Lore:Magical Transportation

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Initializing a self-teleportation spell

"Let me give you some advice. If at first you don't succeed, then teleportation magic isn't for you."
—Meln the Mouthless

Magical Transportation is performed primarily by means of teleportation magic. Such forms of magic fall under many different schools, including Mysticism, Conjuration, and Thaumaturgy. Teleportation can occur via spell or via any of the other more stable methods listed below.

Portals

A temporary, freestanding portal

Portals manifested in the Infinite Archive

Portals, also known as Aurbisal conjunctions, are magical rifts that enable teleportation when entered. Skilled mages can use portal magic to travel across Tamriel, even bypassing major obstacles, both man-made or natural. Wielders of portal magic have even been known to open portals directly to different Planes of Existence. However, the performer must know exactly where to generate the portals or he will face catastrophic consequences. This is, the mage must have been there or, at least, see clearly where the portal will spawn. Portal seeds are a common component in apprentice-level portal creation. It is said that time itself sometimes refuses to work correctly around portals, making it possible for one to enter a portal first among a group but exit from it last. Entering a portal created in a location where reality is being manipulated by powerful magic, such as the one used to shift objects and beings to different layers of reality, can have unforeseen effects. Under such circumstances, it is possible for the portal to fracture, depositing those who enter in different locations or reality layers than the intended destination, or even ejecting them to become lost to the Void. There have been cases of those born with natural affinity for portal magic, exhibiting exceptional skill in portal creation despite being entirely self-taught and having no formal training in the field. Travelling through portals has been described as "moving with the winds of the soul".

Before its disbandment, the Mages Guild offered instant transportation between their main halls for a small fee. This service was available to members and non-members alike, though members are generally given a significant discount. It also had a subsidiary known as the Travelers League, which was only available to high ranking members and could teleport someone from anywhere in the world. This group were present in the Iliac Bay during the fifth century of the Third Era.

Besides the Mages Guild, both the Tribunal Temple and the Church of the Nine offered teleportation spots in their shrines for those with the skills to use the relevant spells or the money to buy the related scrolls. This kind of teleportation used magic derived from the Tribunal or the Nine Divines, respectively.

The Dragon Cult constructed a special portal to Sovngarde at the temple of Skuldafn, which was used by Alduin. It is activated by a special staff entrusted to a Dragon Priest that guards the portal.

The vampire Valerica of the Volkihar Clan, created a portal to the Soul Cairn using finely ground bone meal, purified void salts, and soul gem shards, which have to be placed in a silver-lined portal vessel, blood then needs to be added to this vessel to act as a reacting agent.

The ancient Khajiit moon priests practiced a rite known as the Shadow Dance or "Dance of Shadows", practiced famously by Anequina Sharp-Tongue and described as experiencing moonlight in its distilled form in order to "walk paths that took strange angles" to places "tangential to dreams, but never dreaming". Those attuned to the moons in this manner could "hear the moons sing" and could impact the Lunar Lattice, commanding the moons to move in the sky, open portals to other places and realms such as Oblivion, the Jonelight Path, or the moons themselves, and manipulate sources of lunar energy to perform deeds such as recharging a Dragonhorn. Descendants of the attuned could become linked to the spirits of their ancestor if they became attuned themselves, allowing them to perceive their memories and emotions and to act as vessels for them to act and communicate through should they desire it. Those who gained better understanding of their attunement learned how to "smell" magic and track and identify it by specific "scent", and gained greater mastery of portals, allowing them to open multiple portals in different locations at once and even imbue the portal magic into their blade and use it as a weapon in combat. Skilled use of the Shadow Dance was described by Vanus Galerion as mastery of portal magic, and in some cases made its users so difficult to keep contained that the Daedra of Coldharbour found it impossible to do so and eventually gave up entirely.

Certain life-force devouring wraiths can transport the living to Aetherius in order for the dead to drain their essence.

Shadow magic can be used to visit shadow realms- alternate versions of the world.

There are places in Nirn and other realms where the Many Paths, the realities that exist beyond and surrounding the Aurbis, converge, and the way to them can be opened provided one has the required knowledge and means. Portals to the Paths could be opened by the Daedric Prince Ithelia and her servants, as well as through the use of the Lamp of Clarity, a relic of Azura though the artifact could only reveal gates which were already present at convergence points. Hermaeus Mora also exhibited the ability to open portals to different Paths once Ithelia showed him how. A number of deities have tales which describe them traversing the Paths in myths, these include Akha, Alkosh, Khenarthi, Merrunz, Boethra, Orkha and Alkhan. Traversing the realms of Aurbis through portals has been referred to as traversing the "multiverse", but this refers to travelling the realms within Aurbis itself, while the Many Paths go beyond that.

Teleporters

Frostcrag Spire teleportation pads

In the Western Reach, there are transportation pads near the small village of Snowline.

The Battlespire, had a magical transport vessel called the Star Galley, which was constructed by Imperial Battlemage and Artificer Clarentavious Valisious, it gave access to the other college sections. The vessel was normally kept in the Star Galley Crib. The Battlespire was also connected to a pillar of light on Tamriel, which when entered would arrive at the Weir Gate in the Battlespire.

Frostcrag Spire has teleportation pads to every Mages Guild hall in Cyrodiil, which were created by Arch-Mage Taris Rendil. Xedilian in the Shivering Isles has teleporter pads.

In Stormhold prison, there are warp pads scattered about that can transport the user back to Helga in the Dungeon Camp. Additionally, some of the crystals found in its tunnels are capable of the same effect when activated, becoming inert after one use.

In the wilds surrounding Dawnstar, there are warp runes that can be stood upon that transport the user back to Dawnstar. Additionally, some runes can be carried and used to achieve the same effect, but only once.

The ancient Dunmer fortresses around Vvardenfell are connected by magical means, such that anyone carrying the correct Propylon Indices can jump instantly from one to the next around the loop. Only one index exists for each fortress however, and most have been lost over time as the forts have been abandoned by their creators. A Master Index that could be used to travel to any of the fortresses could be created by combining all the existing indices.

The Redguards have their own form of teleportation magic as illustrated with Arlimahera's Altar, a device created by the eponymous queen of Hammerfell, who used it as an escape device from her own fortress in Bangkorai. It requires the use of two Yokudan runestones.

Gates

A Gate to Oblivion

The Barsaebic Ayleids had a realm of nexus gates which acted as portal pathways, called the Eld Angavar.

The Khajiit have portals called moon gates, a well-known one is the Moon Gate of Anequina, which when attuned through a proper ritual can teleport one to Jode.

Mehrunes Dagon uses Oblivion Gates to invade Tamriel through the use of Daedra, however, the Gates can also be entered to access The Deadlands. These Gates are held open by a Sigil Stone.

One way of gaining access to the Soul Cairn is using the Voidgate in the Battlespire, which required a void guide to be activated.

A temporary Shift Gate was used by the Eternal Champion to travel from the Imperial City sewers to another city somewhere in Tamriel. Teleportation between cities was said to be common at the time.

The College of Sapiarchs uses a large portal at the highest level of Lillandril to transport people from the main island to the college located across the waters. It is guarded by the Portal Master and it sits atop of a large dais.

Transitus Network

A Transitus Shrine

During the Alliance War, the three alliances established individual Transitus Networks in Cyrodiil, a form of teleportation magic involving the maintenance of lit braziers. This temporary teleportation network allowed troops to instantaneously travel between keeps and outposts, although the networks seemingly had limited range and required constant maintenance by groups of mages when pushing deeper into enemy territory. Transitus Networks are made up of small stone shrines, which glow with a cold blue flame when active. Although similar in appearance, they are unrelated to the ancient wayshrines, which can only be utilized for teleportation by exceptional individuals.

Short Range Spells

An Alfiq casting a teleportation spell (ESO)

A variety of spells and magics exist for bursts of speed, close-range teleportation and other manners of movement. Levitation was a common spell up until its restriction in 3E 421, allowing the caster to float off the ground. It was frequently used by the Telvanni as far back as the Second Era and still after the magic's restriction, typically in their towers to allow access to different floors. In 3E 421, the Levitation Act was passed, restricting the use of levitation magic.

Sorcerers commonly used lightning magic to travel short distances by "riding the lightning".

Nightblades were known for their "shadow-step" spell, which allowed them to instantly teleport to any nearby location. Similarly, they could summon shadowy versions of themselves and translocate to these copies at will.

Templars were capable of channeling their "aedric spears" to rapidly charge to any point in range.

Dragonknights wielded a spell to grow arcane, Dragon-like wings which they used to leap great distances.

In a similar manner, Wardens called upon spirits of agility to enhance their speed which presented itself in the form of illusory wings. That wasn't all they could do however, they possessed frosty, rune-like portals which brought foes and allies alike to their location and could launch restorative vines to both heal and bring themselves to an ally.

Incantations pleading the Constellations for bursts of speed also existed, as demonstrated by one Clan Direnni scholar of the second era.

The Montalion clan of vampires located in the Iliac Bay have an affinity for teleporation. Vampires of Lamae Bal's brood could dissolve into mist to quickly travel short distances.

Gallery

Portals

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  A portal to Clavicus Vile's realm (Redguard)

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  Portal to Sovngarde (Skyrim)

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  Portal to the Soul Cairn (Skyrim)

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  Portal within Myrwatch (Skyrim)

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  A portal within Coldharbour (ESO)

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  A portal opened by the Undaunted (ESO)

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  A Psijic portal from Artaeum (ESO)

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  A Void Portal in Nighthollow Keep (ESO)

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  Portals from the Dark Behind the World in the Passage of Dad'na Ghaten (ESO)

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  A deep black portal in the Crypt of Hearts (ESO)

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  A portal to Coldharbour from within an Ayleid ruin (ESO)

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  A portal to Mankar Camoran's Paradise (Oblivion)

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  Cadwell the Betrayer stepping through a Shadow Dance portal

Gates

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  A Shift Gate (Arena)

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  A gate to Tamriel from the Pits (Oblivion)

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  A gate to the Shivering Isles (Shivering Isles)

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  A portal gate in Coldharbour (ESO)

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  The Planar Vortex in Coldharbour (ESO)

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  A portal gate to the Deadlands (ESO)

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  A portal gate to Apocrypha (ESO)

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  The Moon Gate of Anequina (ESO)

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  Eld Angavar, Ayleid realm of Nexus Gates (ESO)

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  A Vakka Stone Nexus Portal (ESO)

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  The many portal gates of Vateshran Hollows (ESO)

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  Portal gate between the College of Sapiarchs and Lillandril (ESO)

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  A Nedic waygate within Seaveil Spire (ESO)

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  Gate to Infernace (ESO)

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  A Moon Gate (Legends)

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  An Oblivion Gate (Legends)

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  A portal gate in Cyrodiil that leads to a corrupted locale (Blades)

Teleporters

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  The Weir Gate (Battlespire)

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  The pillar of light (Battlespire)

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  The Voidgate (Battlespire)

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  A Teleporter in the Goblin Caverns (Redguard)

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  A Propylon Chamber (Morrowind)

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  Transporter (Shadowkey)

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  A Daedric Teleporter (ESO)

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  Teleporter to Arum-Khal's Realm (ESO)

Short Range Spells

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  A Sorcerer "riding the lightning"

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  A Nightblade's shadow-step

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  A Nightblade's shadow image

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  A Templar's divine spear charge

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  A Dragonknight's winged leap

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  A Warden's arcane wings

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  A Warden's frost portal

Other

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  Star Galley, a magical boat capable of navigating to and around the Battlespire (Battlespire)

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  An activated voidguide, which activates a teleporter (Battlespire)

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  One of Vaermina's Mirrors, portals in Quagmire (ESO)

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  A sigil/rune used for teleportation (ESO)

See Also

• Wayshrines

References

Note: The following references are considered to be unofficial sources. They are included to round off this article and may not be authoritative or conclusive.