Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-3471274-20130606153913/@comment-25318238-20150610063342

In some ways, it seems most likely that Vulthuryol was trapped in Blackreach - presumably by the Dwemer - but would there really be an opening big enough to literally fit him in? Even though I am not sure how that is possible, I still believe it may be true:

The old Nord King Olaf One-Eye managed, during his life, to capture the dragon Numinex in Dragonsreach, with (somewhat impressive) technology. If a Nord man could achieve this, surely as advanced and intlligent race as the Dwemer could find a way to also do this? With the kind of technology they had being so ahead of it's time - to be considered extremely advanced even now, when the dwarves lived so long ago.

I'm still not sure exactly how but I believe that they managed to trap the Vulthuryol, and then - either by force or (more likely) by bargain, entered an agreement with the dragon; now having no choice being trapped in Blackreach to serve them. *[side note: A dragon would probably not be so willing to accept this normally, so perhaps they influenced him with their poisonous substances etc., like some people have theorized] Perhaps Vulthuryol truly believed that he could work with the Dwemer by 'serving' them, intending to find a way to escape some day.

Have pretty much well and truly dismissed the idea that Vulthuyol comes from inside the orb when you unwittingly summon him, especially since he appear from somewhere else in the cavern, It obviously acts as more of an alarm or signal. Now, this would make sense IF Vulthuryol was indeed working with/for the dwemer, for they would simply activate this alarm and Vulthuryol would come to their aid. But this leaves the problem; how could the dwemer activate the orb... unless they used the Unrelenting Force Shout. The orb is obviously specfically designed to react to this shout, so no dwemer technology could be used to use it. [probably

Just to make things confusing: If Vulthuryol was not in association with the dwemer, then perhaps the orb is an 'alarm' of sorts, but just not to summon Vulthuryol, but to simply summon the dwemer living in the city. As it resides in what seems to be the centre of the city, it could be used as a summon for the dwemer population of the city to gather.

One more theory; Dragons naturally are extremely powerful, wise and dominant, not the type you'd figure would get trapped in a cavern, even if it was by the dwemer. One of the loading screen texts in Skyrim states that "Once, Dragons sought to enslave all mortal races. if given the chance, they would surely do so again..." If so, why would Vulthuryol ever submit to the dwemer. Why wouldn't he instead perhaps, enslave the dwemer of Blackreach? Until one day, they all disappear...