Lore:Durac

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High King Durac
ON-npc-High King Durac 02.jpg
High King Durac in his undead state
Race Nede Gender Male
Died First Era
Skyreach Catacombs
Resided in Skyreach
Appears in ESO

High King Durac was a Duraki king of the First Era. He was the final Nedic ruler of Craglorn before the Yokudans conquered the region. He had a fascination for the dark arts, often spending days in the catacombs beneath his city, Skyreach.[1][2] As High King, he presided over 8 lesser kings: those of Blood, Flame, Forest, Frost, Shadow, Spirit, Storm, and Sun.[3][4]

History[edit]

Reign[edit]

Durac's rise to power is unknown. He served as High King for at least a few years,[5] relying upon his friend and advisor Virmaril for advice.[2][1] As High King, he handled relations between the Nedic tribes and the defense of the kingdom.[2] Due to this, when Virmaril, who had been courting Durac's daughter Saradin in secret, asked for his blessing to marry her, he grew furious and rejected the proposal. Wanting his daughter to marry a Nede instead of an Altmer, he instead promised Saradin to Kestic of the northern forest regions, strengthening Skyreach's ties to the tribe. This infuriated and saddened Virmaril,[5] while leaving Saradin heartbroken but strong.[2]

Sometime after 1E 808, when a third wave of Yokudan Ra Gada arrived on Tamriel,[6] a splinter group emerged within its ranks, led by self-proclaimed emperor Tarish-Zi.[7] Seeking to conquer Craglorn, Tarish-Zi's army approached Skyreach, threatening an invasion.[6][2] Virmaril, enraged having had his pleas to Saradin to elope rejected,[2] convinced Durac that he had a ritualistic plan to stop the invaders.[5] Durac gathered the council of kings at Skyreach to hear out his plan, but fell victim to a plot of betrayal. Virmaril's ritual was directed not at the Yokudans, but at the council.[5]

Virmaril's betrayal killed all of the kings and subjagted their souls,[1] using them - and the catacombs' undead - to transform the Betrayer into a lich. Forces loyal to Durac soon pursued him into the catacombs, but were unsuccessful in saying the lich. Shavmar, of the Perena tribe,[8] managed to escape the catacombs. He gathered two other Perena soul mages, Garalan and Armok, and entered the catacombs once more in an attempt to bind the Betrayer where killing him failed.[8][9] The trio were successful in weakening Virmaril, pushing back to the deep chambers of the catacombs and sealing him behind a soul ward and placing him in a sleep-like state.[9][5]

Legacy[edit]

Despite the defeat of Virmaril, Skyreach met its end at the hands of the Yokudan armada.[10][1] Among the defensive tactics used to combat the Yokudans was the release of the previously sealed Celestials, beings imbued with magical energy.[3][11] The most fearsome of the beasts, Aetherion, was a great winged terror with near immortality.[11][12] The Yokudans contained the released creatures by restoring the old Nedic wards in the uppermost tower of Skyreach.[11][13] By the Second Era, the Nedes were gone as a distinct people, faded into the culture groups of other races, mainly the Nibenese.[14][15]

During the Interregnum, members of the Antiquarian Circle conducted an exploration of the ruins of Skyreach to investigate the ancient Nedes. They explored much of the city, from the lower catacombs to the pinnacle tower. While exploring the catacombs, the group may have inadvertently begun the awakening of Virmaril the Betrayer.[3]

Circa 2E 582, increased necromantic activity surrounding the ruins attracted the attention of several forces. First, the Scaled Court, and then the Crusaders. Both of the groups were stopped by harrowing voices coming from within. Dalamar, a Crusader, stayed at the ruins in search of another entrance.[1] He gained the help of an adventurer, who he sent to purify the ruins. The source of the magic, it turned out, was Virmaril the Betrayer himself, awakened again after over two thousand years. Among the minions employed by Virmaril to defeat the adventurer was the long-dead Durac, who he raised in vampiric form.[4][16] The adventurer fought through the undead king and vanquished Virmaril once and for all, though it is unclear whether he was truly dead or could rise again.[1][4]

By the Interregnum, Durac and his position were known of quite authoritatively by scholarly groups.[3] His downfall at the hands of Virmaril, however, was known of only through a relic known as the Perenaal Fragment,[1] which was viewed as outlandish by some.[3]

Notes[edit]

  • The Duraki are often simply referred to as the followers of High King Durac. While it is unknown whether the term Duraki derived from Durac, similar naming conventions exist in early First Era tribes (such as the Velothi of Saint Veloth) that may suggest a correlation.

Gallery[edit]

  • Durac, lying dead upon his throne (ESO)

  • Skyreach Hold, as seen from ground level (ESO)

  • Virmaril the Betrayer, in lich form (ESO)

  • Saradin, as a tortured spirit (ESO)


References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Crusader Dalamar's dialogue in ESO
  2. ^ a b c d e f Saradin's Diary — Saradin
  3. ^ a b c d e Skyreach Explorer — Reginus Buca, Historian, University of Gwylim
  4. ^ a b c Events of Souls of the Betrayed in ESO
  5. ^ a b c d e Virmaril's Journal — Virmaril, Advisor to High King Durac
  6. ^ a b Warlords of the Ra Gada
  7. ^ Titus Valerius' dialogue in ESO
  8. ^ a b Watcher's Ritual Stole antiquity codex entry by Verita Numida in ESO
  9. ^ a b Watcher Shavmar's Journal — Watcher Shavmar
  10. ^ Nedes of the Deathlands — Argus Mender
  11. ^ a b c Mederic Vyger's dialogue in ESO
  12. ^ Aetherion's appearance in ESO
  13. ^ Skyreach Pinnacle's loading screen in ESO
  14. ^ Pocket Guide to the Empire, 1st Edition: Hammerfell — Imperial Geographical Society, 2E 864
  15. ^ Chancellor Abnur Tharn Answers Your Questions — Chancellor Abnur Tharn
  16. ^ Appearance and abilities of High King Durac in ESO
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