Lore:Spellbreaker

The Spellbreaker (also spelled Spell Breaker) is an artifact attributed to the Daedric Prince Peryite. Superficially a Dwarven tower shield, it is one of the most ancient relics in Tamriel. The shield not only protects its wielder from physical damage, but also from magical attacks, by reflecting magicks, dispelling curses, or silencing any mage about to cast a spell. It is said that the shield still searches for its original owner, and will not remain the property of anyone else for long.  
 
History
It played an important role in the historic Battle of Rourken– .   King Rourken had the shield created for him in the conflict with Shalidor, it was ultimately lost in the final battle. 

Some time during the  , Spellbreaker was granted to the    . After being abandoned by her   lord, Zaan turned to Peryite—earning his favor and shield—before being killed by her dissatisfied followers. 

Around  , Zaan was awoken from death by a cult of Peryite, with whom she cooperated to unleash a terrible plague on Tamriel. Zaan was defeated by members of the  —but Spellbreaker was retaken by Peryite before they could claim it.  

The shield was uncovered by the Eternal Champion during the Imperial Simulacrum, in either Hammerfell or Valenwood (reports vary).  In the events leading up to the  , an agent of the Blades contacted Peryite in search of power. The agent reminded the Prince of a mortal from the First Era, and Peryite took a shine to the agent. He had the agent slay a Vampire Ancient who had displeased him, and in return he had one of his worshippers give the Spellbreaker to the agent. 

Mastrius, a Dunmer vampire who had been imprisoned for centuries in the Salvel Ancestral Tomb near the Red Mountain of Vvardenfell by Azura, required the Spellbreaker to break the curse keeping him in his prison. In  , the weakened Mastrius was discovered by a fellow vampire who agreed to help free him. The Spellbreaker was found in the Dwemer ruin of Bthuand, near the skeleton of its previous owner who had died in a cave-in. Mastrius used the shield as a conduit for his spell and broke Azura's curse, returning to full strength. He then betrayed his fellow vampire and was slain; his accomplice then claimed the Spellbreaker.  Later that year, the shield came into the possession of  , and was put on display in her museum of artifacts in Mournhold. 

In  , worshippers of Peryite in Cyrodiil attempted to become closer to the Prince by performing a risky ritual which resulted in trapping their souls in Peryite's realm of Oblivion,  . The Champion of Cyrodiil found the frozen bodies of the worshippers around Peryite's shrine by the Silverfish River. The Prince spoke with the Champion, and requested that they enter Oblivion and retrieve his worshippers' souls. The Champion obliged, and was rewarded with the Spellbreaker. 

Sometime after the end of the  , circa  , the Warrior came across Spellbreaker in their journey. The method of its acquisition is conflicted, however; some claim that it was obtained from the plane of Oblivion known as the Abyss, while others believe it was looted from a chest. 

In  , the Last Dragonborn summoned Peryite and was tasked with killing the Bosmer Orchendor, a monk of Peryite who had rebelled against the Prince. He dwelled in the Dwemer ruin of Bthardamz in Skyrim, along with many Bretons from High Rock who had been cursed by Peryite with a terrible plague. The Dragonborn infiltrated the ruins, killing the afflicted Bretons before defeating Orchendor and sending his soul to the Pits. Peryite rewarded the Dragonborn with the Spellbreaker. 

Previous Owners:
Participant(s) in the Battle of Rourken–Shalidor

Anonymous Worshipper of Peryite
Anonymous Adventurer



Notes
Shalidor is referred to as "the Spellmirror's forger",  and Shalidor said that he "bore [his] Spellmirror into battle."  It is unknown if this is the same artifact as Spellbreaker or a different weapon altogether.

Gallery
 

See Also
For game-specific information, see the Arena, Daggerfall, Morrowind, Oblivion, Skyrim, ESO, and Blades articles.

References