopesfire, until finally the Nerevarine emerged victorious. With Almalexia slain, the Daedric Prince Azura once again appeared to the Nerevarine. She declared that Almalexia had gone mad, and rid Mournhold of the ashstorms. Nerevarine returned to Mournhold and informed King Helseth of what transpired.

The Bloodmoon Prophecy

During the time of the Nerevarine, rumors began spreading about the island of Solstheim, and the imperial fort on it. Eventually word reached the ears of the Hero, who travelled to Solstheim. Arriving at the fort, the Nerevarine spoke with the commanding officer, Captain Falx Carius. The captain revealed that the morale in the fort had been low, and he suspected that his soldiers needed drinks. After a brief investigation, the Nerevarine discovered that the fort's priest, Antonius Nuncius, had been hiding alcohol for the "benefit of the soldiers". Whether the Hero exposed this to the captain or not is unknown, but regardless the soldiers were able to drink again. With the Nerevarine's usefulness to the fort made clear, Captain Carius asked the Hero to investigate reports of weapons smuggling. After asking around the fort, the Nerevarine heard of two soldiers going to Gandrung Caverns for a weapons stash. The Nerevarine journeyed to the cave and found the smugglers, ending the operation with either force or diplomacy. The Hero returned to the fort to continue to offer assistance, but by then the fort had been attacked and the captain had gone missing.

Legacy and Fate

By 3E 432, the Empire reported that Almalexia, Dagoth Ur, Sotha Sil (and possibly Vivec) were destroyed in the "Nerevarine's fury" and that the Nerevarine likewise had vanished. By the time of the Oblivion Crisis, it was rumored that the Nerevarine went on an expedition to Akavir and had not been heard from since. During the fall of Ald'ruhn, prayers to the Nerevarine went unanswered as the city swarmed with Daedra.

Gallery

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  Pre-release artwork

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  Morrowind 20th anniversary

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  Morrowind 21st anniversary

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  Ditto

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  Ditto

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  The Nerevarine wielding Trueflame (forefront)

Notes

• ^

  The race of the hero is never canonically confirmed and ultimately player determined. The Nerevarine Prophecy states they can be of any gender, though the introduction sequence of Morrowind includes the text "...ignorant of the role he was to play in that nation's history...". Pre-release content of Morrowind and later artwork depict the hero as a male Dunmer. It is also later suggested by Neloth in Dragonborn that the Nerevarine was male, though Michael Kirkbride comments that this was a typo made in error.

See Also

• For game-specific information, see the Morrowind article.

References

Note: The following references are considered to be unofficial sources. They are included to round off this article and may not be authoritative or conclusive.