Lore:Mor Khazgur

Mor Khazgur
Type	Settlement
Continent	Tamriel
Province	Skyrim
Hold	The Reach (Karthald)
Appears in	Skyrim, ESO

Mor Khazgur circa 4E 201

Mor Khazgur is an Orc stronghold on the border between the holds of the Reach and Haafingar in Skyrim, located on the eastern slopes of the Druadach Mountains. The mines lying below the surface of the stone fortress outpost serve as its primary source of income. An additional source of income came from the Circle of Champions, who hosted bloodsport matches at the fortress during the Interregnum.

History

Mor Khazgur was founded some time in the Merethic Era, but has since been destroyed and rebuilt repeatedly. In the Second Era it housed a large stone fortress with many buildings, and had a statue of Malacath at its center. During the Interregnum, Mor Khazgur was located within the de jure Nordic territory of Karthald, although its inhabitants preferred to think of their territory as a sovereign outpost of Wrothgar where Orcish law applied.

By 2E 582, part of the fortress was turned into a fighting arena frequently employed by the Circle of Champions. The battleground where they organized gladiator battles to the death brought attention of lovers of sport and seekers of adventure. Fighters from all over Tamriel came to fight for glory during the guild's competitions. The stronghold itself was ruled at this time by Chief Urzikh, a female alchemist who had won control of the clan by challenging Thulsgreg, the son of the previous chief, who otherwise would have inherited the title from his father according to the clan's traditions. When Urzikh took over, the mine that the stronghold relied on was running dry, causing the clan to descend into poverty. In order to open up new veins, Urzikh applied the alchemical knowledge she learned from her time as a Daggerfall Covenant soldier, making liberal use of a stonemelt solution normally used on besieged castle walls. Thulsgreg, the overseer of the mine and a staunch traditionalist, opposed the use of this potion. Disaster struck the stronghold circa 2E 582 when Thulsgreg's wife Mazog experimented with the formula, causing a cave-in and opening a deep fissure through which Falmer and chaurus spilled through. This incident caused the deaths of several miners, but with the help of the Vestige the clan were able to rescue the survivors and seal off much of the mines. With the loss of so many tunnels, Chief Urzikh planned to expand her mining operations east into the Druadach Mountains, to the chagrin of local Nords.

After the mining disaster, opportunists made off with some of the mine's ore reserves and medical supplies that were donated to the sick and injured. To thank the residents for lending Mor Khazgur's fortress for use in Circle of Champions matches, Battlemaster Rivyn had members of the organization go and recover the missing goods from the thieves responsible. The trail led them to their near Blackreach, allowing them to recover the goods, but they continued onto Blackreach to find clues about whereabouts of the thieves' employer. They discovered the thieves were in league with vampires from under Blackreach, and were stealing the stonemelt solution from the Mor Khazgur for nefarious uses. With the solution recovered, the Circle of Champions sent it back Chief Urzikh with the suggestion that it be destroyed.

Mor Khazgur would apparently continue its cycle of being destroyed and rebuilt. In 4E 201, Mor Khazgur was a small isolated stronghold, with one longhouse and an Orichalcum mine. It was ruled by Chief Larak at this time.

Gallery

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  Concept Art

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  The battleground at Mor Khazgur circa 2E 582

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  Mor Khazgur near the mines circa 2E 582

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  Mor Khazgur Mine entrance circa 4E 201

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  The deep fissure in the mine circa 2E 582

See Also

• For game-specific information, see the Skyrim and Elder Scrolls Online articles.
• For game-specific information on the Battleground, see the Elder Scrolls Online article.