Alliance War " This article is about the lore of the war itself . For PvP information about , see this article . " The Alliance War , also known as the Three Banners War , was a war that occurred during the Second Era , which began in 2E 580 shortly after the First Aldmeri Dominion was formed after Queen Ayrenn returned to the Summerset Isles after decades of adventuring . The three alliances involved were the First Aldmeri Dominion , the Ebonheart Pact , and the Daggerfall Covenant , all of which were fighting to rule Tamriel . History . In 2E 578 , Emperor Varen Aquilarios was convinced by Mannimarco that he knew a ritual which would allow him to become Dragonborn . Varen desired to further legitimize his claim to the Imperial throne by lighting the Dragonfires in the Temple of the One in the Imperial City , which can only be done by one of the Dragon Blood . Mannimarco and Varen were part of a group referred to as the Five Companions , which also included ; Sai Sahan , Lyris Titanborn and Abnur Tharn . Though the ritual turned out to be an elaborate trick setup by Mannimarco . He then incapacitated the others and declared he was a servant of Molag Bal , and the ritual was actually one that would weaken the barriers between Mundus and Coldharbour . Clivia Tharn was soon after named the new Empress Regent of Tamriel and turned the Empire to Daedra worship , in particular to Molag Bal . Her father Abnur Tharn was the High Chancellor of the Elder Council and Overlord of Nibenay , but Abnur despised Molag Bal and his minions , thus dividing the Tharn family in two . Clivia managed to convince Mannimarco to use his Necromantic abilities to resurrect Imperial Soldiers to bolster the Empire ' s forces . When the alliances saw that the Empire was weak , they took advantage of its weakness in an attempt to expand their territory . Thus , the war began . Imperial City Campaign . Following the Planemeld , the bridges to the Imperial City were cut off , blocking Imperial forces from entering the city and fighting the Daedra . Inside the city , the Legion that was garrisoned there , Legion Zero , swore oaths to Molag Bal and became mind shriven , helping his minions conquer the city . The three Alliances aimed to conquer the Imperial City , so they fought amongst themselves and against Molag Bal ' s forces . Victory . In the end , the Vestige destroyed the Anchor above the Imperial City , helped relight the Dragonfires and caused harm to the Daedric and Legion Zero forces . An unknown period of time afterwards , the city was liberated . Factions . Ebonheart Pact . The Ebonheart Pact consists of three races : the Nords , Dunmer , and Argonians . It was originally founded during the Second Akaviri Invasion , and remained an alliance when Molag Bal and his Daedra forces invaded Tamriel . It is widely considered to be one of the most politically unstable alliances in Tamriel ' s history , as all three races have a history of wars and hardships with one another . The only motive that kept them together was their common goal of preserving their freedom and independence from the Dominion and the Covenant , as well as their hatred of the Akaviri and Molag Bal ' s forces . The capital of the Ebonheart Pact is Mournhold in Morrowind and is led by Jorunn the Skald - King . The Pact was formed out of necessity after the Second Akaviri Invasion , 5 years after the Covenant was formed . In Cyrodiil , the Pact ' s home territory spans 6 Keeps ( Kingscrest , Farragut , Arrius , Blue Road , Chalman and Drakelowe ) , 1 Outpost ( Sejanus ) and they control 2 Elder Scrolls ( Chim and Ghartok ) . Their main supply line to Cyrodiil is through Morrowind and their forces there are commanded by Grand Warlord Zimmeron . The Pact ' s motivations for fighting are to fight off all invaders and to preserve the independence and freedom of their homelands . Aldmeri Dominion . The Aldmeri Dominion is made up of Altmer , Bosmer , and Khajiit . The faction was originally founded to overthrow the Empire and restore Elven rule to Tamriel . The three races in the faction consider themselves to be the most civilized and intelligent of all the races of Tamriel . They also believe that they could rule Tamriel better than any human could , and that they were chosen by the Divines to rule . The capital city of the Dominion is Elden Root in Valenwood and is led by Queen Ayrenn from the Summerset Isles . However , there is some internal conflict in the Dominion , which threatens to destabilize the entire alliance if not kept at bay . The Dominion was formed in 2E 580 by Queen Ayrenn after months of diplomacy between Summerset , Valenwood and Elsweyr . In Cyrodiil , the Dominion ' s home territory spans 6 Castles ( Bloodmayne , Black Boot , Faregyl , Alessia , Roebeck and Brindle ) , 1 Outpost ( Nikel ) and they control 2 Elder Scrolls ( Mnem and Altadoon ) . Their main supply line to Cyrodiil is through Elsweyr and their forces there are commanded by Grand Warlord Sorcalin . The Dominion ' s motivations for fighting are to restore Elven rule to Tamriel - the land which they settled long before men arrived from Atmora . Daggerfall Covenant . The Daggerfall Covenant is made of Bretons , Redguards , and Orsimer . Similar to the Ebonheart Pact , the three races in the Covenant had bad histories with one another . But due to trade disruptions against all three provinces , much poverty and suffering was caused . This in turn caused the three races to all unite as one faction in order to save their people . The Covenant ' s capital city is Wayrest in High Rock is led by King Emeric . The Covenant was formed in 2E 567 after the events of a brutal civil war in High Rock known as King Ranser ' s War . The Covenant ' s home territory spans 6 Forts ( Rayles , Warden , Glademist , Ash , Aleswell and Dragonclaw ) , 1 Outpost ( Bleakers ' ) and they own 2 Elder Scrolls ( Ni - Mohk and Alma Ruma ) . Their main supply line to Cyrodiil is through Craglorn in Hammerfell and their forces there are commanded by Grand Warlord Dortene . The Covenant ' s motivations for fighting are to restore the Empire and to end all the chaos and suffering going on in Tamriel caused due to the Empire ' s collapse .