The Elder Scrolls Feats and Discussion

Stocking Anarchy

Marvelous
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Harkon sacrificed a thousand innocents so that he and his family could gain the power of a pure-blooded vampire from Molag Bal (Dawnguard boardgame expansion guidebook, page 8).
Harkon-sacrificed-a-thousand-innocents-to-Molag-Bal-page-8.jpg
 

Stocking Anarchy

Marvelous
V.I.P. Member
At the start of the Dawnguard expansion to Skyrim: The Adventure Boardgame, the heroes had spent centuries in Boethiah's plane of Oblivion, Attribution's Share, chasing Oviorn Salith.
Introduction.jpg
Attribution-s-Share-page-14.jpg
It's important to note that Attribution's Share was first named in the Imperial Census of Daedra Lords, an OOG text written by Michael Kirkbride.
Boethiah, the so-called Prince of Plots, has renamed his country of labyrinthine policy and betrayals yet again. Formerly “Snake Mount”, Prince Boethiah’s maze gardens and twisted towers is called “Attribution’s Share”, a realm best avoided by those that live outside the arcano-politic. Boethiah, like his cohort Azura, is much revered by the followers of the former Tribunal Temple, but sub-cults of his are entrenched in nearly every terrestrial seat of governance. His traditional festival date is the 2nd of Sun’s Dusk, when many contracts are writ between kings and commoners alike.
 

Stocking Anarchy

Marvelous
V.I.P. Member
Arch-Mage Deneth can teach you a very powerful spell (card 250).
Learning-Earthquake-1-card-250.jpg

Learning-Earthquake-2.jpg
This spell is earthquake, which causes a fracture which affects all enemies (card S66). Thus, we can see just how powerful an arch-mage can be.
Earthquake-card-S66.jpg
 

Stocking Anarchy

Marvelous
V.I.P. Member
I found a 4th wall break! Jee-Lar was able to get in contact with ESO's (at the time) loremaster Lawrence Schick via dreamsleeves, and agreed to answer questions from another world.
Lawrence Schick, ESO’s Lead Loremaster, has been in contact via dreamsleeve transmission with his beeko Jee-Lar, an Argonian emigrant from Murkmire. Jee-lar serves Cyrodilic Collections in the capacity of Black Marsh historian, of which he may be the only one—ever. He has kindly consented to provide answers as best he can to some of your questions.
This isn't the only 4th wall break, but it's one of the most obvious (other examples include C0DA, which is very controversial in it's OOG nature, and the 37th Lesson of Vivec, as well as the cinematic trailer for Legends: Houses of Morrowind).

This would also imply that our universe is a part of the Aurbis (or perhaps another phase of the Godhead).
 

Stocking Anarchy

Marvelous
V.I.P. Member
To resalvage another lost gif, the cinematic trailer for Legends: Houses of Morrowind shows a transition between our world and the world of Tamriel.

ogcRvVB.gif
 

Stocking Anarchy

Marvelous
V.I.P. Member
Arch-Curate Vrythur destroys pillars by telekinetically tearing out large chunks of stone and slamming them into the pillar with great force (all the while having his head rested on his chin).
722743a2-ec5a-4edd-9d90-161f1e9c73f5.gif
 

Stocking Anarchy

Marvelous
V.I.P. Member
Gelebor raises up the stone wayshrine for you to enter the Chantry of Auri-El.
hE8GpmV.gif

Curiously, this act is described as impressive by the Skyrim Prima.
Gelebor believes the Betrayed (Falmer) have done something to Vyrthur, and previous Falmer incursions have resulted in much loss of life: The Falmer stormed the Inner Sanctum of the Chantry and (Gelebor believes) corrupted his brother. Gelebor cannot go to his brother,s aid, as he has vowed never to leave the Wayshrines unguarded. With that, Gelebor conjures a ball of light and casts it at the carved sun in the center of the pool. A large, elven-made shrine rumbles out of the ground- Impressive. Gelebor explains that this \^/ayshrine was used for meditation and transport long ago, when the Chantry was a place of enlightenment.
(Skyrim Prima, page 543)

What makes this curious is that there are other structures in a few ancient ruins throughout the game that are raised up in a similar way (some which even look more solid and heavy than the wayshrines, such as the trap in Angarvunde which kills Medresi Dran), and the Prima never notes them as being impressive.

Medresi isn'y waiting around for the likes of you; she dashes forward into the treasure room and is promptly crushed as the floor trap is sprung, impaling her into a maw of ceiling spikes. Step through the opening in the raised floor and down the spiral steps to a Word Wall.
(Skyrim Prima, page 474)
Loot a chest and throw a lever to lower the portcullises as you did before. With all port open, return to Medresi, who foolishly rushes off and is slain by a deadly trap. Enter the raised section of floor afterward, and you'll be lowered down to a secret passage.
(Skyrim Prima, page 952)

So, the impressive part of this is that Gelebor raised a large stone structure. There are two possible explanations for this; the first is that Gelebor raises the wayshrine with his own reserve of power. However, if you look closely at the other Wayshrines, you can see the light coming down from above.
ltOHiA2.gif

A frame-by-frame comparison.
Raising-Wayshrine.png
In anycase, even if this was done by channeling the power of a god, it's still impressive, and it would still make Gelebor and the other Wayshrine attendants still impressive. Also, I'll have to have another look over this, because those spheres of light may have been sent down from the Sun itself.
 

Stocking Anarchy

Marvelous
V.I.P. Member
A new Meet The Character for Fa-Nuit-Hen. Fa-Nuit-Hen claims to have mastered every fighting style in the Aurbis, and he says that the Baron Who Moves Like a Shivering Droplet claimed that his blades move fast enough to "split light" and can "sever rain from a thundercloud." He also makes reference to his friendship with Morihaus and how they drank taverns dry and "lay waste to the beasts of the land."
Meet The Character - Na-Nuit-Hen said:
Do not mistake me for one of those aristocratic patrons who adore art but would never deign to practice what they admire. I studied under my Barons Who Move Like This and mastered every fighting style in the Aurbis. My Baron Who Moves Like a Shivering Droplet said that my blades move fast enough to split light and sever rain from a thundercloud. I know how difficult combat can be, as I have experienced it several times over the eons. I'm sure you're familiar with the legends. I know you mortals still sing songs of how Morihaus and I would drink taverns dry and lay waste to the beasts of the land.
Fa-Nuit-Hen once heard a story in which he slaughtered an entire battalion of Xvivlai to protect a small shepherd boy, and says that it was actually two battalions (and the boy was actually a buxom maiden).
Meet The Character - Fa-Nuit-Hen said:
I once heard a tale where I slew an entire battalion of Xvivlai to protect a small shepherd boy in his hut. It's a very flattering story despite all the inaccuracies. There was no reason for the Xivilai to attack the shepherd hut, not when there was a fledging city not half a day's march away, but I digress. Stories are entertaining and often preserve snippets of truth, but only a fool would believe every detail. It was two battalions of Xivilai and the shepherd boy was a buxom maiden.
 

Stocking Anarchy

Marvelous
V.I.P. Member
I found another very interesting book! No corporeal life can reside within the void, and incorporeal life (such as the daedra) refuse to discuss the dark expanse between worlds.
As we all know, Oblivion exists within the Aurbis and contains the various Daedric realms. But what is Oblivion? Specifically, what exists in the space between the realms? It has been suggested that the void between the realms is inherently hostile. No corporeal life can reside there, and no incorporeal life witnesses the dark expanse between the planes and returns from the experience unscathed. Daedra themselves refuse to discuss it.
Within Oblivion are a large number of realms, both with and without a ruler(s) controlling their paths across Oblivion. Lordless realms often destroyed, and these planes are crushed by the path they take. Fates of these doomed realms can be seen int he watery reflections of the Realms of Revelry, and in the dreams of Quagmire.
I put forth that, as with all uncaring forces, Oblivion is not fundamentally hostile, but in its unforgiving nature rests a dangerous predilection for destruction. To expound further, what we call Oblivion does not hold life in contempt, but it does not care about upholding or maintaining life either. This results in quite a large number of realms colliding with each other, as their nature and direction dictate. Many planes are fortunate to have a Daedric Prince or other force controlling their movement through Oblivion. The ones that do not are often crushed by the path their undirected course dictates. Evidence of these ill-fated planes can be seen in the watery reflections of the Realms of Revelry or in the dreams of Quagmire. They are well documented. See "Troubled Thoughts of a Corrupt Man" or "Sanguine's Rites and Realms," both written by the fabled Prisoner of the Evergloam.
 

Stocking Anarchy

Marvelous
V.I.P. Member
Well well well...I found a very interesting RP/brainstorm from the old forums (archived to the UESP and The Imperial Library). This is one of the few times I've seen other devs talk about

To begin, affamu (Douglass Goodall) says that he did some calculations as to how Nirns moons stay in its orbit when they are so big, and the reason why is they're very dense. He even made a spreadsheet to look at the gravity between the moons, and found that one would end up spinning out of orbit and orbiting the Sun eliptically, while the other would crash into Nirn and kill everyone. He goes on to reference how the moons being transparent because they are rotting corpses is something made by Kirkbride, and that Goodall prefers pseudo-scientific explanations to pseudo-mythical ones, but says that other devs feel the opposite way, so the world of Tamriel will likely continue to have lore from both approaches.

affamu (05-16-2001)​

Speaking
of the moons...

1. You can no longer see stars through the moons.

2. I can get around the Roche limit by making the moons VERY DENSE. I actually went through the calculations at home last weekend (I have an old Quatro-Pro spreadsheet that does basic Newtonian astrophysics since my brain has only 9 registers). This works fine, unless I start making the spreadsheet account for the gravitational effects ✶between✶ the moons themselves... In which case one quickly spins out of orbit (and ends up orbiting the sun rather eliptically) and the other crashes into Nirn killing everyone. I don't know if this is a flaw in the spreadsheet or what would actually happen. If I get a realistic formula working, I'll let you know.

3. The lore you mentioned was something Michael Krikbride did (I think). I prefer pseudo-scientific explanations rather than psuedo-mythical explanations, but other devs here feel the opposite way, so Tamriel is likely to continue having the best and worst examples of both approaches.

4. Tamriel, like humanity, is a work in progress.
WormGod (Gary Noonan) and Tedders (Ted Peterson) talk on how scientific discovery often clashes with how things are mythically perceived, and how these different contradictory texts have been around for a while (such as the politics in Daggerfall).

WormGod (05-16-2001)​

Scientific discovery often collides with mythical perceivance, causing heavy dispute within Tamriel. Is anyone ever really right? Is anyone ever really wrong? Much of what is written about Tamriel is from the mythical or scientific side of the fence, and there is always known and unknown contradiction that follows. Afterall, what keeps Tamriel more exciting.... knowing all the answers, or seeing the mysteries unravel?

Tedders (05-16-2001)​

GT's absolutely correct, and I would only add that the tradition of contradictory text has been around for a while. It's not just myth versus science, but disparate politics that cause some of the questions. See the two accounts of the War of Betony, one from Daggerfall's perspective, one from Sentinel's perspective, in Xanathar's (now Qwerty's) Library. Who can say in a hundred years' time which will be established as factual history?
Hasphat Antabolis (Michael Kirkbride) says that affamu's take is wrong.

Hasphat Antabolis (05-16-2001)​

3. The lore you mentioned was something Michael Krikbride did (I think). I prefer pseudo-scientific explanations rather than psuedo-mythical explanations, but other devs here feel the opposite way, so Tamriel is likely to continue having the best and worst examples of both approaches.
✶sigh✶

While beautiful, the devs just got it wrong. Ken should've caught it. Rock on, Glorantha! Rock over, London!

affamu, you forget the general mystery of dangerous men.

Michael Kirkbride

(who steps back behind the curtain where the devs belong)
Tedders says that the Cosmology article was written by someone with an unstable soul (as a note, this is an in-universe RP perspective and not a stab at MK, as the Cosmology article was written by someone in the Temple Zero Society), and no one of any learning in Tamriel follows the personification-of-the-moons theory anymore. Hasphat Antabolis follows up on this with a quote from the Lessons of Vivec (Sermon 31) which references the moons as being dead.

Tedders (05-16-2001)​

Hasphat, you've been guzzling too much greef. The Cosmology was clearly written by an unstable soul. No one of any learning in Tamriel follows that personification-of-the-moons theory any more, do they? Did you get your information after summoning up Hermaeus-Mora on some stormy night?

Hasphat Antabolis (05-16-2001)​

Ahem.

"ALMSIVI, or at least that aspect that chose to be Vivec, sat in the Litany Hall of the False Thinking Temple after his battle with the Flute-and-Pipe Ogres of the West Gash. He began writing, again, in his Book of Hours. He had to put on his Water Face first. That way he could separate the bronze of the Old Temple from the blue of the New and write with happiness. Second, he had to take another feather from the Big Moon, further rendering it dead. That way he could write about mortals with truth. Third, he recalled the Pomegranate Banquet, where he was forced to marry to Molag Bal with wet scriptures to cement his likeness as Mephala and write with black hands."

I'm not one to argue with Temple doctrine. Are you?

Hasphat Antabolis
Tedders says that this is an appeal to authority, and the word of the Temple isn't always to be trusted, while Hasphat responds with how Tamriel is a magical world and it's gods walk the earth, and as such, constructs like logical fallacies don't really exist when God Himself can show you his gamebook. Hasphat then says that Molag Bal told Tedders to 'take your bargain Latin back to Target.'

Tedders (05-16-2001)​

You're speaking of epistemology, which is probably out of good Hasphat's ken, being himself guilty of the logical fallacy "argumentum ad verecundiam," or appeal to authority. Just because an expert at some point in the past stated something as true does not make it so.

We're meant to adhere to the word of the Temple?

Hasphat probably still adheres to the mistake that "daedroth" is the singular form of "daedra." Try telling Molag Bal that he is a great daedroth and see how quickly your bones are liquified.

Hasphat Antabolis (05-17-2001)​

Mr. Tedders,

I talked to the daedroth Molag Bal. He told me to tell you to take your bargain Latin back to Target.

Tamriel is a magical world and its gods walk the earth and when you mention constructs like logical fallacies they look at you funny since, well, those really don't exist in a world where God can show you His playbook.

H.
Hasphat responds again, saying that the above posts by Hasphat were actually some form of doppleganger (similar to Jagar Tharn or the tseaci). He goes on to say that Mr Affamu has fallen into a fallacy of sorts, that being what he currently observes has always been the truth.. As such, because the moons in the present era appear as bright crescents with opaque shadows that means they are actually solid spheres with a light source behind them. This, however, ignores thousands of years of research into the moons, including those who have directly travelled there (in both life and death). The most widely accepted theory is that this is a result of the moons rotting, while other theories include a lunar storm which blows the surface free of the moon, while others suggest the moon is a ghost of the living moon.

Hasphat Antabolis (05-17-2001)​

I am coming to believe the rumors of dopplegangers infesting the Empire after reading what "Hasphat Antabolis" has been posting in my name. Fortunately, the impersonator was neither clever nor subtle, which should clearly mark the counterfeit submissions from my real voice (for those with the wit to see the difference).

The learned Mr. Affamu has himself fallen into a fallacy of his so-called "science" -- that what he currently observes has always been true. To wit, he assumes that because in our present era the moons appear as bright crescents with an opaque "shadow" that they are actually solid spheres with a light source behind them. This is, of course, the first assumption of any educated layman, as the experiment is readily performed in one's parlor and one can smugly assure oneself that the simple appearance of a thing is the True Thing itself.

This ignores, of course, thousands of years of research into the phenomena of the Moons, including eyewitness reports of those who have travelled there before and since their deaths. It is well known among scholars that the "shadow" waxes and wanes with the passing eons; the most widely accepted theory is that this is a symptom of the decay of the substance of the Moons -- perhaps a noxious exhalation exuded by the rotting corpse. The exact cause of its appearance and disappearance is unknown. Some have theorized a kind of Lunar storm which occasionally blows the surface free of this dark cloud; others propose a spiritual origin, that what we are seeing is the ghost or shade of the living Moon still clinging its former body, and sometimes taking on its former shape. The latter seems best to account for smooth junction of "shadow" and moon, but it has not yet been definitively proven, since means of travel to the Moonplanes has been lost since Mythic times.
Jobasha (Douglas Goodall) posts a messege that was from the Western Knight of the Sandy Mane, saying that the moons are indeed alive and protecting Nirni from the wrath of Ahnurr (Anu), and that the Cyrodiils still believe the Elven Lie even when the Trickster (Lorkhan) walks their fields and sits on their throne and makes skin-changers of their sons. He goes on to say how the Yokudan's used to believe the world was flat, but the Khajiit believed the world was round, and the Yokudan's eventually found it to be round; this doesn't mean though that reality was changed to make the world from round to flat or vice versa (a reference to Mythopoeic Forces I believe). The Western Knight goes on to say that no one else understands 'the twenty-four forms in logic' (8 Aedra + 16 Daedra), which is an Elven concept, and then mentions another logic of 8 + 8 + 2 + 8 (26). He finishes by telling Cyrodiil to wake from the Elven Lie.

Jobasha (05-18-2001)​

The "Western Knight of the Sandy Mane" asked Jobasha to pass along these words:

"Corpse? You dare call the living ja'Kha'jay a corpse? If Jonenjode is dead, how does it protect Nirni from Ahnurr's wrath? Oh, but you Cyrodiils, you still believe the Elven Lie. You deny the Trickster even when he walks on your fields and sits in your throne and makes skin-changers out of the sons. No wonder you haven't found the power source for your precious Dwemer artifacts.
"Nulfalga? The old fraud? Feigning madness will not protect her from justice. Nulfalga aids the Psijics in their unfortunate plans, just like this Divayth Fyr traitor to all Nirni.
"Long ago Yokudans believed Nirni was flat. So they set out in their ships to find Nirni's end and the winds carried thier scent back to Yokuda. Then they believed Nirni was like a ball. Khajiit always knew our Known Mother was a ball. Our Secret Mother made Nirni a ball to remind us that She was ours to play with. When Khajiit knew Nirni was a ball and Yokudans thought Nirni was flat, what was She? You think these so called Divines care what mortals think? You think your Septim says "flat" and the Divines dance around and stomp the ball flat? Clearly this is false, but once you believe the Elven Lie, once you believe Ayem is Ayem and Bedt is Bedt, Kier-Jo fears it is too late. You still do not understand the twenty-four forms in logic. Kier-Jo makes it simple simple for you. Eight phases for every moon. Eight logics between yes, no, and might be. Two of each common Khajiit and eight more. Even the Elves hid it in their precious twenty-four alphabet.
"If not the Divines, if not Jobasha's precious heroes, what makes things happen? Again Kier-Jo makes it simple simple. Var var var.
"ALMSIVI? A game for children. ALM-SI-VI. Let the three colors fight it out amongst themselves.
"Temple Doctrine? You still trust their writings? Kier-Jo says, if they are so full of truth, why has Vivec been hiding his scent all these years?
"Travel to the three Js in PSJJJ after your death? Only those who smoke the sugar of the moons instead of eating it travel there. Kier-Jo does not trust what they say.
"Dopplegangers? Ah, Kier-Jo has a sugar-pinch of respect for you now. But what do you know of these Dopplegangers? Who will come rescue you when the Septim finally slumps off his throne and into history? Jobasha would say we need another hero... But dare Kier-Jo ask what happened to the last "hero?" Does this "hero" still walk Nirni? Do we even know this hero's name? Nords say he was the son of a proud king. Dunmer say she was the daughter of Almalexia. The Altmer say in public that he was an enlightened wizard and they admit in private he was an outcast... as if the Altmer had something to say about it. The Bosmer say she was a Ayleidion Aurehliar. The Lysrezi even believe he was a Vampire from a realm outside of Nirn! Kier-Jo scoffs at such obvious lies. Why does Kier-Jo not know this hero's name? Dare Kier-Jo suggest the reason for this secrecy? Perhaps the "hero" died fighting Jagar Tharn. Perhaps Jagar Tharn won, Cyrodiil? When was the last time you saw your Emperor? Perhaps the Septim promoted this "hero" to Oblivion? Perhaps the Septim feared the "hero" would find the real truth? No, Kier-Jo would not suggest such treacherous things.
"Truth? Truth is moon sugar and no one may keep it. Hold it in your hands, it slips away. Eat it, it returns to the ground. Smoke it, you can never hold it in. Kier-Jo knows nothing of truth, but much of necessity. You Cyrodiils must be stopped before the third and last Big Walkder stomps his eight footsteps into the deserts and poisons us all!
"Wake, Cyrodiil, Wake from the Elven Lies that All Men Believe!"
Jobasha then makes a comment of his own, saying he doesn't pretend to understand Kier-Jo or Hasphat of Divayth Fir (being RP'd by Gary Noonan)
Jobasha does not pretend to understand the ravings of skooma-- er, scholars like Kier-Jo the Chorvakh, or the ramblings of grave robbers like Hasphat, or even the lullabies of one who claims to be a Psijic when Jone shines and then claims to be merely a retired wizard when Jode follows.

Even though Jobasha risks quarrel with such a... rrr... learned scholar as Kier-Jo, Jobasha must ignore the mysteries of dangerous men and explain what Jobasha can explain:

ja'Kha'jay -- the lunar lattice, the changing of the lunar seasons
Jode and Jone -- the two visible moons of Nirni
Nirni, Known Mother -- Khajiit for Nirn, the world
Ahnurr -- Khajiit for Anu. Read the Annuad for Jobasha fears a summary.
Trickster -- Baan-Dar or Rahjin or maybe even Lorkhaj. Jobasha does not know.
Secret Mother -- Jobasha... must not say.
Psijics -- A mysterious order of wizards, of which Jobasha knows little and cares less.
Dopplegangers -- Do not let "scholars" lie to you. Jobasha knows these rumors are untrue. While Jobasha shares some sentiments about the Empire, Jobasha disapproves of such dishonest methods.
Big Walker -- Sewer-Khajiit for Anumidium or any creature or construct too big for a skooma-addled mind.
Var var var -- "var" is "to be" the saying is similar to the Redguard "what will be will be" which is derived from the Yokudan "what Satakal wills is willed." Jobasha thinks it is not unlike the Atmoran "it's just so." At it's heart, a comment on mortals locus of influence. Of course a real hero ✶can✶ change Tamriel, but there have been none since Jobasha's mother's day...

"Water Face" "Pomegranate Banquet" "Tongue with more than two legs"

These mean nothing to Jobasha. What, if Jobasha may ask, is a Pomegranate?

Var var var. Do not worry. Come to Jobasha's Rare Books in Vivec. Look around. Maybe buy something, maybe learn something. But keep the dangers of understanding new things too quickly just under your nose. The Deep Elves looked deeply into such mysteries. Wise Jobasha wants nothing of thier fate.
Amiel Arctus and Fal Droon (both RP'd by Michael Kirkbride) make reference to the Lunar Lorkhan theory of the Temple Zero Society, and talks about the plane(t)s of the moons and the duality of Lorkhan. This post would eventually become (abet very slightly altered) the same as the in-game book The Lunar Lorkhan.

Amiel Arctus (05-18-2001)​

From the Chapbook of Accepted Future Heresies of the Maruhkati Selectives:

"Nothing is solved this close to era's end, jumping across hand-in-hand with schoolyard laughs and dancing where everywhere ends in a vowel and the Sun settles out of court-- beautiful like you, running through graphs wiped away like the ghosts of moons where we'll solve it one day, then resolve to go once more into the oblique, my love-- like here, sealed with a Septim and sent and set into the record of wishing, all of it a streak and a color and all of it imperfect as the language it lives in, a wondering runaround found only when you find it."

Fal Droon (05-18-2001)​

Though it may be hard to believe, what this particular 'Arctus' (the proliferation of which being one of the many reasons I decided to leave the capital) is referring to is Temple Zero's Theory of the Lunar Lorkhan.

I will not go into the varying accounts of what happened at Adamantine Tower, nor will I relate the War of Manifest Metaphors that rendered those stories unable to support most qualities of what is commonly known as 'narrative.' We all have our favorite Lorkhan story and our favorite Lorkhan motivation for the creation of Nirn and our favorite story of what happened to His Heart. But the Theory of the Lunar Lorkhan is of special note regarding this thread.

In short, the Moons were and are the two halves of Lorkhan's 'flesh-divinity'. Like the rest of the Gods, Lorkhan was a plane(t) that participated in the Great Construction... except where the Eight lent portions of their heavenly bodies to create the mortal plane(t), Lorkhan's was cracked asunder and his divine spark fell to Nirn as a shooting star 'to impregnate it with the measure of its existence and a reasonable amount of selfishness.'

Masser and Secunda therefore are the personifications of the dichotomy-- the 'Cloven Duality,' according to Artaeum-- that Lorkhan legends often rail against: ideas of the anima/animus, good/evil, being/nothingness, the poetry of the body, throat, and moan/silence-as-the-abortive, set in the night sky as Lorkhan's constant reminder to his mortal issue of their duty. Followers of this theory hold that all other 'Heart Stories' are mythical degradations of the true origin of the moons (and it needn't be said that they observe the 'hollow crescent theory', as well).

Art conceals Naught,

Fal Droon
 

Stocking Anarchy

Marvelous
V.I.P. Member
Happy 30 Anniversary to to greatest video game series of all time! In their anniversary statement, Bethesda said that they are working on early builds for TES VI, and that they have 'other exciting projects underway.' There is also a reference to how in Oblivion you travel to the heart of the Empire and 'realms beyond.'

uAXCerj.jpeg


 

Stocking Anarchy

Marvelous
V.I.P. Member
Mirrormoor is a very old, long forgotten Daedric Realm.


Luminaries are beings of ancient magic.


Ithelia is descried as an 'all-powerful Daedric Prince' and uncovering secrets related to her could spell disaster for Oblivion and Tamriel alike.
In this adventure, you will uncover long-hidden secrets related to the return of this all-powerful Daedric Princesecrets that could spell disaster for Tamriel and Oblivion alike.
 
The Prisoner is described as being a powerful mythic figure, and a loophole in time.

How does one eat the world? (2011-01-18)

When you consider a place like Tamriel, sometimes it's best to take titles literally. Alduin is the World-Eater. It's not going to be "the end of all life as we know it," leaving a barren wasteland of Earthbone dirt... it's going to be the whole of Nirn inside his mighty gullet.

"None shall survive" has been a calling card for awhile, but that was only a hint to the more extensive "Nothing will survive."

Unless, of course, there's a loophole. Say, something like the someone called the Dovakhiin happening to show up..."born under uncertain stars to uncertain parents." (An aside for extra credit: what in the Aurbis makes the Prisoner such a powerful mythic figure?)

Sotha Sil discusses the concept of the Prisoner, referring to the Vestige using this title. He portrays the Prisoner as someone capable of discerning the chains of causality and time that entrap all beings within the Godhead's dream, while also recognizing the exit that allows their liberation. Inherently, the Prisoner possesses the power to liberate the world.

Furthermore, Sotha Sil asserts that the Prisoner possesses 'great power, making reality of metaphor,' a phrase commonly associated with the essence of Tonal Magic. Other similar expressions include 'myth made manifest' and 'metaphor made manifest.' As detailed in the section on Thu'um, Tones form an essential element that permeates all of reality, with Tonal Magic being their manipulation. He implies that the Prisoner, as a concept, can modify the fundamental tones of the Aurbis, most likely through their actions.

"I have preparations to make outside my Clockwork realm. You must stay vigilant. Take heed of any Daedric incursions and stand ready to fight.

The Prisoner wields great power, making reality of metaphor. We will need you before the end."

Why do you keep calling me the Prisoner?

"A fool's hope, perhaps. I should explain.

Look around you. All of this exists because it must exist. I stand here, in this place, in this moment, not because I wish to, but because I have to. A result of action and consequence."

So wouldn't that make you the prisoner?

"Clever... but incorrect.

The Prisoner must apprehend two critical insights. First, they must face the reality of their imprisonment. They must see the determinative walls - the chains of causality that bind them to their course."

You haven't done that?

"I have. But I fall short of the second insight.

The Prisoner must see the door to their cell. They must gaze through the bars and perceive that which exists beyond causality. Beyond time. Only then can they escape."

You don't see the door?

"I see only unsteady walls.

If the people of Tamriel must exist inside this cell. I will make sure that the walls are stable, the gaps are sealed, and all who remain stay safe within it."

I have no other questions.

"I've met few heroes like you. Very few. I take this matter of the Triad upon myself, but in truth, you may be the one that saves us. The Prisoner who frees the world. We shall see. Farewell."

The Vestige is described in their quest as a 'wound in time,' a paradoxical entity that should not exist, and a being existing outside all possipoints.

"It is good to see you again. And I do see you, in my own way. You are a wound in time, a tear in reality that shouldn't exist and cannot long endure."

"Beginning entity analysis. Error. Entity exists outside known possipoints. Transitioning to general reception array. Hello."

The Nerevarine's status as a Prisoner is characterized by their birth under uncertain stars and to uncertain parents, manifesting as either male or female with a constantly changing appearance. This attribute becomes particularly significant during Landfall, where they are described as 'quantum-vibrating' too rapidly to determine their race.

Though stark-born to sire uncertain,
His aspect marks his certain fate.
Wicked stalk him, righteous curse him.
Prophets speak, but all deny.

On a certain day to uncertain parents
Incarnate moon and star reborn.

'The ruling king is to stand against me and then before me. He is to learn from my punishment. I will mark him to know. He is to come as male or female. I am the form he must acquire.

PIC 1: Through the breach, the gigantic form of Akulakhan looks down at all of us, unreadable hope in its eyes. Its third eye is open, with the barely discernable head of the Nerevarine serving as its pilot, the gender and race either indistinct or, if you prefer to render it this way: simply just "quantum-vibrating" too fast to tell.

The Prisoner's freedom from the chains of time and predetermination is supported by numerous statements that describe the nature of Heroes, highlighting how they forge their own paths in the Elder Scrolls. The Hero is necessary for the ‘moment’ to occur, for they are the ones who ultimately cause it and fix it in time.

Each event is preceded by Prophecy. But without the hero, there is no Event.

Moth Sister Arminus, it has been said that the Elder Scrolls can pierce the veil of Time, that they contain the prophecies of every major event on Nirn. To my knowledge, there must also be a hero to meet each of those events. I wonder, then, as someone who has studied the Scrolls, do you know if the hero—or their soul—is bound to the Elder Scrolls? Is this hero as constant as the events and prophecies foretold by the Scrolls?
Many speak of 'heroes' as if they were born great and the key roles of history were fated to be enacted by them. But is that so? A careful study of the Scrolls leads me to believe that no mortal is 'born great,' but that a person becomes a Hero by making choices and taking actions other mortals refuse. The Scrolls do not select such people, but they do record and reflect their actions, and note the difference made thereby.

‘When you wake up, I will still listen. I'm sorry I left, but hey, I'm still right up here. And my mnemoli? They show up every now and then, and collect all the songs you've made since the last time around. The last real moment.’ The Mnemoli? They're the keepers of the Elder Scrolls. They cannot be fixed until seen. And they cannot be seen until a moment. And you, your Hero, makes that moment.”

A deeper meaning is meant, too, but not very many laymen bother with that. Until a prophecy is fulfilled, the true contents of an Elder Scroll are malleable, hazy, uncertain. Only by the Hero's action does it become True. The Hero is literally the scribe of the next Elder Scroll, the one in which the prophecy has been fulfilled into a fixed point, negating its precursor.

tldr: The Prisoner is a unique entity unbound by causality or linear time, embodying all races and classes and performing all actions at once. They shape the Aurbis by contributing to its fundamental tones and play a crucial role in authoring the Elder Scrolls and defining events within time.
 
The Vestige can toss spears into the sun of Aetherius and call down meteors from the constellations, which are infinite distance away from Nirn that reside in spaces that transcend the time laws of Akatosh such as duration and eventuality.
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The Vestige is capable of deflecting and outrunning Meteor.



The Vestige also has access to the Nova spell, which can bring down sunlight directly from Aetherius.

There are also direct statements from developers that The Vestige is weaker than the Dragonborn.
 
Dyvayth Fyr, a 4,000-year-old Dunmer sorcerer of immense power. Dyvayth can defeat Daedra with difficulty.
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Dyvayth held back Nocturnal from devouring clockwork city and Sotha Sil in the past.


Dyvath is stated to have “near divine levels of power”, which caused Nocturnal to notice his presence immediately, and she attempted to trap him in response.
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The act of surviving within Nocturnal’s tempest is something most mortals would not be able to do.
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The Nerevarine can battle Vivec in single combat. Vivec has been trained by Barons of Move Like This.
Scroll to Barons of Move Like This: https://en.m.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Fa-Nuit-Hen

The Nerevarine in his fight against Hircine, the prince had shifted the moon’s colour and position, and upon his aspect’s death the moon’s original state was restored. The moon is also infinite in mass and size, as the other celestial bodies are.


Indoril Nerevar, the Nerevarine’s original incarnation, flew to the Moon and destroyed large portions of it. He then attempted to subdue Aetherius but was blasted back to Nirn by Magnus.
 
C0DA being acknowledged.
willxpm: What’s your opinion of C0DA?

Lawrence Schick: We erect the spine of cordial welcome! Re: C0DA: it’s thought-provoking and a hell of a lot of fun, but we don’t really touch much on that sort of meta-lore. We’re mostly concerned with trying to convey the day-to-day reality of life in Tamriel in the Second Era

Sermon 37 from ESO directly confirms its canonicity. This entire text acts as a prelude to C0DA.
"Go here: world without wheel, charting zero deaths, and echoes singing," Seht said, until all of it was done, and in the center was anything whatever.

It's also noted in other lore that this sermon was "stolen" from Vivec out of time, before he even wrote it, which further supports it is meant to describe future events from C0DA.
"How the great thief stole the "37th Lesson" from Vivec—before he could write it."

@Stocking Anarchy goes more in-depth of why Michael Kirkbride’s work like C0DA is still official.
 

Stocking Anarchy

Marvelous
V.I.P. Member
C0DA being acknowledged.


Sermon 37 from ESO directly confirms its canonicity. This entire text acts as a prelude to C0DA.


It's also noted in other lore that this sermon was "stolen" from Vivec out of time, before he even wrote it, which further supports it is meant to describe future events from C0DA.


@Stocking Anarchy goes more in-depth of why Michael Kirkbride’s work like C0DA is still official.
Sermon 37 was also written by Kirkbride himself.


You also visit the Coloured Rooms, the Khajiit Lunar Colonies and various other places that were either first mentioned in C0DA (or other OOG texts) by MK (and other devs).
 
Like Tiber Septim and Pelinal Whitestrake, the Dovahkiin is a Shezarrine. Various story elements and dialogues hint at this, including references to them as 'Hjalti,' which was Tiber Septim’s original Breton name.
“Hjalti? Is that you? I’ve been waiting.”
“I fought by your side. To take back the Reach from the savages.”
“Do you remember me now, Hjalti?”

They are also bestowed with the title 'Ysmir,' a name historically associated with Wulfharth (one-third of the Septim Enantiomorph) and Pelinal (also recognized as a Shezarrine).
Meyz nu Ysmir, Dovahsebrom. Dahmaan daar rok. (You have) become now Ysmir, Dragon of the North. Remember these words.

The Dovahkiin can sit on Shor’s throne; upon entering the Hall of Valor, Ysgramor conveys Shor's command for them to sheathe their blades and remain stationary. The ancient tongues also await the Dovahkiin’s command to join the battle against Alduin, which strongly implies that the Dovahkiin is an avatar of Shor, sharing his authority.
“By Shor’s command we sheathed our blades and ventured not the vale’s dark mist. But three await your word to loose their fury upon the perilous foe. Gormlaith the fearless, glad-hearted in battle; Hakon the valiant, heavy-handed warrior; Felldir the Old, far-seeing and grim.”

During the Dragon Break known as the Middle Dawn, the laws of the Aedra were suspended, plunging Mundus into a state of 'untime' and 'unplace.' Mannimarco notes that several beings, including Ysmir, Pelinal Whitestrake, and Arnand The Fox, managed to maintain their stability amidst the chaos. He further identifies Arnand with Arctus, another Shezarrine and one third of the Septim Enantiomorph.

The Shezarrine uniquely remains stable and unaffected even as the foundational concepts of time, space, math, logic, life, death, etc. are removed from Mundus.
“The Three Thieves of Morrowind could tell you where they were. So could the High King of Alinor, who was the one who broke it in the first place. There are others on this earth that could, too: Ysmir, Pelinal, Arnand the Fox or should I say Arctus? The Last Dwarf would talk, if they would let him. As for myself, I was here and there and here again, like the rest of the mortals during the Dragon Break. How do you think I learned my mystery? The Maruhkati Selectives showed us all the glories of the Dawn so that we might learn, simply: as above, so below.”
 
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