The land of Blackreach is an immense cavern under Skyrim that expands almost the entire province. It almost like exploring a whole new world when going in there. A lot of unique species call Blackreach home and there are many ruins that are waiting to be explored.
This area has only appeared in two games of The Elder Scrolls series and fans want to learn more about it. Like Tamriel, Blackreach has a history that many are still unraveling. Very few have been able to explore the vast underground land and lived to tell the tale. Here are ten things explorers should know about Blackreach.
10 The Dwemer Once Resided Here
The Dwemer of Skyrim lived in Blackreach and called it home. They built Great Lifts to get to the surface quickly and built cities underground. After the Battle of Red Mountain, Blackreach was mostly abandoned save for the Falmer that still resided there. During The Elder Scrolls Online: Greymoor, some Nords set up a few settlements for mining and finding treasures.
By the time the events of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim begin, these settlements have been abandoned as well and there is no trace of them. The Falmer have made most of the Dwemer settlements in Blackreach their home.
9 Crimson Nirnroot Only Grows Here
Crimson Nirnroot is a rare alchemical ingredient that can only be found in Blackreach. It was discovered during the Second Era and was highly prized by alchemists. Its magical properties are far greater than a common Nirnroot. It's unknown why the Crimson Nirnroot looks different and more powerful. In the book, Sinderion's Field Journal, it is revealed that they have a shorter lifespan. Fans of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim will recognize this plant since it's part of one of the most annoying quests in the game.
8 There Are A Lot Of Deadly And Unique Flora And Fauna
Aside from the Crimson Nirnroot, Blackreach is the home to a lot of unique flora and fauna. One of the deadliest flora that can be found here is the Netherroot, a rare plant that is a key alchemical ingredient used to create harrowstorms. There is also a toxic fungi that once grew in Blackreach that was used by the Dwemer to blind the Falmer.
Some unique fauna to Blackreach are Vale Deer, a type of deer that have glowing green eyes and hide. Chaurus are found living near Falmer. Gloomspore bears, wolves, and senche can also be seen wandering around. A unique type of Swamp Jelly called the Blackreach Jelly can be found here.
7 Soul Gems Can Be Harvested In Geode Veins
Most stone veins that can be found out in the vast land of Tamriel usually have metal ore or gems. In Blackreach, there is a unique vein called the Geode Vein and players can harvest them for soul gems along with some metal ore or precious gems. Any type of soul gem can be harvested from the veins from Petty Soul Gems to Black Soul Gems.
6 No One Knows How A Dragon Got In Blackreach
During The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, players can enter the Silent City in Blackreach. Over the Silent City is an orb in a cage made by the Dwemer. If players have the Dragonborn use the Unrelenting Force shout on it, a dragon named Vulthuryol will appear. Vulthuryol will be hostile and attack everything in sight, including the player. This is all that is known about him and using other shouts like Bend Will won't offer any unique dialogue. It is unknown when or how he got into Blackreach and he cannot be found anywhere in Blackreach prior to this fight.
5 A Tower Was Built To House An Elder Scroll
The Dwemer were known for their thirst for knowledge. They built the Tower of Mzark and in it was the Oculory. The Oculory is a device the Dwemer built in order to attain knowledge from Elder Scrolls without suffering from the side effects. One major side effect from reading an Elder Scroll is blindness. To prevent this, the Dwemer used the Oculory to put all the knowledge from the Elder Scroll into a lexicon so they could study it. The Tower of Mzark seems to be the only one with the Oculory and some have tried to find it, but have had no success.
4 The Falmer Have Made Blackreach Their New Home
After their war with the Atmorans, most of the Snow Elves fled to Blackreach and sought refuge with the Dwemer. The Dwemer did agree to let them stay, but on the condition that the Snow Elves would eat a toxic fungi that would cause them to go blind. The Snow Elves agreed to this and they were made into slaves. During the First Era, the Falmer rebelled against the Dwemer and thus the War of the Crag began. This war raged on for decades in Blackreach while the Nords above were oblivious to it. After the Dwemer mysteriously disappeared off the face of Nirn, the Falmer took over Blackreach.
Now, the Falmer live in the ruins of the Dwemer cities and have built their own homes outside of the cities. They can be found living with the Chaurus, whom they harvest chitin from, and their servants, which some believe might be the babies they are rumored to steal from their cribs at night.
3 Aetherium Was Discovered Here
Aetherium is a rare, glowing blue crystal with mystical powers that was discovered by the Dwemer. It is alchemically inert and cannot be smelted, mold, bound, broken, or use for enchanting. The city-states Arkngthamz, Bthar-Zel, Mzulft, and Raldbthar formed an alliance to oversee the Aetherium's extraction to process and study it. The Aetherium Forge was created to smelt the Aetherium under Bthalft in the Rift. The forge was powered by magma and the Dwemer were able to create artifacts of immense power with powerful enchants.
The alliance between the four city-states ended after they had internal disputes over the forge. The Aetherium Wars began and none of the city-states were successful in capturing it. The Great Lift to the forge was sealed with the Aetherium Crest. The crest was broken up into four pieces and each city-state was given a piece.
2 It Was Home To An Ancient Vampire Clan
Blackreach is known for being the home of the Dwemer, but it was also the home of a vampire clan. The Nighthollow Clan settled in Blackreach below the Reach. Unlike other vampires, this clan feasted on the power of a powerful artifact known as the Dark Heart. They were no longer able to gain nourishment from blood and relied heavily on the Dark Heart for sustenance.
The alliance stole the Dark Heart from the Nighthollow Clan and studied it. The Nighthollow Clan was able to get it back, but the Dwemer had drained most of its power. Lady Belain of the clan used the remaining power for herself while the rest of her clan were left starving or turned into husks.
1 A Terrifying Artifact Was Kept Here
Blackreach is home to the deadly Falmer and other Dwemer automatons, but there is something more terrifying that is there. The Dark Heart is an artifact that is associated with the Lady of Decay and Daedric Prince, Namira. It is a piece of primal Void that warps everything around it that is trapped on Nirn. It increases in power by consuming souls and banishes to a place in between worlds. Anyone that draws power from it is at high risk of being consumed by it and suffering from physical side effects. In the case of the Nighthollow Clan, their skin was greyed out and their eyes were blackened with black ichor pouring out from them.
In The Elder Scrolls Online: Greymoor, a vampire named Rada al-Saran was seeking the Dark Heart to sever his clan's contract with Molag Bal, the Daedric Prince of Domination. Rada used the Dark Heart to get to Grayhaven, a lost realm of Oblivion where the contracts were severed. He was planning on using the Dark Heart to consume all souls in the Reach, but was stopped by House Ravenwatch and the Vestige.