The gods of The Elder Scrolls universe are all-powerful, fickle and mysterious, their origins a mixture of truth and conjecture. From the Daedric Princes to the Eight (or Nine) Divines, these gods appear distant and out of reach with their awe-inspiring power. However, there is a set of gods that stand out, known as the Tribunal.
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Worshipped by the Dunmer (or Dark Elves), the Tribunal were once mortals who achieved divine status. Unlike the other gods, this triumvirate does not shy away from the public eye; instead, they make themselves accessible to the people. We’ll explore all three of these enigmatic gods, their origins, and their ultimate fates.
The Origins Of The Tribunal
Also known as The Living Gods, the Tribunal consists of three members: Vivec, Sotha Sil, and Almalexia. As mentioned in the introduction, these three were originally mortals who got their start when their paths crossed with legendary hero and Champion of Azura, Indoril Nerevar. The trio served as trusted advisors to Nerevar during the First Era, when the Dunmer were still known as the Chimer (or Velothi).
However, their loyalty to Nerevar was tested during the War of the First Council, where the Dwemer architect Kagrenac discovered the Heart of Lorkhan deep inside the Red Mountain. Kagrenac intended to use Lorkhan’s heart to elevate the Dwemer race to godhood, which the Chimer couldn’t let stand. The war culminated in the Battle of the Red Mountain, which resulted in the disappearance of the Dwemer and a severely injured Nerevar.
Before the Dwemer’s disappearance, Kagrenac had forged a set of tools that would aid him in using the Heart of Lorkhan. Nerevar had the Tribunal and his friend, Dagoth Ur, vow to Azura to never use the tools for their own gain. But Dagoth was found to be corrupted and was subsequently defeated, leaving the tools in the hands of the Tribunal.
Despite their vows, the Tribunal was quick to use the tools when Sotha Sil discovered a way to successfully utilise the Heart of Lorkhan’s power for all three members. Now powered up beyond belief, Sotha Sil boasted that they didn’t need to worship the Daedra anymore, as they were the gods the Chimer needed.
Unfortunately, his statement drew Azura’s ire, and she cursed the Chimer people, twisting their appearance to the Dunmeri we know in the games. Azura also prophesied that an incarnation of Indoril Nerevar would come and spell the end for the Tribunal.
Murder Most Foul?
One of the greatest mysteries was the cause of Indoril Nerevar’s death. Some accounts say that Nerevar succumbed to his wounds, dying not long after making his advisors take the vow to never use Kagrenac’s tools. However, according to the Ashlanders, the Tribunal betrayed and murdered Nerevar to get to the tools.
This accusation first came from Alandro Sul, a close friend of Nerevar’s and his shield companion. We know that Alandro was present, fighting side-by-side with Nerevar during the Battle of the Red Mountain and could have seen the betrayal taking place.
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Vivec himself has denied the accusations, but seems to contradict himself in the in-game dialogue before you go to the Red Mountain in the Morrowind game. Although he laments breaking his oath to Nerevar, he never outright confirms that he and his fellow gods had murdered him and is quite evasive about it.
Maybe Nerevar’s wounds were so severe that he begged the Tribunal to kill him, or it was outright murder. But it is unlikely we’ll ever get confirmation of how Nerevar died considering what happened to each member of the Tribunal.
Vivec, The Warrior-Poet
The most popular of the triumvirate, the God-King of Vvardenfell, Vivec, is also the most public-facing of the trio, which helps build up his reputation. Alongside the other Tribunal members, Vivec uses his powers to hold back the destructive force of the Red Mountain from overtaking Vvardenfell, as well as protect Morrowind from external threats.
From the First Era to the middle of the Third Era, Vivec successfully repelled a series of threats to the Dunmer, from foiling an Akaviri invasion to keeping Morrowind independent of the Septim Empire. Vivec demonstrated his remarkable powers by stopping the meteor Baar Dau — sent by Sheogorath — from destroying Vivec City, keeping it suspended in the sky. He also was able to fend off Molag Bal’s incarnation and Mehrunes Dagon singlehandedly.
Vivec was known as the Warrior Poet or the God-Poet due to his well-known love of poetry and the arts while being the best combatant out of the trio. He authored numerous books, as well as composed many songs during his lifetime.
Sotha Sil, The Clockwork God
The most reclusive out of his fellow gods, Sotha Sil was a formidable sorcerer even before he was made a god, with a love for invention, technology and research. Known as the ‘architect of time’, he was a member of the Psijic Order when he was still a mortal, but continued to visit Artaeum to mentor or share his knowledge with its members.
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Sotha Sil was known for many engineering feats, the best of which was his beloved Clockwork City. He desired to create a new Nirn as well as the annihilation of the Daedra. His hatred of the Daedra didn’t stop him from communicating with them when necessary, forging the Coldharbour Compact with the Daedric Princes to limit their intervention with the mortal races.
Interestingly, Sotha Sil’s in-game dialogue shows that he doesn’t regard himself as a god, and holds a depressing view that every action we make is inevitable and that nobody has free will. However, he has shown remarkable care for mortals in general and seems to feel the immense pressure of being a ‘god’ in their eyes.
Almalexia, The Healing Mother
Before becoming a goddess, Almalexia was the wife of Indoril Nerevar and was later Vivec’s lover. Known by the Dunmer as The Healing Mother and The Mother of Mercy, Almalexia is known for her warmth and compassion. Similar to Vivec, she made herself accessible to the people, and largely positioned herself as a healer.
Aside from being a maternal figure to the Dunmer, Almalexia was an active combatant, joining forces with Sotha Sil to defeat Mehrunes Dagon in battle. During her time as a goddess, Almalexia wrote innumerable books — most of them children’s tales — and was a massive proponent of Morrowind’s independence from the threat that is Tiber Septim‘s ceaseless conquering.
The Fall Of The Tribunal
The beginning of the end of the Tribunal came in the form of Dagoth Ur, who was defeated thousands of years before during the Battle of the Red Mountain. Aside from awakening, Dagoth Ur had tapped into the power of the Heart of Lorkhan and become divine in the exact same fashion as the Tribunal. As a result, he became immortal and it was virtually impossible to kill him without dismantling the Heart of Lorkhan itself.
And since the Tribunal aren’t able to access the Heart to renew their powers, their strength gradually began to wane in the Third Era. What followed are a series of defeats for the Tribunal, with things worsening when they lost Kagrenac’s tools in a fight. It was around this time that the Nerevarine appeared and Azura’s prophecy came true, as the Nerevarine successfully defeated Dagoth Ur by destroying the Heart of Lorkhan.
Unfortunately, this resulted in the Tribunal becoming mortal again. While Vivec seemed to accept this, Almalexia and Sotha Sil reacted differently. Sotha Sil shut himself up in the Clockwork City and his mental health began to spiral, but he largely kept to himself. Almalexia, however, grew mad and tyrannical, and decided to become the Dunmer’s one true god. In her madness, she killed Sotha Sil but was killed herself by the Nerevarine.
After burying Sotha Sil and Almalexia, Vivec disappeared from history. He’s rumoured to have been murdered by the Nerevarine, but ultimately, Vivec’s disappearance and Sotha Sil and Almlaexia’s deaths spelled doom for the Dunmer. With Vivec gone, the Baar Dau meteor destroyed Vivec City, and the Red Mountain erupted not long after and made Vvardenfell uninhabitable.
Faith in the Tribunal largely dissipated and the Dunmer returned to worshipping the ‘Good Daedra’: Azura, Boethiah, and Mephala.
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