Alduin's Wall

Alduin's Wall is a large mural found within Sky Haven Temple in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. It depicts several key events through the history of Tamriel, such as the Civil War and the return of Alduin.



History
Emperor Reman II permitted the construction of Alduin's Wall in 1E 2812. It's purpose was to record the accumulated dragonlore and prophecy that the Akaviri Dragonguard possessed at the time. Given that Alduin's return was inevitable, they believed that this was their gift to those that came after them.

Craftsmen from temples across the Empire were called upon to work on the wall and after six years it was completed. Emperor Reman II visited the temple to officially dedicate the Wall. The Blood Seal outside the temple was consecrated in the presence of all the Akaviri Dragonguard of Skyrim. This allowed the temple to be sealed, only to ever be opened by a Dragonborn.

Alduin's Wall
During Alduin's Wall, the Dragonborn must venture to Karthspire, where he will meet Delphine and Esbern. After fighting through the Forsworn camp, they enter Sky Haven Temple - the last refuge of the Blades. It is here they see the Prophecy of the Dragonborn carved into Alduin's Wall.

Prophecy of the Dragonborn
The Prophecy of the Dragonborn has been said to originate in an Elder Scroll, although it is sometimes also attributed to the ancient Akaviri The prophecy depicts several events that would preface the return of Alduin after his expulsion from the world. These include, from left to right:

Devastation
Thousands of years ago, lost in the uncounted centuries that came before recorded history, the dragons ravaged the countryside, waging war against humankind and driving them before their might. The humans could not stand against such a force. Some of these humans would come to worship the dragons, but all feared them. For the first of three times, Alduin, the World Eater is depicted.

Alduin’s Defeat
The central focus of the wall tells of Alduin’s fall to humanity’s ingenuity and bravery. It depicts the ancient Nord heroes and the first Tongues: Hakon One-Eye, Felldir the Old and Gormlaith Golden-Hilt using the power of the Thu'um to defeat Alduin.

The Staff of Chaos
When misrule takes its place at the eight corners of the world...

The first event recorded in the prophecy is the shattering of the Staff of Chaos, an event depicted in The Elder Scrolls: Arena. The Staff was an incredibly powerful relic that could open gateways to other worlds and obliterate living beings. Imperial Battlemage Jagar Tharn used the Staff of Chaos to imprison Emperor Uriel Septim VII within the realm of Oblivion, after which he broke the staff into eight pieces and scattered them across Tamriel to ensure the artifact could never be used against him.

Numidium and the Warp in the West
When the Brass Tower walks and Time is reshaped...

The return of Numidium is another part of the prophecy heralding the return of Alduin. The massive brass golem called Numidium was reassembled during the events of The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall. The branching choices that determined who would control Numidium resulted in the Warp in the West, a strange occurrence in the Iliac Bay region which paradoxically allowed all choices to happen simultaneously, dramatically altering the world and bringing about a Dragon Break, a rare and unexplanable event which upon occurrence forces a realignment of time and space in response to an event which makes the normal continuity of reality impossible—in this case the activation of Numidium.

The Disaster at Red Mountain
When the thrice-blessed fail and the Red Tower trembles...

The fall of the "thrice blessed" refers to the fate of the Tribunal in The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind.

The Tribunal consisted of the three Dunmer gods: Vivec, Almalexia and Sotha Sil who acquired their immortality through the Heart of Lorkhan. They lost their immortality after the Heart was destroyed by the Nerevarine.

These events led to the Ministry of Truth—which was previously suspended in the sky by magical means—crashing into Vivec City, which itself is said to have caused the erruption of Red Mountain, a catastrophic disaster that wiped out most of Morrowind.

The Oblivion Crisis
When the Dragonborn Ruler loses his throne, and the White Tower falls...

The death of Emperor Uriel Septim VII at the beginning of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion was another event that fortold of Alduin’s return.

A previously unknown heir named Martin Septim, along with the help of the Hero of Kvatch, was able to shut the gates of Oblivion once again, but Martin was lost in the process. The end of the Septim dynasty of emperors also brought the end of Tamriel’s third era.

The fall of the White Tower refers to the sack of the Imperial City during the Great War in 4E 174.

The Skyrim Civil War
When the Snow Tower lies sundered, kingless, bleeding...

This final event that heralds Alduin’s ultimate arrival is the Civil War in Skyrim.

As The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim begins, Torygg, the High King of Skyrim has been killed by Ulfric Stormcloak. This event left Skyrim without a king and plunged the region into civil war.

Many within the northern country wish to secede from the crumbling empire, which has been on the decline for 200 years since the fall of the Septim Dynasty. Other citizens insist the Empire is still worth fighting for.

The Throat of the World
A great mountain rises above the tundra and forests of Skyrim. The Throat of the World, also known as the Snow-Throat, houses High Hrothgar, the home of the Greybeards.

The 7,000 steps must be climbed to reach the remote retreat. Here on Alduin’s Wall, the mountain is cleft in two, symbolizes the way Skyrim is tearing itself apart.

Hope
The World-Eater wakes, and the Wheel turns upon the Last Dragonborn...

The prophecy depicted on Alduin’s Wall is dire, but it is not without hope. A single individual, gifted with the same incredible powers held by the dragons themselves, may rise to fight against Alduin and assure the world’s survival. The Akaviri armor worn by the Blades in this image originates from another continent beyond Tamriel, Akavir.

The Blades shown in the image bow before the Dragonborn. They’ve protected the line of the Dragonborn for generations in anticipation of this moment, when a Dragonborn would rise to face Alduin upon his return.