Lore:Aetherium

is an incredibly rare, luminescent blue crystal found deep underground. The crystal has a strong magical aura, but it is alchemically inert and harmonically volatile, and no known conventional process can enchant, smelt, mold, bind, or break it. It was discovered by the   of   in their deepest mines some time in the First Era.  Based on its name, the crystal may have some connection to   and the   which sometimes fall to Nirn, such as the   harnessed by the Ayleids. 

The Aetherium is embedded in   and   to create Aetherial artifacts. Other materials such as  ,   and   are also used. Crowns, shields and staffs can all be crafted with Aetherium. The artifacts have unique and powerful enchantments, such as the ability to turn enemies ethereal, summon  , or harness the power of the  .  An aetheric lodestone is a perfectly round orb that is highly magnetic and threaded with veins of glowing blue Aetherium. . Certain Dwemer Animunculi are imbued with Aetherium crystals.  
History
Circa  , the Dwemer uncovered a considerable source of Aetherium, primarily mined in the city of  , which connects to  . Four Dwemer city-states, led by  , formed an alliance to oversee its extraction, processing, and study. An Aetherium Forge was created to smelt the crystal under precisely controlled conditions, far below the settlement of   in  . The forge harnessed magma and was used to create artifacts of immense power, imbued with powerful enchantments.  

The Dwarven alliance eventually discovered the Dark Heart, creating various apparatuses to study and control its power. They opted to create the  , a place to share knowledge amongst these clans,  and built an orrery powered by the Dark Heart to chart the Void using the aetheric energy from the crystals, as well as kinetic and tonal forces. 

Eventually, internal disputes would occur over Aetherium and the forge, and the alliance between the city-states shattered, with the four cities and their rivals vying for control of the forge. This conflict lasted decades and was known as the  . This internal fighting weakened the city-states, which allowed for   brief conquering of the Dwemer of Skyrim.  These events led to the Library of Arkthzand's abandonment. 

None of the city-states were successful in capturing the Aetherium Forge. The Great Lift to the Aetherium Forge was sealed, and the Aetherium Crest required to open it was shattered into four shards. The shards were scattered across Skyrim and guarded by the four city-states: Arkngthamz, Raldbthar,   (colloquially known as  ) and  . Following the disappearance of the Dwemer in  , scholars exploring their ruined settlements (including the Kragen capital of Arkngthamz-Phng) uncovered samples of the crystal, which were regarded as little more than a curiosity when it was proven impossible to work with.  

The  s revered the  , and used stones infused with Aetherium to bring them down to the earth as the  s. They also constructed apex stones using knowledge stolen from the Dwemer to bind the celestials to the mortal realm and allow them to manifest in  .  

Several items that were imbued with Aetherium were kept in the vaults of the   as of the  . 
  They were given to the Vestige as token of gratitude after the defeat of the   by the order of the Reachfolk ruler  . 

Circa  , the Wayward Guardians sent the adventurer to recover the blue gems  embedded within the Dwemer Architons, the kind of Dwemer Animunculi that is known for being typically imbued with Aetherium.  The constructs were guarding the recently rediscovered Library of Arkthzand. These Reachmen hoped to use the gemstone's powerful enchantments to arm themselves against the encroaching forces of Rada al-Saran's Gray Host.   

The   adventurer Katria researched the Aetherium Wars, although her findings were claimed and published by her apprentice, a Dunmer named  . Katria attempted to take credit for her work by proving the existence of the Aetherium Forge, but she died while exploring Arkngthamz. In  , her restless spirit helped guide and protect a fellow adventurer in recovering the four shards of pure Aetherium and bringing them to the Ruins of Bthalft. The adventurer used the restored Aetherium Crest to craft an artifact at the forge, and Katria's spirit was put to rest. 

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See Also
For game-specific information, see the Skyrim Aetherium Forge page and quest page.

References