Geography: Locations + Arx Corinium report
Info combined from UESP, wikia and Imperial library sources.
Geography
Black Marsh is located in the southeastern part of Tamriel, bordering Morrowind to the north and Cyrodiil to the west.[12] Most of the Argonians reside in the inland waterways and swamps of the southern interior. There are few roads, and the principal method of travel is by boat, according to the bookProvinces of Tamriel.[12] Novelist Waughin Jarth's description of the region in The Argonian Account confirms this characterization; the book concerns the trials and tribulations of Decumus Scotti, a moderately influential Imperial bureaucrat who finds himself in exotic locations at exciting times. Jarth attests that Decumus Scotti is a real person, though "Decumus Scotti" is just a convenient pseudonym.[oog 5] Jarth's original novella,Dance In Fire, found Scotti caught in the recurring conflict between the Khajiit of Elsweyr and the Bosmer of Valenwood, to which he responded with the characteristic quick thought of a management type and brought himself some authority within his organization. Jarth, though he has never "been anywhere in Black Marsh but Gideon", claims to have interviewed Imperial travelers to the province, and attests to having the descriptions right.[oog 5]Scotti's next adventures may find him in Black Marsh.[13]
In The Argonian Account, the poor condition of Black Marsh's roads is said to prevent food from arriving fresh at any destination.[14] The main character, Decumus Scotti, describes the goods, "grain, meat, and vegetation," of his caravan as being "in various stages of corruption". Lord Vanech, principal administrator at the Imperial Building Commission, says in the novella that "despite staggering investments of time and money, the trade along those routes only gets slower and slower."[15]
Impediments to road travel are seen to abound: fast growing grasses that cover important trade routes as quickly as they are cut down, insects, affectionately known as fleshflies, that feast on the soft skins of non-natives, rivers that seasonally flood several feet,[15] and roving bands of beastly Nagas, raiders of caravans.[7] One of Jarth's Argonians speaks of land transportation with subdued irony. "We don't have the broken wagons and dying horses of our brothers on the outside," rolling his tiny eyes. "We don't know better."[7]
Jarth's novella finds it a solely Imperial desire to make trade land-based, and to build large scale plantation complexes; and it is a desire that has done little good for Black Marsh itself. The novella finishes by having Scotti clear up most issues relating to Imperial interests in Black Marsh, returning travel to its historical form, by boat and Underground Express, and by ceasing Imperial efforts to change Black Marsh's economy from one oriented on subsistence agriculture into one oriented on export crops. As Jarth writes, the situation is that "Black Marsh simply was, is, and always shall be unable to sustain a large-scale, cash-crop plantation economy." "And Black Marsh," in Jarth's summation of Scotti's accomplishments, "was better off than it had been in forty years."[7]
Little of Black Marsh's urban culture is to be found amongst the sources, though we are fortunate enough to have some sparse fragments. A traveler recounts in The Alik'r that Lilmoth possesses "mold encrusted villas" and that Helstrom possesses "wonderful, dangerous alleys."[16] The cities of Black Marsh are also described in another piece of material, the semi-canonical city descriptions from the early development of Arena, while it was being planned as a fighting game.[oog 6] Each city is given a short monograph describing the player character's entry to the city and first impressions.
Lilmoth is described as "the home of the Dark Tide," "gloomy and foreboding," pervaded by an "unnatural fear," holding "much underneath its streets." Gideon is described as the "black city of the followers of Seth." Blackrose is located "near the legendary forest of Murkwood." Stormhold is apparently given over to tension, understandably, because of its "proximity to the Dark Elven lands." Thorn is described as the "Jewel of the East," and as "deadly as it is beautiful," where "vagabonds eye your purse strings and guards seem to turn lazy eyes elsewhere."
Notable Places
- Archon
- An Argonian settlement near the eastern coast of Black Marsh. A city located in the south east of Black Marsh.[11] In 4E 187, the Listener Alisanne Dupre mentioned to Rasha, aSpeaker, about reinstating training for Shadowscales in Archon. The proposal was dismissed due to a lack of resources.[12]
Blackrose
- A major city in the swampy interior of Black Marsh. A major Argonian city located in the southern reaches of Black Marsh. Notably Nienolas Ulwarth, known as the mighty, hailed from this city. Murkwood is near this city, which is a forest the Eternal Champion visits to get a part of the Staff of Chaos.[11]
- Gideon
- A settlement on the western border of Black Marsh. A major city in Argonia, this city was first founded by the Ayleids, and is in the westernmost section of Argonia, close to the border of Cyrodiil.
- Helstrom
- An Argonian settlement located in the center of Black Marsh. This city is in the center of Argonia. The city has never been reached by the Cyrodilic Empire and therefore is the capital of non-Imperial Black Marsh.[11]
- Lilmoth
- A major city located on Oliis Bay. Lilmoth is the most southern city in Black Marsh and has been described as the "festering jewel" of Black Marsh.[OOG 1][11]
- Murkwood
- The legendary "dark forest that ever moves", located deep in the swamps of Black Marsh. It is one of the locations where a piece of the Staff of Chaos is located.
- Soulrest
- An Argonian settlement located in the southwestern-most corner of Black Marsh. Soulrest is a large city located in the south of Black Marsh where many go for their burial.[11]
- Stormhold
- A city in northern Black Marsh located close to the border with Morrowind. One of the major cities in Argonia. It was originally founded by the Ayleids, and it is located in the northern part of Argonia.[11]
- Thorn
- An Argonian settlement located on the northeastern coast of Black Marsh. Thorn is a city in Black Marsh close to the Border of Morrowind. It is the most north-easterly city in Black Marsh.[11]
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Archon
The Shadowscale training facility used to exist in Archon. According toCicero's Journal, Volume I, in 4E 187, Alisanne Dupre discussed the possibility of re-opening this facility, though ultimately decided against due to a lack of resources.[1]
Blackrose
-
Blackrose was originally founded by an extinct community of Lilmothiit[1]. After the Lilmothiit went extinct during the reign of Versidue-Shaie, the Argonians fully took their place.
In 1E 1033, Empress Hestra ordered the Imperial Navy to hunt down the notorious bandit king "Red" Bramman.[2] After a long search they caught Bramman in his hideout near Blackrose.
Later, in the Second Era, Akaviri Potentate Versidue-Shaie ordered a dungeon to be built on the ruins of the abandoned settlement, and to this day it has kept its status as the most secure prison in Tamriel. Commonly known as "The Rose", this prison is where many of Jagar Tharn's associates were sent after the Imperial Simulacrum.
During the rule of Pelagius Septim III, when an ambassador from this city visited, Pelagius insisted on speaking in all grunts and squeaks, as that was the Argonian's natural language. [2]
Nienolas Ulwarth, known as The Mighty, hailed from this city. He was the only person who could best Ellabeth in Axe-wielding. [3]
During the reign of Empress Morihatha, the people of Blackrose rebelled against Imperial Rule.[3]The sage Celarus wrote that the Battlemage Welloc was able to cast a Vampiric Cloud on the army, which caused the strength and skill of this army to pass to its opponents [4].
Gideon
Gideon is the name of a settlement in Murkmire[1] on the western border of Black Marsh, the nearest Argonian city to Cyrodiil. It is a black city, belonging to the followers of Seth. At the very end of the First Era, Castle Giovesse in Gideon served as the prison for the last Empress of the Reman Dynasty.[2] The city was overrun by the undead army of Umbriel circa 4E 40.[3]
According to the Pocket Guide to the Empire, Third Edition, Gideon was a city that was created originally by the Ayleid civilization.[1] Fortunately for the township, it was sufficiently distant from Cyrodiil for it to avoid destruction during the Alessian Order.
Helstrom
Following the victory of the Second Empire at the Battle of Argonia in 1E 2811, the native Argonian army retreated to Helstrom, as it was located in the "impenetrable center" of Black Marsh where men and mer could not follow.[3]The following year, Black Marsh was officially incorporated into the Cyrodilic Empire.[1] Despite Black Marsh's subsequent incorporation into the Empire, the impassable denseness of the interior swamps ensured that Helstrom was never threatened by an Imperial siege.[4] During the Imperial Simulacrum, the city-state of Helstrom was ruled by King Germanus. At the time, the city guards had a reputation for being very dangerous.[5]
Lilmoth
Prior to the Imperial colonization of the original Argonian city of Lilmoth, it was ruled by Argonian priest-king/queens. The earliest record of an Imperial sovereign in the city dating to 3E 109 when Magnus Septim wedded the Queen of Lilmoth, Hellena (with the preceding Argonian priest-king having been executed).[3] However, Lilmoth had previously been sympathetic to Cyrodilic interests even before its colonization during the Third Era, as far back as the Reman Empire and its war with Morrowind, with the Warlord of the city of the time, Ulaqth, leading troops into battle against the Duke of Mournhold.[4] The only other recorded Warlord of the city is a Warlady called Ioa.[5]
In the early years of the Fourth Era, Lilmoth fell victim to the floating city Umbriel. This event is known as 'The Slaughter at Lilmoth' and is one of the most gruesome massacres in Tamriellic history. This was also the place where both Annaïg Hoïnart and Mere-Glim, two friends who lived for a time on Umbriel, were born.[1]
Lilmoth has had two Hist trees. One went rogue at an unknown time, and the second was grown from a single fragment that survived the elder's killing, as said by Mere-Glim in An Elder Scrolls Novel: The Infernal City.[OOG 1]
The Pusbottom is the ancient and gangrenous heart of Lilmoth. Imperials dwelt in this quarter in the early days when the Empire had first imposed its will and architecture on the Argonians of Black Marsh. Pusbottom was the first area to be built, with the rest of the city growing around it. By the start of the Fourth Era, the area had become a sink district, home only to the poor and lawless. Patrols barely come here, and it has become a place where the poorest of the poor live—enemies of the Argonian An-Xileel party dominating the city, criminals and monsters.[OOG 1] The waterfront and dock area contains most of the markets.[1]
Murkwood
The legendary "dark forest that ever moves", located deep in the swamps of Black Marsh. The city of Blackrose is located near it. The Conclave of Baal, an organization based in Stormhold, can find the current location of the forest by reading the Elder Scrolls with the aid of an ancient tablet. Murkwood was used by Jagar Tharn as a hiding place for one piece of the Staff of Chaos during the Imperial Simulacrum. The Eternal Champion retrieved this piece on his quest to save Emperor Uriel Septim VII.[1]
Soulrest
A narrow, winding river which empties into the Bay near Soulrest was used by the pirate-king, known as "Red" Bramman, as a means of escaping capture from the Imperial Navy.[1]
The Battlechief of Soulrest, who aided the Cyrodilic Empire in their war against Morrowind, offended Emperor Reman III in 1E 2920, when he stepped on his Imperial Majesty's foot.[2]
Soulrest is an Argonian settlement located in the southwestern-most corner of Black Marsh. In the year 3E 427, a tribal uprising occurred near Soulrest and had to be put down by the Expeditionary Force.[1] Local mines and plantations were destroyed as the result.
Stormhold
Stormhold was originally founded by the primal Barsaebic Ayleids, and was so far from the heart of Ayleid civilization that it was never attacked in the onslaught by forces under Queen Alessia.[3] The original name of the city is now forgotten, and it came to be abandoned by its Ayleid inhabitants.
Following the subjugation and incorporation of Black Marsh by the Second Empire in 1E 2812, Stormhold became an Imperial prison settlement. It was used by the Dunmer of Morrowind as a center for the slave trade, and harsh Dunmeri stone structures were built alongside the intricate Ayleid ruins. Collaborating Argonians also settled in Stormhold, surrounding the city with mud huts and helping the Dunmer to raid nearby primitive villages. In the political upheavals of the early Second Era, thuggery, Dunmeri slave trade and inconsistent Imperial rule plagued Stormhold and the rest of Black Marsh, before the rise of Argonian vicecanons brought stability to the province.[4] In 2E 560, the plague known as the Knahaten Flu began in Stormhold. Spreading quickly to all corners of Black Marsh, the Flu wiped out the entire Kothringi culture, drove foreigners from the land and held the province in its grip for the next forty years.[3]
It served as the capital of the province as of 2E 582.[1][2]
The Conclave of Baal, an organization based in Stormhold, have the ability to find the current location of Murkwood by reading the Elder Scrolls with the aid of an ancient tablet. The Vaults of Gemin, once belonging to the conclave, are located southwest of town. The vaults sank into the ground when an associate cast a powerful spell with disastrous results, and the vaults are now only crumbling ruins.[5]
The city's prison once held an infamous reputation. The Warden, Quintus Varus, was a reputed lunatic who broke into the old tunnels beneath town in search of valuable Stormhold Crystal. He had certain prisoners, nicknamed Tunnel Rats, dig for them in the haunted passages in return for a moderate amount of freedom. The prison soon became corrupted with evil; the prisoners went mad, slowly turning into horrible beasts. The corruption was kept at bay by storing it in Hollow Crystals. Varus's true goal was to find the location of the Storm Crystal, a powerful artifact made by the priests of a nearly forgotten religion. Varus had planned to remove all evil from the empire and store it in the crystal. However, a prisoner nicknamed the"Master Tunnel Rat" entered the prison, gathered allies and equipment, and tracked down the Storm Crystal. The prisoner and Varus battled over it, and the prisoner was victorious. Although the crystal couldn't hold the evil of the world, the prisoner used it to undo the corruption in the prison, allowing the innocents to go free.[6]
The city was overrun by the undead army of Umbriel circa 4E 40.[7]
Thorn
Thorn is in a region known as the Thornmarsh.[1] This city, as well as Stormhold, lies close to the border with Morrowind.
Arx Corinium - First Seed Report
Building a fort in a swamp is no trivial task, but my men and I have accomplished it with Arx Corinium. It was a battle the entire duration—with insect-borne disease, with the wildlife of the marshlands, but the Empire wanted a foothold in this region and we provided one.
Unfortunately, as of this writing, we've packed our arms and armor on orders from Colonel Marianus, and prepare to leave our work behind. The Colonel cites the continued loss of a half-dozen soldiers every month in maintaining Arx Corinium as "detrimental to the war effort." I agree, and would note that I predicted this outcome when we arrived over a year and a half ago. I said as much to the Colonel, who ordered that the project proceed. This isn't a statement of complaint, but of fact.
Construction suffered numerous complications: the bog impeded our progress at every turn, and it became clear the initial foundation we built would sink after the first month. When we moved our location farther to the north, we met a fierce wamasu that cost me ten men to chase off the premises. After repeated encounters, our war wizard, Belisaro, named it Ganakton the Tempest, after the bolts of lightning that the beast emits from every orifice ("Ganakton" was the moniker of a hated aunt, rumored to possess Orcish blood).
The dense humidity was another foe, turning our plate armor to steek barrels full of sweat during the early months of construction. It goes against regulation, but I allowed my soldiers the luxury of cloth armor during the summer. It was that or death from heatstroke. We would have been at a disadvantage had we come under attack, but any enemy marching towards Arx Corinium would be half-dead by the time they reached us. In any event, it never happened.
Battle found us just the same: every beast in this swamp, large or small, is a walking death trap, and some days, we fought sword to stinger with insects the size of a grown man's head. Other days, our mages contended with the likes of Ganakton the Tempest, who continued to terrorize the fort. He razed the eastern wall a dozen times, and I regret that I will never be allowed the luxury of mounting his skull on my mantle. But if it means we finally get to leave, I'll gladly allow Ganakton his life.
As I look back on this last year and a half, at the resources and manpower it took to construct Arx Corinium, I can't say it's been worth it. Again, this isn't a statement of grievance. I bear my superiors no ill will for my orders. However, I would note that I made several warnings in advance of this project, and have compiled copies of my letters to my immediate superior, Colonel Marianus, detailing the reasons why I believed the construction of Arx Corinium could prove a disastrous venture for the Empire.
I want to clarify that this is not a declaration of failure on anyone's part, either for myself, my men, or Colonel Marianus. I am fully aware that that decision falls to Tribune Hilario, whom I encourage to read the letters I mention above. I've already sent word and made them available for any officer to peruse at the Imperial City military archives.