The Isles
The
Summerset Archipelago was once divided between three main islands:
Alinor, Auridon, and
Artaeum. However Artaeum is never seen in any maps as it is often removed from this dimension by its rulers, the
Psijic Order.
Alinor
The titular
Summerset Isle is the political center of the elven world. Temperate and mountainous, the island exists in a perfect harmony of its composite kingdoms, united under the divine authority of the
Altarch of the capital city of
Alinor. Every inch of this beautiful land is planned by the High Elves. Even the freestanding pillars and archways which line its roads are in a carefully maintained state of ruin, to preserve the island exactly as it was at the end of the
Aldmeri Golden Age.
Its coasts host beautiful bleached coral forests, the remnants of the original
Druegh kingdoms that once ruled the isles. The dimensionally transcendent
Crystal Tower stands tall along its northern peninsula as a testimony to Aldmeri engineering and magical expertise. Knights riding hyppogrifs patrol the skies to defend the kingdom from invadors and those who would blaspheme against elven purity. At its heart is the mighty mount
Eton Nir, crowned by the Bastion-City of
Cloudrest.
Auridon
Less carefully maintained than its sister island, the vibrant beauty of Auridon shines in the rainbow forests and enchanted rivers which spill out from the
Abecean Mountain Range. At its northern tip is the city of
Firsthold, the site of the Aldmeri
Ancient's first landing in Tamriel. This first elven civilization left many ruins throughout the island which are believed to be the wellsprings of the antedeluvian magic which permeates the land.
Artaeum
The missing third of the main islands of the archipelago belongs to the
Psijic Order, the oldest monastic order in Tamriel. The Psijics long ago diverged from Altmeri religion. Rather than the
Aedra, the
Anuic gods which High Elves consider their ancestors, the Order is concerned with the esoteric mysteries of
Padomay, the primordial spirit of entropy. The order is headqauartered at
Ceporah Tower, which was built atop a massive coral structure which predates elven presence on the island.
When it is in seclusion within its pocket dimension, it is said to be contained within a golden lattice of interconnected stars. The sky is lit in the gentle hues of dawn and dusk by a ringed sun which reaches neither nadir nor zenith.
The island is a misty, stormy realm of high cliffs overlooking a tempestuous sea, never having the same shape between appearances. Within its fortress-like borders are marshlands and meadows, dotted by farms and ancient monestaries. At the whims of its elusive masters, Artaeum disappears and reappears throughout history, sometimes being present for only days at a time before vanishing for centuries. Its longest continuous stretch away from the mortal world lasted for over 500 years during the
Second Era. Its longest unbroken presence in the world was from
3E 430 - 432, when over thirty people were recruited into the order before it vanished exactly a year to the minute before the start of the
Oblivion Crisis.
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