With villains and evil lurking around every corner, the Thalmor can be the worst of them all inSkyrim.They are one of the easiest factions to hate, and with good reason. Arrogant, brutal, and xenophobic, many fans expect thatthe Thalmor will serve as an antagonistin the upcomingElder Scrolls 6.
The Thalmor-led Aldmeri Dominion already attempted to conquer Cyrodil and Hammerfell during the Great War, andSkyrimreveals both sides view another confrontation as inevitable. However, one popular theory suggests that the Dominion doesn’t just want to rule the world but instead plans to destroy it. If this is true, it will have major implications for theElder Scrolls 6, and a theory about Tamriel’s Towers could be their key to success.
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The Thalmor and Talos
The Towers Theory originates with a forum post by formerElder Scrollswriter Michael Kirkbride. The post isn’t technically canon, but Kirkbride’s massive influence on the series’ lore arguably makes it the next best thing. The post, which fans archived in theElder Scrollslore website the Imperial Library, describes how some High Elves' hatred of Talos extends far beyond asserting Altmer dominance over humans. It instead indicates a High Elven desire to escape from the physical world, which they call “the Material Prison.”
This makes sense in the context of theHight Elf creation myth inThe Elder Scrolls. It describes how Altmer descended from immortal god-like spirit beings called the Ehlnofey, who existed before the material world. Of course, that’s technically true of all the human and elf races inThe Elder Scrolls, but the High Elves always considered themselves the closest to their spirit ancestors. The “Altmeri Commentary” thus describes some Altmers' desire to become the immortal spirits their ancestors were before the creation of linear time and physical reality.
It goes on to list three things that the High Elves need if they want to accomplish that goal. Step one requires the Altmer to erase Talos from existence. They believe his presence “fortifies the Wheel of the Convention,” keeping them trapped in the mortal world. Step two involves erasing humanity in a literal and conceptual sense “so that the very idea of them can be forgotten and thereby never again repeated.” Once both steps are complete, the Altmer will finally be able to unmake the world, allegedly restoring their immortality.
The post doesn’t describe how the Altmer are supposed to accomplish any of these steps. However, destroying Talos might be within their power. The in-game book “Gods and Worship” speculates that a god’s power comes from their followers and that godhood can be gained or lost through the same process. The Dark Elves' Living God Vivic says something similar inMorrowind, explaining that his power comes from the belief of his worshipers. This could mean that all the Thalmor must do to killThe Elder Scroll’s god Talosis ban his worship until the world forgets about him.
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The Towers
Presumably, once Talos is gone, the Aldmeri Dominion would need to kill all the humans in Tamriel, then make sure there is no record of their existence. However, the Thalmor may have a way of simultaneously erasing humanity and destroyingThe Elder Scroll’s world. Scattered around Tamriel are several structures called Towers. Built by the gods and ancient elves, these are a mix of natural and artificial structures. Examples include the White-Gold Tower in Cyrodiil, The Crystal Tower in the Summerset Isles, The Throat of the World in Skyrim, and theRed Mountain in Morrowind. Each Tower is powered by a Stone and channels energy from the parallel realm of Oblivion.
While no one knows for sure, some in Tamriel believe the towers play an instrumental role in keeping reality stable. TheElder Scrolls: Oblivion,The Elder Scrolls Online, andAn Elder Scrolls Novel: The Infernal Cityall reference this idea. It’s also well-established that the Amulet of Kings and the Dragon Fires in the Imperial city limits the ability of gods to interfere with the mortal world. Their absence is how Molag Bal and Mehrunes Dagon can invade Tamriel duringThe Elder Scrolls Onlineand theElder Scrolls: Oblivion.
If the Towers function to keepThe Elder Scrolls' world intact, this theory argues that the Thamor will need to destroy or deactivate them to realize their plans. Worryingly for the inhabitants ofThe Elder Scroll’s world of Nirn, part of the Thalmor’s job is already done for them. Six of the nine known Towers have been destroyed or deactivated over the course ofThe Elder Scrollsseries and its backstory.
Meanwhile, the status ofValenwod’s Green-Sap Towerand Skyrim’s Snow-Tower are ambiguous. The Green-Sap tower was a collection of moving trees in Valenwood. However, the main tree lost the ability to move beforeOblivionand is firmly under Thalmor control as ofSkyrim. Meanwhile,Skyrim’s Prophecy of the Dragonborn also refers to the Snow-Tower as “broken,” hinting it may not be active either. Only High Rock’s Adamantine Tower seen inDaggerfallandESOis definitely still active as ofElder Scrolls 5.
If the Towers Theory is true, the Aldmeri Dominion may be perilously close to ripping apart the fabric of reality, destroying humanity, and supposedly restoring the High Elves to divinity. Of course, this plan could erase the Altmer along with everything else. However, the Thalmor may be arrogant enough not to consider that a possibility. It likely isn’t common knowledge either, with only the highest levels of Thalmor leadership knowing the truth.
Towers Theory andThe Elder Scrolls 6
If the Towers Theory is true, it could explain whyThe Elder Scrolls 6will probably take place in Hammerfell. The Adamantine Tower is right across the bay from northern Hammerfell, and it is not crazy to imagineThe Elder Scrolls 6also featuring a small part of High Rock.The Elder Scroll 6’s main quest could see players intervening in a Thalmor plot to disable the final Tower.
Unfortunately, evidence for the Tower Theory is circumstantial. Kirkbride’s ideas influencedOblivion,Skyrim, andESO, but his posts aren’t automatically canon. Meanwhile,The Aldmeri Dominion’s invasion of Southern Hammerfellwould have bought them slightly closer to controlling the Adamantine Tower, but may just have been a way of weakening the Empire. Likewise,Skyrimfeatures a Thalmor agent’s attempt to harness the Eye of Magnus, an artifact powerful enough to destroy the world. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean he wanted it for that purpose or that the Thalmor leadership supported his plan.
Still, that doesn’t mean that the Towers Theory is impossible, either. Even if theHigh Elves don’t have a prominent role inThe Elder Scrolls 6, the Towers Theory could still point to the Thalmor’s ultimate long-term goal.
The Elder Scrolls 6is in development.
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