Lore:Planes of Oblivion

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The Planes of Oblivion are the dimensional planes which are home to all the daedra. Each of these planes can be very extensive; Molag Bal's plane is described as being a replica of all of Nirn, and Hermaeus Mora's is infinite in size.

Each prince's plane may have a more specific name, for example: Apocrypha for Hermaeus Mora's, Coldharbour for Molag Bal's, Moonshadow for Azura's, Quagmire for Vaermina's. Each plane is supposedly very different in appearance, depending upon the nature of the prince who rules it. They can range from beautiful to desolate; some may not even resemble worlds as we think of them, containing nothing but dust and smoke, or changing constantly.

Oblivion is often associated with tales of Hellspawn and most forms of Destruction (especially fire), and is likely known as Hell, or the home to demons. This image is only accurate for the planes of daedric princes known for destruction, such as Mehrunes Dagon and Molag Bal, as the Daedra are not actually demons, only sentient beings who do the bidding (often destructive) of their respective masters.

[edit] Daedric Princes' Realms

[edit] Mehrunes Dagon's Deadlands

The Deadlands are Mehrunes Dagon's realm. It is a dimension that is covered by an ocean of lava, scattered with islands. Several structures exist on said islands, such as towers, walls, elevated pathways, and gates, many of which are in disrepair and non-functional. The interiors of the buildings resemble infernal slaughterhouses, with much evidence of human bloodshed. Tourists beware: the denizens of the deadlands will attack any mortal on sight. Fire towers that dot the landscape shoot fire at any mortal who approaches. Many things are on fire, the air is smoky, and corpses hang from poles, overhead arches, and rocks, while heads can be seen impaled on sticks. Harrada, Spiddal Plants, and Bloodgrass grow abundantly in the charred soil.

It is from this realm that Tamriel is invaded during The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. (for game-specific information, see Planes of Oblivion)

It is told that Tamriel was ruled by Mehrunes Dagon in the mythic age until Akatosh banished him and his followers to the realms of Oblivion.

[edit] Sheogorath's Madhouse (The Shivering Isles)

Madhouse, or commonly called The Shivering Isles, is Sheogorath's realm. It is divided into halves: the north is called Mania, and reflects the lighthearted side of its ruler's madness. It has expansive grasslands and huge mushroom trees. The southern half, Dementia, represents the dark and violent side of Sheogorath, and is gloomy and claustrophobic. There are mortals living here as well as daedra. The capital city of the isles, New Sheoth, lies on the Eastern side of the isles, which is also divided into two sections, Bliss and Crucible. Bliss is on the Mania side, Crucible is on the Dementia side. Sheogorath's palace lies adjacent.

This realm is the setting for the TES IV expansion of the same name. At the end of the Shivering Isles Main quest, it is revealed that the Shivering Isles was originally the plane of Jyggalag, who was doomed to reclaim it at the end of every era from madness, only to lose it again. It is unknown whether or not he will claim another plane in the future.

See the full lore article for more information.

[edit] Malacath's Ashpit

The Ashpit is Malacath's realm, and is known as the hardest of the realms to reach, save the ones which are completely inaccessible to mortals. It is described as consisting only of dust, palaces of smoke, and vaporous creatures: "anguish, betrayal, and broken promises like ash filled the bitter air." Levitation and magical breathing are necessary to survive. Even this place is not devoid of beauty, though- within the realm is "a garden of slender trees, and wound about the trunks were vines festooned with lilylike flowers. A multitude of spheres moved, deep in the colorless sky, as distant and pale as moons". This garden seems to have some emotional significance to Malacath, who describes it as a “shadow of a garden, this echo of something that once was.”

[edit] Boethiah's Attribution's Share

Attribution’s Share is the Plane of Boethiah. Previously known as Snake Mount, this realm is characterized by twisted towers and immense maze gardens. The realm is ruled by laws of labyrinthine policy and betrayals are a matter of course. Boethiah frequently holds the Tournament of Ten Bloods here, which was once joined by the Champion of Cyrodiil.

[edit] Molag Bal's Coldharbour

Coldharbour, the immense realm of Molag Bal, is also one of the most inhospitable realms, consisting only of charnel houses and vast slave pens. Any mortal found here is captured and placed in one or the other. It resembles Nirn except colder, darker and more beaten and violent; according to some a premonition of the future of Nirn itself.

[edit] Meridia's Colored Rooms

The Colored Rooms are a collection of realms belonging to Meridia, inhabited by the Auroran daedra.

[edit] Hircine's Hunting Grounds

The Hunting Grounds are the realms of Hircine, being seemingly endless puzzling rooms and mazes inhabited by vicious creatures such as bears, wolves, werecreatures, and Daedra. Many of the creatures that inhabit the plane are much larger than those that inhabit the mortal realm. Geographically the plane is made up mostly of dense woodland and vast grasslands and plains. Mortals entering these realms are typically hunted down by the inhabitants. The souls of lycanthropes who die are claimed by Hircine and spend eternity in his Hunting Grounds. By day, werebears and nords stalk the land, hunting for inhabitants. By night, Hircine announces himself with a pack of werewolves.

[edit] Hermaeus Mora's Apocrypha

Apocrypha is Hermaeus Mora's realm. It is an endless library where all forbidden knowledge can be found. The books all have black covers with no titles, and the library is haunted by ghosts forever searching for knowledge.

[edit] Azura's Moonshadow

Moonshadow, the Plane of Azura, is a twilight country of shades and half-thoughts that is inaccessible from Nirn, although this has not always been the case. It is a giant garden full of roses, holding such beauty that it makes mortals half blind.

[edit] Namira's Scuttling Void

The Scuttling Void is the realm of Namira. Virtually nothing is known about it beyond its name, as no mortal has ever ventured there and returned.

[edit] Peryite's Pits

Peryite's Pits are the lowest reaches of Oblivion, resembling a fiery and gloomy hell (much like Mehrunes Dagon's) in which Daedra roam.

[edit] Clavicus Vile's Realm

Clavicus Vile's unnamed realm takes the form of a seemingly tranquil countryside, but "a close look revealed withered, twisted foliage and odd melted-looking places", and what appear to be clouds are unnatural streaks of color upon the sky itself. The wind here is said to carry the stench of decay, and strange yellow-skinned daedra wander throughout the realm. In Redguard, Cyrus visits Clavicus Vile's realm.

[edit] Sanguine's Realms

Sanguine is supposedly in control of one hundred thousand realms, used mainly as pleasure pockets. In Skyrim, during the quest A Night To Remember, the Dragonborn visits Misty Grove, one of Sanguine's many realms. It appears as a mist-filled copse of trees crossed by burbling streams and walking paths with small stone bridges, lit by lanterns in an eternal early evening.

[edit] Vaermina's Quagmire

Vaermina's Quagmire is a realm of nightmares and torture, every few minutes changing with a lightning flash from one horrifying vision to another.

[edit] Nocturnal's Evergloam

Nocturnal possesses several realms throughout Oblivion. One of these used to be accessible through the Battlespire, and was called the Shade Perilous. The realm was invaded by the forces of Mehrunes Dagon during the invasion of the Battlespire, but since the Battlespire's destruction this realm has been isolated. The Shade Perilous is now ruled by Frost Daedra and Fire Daedra, as a gift from Dagon. A portal to Nocturnal's domain exists within the Twilight Sepulcher, an ancient building located in Skyrim.

[edit] Mephala's Web

Inaccessible to mortals, most believe the realm of Mephala is intricate and woven together like a web, as that seems to be what she rules over as a Lord.

[edit] Realms not belonging to a specific Daedra

[edit] Chimera of Desolation

The Chimera of Desolation is a small, lordless realm created by Mehrunes Dagon, who threw Caecilly Island (a small island off the coast of Northmoor) into the void as an act of revenge against Chimere, a mortal conjurer living there. The abandoned town of Trybador still stands on the desolate island.

[edit] Gaiar Alata

Gaiar Alata (generally referred to as "Paradise" by its inhabitants), is a realm created by Mankar Camoran with the use of the Mysterium Xarxes, a book of evil power written by Mehrunes Dagon. Gaiar Alata contains pleasant islands with gardens and Ayleid-style buildings. Although it seems to be a paradise, its inhabitants are continually slaughtered by resident beasts after which they are resurrected. Underneath the idyllic landscape there are torturing chambers where the less faithful Mythic Dawn cultists are kept.

[edit] Havoc Wellhead

The Havoc Wellhead is a realm of Oblivion controlled by many Daedric clans in the service of Mehrunes Dagon. It was accessible from the Battlespire, but the connection was lost after its destruction during the Imperial Simulacrum.

[edit] Soul Cairn

The Soul Cairn is a realm of tombs where the undead seemingly roam free and are invulnerable to any harm. Rather than being aligned to any Daedric prince, it is controlled by a race calling itself the Ideal Masters.

[edit] See Also

The book Tal Marog Ker's Researches for information on the Chimera of Desolation.
The books On Oblivion and The Doors of Oblivion.
For game-specific details, see the Daggerfall and Oblivion articles.