Numidium

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The Numidium is a colossal humanoid iron golem from The Elder Scrolls, 1000 ft (304.8 m) tall by some accounts; so great was its size, that it was said to have been able to knock the moons from the sky. It was shattered by the Underking, which caused the Blades to spend the Third Era slowly reassembling it.

[edit] First Numidium

The Numidium was constructed by Dwemer artisans during the First Era, and intended to serve as a god of sorts for the Dwemer people, with many accompanying theories that it was built to allow for Mortal Plane transcension. The original power source was the Heart of Lorkhan, which the Dwemer had enchanted using the Profane Tools, Keening, Sunder, and Wraithguard.

It was first used in the Battle of Red Mountain, when Chimer forces assailed the Dwemer stronghold and presumably captured by the Chimeri forces after the mysterious disappearance of the Dwemer. Rumor has it that as part of the deal the Tribunal made with Tiber Septim, the Numidium was gifted to the Empire in return for a large degree of sovereignty to be granted to Morrowind. To operate it, the Emperor ordered his Imperial Battlemage, Zurin Arctus, to construct a control device which would be known as the Totem of Tiber Septim. As the deal did not include a power source, a new one called the Mantella was created, infused with powerful life energies.

Subsequently, it was used by Septim to conquer Tamriel until according to legend, it was used to oppress even neutral Tamrielic royal families, in an attempt to get rid of those that were not absolutely loyal to his rule. Zurin Arctus, enraged, attempted to halt the Emperor's use of the Numidium. In the ensuing chaos the Totem was lost, and Numidium was shattered.

The following portion contains spoilers from The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall

In the game Daggerfall, the player eventually recovered the Mantella. After the discovery, the Numidium was activated by an unknown personage. As a result, a Dragon Break (A spacetime disruption) occurred. Subsequently, the multiple endings of Daggerfall occurred simultaneously. As a direct result, the major powers in the Iliac Bay region lost their strength, preventing a major war, Orcs became citizens of the Empire, the King of Worms allegedly became a god (unlikely as he reappears in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion), and the Underking died. The Numidium was destroyed as a result.

[edit] Second Numidium (Akulakhan, Anumidium)

The following portion contains spoilers from The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind.

The second Numidium (AKA Anumidium, or Akulakhan) was an enormous robotic construct powered by the Heart of Lorkhan. Its construction was overseen by Dagoth Ur, who intended to use it for several purposes; to establish a theocracy to worship Akulakhan as a God and the ancient heirs of the Sixth House Dagoth as priests, to unite and liberate Vvardenfell and subsequently Morrowind from Imperial rule, and to destroy the Tribunal's authoritative and political influence in Tamriel. His eventual goal was to cover the entirety of the world with his Blight so all mortals could share in the power of the Heart. The construction, however, was never completed, for upon the removal of Kagrenac's enchantments on the Heart of Lorkhan by the Nerevarine in 3E 427, the Second Numidium literally fell apart, and Dagoth Ur was destroyed.

Its partial state of assembly when the Nerevarine found it revealed a curious property. Although obscured by construction in several places, it appears Akulakhan was internally supported by a huge human skeleton.

Characters of The Elder Scrolls
Almalexia | Dagoth Ur | Jagar Tharn | King of Worms | Lorkhan | Mankar Camoran | Martin Septim | Nerevar | Numidium | Sotha Sil | Tiber Septim | Uriel Septim VII | Vivec
See also: Daedric Princes | Morrowind characters | Oblivion characters | Pantheons of Tamriel | Septim bloodline