Balmora

*Not to be confused with Dhalmora.*

*"Balmora is the district seat of House Hlaalu, and the largest settlement on Vvardenfell after Vivec City."*
―Anonymous[src]
**Balmora**, **Stoneforest**, or **Stonewood** is one of the four major cities located in the Vvardenfell District of Morrowind and is the capital of both the West Gash and the Hlaalu District in Vvardenfell. Balmora is a very prosperous city that gets traction from places such as Vivec City and Ald'ruhn.

## By game

* Stoneforest (Arena)
* Balmora (Morrowind)
* Balmora (Online)

## Description

### Geography

Balmora is located on the northern banks of the Odai River and is built on the river's east and west shores. Balmora's main feature is the large canal constructed in the middle of town; this canal is used for fishing with the city walls as well as a mode of transport throughout the Odai Riverbanks. Balmora is also built in between small mountains that give it a natural barrier to protect it from incoming weather (i.e. Ashstorms). Balmora is located on the Western Main Road that goes through the West Gash and leads to the Ascadian Isles and the Vvardenfell Ashlands. Miners come and go from Balmora since many Mines exist in the area such as the Vassir-Didanat Ebony Mine and the Caldera Ebony Mine in the Caldera Crater.

Within the inner walls, Balmora is divided into two, but in reality, Balmora consists of three districts. The eastern side of the river is known as Labor Town and it is where many of the residents live. People ranging from the middle class to the lower class live in Balmora, many of Balmora's criminal aspect resides in Labor Town. The area on the western shore is known as the Commercial District. The Commercial District is largely where all the business happens, the local Fighters Guild and Mages Guild are found in here, as well as the Silt Strider. The Silt Strider in Balmora can take travelers to places such as Ald'ruhn, Seyda Neen, Suran, and Vivec City. High Town is the westernmost district and is located on the hills of Caldera Crater. This is where Balmora's nobility lives as well as the Temple formerly dedicated to the Tribunal; it now worships the House of Reclamations.

### Cuisine

* Balmora Blue – An alcoholic beverage that is banned in various provinces such as Skyrim. This concoction is made with Moon Sugar which may be the reason why it is banned since consuming too much Moon Sugar can lead to addictions.
* Balmora Cabbage Biscuits – Made with Greens and Flour. Balmora Cabbage Biscuits is an excellent meal that has received critical acclaim from places all across Morrowind.

## History

### Second Era

*Main article: Balmora (Online)*
During the Interregnum in 2E 583, House Redoran claimed a majority of Western Vvardenfell and built the city of Balmora with the Hlaalu style in mind. Balmora became the Redoran Capital of Vvardenfell and settlements such as Gnisis and Ald Velothi followed suit with the Redoran Style in mind. The Counselor to rule Balmora was Councilor Eris Releth and had connections among the higher-ups in House Redoran. However, his dedication to House Redoran made him grow distant from his children, Veya Releth and Ulvan Releth, this proved to be his downfall. The civilized Dunmeri-folk have a hatred directed to the Ashlanders that roam Morrowind's Deadlands and prevent entrance into their modern cities. Ulvan Releth was a very kind person who had respect for the Ashlanders in the West Gash, which gave Eris some concerns that Ulvan may defect from Redoran. Eris used Captain Brivan to order a soldier to kill an Ashlander Merchant to see whether Ulvan would intervene or not. Ulvan intercepted the Soldier and killed him in haste. This caused Ulvan to be exiled from Vvardenfell, but he would go to the local Ashlanders instead.

Knowing this, Brivan would use Ferhara's Warclaws to kill the Ashlanders and subsequently Ulvan. Veya grew suspicious of this and ran away from home to uncover Ulvan's disappearances. With the help of Morag Tong Mentor and a mysterious traveler, she was able to uncover Ulvan's assassination and her father's role in this. She sought vengeance against Brivan and her father, and she assassinated both of them. Her fate was unknown but regardless, Veya Releth disappeared forever.

Since the city of Balmora is under the control of House Redoran, the Balmora region is also under the control of the Ebonheart Pact, an alliance created in the aftermath of the Second Akaviri Invasion. Although, the Pact did not have any notable headquarters in Vvardenfell.

### Third Era

*Main article: Stoneforest*
During the Imperial Simulacrum from 3E 389 to 3E 399, Emperor Uriel Septim VII was imprisoned along with Talin Warhaft in the Deadlands by Jagar Tharn. Tharn planned for months to capture the throne, and he was able to achieve so in the span of ten years. Tharn had a powerful weapon called the Staff of Chaos, and he split it into nine pieces and scattered them across Tamriel, the staff was the only thing keeping Uriel Septim and Warhaft in Oblivion. A warrior escaped his clutches and traveled all corners of Tamriel to retrieve the missing pieces. The hero was known as the Eternal Champion, and he assembled the staff and defeated Jagar Tharn at the Imperial Palace. The Eternal Champion had at one point visited the town of Stoneforest in their quest to recover the pieces.

*Main article: Balmora (Morrowind)*
In 3E 426, a tax revolt enveloped the city of Balmora, and it raised concerns in the Hlaalu Council. Luckily, the revolt was quelled down without any violence needed. The Hlaalu Council sent notes to the then Duke Vedam Dren of Ebonheart about the situation, to give him a reason to lower taxes.

In 3E 427, Balmora prospered along with the other three cities in Vvardenfell. The city was under the rule of Nileno Dorvayn, the only leader to not be a Councilor of her own Great Houses. Regardless, she was able to manage Balmora for several years. In the same year, the Nerevarine Prophecy came to fruition, and the Nerevarine roamed Vvardenfell to fulfill the prophecy. The warrior traveled to Balmora and met with Dorvayn to gather the Hlaalu Councilors to become the Hortator of Hlaalu.

### Fourth Era

In 4E 5, Red Mountain, which is located in the center of Vvardenfell, had erupted after centuries later. The resulting eruption caused the destruction of virtually all of Vvardenfell's Settlements including Balmora, Sadrith Mora, Vivec City, and Ald'ruhn. A House Redoran Councilor in Mournhold started a relief effort to rebuild the settlements on Vvardenfell. As of 4E 201, it is unknown whether the effort reached Balmora and the city is rebuilt.

## Gallery

Balmora - Morrowind.pngBalmora circa 3E 427.Stoneforest view.pngStoneforest circa 3E 399.Stoneforest view full map.pngMap of Stoneforest circa 3E 399.Balmora Spymaster card art.pngBalmora Spymaster in *Legends*.
## Trivia

* A recipe for Balmora Cabbage Biscuits is available online along with the Honey Nut Treat and Sweetrolls.

## Appearances

* *The Elder Scrolls: Arena*
* *The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind*
* *The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion* (mentioned only)
* *The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim* (mentioned only)
* *The Elder Scrolls Online* (mentioned only)
	+ Template:ESO Morrowind
* *The Elder Scrolls: Legends* (mentioned only)

## References

1. ↑ Dialogue from Sul-Matuul
2. ↑ *Guide to Balmora*
3. ↑ Events in Template:ESO Morrowind
4. ↑ Events in Fleeing the Past
5. ↑ Events in Of Faith and Family
6. ↑ Events in A Purposeful Writ
7. ↑ Events in Family Reunion
8. ↑ *Pact Pamphlet: Congratulations!*
9. ↑ Events in *The Elder Scrolls: Arena*
10. ↑ *Yellow Book of 3E 426*
11. ↑ Events in *The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind*
12. ↑ Events in Hlaalu Hortator
13. ↑ *The Red Year, Vol. II*

**Notice**: The following are unlicensed references. They are not copyrighted by a ZeniMax Media company, but can still be considered part of *The Elder Scrolls* lore and are included for completeness.
1. ↑ *Interview With Three Booksellers*
2. ↑ *Elder Scrolls – Balmora Cabbage Biscuits*

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