The Towers and the Thalmor Pt 1
Mira and I have received a couple of questions regarding the role of the Towers of Tamriel and the plans the Thalmor have for them. Because of the intensity of this slice of Elder Scrolls lore, I am dividing this topic into two parts. This first part will be introducing the Towers themselves. However before getting into a description of the Towers, I feel it is important to discuss the idea’s origins.
The theology of the Towers was originally brought up by Michael "MK" Kirkbride out-of-game. MK is a creative consultant for Bethesda. He has not been a full-time employee of Bethesda since 2000, but they do contract him to help with the dialogue, texts, and general ideas within the Elder Scrolls games [1]. Like many of the writers of the Elder Scrolls series, MK has contributed many commentaries and works to internet forums, creating several sources of out-of-game texts. This, combined with his own campaign to make the term "canon" irrelevant in favor of a more personal and nuanced experience of Elder Scrolls lore, has made discussing his ideas a headache for anyone looking for straightforward answers.
Personally, I greatly enjoy the ability to speculate and theorize about the complex ideas and metaphysics inside the Elder Scrolls universe, but it is important to understand that, just like with any other in-game reference, the ideas expressed by MK are not binding. It can be a lot of fun to invest yourself in various theories based upon the metaphysical philosophies of the different races of Nirn, but it is important to place those theories in the proper context. Even if one considers MK’s out-of-game ideas as valid grounds for discussion, they hold - at best - the same weight within the Elder Scrolls universe as theology or philosophy do in ours. As well, MK's author-characters often straddle the line between pious/intellectual and zealous/fanatic/absolutely-insane; his prose can be impenetrable (a prime example [2]).
The Towers were first brought up in the out-of-game text The Nu-Mantia Intercepts [3] but have since been corroborated in-game through texts such as Subtropical Cyrodiil [4], The Dragonborn Prophecy [5], and Auribic Enigma 4: The Elden Tree [6]. Now without getting too involved with theories on Padomaic and Auribic forces, the first Towers are what make Nirn unique in Aurbis. While both Oblivion and Nirn contain creatia (matter) which has "leaked" from Aetherius, that creatia does not hold its own form in Oblivion. Entities such as the Daedra give shape to creatia and make their plane(t)s. Nirn, on the other hand, requires no Daedra or Aedra to retain its form.
The first tower on Nirn is the Adamantine Tower (also Ada-Mantia, the Direnni Tower, Ur-Tower, or Tower Zero). According to Nu-Hatta (the author of the Nu-Mantia intercepts), Ada-Mantia is the remnants of the vessel which Akatosh used to enter Nirn. While Ada-Mantia is a literal tower, the Towers themselves do not have to be actual, literal towers. For example, the Numidium is a Tower even though it appears as a giant golem. Red Mountain and the Throat of the World are Towers despite being mountains.
Each Tower has an accompanying "Stone." These Stones serve as a source of power to shape creatia, and the Towers focus that power onto Nirn. When a Tower is working with a Stone in this manner, it is considered “active.” When the connection between a Tower and its Stone is severed, the Tower is “deactivated.”
Now according to Nu-Hatta the purpose of Ada-Mantia was to establish among the Aedra their role in Nirn: to declare the laws of nature, it seems. After Ada-Mantia there was also the death of Lorkhan, which resulted in the creation of Red Mountain as the second Tower with its Stone being the Heart of Lorkhan. Nu-Hatta believes that the Tower of Red Mountain solidified the state of Nirn, granting it the ability to exist without the need for the Aedra's presence, rather than dispersing into Oblivion without an entity to will its shape. This act of establishing and solidifying Nirn is referred to as the Convention. After it, the Aedra left Nirn.
With the Aedra gone, the mer, as the first intelligent race to become established, began emulating the Aedra and creating their own six Towers. These are the known towers and their theorized stones [7]:
White-Gold Tower [Ayleids] : The Amulet of Kings (or the Chim-El Adabal)
Chrystal Tower (or the Tower of Chrystal-Like Law) [Altmer] : Unknown (but MK refers to it as "a person")
Orichalc Tower [Sinistrals from Yokuda] : Uknown (but MK refers to it as "a sword")
Numidium (or Walk-Brass) [Dwemer] : Both the Heart of Lorkhan (originally) and the Mantella [8]
Green-Sap [Bosmer] : The "Perchance Acorn" [6] (but MK refers to it as "a fruit")
Snow-Throat (or The Throat of the World) [Falmer]: Unknown (but MK refers to it as "a cave")
Now it is absolutely crucial to bear in mind that, while the purpose of the original two Towers was to bind Nirn together, and while the mer were trying to emulate the Aedric towers, it is not stated that the six meric Towers existed to hold Nirn together. Nu-Hatta does not seem to believe that the meric Towers were designed for this purpose. He cites the fact that the Numidium was created to destroy as a prime example. He even suggests that the White-Gold Tower was meant to fulfill some nefarious and counter-creative purpose. The Towers simply appear as incredibly powerful constructs. In fact, the Staff of Towers - allegedly created by the Ayleids to harness the power of the Towers [6] - was used by the Marukhati Selectives (the human version of the Thalmor, basically) [9] to undo the laws of time and start the chaotic event known as the Middle Dawn Dragon Break [10]. It appears that the power of the Towers can be used to actually un-do creation.
[1] Reddit post about MK's role with Bethesda
[2] The Five Hundred Mighty Companions or Thereabouts of Ysgramor the Returned
[3] Nu-Mantia Intercepts
[4] Subtropical Cyrodiil
[5] Dragonborn Prophecy
[6] Auribic Enigma 4: The Elden Tree
[7] Towers Elder Scrolls Wiki
[8] The Mantella
[9] Interview with Abnur Tharn
[10] Where Were You When the Dragon Broke?