Lore:Hannibal Traven

Arch-Mage Hannibal Traven
Arch-Mage Hannibal Traven
Race	Breton	Gender	Male
Died		3E 433
Resided in		Anvil Imperial City
Appears in		Oblivion, Legends

Hannibal Traven was the Arch-Mage of the Mages Guild at the end of the Third Era. He was a staunch opponent of necromancy and was responsible for several poorly-implemented guild reforms.

Originally, Professor Traven was the head of the Anvil Mages Guild, and supposedly ran a "clean hall". He was promoted to the position of Arch-Mage circa 3E 431. Among his controversial reforms were a tightening on admission to the Arcane University and an outright ban on the practice of necromancy by guild mages. Traven's divisive stance on necromancy had many strong supporters even outside the guild, although it caused a large degree of internal fracturing. Half the Council of Mages resigned, and Magister Ulliceta gra-Kogg of Orsinium was forced to flee following her attempted arrest by the Knights of the Lamp for practicing necromancy. Traven would go on to publish The Black Arts On Trial, to document the debate between gra-Kogg and Magister Voth Karlyss of Corinth.

In 3E 433, coinciding with Traven's policy change, Mannimarco returned to the affairs of mortals. With necromancers now shunned from the Mages Guild, many flocked to join the Order of the Black Worm. Mannimarco's followers were soon openly attacking the guild, going so far as to burn down the Bruma guildhall. As Traven struggled to control the Council of Mages, he turned to the Hero of Kvatch for help in investigating and delaying Mannimarco's plans. Traven had the Hero secure both the Necromancer's Amulet and the Bloodworm Helm, as well as a unique colossal black soul gem the necromancers had created. In a final effort to save the guild, Traven sacrificed himself by trapping his soul within the colossal gem to allow the Hero to confront Mannimarco. With the filled gem, the Hero was shielded from Mannimarco's powerful magic and was able to defeat him in Echo Cave. Traven's final act as Arch-Mage was to appoint the Hero as his successor.

Although Traven's sacrifice saved the Mages Guild from destruction at the hands of the Order of the Black Worm, the institute was not able to survive the strong anti-magic sentiment that arose in the early Fourth Era following the Oblivion Crisis. The Synod and the College of Whispers formed following the guild's dissolution. Before his defeat, Mannimarco revealed that he had planned to reanimate Traven as a Worm Thrall for study.

Gallery

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  Hannibal Traven circa 3E 433 (Oblivion)

See Also

• For game-specific information, see the Oblivion and Legends articles.