Lore:Eltheric Ocean

Eltheric Ocean
Type	Body of Water
Appears in	Daggerfall, Redguard, Oblivion, ESO

The Eltheric Ocean, as seen from High Rock's coast (ESO)

The Eltheric Ocean is a vast body of water that encompasses the waters west of Tamriel. It meets the Padomaic Ocean at Northpoint and around the Blue Divide, which lies between Southpoint and Auridon. The ocean's waters meet at least four continents: Tamriel, in the east, Yokuda, in the west, Pyandonea, and, allegedly, Aldmeris, in the south.

History

Origins

According to myth, during the Dawn Era, shortly after the creation of Mundus, Nirn had interspersed seas, but no oceans. After the war between the Wandering and Old Ehlnofey, the land was reshaped, sinking much of the land beneath new oceans, forming the Eltheric.

Exploration

In the Early Merethic Era, Aldmeris suffered a catastrophe, leaving the continent doomed. The native Aldmer fled across the Eltheric, then inhabited extensively by the Sload, before making land on northern Auridon at Nine Prows Landing. Later, in the Middle Merethic Era, Topal the Pilot, along with Illio and an unknown third captain, sailed out from Firsthold in search of Aldmeris. Using navigational devices known as waystones, the three set sail in various directions, each heading out into the Eltheric Ocean. Illio's sailed southward toward Pyandonea, whereas the unknown ship sailed northwest, toward Thras and Yokuda.

Topal sailed northeast, coincidentally taking the longest path possible through the Abecean Sea without striking land. Eventually, after entering the Iliac Bay, Topal made land - near what would later be known as Anticlere - after a two-month voyage. From there, Topal charted and mapped the coast of Tamriel, continuing in the Eltheric along High Rock before entering the Sea of Ghosts. Topal would later return to Firsthold with treasures, the only of the three Aldmeris-bound vessels to return, sparking wonder in the faraway land and prompting other Aldmeri sailors to follow in his footsteps. Among these subsequent Aldmer explorers was Direnni Cygnus, who discovered the Isle of Balfiera and Adamantine Tower.

Around 1E 330, the Druids of Galen, after being deemed a target by virtually every faction in northwestern Tamriel, fled their native province of High Rock. According to some legends, the druids may have been following a song that the elder druids heard on the wind, while others attest that the Druids navigated by way of an Elder Scroll. When the druids made land, they found themselves on the island of Y'ffelon before spreading to the nearby islands.

Many dissidents of the Yokudan Empire during the Singer Period sought refuge on the countless rocky islands east of the continent. Squatters that had already inhabited the islands, some being remnants of the Lefthand Empire, were forced to vacate to evade the incoming refugees. Some sailed south toward Summerset and some sailed toward the Iliac Bay, but those who found the most success were those that arrived at the Systres, aiming to - and eventually succeeding in - conquering the archipelago. However, the Lefthanded reign of the islands was relatively short-lived. The first Ra Gada warrior-wave from Yokuda, leaving their homeland following the War of the Singers, arrived on the Systres in 1E 785 and annihilated the remaining Lefthander forces before continuing east across the ocean to Hammerfell.

During the Interregnum, several expeditions into the Eltheric Ocean were conducted. One such journey was led by Captain Wereshark, under the employ of Duke Gignac of Wayrest. The crew set out to plunder the isles of Pyandonea, eventually arriving at the archipelago and discovering sea serpents, Maormer settlements, and previously unknown races of lizard bulls. The famous Breton merchant-explorer Captain Margaux sailed into the Sea of Pearls on her ship, the Golden Spriggan. By 2E 582, she had been declared missing and her house was up for sale. In the same year, the infamous Graven Deep was explored by Dhulef, a Redguard sailor, who discovered an uncharted island within the region.

Composition

The Eltheric Ocean contains a variety of currents of both wind and sea, such as the maritime Herne Current, which runs offshore from High Rock, and the western-originating Yokudan Zephyr, which steadily but slowly passes over the Glenumbra Banks in the summer. The waters of the Eltheric are described as warm, particularly when contrasted with the frigid waters of the Sea of Ghosts. While the Abecean Sea is calm, the neighboring Sea of Pearls is prone to rolling waves capable of afflicting seasoned sailors with sea sickness. The Thrassian Archipelago within the Sea of Pearls surrounds a brackish lagoon.

In the Second Era, within Cursed Sea - the waters that surround Thras - a magical whirlpool larger than Alten Corimont tore ships into a portal to Coldharbour. It was capable of suddenly spinning up before ships could react. A very similar whirlpool, known as the Maelstrom of Bal, was said to exist within the Abecean Sea, where some sources place Thras. Maormer have referred to a mysterious Mother Sea, but it is unknown if the term refers to a body of water.

Regions

• Abecean Sea: A frequently traveled sea that encompasses most of western Tamriel, with several islands and ports
  • Amenos Passage: A body of water that separates the strait's namesake, Amenos, from the neighboring islands of Y'ffelon and High Isle
  • Anvil Bay: A small bay dominated by the harbors of Anvil on the Gold Coast
  • Ghost Haven Bay: A haunted, ancient bay within the isle of Amenos, formerly home to a pirate cove
  • Gonfalon Bay: The bay of the eponymous city, bounded to the south by the Colossus of Gonfalon Bay
  • Graven Deep: A mysterious patch of the Abecean Sea, infamous for its reputation of ships never returning from it
• Azurian Sea: A far-off sea located north of Yokuda
• Hew's Bay: A sizable bay in southern Hammerfell, located east of the Hew's Bane peninsula
• Hunding Bay: A bay that extends deep into Stros M'Kai, utilized for trade by the eponymous Port Hunding
• Iliac Bay: A complex, politically active bay located between Hammerfell and High Rock
• Sea of Pearls: A massive sea, ranging from Yokuda's western coast to Summerset's, encompassing Thras and Ul'vor Kus
  • Cursed Sea: The sea surrounding Thras, accredited by legend with housing the remains of the All Flags Fleet

Notable Islands

Abecean Sea

• Cespar: An inhabited island west of Hammerfell
• Eyevea: An island in the Summerset Isles that was once traded to Sheogorath and transported to the Shivering Isles
• Herne: An inhabited island west of Hammerfell
• Isle of N'Gasta: An island west of Stros M'Kai, home to undead and the former residence of N'Gasta
• Silatar: An unnaturally beautiful island in the Summerset Isles, transformed into a paradise by magic
• Stirk: An uninhabited, battleground-ridden no-man's-land off the Gold Coast
• Stros M'Kai: A tropical trading island south of Hammerfell
• Systres Archipelago: A series of islands west of Tamriel, home to a variety of Druids and merchants
  • All Flags Islet: An island surrounded by High Isle's great basin and where the All Flags Navy assembled their fleets
  • Amenos: The second-largest island, resource-rich and covered in jungles, functioning as one large prison
  • Fogbreak Lighthouse Island: A small island north of High Isle, southeast of Galen, and southwest of Y'ffelon. It houses Fogbreak Lighthouse
  • Galen: The fourth major island, found to the northwest. The Count of House Mornard administrates house concerns from the city of Vastyr
  • High Isle: The largest island of the Systres archipelago, known for its idyllic countryside and sunny coastline
  • Molmor Islet: An islet located west of Galen, created by Eldertide Druid Belaigh during the conflict between the Sloads of Thras and All Flags Navy
  • Whalefall: A jungle-covered island south of Y'ffelon. It has been mainly used by the jailors on Amenos Station
  • Y'ffelon: The third major island, dominated by Mount Firesong. It is the home of the Firesong Circle of druids, who maintain the volcano
• The Chain: A group of at least three islands located northeast of Thras

Iliac Bay

• Balfiera: The ancestral home of Clan Direnni, home to the oldest structure on Tamriel, the Adamantine Tower
• Betony: A strategically important island south of Daggerfall
• Blackheart Haven: A pirate-infested jungle island in the mouth of the Bjoulsae River
• Cybiades: A small, inhabited tropical island north of Sentinel
• Dourstone Isle: An island southwest of Glenumbra home to an underground vault complex

Sea of Pearls

• Asil Yelir: An island located between Nalonga and Ravan
• Calluis Lar: A popular Third Era holdout for pirates within the Summerset Isles
• College of Sapiarchs: A scholarly academy located west of Summerset Isle
• Nalonga: An island with a large bay, located south of the known Yokudan chain
• Ravan: A large island located south of the known Yokudan chain
• Siuol Yelir: A small island located far south of the known Yokudan chain
• Thras: A semi-circular group of sixteen islands, similar in formation to a partially-submerged coral atoll and home to the Sload
  • Agonio: The largest island in Thras, purportedly significantly growing with time
• Wasten Coridale: An island off the coast of Summerset Isle, renowned for its dangerous but lucrative fishing opportunities
• Yokudan Archipelago: The remains of Yokuda, the continent west of Tamriel sunken by ancient magicks
  • Akos Kasaz: The largest island in the Yokudan chain, spanning multiple, varied environments
  • Bahia: A small island near the center of the Yokudan chain
  • Irranhu: A small isle between multiple larger islands in the Yokudan chain
  • Kanesh: A large, harsh, volcanic island in the Yokudan chain
  • Kardesh: An island separated from the rest of the Yokudan chain
  • Klithi: An island west from the rest of the Yokudan Chain
  • Samara: A low, lush, and warm island in the Yokudan chain with many natural harbors
  • Yath: A large, arid, rugged island in the Yokudan chain, home to a spine of jagged mountains

Other

• Dellese Isles: A region of islands considered one of the four major lands of High Rock.
• Glenumbra Banks: A series of shifting sandbars and islets, home to the legendary leviathan Ithguleoir
• Kevalla: A far-off island between Yokuda and Tamriel
• Pankor: A small island with a large bay, located far west of Tamriel
• Sword's Rest Isle: An island located off the coast of Daggerfall formerly home to High King Emeric's resort keep
• Jabbur
• Axer Rock (?: located near "High Elf waters")

Fauna

Aquatic life found in the Eltheric Ocean (ESO)

The Eltheric Ocean contains many varieties of fish, including the ray, Abecean halibut, Eltheric and dusky groupers, Azurain and Stormhaven flounders, finless sole, tuna, Alcaire pike, dab, Northpoint cod, snakehead, hake, bonefish, alewife, driftfish, sablefish, scorpionfish rattail, sparking anglermouth, crestfish, bluespotted cornetfish, daggerfish, Gonfalon rockfish, lingweloce, radiant dory, slaughterfish, and quicksilver lingwe. Shells known as ammonites, derived from an unknown, extinct species, were found throughout the Eltheric in the Second Era. In the center of the Thrassian Archipelago, known as the Coral Kingdoms, a network of intricate coral reefs can be found. Abnormally large nautiluses were located in the waters surrounding Thras in the Second Era. It was theorized that the abundant resources of Agonio, the largest island within the archipelago, allowed them to grow to larger sizes.

Among the larger aquatic animals that prowl the Eltheric include sharks - scrappy, resilient hunters who use infamous circling tactics against their prey. Whales can be found in the Abecean Sea and are hunted for their oils. Dolphins can also be found in the Abecean. In ancient folk-lore, killer whales capable of pulling and steering ships through the ocean were tamed by the Seamount Clan of Orcs and trained as war mounts. Sea serpents, native to Pyandonea, can be found as far north as the Abecean Sea and are capable of standing 64 feet above the water. Porpoises can be found in the waters of Pyandonea, hunted by the Maormer out of sheer hatred for the blissful creatures' exuberance and joy.

Some creatures prowl both the Eltheric and land. Among these are the Dreugh, who inhabit the Abecean and Iliac, losing their intelligence when they migrate to land and regaining it upon returning to the ocean. Though unrelated to the Dreugh, the similarly crustacean Hadolids migrate between sea and land in decade-long rotations. Sea Sload come from the underwater kingdom of Ul'vor Kus, located in the Sea of Pearls, and occasionally invade Summerset. Yaghra, who take various forms, serve the Sea Sload and have assisted them in their land assaults. Ornaugs take to the seas not for food, but only to reach the littoral regions of new reefs or islands.

Creatures of Legend

Though thought to be a myth by some, veteran sailors have attested that Ithguleoir, an immortal leviathan, haunts the depths of the Eltheric Ocean, dining on its sailors one by one. He is described as having an oily back and blowing sea-mist like a whale, releasing a foul stench akin to those from Oblivion. It is reportedly intelligent, setting traps in the Glenumbra Banks designed to run ships ashore. Pyandonea is said to provide the perfect environment for southern water spirits.

During the Thrassian War, the Sload of Thras released huge sea-monsters to attack the Systres Archipelago. The mightiest of these beasts was the Molmor, variously described as a massive whale or an octopus with grasping tentacles, with an array of long, sharp spines and dripping, slimy skin. It was said to turn the water it swam in black and boiled, capable of heaving itself ashore and crushing everything in its path. It ravaged the coast of the island of Galen for seven years before it was killed. Its remains were overtaken by the Green and became Molmor Islet. During the Interregnum, old sailors would swap stories about the mysterious Graven Deep. Among the explanations for the disappearance of ships within the region was a giant whale.

Gallery

• 

  The most recent, authoritative map of Tamriel, with the Eltheric Ocean labeled

• 

  A map of Tamriel with the Eltheric Ocean, Abecean Sea, and Sea of Pearls labeled

• 

  A map of Tamriel featuring the Eltheric's westward extents

Notes

• ^	It is unknown whether or not the Blue Divide is part of the Eltheric Ocean, but it meets the Padomaic via the Southern Sea and is occasionally grouped with the Topal Bay as the 'southern waters'.

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.