Vivec

"You want to chide me... why did I murder Nerevar? Why did I break my oath to Azura not to use Kagrenac's tools?"

- Vivec

Lord Vivec the Poet, also known as Vehk, and sometimes Vivek, is one of the three immortal god-kings of Morrowind alongside Sotha Sil and Almalexia. A Pillar of the Tribunal Temple and the patron of artists and rogues, Vivec is also known as the anticipation of Daedric Prince Mephala as it is believed this was his represented during the Dawn Era. Vivec is worshiped by the Dunmer as a symbol of "Mastery", as well as "duality" given his Chimer/Dunmer complexion, hermaphroditical appearance, and sinister nature hidden behind his benevolence due to his relations to Mephala. In his early life, before becoming a god, Vivec was an advisor to Indoril Nerevar along with the other members of the Tribunal. Vivec was known to be very public before his extraordinary loss of power, which began with the revival of Dagoth Ur. Because of this, Vivec has gained the reputation of being the most popular deity of the Tribunal. One of Vivec's main duties is to guard the people of Vvardenfell from the evils of Red Mountain. Vivec has protected Morrowind from multiple invasions, through offensive and diplomatic means, most notably the Four Score War. Vivec has also done countless deeds for the Dunmer people, one such deed was saving Vivec City, a city made in honor of Vivec, from Baar Dau, also known as the "Ministry of Truth", a giant meteor sent by the Daedric Prince Sheogorath to destroy the city. Vivec used his powers to suspend in the air above the city where it stayed there until the Fourth Era. Vivec disappeared around the end of the Third Era during the Oblivion Crisis under mysterious circumstances. Though magical inventions were made to support Baar Dau in Vivec's absence; the meteor eventually fell in 4E 5  resulting with the Baar Dau destroying Vivec City in 4E 5 and another eruption of Red Mountain. After the disapearance of Vivec and the reinstatement of the worship of the old Dunmeri pantheon, Azura, Boethia, and Mephala, by the New Temple, Vivec was hence forth known as "Saint Vivec".

Early Life
Vivec grew up in the ancient Kingdom of Resdayn, now present day Morrowind, sometime during the early First Era. Vivec was a councilor and general of Indoril Nerevar, along side Sotha Sil and Nerevar's wife, Indoril Almalexia, these three were Nerevar's most important advisors and were known as the "Tribunal". After the First Battle of Red Mountain in 1E 416, Nerevar forged an alliance between the Chimer and the Dwemer which fully united the province under a new government known as the First Council. Vivec, Sotha Sil, and Almalexia were wary about the new alliance with the Dwemer King Dumac Dwarf-Orc, believing that the peace between the Chimer and their old enemies, the Dwemer, would never last. Vivec, Sotha Sil, and Almalexia told Nerevar that he should take opportunity of the peace and claim Resdayn for his own, but Nerevar was not willing to betray his new friend Dumac.

War of the First Council
Like Vivec and the others predicted, the peace between the Dwemer and Chimer did not last. Voryn Dagoth, the head of House Dagoth and trusted friend to Nerevar, discovered that the Dwemer High Priest and Tonal Architect, Kagrenac, had been building a new device, the Numidium, that would harness the power of the Heart of Lorkhan which had just been recently discovered under Red Mountain. The Numidium was a complete mockery of the Chimer faith and was a threat to all of Resdayn as well. Vivec and the rest of the old Tribunal urged Nerevar once again to go to war with the Dwemer, but Nerevar was still reluctant to do as his advisers told him. Nerevar went to his friend Dumac and asked him whether or not Voryn's claims were true. Dumac, who had no idea that Kagrenac had secretly been building the Numidium, denied Voryn's claims. Nerevar then went on a pilgrimage to Holamayan to consult with Azura. Azura confirmed what Dagoth Ur sayed to Nerevar, and told him that the Numidium needed to be destroyed for the safety of the entire world.

Nerevar who felt betrayed by Dumac, went to Red Mountain and confronted him about what he learned from Azura. Dumac, who still did not know of the Numidium, was angered by Nerevar's insolence and the two friends argued bitterly. This fight led to what would be known as the War of the First Council.

The War is believed to have taken place somewhere in between the dates of 1E 688 or 1E 700. At the last battle of the war, which occured at Red Mountain, Vivec and Almalexia commanded the main army and distracted the Dwemer forces, giving Nerevar, Voryn Dagoth, and Alandro Sul the chance to sneak into the Heart Chamber of Red Mountain, in which the Numidium was being constructed. In the Heart Chamber, Nerevar found Dumac, Kagrenac, and by Nordic accounts, Wulfharth and Shor, The resulting battle between these men ended with the disappearance of the Dwemer after Lord Kagrenac used his tools, Sunder, Keening, and Wraithguard, upon the Heart of Lorkhan, and, by two accounts, Nerevar being severely injured.

After the battle, Nerevar gave Kagrenac's tools to Voryn Dagoth to keep safe while he returned to the council to determine the fate of the tools. Vivec, Sotha Sil, Almalexia, and the rest of the council all agreed that Kagrenac's tools should be studied and kept in case of any other threats to Resdayn. Nerevar agreed with the councils decision under one exception, that being that the council had to take an oath that Kagrenac's tools were to never be used in the manner the Dwemer intended them for.

After taking the Oath, Nerevar and Vivec went back to Red Mountain to retrieve the tools from Voryn Dagoth. Voryn however, refused to hand over Kagrenac's tools to Nerevar and it was soon realized that Voryn Dagoth had used the tools in Nerevar's absence, and the power of the tools had corrupted him. Nerevar resorted to force to aquire the tools and in the ensuring struggle Voryn, who now referred to himself as Dagoth Ur, was presumed dead. Though Dagoth Ur escaped his Great House was not so lucky, being destroyed for his betrayal. Nerevar was believed to be severely injured once again in this fight, though this may just be an inconsistency on when he got injured in the first place. Afterwords, the tools were brought to Sotha Sil for studying.

Apotheosis and Curse of Azura
After the controversial death of Nerevar (which may have been caused by the Tribunal), Vivec, Almalexia, and Sotha Sil became the highest authorities of the New Grand Council which was made to replace the First Council, that had been disbanded after the War.

After many years of ruling, Sotha Sil returned to Vivec and Almalexia with startling news. He had secretly learned how to use the tools of Kagrenac to tap into the divine power of the Heart of Lorkhan and redirect the power into a mortal being, giving that being god-like powers. Sotha Sil proposed that the three of them use the tools to turn themselves into living-gods in order to bring Resdayn into a new era of prosperity.

At first Vivec was opposed to the idea, as it abjured his sacred oath with Nerevar. But Sotha Sil's vision of a new world with peace, justice, honor, and prosperity convinced Vivec to break his promise to his old friend. The three returned to Red Mountain and used the tools upon the Heart, transforming them into the three gods known today. After their ritual was complete, Azura appeared before the new deities, angered by the blasphemy they had just commited against her. She told Vivec and the others that Nerevar would return to punish them for their mockery of "the gods" and to make sure that no mortal would ever defy her in this manner again. Sotha Sil replied to her threat claiming that the "old gods" were no longer necessary and that the Chimer needed new gods that would care for their needs. Insulted, Azura cursed the Chimer; giving them ashen colored skin, and firey red eyes. Henceforth, the Chimer were known thereafter as the Dunmer.

Beginning of the Tribunal Temple
The Chimer, now hereafter known as the Dunmer, were at first alarmed by their new appearance. They did not know what had changed their complexion from gold to grey, but the result terrified them. Sotha Sil reassured the Dunmer stating that their affliction was not a curse, but instead a blessing as it signified their beginning as a new, civilized Mer. Most of the Dunmer accepted the Tribunal and worshiped them as they had once worshiped Boethiah, Azura, and Mephala. The Tribunal Temple was formed along with a just and honorable society. Large cities were founded in the names of each of the aspects of ALMSIVI; Vivec's city was established on the southern coast of Vvardenfell in the Ascadian Isles, looking into the Inner Sea.

But not every Dunmer had pledged loyalty to the Tribunal. The nomadic Ashlanders of Vvardenfell believed that the Tribunal was responsible for the death of Nerevar, and despised them for this. According to Vivec, the belief that Nerevar was killed by the Tribunal was started by Alandro Sul, one of Indoril Nerevar's old shield-companions. Whether or not that Alandro's claims are true or not cannot be known for a certainty, but there is some evidence that gives credibility to his accusation.

The Four Score War
For thousands of years the Tribunal kept relative peace in Morrowind. The only conflict in which the Tribunal participated in being the failed Akaviri Invasion by the Tsaesci in 1E 2703 which was defeated by the founder of the Second Empire, Reman Cyrodiil. Though both nations helped each other during the war, peace did not last between the two.

Within a few years of the invasion of 1E 2703, the new Second Empire became the most prominent domain within Tamriel. Holding every province in the mainland excluding Morrowind. In 1E 2840, the third in line of the Reman Dynasty, Reman Cyrodiil II, declared war on Morrowind in an attempt to annex it into the Reman Empire. The ensuring war was later known as the Four Score War, named after the 80 years it endured. The Tribunal, particularly Vivec, displayed amazing strength and leadership during the war. An example being the Battle of Bodrum, in which Vivec took the Cyrodiilic army completely by surprise and almost completely destroyed it in the process. But despite every effort, neither side could gain any sort of advantage on the other and throughout the entirity of the war they were in complete stalemate.

During the last year of the war, 1E 2920, Almalexia had a vison that the war would be lost if Vivec did not have the help of Sotha Sil who had been away from Morrowind for seventeen years on the Isle of Artaeum, training Psijic Mages. Vivec, who took Almalexia's vision seriously, told Almalexia to travel to Artaeum and retrieve Sotha Sil so that they would not lose the war. Almalexia arrived at Artaeum and told Sotha Sil about her vision and how he needed to return to Morrowind. Sotha Sil, who had just recently spent a strenous effort making a pact with the Daedric princes Azura, Boethiah, Hermaeus Mora, Hircine, Malacath, Mehrunes Dagon, Molag Bal, and Sheogorath that they agree to not be summoned by amateur mages to Mundus so that destruction, such as what happened at Gilverdale, does not happen again, agreed to return and traveled with Almalexia back to Morrowind where it was discovered Vivec had already surrendered to Prince Juilek's terms after his crushing defeat at the Battle of Ald Marak. Though shortly after Vivec's surrender, his non-agression truce with the Empire was broken when an Imperial Army seized the fortress at Black Gate. Though it was actually a mistake in communication within the Empire as the army had belonged to Juilek's father, Emperor Reman III, who had just lost his eye and was unable to command at the time. Peace was made once again at Ald Lambasi, but after Prince Juliek was assassinated by the Morag Tong in Black Marsh, the treaty was once again abandoned. On the 6th day of Sun's Dusk, Emperor Reman III met with Vivec at Bodrum to tell him that the treaty was to be signed again at the Imperial Palace. When Reman III returned to the Imperial City he was assassinated by his wife's sister, Corda, though the assassination is believed to have been truly orchestrated by his most trusted advisers, the Akaviri Potentates, Savirien-Chorak and Versidue-Shaie. After the death of Reman III Versidue-Shaie took the Imperial Throne and signed the treaty with Vivec, officially ending the Four Score War.

Akavir Invasion of 2E 572 and the formation of the Ebonheart Pact
In the year 2E 430 a period known as the Interregnum began in Tamriel after the death of the Akaviri Potenate, Savirien-Chorak. Which caused the collapse of the Second Empire and brought chaos across the provinces. Because of Morrowind's autonomy from the Empire and the rulership of Vivec, Almalexia, and Sotha Sil, the province was left relatively unharmed by the Interregnum.

But in the year 2E 572 another threat to Morrowind emerged. A Second Akaviri Invasion began, led by Ada'Soom Dir-Kamal, the leader of the Kamal snow demons of Akavir. Though Morrowind was hit the most by the invasion, the Kamal invaded parts of Skyrim and Black Marsh as well. The three provinces united to repel the invaders but even then they still had trouble defeating them. The foe was so great that Almalexia seeked the help of the Tribunal's old nemesis, Ysmir Wulfharth, now known as the Underking (though by some accounts it was King Jorunn who asked for Wulfharth's help). After the Kamal had a crushing defeat at Stonefalls led by the armies of Almalexia, Wulfharth, Jorunn, and the Argonian Shellbacks; Vivec used his powers to teach the people within Morrowind the ability to breath under water for just one day, and then created a massive flood, temporarily drowning Morrowind into the sea and washing away the Akaviri Invaders. After this event The Tribunal, King Jorunn, and the leaders of Black Marsh signed a treaty creating an alliance between them so that an invasion of the like would never occur again, this alliance was known as the Ebonheart Pact.

The Tiber Wars
At the closing of the Interregnum, the warlord Cuhlecain and his young general, Hjalti Early-Beard (later known as Tiber Septim), began their conquest of Tamriel. After the two conquered the Imperial City Cuhlecain was murdered and Hjalti took the throne of Cyrodiil and was deemed Emperor Tiber Septim by the Grand Imperial Battle Mage, Zurin Arctus. When the Kingdoms of Man (Skyrim, Hammerfell, and High Rock) were conquered, Tiber turned his eyes to the East, to Morrowind. Morrowind was rich with the metal Ebony which Tiber needed if he was ever to rebuild Cyrodiil to its former glory, in which was destroyed by the hundreds of years of war in the Interregnum. Tiber's friend and head general, Ysmir Wulfharth, promised Tiber that if he were to defeat Vivec, Almalexia, and Sotha Sil that he would be able to steal their power and use it against the Altmer. Tiber took the advice of Wulfharth and declared war on Morrowind sometime between the years 2E 894 and 2E 896. After Mournhold was sacked by the Imperial Legion and the entire royal family of Morrowind (except Barenziah) was killed; Vivec, knew the war would was not going to end well for either side. Vivec proposed a treaty to Tiber Septim that would end the war between Morrowind and the Septim Empire, absorb Morrowind into the Empire but also give Morrowind full autonomy within the Empire, and give the Numidium to Tiber Septim to use as he pleased. Tiber who was not very fond of the idea of facing the Tribunal in battle agreed to the treaty, and the war ended.

Dagoth Ur's Return
In the year 2E 882, Dagoth Ur, who was presumed dead after his battle with Nerevar and the Tribunal, awoke at Red Mountain along with his kin who were now Ash Vampires. Dagoth Ur began formulating a plan to destroy the Tribunal once and for all, as wells as remove the Empire from Morrowind and conquer lands lost to the Nords of Skyrim and the Argonians of Black Marsh over the many years of his absence.

Dagoth Ur knew that in order for the Tribunal to keep their divine power they needed to annually return to Red Mountain and bath within the presence of the Heart of Lorkhan, Dagoth Ur decided to use this knowledge to his advantage. When the Tribunal returned to Red Mountain to replenish their power Dagoth Ur and his minions ambushed them. Vivec, Almalexia, and Sotha Sil were not strong enough to defeat Dagoth Ur who had grown extremely powerful through his connection to the Heart, and were forced to leave Red Mountain without replenishing their power. It is around this time that Dagoth Ur began building his ultimate weapon, Akulakhan, also known as the Second Numidium.

For the next 500 years the Tribunal's power began to weaken, and in their desperation Vivec, Almalexia, and Sotha Sil began launching many assaults on Red Mountain seeking to regain entrance to the Heart Chamber and stop the Blight disease Dagoth was spreading around Vvardenfell, but all of their attempts were futile as Dagoth Ur was just too powerful for the now weary Tribunal who had trouble staging assaults while maintaining the Ghostfence. As the Tribunal weakened so to did the state of Morrowind's society resulting in events like the Arnesian War which was started by a small slave revolt. The last attempt to access the Heart Chamber occurred in 3E 417, on this endeavor, Almalexia and Sotha Sil were almost killed by Dagoth Odros and Dagoth Vemyn but were saved by Vivec, however, in the struggle Almalexia and Sotha Sil lost two of the tools of Kagrenac, Keening and Sunder, to the Sixth House and failed to recover them. Demoralized and in a very weakened state, the only thing the Tribunal could do to hold back Dagoth Ur was focus their power into reinforcing the Ghostfence. Throughout this period Dissident Priests and others who questioned the Tribunal were persecuted in order to protect the peoples faith of the Tribunal Temple, as without the faith of the people, Vivec, Sotha Sil, and Almalexia would be powerless and unable to sustain the Ghostfence.

The Nerevarine
In the year 3E 427 the ultimatum that Azura gave to the Tribunal when they made themselves into gods came true, and Nerevar returned to Tamriel as the Nerevarine. Originally Vivec and the rest of the Tribunal were hostile towards the Nerevarine Cult and claimed their prophecies false as they threatened the faith of the Tribunal Temple which he needed to protect Morrowind from the darkness of Dagoth Ur, as well as claim that the Nerevarine was foretold to be the one to cast down the Tribunal and return the worship of the Old Dunmeri Pantheon. Vivec eventually realized that the Nerevarine was the Tribunal's last hope in defeating Dagoth Ur, even though defeating him would require sacrificing his Divine power. Vivec eventually met the Nerevarine at his palace, where he gave the Nerevarine the Tribunal's plan to defeat Dagoth Ur as well as Wraithguard, the last Tool of Kagrenac in Vivec's possession; during this meeting, Vivec assured the Nerevarine that he would put an end to the persecution of Dissident Priests.

After acquiring the rest of the tools the Nerevarine journeyed to Red Mountain to put a stop to Dagoth Ur's plans. The Nerevarine used the tools upon the Heart of Lorkhan, removing it from the world and severing Dagoth Ur's divine link to it; this allowed for him to be killed, as well as his creation, the Akulakhan. Though Dagoth Ur was defeated, the Tribunal was also cut off from their once god-like powers.

The Fall of the Tribunal and the Disappearance of Vivec
With the Heart of Lorkhan removed from the world the Tribunal's powers quickly faded but were not gone entirely. Many of the Dunmer people were still faithful to the Tribunal allowing Vivec, Sotha Sil, and Almalexia to still hold onto a small amount of their once god-like powers, though Vivec realized this faith and the power that came with it would not last forever. Vivec dedicated his remaining power to reorganizing the Tribunal Temple allowing the issues between the Temple Priests and the Dissident Priests to disappear, as well as using his power to help the people and their humble needs. Vivec also began preparations within his sect of the Temple for great change, telling them that the Tribunal should no longer be honored as gods but instead as saints and heroes, and that the Temple's faith should return to the old Reclamations, with the worship of Azura, Mephala, and Boethiah. Vivec believed that the Tribunal Temple's traditions needed to continue, just without the ALMSIVI. Vivec excepted his inevitable mortality contently as he had always worn his divinity lightly; he told his priest that shortly after the Tribunal Temple has been reorganized he would withdraw from the world.

Unlike Vivec, the other aspects of ALMSIVI acted differently when regarding their impending mortality. After the Tribunals last defeat at the hands of Dagoth Ur in 3E 417, in which they lost Keening and Sunder, Sotha Sil completely alienated himself from the Tribunal and all others. The only person he supposedly conversed with during the ten years between his defeat and the fall of Dagoth Ur was the immortal wizard Divayth Fyr. Vivec doubted that Sotha Sil would even notice the loss of his Divine powers, as he believed that Sotha Sil was so fascinated by the concept of mystery and the unknown that he had almost completely lost touch with the rest of the world. Almalexia on the other hand was horribly effected by her loss of divinity as she took her powers much more seriously than Vivec and Sotha Sil. After the Tribunal's disconnection to the Heart, Vivec stopped communicating with Almalexia but he noticed that while her powers diminished she began to agonize and grieve. Vivec feared that she would cause harm to herself or others, and shortly after Almalexia's loss of divinity, Vivec's fears came true. According to people who were close to her, Almalexia's personality had changed drastically; instead of her usual merciful and mother-like nature, Almalexia had become very aggressive and power hungry. Almalexia began to severely punish those she considered unfaithful to her, in one such occasion she covered all of Mournhold in ash storms by utilizing old Dwemer machinery. Eventually Almalexia had gone completely insane, she formulated a plan to become Morrowind's "One True God" by killing the other members of the Tribunal and the Nerevarine. She traveled to the Clockwork City and murdered Sotha Sil, then used his mechanical creations to attack the city of Almalexia to slander her now dead friend. Under Almalexia's orders, the Nerevarine was sent to the Clockwork City to find the supposedly mad Sotha Sil and kill him. Almalexia's true intention however, was for the Nerevarine to get killed fighting the cities robotic inhabitants, but when the Nerevarine endured the Clockwork city and discovered the remains of Sotha Sil Almalexia attempted to kill the Nerevarine herself. In the fight that ensued, Almalexia was unable to defeat the Nerevarine and was instead killed by his hands.

After Almalexia's death, Vivec was the only remaining aspect of ALMSIVI. Though saddened by the death of his fellow tribunes, he knew that since they were now mortals they would have died at some point anyways, he only regretted that it ended the way it did. Vivec went on to guide the people of Morrowind until his sudden disappearance sometime during the Oblivion Crisis. What really happened to Vivec isn't known, though the sudden disappearance of himself and the Nerevarine during the Oblivion Crisis has led many to believe that he was either "taken" by Daedra during the the crisis or killed by the Nerevarine; Though it is possible that he left the world on his own initiative as he said he would to his priests. After the destruction of Vivec City by Baar Dau in 4E 5 and the Red Year, Morrowind changed just like Vivec predicted it would; the New Temple became the prominent religion in Morrowind and reestablished the worship of the Reclamations, as well as dub the Tribunal "saints" instead of gods.

Additional info

 * Vivec is at level 100, making him one of the highest level NPCs in . Although essential, trapping his soul within a soul gem (has to be Azura's Star) will give any item it's used to enchant a charge of 1000.
 * Fighting this NPC is easier with a high Reflect effect.