Template:Character Infobox
- "He spoke not a word when he died, not a whisper. Even in death he mocked me with his silence!"
- ―Almalexia[src]
Lord Sotha Sil, sometimes referred to as Seht[1], an architect of time and a binder of Oblivion[2] was the Mystery of Morrowind. He was said to be reshaping the world from his hidden Clockwork City. Sotha Sil the Magus was one of the three God-like Kings of Morrowind, a Pillar of the Tribunal Temple, and the patron of artificers and wizards. Sotha Sil was the mightiest wizard and the wisest councilor of the First Council. He was the companion and teacher of Vivec and Nerevar. According to the Tribunal Temple Cult, Sotha Sil was the Light of Knowledge and the Inspiration of Craft and Sorcery, and Azura was the Anticipation of Sotha Sil. [3]
History
Early life
Sotha Sil was born a Chimer to the small house of Sotha in the province now known as Morrowind. Accounts of his early life are few. At some point he became an advisor to Nerevar, his wife Almalexia, and his generals. During the first Battle of the Red Mountain, Sotha Sil helped drive the Nord people from Morrowind using his skills in sorcery, accompanied by Nerevar's forces and King Dumac's Dwemer army. After this the First Council was formed. During this time Sotha Sil was praised for his diplomatic skill and was known as the greatest wizard of his time. Tensions soon grew between the two races after High Tonal Architect Kagrenac secretly attempted to transcend the Dwemer race to godhood. Due to this Nerevar declared war on the entire Dwemer and the War of the First Council began. During the war Sotha Sil was named a general of the chimer army and alongside Vivec, Nerevar and Almalexia battled king Dumac and Kagrenac in the bowels of the Red Mountain. During this battle Dumac was killed. Kagrenac used Keening, Sunder and Wraithguard on the Heart of Lorkhan, making the entire Dwemer race vanish off the face of Nirn.[4]
War of the First Council
A sketch of Sotha Sil (left) during the death of Nerevar at the alleged hands of the Tribunal.
After the Battle of Red Mountain, Sotha Sil learned how to use Kagrenac's Tools so that a mortal could tap the divine power within the Heart and turn himself or herself into a god. Nerevar forbade this divine manipulation and forced the Tribunal to make an oath not to use it. Nerevar then entrusted Kagrenac's tools to Voryn Dagoth (who would later become Dagoth Ur) while he and his advisors convened on what to do with the Heart of Lorkhan. When Sotha Sil, Vivec and Almalexia returned to lock the tools away from the world, Voryn, who had been corrupted by the heart, refused to give Kagrenac's Tools to Nerevar. He believed that he was entrusted to hold them and, in his madness, attacked Nerevar and his companions. During this battle Nerevar was killed and Dagoth Ur retreated into the bowels of the Red Mountain. The death of Nerevar caused the Tribunal to make use of the Heart for the good of their people, the Chimer. They went to Red Mountain, and used the tools to transform themselves into gods.[5] Azura cursed them for breaking their oath to Nerevar and establishing a new religion by forsaking any connection with the Daedra. During this confrontation Sotha Sil taunted Azura, telling her that the Chimer did not need the Daedra anymore. From that moment on, the Chimer were known as the Dunmer, their skins turned black, and their eyes turned red.[6]
Time in the Isles and making Pacts with Daedra
During the end of the First Era, at 1E 2920, Sotha Sil spent some time on the Isle of Artaeum and as a member of the Psijic Order, taught some of the new mages in sorcery and all forms of magic.[7]
After a daedric disaster at the village of Gliverdale (caused by Molag Bal), Sotha Sil at the urging of Almalexia journeyed into Oblivion via The Dreaming Cave, and issued a meeting in Coldharbour with the eight most prominent Daedric Princes: Molag Bal, Boethiah, Azura, Hircine, Hermaeus Mora, Malacath, Sheogorath and Mehrunes Dagon. Although the exact terms of the pact are unknown to most of the inhabitants of Tamriel, what is known is that the Princes had agreed not to answer any summoning by any amateurs until the war between Morrowind and the Reman Empire ended. Only the Psijics could counsel with the daedra, along with a few nomadic sorcerers and witches.[8]
War with the Reman Empire
During the war with the Reman Empire the Tribunal used many tactics used during the war between the Chimer and the Dwemer which seemed to work in the beginning but due to the Reman Empires superior forces and under the command of the Tsaesci general Savirien Chorak the Dunmer people had no choice but to surrender. During this time Sotha Sil helped form a treaty to allow the Dunmer to keep their laws and customs intact without having to change the Dunmer’s way of life.[9]
The Three Banners War
Dunmer Crest of the Ebonheart Pact.
- "Wizard. Mystic.Master of the Clockwork City. An architect of time and a binder of Oblivion. One who masters the tools that mastered others."
- ―Servant of Sotha Sil[src]
During the Three Banners War and Molag Bal's invasion of Tamriel, in the city of Ebonheart the people of the city turned to Disciple Sildras for comfort due to an expected attack by the Daggerfall Covenant. Sildras however had began to lose faith in the Tribunals protection of the city. This wasn't until the Vestige came and at Sildras's urging prayed at the shrines to the three gods. During this time, the Vestige encountered the Servant of Sotha Sil an apparition sent by the god to communicate with his worshippers.[10]
Sack of Mournhold
Sotha Sil's pact with the Daedric Princes failed to prevent the destruction of Mournhold, as a Dunmer witch named Turala managed to summon Mehrunes Dagon, and asked for the destruction of Mournhold. Sotha Sil and Almalexia were too late to prevent the destruction, but after fighting countless hordes of Dremora they managed to banish the prince of destruction back to Oblivion. Although Mehrunes Dagon had been defeated Mournhold had all but been destroyed.[11] During this time Vivec was said to have rescued Sotha Sil from his home of Ald Sotha, after the prince of destruction destroyed the house.[12]
Troubles of the Tribunal and return of Dagoth Ur
In 3E 417, Almalexia and Sotha Sil visited the Red Mountain for their annual divine bath. The reawakened leaders of the Sixth House and Dagoth Ur ambushed them and stole two of Kagrenac's Tools, Keening and Sunder.
Vivec rescued Almalexia and Sotha Sil, but failing to recover Keening and Sunder, the Tribunal retreated from Red Mountain in disorder. The Tribunal grew weaker without access to the Heart. During this time a citizen of the empire bearing the signs of Nerevar reincarnated appeared. This citizen continued to exhibit more and more of the specific criteria of the Nerevarine, and eventually rallied the three great houses Hlaalu, Redoran, and Telvanni and defeated Dagoth Ur while severing the Heart from the mortal plane.
Later Life and Death
An example of an Imperfect- a type of Fabricant that acted as his bodyguard.
Later in life, it is believed that Sotha Sil grew weary of mortal imperfections, and retired to his Clockwork City. It is here where he reshaped life - some say the world - into an image he found pleasing.
Sotha Sil died at the hands of his long-time friend and fellow Tribunal member, Almalexia. In madness, she, after losing her godhood due to the releasing of the Heart of Lorkhan by the Nerevarine, transported herself to the Clockwork City by using the Barilzar's Mazed Band and slew him. Even as he died, he kept his silence, much to the chagrin and further provocation of Almalexia. His burnt, limbless corpse can be found in The Elder Scrolls III: Tribunal[13]
Post Mortem
After the collapse of the Tribunal temple Sotha Sil was renamed a saint alongside Vivec and Almalexia in the New Temple religion.[14]
Personality
Sotha Sil, before his death, spent time counseling, guiding, and protecting mortals, and was known to love them perhaps more than either Vivec or Almalexia.[5] Sotha Sil was said to have felt the stress of each of his people, but gave them no more load than he knew they could bear.[2] He was close to Almalexia and Vivec as Vivec called him a "brother" during his conversations with the Nerevarine[15] and when Almalexia arrived on the Artaeum she embraced Sotha Sil when she saw him.[8] Eventually, He became almost completely detached from the real world after the loss of sunder and keening. He slowly lost touch with the affairs of the Dunmer, the rest of his fellow Tribunal, and eventually all of Tamriel.[16]
Appearance
Sotha Sil had the appearance of a Dunmer in a white cloak,[17] but by the events of Tribunal had a lower body replaced by machinery and a golden head crest.
Gallery
Appearances
- The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (mentioned only)
- The Elder Scrolls V: Dragonborn (mentioned only)
- The Elder Scrolls Online (mentioned only)
References
- ↑ 36 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 1
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Servant of Sotha Sil
- ↑ Vivec and Mephala
- ↑ The Battle of Red Mountain
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Dialogue with Almalexia
- ↑ Nerevar at Red Mountain
- ↑ 2920, vol 02 - Sun's Dawn
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 2920, vol 04 - Rain's Hand
- ↑ Events of 2920
- ↑ Events of Night of the Soul
- ↑ 2920, vol 11 - Sun's Dusk
- ↑ Dialogue with Tholer Saryoni
- ↑ Events of Tribunal
- ↑ Dialogue with Elder Othreloth
- ↑ Dialogue with Vivec
- ↑ Dialogue with Mehra Helas
- ↑ 2920, vol 08 - Last Seed