| Baar Dau | |
|---|---|
| Type | Celestial Rock |
| Continent | Tamriel |
| Province | Morrowind |
| Region | Ascadian Isles |
| Settlement | Vivec |
| Appears in | Morrowind |
Baar Dau (also known as the Ministry of Truth or Lie Rock) was a celestial rock which hovered above the city of Vivec. According to legend, it was flung from the Void (by either Sheogorath or its own malevolence, depending on the story) but was prevented from crashing into the city by the god Vivec. Vivec allowed it to remain hovering above the High Fane so that if the people of the city ever ceased to love him, the rock would fall and destroy them. Baar Dau was hollowed out by the Tribunal Temple and became the Ministry of Truth, where the Temple would imprison dissident priests and attempt to reform them. The high security prison was accessible only through levitation, and was directed by a Grand Inquisitor. The main areas were the Hall of Processing and the Prison Keep. Temple pilgrims offered levitation potions at the Shrine of Daring, which was dedicated to Vivec stopping the moon from destroying the city.
Early in the Fourth Era, after the disappearance of Vivec, the magic keeping Baar Dau afloat began to weaken. Two Dunmer, Sul and Vuhon, created an ingenium, a soul-powered device which supported the rock. It was created by making a pact with Clavicus Vile, who had a penchant for souls. Hundreds of captured souls were needed to run the machine, but eventually living people were used. Only the people with the strongest souls were sacrificed. Ilzheven, Sul's love, was sacrificed by Vuhon, and the ingenium was destroyed when Sul attempted to rescue her. In 4E 5, without anything holding it up, Baar Dau continued its ancient fall, returning to the momentum it had before being stopped. This obliterated the city of Vivec, leaving a crater which would become Scathing Bay. In turn, the impact created tsunamis which ravaged mainland Morrowind and caused Red Mountain to erupt, devastating Vvardenfell. The event effectively ended the Tribunal Temple and the mainstream worship of the Tribunal as gods.
See Also
- For game-specific information, see the Morrowind article.