Lore:Kilkreath Temple

Kilkreath Temple
Type	Nordic Ruin
Continent	Tamriel
Province	Skyrim
Hold	Haafingar
Appears in	Skyrim, ESO

Kilkreath Temple ca. 4E 201

Kilkreath Temple is an old nordic ruin found on the mountains of Haafingar, in the province of Skyrim. The temple was once a place of worship for the Daedric Prince of Infinite Energies, Meridia, and in its hayday, it attracted many pilgrims from all corners of the world and its activity was openly known. Travelers that pass by the temple are greeted with warm hospitality and even resources like bedding.^[1] At some point, the temple became inactive and were later known as the Kilkreath Ruins.^[2] The temple is marked by the Statue of Meridia, which looms over the great expanse of northwest Skyrim.

HistoryEdit

Kilkreath Temple was built by the Ancient Nords of the region, as seen in its architecture. It was built deep into Mount Kilkreath, At some point in time, the cultist of Meridia took refuge in the ruins and built a glorious statue of their patron on the temple overlook. Inside the ruins, they kept guard of a daedric artifact called Meridia's Brilliance, which eminated her holy light.^[3] Pilgrims that traveled to the Temple of Kilkreath tend to stay in the Pilgrims' Lodge, property to the west of the temple on the main road. It has been advised to passersby to avoid the temple when the Feasts of High Sun and Low Sun take place, as the caretakers close the doors for secretive rites.^[1]

During the Interregnum in 2E 582, Kilkreath Temple was caught in the first of many harrowstorms that plagued Western Skyrim's heartland. Many pilgrims and cultists were inflicted by the foul magic dispersed by the storm, as vampires and harrowfiends soon stalked the region. While High Priestess Varkour retreated to the inner sanctum to protect the artifact, Priestess Bavian assembled any survivors and took refuge in the nearby caves.^[3] An agent of House Ravenwatch investigated the ruins around them in order to learn more about the perpretrators, the Icereach Coven and their dealings with a group of vampires. With the help of two agents from East Skyrim, Lyris Titanborn and her companion, they were able to prevent another harrowstorm from further wiping out Kilkreath.^[4]

All the while, Priestess Bavian sought from help from the same group of travelers. One of them delved into Kilkreath Temple, where they fought their way through harrowfiend versions of the former cultists. Along the way, they gathered Meridian Medallions and eventually encountered the twisted High Priestess Varkour in the inner sanctum. In the end, they were able to recover Meridia's Brilliance. The disaster left many of Meridia's followers disenfranchised of their lady's benevolence. Priestess Bavian, while no longer believing in the Daedric Prince, still sought to purge the corruption from the ruins for the faithful. Once it was completed, Kilkreath Temple was sealed away ever since.^[3]^[5]

During the Skyrim Civil War in 4E 201, the ruined temple was occupied by a dark necromancer named Malkoran and he defiled the monastery with his dark magic and trapped souls of the many casualties in the ongoing war, turning both the Stormcloaks and the Imperial Soldiers into corrupted shades. A certain traveler came across Meridia's Beacon and was guided by the Daedric Prince to the temple, to cleanse the dead from her sanctum and usher her return to the people of Skyrim.^[6] The traveler delved deep into the abandoned temple and fought their way to the inner sanctum, where Malkoran conducted his experiments. In the end, the traveler vanquished Malkoran and was gifted the Dawnbreaker.^[7]