How many accounts of the Battle of Red Mountain are there?
So, I've been wandering around Morrowind collecting accounts of the key event of the game's backstory. I'm up to eight mutually-conflicting versions (the official Temple version, the Temple Apographa version, two versions from Vivec, two Ashlander versions, the Telvanni version, and a Nord version), plus a fragmentary version from Dagoth Ur.
Are there any accounts of the battle I've missed? I'm down to two facts that all the accounts agree on: that the Chimer/Dunmer and the Dwemer were present at the battle, and that the Dwemer didn't win. A version that contradicts one or both of these facts would be ideal.
Best Answer
The core of the answer is "Nobody really knows what happened at Red Mountain"
From the UESP article for the battle:
In a 2005 interview, Douglas Goodall stated that during the development of Morrowind there was no "official" account of what happened at the Battle of Red Mountain. "...When I was at Bethesda, there was officially no answer. No one knew what really happened...."
You are correct in noticing the discrepancies between accounts of the battle. You summarized what most sources agree on: The Chimer fought the Dwemer, and the Dwemer disappeared. That's about the only thing everybody agrees on.
There are four main accounts of the battle: Vivec's story, The Ashland version, The Outlander version, and and Dagoth'Urs letter. There are additional supplementary sources, but these four are the main interpretations of the Battle.
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Who won the battle of Red Mountain?
The exact truth of what happened cannot be determined due to conflicting accounts, but all agree that by the time the dust settled, much of that dust was all that remained of the Dwemer. Though Nerevar died, his people claimed victory, and four Chimer were positioned to become living gods.How many times has Red Mountain erupted?
The largest volcano in Tamriel, it is known to have erupted two times, the first being in 1E 688. It remained dormant until the Red Year of 4E 5, when the fall of Baar Dau caused it to erupt once again.How long ago was the Battle of Red Mountain?
The Battle of Red Mountain was a battle that marked the culmination of the War of the First Council in 1E 700. It was fought between the Dwemer, the Chimer Great House Dagoth, against the remaining Great Houses of the Chimer.Was the Battle of Red Mountain a dragon break?
The first known person said to recognize and acknowledge that the Battle of Red Mountain was taking place during a Dragon Break was the Ash-King Wulfharth. During this Break, Vivec utilized the Hurling Disk to legitimize the Tribunal's divinity through Mantling the Three Good Daedra.Elder Scrolls Lore: Ch.21 - Tribunal - Battle of Red Mountain
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