Sotha Sil

"He spoke not a word when he died, not a whisper. Even in death he mocked me with his silence!"

- Almalexia

Lord Sotha Sil 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-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. Sotha Sil was the Light of Knowledge and the Inspiration of Craft and Sorcery. Azura was the Anticipation of Sotha Sil.

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 but it was known that he was trained from an early age in the art of sorcery and magic and eventualy became a well known wizard throughout Morrowind. 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.

War of the First Council
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 corupted 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.

The Daedric Prince 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.

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.

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, Clavicus Vile, Hermaeus Mora, Nocturnal, 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.

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 dunmers way of life.

The Three Banners War


During the Three Banners War and Molag Bal's invasion of Tamriel, Sotha Sil was a member of the Great Moot, the leading body of the Ebonheart Pact. He is said to have taken no active part in the war, only offering his skills in diplomacy.

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 hoardes 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. Sotha Sil helped with the rebuilding of the city.

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 Telvani and defeated Dagoth Ur while severing the Heart from the mortal plane.

Later Life and Death
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 Morrowind's Tribunal Expansion.



Post Mortem
After the collapse of the Tribunal temple Sotha Sil was renamed a saint alongside Vivec and Almalexia in the New Temple religion, Although few small sects of Tribunal worshipers believed that he was still alive. in the public eye Sotha Sil was called by many as the greatest Wizard who ever lived and an even greater warrior in the field of magic and was known by many as a keen negotiator who was wise beyond compare.

Personality
Sotha Sil appears to have been fascinated with the mysteries of life- he dedicated himself to researching them. He was also known to make mechanical creatures, called Fabricants. He was an accomplished mage, often called the greatest wizard that ever lived. He was also known to be wise beyond compare and to be a great diplomat, so convincing that he was able to make a pact with the eight more prominent Daedric Princes such as Azura, Sheogorath and Hermaeus Mora. He studied the ways of magic as he found out how to use the power of the heart of Lorkhan to become a god. Sotha Sil truly believed that using the power of Lorkhan's heart would better the Chimer race as he convinced Vivec and Almalexia to become gods with him. However, he was shown to harbor an arrogant side as he taunted Azura, telling her that the Chimer did not need the Daedra anymore. After the loss of the Hearth of Lorkhan Sotha Sil alienated himself from the rest of what he called an imperfect world conversing only with the wizard Divayth Fyr.