Lore:Gnisis

Gnisis (also spelled '''G'nisis''')  is a large kwama-mining town found in the northwest sea bluffs of Vvardenfell. Built over the River Samsi in the northern edge of the West Gash, it is a historical town under the jurisdiction of the Great House Redoran. It is noted for its cave dwellings and Redoran-style architecture. Gnisis is centered around the local Tribunal Temple and the Shrine of Justice, one of the Shrines of the Seven Graces that are visited by pilgrims of the temple. It was here that the Warrior-Poet, Vivec and his refugees were buried in gray ash, and he had to feverishly save them from death.  The Velothi tower of Arvs-Drelen is found on the cliffside, directly on top of the western gate. 
 

History
Arvs-Drelen|thumb|left
In the late  , the   settled around the abandoned Velothi towers during the decline of High Velothi Culture. The people that would create Gnisis settled around the tower of Arvs-Drelen.  The tower was later taken over by  , a Telvanni sorcerer who claims to have occupied Arvs-Drelen since before the founding of Gnisis. 

According to Tribunal mythology, the village of Gnisis technically predates the West Gash's inception.  In light of   in  , Vivec guided refugees to escape the ashstorms and   from  , and later decided to rest. The next morning, Vivec woke up to find him and his followers frozen and buried in ash piles, unable to help them. In despair and tears, he was able to break out of his cast and tore the ash from his dying people, breathing air back into their lungs and curing their blight. Sometime later, the Temple built the Shrine of Justice at this very site and the Gnisis Temple was built over it. The story is meant to show Vivec's heroism, in that his heart gave him the strength when his might had failed him. 

By  , Gnisis was one of the very few settlements owned by House Redoran to be built in their signature style, mostly at least. All of their other territories (i.e.,   and  ) were built in the Hlaalu-style by the  .  The highest official in town at the time was deputy-prefect,  . At around this time, the Gnisis Eggmine was closed down and   came from deep within, giving the miner's trauma and turning the kwama mad, to the point where they killed their queen. Deep in the caverns, the researcher,   was tinkering with a newly-discovered dwarven resonator, and inadvertently caused serious damage.  The kwama mine was restored when a new royal egg was left in place of the previous queen. 

thumb|right|Fort Darius
In  , the formerly protected Temple-territory of Vvardenfell had been re-opened to the rest of the   and brought a great influx of people to colonize the entire island. The island was split into four territories and House Redoran re-claimed the northwestern portion of Vvardenfell, between the   to the wastes of  , although they have the least amount of influence and may have been marginalized by the other houses.  The   built their stronghold,  , right on the town's eastern entrance, and the   stationed themselves as protectors of the mining-town.  The general area of Gnisis was under the administration of Councilor,  , who lived in Ald'ruhn,  but the town was governed by the local hetmen,   of the  . In  , the Kwama Queen in the mines had contracted   and was promptly cured by a   of the Imperial Legion.  At the same time, the   in Fort Darius planned an assassination attempt on Emperor  , who was rumored to appear on Vvardenfell. They were taken down by a member of the Legion. 

In  , the   over in   crash-landed onto   and caused a great chain reaction that led to the eruption from  . The land was flooded by lava and the foliage was completely destroyed. Gnisis was no different. The only known person to survive the town's destruction was  , who was quickly placed in care by the temple priests in  . In her account of the event, the lava tore down their homes and towers like they were nothing until a great wave of fire crashed down onto the settlement and demolished everything, burning people alive. She managed to escape by crossing the River Samsi, as the lava turned into steam upon contact. The town of Gnisis was completely wiped from the face of Tamriel and Neria laid there for two days before she was recovered by healers. It took her quite a long while to recover from the event. 

Gallery
 

Notes
The first person to be possessed by the   was a young Velothi boy from the village of Gnisis, who wore the dead carapace to impress the village-folk. The ensuing battle with   created a great rift on Vvardenfell that led to the creation of the West Gash.  The shrine dedicated to this moment is found in  , south of Gnisis and across the River Samsi, underneath a natural arch. 
The banner of Gnisis translates from the   into "The Thrice Sealed House Withstands the Storm."
Sometime in the  , the New Gnisis Cornerclub was founded in  , in what is now known as the Gray Quarter. It remained active as far as  , it was run by Ambarys Rendar.

See Also
For game-specific, see the Morrowind and ESO articles.

References