Lore:Knifepoint Hollow

Knifepoint Hollow
Type	Ruin
Realm	Oblivion
Plane	Shivering Isles
Region	Dementia
Appears in	Shivering Isles, Legends

Knifepoint Hollow circa 3E 433

Knifepoint Hollow is a subterranean ruin located northwest of New Sheoth, on the foothills of northern Dementia in the Shivering Isles. It was once the site of the Great Library of Jyggalag, which once contained all the knowledge in creation prior to Jyggalag's transformation into Sheogorath. When Sheogorath discovered the existence of the library, he had it burned, and converted it into a prison for Dyus, the keeper of the great library.

Like all ancient ruins found in the Isles, it is theorized that the complex at Knifepoint is a relic of the Predecessors, the mortal inhabitants of the realm whose civilization was wiped out in a previous Greymarch. By the Third Era, root tunnels had broken through into its ancient subterranean halls, and the only means of accessing the ruins from the surface was by means of a root tunnel.

History

Dyus, the last remnant of the Great Library

When the Shivering Isles were ruled by the Daedric Prince of Order Jyggalag, his Great Library was considered the height of logic and deduction. Contained within its walls were the logical prediction of every action ever taken by any creature, mortal or Daedric, all predicted with the formulae found within the library. One such book housed within the library was The Prophetic Deduction, Vol 34,857, a copy of which seemingly survived the library's destruction. The keeper of the library was Dyus of Mytheria, Jyggalag's immortal chamberlain, who possessed all the knowledge contained within the library.

Jyggalag's power became so great that his fellow Daedric Princes cursed him, transforming him into Sheogorath, the Prince of Madness. When Sheogorath discovered the Great Library he had it burned, insisting that it was an abomination and that personal choice defied logical prediction. However, he could not bring himself to destroy the knowledge Dyus possessed, and so he forbade him from dying and imprisoned him at the remote site of the Great Library to "protect" his realm from this knowledge.

The ruins of the Great Library became known as Knifepoint Hollow. A group of Zealots took up occupation of the ruins, converting its lower levels into a Chantry dedicated to their worship of Arden-Sul. At some point, a Dunmer madwoman named Gadeneri Ralvel killed herself, and her skull ended up at Knifepoint Hollow. For this crime, her soul was cursed by Sheogorath to spend all eternity trapped on the Hill of Suicides, waiting to be reunited with her remains. In 3E 433, the Hero of Kvatch recovered Gadeneri's skull at the request of her brother Erver and brought it to her spirit, freeing her from the Hill.

When Sheogorath transformed into Jyggalag during the Greymarch of 3E 433, Haskill sent the Hero to Knifepoint Hollow to speak to Dyus about the possibility to mantle the Prince of Madness by reconstructing the Staff of Sheogorath. Dyus had predicted this visit and directed the Hero to the necessary components. He subsequently crafted the Staff, in the knowledge that all logical predictions pointed to the Hero failing to stop the Greymarch. However, the Hero succeeded, becoming the next Sheogorath and freeing Jyggalag from his curse. Dyus remained imprisoned within Knifepoint Hollow, awaiting either his death or his return to Jyggalag's service.

At some point in the Fourth Era, Talym Rend travelled to Knifepoint Hollow in search of leverage over Sheogorath. He spoke to Dyus, who had predicted his coming and provided Talym with the information he required to compel Sheogorath: the truth of the Mad God's origins as the Prince of Order, and the location of the Sword of Jyggalag.

Gallery

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  The Chantry (Shivering Isles)

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  Knifepoint Hollow (Legends)

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  Dyus (Legends)

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  The Prophetic Deduction, Vol 34,857