Have any of you ever noticed how many large streams/small rivers emerge from the hill where the city is located?
It makes ZERO sense. That part of Skyrim receives the least precipitation of all regions, and is something of a dry tundra/northern steppe. The hill itself is rather puny, so it doesn't serve as a locus for rainwater or snow collection the way the Throat of the World does.

Where is all that water coming from?????


Something else:
The Skyforge.
There are multiple odd things about the place. Think about it - a forge that does to metal what no normal forge can do - even more powerful than the lunar forge. And it was there a Looooooooooooooong time ago - Joorvaskr was built next to the skyforge because of its discovery. Hence, it clearly predates the nords. Furthermore, the Nords don't have a clue why it's there - which means that the snow elves never told them. Yet the nords and snow elves coexisted for some time before the outbreak of genocidal war, which means they must have been on speaking terms. And the only way they COULDN'T have told them is...........if even THEY didn't know how it came to be there.


To me, the conclusion is inevitable.

There HAS to be SOMETHING underneath the city. Something which serves as a reservoir for water, under pressure. And a source of heat or energy as well for the skyforge.

It's either some incredibly powerful artifact along the lines of the Heart of Lorkhan, or it's something Dwemer. That's my guess.

Anyone got any other ideas?

Obviously all the water is urine from all the townspeople... just kidding. This is actually pretty interesting if you think about. Maybe they will delve into this in a DLC? Good find my good lad.

Some water sources come from beneath the ground. Springs. Artesian wells.

Well arent there supposedly a lot of caves under the area? Underwater springs? Perhaps pushed up by the not to far off volcanic marsh to the east. I mean at the very least there is no shortage of snow for mountain runoff.

Thank you

I noticed this too. How could there be water flowing ever endlessly from the top of a hill to the bottom? I followed the source of the water and it goes right under dragonsreach. If there is no pump there, then I'm not sure.

As for the skyforge, it's enchanted

Water can travel for miles and miles underground.

The Skyforge can just be built over a Volcanic vent. It is said by other Blacksmiths, that it's the high heat that really makes the better equipment.

True, but the quantities and volumes are ridiculous. No artesian well could produce soooo much water.

Something else is going on. It's not like that hill is volcanic - the water would come out hot, and there would be geysers as well. Also, for the water to be forced up to the surface naturally, it would make zero sense for it to bore thru the rock that is the hill of Whiterun - instead, the water would find easier channels to the surface and would emerge in the plains of the Reach itself. Yet these huge volumes of water seem to emerge from the top of the hill, and the water is cold......
Also - one could assume that the nearness of some magma pocket or vent was energizing the skyforge, perhaps giving it an extra dose of heat and a source of carbon in gaseous form that was making the steel extra strong. But if it was lava, the whole hill would be hot, and the water emerging from the hill would be as well.

Perhaps the dwemer are pumping water out from their underground dwellings RIGHT THERE. Consider - a series of pipes that all lead to that hill, reinforced by the hill to give support to the pipes that are bringing that water out, all under considerable pressure.
Of course, that wouldn't explain the Skyforge.........

I'm missing something. Need some help to figure this out.

I hear you, but the volcanic springs in the east reach are pushing up their own water. There's nothing to explain the huge volumes of cold water coming out of the Whiterun hill, which itself is just a big rock. At least, there's no natural explanation.

Is the skyforge enchanted? Unless I am remembering wrong, even the smith at the forge doesn't know why the skyforge is so good at what it does.

Not trying to hijack the thread, but ever notice that there seems to be a lot of detail into Solitudes sewer system but no quest or anything to do with it. It makes noise when you are on top of the storm drains, and there seems to be access points throughout the city. First thing that comes to mind in that area is that underneath Solitude is swarming with vampires.

I think we got to see a little bit of the sewers in Potema's quest. But why can't we go into the sewer system?

Or maybe Beth just did not think anyone would notice

Dang now I am going to have to look into this in game and try to find an explanation. All I can think of is that the water would have to be coming from some kind of dwemer pipe, and as for the Skyforge that could have been built by the dwemer as well considering they were so technologically advanced.

Tundra biome is arid but gets a lot of water from snowmelt and permafrost melt. We just never see it covered in snow, as it would normally be for part of the year in Scandinavia, which is where the water would also come from in addition to underwater sources. The larger rivers on the plain originate in the mountains.

At this point you just have to suspend reality and just go... with the flow...

Mother Kyne created the cold waters to harden the Steel of her worshippers, and Skyforge is her Shrine

icwhatyoudidthar

In fact, one does have to wonder why the Solitude sewers make noise and are so noticeable, but you can't lift a manhole cover............clearly that's an opportunity for DLC. Also, the keeper of the catacombs spoke about a darkness affecting the city, like some sort of evil curse........

Yup, Solitude is obviously a candidate for some future expansion pack.

I kinda feel the same way.

Just more lazy writing.

Cannot... not be a banfoy...Must...rationalize...everything !

Is it possible that the flow of water is recycling itself back to dragonreach? Y'know, like one of those expensive fountain-bowls you buy for finicky cats.

My head hurts.

The Songs of the Return say that the Skyforge is a piece of Dawn Era left over and even the Snow Elves didn't know what it was when the Nords asked them, but the elves were terrified of it. The Nords thought if the elves hated it, then it was a great place to settle down and so they did.

gamesas probably rushed the game like they did with the faction quests. The skyforge is so mysterious. I wonder what secret it holds.
As for the rivers around whiterun, if blackreach was able to be constructed, then there is nothing great about these rivers flowing from nowhere

The skyforge is twice the size of any other forge. Not saying other forces are not at work,but its a lot bigger.

The Hawk carved around Skyforge is a clue.