Lore:Air Transportation

There are many ways for the inhabitants of Tamriel to fly high in the sky.

Aetherial Vessels

Aetherbells

The Dwemer were rumored to have used vessels called "Aetherbells", that could "dive" through the realms of Aetherius and Oblivion.

Imperial Mananauts

The Royal Imperial Mananauts of the Elder Council were a group who were known to travel to Aetherius. They were believed to be a holdover from the days of the Reman Dynasty. Mananauts have also been known to conduct scholarly research on the various Dremora domains and ranks.

Sunbirds

The Sun Birds of Alinor were Altmer of the Merethic Era who were known to have traveled to Aetherius in ships called sunbirds. They collected genuine celestial mineral that was used to create the great Orrery at Firsthold. They were dissolved due to the untenable expenditures required to reach magic by magicka. Sunbirds have been described as being made of crystal and solidified sunlight; having gem-encrusted mini-trebuchets, fit for sailing, that fire pure aetheric fire; and having banners listing their ancestors all the way back to the Dawn.

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  A recreation of an Imperial Mananaut cap and goggles

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  Prismatic Sunbird Feather

Airships

Airships are an uncommon method of transport in modern Tamriel, but have been used by a few of the races of Tamriel.

Dwemer

The Dwemer were known to have had airships, with the Empire later using them. Lord Amiel Richton possessed one in the Tiber War that was subsequently crashed by Cyrus.

A prominent member of the Mages Guild created a patchwork airship out of Dwemer parts for an expedition to Solstheim. However, the airship crashed into the Isinfier Plains and all the crew died due to the cold and hunger. The ruined remains of this same airship were home to a camp of Rieklings circa 4E 201.

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  Dwemer airship plans

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  Richton's Airship over an Imperial camp

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  Patchwork airship

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  The patchwork airship's remains, over 200 years later

Sload

The Sload of Thras have airships used for mass transit and warfare known as Sload floaters, which are living gasbags. They are rumored to use these to carry slaves from Tear and corpses from Senchal.

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  Sload Floater

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  Sload Skyport

Other

Captain Nym was the captain of an airship (possibly of Ayleid origin) that collected the Star Teeth from the skies during the Merethic Era. However, the airship crashed into Glacier Crawl, in High Rock.

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  Captain Nym's Airship

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  Captain Nym's Airship in the sky

Hot Air Balloons

Hot air balloons were first created by a group of inventors who worked for the great king of a faraway land. They are of such size that they can transport dozens of people through the air with ease. The Bretons of Caecilly Island were known to have hot air balloons. One was used by the Apprentice in the Chimera of Desolation.

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  Hot air balloon

Jumping

Tarhiel's ill-fated experiment

Despite the existence of levitation and flight spells, some find the experience these spells provide disorienting. Partially because of this, there have been several ill-fated attempts in Tamriel's history to develop a way to jump across great distances. Some of the earliest known attempts were in 2E 582. Icarian was a Bosmer mage who developed a device that utilized magicka in an attempt to jump all the way to Aetherius. He would fall to his death in northern Cyrodiil. Despite his failure, his name would eventually be recorded in the scrolls of history. Another attempt that year was that of Tarhiel Farano, a Dunmer mage who tried jump to extreme heights with a spell, only to end up with the same fate as Icarian. After falling to his death in the Telvanni Peninsula, he rose as an angry spirit, claiming that his descendants would perfect his spell. In 3E 421, the Levitation Act was passed, restricting the use of levitation magic. Following this, in 3E 427 a Bosmer enchanter known simply as Tarhiel would be the next known individual to attempt a feat of extreme verticality. This time intending to jump hundreds of miles with enchanted "Scrolls of Icarian Flight". Alas, his fate was the same as his predecessors, and he fell to his death north of Seyda Neen, leaving behind his experimental scrolls. It had been noted that a wayward mage falling from the sky was an occasional sight in Tamriel.

Flying Mounts

Dragons

Dragons can be ridden by those they deem fit to do so.

The Akaviri were known to have used enslaved red dragons as war mounts, which eventually inspired the red dragon symbol for the Empire.

Samar Starlover, a member of the Imperial Guard at Battlespire, had a draconic mount named Dragonne Papré who was capable of flying all the way from Battlespire to the Imperial City, seemingly able to cross the liminal barriers between them. One source indicates that the Empire may have an elite guard who keeps dragons as their mounts, and that Samar Starlover was one of their members.

According to some tales, ancient Nord heroes could tame and ride dragons with the power of their Voice. The Last Dragonborn is a known dragonrider, flying to Skuldafn on the back of Odahviing. Miraak and the Last Dragonborn, at separate times, rode the dragon Sahrotaar within Apocrypha.

It is said that there was a time, long ago, when dragons and mortals took to the skies as bonded battle-mates, implying that these mortals acted as dragonriders in battle.

Gryphons

The Welkynars of Cloudrest tamed the native gryphons and used them as mounts. Given the city's central location on the island of Summerset, and with the help of these flying creatures, the Welkynars were able to quickly render aid across the entire realm.

Other

There have been dubious legends involving flying horses, though they are thought to be as mythical as unicorns. Eveli Sharp-Arrow once expressed disappointment that Daedra didn't use flying horses as mounts.

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  The Last Dragonborn atop Odahviing

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  One of the Welkynars next to her gryphon partner

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  Depiction of a flying horse

Levitation Magic

→ See: Magical Transportation

Notes

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  While the vessels the Mananauts used for Aetherial travel are never identified, unofficial texts make mention of "megalomoths" or "mothships". These vessels seem to be referenced in the official text Lost Tales of the Famed Explorer: Fragment III, where the remains of something with "great wings of metal, like the wings of a moth" and "twin domes of layered glass eyes" is found in Black Marsh.

References

Note: The following references are considered to be unofficial sources. They are included to round off this article and may not be authoritative or conclusive.