Lore:Nchardak

Nchardak
Type	Dwemer Ruin
Continent	Tamriel
Province	Morrowind
Region	Solstheim (Ashlands)
Appears in	Dragonborn

Nchardak

Nchardak, also known as the "City of a Hundred Towers", was a Dwemer city located off the east coast of Solstheim. It was believed to be the largest, and perhaps the most advanced, of the great Dwemer Archives.

The city was considered to be a marvel of engineering, even by Dwemer standards, as it employed a complex system of pumps, aqueducts and boilers that released steam into various parts of the city. Using various control cubes, the Dwemer were able raise and lower the entire city into the sea at will. Legends tell of the time when invading Nords attempted to conquer it. In response, the Dwemer submerged the city beneath the sea until the Nords gave up.

At its height, the great workshops of Nchardak were said to be able to produce one complete automaton every day, an apparently impressive rate of production. Much of the army that fought at the Battle of Red Mountain was believed to have come from Nchardak.

In addition to its militaristic endeavors, Nchardak also served as a vast archive and research center. When the Dwemer discovered a Black Book, one of Hermaeus Mora's tomes of esoteric knowledge scattered throughout the world, they took it to the city's main library for further study. Believing the book to be particularly valuable, they sealed it within a protective case that was resistant to magic.

At some point in the First Era, the city unexpectedly sank into the sea. Theories vary as to why this may have occurred. One theory states that it sank during the first eruption of Red Mountain in 1E 668, an event known as "Sun's Death". Given its close proximity to the volcano, such a catastrophe is plausible. Another theory speculates that the resident Dwemer automatons sank Nchardak on purpose, in an attempt to preserve the city after the sudden disappearance of the Dwemer in 1E 700. In any case, the city remained submerged for the next several thousand years.

At some point after 3E 427, Nchardak reemerged from the sea. While much of the city was in ruin and inaccessible due to flooding, several boilers and pumps still functioned. Soon after, bandits took up residence within the outer grounds of the city. In the early Fourth Era, Telvanni wizard-lord Neloth ventured into the ruins where he found the Black Book that the Dwemer sealed away thousands of years ago. Unable to open the protective case, he elected to seal the ruins shut to keep out any meddlers until he could find a way to unlock the case. In 4E 201, with the aid of the Last Dragonborn, he returned to Nchardak and was successful in recovering the Black Book that was held there.

Gallery

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  The Black Book of Nchardak

See Also

• For game-specific information, see the Dragonborn article.