After over 10 years since Skyrim Anniversary Edition DLC introducing fresh content into the game. But as it turns out, this dark secret about the Ebony Warrior may have been under players’ noses for years.
Skyrim’s Ebony Warrior appears to request a duel with the Dragonborn once they reach character level 80. As he approaches the player, clad in a frightening set of ebony armor, he doesn’t reveal much about himself - only that he’s “done everything” there is to do in life, and that his final wish is to be sent off to Sovngarde by being bested in combat. If the player agrees, he asks them to meet him at the Last Vigil, a deserted mining camp nestled snugly within the Velothi Mountains. There, the Ebony Warrior will fight his final battle and receive his dying wish as the Dragonborn sends him off to the afterlife. Strangely enough, that’s all there is to this fun side quest in Skyrim; the game doesn’t offer any additional explanation as to who he was, despite his apparent status as a legendary warrior. This ending felt abrupt to many players, and it understandably left them wondering what might lie behind his mysterious and short-lived presence in the game’s story.
Consequently, for more than a decade, the Skyrim community has been attempting to uncover the truth behind the Ebony Warrior’s identity. The longest running theory is that he is actually a reincarnation of Hoonding, the Redguard god of perseverance. However, a YouTube video posted by TheEpicNate315 suggests an entirely different - and entirely plausible - possibility that has some fans reconsidering their beliefs about the character. TheEpicNate315 puts forth a convincing hypothesis, along with what might be obscure evidence scattered throughout the Elder Scrolls titles, that the Ebony Warrior is actually possessed by Umbra, an ancient artifact belonging to Skyrim's Daedric Prince Clavicus Vile.
Daedric Artifact Umbra Has Made An Appearance In The Previous Two Elder Scrolls Titles
The origin of Umbra dates all the way back to Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. Near a quaint village named Suran, the player can encounter a vagrant warrior who goes by the name Umbra - and he is strikingly similar to the Ebony Warrior in both appearance and motives. He dons a full set of dark, intimidating Orcish armor, and he provides mere crumbs of background information regarding his identity. In fact, he doesn’t even give the player his real name, instead insisting that he goes by the name of his sword, Umbra. He claims that he has done everything that the world has to offer, and that his sole wish now is to be slain at the hands of an opponent strong enough to kill him, just like Skyrim's heavy-armor-clad character, the Ebony Warrior. If the player decides to grant him this request, Umbra will fight until he finally receives his honorable death. But other than being able to loot Umbra’s armor and weaponry off of his body, there is no conclusion to this narrative within the game; the player doesn’t get any answers as to who he truly was.
The sword Umbra makes another appearance in Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, though. In the Heartlands near the Imperial City, the player can stumble upon a group of worshipers gathered around a shrine, which is dedicated to the Clavicus Vile, the Daedric Prince of trickery and bargains. Like most Daedra in the Elder Scrolls universe, Clavicus Vile seems to take a liking to the player, offering them a reward if they bring him a “special sword.” Upon agreeing to the quest, Vile instructs them to begin their search in Pell’s Gate, a small town below Fort Homestead. There, as the player investigates, villagers will begin to warn him of an infamous sword titled none other than Umbra. According to resident Irroke the Wide, Umbra is a deeply dangerous weapon - for both its victim and its wielder alike.
Irroke’s past apprentice, Lenwin, mysteriously discovered Umbra one day, she quickly began to undergo some concerning changes in personality. She became noticeably bloodthirsty, actively seeking out altercations in which she could utilize her new blade. She even started referring to herself as Umbra, too. Lenwin fled Pell’s Gate eventually, but the player can find her in a nearby ruin, left by the ancient Elven race, the Ayleids; there, she still matches Irroke’s description nonetheless. She introduces herself as Umbra, explaining that she and her blade are one and the same, and though she isn’t immediately hostile, she advises the player to retreat unless they wish to meet their death. Upon defeating her, the player is able to take her sword and return it to Clavicus Vile - or keep it for themselves, of course - but this underwhelming ending does not offer much closure with regard to lore, either.
In Morrowind and Oblivion alike, Umbra seems to be an instrument of possession and definitive bloodshed. Both characters who wield the sword are placed under some sort of trance - almost as if their minds were controlled by a Skyrim Illusion spell - causing major confusion about their identities and intentions. In this way, the two characters are connected with Skyrim’s Ebony Warrior. Lenwin’s involvement with the sword reveals why Umbra, the warrior, refused to view himself as anything other than an attachment of his weapon; his unwillingness to reveal anything about his past or personality coincides closely with the Ebony Warrior’s secretive temperament. For years, it appeared as though these similarities were just flukes, and that the mountainous land of the Nords was spared from Umbra’s brutal reign. After all, in the official release of Skyrim, there is no mention of the sword to be found. But an interesting item found in the game’s Creation Club proves that it - and the Ebony Warrior, specifically - may not have been so lucky.
Umbra’s Addition To Skyrim’s Creation Club Suggests The Ebony Warrior’s Involvement
TheEpicNate315 explains that in a March 2019 update, new mods to Skyrim’s Creation Club were added, including a sword named Umbra. Upon first glance, it is already visually comparable to the previous swords, with a sleek blade and black and purple details. It also shares the same Soul Trap enchantment that the other two Umbra swords possessed. While this is a fascinating comparison, it isn’t quite what implies its link to the Ebony Warrior.
In order to unlock Umbra in Skyrim, the player must first complete a dungeon called Champion’s Rest, which is located almost directly beside the Last Vigil. Upon entering the area, a note can be found in which a Vigilant of Stendarr describes her knowledge of the boss fight with Skyrim's Umbra just moments ago, that the voice was in fact coming from the Daedric sword.
What happened to Crestius after that is unknown, but with all the information above in mind, it is not irrational to assume that he and the Ebony Warrior are, in some way, very closely related. Although there is no outright evidence that can prove this theory, the ties to Umbra in past Elder Scrolls titles, and the similarities between Crestius and the Ebony Warrior, all point in the same direction: that he is likely under the very same influence of Umbra. But at the end of the day, it’s anyone’s guess as to what truly lies below the surface of Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim's lore. Whether developers intentionally unveiled this dark, Daedric secret about the Ebony Warrior, or if it’s mere coincidence - players will surely continue to try and discover the answer.
Source: TheEpicNate315/YouTube
