College of Winterhold: The First Expansion

The 4th Era was a difficult time for the College of Winterhold, as well as the practitioners of magic. The First war with the Aldmeri Dominion saw the death of many mages, and the loss of much magical knowledge. But what started the decline occurred much earlier than that when the Mages guild was disbanded. Without a dominant governing body and center of learning, many groups boasting to be its successor began to vie for the position, creating petty rivalries, causing more problems than solutions.

As with many things, that relationship to magic changed during the 'Great Endeavor', a period of time between 4E205 and 4E216, and centered around the College of Winterhold. Created in the first era, the college had long weathered the comings and goings of empires and rulers alike. In the 4th Era however saw the institution in decline. The great collapse and the College's miraculous survival caused a great deal of resentment and suspicion among the local Nords.

With the arrival of Black Dragon Trading in Winterhold, and the establishment of its headquarters there, college saw new life. The influx of people brought fresh recruits streaming to Winterhold to learn the arcane arts. The great library grew as new and old tomes were added to the shelves. New staff were hired, and as it grew, the college for the first time since its creation, was expanded.

One of the innovations to come out of the revival was the Shaper Mages, those who could bend physical forms to their will, specifically stone. This became a new sect of mystic learning, and those that became proficient were utilized greatly in the reconstruction of Winterhold, and to a larger extent, Skyrim. This was seen as one of the main factors that healed some of the divisions that formed over the last few centuries between the people and the college itself.

These shaper mages were used greatly in the expansion of the College facility. The Midden Dark, the basement, tunnels and caverns underneath the College, were renovated to hold the new larger library, laboratories, and quarters. In addition, new structures were added to the base of the college near the docks below. These acted as the new main entrance to the grounds due to the large amount of interprovincial travel occurring at the time.

The first expansion of the college plateaued toward the end of the ‘Great Endeavor’, its size and shape not changing till the conclusion of the Third Daedric Invasion. Between those expansions the College would engage in a silent rivalry with the Synod and the College of whispers. Both at one point trying to bring Winterhold into an alliance against the other, but abandoned the idea once it became clear the College of Winterhold was a contender. While substantial in their power base, both organizations were later absorbed by the Imperial Mages Circle, while the College remains independent.