Silgrad Tower from the Ashes

[1ST]I[/1ST]n Tamriel, the most powerful force that governs everything are the Mystical Arts, or magic.

Magic possesses many different atributes, many of which are exact opposites, such as Destruction, the power to harm, and Restoration, the power to heal.

The branch of magic of Destruction is the most powerful of all the branches of magic. This branch itself is divided into 4 branches and 3 elements. The first branch, consisting of no element, is the power of Harm in general. It fits in as a combination of alteration, illusion, and destruction, however due to that destruction is the most powerful magic, it remains the dominant branch of harm magic.

The 3 others are the 3 elemental magics, Fire, Frost, and Shock. These are also known as the natural magics, forces that exist in the world without being created by a mage. Each of these elements also have a governing body. Magnus, the sun, governs the element of fire. Masser and Secunda, Nirn's two moons, influence the power of frost. And, the sky itself governs the power of Shock.

Two elements used in destruction magic are not always in their natural form. Frost and shock are actually variations of the true elements of Water and Air. They have merely changed shape to better suit the art of Destruction, in their natural state they are weak and not suited for harmful magics. Water freezes to create a burst of cold in Frost Magic. It is beleived that Shock magic has some properties apart from the Air Element, and that the caster adds a harmful effect and makes it physical and more destructive.

However, in Tamriel legend, there are actually 4 elements. There is indeed Water, Fire, and Air, but one element you see every single day and completely overlook is the most powerful element on Nirn. The element spoken of is Earth. Earth, in essence, is Nirn itself, or rather, the physical Nirn we see, a mirror of Nirn's mystical properties of governing Earth.

Since earth is everywhere, it takes less energy to summon than the other elements, and it is also more destructive since you are directly on the source of the magic.

The issue is that no one remembers how to harness the magic, the art was lost before the time of your grandfather's grandfather's grandfather. Legend has it that there is a way to summon Earth magic when a mage once summoned forth a force which rent the earth asunder in a war long past. Where and how the mage learned it is unknown.

~Marcus Sorentius, Mage of the Arcane University

This book is not yet certified as truth but is acknowledged by the Imperial Arcane University

I read it, and it was indeed very interesting. :yes:

I always found that kind of fun. In lore, it states of 4 governing elements, Fire, Water, Earth, and Air ( or Light, Water, Earth and Air for Ayleids), but there are only 3 destructive elements. What happened to number 4?

This book isn't perfectly true either. It's just the beleifs of one mage, and the book is only found in Mages Guilds. There will probably be other books there about theories not verified as fact exist

Edited for a few minor grammatical points and in a few instances to make points come across more clearly. DONE.