The Towers The Towers are a concept in lore that focuses on the metaphysics surrounding the creation of Mundus . It draws largely from a series of texts known as " Nu - Mantia Intercept " written by Michael Kirkbride , former writer and designer for Bethesda Softworks . According to these texts , a mysterious character named Nu - Hatta addresses a letter to Chancellor Ocato and the Elder Council warning that the barriers between Mundus and the realms of Oblivion are weakening . The letter foreshadows the invasion of Mehrunes Dagon during the events of and explains the creation and purpose of the Adamantine Tower . Description . The Towers are various constructs , both natural and artificial , located all across Nirn . Their existence ensures Mundus remains stabilized as they uphold the barriers between the mortal plane and the realms of Oblivion . Each tower bears a stone that serves as its heart and provides it with stability and power . If a stone is ever removed from a tower or destroyed , the tower becomes inert or deactivated . Should all existing towers fail , Mundus itself would cease to exist . Creation of Mundus . To fully grasp the concept of the Towers , it is important to understand their origins . When Mundus was originally created , several Et ' Ada became dissatisfied with their creation and left the mortal plane . One of the most notable was Magnus , the god of magic and the architect of Mundus . In his departure to Aurbis he tore a hole into Aetherius , which became the sun . Soon after many other Et ' Ada followed him , they became known as the Magna Ge and left smaller holes in the sky , which became the stars . Convention . After the departure of the Et ' Ada , Akatosh / Auri - El returned to Mundus and arranged a meeting of the remaining Aedra outside aurbic time . The purpose of this meeting , known as Convention , was to decide Lorkhan ' s punishment for his involvement in the creation of Mundus . Akatosh ' s vessel planted itself into Nirn and became the Adamantine Tower , also known as Ada - mantia or Ur - Tower , and it was on this first tower that the Convention took place : The Zero Stone . The concept of the Stone is also introduced , specifically the Zero Stone . When Ada - mantia was created , its stone was the Convention itself . This Zero Stone also became the basis for every other stone that came after . Stones themselves are magical or physical constructs that allow a tower to focus its energy in order to mold creation . The stones are imbued with creatia magic that comes directly from Aetherius , however stones were often borrowed from the realm of Oblivion and grafted to the tower , as this was much easier than trying to access Aetherius . Heart of Lorkhan . The outcome of the Convention was to separate Lorkhan from his divine heart as punishment for his role in the creation of Mundus . Trinimac tore out Lorkhan ' s heart and Auri - El fastened it to an arrow and shot it into the sea where Red Mountain eventually formed . The Red Mountain became the second Tower and its stone was the Heart of Lorkhan , also known as the First Stone . The Heart of Lorkhan granted Mundus with a special kind of divinity and allowed the remaining Et ' Ada to leave without it becoming unraveled , while the Zero Stone provided linearity of existence . The Et ' Ada who remained either died or eventually degenerated into the Ehlnofey , the progenitors of man and mer . Each tower bears one of these focusing stones that provides it with stability and power . If a stone is ever removed from a tower or the link between the stone and tower is severed , the tower becomes deactivated . Aldmeri schism . The most powerful of lesser spirits in the time after the Convention were the Aldmer . Upon witnessing their chief deity , Auri - El , leave Mundus , they were eager to follow in his footsteps . They sought to emulate the two existing Towers so they built several of their own in order to achieve divinity . Eventually , the Aldmer began to split into distinct cultural groups that gave birth to the various races of Mer , such as the Altmer , Dwemer , Chimer and Ayleid s . Each race attempted to achieve divinity in their own way . The Altmer built Crystal - Like - Law , the Ayleids founded White Gold Tower and the Dwemer created the Numidium . Nu - Hatta asserts that the continent of Aldmeris , the supposed original homeland of the Aldmer , is a myth . He explains the " destruction of Aldmeris " was in fact the schism that took place between the Aldmer , and that the concept of Aldmeris or Old Ehlnofey was simply a set of shared ideals Elves held at the beginning of time . He concludes this with the statement that all mortal life began on Tamriel . Known Towers . The exact number of towers is unknown . Ada - Mantia and the Red Tower are the only two that were created by the et ' Ada , most of the others were made by the various races of Mer . Ada - Mantia . The Adamantine Tower , also known as the Direnni Tower was the first Tower . It was created on the island of Balfiera in the Illiac Bay and is believed to be the oldest known structure in Tamriel . It is considered an active tower and its stone is known as the Zero Stone , which is the Convention . Red Tower . Red Mountain was the second Tower that was created when Auri - El and Trinimac killed Lorkhan and shot his heart into Vvardenfell . Red Mountain grew around its stone , the Heart of Lorkhan , and it granted a special kind of divinity to Mundus . With two Towers in place Mundus was stable , so Auri - El and several other Aedra left the mortal plane . The Aldmer , seeking to follow Auri - El and achieve divinity , began to construct their own Towers . The Red Tower was deactivated at the conclusion of when the Nerevarine infiltrated Dagoth Ur ' s citadel and destroyed the various power tapping enchantments placed around the Heart of Lorkhan . Once the enchantments were destroyed , the Heart disappeared . The mountain later erupted in 4E 05 . Crystal - like - Law . The Crystal Tower is located in Alinor in the Summerset Isle . It was built by the Altmer in ancient times and served as the pinnacle of arcane research , predating the Arcane University and College of Winterhold . During the Oblivion Crisis , it was turned over to the Thalmor , however it was attacked and destroyed by legions of Daedra . Its stone was said to be " a person " . White Gold . The White - Gold Tower is the ancient structure which dominates the Imperial City in Cyrodiil . It was built by the Ayleid s as a means of refocusing the powers of creation to reach divinity , rather than let the power of magic disseminate . Although the tower was built with a central spire the structure itself resembles the Wheel , with eight lesser towers forming a ring around it . This formation is described as a unique " Wheel within the Wheel " and gives the White - Gold Tower a power over creatia unlike any of the other Towers . While other Towers bind magic and bleed it , the White - Gold Tower harnessed the power of creation . Its stone was the Chim - el Adabal , the central gemstone within in the Amulet of Kings . During the events of the Amulet was destroyed , which in turn deactivated the Tower , however it may have been reactivated with the intervention of Akatosh ' s avatar at the Temple of the One . According to the Prophecy of the Dragonborn recorded on Alduin ' s Wall , the fall of the White Tower occurred during the Oblivion Crisis — " " When the Dragonborn Ruler loses his throne , and the White Tower falls . " " Orichalc . The Orichalc Tower was believed to have been located on the continent of Yokuda . It was built by the Lefthanded Elves and is likely to have been constructed from Orichalcum . The Tower was deactivated when a Redguard attempted to perform the swordstroke " Pankratosword " and Yokuda sank into the ocean . Its stone was said to be " a sword " . Walk - Brass . Walk Brass , also known as the Brass Tower , is the Numidium — the brass god created by the Dwemer . During the Battle of Red Mountain in 1E 700 , the entire Dwemer race disappeared . It sat dormant until it was traded to Tiber Septim by the Tribunal for autonomy from Cyrodiil . It was used to assault the Second Aldmeri Dominion and unite the Empire . It was later destroyed by Zurin Arctus , the Underking . During the events of it was rebuilt and used again , which resulted in the Warp in the West , after which it disappeared from existence . Its stone was originally the Heart of Lorkhan . The Mantella , a powerful soul gem that contained the oversoul of Talos , Zurin Arctus and Ysmir , was used as its replacement after the disappearance of the Dwemer . Green - Sap . Green - Sap has been stated to be made up of a large network of Graht - oak trees in which began with the Elden Tree of the secret Elden Grove , all in which are planted with a ' perchance acorn ' . The stone of Green - Sap is said to be " a fruit " , with a perchance acorn being referred to as a stone . Following the Alessian Slave Rebellion , the Elden Tree was almost converted in a new White - Gold after an Ayleid known as Anumaril attempted to convert the region into a new home for the Ayleids . Anumaril stopped the Elden Tree from moving by turning its perchance acorn into a definite acorn , but his plan to convert the tree was unsuccessful . When Queen Ayrenn stepped into The Orrery beneath the Elden Tree in 2E 582 , she emerged as herself , proving to the Bosmer that she was a righteous and true queen . Another major hub of the Green - Sap tower is the Graht - Oak of Falinesti . In the late Third Era the city stopped walking and rooted itself for the first time in recorded history . Snow Throat . Snow Throat , also known as the Snow Tower , is typically interpreted as the Throat of the World in Skyrim . According to Alduin ' s Wall , the Snow Tower lies " " sundered , kingless , bleeding " " in the Fourth Era . Its stone is said to be " The Cave . " The peak is described as being only half there — this alludes to the time wound and the Dragon Break that occurred at the summit during the Dragon War . Deactivation of the Towers . Because the Towers maintain the barriers between the mortal plane and Oblivion , whenever one is deactivated or destroyed , the barrier weakens . A Tower can be deactivated in a number of ways . These include the destruction of the Tower , its Stone or by severing the link between the Tower and the Stone that powers it . An example of this is when Emperor Uriel VII was killed during . This event temporarily severed the link between White - Gold Tower and its Stone , the Amulet of Kings . This in turn weakened the barriers of the mortal plane and the Oblivion Crisis was the result , as foretold by Nu Hatta . In another text written by Michael Kirkbride , called the " Altmeri commentary on Talos " , talks of a Thalmor plot regarding Talos and man . The text essentially reveals the Aldmeri Dominion are possibly involved in a master plan where they wish to undo the mortal plane itself by deactivating the last known Towers . Fallen gods . According to the Aldmeri creation myth , the Aldmer were once gods . Lorkhan tricked the other Aedra into creating Mundus , thus trapping their descendents , the Aldmer , as mortals . They considered this a great cruelty as they were severed from their divine roots . As time passed and the various races of Mer emerged , not all saw their mortality as a negative . The Psijic Order accepted their mortality and meditate on it . The Dunmer see their mortality as a challenge . Many Altmer seek to re - achieve divinity through other means , such as following Auri - El ' s example . Thalmor endgame . According to this text , in the Fourth Era the Third Aldmeri Dominion adopted a militant stance on the matter and sought to return to immortality at any cost . This harsh course of action was the result of the Altmer no longer having the knowledge of reaching divinity that Auri - El taught their ancestors . Because of this they see no need in the Towers . They are no longer gateways to Aetherius from their material prison , but rather the iron bars in their prison cell . The Aldmeri Dominion therefore wish to smash these bars and escape the mortal plane . Their method of achieving divinity first involves removing Talos , god - king of man , from the pantheon of worship . In a world where the beliefs of its inhabitants has a direct influence on the Gods , stopping the worship of Talos would cause him to cease to exist and therefore no longer be an obstacle in the Thalmor ' s scheme . This part of the scheme was partially realized with the sack of the Imperial City during the Great War and the introduction of the White - Gold Concordat , the law that forbid Talos worship in the Empire . The " Sons of Talos " or Men are also seen as an obstacle , so they seek to remove Man from the equation . Simply killing every human would not suffice , rather the very notion of man must be eliminated . This would be achieved by deactivating the aforementioned Towers that hold up Mundus . By the Fourth Era several Towers have already been deactivated or destroyed , namely Red Tower , Crystal Tower , Orichalc and Walk Brass . The White - Gold may have been reactivated with the intervention of Akatosh at the Temple of the One during the Oblivion Crisis and it ' s unknown if Green - Sap or Snow Throat are active or not . Once these two goals have been achieved , the Thalmor ' s master plan of achieving divinity would be complete . If all the Towers were deactivated , the eternal cycle of death would cease and Mundus would dissolve back into its original primordial state , unbound by the laws of physics and reality ; time and space would have no meaning , neither would despair or discord .