The wheel
The towers
CHIM
For most players of the Elder Scrolls franchise
these games are fantasy adventures filled with swords and sorcery and
Although there might be hints of more at work than just elves and monsters. They are largely oblivious to it
Looking beyond the simple foundations of the series
However, one can unravel a metaphysical mystery that eclipses any of the standard adventures present in the series
Since much of the information and discussions regarding these metaphysics is present outside of the games
The exact details and nature of these topics is a continual subject for debate
But I'll attempt to explain them as simply as I can
To begin with it's important to understand that the entire Elder Scrolls universe is merely a dream
Fabricated by an unknown entity known as the Godhead
every realm,
planet, creature, and blade of grass in the universe is a figment of the Godhead's dream
In addition, if the Godhead ever were to wake up, all of existence would cease to exist
The Godhead has no control over
This dream is likely not even aware of it and no other details of this entity exist
Moving on Tamriel is of course the continent on which all of the Elder Scrolls games revolve around
featuring regions such as Cyrodiil Morrowind and Skyrim
Tamriel is located on the planet Nirn which along with the various moons and other celestial bodies make up the realm called
Mundus
Outside of Mundus are the various realms of oblivion floating in the empty space as well as the magical plane of Aetherius
all of these various locations and realms are collectively known as
Aurbis and can be considered to contain the entirety of the universe it
It is said that if one were to float outside of this universe and look at it, it would resemble a great wheel
the center of the wheel the hub contains Mundus, all of the mortal physical bodies, including Nirn
There are eight spokes extending out from the hub and these supposedly represent the eight Divines of the Aedra
There are also said to be sixteen spaces between the spokes representing the sixteen Daedric princes
The outer rim of this wheel is the realm of Aetherius
It is also said that if one were to float to the side of this wheel, it would narrow out into a single line
appearing like a letter I
this is said to be the tower and thus it is also the wheel of
Course, this is not meant to be taken literally and the wheel and tower represent the metaphysical concept of the universe
That brings us to the concept of CHIM
Which is said to be the secret syllable of royalty
But specifically is a state of understanding the nature of the universe as well as your place in it
to elaborate achieving CHIM means that not only do you understand the existence of the Godhead and
That all the universe and everything within it are merely figments of its imagination, but that you also believe it
To fully comprehend and believe that you yourself are merely a creation of someone else's dreams is a heavy enough task
So much so that it is very rarely achieved
To make matters worse if one understands and believes this concept but does not possess the mental fortitude and willpower
to retain their identity and individuality
they go through a process called zero-summing
When someone zero-sums, they are completely erased from the Godhead's dream in past present and future
So that no one has any awareness they ever existed
However if someone comprehends the dream
Believes that they themselves are not actually real and still can retain their individuality
They can achieve the power of CHIM
CHIM irrevocably changes the nature of an individual but allows them total control over the wheel
This means that someone that has achieved CHIM surpasses the power of even the Aedra or Daedra
but also they realized that none of their actions actually mean anything as
Existence is merely a dream
Vivec is the most notable achiever of CHIM within the series as the players allowed to interact with him
But Talos also achieved CHIM during his life
Using it to alter Cyrodiil from a jungled landscape to its more temperate current state
CHIM is certainly one of the most esoteric concepts within the entire series and it's continually discussed by fans
To go beyond CHIM by mastering the six of walking ways of which CHIM is only one of them
Would allow an individual to go through the process of Amaranth
Whereas the concept of CHIM is inherently selfish as one must be focused on their self-identity
Amaranth is a process of complete selflessness as it requires self-sacrifice
By achieving this however, someone could break free from the dream and create a separate dream with themselves as the Godhead
To make things slightly more confusing
There are also a number of structures located around Tamriel known as Towers placed to sustain
Reality on Nirn and protect it from the realms of Oblivion
There are eight well-known towers, but that's not necessarily the total number of them
The towers were first created when the Aedra still walked on Nirn and each is constructed on top of one of the primordial
foundation points of the planet
Additionally each Tower is connected to a stone which confusingly is not necessarily a stone
but any sort of object linked to the tower a
A tower can be deactivated if it's stone is destroyed
Or if the connection between Tower and stone is severed in some way
Additionally towers themselves can also be destroyed and these deactivations weaken the stabilization of Nirn
The first tower is the Adamantine Tower also known as Ada-Mantia or the Direnni Tower
And is located on an aisle in the centre of the Iliac Bay between High Rock and Hammerfell
This is believed to be the oldest structure on Nirn constructed by the Aedra themselves
The stone for this tower is called the Zero Stone, which is located inside of the tower
Interestingly the Zero Stone somehow is a manifestation of an event that occurred outside of normal time called
Convention
the group of Aedra met to discuss how to properly punish Lorkhan for his treachery and the Zero Stone connects or
Contains this event
This tower is still active as of this time
The second tower is known as the Red Tower, also called the Red Mountain in Morrowind
The Red Mountain was formed when the Aedra killed Lorkhan and shot his heart into the ocean
Which prompted the volcano to rise out of the ocean
The Heart of Lorkhan is this tower's stone
The Aldmeri then studied these two towers and found a way to construct new ones. Thus further protecting Nirn
This tower is currently deactivated due to the actions of the Nerevarine in the Elder Scrolls 3 Morrowind
The third tower is called Crystal-Like-Law but is also known as the Crystal Tower located on the Summerset Isles
The stone is said to be a person, although who exactly the person is or if they still live is completely unknown
The Crystal Tower was destroyed during the events of the Oblivion crisis
The fourth tower is the White-Gold Tower, built by the Ayleids and located in the imperial city in Cyrodiil
Which itself was built to resemble the Great Wheel
The white gold tower is said to harness the powers of creation and it's stone is the gemstone within the Amulet of Kings
This stone was destroyed to end the Oblivion crisis
Deactivating the tower, although there is some discussion about its current state
The fifth tower is the Orichalc Tower
Believed to have been located on the sunken continent of Yokuda from where the redguards hail
This was said to be constructed by the left-handed elves using orichalcum and was deactivated when the continent sunk into the ocean
The sixth tower is called the Walk-Brass Tower, although more commonly known as the Numidium
This brass giant was created by the Dwemer and its stone was originally the Heart of Lorkhan
But later the Mantella was used a powerful soul gem containing the soul of one or more powerful individuals
Although exactly who is a subject for debate
The Numidium is no longer active after the events of the Elder Scrolls 2 Daggerfall
Although due to the nature of timebreaks it is still technically active during the siege of Alinor in a parallel timeline
The seventh tower is the Green-Sap Tower, a network of massive walking trees located deep within Valenwood
It is said the stone for this tower is a fruit. Although sometimes specifically referred to be an acorn
The current status of this tower is debatable. Although it is likely still active
The eighth tower is Snow-Throat, also referred to as the Throat of the World, and is located in Skyrim
All that is known about the stone is that it's said to be a cave
although much like some other stones whether this refers to a real cave or a
metaphorical one is unknown
Due to the unknown nature of the stone it's debatable whether or not this tower is active
other potential towers discussed by the community include Talos, the ascended God
and the entire race of the Khajiit of which their leader, the Mane
Would be their stone
There is of course practically no in-game evidence of this and it's almost purely conjecture
It's perfectly understandable if you're still completely confused despite this explanation
these are certainly the most complicated topics within the Elder Scrolls franchise and you definitely don't have to
Comprehend them at all in order to enjoy the series
Practically all of this is the creation of writer
Michael Kirkbride and it's unclear how important these topics will be in the future of the series
While the Elder Scrolls will likely continue to focus on adventurous heroes
dangerous dungeons and wonderful sites, there will always be an undercurrent of the strange and
and esoteric