| Fargrave | |
|---|---|
| Type | Plane |
| Realm | Oblivion |
| Demonym(s) | Fargravian |
| Appears in | ESO |
Fargrave, also known as the Celestial Palanquin, is an obscure demiplane of Oblivion,[1] functioning as a crossroads where the paths through Oblivion become easier to navigate. With no prince to rule, the accords that make it harder for other realms to connect to Nirn do not apply, making it a convenient way station between Nirn and the rest of Oblivion.[2] In appearance, it is a large desert wasteland filled with gargantuan skeletons and surrounded by an auroral sky.
Daedra and mortals alike can be found here, engaging in trade on a planar level. The inhabitants prefer their privacy, and as such not many in the mortal world are aware of its existence. Through the use of relics such as portal keys, one can move through Fargrave with impunity to reach Nirn and Oblivion.[2] According to some of the Daedric inhabitants, without a Prince to set the laws and manipulate Fargrave's reality, the local Daedra are afforded a great deal of freedom, allowing them to shape their dwelling as they choose.[3]
SocietyEdit
Fargrave is a neutral ground between the mortal plane, Oblivion, and its many inhabitants, and it has maintained its existence for years because of an ancient Daedric compact called the Stricture. It is because of the Stricture that daedra are not eating, killing, or torturing each other but instead, engaging in trading and co-existing with one another. In one way or another, the neutrality of the Stricture also extends to mortals, which is why they also live in Fargrave. Because the compact is binding and absolute, any daedra that enters Fargrave cannot violate it but there are exceptions to the rule. To maintain the Stricture and its conduct, the realm is overseen by a body of daedric arbiters called the Grasp of the Stricture. The Grasp has a lot of power over the people and can use any kind of force on mortals if they threaten the peace, at least how they can interpret it.[4]
Although mortals operate freely in Fargrave, those who dwell in the realm for extended periods are afflicted with the Drain, an ailment which leads to madness and eventually death. Mortals can protect themselves from the Drain by entering into a pact with a Daedra or by consuming Redmaiden, a difficult-to-produce drug that is strictly controlled by the Grasp.[5][6]
Crossroads of OblivionEdit
The realm of Fargrave is described as a form of otherworldly conveyance, that embodies the existential concepts of transit or passage, and sits on the threshold to everywhere. Fargrave is said to serve as a natural waypoint between the planes of Oblivion, where the connections between them become easier to navigate, and to contain a multitude of portals to different realms, with the entire realm being said to be littered with dimensional gateways. Thus it is said that there is no better launching point to explore the myriad corridors of Oblivion than Fargrave, with the realm even providing the means to reach Nirn while bypassing some of its protections such as the Coldharbour Compact.[7][2][3]
Causality within Oblivion is not always concurrent with Mundus and Nirn, thus making it possible for phenomena such as entering an Oblivion realm at one point in time and emerging in the past relative to when one entered to occur. The downside with this tactic is the unpredictability and unreliability of when you might end up.[8][9] Fargrave was one Oblivion realm interaction with which was theorized to possibly lead to consequences in different frames of time.[10]
HistoryEdit
Fargrave used to be part of Mirrormoor, the realm of the Daedric Prince Ithelia, Mistress of the Untraveled Road. Mirrormoor was forgotten by mortals and daedra alike when Ithelia was imprisoned by Hermaeus Mora. Fargrave remained, but its inhabitants were unaware of the origin of the plane they lived on.[11]
At some point in 1E 1261, one of the most influential trading houses of Tamriel at the time, House Hexos discovered Fargrave. One of its members, Astia Hexos wrote a report to Hexos elders about the benefits of moving their enterprise to the realm. She made the suggestion to form a connection with Madam Whim, a Dark Seducer of high regard throughout Fargrave.[12] The exact details of this deal are currently unknown, but suffice to say, House Hexos has since lost all claim on Tamriel while having become a powerful organization in Fargrave.[13]
In 2E 582, Sister Celdina attempted to activate a Cataclyst in the realm until her plans were thwarted by the Vestige.[14]
The same year, Ithelia invaded Fargrave. She tried to restore it to Mirrormoor and activate the Loom of the Untraveled Road an artifact hidden in the city that can break the shackles of fate and rewrite history. But the Vestige destroyed the Loom before she was able to use it.[11]
After Ithelia was exiled, Mirrormoor and its denizens remained known, but Ithelia was erased from everyone's memory. The plane remained a shattered ruin, whose inhabitants are masterless. [15]
The apprentice of Balagog gro-Nolob, Urzhag gro-Larak, visited the Imperial City around 4E 197. There he met an eccentric Breton named Nanasien Gevlla. She claimed to have grown up in Fargrave and baked Fargrave Sweetrolls under ethereal skies. She disappeared some time after, perhaps back to Fargrave.[16]
Notable LocationsEdit
- Fargrave City District
- The main center of commerce in Fargrave. It contains the Plaza of Portals, a planar crossroad to the realms of Oblivion.
- Lucent Citadel
- A large, gleaming compound in the Fargrave wastelands. What lies inside it is the subject of many rumors and tales
- The Shambles
- The northern, derelict section of the city district. It is the home of several gangs and others beyond the Grasp's jurisdiction.
- Waking Flame Conclave
- In the mid-Second Era, the Order of the Waking Flame used this cave as a hideout in Fargrave, as well as a testing site for a cataclyst.
- Fargrave Loom Quarter
- A location hidden within the city that houses the Loom of the Untraveled Road, a powerful artifact built by the Daedric Prince Ithelia that can break the shackles of fate and rewrite history.
GalleryEdit
Fargrave City District
The Shambles
The Plaza of Portals
One of the Bearers of Fargrave
The Bones of an Unidentified creature from Fargrave
See AlsoEdit
- For game-specific information, see the Elder Scrolls Online
article.
BooksEdit
- The Bearers of Fargrave by Orette Arbogasque, Mortal Historian — A brief account of the founding of Fargrave and the rumors surrounding it
- Fargrave's Song — A song about the city of Fargrave
- The Stricture and the Grasp by Galeria Hexos — A primer for House Hexos members
- Visitor's Guide to Fargrave Prefaced by Osata for the Fargrave Mortal Inclusion and Visitation Program — A guide to various places found in the city of Fargrave
- Fargrave: A City of Myth — An introduction to a book about Fargrave
ReferencesEdit
- ^ Sister Celdina's dialogue during the quest The Key and the Cataclyst in ESO
- ^ a b c Lyranth's dialogue during the quest The Key and the Cataclyst in ESO
- ^ a b Madam Whim's dialogue in ESO
- ^ The Stricture and the Grasp — Galeria Hexos
- ^ Intoxicants of the Shambles — Bahraxa
- ^ Salvaged Plans quest in ESO
- ^ Lyranth's dialogue during The Celestial Palanquin in ESO
- ^ Darien Gautier's dialogue in ESO: Summerset
- ^ Sibellec the Old's dialogue during Wyrd and Coven in ESO
- ^ Valsirenn's dialogue in ESO
- ^ a b Events of Ithelia's Fury in ESO: Gold Road
- ^ Meet the Character - Madam Whim — Astia Hexos
- ^ Hewlet Hexos' dialogue in ESO: The Deadlands
- ^ The Key and the Cataclyst quest in ESO
- ^ Discussion with Hermaeus Mora during In Memory of in ESO: Gold Road
- ^ The Elder Scrolls: The Official Cookbook Vol. 2 — Erin Kwong, Victoria Rosenthal
