Atmora, or Elder Wood in Aldmeris[1][2], is a frozen continent located far to the north of Tamriel, across the Sea of Ghosts. It was home to a race of Men known as Nedes around the Merethic Era.
Climate
Expeditions to Atmora in modern times describe a place of permanent winter, with little life and no sign of human habitation.[3] Reports describing the climate before the freezing vary. Songs of the Return makes several mentions of "distant green summers[4]" and "chilling green shores[5]" of Atmora. Others believed it was never a temperate place, and as such the early Nedic people were hunters with no knowledge of agriculture[3].
Origins of men
Legend has it that the first pre-literate humans came to Tamriel from the continent of Atmora in the late Merethic Era[2]. It was a not a single invasion but a series of them over hundreds of years, giving birth to the Nords, Imperials and Bretons of today[6][3]. The last of the invaders was the legendary Ysgramor and his Five Hundred Companions[2].
Migration
Pre-Return Events
Ysgramor gathered those who wished to leave Atmora due to the violent civil war. They sailed south and eventually the fleet landed at Hsaarik Head at the extreme northern tip of Skyrim's Broken Cape. It was here they built there the legendary city of Saarthal[2][7].
Upon arrival in Tamriel, the Nedes met and befriended the local Snow Elves. The Nords called the land Mereth, in recognition of the vast number of Mer that lived there. The elves quickly took notice to the rate at which Man's population was growing, and soon realized that these men were the first great threat to Elvish civilization on Tamriel.
The Snow Elves led raids throughout the settlements of men that had come to Tamriel. Most of the Nedes were hunted down and the city of Saarthal was burned to the ground. These events became known as the Night of Tears. Ysgramor and his two sons, Yngol and Ylgar, survived and fled back to Atmora[7][2].
Return
When Ysgramor and his sons returned to their homeland they discovered Atmora had developed into a peaceful land. They told stories of elven treachery and murders in Saarthal. This inspired men of Atmora to raise an army and avenge the fallen, claiming Mereth for themselves.
Ysgramor gathered an army known as the Five Hundred Companions and set sail from the southernmost city of Jylkurfyk to invade Tamriel, this became known as the Day of Final Passage[8].
When they arrived, they hunted the Snow Elves and other Mer alike, and made possible the rise of men, eventually establishing the First Empire[9]. These series of events gained the name of The Return and have since led to a strong hatred and prejudice between the races of Men and Mer.
Fate
The last Nede to have been recorded to come from Atmora was Tiber Septim, who left the continent in his youth during the Second Era.[10] Since then, it is unknown what exactly caused the climate to deteriorate so drastically. Whatever population did not succeed in fleeing to Tamriel doubtless succumbed to the ever-worsening climate many centuries ago[3].
Cities
References
- ↑ Mysterious Akavir
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Before the Ages of Man
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Pocket Guide to the Empire, Third Edition: Atmora
- ↑ Songs of the Return, Vol 2
- ↑ Songs of the Return, Vol 7
- ↑ Pocket Guide to the Empire, Third Edition: Skyrim
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Pocket Guide to the Empire, First Edition: Skyrim
- ↑ Songs of the Return, Vol 2
- ↑ Fall of the Snow Prince
- ↑ Pocket Guide to the Empire, First Edition: Cyrodiil