Dragon Break A Dragon Break , sometimes referred to as an un - time , is a temporal phenomenon that involves a splitting of the natural timeline which results in branching parallel realities where the same events occur differently , or not at all . This results in a return to the non - linear timeline of the Dawn Era . At the end of a Dragon Break , the timeline reconnects making all possibilities and outcomes truth , though contradictory to each other . The " Dragon " that is mentioned is in reference towards Akatosh , the Dragon God of Time . Dragon Breaks are utterly incomprehensible to all people they affect , save for a select few supernatural individuals such as the Tribunal or the Shezarrine s . After being affected by a break , most people are prone to forget the event ever even occurred , dismissing it off as nonsensical , despite intense feelings of spiritual anguish they can not account for . More recent records note entire days being lost without anyone taking notice . It is known , in some extreme cases , that even the Elder Scrolls were incapable of looking back on the events of the break . The Blue Star Mnemoli is often associated with un - time events and , according to some sources , could be seen brightly in the daytime sky during the Middle Dawn . It is also known that every time the Brass God , Numidium , is activated , a Dragon Break ensues . Despite the believed effects Dragon Breaks have had on history , many scholars have been known to dismiss the Dragon Break phenomenon as a falsehood . Occurrences . The Time - Wound . The Time - Wound is often considered to be the first , and possibly smallest , Dragon Break to ever occur . Whether or not the Time - Wound should actually be considered a Dragon Break is arguable , however , due to the event being described as shattered time , it is normally speculated to have been a break of smaller proportion . The Time - Wound was formed in the later years of the Merethic Era , during the legendary Dragon War . At the peak of the Throat of the World , the first of the Nord ic Tongues attempted to slay the Dragon - God , Alduin , with the help of the mortal - made shout known as " Dragonrend . " The three tongues were unable to defeat Alduin and instead turned to other means to end the World - Eater ' s reign of terror . The eldest of the three , Felldir the Old , had brought an Elder Scroll with him , and he utilized its mysterious powers alongside the Thu ' um to banish Alduin . The actions of Felldir created a small wound in time in the location where Alduin vanished , where it would remain until the present . This event has altered the Throat of the World in such a way that it has been said that its peak is no longer fully present within the world . It is possible that if the Time - Wound was indeed a Dragon Break , it may have been responsible for the lack of knowledge regarding the period in which the Dragon War took place . The Red Moment . The Red Moment was a Dragon Break that occurred sometime near the year 1E 668 , during the Battle of Red Mountain . The Red Moment is believed to be the first Dragon Break to be caused by the Numidium , being the accepted date of the Brass God ' s first activation . Evidence of this Break ' s existence can be seen in the multiple conflicting accounts of what actually occurred during the time period in which the War of the First Council took place . Most historical contradictions surrounding the event revolve around the people most forthright involved in the war , such as Nerevar , the Tribunal , Voryn Dagoth , and Dumac Dwarfking . Notable questionable events with inconsistent outcomes can be observed , such as : whether or not House Dagoth was loyal to the Chimer , the Nord s , or the Dwemer , during the battle . By whom was Dagoth Ur slain or dispelled , the Tribunal , or Nerevar . By whom was Dumac killed , Nerevar , Wulfharth , or Dagoth Ur . Was it the actions of Kagrenac , Dagoth Ur , Wulfharth , or the Tribunal , that resulted with the Dwemer ' s disappearance . Did Nerevar die of his wounds or was he murdered by the Tribunal . Were the Nords and Orcs fighting for their own reasons , or were they aiding the Dwemer . Nordic accounts even seem to imply that the Dwemer and Chimer were working together , while others imply the Nords were never there to begin with . Due to the Dragon Break , not one account of what happened at Red Mountain holds more truth than the other . The first known person said to recognize and acknowledge that the Battle of Red Mountain was taking place during a Dragon Break was the Ash - King Wulfharth . During this Break , Vivec utilized the Hurling Disk to legitimize the Tribunal ' s divinity through Mantling the Three Good Daedra . Vivec states that he purposely kept the two main contradictory accounts of what happened at Red Mountain , that of the Ashlanders and the Tribunal Temple , for the Nerevarine to make their own conclusion . The Middle Dawn . The Middle Dawn was the longest Dragon Break in all of Tamrielic history , lasting 1008 years from its beginning in 1E 1200 till its end in 1E 2208 . The Dragon Break began after a fanatical sect of the Alessian Order known as the Marukhati Selective attempted to remove specific aspects of Akatosh they did not approve of , most notably the god ' s connection to the Elven Time - God , Auri - El . The Arch - Prelate of the Selective , Fervidius Tharn , and his subordinates , used the prophet Marukh ' s teachings to reach a state of " monothought " and channel the Aurbis directly . When they did this , a staff or tower appeared in front of them which they proceeded to dance upon until it broke into eight pieces and spoke its protonymic , creating what would be known as the Middle Dawn to utilize the Hurling Disk . The Middle Dawn was a much more extreme occurrence than any other Dragon Break . The world slept through the disaster . Had it not been for the Emperor souls held within the Amulet of Kings , the entire event may have been forgotten , as even the Elder Scrolls were unable to look back at the time period in which the Middle Dawn took place . Most stories and texts that survived the Middle Dawn vary quite heavily on the events of what actually transpired during the Middle Dawn , normally conflicting on regards to certain people , regions , and wars . More unorthodox accounts make claims that the sun had changed color , that people birthed their own parents , that gods walked amongst mortals , that the Empire spread its reaches into the stars , and even stating that Cyrodiil became an egg . Of all the texts collected by the Elder Council there are no concurrences , save for one point . Every account from across Tamriel coincides on the fall of eight stars , and this constant was used to keep track of time . However , some Khajiit claim that they kept track of their days by looking upon the constant moons , which the other races did not have the ' sugar ' to see . Members of the Tribunal Temple claim that Morrowind was protected from the effects of the break by the Daedra and Tribunal , believing the eight stars represented each iniquity Lorkhan made clear to the world . Mnemoli was said to have burned so bright during the Middle Dawn , that she could be seen even in the daylight sky ; this could possibly mean that Mnemoli was the reason for the reported changes in the sun ' s color . Many dispute the Middle Dawn ' s existence , crediting it as a result of the rise of eschatological Lorkhan ic Cults during the Third Era that were obsessed with the concept of " Numidium ism . " However , the existence of multiple primary sources , predating the Third Era , that note the events surrounding the Dragon Break seem to prove otherwise , as well as the inability of the Elder Scrolls to look back to that time period . Other debatable instances involving the Middle Dawn was whether or not it actually lasted the 1008 years that the Elder Council claims it did , a number some believe to be an arbitrary and unreliable . The Khajiit claim the same duration as recorded from the moons , but also seem to believe the Elder Council stole the " 1008 years " from them to begin with . While it is normally accepted that the reason the Selectives created the break was to remove the aspects of Akatosh they viewed to not complement the newly founded Cyrodiilic Pantheon , some people , most notably the King of Worms , believe that the Selectives may have had greater ulterior motives in creating the break . The King of Worms is quoted as saying , " " The Maruhkati Selectives showed us all the glories of the Dawn so that we might learn , simply : as above , so below . " " Whether or not the Selectives were successful in their main goal is unknown , as almost all records regarding their existence were destroyed in the War of Righteousness . Some Thalmor members of the First Aldmeri Dominion claim that they were responsible for ending the Middle Dawn , whether or not this is true is not certain . The Tiber Wars . When the Emperor Tiber Septim formed his peace treaty with Vivec during the ending years of the Second Era , one of the conditions of the treaty was that the remains of the Numidium were to be put into the possession of the Empire . Tiber Septim gave his battlemage , Zurin Arctus , the task of studying the Numidium , learning whatever he could from the massive automaton . In doing so , Zurin discovered the reason why the Dwemer had built the construct in the first place and of the great power it potentially held as a weapon . Tiber Septim tasked the Blades to annex and remove the population of a wide area of land near Rimmen and then begin to build a secret testing warehouse / laboratory . The massive warehouse , named The Halls of Colossus , was used by a group of battlemages led by Zurin Arctus to rebuild and test the Numidium . Zurin crafted an item known as the Totem of Tiber Septim in order to control the Numidium . When the Numidium was first activated by utilizing the trapped soul of the Underking held in the Mantella , it caused a Dragon Break that would result with large portions of the region becoming inhospitable , being heavily contaminated with what was only called " poisoned glow - rock , " much to the spite of the native population . During the Break , Tiber Septim utilized the power of the Numidium to conquer the rest of Tamriel and purge all the royal families who did not vehemently support Tiber ' s reign . Due to the memory altering effects of a Dragon Break , this event is remembered by the inhabitants of Tamriel only in obscure legend . How long this break lasted is not known exactly , but it most likely lasted throughout the entire period Numidium was active , ending only when the Underking temporarily destroyed the great golem . According to some sources , another heavily hit area by the Break was the Altmer i city of Alinor , which was subject to a siege by Numidium , resulting in the city surrendering within an hour of the attack , but a battle that lasted from the Merethic Era until long into the Fifth Era , due to the Numidiums time - wrecking capabilities . The Warp in the West . The Warp in the West , sometimes referred to as the Miracle of Peace , or the " Second Numidium Effect , " was the most recent and well known of the Dragon Breaks . The break ' s origins trace back to the events of 3E 405 , when an unknown affiliate of the Blades acquired the Totem of Tiber Septim and was given the choice as to who the totem would be delivered to . After the reassembled Numidium was reunited with the Mantella and walked again , a Dragon Break was created , centering around the Blades agent ' s choice and splitting the Iliac Bay region into six , seven , or possibly eight separate timelines , all occurring simultaneously . While the actions of the Blades agent are believed to have taken place in 3E 405 , the actual break apparently did not occur until twelve years later in 3E 417 , more specifically the 10th of Frostfall , a day completely unknown and lost to all those who did not participate in the Numidium ' s battles . Despite some claims that the Warp only lasted a day , other sources seem to imply that it may have subtly lasted much longer than it is said to have . When the break began , six Numidiums were created as well as six Totems , each being gifted to different kingdoms or individuals ; each of the four great warring - kingdoms of the Iliac Bay , Sentinel , Wayrest , Daggerfall , and Orsinium were gifted Totems and waged war on each other with their respective Numidiums creating battles of incomprehensibly epic proportions . The Empire also gained control of the Numidium , using it to subjugate the Bay - Kings . Both the Underking and the King of Worms gained possession of the Totem and Mantella ; the Underking using them to grant himself death , and the King of Worms using it to make himself into a god . Some sources state that the Blades agent , in which the Warp centered around , may have been killed by the Numidium , however , the true fate of the agent is completely unknown . The Break probably ended after the six Numidiums were either demolished by each other or the Underking , and resulted with the region being heavily transformed . The area which had once been made up of over forty - four petty kingdoms , now encompassed only four equal - footed and well organized kingdoms , with Wayrest controlling the eastern coast of the Iliac Bay , Orsinium controlling the Wrothgarian Mountains , Sentinel controlling the Southern coast , and Daggerfall controlling the west . The Bay - Kingdoms remained part of the Empire , and stability was brought to the Iliac Bay . While the King of Worms did temporarily become a god , this aspect of the Dragon Break was eventually fixed by the Jills of Akatosh and the God of Worms was returned to his mortal state . Some claim that the Warp in the West heralded the fall of the Empire , and certain sources even seem to imply that in a separate timeline , the Empire may have even collapsed during the Warp . The god Talos may have been formed during the Warp , possibly caused by the accession of the Underking . Scholarly interpretations . The Dragon Break is a controversial subject amongst the scholars of Tamriel . Opponents to the theory , most notably the author Fal Droon , attribute the creation of the Dragon Break to the varying cults and sects that cultivated throughout the Third Era , all centralizing their religious ferment around Tiber Septim ' s rise to power . The Dragon Break is therefore explained away as an excessive rise in eschatology surrounding Tiber Septim ' s mysterious Numidium , aided by academic error and continued through tradition and scholarly inertia . Fal Droon points to the famed Encyclopedia Tamrielica of 3E 12 as the foundation of the creation of the " Dragon Break , " citing the supposed " one thousand and eight " year reign of the Alessian Order , recorded within the book , as the main rationale behind the phenomenon . The Alessian ' s fanatical dogma and zeal led them to purge practically every historical text of the time that their order did not approve of , and with the War of Righteousness , nearly the entirety of their own historical accounts were destroyed as well . This caused the presumed millennia long governance of the Alessian Order to become a complete historical gap that no one could account for . According to scholarly critics , this mystery in how such a prolonged Dark Age could ever exist went unexplained until the Lorkhan Cults of the Third Era began spreading the concept of the Dragon Break as the focal cause . Fal Droon states that the thousand and eight - year reign of the Order is , itself , inherently flawed , and that the scholars of the time were completely unaware of the " Alessian year , " that the Order recorded its years by the duration of their High Priestess ' long vision trances . By Droon ' s calculations , the Alessian Order could not have lasted longer than 150 years rather than the 1008 stated in the Encyclopedia Tamrielica . However , Fal Droon fails to realize that the " 1008 years " is associated specifically with the Middle Dawn and the Alessian Order actually lasted as long as 1970 years , outlasting even the Dragon Break period . Arielle Woodhouse , a proponent for the Dragon Break , argued using various sketches of tapestries and paintings dating back to the later First Era , that depicted the stars and constellations in different locations than they normally appear . However , others questioned the authenticity of the sketches given the extremely minuscule amount of paintings and tapestries that survived that period , and the claim that many were based off from copies of original works . Other arguments against the theory state that old Dwemer metal plates found in Orreries , dating long before the Dragon Break , depict the stars in roughly the same location as they are seen in the present , strongly suggesting the stars do not move . It is also proposed that the people of the time were merely ignorant of astronomy or used artistic freedoms when depicting the stars . The Hurling Disk . The Hurling Disk is a conceptual state of the Aurbis , while in a Dragon Break , which mortals can utilize to manipulate Aurbical entities or apotheosize , said to be " hurled to reach heaven by violence . " The concept relies on the representation of the Aurbis as a " wheel " which is held together by eight equally split spokes of chaos solidified by time , the stated gifts of the Aedra . When said spokes are removed , the Wheel becomes an unstable void , returning the Aurbis to the turbulent and timeless Dawn Era . The Wheel therefore becomes an axis for the original spirits of the Dawn , creating a strange mingling of magic from the solar and lunar spheres of the Aurbis . From this point , the Aurbis becomes indefinite and uncongealed , which in certain circumstances can allow for the now malleable universe to be re - shaped as desired . If such actions are taken , a whole new universe will materialize to legitimize said desires , while the old universe warps itself to accept them . As time sees fit to heal itself , the break will eventually come to an end with the Aurbis reformed into a universe that contains the amendments .