Amulet of Kings

For the book, see The Amulet of Kings.

The Amulet of Kings, also called the Amulet of Kings of Glory,^[1][2] was an amulet worn by Cyrodilic Emperors with the blood of a Dragonborn. The symbol of the Empire of Tamriel,^[1] the Red Diamond (Chim-El Adabal),^[3] stemmed from the amulet and became the royal seal of the Septim Dynasty much later.^[1] Only those with Dragon Blood could wear the amulet; otherwise it would slip from the wearer's neck.^[4][5] Many theories exist as to its origin, the most commonly believed being that it is a crystalized drop of Lorkhan's blood following his defeat at the hands of Akatosh and Trinimac.^[6] Others believe that Akatosh formed the gem from his blood and gave it to Saint Alessia as a token of his willingness to keep mortals safe from the wrath of Daedric Princes.^[7] Other theories report that the amulet is, in fact, a Soul Gem of Ayleid origin.^{[UL 1]}

In The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, it is a central item during the Oblivion Crisis, where the Hero of Kvatch delivered the amulet to Martin Septim, the last heir of the late Emperor Uriel Septim VII. With it, he invoked the avatar of Akatosh and battled Mehrunes Dagon at the Temple of the One, destroying the amulet in the process and sealing the bridge between Oblivion and Mundus forever.^[5] It also played a major role during the events of The Elder Scrolls Online where it was used in an unsuccessful ritual to make Emperor Varen Aquilarios Dragonborn and later to imbue the Vestige with extreme powers to defeat Molag Bal.

By game[]

• Amulet of Kings (Oblivion)
• Amulet of Kings (Online)

History[]

First Era[]

Creation[]

When Akatosh and Trinimac slew Lorkhan and flung his heart across Tamriel, a droplet of blood fell as it flew over Cyrodiil, and landed in an Ayleid Well. The blood was fused with a red crystal, and retrieved by the Daedra-worshipping Ayleids. They then polished and cut it into the shape of a diamond, titling it the "Chim-el Adabal."^[6] Other theories say that it was Akatosh's own blood, drawn from his heart which he used to bless Saint Alessia, making the Covenant with her that so long as her descendants are true to the Dragon Blood, the Dragonfires would burn and Tamriel would be safe from the Daedra.^[7][1]

Covenant with Akatosh[]

When the Ayleids enslaved the Nedic humans native to the Tamrielic continent, a commoner named Alessia, the matriarch of the Cyrodilic Royal Line from which renowned rulers such as Reman Cyrodiil came, rose up among them and led a rebellion against the Ayleids, divinely inspired by the apparition of Akatosh.^[1][7]

The Dragon God of Time and ruler of the noble Aedra, Akatosh, looking with pity upon the plight of men, drew blood from his own heart, and blessed Alessia with this blood of Dragons. With her, he forged a covenant that so long as Alessia's bloodline remained pure to its dragon blood, Akatosh would seal the veils between Oblivion and the mortal plane.^[1] Akatosh then gave her the crystal as a reward for her conquering of Cyrod.^[6] The amulet became a soul gem containing Alessia's soul after she died, and was worn by her son Belharza after she became a saint, and presumably by his successors.^[7]

Reman Empire[]

After the fall of the Alessian Empire in 1E 2321, the Amulet was lost. However, it was later found when Reman Cyrodiil was born with the Chim-el Adabal on his forehead.^[2] As of his rule of the Empire, it became tradition that upon the crowning of each emperor, the Amulet of Kings is taken to the Temple of the One in the Imperial City. Ceremoniously, the Dragonfires were lit with the amulet and the pact with Akatosh lived on.^[5] The emperor would be "soul-linked" to the amulet, and the fires would remain burning until the monarch's death.^[8]

Second Era[]

Soulburst[]

In 2E 576, Interregnum Emperor Varen Aquilarios sought out to find the Amulet in order to make himself a Dragonborn so that he could legitimize his claim to the Ruby Throne, and formed the Five Companions.^[9] After two years of searching, they managed to recover the amulet, and began a ritual involving the lighting of the Dragonfires. However, one of the companions, Mannimarco, revealed that he set up the ritual as a trick, and immobilized the companions. He then manipulated the Amulet and Dragonfires and used their power to rip a tear between Oblivion and Mundus, causing an event known as the Soulburst that would allow for Molag Bal and his Daedra to invade Tamriel, leaving Nirn "adrift in the Mundus."^[3] One of the companions, Sai Sahan, took the amulet and hid it within Sancre Tor.^[10]

Planemeld[]

During the events of the Planemeld and Three Banners War, a prisoner later known as the Vestige was captured by Mannimarco and sacrificed to Molag Bal. They were later rescued by Lyris Titanborn, one of the Five Companions, and came in contact with Varen.^[11] Following a series of tasks, the Vestige journeyed to the Halls of Torment, where Sai Sahan was held prisoner for two years by Mannimarco, who sought to extract the knowledge of the amulet's location by torturing Sai.^[12] Sai was rescued and took the companions to the Valley of Blades, where his mentor Kasura held a ring bearing the sigil of Stendarr that was keeping the amulet safe from Bal's clutches.^[13]

With the ring, the companions journeyed to Sancre Tor to retrieve the amulet. However, Mannimarco was observing Sai's actions secretly, and attempted to defeat them with hordes of undead. Mannimarco later fought the Vestige and was killed, with his spirit taken to Coldharbour by Molag Bal. The companions then retrieved the amulet and set up a plan to invade Bal's realm.^[14] At Heart's Grief, Abnur Tharn needed to sacrifice either Varen, Lyris, or Sai in order to imbue the Vestige with Akatosh's blessing. After the ritual, the Vestige was granted with temporary extreme power, and defeated Molag Bal.^[15] Abnur Tharn later escaped with the amulet, and fled to Cyrodiil. He attempted to use it, though his attempts were fruitless as the amulet's power had been expended for at least a generation to come.^[16]

Third Era[]

Battle of Sancre Tor[]

Centuries later, Tiber Septim recovered the amulet from Reman III's tomb in Sancre Tor during the Battle of Sancre Tor after fending off the Nord and Breton armies. Later on, the amulet would come to be passed on to Septim's successors.^[17]

Oblivion Crisis[]

In 3E 433, a prisoner accompanied Uriel Septim VII, the then bearer of the Amulet. After an attack by the Mythic Dawn, Uriel was assassinated, and the prisoner was tasked with delivering the amulet to Jauffre, the head of the Weynon Priory. Jauffre then kept the amulet hidden, but after Uriel's illegitimate son Martin was escorted to the priory, the artifact was found to be stolen by the Mythic Dawn.^[5]

The prisoner, later known as the Hero of Kvatch and Champion of Cyrodiil, journeyed into Gaiar Alata, Mankar Camoran's paradise in Oblivion. Camoran was found to be wearing the amulet, and after being slain by the hero, the amulet was returned to its rightful owner Martin.^[5]

Martin then began to make preparations at the Temple of the One for his coronation as the new emperor of the Septim Dynasty and the lighting of the Dragonfires, but before this could be done, the Daedric Prince Mehrunes Dagon invaded the Imperial City. Due to the imminent threat facing Tamriel and the Empire, Martin crushed the amulet at the temple during his coronation to defeat Mehrunes Dagon and close shut the jaws of Oblivion forever. The destruction of the Amulet of Kings and the end of the Oblivion Crisis marked the beginning of the Fourth Era.^[5]

Craftsmanship[]

Known as "Chim-El Adabal," the Amulet of Kings is, according to one source, a Soul Gem of Ayleid origin, imbued with the soul of Empress Alessia in 2E 266 by Shezarr, known as Lorkhan in the Aldmeri Pantheon.^{[UL 1]} The gem is the red diamond in the middle of the Amulet, the symbol of the Empire and later taken as the symbol of the Septim line. It is surrounded by eight other gems, one for each of the divines.^[1]

Gallery[]

Uriel Septim VII wearing an amulet with the Red Diamond in Arena.

Martin wearing the Amulet in Oblivion.

Quest icon of the Amulet from Oblivion.

Mankar Camoran with the Amulet, as depicted in card art in The Elder Scrolls: Legends.

Sai Sahan guarding the Amulet as depicted in card art in Legends.

Trivia[]

• In the backstory within the manual for Arena, the dialogue between Talin and Sia alludes that the Amulet of Kings magically alerts the Elder Council if the Emperor dies. This may be one reason why Jagar Tharn kept Uriel Septim VII alive in Oblivion rather than killing him.
• In Oblivion, completing the side quest, "Two Sides of the Coin" grants the Arnora's True Amulet, which is a variation to the Amulet of Kings. The Fake Amulet is a blue variation of the True Amulet.
• In Oblivion, the amulet can be acquired using console commands. The Item ID for the amulet is: player.additem 000250A0 1
• In The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, the Penitus Oculatus Armor features the Red Diamond emblazoned with the symbol of the Penitus Oculatus at the center of the armor, the Red Diamond symbol being based on the Amulet of Kings.
  • In Online, however, there are two white gems adorning the top and bottom of the amulet, with the other gems missing.

Appearances[]

• The Elder Scrolls: Arena (mentioned only)
• The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (mentioned only)^[1]
• The Elder Scrolls Online
• The Elder Scrolls: Legends (mentioned only)

References[]