The Investigation into the Mystery of the Hero of Kvatch

By Agrius Hayn, Historian

An Investigation into the Disappearance of the Hero of Kvatch.

As anyone who is not out of touch with history can tell you, the most defining moment of the turning of the Third Era into the Fourth was the Oblivion Crisis, a predicament that was only ended by the great sacrifice of the last Septim Emperor, Saint Martin. Yet, when one speaks of the last Septim Heir, one cannot omit his great companion – who is known to us by many names. The Hero of Kvatch, the Savior of Bruma, the Champion of Cyrodiil, the Divine Crusader. These are all names that are attributed to the great champion of Saint Martin, whom we today refer to simply as the Hero of Kvatch.

Yet in the 3rd year of the Fourth Era, three years after the Oblivion Gates were closed and fifteen months after the Second Defeat of Umaril the Unfeathered, the Hero of Kvatch mysteriously disappears from the public. His disappearance, much like the ill-fated expedition of the Nerevarine to Akavir is much talked about in both the historical and public community, as people ponder on what happened to this great hero. One of the great catalysts of the rising theory that the Thalmor of Alinor solved the Oblivion Crisis rises from the disappearance of the Hero of Kvatch, with many sceptics believing the Hero to have been wholly made up by imperial propaganda to boost morale later on. Had the Hero not disappeared, such accusations would not have arisen, yet that is not our fate sadly. But it is undoubtedly true that the Hero of Kvatch was a real figure. Not only because of public record, but also because of the people around him and the legacy he left behind.

When researching the Hero for my historical project, I took the initiative to actually speak with the people that interacted with the historical Hero, and I found myself travelling across Cyrodiil, mostly following wild goose chases until I finally found myself in the city of Skingrad, in front of Rosethorn Hall. I found a peculiar site in front of me. A retired member of the Blades entering the Hall, and speaking with the Nord Lady of the Hall about the Hero, reminiscing about the 'good times'. My curiosity was piqued and I spoke with the retired Blade later before he left the city. The retired Blade introduced himself as Baurus, a Redguard by race, and a servant of the Empire by duty. He was extremely close with the Hero of Kvatch.

The basics were already known to me. The Hero of Kvatch was a prisoner in the Imperial Prison and that he tried to aid Emperor Uriel Septim VII to escape from the Mythic Dawn. But hearing it from a man with an eye account witness to the event was much more eye opening. The Hero of Kvatch was a young Imperial man with brown eyes and unassuming brown hair wrapped into a military style haircut. Why he was in prison? Well no one knows, especially after the mix up on the prison documents during the height of the Oblivion Crisis. Baurus afterwards goes into detail regarding the Hero, and how he and the Hero tried to save the Emperor, but ultimately failed. The actions of the Hero afterwards followed, but I knew about that already, and I am sure you do as well, if not, then I would recommend reading the various books written on the Oblivion Crisis in regards to the actions of the Hero of Kvatch. This book was written down to record the actions of the Hero that are not popularly remembered.

After discussing his deeds, Baurus dropped a surprisingly detail on to me. The Hero of Kvatch was married! And had children before disappearing. The aforementioned Nordic Lady of Rosethorn Hall was the wife of the Hero of Kvatch. I just couldn't resist and using Baurus as an intermediary I went to Rosethorn Hall and got to meet with the wife of the Hero myself. A Nordic lady of mediocre height with pale skin and greying hair. Her name was Eyja Olo. She started out as the maid of the Hero of Kvatch and his Skingrad estate, but eventually the two received Mara's blessings and married one another. I was already plenty surprised, but I found out later onwards, that the new Count of Kvatch, Vantus Olo was actually her son. The similarity in names should have already aroused suspicions but at the time I hadn't noticed. When High Chancellor Ocato was assassinated, his will left behind the noble titles of the rebuilt County of Kvatch to a young child of only age eight. The traditional nobility of Cyrodiil had been outraged, but the ensuing chaotic interregnum and the support of Imperial Captain Savlian Matius of Kvatch had allowed Count Vantus to retain his position, and when Emperor Titus Mede took over in 4E 17, he allowed the Olo family to retain the County of Kvatch as reward for their support of his attempt to gain the throne in the Imperial City.

This was extremely surprising, as I am sure it is to you, when reading this, but yes, we have living proof that the Hero of Kvatch was real in the form of his son, who became the 1st Count of a revived Kvatch. At the moment I write this, he still rules. Finally, after all those revelations, I found one last discovery from the wife of the Hero. The Hero of Kvatch did not disappear randomly. Oh no he did not.

After the defeat of Umaril the Unfeathered, the Hero of Kvatch had set about to rebuild the Knights of the Nine as a permanent entity. One day, he received a summons to the Imperial City and the Elder Council. Handing temporary – which later became permanent – headship of the Knights to his earliest companion, Sir Areldur, the Hero made his way to the Elder City. There, Chancellor Ocato informed the Hero that on a small deserted island west of Bravil, in the middle of Niben Bay, a strange portal like door had opened. People who went inside either became missing forever, or came back out a bumbling mad mess and only a shadow of their former selves. Ocato asked the Hero to investigate the door. The Hero obliged. After spending weeks around the door and the people who went in and out of this mysterious door, the Hero went back to the Imperial City and stated that he had no choice but to enter the mysterious door, for he had no strong conclusions to give based on his observations.

Knowing that many had never returned from the Gate, before he entered, the Hero made sure to keep things financially secure for his family, with Ocato promising to take care of his family personally – and indeed Skingrad city rumors do confirm that before his assassination and after the disappearance of the Hero, Ocato did make it a personal routine to come visit Rosethorn Hall once in a while. After saying their tearful goodbyes, the Hero went inside the mysterious door. Several months later, the mysterious door closed permanently, but the Hero never came out.

The Hero had disappeared with a final glory, sadly much to his own detriment. He had closed the mysterious door that had been driving the local people mad, but at the cost of being trapped inside forever. What happened inside of that door? No one knows. There are whispers among the Daedric Shrines of Cyrodiil that the mysterious door that the Hero closed led into the realm of the Daedric Prince of Madness, Sheogorath, but like many other theories regarding the mysterious door, nothing is concrete.

To complete my investigation, I made my way to the remnant of the mysterious door, but much like the Hero on his first try, I gleaned nothing from the ruined carvings on the island. Nevertheless, it is my hope, that with this publication, I can lay rest the speculations of the Hero of Kvatch forever. It has been nearly four decades since the Hero's disappearance, and his legend needs a final ending, once and for all.