A Brief History of the Fourth Era: The Miracle at Ghostgate

And so we come to the 5th year of the Fourth Era of Tamriel, a year that lives on in infamy. As detailed in earlier volumes, the Red Year occurred after the great stone Baar Dau collapsed into Vivec City, and in turn Red Mountain erupted. Forgive my embellishment, for as a scholar who lived in Vvardenfell for over 10 years, this is a subject very near and dear to my heart.

Even after the death of Dagoth Ur and the disappearance of Vivec, his ever faithful Buoyant Armigers remained at Ghostgate, standing vigil against the remaining blighted beasts that roamed within. And on that fateful day, the Armigers had no way of knowing what was about to come to pass. I spoke to Dravyn Telas, an Armiger on duty at the time.

"Normal day. Eat, pray. Patrol. It was like any other. Then, we felt the ground shake. Baar Dau.

"It all seemed to happen at once. Like the Oblivion Crisis all over again. One disaster after another. We felt heat. We felt rumbling. We knew what was about to happen. I remember praying to Azura, fully believing it was the last time.

And as the lava began to rush down the mountainside, the Miracle at Ghostgate took place. 

"I heard a voice. We all did. I... recognized it, but I couldn't place it. To this day I can't. It told us, 'Go outside.' It was so firm, so calm and commanding. We all felt so compelled. We went out the door, single file, to face our doom. 

"We stood there, watching the lava approach, fast. It was rushing down... almost there. I swear it was mere feet away from us. I closed my eyes. But I did not die. They reopened."

At this point in my interview, Dravyn's eyes began to water.

"The Ghostfence had dissipated. Around all of us, it had reassembled. An orb of light protected us, as the fire and lava flowed around us. I remember, it was pleasantly cool within. We looked around, in disbelief. I was almost certain I was dead, that this was but a dream. It was Varys that took the first step. And as stepped, the orb inched forward. One by One, we all started taking a small step. And the orb moved with us. Before long we moved at brisk pace, stepping through fiery wastes, all the way to the Northwest shore, and across the sea. And the orb protected us all the way. From the fire, and the ash. We walked for what seemed like days, but never tired. We never spoke a word the whole journey.

"And eventually, we reached Solstheim. Somehow, we faced the eruption, the fury of Dagoth Ur, and came out unscathed. When we stepped ashore, just the moment every foot of every man found solid ground, the spirits of the Ghostfence dissipated again. They seemed to evaporate in the air. They had saved us, and brought us to a new home.

This event has come to be known in Morrowind as the Miracle at Ghostgate. No one knows just what happened that day, or how. Some say the Divines took pity on the righteous Dunmeri warriors. Others say it was the many ancestor spirits that made up the Ghostfence, saving their brethren. And perhaps those most controversial say that, somehow, it was a last miracle of Vivec, Lord of the Buoyant Armigers. No one can say for certain.