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Elder Scrolls
For the book, see The Warp in the West (Book).

The Warp in the West was an event that transformed the political landscape of the Iliac Bay region of High Rock and Hammerfell. Sometimes called the Miracle of Peace,[1] this event occurred at the end of The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall. It is a kind of event known as a Dragon Break, during which the laws of causality are suspended and time is flexible.

Context[]

Prior to the Warp, the Iliac Bay region and the province of High Rock more generally was filled with many petty kingdoms, so much so that the phrase "find a new hill, become a king" was proverbial in the province. The largest cities of note were Daggerfall and Wayrest.[2] Adjacent to High Rock was Hammerfell, and the city of Sentinel, with a long-standing claim on the island of Betony which Daggerfall disputed.[3] In addition to this, the Orcish city of Orsinium had recently been founded by Gortwog, much to the resentment of its neighbors.

Results[]

As a result of the Warp, the forty-four independent kingdoms of High Rock were rearranged into four distinct kingdoms of Daggerfall, Hammerfell, Sentinel and Wayrest, each of which had greatly expanded holdings. Great battles apparently being fought on the borders of each, with some regions believing one day less had passed than was in fact the case.[1]

In addition to the human kingdoms being granted additional land, Orsinium was established with lands of its own.[4] However, it was not granted full autonomy by the Empire, and was considered part of High Rock, despite holding territories in both High Rock and Hammerfell.[1]

Cause[]

The Warp was caused by the activation of the Numidium by the Agent, causing a Dragon Break which allowed each contesting faction to use the Totem of Tiber Septim to control the Numidium to achieve their aims.[5] However, the inhabitants of Tamriel are largely unaware of this and the cause of the Warp in the West is officially a miracle and a mystery. The author of the official report into the Warp is aware that the Miracle of Peace was not of divine origin, although Imperial proclamation claims that it was so. They speculate that the Totem was used, but have no idea how or why.[1]

Trivia[]

  • While not the first Dragon Break in the chronological history of Tamriel, the Warp in the West was the first instance of such an event occurring in the game series. The phenomenon was created to avoid the imposition of a single canonical ending on the series narrative.

References[]

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