The Armor of Tiber Septim is an artifact associated with Talos, one of the Nine Divines. Talos wore the armor prior to his apotheosis, when he was the man known as Tiber Septim. The armor is a plated steel cuirass,[1] black and gold in color. It is a piece of heavy armor, made in the Imperial Legion style and similar in appearance to the Imperial Dragon Armor worn by subsequent Emperors.[2][3]
HistoryEdit
After the Battle of Sancre Tor in 2E 852, Tiber Septim gave his armor to the Blades in honor of their role in his victory. The Blades built a shrine in the catacombs of Sancre Tor, on the spot where Tiber Septim received the blessing of Akatosh. The armor was subsequently housed there, and for a time the Shrine of Tiber Septim became a place of pilgrimage for all Blades.[4] Pilgrims who wished to witness the armor would be tested by a riddle referring to the Sun's course across the sky.[5]
Sancre Tor was later corrupted by the Underking Zurin Arctus, prompting it to be sealed shut by the Grandmaster of the Blades in the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Tiber Septim.[6] Four of the greatest Blades of their time were sent to Sancre Tor to cleanse it of the Underking's evil, but they were separated within the ruins by a magical fog and perished, never to be seen again.[7] The armor would thererafter remain sealed within Sancre Tor for almost the entirety of the Third Era, with the secret of its existence passed from one Grandmaster of the Blades to the next.[8]
During the Oblivion Crisis of 3E 433, Brother Martin Septim managed to open a portal to Mankar Camoran's Paradise by studying the contents of the Mysterium Xarxes. One of the items required for this ritual was a scraping of divine blood. Unaware of any artifacts associated with the Eight Divines that could serve Martin's purpose, Grandmaster Jauffre chose to reveal the secret location of the Armor of Tiber Septim. With Martin's promise that the armor would not be destroyed by the ritual, Jauffre reluctantly authorized the Hero of Kvatch to unseal the ruins of Sancre Tor and recover the armor. The ghosts of the four ancient Blades were freed from the Underking's snare by the Hero, and together their spirits banished the "Breath of the Underking", a magical fog that killed any who attempted to approach the armor.[8]
Once recovered, the armor was brought to Cloud Ruler Temple, where it was used to open a portal to Paradise. The Hero of Kvatch used this portal to reach Mankar Camoran and recover the Amulet of Kings.[9] The Blades and the Order of Talos were overjoyed at the recovery of what they considered to be a holy relic of their patron.[4]
Cloud Ruler Temple was sacked in the Fourth Era during the Great War, resulting in the destruction of its archives and garrison at the hands of the Thalmor.[10][11] Following the signing of the White-Gold Concordat, worship of Talos was outlawed by the Empire.[12] It is unknown what became of the Armor of Tiber Septim.
GalleryEdit
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The Shrine of Tiber Septim (Oblivion)
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The Shrine of Tiber Septim (Oblivion Mobile)
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Tiber Septim (Legends)
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Armor of Tiber Septim (Castles)
See AlsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
- ^ Armor of Tiber Septim in Castles
- ^ Armor of Tiber Septim in Oblivion
- ^ Imperial Dragon Armor in Oblivion
- ^ a b Jauffre's dialogue in Oblivion
- ^ Baynham's riddle in Oblivion Mobile
- ^ Scripted message at Sancre Tor in Oblivion
- ^ Ghost of Casnar's dialogue in Oblivion
- ^ a b Blood of the Divines quest in Oblivion
- ^ Paradise quest in Oblivion
- ^ Thalmor Dossier: Esbern
- ^ Bolar's Writ — Acilius Bolar
- ^ The Great War — Legate Justianus Quintius