Lore:Numidium

Numidium (or Anumidium),  also known as the Brass God, the Prime Gestalt,  NM,  the  ,  Walk-Brass,   and Big Walker,   was a colossal construct of   origin.  It was constructed by Dwemeri Tonal Architect Lord      to be a new god, powered by the  , made to retake   from the    and make the Dwemer race immortal.  The Dwemer vanished from   before the Brass God could be activated, though their disappearance may be directly related to this endeavor. 

The Numidium was, in practice, a weapon of devastating power. A "thousand foot tall automaton, a golem or an atronach  of sorts", it was used by Emperor   to complete his conquest of Tamriel at the end of the  , but was destroyed afterward.  The golem was rebuilt and reactivated centuries later, and became the center of the phenomenon known as the  , after which it was destroyed again.  Temporal distortions have accompanied each known use of the Numidium,  to the point that the Warp in the West is sometimes known as the "Second Numidian Effect". 

A second Numidium,  , was partially constructed in Morrowind in the late Third Era by  . However, the destruction of Kagrenac's enchantments on the Heart of Lorkhan in   prevented its activation.  
 

History
First Era
Around the time of the  ,  the   arch-mage   created the  , a powerful time-bending artifact composed of eight segments, each corresponding to one of the metaphysical   of  . One of these fragments, a masterfully-crafted length of metal affixed to a hunk of polished brass, corresponded to Walk-Brass, despite the fact that the Tower did not yet exist. It is not known how Anumaril knew of its future construction. 

At some point by the early  , the   was discovered beneath  .  There are many differing stories about the series of events that followed, but most agree that the Dwemer High Craftlord    created a set of   imbued with the power to forge mythopoeic enchantments,  which made it possible for their bearers to tap the Heart's power for themselves.  Kagrenac believed he could use his tools to create a new god, Anumidium, which would allow the Dwemer to transcend the  .    Numidium was the vessel for this apotheosis. 

According to the legendary sermons of Vivec, Kagrenac summoned Numidum during the climax of the Battle of Red Mountain which caused great devastation to the Chimer armies and the land itself before finally being defeated by the combined might of Almsivi. 

Some among the Dwemer believed that tapping the Heart of Lorkhan posed unknown dangers and unjustifiable risks, but Kagrenac and his followers refuted these ideas.   It has been hypothesized that the   may have led Kagrenac to carry out his experiments prematurely, and that the sudden disappearance of the Dwemer during the    was the result of one of these unknown risks. However, it is also speculated that their disappearance may have been the result of successfully granting the Dwemer eternal life, in some form.  Regardless of the circumstances, the Dwemer vanished from  , leaving behind their creations. Kagrenac's tools fell into the possession of the  , who used them to tap the Heart of Lorkhan and make themselves into living gods. 
 

Second Era
thumb|right|The Lore:Halls of Colossus|Halls of Colossus
By the end of the  , the Tribunal had possession of Numidium, while   had conquered most of Tamriel and was turning his attention to  .  However, in     had returned and cut off the Tribunal's access to the Heart of Lorkhan, preventing them from restoring themselves with Kagrenac's tools.  Rather than fight in their weakened states, the Tribunes signed an   with the  ; as part of the treaty, the Empire received Numidium. 

Tiber Septim tasked Imperial Battlemage   with the Numidium's repair.  There are rumors that the Emperor had the   constructed in   for this purpose, and that the area is still uninhabitable as a result  (though there is evidence the Halls have existed since the Merethic Era).  On the Emperor's orders, Arctus created the  , an artifact which allowed a bearer of royal lineage to control the Numidium. Since it would not function without the Heart of Lorkhan, he devised a replacement based on his research—a huge soul gem called the  .  The gem required the life force, or "heart" of a powerful being, so Arctus used his own  (though it is also claimed he used the soul of  , an undead being who may have been a   of  ).  

In  , the Numidium was activated near the city of   in Elsweyr  and proved very effective in bringing down the mighty   of the  , thus completing Tiber Septim's conquest of Tamriel.  The official story says that after defeating all his enemies, Tiber Septim began using Numidium to destroy the neutral royal families of Tamriel so that he could enthrone persons he knew to be loyal. Zurin Arctus disagreed with these actions, and attempted to reclaim his heart from within the Mantella. In the ensuing battle, both the Battlemage and the construct were destroyed; the heart they shared was blown into  .  With the Mantella lost, Arctus couldn't truly die, and became an undead being known as the  .  The heretical version of events claims that Zurin Arctus had perished while trapping Wulfharth's soul, and soon after the conquest of the Summerset Isles an undead wizard (the Underking, but Wulfharth) appeared and destroyed the automaton.  The remains of Numidium were scattered throughout Tamriel. 
 

Third Era
thumb|right|Numidium reactivatedNumidium on Alduin's Wall|left|thumb
In the centuries that followed, the   were entrusted with the task of collecting the pieces of Numidium.  During the reign of  , Numidium's reconstruction was nearly completed, save for the Totem of Tiber Septim and the Mantella. Around  , both were located; the Mantella's resting place in Aetherius was divined, and the Totem was rediscovered in the   region. The latter discovery nearly set off a civil war among the dozens of independent city-states in the region, beginning with the murder of King   of  . Ultimately, an  , sent by the Emperor, recovered the Totem. A bidding war ensued among the major powers of the region, and   seven of them ended up in simultaneous possession of the Totem. The agent then traveled to the   in Aetherius to recover the Mantella. 

As a result, in   each of the seven powers activated their own Numidium, and at least five Numiduma ravaged large areas of   and  . This event, known as the    or the Miracle of Peace, greatly reshaped the political landscape of the  . It is believed the Underking reclaimed his heart from the Mantella, leading to Numidium's subsequent destruction.    

A similar golem known as  , or the Second Numidium, was built by   in the late  , based on Kagrenac’s designs for Anumidium and powered by the Heart of Lorkhan. It was destroyed by the   in  . 
 

Notes
 
Vivec alleged that Numidum was built in his likeness. 

See Also
For more information on Numidium as the Brass Tower, see the  .
, the Second Numidium

Gallery
 

References