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 Warrior-Poet, also known as Vehk, Vivek, and later Saint Vivec, was 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 the "transcendent evolution" of the Daedric Prince Mephala, as it is believed Mephala was Vivec's "anticipation" during the Dawn Era. Vivec is also seen as the invisible keeper of the holy land, always keeping a watchful eye over Morrowind, and keeping the evil gods of Red Mountain at bay.

Vivec can be found during the Main Questline of in his palace located within Vivec City.

Background
Vivec is worshipped by the Dunmer as a symbol of "mastery," as well as "duality" given his Chimer/Dunmer complexion, hermaphroditic 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 his honor, 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 it in the air above the city where it stayed 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 destruction of Vivec City, and another eruption of Red Mountain.

After the disappearance of Vivec and the reinstatement of the worship of the old Dunmeri pantheon, Azura, Boethiah, and Mephala, by the New Temple, Vivec was henceforth known as "Saint Vivec."

Early life
Vivec grew up in the city of Mournhold in Resdayn, now present-day Morrowind, sometime during the Nordic occupation of the province in the early First Era. Vivec was a hermaphrodite born to a netchiman, but was orphaned at an unspecified age. A possibly apocryphal source states that his mother and father were named Berahzic and Irdi respectively, and that he may have had three other siblings named Irdi, Hlafem, and Hykro. Vivec's own original name is unknown. As a teenager, Vivec lived on the streets and led a gang of guttersnipes willing to do anything for money, including killing, stealing, and prostitution. During his early teenage years, Vivec was said to have been illiterate.

A teenage Vivec was, at some point, visited by a caravan guard named Nerevar, later a soldier of House Indoril. While Vivec was originally hostile towards the soldier, Nerevar saw something in him, believing him to be special in some way. Vivec grew to like Nerevar, taking "V" from Nerevar's sigil, "Vel", and "wearing it twice as his new name "Vivec" (as in "V-"). Vivec saw that Nerevar had great ambitions, the most forthright of such being his wish to see Resdayn free of Nordic occupation, and decided to help him achieve his goals. Nerevar would become the Hortator and leading general of Indoril Almalexia, whom he would later marry. At an unspecified point before his marriage, Nerevar became good friends with the Dwemer King, Dumac,  and, with them joining forces, encouraged by Vivec's swift and tricky diplomacy, they began their rebellion against the Nords. During Nerevar's rebellion against the Nords, Vivec fought alongside him as a general in his army but refused to take Nerevar's Great House name, Indoril. Vivec was said to have fought with an improvised spear he cobbled together, created from a netch longhook, which may have been an inspiration, or early incarnation, of the legendary Muatra.

After the war, Vivec became an important adviser of Nerevar, alongside Sotha Sil, and Nerevar's wife, Almalexia. These three people became Nerevar's most trusted advisers and were known as the Tribunal. After the Nerevar's rebellion 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 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 old 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 of Lord Nerevar, discovered that the Dwemer High Priest and Tonal Architect, Kagrenac, had been building a new construct known as the Numidium that would harness the power of the recently-discovered Heart of Lorkhan. The Numidium was seen as a complete mockery of the Chimer faith and was a potential threat to all of Resdayn. 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 advisors told him. Nerevar went to his friend Dumac and asked him whether or not Voryn's claims were true. Dumac supposedly had no idea that Kagrenac had secretly been building the Numidium and denied Voryn's claims. Nerevar then went on a pilgrimage to Holamayan to consult with Azura on the matter. Azura confirmed what Voryn Dagoth said was true, and told Nerevar that the Numidium needed to be destroyed to ensure 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 dispute led to what would be known as the War of the First Council.

The War is believed to have taken place sometime in between the dates of 1E 668, or 1E 700. During the last battle of the war, which occurred at the Red Mountain, Vivec and Almalexia commanded the Chimeri main army, distracting the Dwemeri forces, and giving Nerevar, Voryn Dagoth, and Alandro Sul the chance to sneak into the Heart Chamber of Red Mountain, where 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 for safekeeping while he returned to the council to determine what should actually be done with them. Vivec, Sotha Sil, Almalexia, and the rest of the council all agreed that Kagrenac's tools should be kept in case any other threat to Resdayn were to rise. Nerevar agreed with the council's decision under one exception; 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 he had secretly used the tools in Nerevar's absence and was corrupted by their power. In order to acquire the tools, Nerevar resorted to force. In the ensuing fight, Voryn, who now referred to himself as Dagoth Ur, was presumed dead by his opponents. According to some sources, Nerevar was severely injured once again in this fight, though this may just be an inconsistency on when he got injured in the first place. Afterwards, the tools were brought to Sotha Sil for studying.

Apotheosis and Curse of Azura
"But the Tribunal had become as greedy as Kagrenac upon hearing of the power of the Heart and they coveted it. They made ritual as if to summon Azura as Nerevar wanted but Almalexia used poisoned candles and Sotha Sil used poisoned robes and Vivec used poisoned invocations. Nerevar was murdered."

- Foul Murder

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 them 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 and Almalexia were 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 gods. After their ritual was complete, Azura appeared before the new deities, angered by the blasphemy they had just committed against her. She told Vivec and the others that Nerevar would return to punish them for their mockery 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 fiery red eyes. Henceforth, the Chimer were known as the Dunmer.

Beginning of the Tribunal Temple
The Chimer, now 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 under the theocratic rule of the Tribunal. 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. Vvardenfell was made into a holy Temple preserve under the direct supervision of Vivec, with strict rules against colonization. Almalexia, once Nerevar's wife, would become Vivec's consort.

But not every Dunmer was loyal 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 who was present at the battle of Red Mountain. Whether or not Alandro's claims are true or not cannot be known for a certainty, but there is some evidence that gives credibility to his accusation, some even coming from Vivec.

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. In this war, Vivec's most notable action was creating an alliance with the Trident-Kings of the Dreugh and cutting off the Akaviri Army's reinforcement and supply roots by flanking them from the north at the Battle of Pale Pass. Though both Morrowind and the Reman Empire 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 add 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 Cyrodilic 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.

During the last year of the war, 1E 2920, Almalexia had a vision 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 strenuous effort making a pact with the Daedric Princes, that they agree to not be summoned by amateur mages to Mundus, agreed to leave Artaeum with Almalexia. When Sotha Sil and Almalexia returned to Morrowind, they discovered Vivec had already surrendered to Prince Juilek's terms after his crushing defeat at the Battle of Ald Marak. However, shortly after Vivec's surrender, his truce with the Empire was broken when an Imperial Army seized the fortress at Black Gate. Peace was made once again at Ald Lambasi, but after Prince Juliek was assassinated by the Morag Tong in Black Marsh, the treaty was abandoned again. 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 advisors, 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.

Akaviri Invasion and 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. The potenate's death resulted with the collapse of the Second Empire and brought chaos across each of its vassal 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.

However, in the year 2E 572, a new threat to Morrowind emerged. A Second Akaviri Invasion of Tamriel began, led by Ada'Soom Dir-Kamal, the leader of the Kamal snow demons. 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 with their combined forces they still had trouble defeating their enemy. The foe was so great that Almalexia sought the help of the Tribunal's old foe, Ysmir Wulfharth, who now referred to himself as the Underking (though by some accounts it was King Jorunn who asked for Wulfharth's help). The Kamal suffered a crushing defeat at Stonefalls after they were struck by the armies of Almalexia, Wulfharth, Jorunn, and the Argonian Shellbacks. Vivec took advantage of this defeat and used his powers to teach the people within Morrowind the ability to breath underwater 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, 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 Skyrim, Hammerfell, and High Rock were conquered, Tiber turned his eyes to Morrowind. Morrowind was rich with the metal ebony which Tiber needed to rebuild Cyrodiil to its former glory, which had been destroyed by the hundreds of years of war in the Interregnum. Tiber's friend and general, Ysmir Wulfharth, promised Tiber that if he were to defeat Vivec, Almalexia, and Sotha Sil, 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. Vivec, who knew the war was not going to end well for either side, formed a treaty with Tiber Septim, ending the war between Morrowind and the Septim Empire, absorbing Morrowind into the Empire, but also giving the province full autonomy. The last condition of the treaty was that Vivec 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. According to some sources, Vivec may have met with Tiber Septim on occasion; Vivec even claims to have killed Tiber Septim with the intention of testing his abilities. Almalexia commissioned the reconstruction of Mournhold in a reaction to Septim's rise, being finished in the Third Era.

Dagoth Ur's return
In the year 2E 882, Dagoth Ur, who was believed 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 well 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 bask within the presence of the Heart of Lorkhan—Dagoth Ur decided to use this 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 since 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 across Vvardenfell. All their attempts were futile, as Dagoth Ur was too powerful for the now-weary Tribunal, who had trouble staging assaults while simultaneously maintaining the Ghostfence. Even if the Tribunal did manage to kill Dagoth Ur, the Heart of Lorkhan would always revive him in time. As the Tribunal weakened, so too did the state of Morrowind's society, resulting in events such as the Arnesian War, which was caused by a minor slave revolt. The last attempt to access the Heart Chamber occurred in 3E 417. On this endeavor, Almalexia and Sotha Sil were nearly killed by Dagoth Odros and Dagoth Vemyn, but were saved by Vivec. 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 people's faith of the Tribunal Temple, as without the faith of the people, Vivec, Sotha Sil, and Almalexia would have been 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 they needed to protect Morrowind from the darkness of Dagoth Ur. Vivec was also hostile, due to the fact 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, and decided to aid them, even though it would require the Tribunal to sacrifice their divine powers. Vivec eventually met the Nerevarine at his palace, where he gave them 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-godlike powers.

Fall of the Tribunal and disappearance
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 sustain a small amount of their once-godlike 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 his priests that the Tribunal should no longer be honored as gods, but instead as saints and heroes. Vivec recommended 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, and he accepted his inevitable mortality contently, as he had always worn his divinity lightly. He told his priests that shortly after the Tribunal Temple has been reorganized, he would withdraw from the world.

Unlike Vivec, Sotha Sil and Almalexia acted differently regarding their impending mortality. After the Tribunal's final defeat at the hands of Dagoth Ur in 3E 417, during 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 affected 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 those 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 whom she considered unfaithful; 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-deceased 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 city's robotic inhabitants. However, the Nerevarine endured the Clockwork city and discovered the remains of Sotha Sil, which prompted Almalexia to attempt to kill the Nerevarine herself. In the fight that ensued, Almalexia was unable to defeat the Nerevarine and was instead killed by their 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 is unclear, though the disappearance of himself and the Nerevarine during the Oblivion Crisis has led many to believe that he was either "taken" by Daedra during the crisis or killed by the Nerevarine;  although, 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 predominant religion in Morrowind and reestablished the worship of the Reclamations, as well as dub the Tribunal "saints" instead of gods.

The Trial at Hogithum Hall
The Trial at Hogithum Hall, commonly referred to as the Trial of Vivec, was Vivec's last known presence before his sudden disappearance. The Trial began when a scholar proposed that Vivec, now mortal, and the other now-deceased members of the Tribunal be tried for the breaking of his oath and alleged murder of their lord, Nerevar, the problematic tapping of power from the Heart of Lorkhan as well as its hiding, and the possibly impertinent usurpation of the roles of the Three Good Daedra. Vivec agreed to be tried, and of the scholars, he appointed three individuals, Allerleirauh, Hasphat Antabolis, and Nigedo, as judges, in which he referred to as his Tribunal.

The Trial began with the accusations of whether or not Vivec murdered his ruler and friend, Nerevar. To assure that his answers were truthful, Vivec applied his Water-Face so that he could answer without lying, and then told his judges that in his mortal life he was responsible for the death of Nerevar, but not in his life as a deity, which he claimed were separate. The question then arose whether the present Vivec was the mortal or god version of him, and if the mortal, whether or not he was the same person who murdered Nerevar. Vivec went on to further elaborate, stating that when Vehk the mortal touched the Heart, he ceased to be and became the god version of himself that had never, but at the same time, always existed, due to the Dragon Break at Red Mountain changing the past to better suit him. He then stated that the present Vivec was a remnant of his god form and not the mortal Vehk, much to the court's disbelief. In order to confirm what he had stated, Vivec proposed to his judges that Azura be summoned to speak on behalf of Nerevar and to answer important questions proposed to her. With the reluctant agreement of the court, it was decided that Azura would be summoned on the coming Hogithum. The items required for the summoning were as follows; Azura's Star, an antler from the Wild Hunter King Dead Wolf-Dear, a ringlet from Alandro Sul's Wraithmail, and the permanently torn shadow of one of the court members, in which the scholar Louis D'Onus volunteers to offer.

The next accusation was based on whether or not the Tribunal's replacement of the Three Good Daedra caused a negative impact on the people and society of Morrowind. In order to defend himself, Vivec summoned Sheogorath, who supported Vivec's claim that by taking Mephala's place in the pantheon, he became a living celebrant of her. Sheogorath would then be scared off by the arrival of Divayth Fyr at the trial, who, along with the King of Worms, had reason to believe that Vivec's agreement to be tried was merely another one of his schemes.

With the acquisition of all the required components for the summoning, the trial was only further suspended by the awaiting of Hogithum to arrive. When confronted with the accusations on his stealing of godhood, Vivec states that it was foretold by the prophet Veloth that one day, the Anticipations would be usurped by the Tribunal and that, because of this, this act was not a crime. When met with harsh doubt from the judges, Vivec admits that he gladly stole his godhood and would do so again if he could, stating that he had even left instructions for others to do the same. Vivec goes on to say that had he and the rest of the Tribunal not become gods, the Chimer/Dunmer people would have never prospered.

When Hogithum arrived, the priest Ainoryl was given the task of summoning Azura within the Hall. After the preparations were made, Azura was summoned, but before the judges could ask her any questions, Vivec interrupted, revealing his true intentions for the assembly of the trial. Vivec used his shadow to wrap around Azura and reveal her neonymic, fully manifesting and binding her to Mundus. Vivec then proceeded to call forth her protonymic, further binding her to the realm and releasing the mortal soul that was trapped within Azura's Star. With Azura fully bound to Mundus, Vivec revealed to her his ability to utilize CHIM, and then assembled his spear Muatra from the bones of his armor, thrusting it down her throat and banishing her from the world. With Azura defeated, Vivec thanked his court for unintentionally helping him get his long-awaited revenge upon Azura, and in conclusion, placed Alandro Sul's ringlet in his mouth, which issued a voice stating the secret message found in the 36 Lessons of Vivec: "He was not born a god. His destiny did not lead him to this crime. He chose this path of his own free will. He stole the godhood and murdered the Hortator." Vivec then vanished, implying that his disappearance was done so on his own initiative.

Vivec's deeds
Over the many years Vivec watched over Morrowind and Vvardenfell, he has helped protect the Dunmer people in multiple ways. The following is a list of things that Vivec is known to have done with no known specification on the dates of which these events occurred.

Halting Baar Dau
Sometime around the beginning of the Tribunal's godhood. The Daedric lord Sheogorath rebelled against the Tribunal for mocking the Daedra and sent the great meteor, Baar Dau, to destroy the then-new city of Vivec. However, some different versions of the story has Baar Dau being one of Vivec's monster/children, acting out of its own will. After seeing the meteor, Vivec merely raised his hand and the moonlet froze above the city. Vivec decided to keep it above his city to show that faith should be kept in the Tribunal as it was faith that kept Baar Dau afloat.

Unfortunately, five years after Vivec's disappearance, the Ingenium device that kept Baar Dau suspended in the air during Vivec's absence, failed, causing the moonlet to fall from the sky and annihilate the city of Vivec. A chain reaction made by the vibrations the meteor created when striking the ground caused the Red Mountain to erupt for a second time, marking the beginning of the infamous Red Year.

Defeating the Ruddy Man
Inside of Koal Cave, located near the city of Gnisis, Vivec fought an incarnation of Molag Bal, known as the Ruddy Man. In the fight between these two gods, Vivec defeated the Ruddy Man, and spared his life, with the exception that the Dunmer people were given his permission to use the hides of the Ruddy Man's worshippers, the Dreugh, to make armor. The battle was supposedly so epic that it resulted in the creation of the West Gash.

Despite having his life spared, the Ruddy Man attacked once again outside the city of Tear after being summoned by a worshiper of the House of Troubles. Vivec and the Ruddy Man clashed for a second time, and the Ruddy Man was defeated once again.

It is believed that the Ruddy Man may have been an offspring resulting from Vivec's marriage to Molag Bal.

Fighting Mehrunes Dagon
At the city of Maar Gan, Vivec fought Mehrunes Dagon after he tried to attack the citizens of the city. Mehrunes attempted to throw a giant rock at the city, but Vivec taunted him so that he would throw the rock at him instead. Where this rock fell, the civilians of Maar Gan built a shrine to the Tribunal. It is said that during this fight, Vivec gave his silver sword to Mehrunes Dagon, as he thought it would be dishonorable to fight an unarmed enemy.

Background
Vivec's history that he recorded in his Book of Hours, also known as the 36 Lessons of Vivec, is normally accepted to be Vivec's written revision and separate timeline of his own history that occurred when his mortal self, Vehk, stole power from the Heart of Lorkhan during the Red Moment Dragon Break and became a god. This alteration of history allowed for Vivec to legitimize the godhood of the Tribunal by making it so that their place in the pantheon of the Chimer/Dunmer had always existed, and that the original Three Good Daedra were merely their anticipations, holding the future Tribunal's positions until the day they rose to godhood. The history written in the Book of Hours marks the beginning of Vivec's second life in his God-form that had now always been present within the Aurbis. This second life and timeline that Vivec created for himself, along with all the other timelines created during the Red Moment, converges with the primary, chronological, timeline when the Dragon Break ended. This makes the events that occur within it, in a sense, true.

History
"My barons and I even made the acquaintance of Vivec in his youth. Showed him a few things. I think it made an impression."

- Fa-Nuit-Hen

Vivec's Lessons begin with the begetting of his god form; Almalexia chose the wife of a netchiman as a surrogate mother for the birthing Vivec and threw her into the sea, where dreughs modified her and Sotha Sil impregnated her with the egg-image of Vivec. The netchiman's wife was then visited by seven Daedra known as the "Barons Who Move Like This" at Azura's Coast, each of whom taught the egg form of Vivec new motions and fighting styles. Their commander, Fa-Nuit-Hen, told the netchiman's wife to go to the lands of House Indoril to meet the future Hortator. On her journey to these lands, she was visited by more spirits, who each proceeded to teach the egg form of Vivec new things; the sixth spirit to visit her at this time was Mephala, who burned out the eyes of the netchiman's wife, but had her secrets stolen by Vivec. Due to her blindness, the netchiman's wife accidentally wandered into a Dwemeri Stronghold. Seeing the power within the egg of Vivec, the Dwemer removed it from the netchiman's wife, killing her, and placed the image of Vivec within a simulacrum form of her. In reprisal, Vivec channeled his essence into love, an emotion that the Dwemer could not understand and feared. Unable to deal with the idea of love, the Dwemer removed the simulacrum from the cave.

After the ordeal with the Dwemer, the simulacrum of the netchiman's wife continued on the original goal of reaching the lands of Indoril. Like before, Vivec was visited by a multitude of spirits, which Vivec debated with over varying concepts; this included an Ehlnofey who taught Vivec how to become a Ruling King. After walking for a long period of time, the simulacrum of the netchiman's wife died out, falling over on an Indoril road where it would sit for eighty days before being discovered my a merchant's caravan. While the merchant captain was advised by his guard, Nerevar, to bring the simulacrum to the capital and present it before Almalexia, he believed that he could get a larger profit from selling it in the town of Noormoc. Nerevar then offered to buy the simulacrum himself, but the merchant captain still refused him. Vivec then spoke to Nerevar, stating "You can hear the words, so run away Come Hortator, unfold into a clear unknown, Stay quiet until you've slept in the yesterday, And say no elegies for the melting stone." With these words said, Nerevar slew the merchant captain and took his caravan and the simulacrum for himself to bring to Almalexia as a weapon for the coming war with the Nords, who currently ruled the land.

As Nerevar and Vivec approached the capital, the House of Troubles began plotting to contest them. When they reached Mournhold, Nerevar gifted the simulacrum, with Vivec inside it, to Almalexia, to which Almalexia replied by saying, "Seht who is Azura has revealed that war is come and that the Hortator that shall deliver us will approach with a solution walking at his side." Vivec then hatched from his egg and merged with the simulacrum of his mother, becoming a hermaphrodite. With Vivec now born, the Chimer people, with Nerevar as their Hortator, rebelled against their Nordic overlords. Vivec was responsible for fighting off the greatest champions of the Nordic armies, including the great Nordic hero, Ysmir. After the defeat of the Nords, the Chimer and Dwemer were united under the rule of ALMSIVI and Nerevar. At this time, Vivec gave his first lesson to Nerevar on becoming a Ruling King and left him to ponder it. Vivec then wandered outside the capital of Resdayn and entered a region of badlands, where the Daedric Prince Molag Bal revealed himself to him. Vivec spoke to Molag Bal, saying, "How very beautiful you are, that you do not join us." After this, Molag crushed Vivec's feet and had legions cleave them off. Vivec was then trapped within a net of fire, in which it became apparent to Vivec that Molag Bal intended to marry him. At Vivec's request, Molag Bal commanded his legions to create a banquet for this ceremony, and he then revealed to Vivec the secret symbol of royalty, CHIM, in which Vivec would reveal to Nerevar in his next lesson for becoming a Ruling King. Vivec, now content with Molag's gift, married him, and gifted him his own head; they then gave birth to thousands of children. Vivec's head stayed with Molag for eighty days until it was reunited with its body. At that moment, they both revealed their love to each other which was 'shaped like a spear,' and Vivec bit off a secret from Molag's spear, which he used to make his spear into a terrible weapon he named Muatra. With Muatra assembled, Vivec knocked Molag Bal into a fissure created by their children, and then proceeded to kill them all with his new spear as he wept.

After his short marriage to Molag Bal, Vivec taught Nerevar the third and final lesson of becoming a Ruling King. Vivec warned him of the enemy that only Nerevar could defeat, the Sharmat, Dagoth Ur. As Nerevar tried to understand this lesson, he met Vivec shaving his head 'to make room for the fire,' the fire being the way to see with truth. Nerevar then admitted to Vivec that he was having trouble understanding the lessons he taught him. To this, Vivec replied telling him to 'reach heaven by violence.' Interpreting this in a literal sense, Nerevar took an axe and then traveled to the moon Masser where he was greeted by a Parliament of Craters. The Parliament recognized Nerevar's important place in the universe but denounced his authority over them. Nerevar subsequently attacked the Parliament, killing many of the craters. Nerevar would continue his attempt to reach heaven by violence but was eventually thrown back to Nirn by Magnus. Vivec would then find him in a grub field near the swamps of Deshaan, and they would walk together. They walked across the Padomaic Ocean to Akavir, where Nerevar learned new fighting styles, and then to the edge of the world where they found the bottom row of the world's teeth. Afterwards, they walked to Atmora, where they found only 'frozen bearded kings.' Next, traveling to Yokuda in the west, where Vivec gave birth to another race of monsters that ended up destroying the continent. Vivec then brought Nerevar to Red Mountain, where he told him that his foe Dagoth Ur awaited, and taught him of the nature of the Hurling Disk.

Believing that he had taught the Horator enough that he was ready for the coming war with the Dwemer, Vivec decided to begin writing his Book of Hours, as he knew a Dragon Break was coming. Vivec then went to Almalexia to tell her that he needed to defeat nine powerful monsters that escaped his Muatra; he promised her that he would return in time to kill Kagrenac in the coming war. Almalexia replied to Vivec, saying that since he decided to create the Book of Hours, he had already killed one of the nine monsters, that being his mortal self. Vivec than began to question whether or not this was true, and then wondered whether or not his own godhood was the result of the ideals of the people or his own mortal desires. Pondering this, Vivec knew why he needed to make the Book of Hours. Vivec then entered a non-spatial space and decided that this would be where he launched his attack on the eight remaining monsters. In this place, Vivec was given a vision of the next two-headed Ruling King, that being the future Emperor, Tiber Septim. Vivec then built a Provisional House within the non-spatial space in an attempt to achieve a state beyond CHIM. Here, he was greeted by a song.

Fearing his own answer to this song, Vivec retreated from the Provisional House. Vivec then went to fight the first monster that escaped Muatra, who was known as Moon Axle. Moon Axle was immune to spears, as his body was made only of straight lines that never stayed in one position for too long. In order to defeat him, Vivec struck him with a curved sword and wrapped his body with the souls of nix hounds, keeping his body in one position. Vivec then stabbed Moon Axle with Muatra, killing him. A group of Chimer philosophers studied the lines that made up the remains of the Moon Axle. Vivec decided to these philosophers how to turn the lines into spokes of the Wheel, birthing the first Whirling School, where Vivec would teach for a year. After this, Vivec returned to the Provisional House in order to find the second monster, the Treasure Wood Sword, which was hidden within the tomb of the Chimer House Mora. In the tomb, Vivec was told by a Bonewalker that he was not allowed to retrieve the sword as a deal was made with Mephala, keeping it there. In response to this, Vivec sought out the Morag Tong, where he displayed amongst them a single vast movement of sex and murder throughout all their hideouts. With this done, the leader of the Morag Tong gave the Treasure Wood Sword to Vivec.

Now that the Treasure Wood Sword was retrieved, Vivec returned to the Provisional House to find the location of the third monster. The third monster, known as Horde Mountain, was a massive conical stack of warriors whose apex reached the clouds. Before Vivec could attack the monster, three lower houses of Chimer trapped the beast in a net of "doubtful doctrine." In appreciation of the deeds of these three houses, Vivec made a celebration and proclaimed the members of these houses his Bouyant Armigers. Vivec then pierced Horde Mountain with Muatra, and threw its remains to the northeast, where they landed and formed the city of Vivec. Vivec would then leave his city to find the fourth monster, the Pocket Cabal, who hid within the spell-lists of the greatest Telvanni wizards. Wanting to collect the words of this monster, Vivec disguised himself as a common traveler, and Muatra as a dwarf. After a year or two of stealing the Cabal's words, Muatra exploded, causing the Pocket Cabal to hide within a group of slaves, making them erupt in a babble of forbidden arcane knowledge. A large bug appeared before Vivec, carrying the greatest of the Telvanni Wizards, who stated his displeasure with Vivec's actions; Vivec responded to this by stabbing him with Muatra. The harness of the bug fell on the slave pen, releasing the slaves inside who still carried the Pocket Cabal. In order to stop the Cabal, Vivec created a dome-headed demon and trapped the slaves within it. Leaving Sotha Sil to look after the enigma that was the Pocket Cabal, Vivec went to find the fifth monster, the Ruddy Man. The Ruddy Man was a form Molag Bal took in a previous kalpa, when the Dreughs ruled the world, and this old image of Molag Bal was born again when he mated with Vivec. This monster took the form of an armor, and whoever wore him turned into a mighty killer. After corrupting a young child from Gnisis, the Ruddy Man was discovered by Vivec. The subsequent fight between these two resulted with the creation of the West Gash. Once Vivec had defeated the monster, he offered the armor to the Queen of the Dreughs, who modified his mother, the netchiman's wife. The Dreughs promised to keep the armor away from the people of the surface world, but Vivec would discover in ten years that they were lying when another individual wearing the Ruddy Man arose. Vivec slew the Ruddy Man again, and instead gave the armor to the loyal mystics of the Number Room.

While searching for the sixth monster, Vivec secretly killed a loyal mystic out of his frustration. When Nerevar asked him why, Vivec told him "No one knows what I am," and the Hortator accepted that. The sixth monster was named Ha-Note and hid in the Adjacent Place, where a race of monsters known as Grabbers added new emotions to him and created their first city in the image of Vivec's. This modification turned Ha-Note into a beast known as City-Face, who attempted to replace Vivec's city with himself, as he believed taking Vivec's culture was a better solution than having his own corrected. After Nerevar and Almalexia finished fighting off an army of Dwemer, Nerevar saw City-Face confront Vivec. Vivec then corrected City-Face's Grabber-culture before killing him with the Ethos Knife.

Many years past and the Dwemer were nearly prepared to war with the Chimer. During this time, Nerevar married Almalexia, and Vivec began to grow tired of killing his children. Vivec's brooding caused the Chimer's skin to change to a dark-grey color, and Nerevar wished to know what pained him. Nerevar found Vivec in a Temple writing in his Book of Hours. Vivec wrote a scripture on how the Et'Ada were all liars, and that equilibrium with them cannot be reached. However, he then blotched out this passage with ink and instead wrote a scripture on the nature of truth. After writing this passage, Vivec returned to the Provisional House to find the seventh monster, named Lie-Rock, who flew to the heavens and met with the Void Ghost. The Void Ghost told Lie-Rock that if he stayed with him for a hundred years he could teach him secrets that would make him greater than any other god. However, Vivec found Lie-Rock and told him that the Void Ghost's deals are only for Ruling Kings, and then sent Nerevar to kill it. Instead of finding Lie-Rock, Nerevar found the Void Ghost, who told Nerevar that they were both in the wrong place. In this moment of confusion, Lie-Rock took the opportunity to attack Vivec's city, falling from the sky like a meteor, but before any damage could be done, Vivec froze Lie-Rock in the air by merely lifting his hand and pierced it with Muatra. When Nerevar returned to Vivec, he asked Vivec if he wanted it removed. Vivec responded, stating that he would keep Lie-Rock frozen where it was with its last intentions so that if the citizen's love for Vivec ever disappeared, they would be crushed by the rock. With the seventh monster defeated, Vivec returned to the Provisional House to find the eighth and strongest monster, this time taking Nerevar with him. When Nerevar arrived, he had the same frightening vision that Vivec had the first time he entered the non-spatial space, that of the next, two-headed, Ruling King, Tiber Septim. Together, both of them found the eighth monster, named GULGA MOR JIL. Instead of fighting his mother-father, GULGA MOR JIL asked Vivec why he must die. Vivec told the monster that it was his nature to die and gave him a prayer of mercy to comfort him. With this, the eighth monster accepted his death and his bones became the foundation of Narsis.

Now that all the monsters were defeated, the war with the Dwemer began. The Dwemer were aided by the Nords, with Ysmir as their leader. Nerevar led the Chimer armies and slew the Dwemer King Dumac at Red Mountain, where he first found the Heart of Lorkhan. Dwemeri animunculi attacked Mournhold, but were fought back by Almalexia, and Sotha Sil commanded an army of clockwork Dreughs. Nerevar went seeking Dagoth Ur within Red Mountain, but the mountain exploded when he attempted to go too far inside. It was then that the High Priest Kagrenac revealed his great war machine, a Walking Star, which was the soul of the Dwemer built in the image of Vivec, and destroyed the Heartland of Veloth, creating the Inner Sea. To defeat the star, Sotha Sil, Almalexia, and Vivec combined as one and took from the star its fire, mystery, and feet. No longer able to walk, the soul of the Dwemer was defeated and removed from the world.

Personality
"Vivec is a poet. Trust not the words of a poet, as he is born to seduce. Yet for poetry to sieze the heart, it must ring with the chimes of truth."

- Sotha Sil

When referring to his life as a mortal, Vivec describes himself as being very impatient, liking conversation to be quick and down to the point. As a teenager, Vivec was willing to kill, steal, and whore himself out for money without regret; however, his personality changed as he grew older. During his years in the First Council, he was said to have been its most gallant knight, as well as its most subtle rogue, a quality that stayed with him even in godhood. He was also said to be brave, honorable, cunning, and devious, all at once. Vivec is viewed by the people of Morrowind as being a benevolent and protective god, and is often considered to be the most popular aspect of the Tribunal due to his frequent public appearances and his safeguarding of the Dunmer people through diplomatic and martial ways. When worshipping Vivec, people recognize his valor, daring, justice, courtesy, pride, generosity, and humility—these traits of Vivec are known as his Seven Graces. Vivec shows heavy appreciation for the arts, most notably poetry, which he is said to write every morning. He is often described as being both "beautiful and bloody" and an "artistic violence" due to his dual nature, which has been said to give Vivec a bipolar personality. Vivec's protective and artistic essences have gained him the appellation "Warrior-Poet." Vivec is believed to have become Almalexia's lover sometime after the death of Nerevar.

The Tribunal Temple teaches that Vivec's duality is derived from his supposed Dawn Era representation as the Daedric Prince Mephala. It is taught that Vivec and the other members of the Tribunal became gods through the guidance of their respective anticipations, as well as achieving superhuman discipline and virtue and supernatural wisdom and insight, but this is known to be untrue as it was the Tribunal's stealing of the Heart of Lorkhan's power that made them gods. Nevertheless, it is still possible that Vivec and the other aspects of ALMSIVI are actually related to the Daedric Reclamations through mantling. Vivec's relation to Mephala has given him a secret darker demeanor that he hides from the Dunmer people; this being his affiliation with the concepts of sex and murder, which Mephala is the patron god of. Vivec even describes his love as being "shaped like a spear," which in a sense, reflects his violent and loving nature. The people of Morrowind do not view Vivec as a representation of these notions, but they do unconsciously accept that these components of Vivec do exist.

Vivec shows his darker side during his trial, in which he deceived and risked the lives of many important scholars in order to get revenge on Azura, even seeming to have planned on the death of a Khajiiti man who was present at the trial. Vivec also stated at the end of his Trial that every gift he has ever given was in his own pleasure, and openly admits to killing Nerevar and stealing godhood out of his own free will. Some questionable actions of Vivec also come up in the 36 Lessons of Vivec, whether they should be considered true or not, most notably his murder of a loyal mystic who did nothing wrong, and keeping Baar Dau above his city as a forceful demand of love from his citizens. During the desperate situation Vivec was in while trying to stop Dagoth Ur, Vivec had stated that he no longer cared for the suffering of his people and that the only reason he continued warding off Dagoth Ur was so that he would not experience the shame of losing to him. Vivec and the other members of the Tribunal have been known to do immoral things in the means of protecting Morrowind and its people, most notably during the crisis caused by Dagoth Ur. The most often reasoning for actions such as the persecution of Dissident Priests and lies about how the Tribunal really achieved divinity was so that the people kept their faith in the Tribunal, especially during times of hardship.

Vivec was known to take his divinity quite lightly and did not really care whether he was a god or not. After his disconnection from the Heart of Lorkhan, he was said to be happy to be a mortal again.

Hortator and Nerevarine
Meet Vivec at the Palace of Vivec and accept his gift, the tool Wraithguard, as well as the Tribunal's plans to defeat Dagoth Ur.

Yagrum Bagarn and Wraithguard
Kill Vivec instead, and take the deactivated Wraithguard from his corpse; having Yagrum Bagarn, the last known Dwemer, activate it for you.

Combat
Vivec is one of the strongest NPCs in ; having a variety of very powerful spells, a large amount of health, and a base damage attack of 100-400 points. When fighting Vivec, it is recommended one uses a high-leveled Reflect spell. It should be noted that the only soul gem capable of capturing Vivec's soul is Azura's Star.

First Meeting
This is a list of Vivec's Dialogue that happen during your first time entering the Palace of Vivec.

Normal Dialogue
This is a list of questions that you can ask Vivec at any time after meeting him.

Post-Main Quest
This is a list of Vivec's Dialogue that can only be seen after the main quest.

expansion
This is a list of dialogue that can only be seen after completing the expansion pack.

Enigma of Vivec dialogue
This is the Dialogue of the Enigma of Vivec which is seen in.

Servant of Vivec dialogue
This is a list of dialogue with the Servant of Vivec during the quest Night of the Soul.

C0DA
The following are images of Vivec from C0DA: