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Winterholdcity

The crumbling remains of Winterhold.

The Great Collapse was a geological event that devastated Winterhold. In 4E 122, a series of storms lashed out at the northern coast of Skyrim, eventually causing most of the city to erode alarmingly fast and be washed away into the Sea of Ghosts. The event crippled Winterhold, but miraculously left the College of Winterhold largely unharmed. As of 4E 201, Winterhold still has yet to recover.[1]

Causation hypotheses[]

BA Red Mountain

A map of Red Mountain.

"Just about eighty years ago, there was a terrible disaster. The cliffs overlooking the Sea of Ghosts collapsed, taking most of Winterhold with them. In the middle of it all, the College was practically untouched. Many of the survivors were suspicious. Some believed the mages were behind the whole thing, and others felt they could have at least prevented it. Arch-Mage Aren assures me that his people had nothing to do with it, and I believe him. But Winterhold never recovered."
Kraldar[src]

Volcanic eruption[]

Members of the College of Winterhold speculate the cause to be a far-reaching consequence of the eruption of Red Mountain in Morrowind.[2] The eruption, however, happened in 4E 5 in an event called the Red Year. That places the event 117 years before the Great Collapse.

College mages[]

Many of the locals, however, blame the College itself.[3] If the Stormcloaks have been driven out of Winterhold, Jarl Kraldar trusts Arch-Mage Aren's assurances that the College was not involved, though the suspicions of the locals remain. Thus, the mages, as well as their associates, are generally disliked and avoided.

Effects[]

Since the cataclysmic event, Winterhold has never truly recovered. Immediate prejudices emerged surrounding the Dunmer refugees of the College, as detailed in a letter written by the then Arch-Mage Deneth, to the Jarl, Valdimar.[4] Despite the formal apology, the Dunmer and mages were never truly trusted again.

Appearances[]

References[]

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