#Boethiah's Calling

[skyrim-forever]

Question: Do you do Boethiah's Calling? and if so, who's the lucky bastard?

[truth-01001001-liar]

Indoril Nerevar :)))

[ciceroandlucien]

Daedric Artifacts part 3

[rosemorningstar]

Alright so

Boethiah “the font of inspiration” who calls upon mortals to leave their mark upon the world no matter the form.

Hircine “who is half the conscience of men” meaning the half of mortal minds that follows instinct and the drive for survival.

Malacath “who speaks all languages sideways” meaning he is a universal entity whose name and purpose has become distorted over time. Alternatively, he twists words to inspire rage.

Mehrunes Dagon “whose mistress is the blazing sun” meaning he was created by and serves the will of the Magna Ge who brought him forth.

Sheogorath “the comforter of men” meaning he who facilitates dissociation or a break from reality; taking mortals away from the pains of the world via madness. It’s a comfort to be free of reality but the side effects vary.

Molag Bal “whose breath is most foul” meaning the commands he speaks upon the mortal realm are palpable yet undesirable; a domineering root of suffering.

Namira “whose works works endure forever” meaning her design for existence is inescapable and inevitable aka entropy and decay.

Mephala “who threads the needle with the hair of wives” meaning she manipulates the bonds of loyalty to her ends.

Clavicus Vile “who always answers” meaning he’ll make a deal with anyone but the terms won’t necessarily be fair.

Nocturnal “whose touch is mink” meaning her blessing is soft, concealing, and expensive to attain.

Peryite “who’s foundation is falling rock” meaning his power is based in the same forces that move erosion and the passage of time. Incremental but nonetheless potent.

Azura “the rim of all holes” meaning her power is what facilitates transformation and dramatic change on a singular level. The movement of an object or being to dramatically different circumstances. A goddess of exodus and transmutation.

Meridia “who contains the plenum” meaning her sphere is one of wholeness and abundance. Something she offers at a high price.

Hermaeus Mora “who holds the paper to the light” meaning he reveals the hidden truths beneath the surface.

Sanguine “who tastes the shaven fruit” meaning he consumes mortals at their most vulnerable; when they’re inebriated or at the height of their pleasure.

Vaermina “weaver of the panoply” meaning she designs mortal delusions; the fantastical fears we react upon in reality.

[choilacanth]

(inebriated thoughts on dunmer diaspora. did not edit, only hit send in an attempt to be brave. inebriated very inebriated. if you want to fight pls be nice. )

so the tribunal collapse/red year/oblivion crisis wombo combo happened 200 years before skyrim and dunmer probably scattered into the winds fleeing vvardenfell and affected areas of morrowind

200 years is like 4 generations in human years but for dunmer it could encompass 1 to 4 generations depending on the dunmer (there are both 100 year old first time parents and 3 time grandparents i believe, though i hc most dunmer would start pairing up and settling down at 50 or so)

you have dunmer kids who came of age near 4e 201 listening to stories of red mountain erupting and their fathers choking on ash trying to dig their older siblings out of the rubble

you have once-proud redoran kinsmen watching their sons and daughters eke out a living on a farm owned by hlaalus

i imagine the combo of events overturned a lot of social structures so dunmer diaspora are either a.) clinging stubbornly to the old ways in an attempt to preserve what they know, mostly present in 1st gen immigrants or b.) very quick to adapt to a new land while hanging on to the shreds of their identity that remain acceptable, as they have adapted all their life to struggle.

to make matters more confusing, the replacement of a cultural religion (the tribunal) with the reclamations (3 good daedra) was underway when red mountain erupted, so the dunmer who left slowly abandoned the old ways upon getting the memo only to enter lands where stendarr's priests admonish daedra worship. i suppose they get some special dispensation, but can only praise the daedra in "acceptable" ways, so the image of azura/boethiah/mephala is further diluted in skyrim and other places with a vigilants of stendarr presence

so, by 4e 201 the dunmer communities of skyrim are split into a few groups. within windhelm is an enclave of dunmer who are mostly sequestered from the nord population. while it would seem intuitive that they would be less traditional in their customs, the hostility of nords in windhelm towards them means they have no reason to appease these neighbors and instead, cling to their traditions in a very quiet way within the gray quarter. there are, however, dunmer who have integrated better, and that would be those of the "fallen" house hlaalu, who moved in early, switched over to the divines worship, and own land and farms right outside windhelm beside nord neighbors who look upon them kindly. the situation of the hlaalus is much better than those within the gray quarter, which is a reversal of how they are viewed in the rest of morrowind for selling out to the empire. due to their ties to the empire, however, after the great war in skyrim 4e 170 nords do not trust them as much.

however, windhelm is not the only place in skyrim dunmer call home. the rift also hosts many dunmer, and stormcloak influence is much less influential than coin. the rift is home to fisheries based out of lake honrich, farms that remain bountiful in the more temperate climate, and lots and lots of trade through both the jerall mountains and the velothi mountains. riften also burned down in 4E 129 in the revolt against jarl hosgunn, and the dunmer, argonian, and nord population of the rift all joined in to rebuild the city. these three communities are on much more equal footing versus in windhelm. due to its proximity to morrowind, the dunmer that settled in riften are more likely to receive "updated" news from their homeland, and as they feel less threatened and want to get along with their business contacts and neighbors more organically they would shift towards adopting skyrim culture more readily.

what does this all mean? it means that darra's business-minded father was quick to put icons of zenithar in front of their store in the rift, but also pray to azura at dawn and dusk. darra's father swallows his dunmer pride to adapt, but never quite loses it, so darra has to learn to be comfortable in her own skin and has no idea what a cliff racer looks like. she still hears about it from her childhood friends, the old dunmer uncles of the warehouse. it means that she grows up knowing balimund and brynjolf and haelga and many more, but they grow older and she barely ages, even though she lived through the same war they did. there are many other things that this could mean.

finally, when teldryn sero moves into darra's spare room in the lousy little honeyside townhouse, his memories of windhelm decades ago still sting, but he learns to like the crooked little city for how casually it welcomes him. he ends up playing teeba-hatsei with the fishery argonians. (he has no tail, but he makes do.)

[trickstarbrave]

im interested in learning more about nerevar but im having a hard time understanding, like, anything. if i wanted to get a feel for who he was and what he did outside of the main story questline of morrowind, where do i start? the tumblr nerevar scholars are always citing the most obscure lore and im like "WHERE is that FROM." i wanna be able to do that some day. Help !

First and foremost I must give a disclaimer: Morrowind lore is like IRL history. It’s super messy, and people have personal and sociopolitical motivations to lie about him. He was a prominent historical figure and hero that has been used to prop up the tribunal temple, so people have a lot of reasons to lie, as well as the fact he’s been sort of mythologized. So we don’t know for certain much about him. We have a lot of theories and a lot of things seemingly verified by multiple sources, but there is no 100% concrete account of his life and what he did. All sources will be biased, and we only have second hand accounts by people with a vested interest in lying at best, with all other accounts being the result of oral tradition going back 3000+ years.

(Also there might have been multiple timelines/realities. Which complicates things. Tl;dr the tribunal becoming gods might have resulted in them remaking reality so events would be different between those timelines)

If you haven’t read the books you collect during the main story that cover Nerevar, you really should! They provide a lot of information

This one isn’t part of the MSQ I believe but it’s pretty good

Another source that exists as in game lore is the songs of Wulfharth. There’s some ‘secret’ songs that are lesser known but describe an account of the battle of red mountain that is quite different. In this account, the Nords were invited by house Dagoth and the Tribubal potentially, but there appears to be a split in the Dwemer forces; some (led by Dumac, the king) were fighting alongside Nerevar, and the others fighting with Kagrenac. This is a bit more mythological/metaphorical of a text though, given Lorkhan has physically manifested and calls Nerevar the son of Boethiah. I believe Lorkhan is sort of possessing Numidium, and while the Nords see the Numidium as Shor/Lorkhan, the chimer and Dwemer probably just saw it as the Numidium. But YMMV. It’s a very different perspective on the battle though, but some details are oddly consistent with other accounts, and would lack the more typical dunmeri bias (but ofc the Nords are also biased. So. Keep that in mind)

Another source is the, AND I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH, nonliteral 36 lessons of Vivec, which do give us more insight into Nerevar. These events may not have all happened, but it’s highly likely some are accurate. For example: Vivec describes that Nerevar was originally a merchant caravan guard, who went on to kill the merchant in charge of it, taking ownership himself, before going on to join house Indoril and rose through the ranks. Also, both the 36 lessons and the songs of Wulfharth describe Nerevar as having keening at the battle of red mountain.

I’ll link the new whirling school website to help you get through it as well if you’re struggling to understand what the fuck

Another little source is varieties of faith. It describes that Nerevar is said to have ripped out Dumac’s heart and eaten it. Is this true? Possibly not. Do I want it to be true bc it’s hot? Oh yeah

Out of lore source I like as well was a piece written by Michael Kirkbride. This is technically non-canon/extra canon, and you do not have to take it as canon, nor anything kirkbride has written that isn’t in game. He just wrote a bunch of the Morrowind lore and vivec is his oc. It’s called “what my beloved taught me” (Nerevar would be the one asking the questions)

I thinkkkkkk that’s about it. You can also just check out Nerevar’s page on the UESP. I might have missed smth.

Most of the rest of it is insane Nerevar scholars like me making insane theories based on what’s read in the texts.

[isamajor]

Whumpril 2024 : days 26 to 30

The last days of @whumpril !

26 . « How could you ? »

Ever since they came upon Boethiah's altar, the Dragonborn had been acting strangely. Falsely. It was almost too late that they realized that the Daedric Prince was speaking to thir soul, leading them to the abyss of betrayal.

They have almost sacrificed the trusting Lydia, their thane, their unwavering support since the beginning. She had been narrowly saved and was staring, shocked, at her thane who had betrayed her.

“How could you?” Auri spat. "How could you even think about that? She is one of us!"

Kaidan just slapped them, his eyes filled with anger. The Dragonborn looked away, a tear rolling down their sore cheek. (105)

•

27 . « Please don't go. »

They have their hand on this new Black Book, ready to open it. Lucien grabbed their wrist, his face betraying his concern.

“Please don’t go.”, he begged, his voice sharp with anguish. Lucien stared at the Dragonborn who seemed determined to open it. Lucien's blue eyes grew wet and bright. He added :

"This is a Daedric kingdom and its Prince is a devious being. There is no certainty that you will be able to return intact... Please..."

Lucien knew that, there would be no guarantee that Hermaeus Mora would not lock them away in his world, as he had done to Miraak before. (104)

•

28 . Fight/Flight/Freeze

They saw some webs but they did not expect the monstrous size of the frostbite spider that descended on them. Inigo welcomed the sight of this spider with joy, ready to face the creature head-on. Nebarra's heart raced as he caught sight of the arachnid's menacing form. Under his helmet were hidden his features distorted by terror. His breathing had spontaneously stopped. His legs gave out, causing him to collapse to his knees. His hands were shaking uncontrollably, unable to grab his sword or cast a ward. While the others attacked the threat, he remained frozen, unable to defend himself or even flee. (105)

•

29 . Reluctant Caretaker

It was his turn on duty at Lucifer's bedside. Xelzaz was exhausted and needed to get some sleep. Reluctantly he sat at the injured man's bedside. The wound was badly infected and Lucifer was layig motionless, his breath shallow and labored, a feverish sheen coating his scales. Xelzaz had concocted a medicine for him which everyone hoped would work quickly. The Altmer sighed.

“And I’m the one being asked to babysit you, Lute.”

He placed a cloth soaked in cool water on the Argonian's forehead without much care.

“You better not die under my watch, now.”, he threatened. (100)

•

30 . « We're out of time. »

As the Dragonborn and his companions moved deeper into the Dwemer ruin of Arkngthamz, sinister rumblings were heard. Remiel and Lucien, both fascinated by Dwemer complex mechanisms and architecture, had lingered to examine a particularly intriguing tonal mechanism. The ground trembled beneath their feet, creaks echoed through the halls and walls began to crumble here and there. Both were so absorbed that they had become oblivious of the imminent danger and deaf to the calls of their companions. It was only when they were forcibly taken away by the latter who shouted "We're out of time!", that they realized the danger of their situation. (105)

You can find all the drabbles written for Whumpril 2024 here (in addition to other whump drabbles on Skyrim Custom-voiced Followers written for various challenges).

Remember to leave me a little comment, it’s always nice ;)

[mistressofduskanddawn]

THE PHYSICAL STAR OF AZURA

Photo by Etienne Marais on Pexels.com

read this post on wordpress

[ID: A sky reaching sunset, with the colours shifting from a clouded darker blue sky to a warm red and pink sunset. To the left stands a bare woman, smiling, as she drapes robes round herself as if in a dance. The scene is peaceful and beautiful.]

AZURA’S STAR IS VERY DEAR TO ME,  as a symbol of not only my mistress but also her power over magic, transitions, fate, and souls. My mistress has the capacity over the transition of souls through the star, for they are trapped for but a moment until released into either Aetherius or Oblivion, depending on the canon source. Azura’s inherent liminality certainly lends to this, with the state of ghosts often being viewed as here yet not. 

Most of us are familiar with Azura’s star, especially her quest in skyrim—in which it is mentioned that the star stores unlimited souls until they can pass unto Oblivion—implying much about the Elder Scrolls afterlives. Yet also her star is a physical location, which with my own personal gnosis, comes into effect of honouring Azura on Earth especially. 

THE PLANETARY STAR 

The artifact of Azura, her star, is one of many powerful daedric artifacts that are sought out for their unique properties. Unlike the other daedric artifacts however, Azura’s star is also described as a physical location, briefly summarised by the The Elder Scrolls fan wiki as: 

Azura’s Star (also known as the Twilight Star) is a star which appears briefly at dawn and dusk, low on the horizon below the constellation of the Steed.[1] It is not to be confused with the artifact named Azura’s Star, a powerful soul gem and symbol of Azura.[2][3]

And then, the star is further put into a physical location as described in the Anticipations: 

Azura is the Anticipation of Sotha Sil, but female to his male. Azura was the ancestor who taught the Chimer how to be different from the Altmer. Her teachings are sometimes attributed to Boethiah. In the stories, Azura is often encountered more as a communal progenitor of the race as a whole rather than as an individual ancestor. She is associated with Dusk and Dawn, and is sometimes called the Mother Soul. Azura’s Star, also called the Twilight Star, appears briefly at dawn and dusk low on the horizon below the constellation of the Steed. Azura is associated with mystery and magic, fate and prophecy. 

While not much lore is given on this topic, this does establish the name of Azura’s star as beyond the divine artifact. This naturally struck my mind as something of note, especially with the nature of planetary bodies and the divine of the other pagan religions I follow. In this world, planets such as Venus could be called Aster Aphrodites (“Star of Aphrodite”). Planets, which were seen as stars, have been long attributed to deities and archangels across history—which lead into my gnosis revolving Azura’s morning star. 

VENUS, THE DAWNSTAR OF AZURA

In this world, and reflected within Nirn, is the dawnstar—the planet we call Venus, shining brilliantly at dawn and dusk. The planet Venus has been long linked to beauty, being the star of Aphrodite, Venus, Ishstar, etc—and it is no surprise that it would come within Azura’s grasp. I find myself seeing the Aedra and Daedra woven into this world everyday; I tread the path and this is but one part of recognising the power of earthly Azura. 

For myself, I very much see an identification with the star and the planetary light. Just as stars hold souls in Hellenic and medieval belief, I do possess the lovely gnosis gifted from Azura that the planetary star of Azura holds the souls within her gem. As a liminal goddess, it only makes sense—she having a power over where souls go, the Crimson gates, fits within her natural realm. While some may connect souls to passing through the moon or elsewhere, I see the planet Venus as a spiritual realm on top of the physical planetary star. If her star were to be forged in this world, it would be deeply linked to her star within the heavens. 

And for magic, the select window of dawn and dusk only grows stronger. I could see Azurite mages awaiting until her time to invoke the most of her magic—after all, magic in Nirn is about pulling magicka from Aetherius, so in this realm, we could look to the sun and stars for magic. As dawn and dusk arise, we can invoke Azura’s star of dawn and dusk, endearing the ever-pleasant magic and liminality that Azura brings every rising day. Planetary magic is a staple of the occult arts: perhaps there is something to be said about Azura’s hand in such a fated path.

References

ASTRA PLANETA – Greek Gods of the Planet-Stars. (n.d.). https://www.theoi.com/Titan/AstraPlaneta.html

Lore:Azura’s Star (astronomy) – The Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages (UESP). (n.d.). https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Azura%27s_Star_(astronomy)

Lore:The Anticipations – The Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages (UESP). (n.d.). https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:The_Anticipations

[mint-in-the-moonlight]

Daedric Princes summoning days

in Daggerfall there is this gameplay element where you can only summon the Daedric Princes on certain days to gain access to their quests and then their artifacts. while the entire concept was removed in the subsequent games, i thought this could be an interesting thing to incorporate into an Elder Scrolls-inspired pop-culture practice. it's ultimately up to you how to choose to perceive and celebrate those days if you do decide to incorporate them as there does not seem to be much lore surrounding these days.

thankfully the Tamriel calendar corresponds exactly to the Gregorian calendar, so i will be mentioning both names of the respective months for your convenience and the entries are sorted alphabetically. i am basing this list entirely on the Holidays page from the Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages, which can be found through this link.

Azura's Summoning Day - the 21st of First Seed (March) also called Hogithum. More information can be found in the short text of the book Invocation of Azura.

Boethiah's Summoning Day - 2nd of Sun's Dusk (November)

Clavicus Vile's Summoning Day - the 1st of Morning Star (January)

Hermaeus Mora's Summoning Day - 5th of First Seed (March)

Hircine's Summoning Day - 5th of Midyear (June)

Malacath's Summoning Day - 8th of Frost Fall (October)

Mehrunes Dagon's Summoning Day - 20th of Sun's Dusk (November)

Mephala's Summoning Day - 13th of Frost Fall (October)

Meridia's Summoning Day - 13th of Morning Star (January)

Molag Bal's Summoning Day - 20th of Evening Star (December)

Namira's Summoning Day - 9th of Second Seed (May)

Nocturnal's Summoning Day - 3rd of Hearthfire (September)

Peryite's Summoning Day - 9th of Rain's Hand (April)

Sanguine's Summoning Day - 16th of Sun's Dawn (February)

Sheogorath's Summoning Day - 2nd of Sun's Dawn (February)

Vaermina's Summoning Day - 10th of Sun's Heights (July)

[aquicat]

Daedric Princes as Corny Pick-up Lines:

‘…Are you the Champion of Azura? Because you trapped my soul!’

‘…is that Boethiah calling you? Because I’m free tonight if you wanna (you know) perform a sacrifice?’

‘…you must be Clavicus Vile, because you’re master of my insidious wishes.’

‘…Hermaeus Mora? Ha! You read me like a book!’

‘…Hircine, huh? You know that I, *ahem*, have a fursuit?’

‘‘Gray Prince of Order?’ More like ‘gay prince of order’, bcs I’ll make you my bitch!’

‘…is your name Malacath? Because I wouldn’t mind being in your ashpits…’

‘…let’s destroy the world together, my Mehrunes Dagon!’

‘…ohhh! Mephala, ay? Tie. Me. Up.’

‘…you’re Meridia. You annoy me greatly, but you are the light of my life.’

‘…no offence, but if you worship Molag Bal… I- I don’t want you to call me again…’

‘…like Namira, you have rotted away the cage around my heart.’

‘…I want to embrace you under Nocturnal’s moonlight, because you snuck into my heart!’

‘…Peryite must have gotten to my, because I am lovesick.’

‘…I would give you a bouquet of roses, but I only have this one big staff…’

‘…Is it ol’ Sheo’ playing tricks on me, or are you insanely beautiful right now?’

‘…bite me! But don’t go too far - I know you’re into Namira.’

[sharffffff]

Taren Velas

Art by: https://x.com/madnessdemon

So, first things first, my main TES OC as of now, who is also my Vestige. They've already been seen on this blog before, but I love talking about them and also constantly change their backstory around a bit, so there's that.

While some could consider an appropriate term to call what Taren is a "Demiprince", in all actuality this term isn't correct. Yes, they're an offspring of Mephala, but no, they aren't a Demiprince. There's more that goes into this title than just being a descendant of a Daedric Prince, and while Taren is working toward attaining it, they don't have as much thought put into it when compared to constantly having to save the world.

How did an offspring of Mephala come to be, one might ask?

Answer is simpler than one might assume - they were part of a deal with Mephala. Offspring of Daedric Princes are mentioned in multiple legends from many different cultures, yet only a couple of Demiprinces have ever been recorded. This is because a Prince is powerful enough to limit what portion of their power goes into an offspring, and although said offspring will always have a stronger Padomaic connection than normal, be it an offspring with a mortal, another Daedra or just a creation from their own blood. Usually it never comes into play for their mortal offspring, aside from potentially higher resilience or faster natural regeneration, however there are very specific cases where this intrinsic Padomaic value causes for an event unexpected by the godly parent - or, potentially, expected and even planned for ahead of time, just purposefully kept silent about - since, as it is known, Daedric Princes love to keep to their secrets. That is to say, most of the offspring of Daedric Princes become just usual individuals of their other parent's race - with, perhaps, supernatural resilience or other abilities, but nothing too far from the ordinary to be noticeable.

This simple fact, however, sometimes goes completely unnoticed due to both the legends of the powers of the offspring of Daedric Princes, as well as attributing actions of certain historic figures to them being descended from one, especially so in Dunmeri culture, where quite a few historic figures were speculated to be offspring of either Azura or Boethiah, with little proof of it actually being true. So, while not common, some people have attempted to bargain with the Princes, most commonly Boethiah and Mephala (and, of course, Azura, but unlike other two, she never answered), for children, hoping to both strengthen their own family line and overshadow their rivals, as well as potentially parenting the next big hero of the Dunmer race. This practice was rare enough to not be recorded, however, and rare enough to be amusing to the Princes, who were promised everything they could ask for in exchange for a child that they knew would be just ordinary Dunmer - so of course they took them up on that offer, it was too good of a deal to pass up. And it was always amusing seeing the reaction to the offspring that was thought to be the next big thing ending up living a completely uneventful life and dying to most random thing.

Taren's mother was one of the Dunmer who attempted such a deal, being one of the minor nobles of House Velas, one of the smaller vassal houses of House Dres, she always dreamt of greatness, of achieving more than she had ever had a chance to achieve on her own, and the chance to bring Velas out of footnotes of history right to its front was a chance she couldn't pass up. Of course, Mephala saw an opportunity here as well, as House Dres have always made the best spies, and even though the child would still be a normal Dunmer, at least the Webspinner could let it inherit something that would at least be beneficial to that child in their life. After all, secrets and deception are some of the aspects that Plot-Weaver rules over, so her gifts would prove useful.

Taren's early life was mostly uneventful, aside from their overall chaotic tendencies, disregard for authority and overwhelming sense of freedom. They had been taught in the art of nightblade, combining stealth, infiltration and assassination with shadow magic, as preparations for spy training in the future, and they abused their powers to their fullest potential. Taren always believed into breaking the mental chains that lock the person into the norms of the law, but into breaking physical chains especially so. And living on the territories of House Dres allowed Taren to practice their nightblade skills in the best way possible - by breaking the slaves free of their chains and escorting them to safety under the guise of shadows. They had been caught a couple of times, but were able to let it slip due to being a child of a noble and due to the chance of them "growing out of it".

This sense of freedom and wish for chaos was also why Taren was eventually sent off to Davon's Watch in Stonefalls. The official reason for this was this being Taren's first solo mission, but in actuality their mother was hoping for them to actually prove themself away from homeland and to make her own life easier, as the losses from the Ebonheart Pact's prohibition of slavery were only worsened by Taren's freeing of the "product". Taren jumped on this opportunity to work with people of different races away from oppressively traditionalistic views of the people of Tear, celebrating their leave with the biggest stunt yet, as well as the first big test of their Illusion skill - the night before they were set to leave, they gathered all the slaves from both their mother and a couple of their neighbors, made illusory images of a couple of slaves in each household, and made it to the contact while utilizing shadow magic to make the whole group invisible. It was incredibly straining, but Taren managed to be safely teleported to Davon's Watch at the dawn before letting the illusion drop to what Taren assumed was immense chaos.

It has to be mentioned that Taren was still pretty young by the Dunmeri standards, barely having turned 32 by the time they were sent off, having barely any life experience and a wish to help anyone and everyone they could. So, needless to say, when a weird hooded figure approached them with an opportunity of a lifetime in a secluded house, they didn't even think twice, and of course they didn't say "no".

And here is the fact mentioned at the beginning comes into play. Offspring of Daedric Prince have a very strong Padomaic connection, however in cases where the offspring is mortal, it also causes a stronger Anuic connection, as the Annuic soul strengthens the body and essence around it to contend with the Padomaic element of such individual. In most cases, it changes nothing, however when such soul is used to create a Soul Shriven Vestige... things happen. It can't be known if such things are intended or not, but they do happen - the strong Padomaic presence is made even stronger when the Padomaic Vestige is created, and due to the way this Padomaic element is intertwined with Anuic Soul, part of that Anuic essence is transferred into the Vestige as well, causing the Soul Shriven to act the same way as if it was a mortal with stronger Anuic connection created by Nirn itself, but with a completely different origin. And this Padomaic presence changes the nature of the Vestige itself as well, as it never actually becomes a Soul Shriven Vestige, and instead something else entirely - a never before seen type of Daedra, still bearing the same properties of their mortal bodies they would if they were Soul Shriven, but with significant connection to their Prince parent, increase in power and features corresponding to said parent, which differ from case to case - and so far, there has been only one recorded case of this very specific situation ever happening.

So yes, Taren getting sacrificed to Molag Bal and becoming one of his Soul Shriven has actually backfired, unlocking something locked away in Taren's Padomaic part, strengthening their connection to Mephala, and foretelling Planemeld's eventual downfall. In their consequent travels Taren has managed to visit Spiral Skein, attuning to it for a short amount of time to unlock their full potential, and gaining access to far more powers, as well as a Spider Daedra form. They didn't stay for long, as they still had a sense of duty for Tamriel, and it always needed saving.

As for why Taren couldn't count as a Demiprince despite now being fully Daedric and therefore virtually immortal and combining both Anuic and Padomaic aspects in them? That's easy. Demiprince has to have a plane to count as such - this refers to both a plane of Oblivion, and a plane of influence, and neither of those appear out of thin air - either a Daedric Prince parent has to wish for their offspring to be a Demiprince and give those to them, or their offspring has to claw it out through their own blood, sweat and tears. Taren didn't have time for second option, nor did they want to grovel before Mephala for the first, so while still being powerful, they haven't become a Demiprince.

[the-elder-polls]

#15 How do they feel about consorting with daedra? Do they collect their artifacts? Are there some they would never interact with vs. some they would consider calling upon?

💜

How do they feel about consorting with daedra? Do they collect their artifacts? Are there some they would never interact with vs. some they would consider calling upon?

ved hates daedra. absolutely hates them. he won't touch their artifacts with a ten foot pole. won't interact with them. there are no exceptions to this. he even hates the daedra traditionally associated with the dunmer (azura, boethiah, mephala). no patience for em at all

[boethiah]

Do you ever feel like Boethia lied to all the Dunmer when she convinced them to leave Summerset?

I feel like she did, and everything, including the psyjic endevour, is a lie to further her own bloodshed and vanity. Like, this mf Boethia is called the "Prince and Plots" and "The Deciever of Nations." The question arises what nations did Boethia decieve, and what plot did they instigate? On both of those accounts I can only think of the followers of Veloth and the nation of Morrowind.

And literally no one in recorded history has achieved diefication through the psyjic endevour. The only ones to attain godhood were the tribunal, who explicitly ignored the advice of the Azura et all, and Tiber sentiment.

Thoughts?

"Boethiah showed them the lies of the et'Ada, the Aedra, and told them Trinimac was the biggest liar of all, saying all this with Trinimac's voice! Boethiah told the mass before him the Tri-Angled Truth. He showed them, with Mephala, the rules of Psijic Endeavor. He taught them how to build Houses, and what items they needed to bury in the Corners. He demonstrated the right way to wear their skin. He performed the way to walk to achieve an Exodus." (x)

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Vivec says unto the Hortator remember the words of Boet-hi-ah:

We pledge ourselves to you, the Frame-maker, the Scarab: a world for us to love you in, a cloak of dirt to cherish. Betrayed by your ancestors when you were not even looking. Hoary Magnus and his ventured opinions cannot sway the understated, a trick worthy of the always satisfied. A short season of towers, a rundown absolution, and what is this, what is this but fire under your eyelid?

Shift ye in your skin, I say to the Trinimac-eaters. Pitch your voices into the color of bruise. Divide ye like your enemies, in Houses, and lay your laws in set sequence from the center, again like the enemy Corners of the House of Troubles, and see yourself thence as timber, or mud-slats, or sheets of resin. Then do not divide, for yet is the stride of SITHISIT quicker than the rush of enemies, and He will sunder the whole for the sake of a shingle.

For we go different, and in thunder. SITHISIT is the start of all true Houses, built against stasis and lazy slaves. Turn from your predilections, broken like false maps. Move and move like this. Quicken against false fathers, mothers left in corners weeping for glass and rain. Stasis asks merely for nothing, for itself, which is nothing, as you were in the eight everlasting imperfections. (x)

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boethiah laid out the central tenets of velothi society-- the division into houses and the conflict embedded within their culture. she presented a coherent philosophy centred on rejection of the aedra and adoration of lorkhan and the world he'd created. the fact that nobody has achieved the psjjjic endeavour doesn't mean it's a false concept; the psjjjic endeavour was lorkhan's ultimate goal in the creation of nirn, she passed it on to honour him.

[whitegoldtower]

Some Gwalchmai Lore:

He was never turned into a vampire with Sanguinare Vampiris, nor is he a spawn of Molag Bal, nor did he make a pact with the aforementioned daedra.

His vampirism comes from Lamae’s bloodline, and he contracted Noxiphilic Sanguivoria instead, from Lamae herself, after he was banished to Coldharbour, and the Blood-Matron became inspired by his vengefulness.

Because guess who fucking sent him to Coldharbour? Mannimarco. Mannimarco’s worm cult sacrificed him to Molag Bal. He was one of many Vestiges. Gwalchmai HATES necromancers. Best believe he doesn’t hold back one bit in Wolfskull Cave, and comes out of it like “UHHN THAT HIT THE SPOT”.

Gwalchmai would not have escaped Coldharbour, were it not for the Blood-Matron’s favour, so he is very rightfully devout in his worship of her.

As a result, he is not damaged by sunlight, and merely becomes much stronger at night (so bringing him anywhere after sunset gives him a significant bonus in his attacks), and he is no weaker than a normal NPC in the day (you will actually be able to ask him about how he feels about sunlight). He also does not worship Molag Bal and actually actively encourages the player to profane him, or - if the player is adamant on following daedra - to use Boethiah against him, for he has inherited the same hatred Lamae had for Molag Bal. He also has a hatred for Arkay, for his betrayal of Lamae when he abandoned her (so praying at a shrine of Arkay can earn you a snarky comment / disgusted sigh from Gwalchmai).

If the player bows to Molag (or calls him ‘Lord’) in the House of Horror’s quest, Gwalchmai will have some rather stern words for YC (kids these days! I’ve actually been to coldharbour you little shit, I was trapped there!! 👹), however if YC decides to accept Harkon’s gift, Gwalchmai accepts your decision, though not without a level of sadness; he despises the notion that you will become spawn of Molag, but he respects that it is a sensible and powerful decision to make, as it makes taking Harkon down from the inside much easier and means that you will not have to harm anybody else in the Volkihar court (he’s got a fat crush on Vingalmo, remember, and is rather fond of Feran Sadri / Garan Marethi).

If you contract Sanguinare Vampiris, he will offer YC potions of cure disease, and if you really want to become a vampire (though not by Harkon), he will begrudgingly turn you himself, giving you Noxiphilic Sanguivoria instead, and as a result, you will get all the perks of being a vampire, just without the massive drain on your stats during the day. And your stats will temporarily go up at night (If I can figure out how to do that).

He is thus not a Vampire Lord, but a Scion. He and Serana have very unique experiences of vampirism, in that Gwalchmai’s vampirism was a saving grace, and Serana’s was a traumatic expectation. Hence why Serana doesn’t particularly like the idea of you becoming a Volkihar vampire, and would rather that you get sired by Gwalchmai instead.

(They’re gonna have a convo and I’m going to figure out the mechanics of making Gwalchmai and Serana hug each other)

Also is Gwalchmai a former Psijiic? Maybe???? Would explain his proficiency in magic and speech… and why he feels most comfortable advising / teaching someone else, whether it be the Jarl or YC 👀

And I’ve already established that he was around during 2E (and slept through most of the Great Anguish / Oblivion Crisis) so ya boi is old af

[crynwr-drwg]

MEET THE CHARACTER—FA-NUIT-HEN

Meet Fa-Nuit-Hen—lord of Maelstrom and legendary Demiprince warrior whose exploits are renown even amongst Daedra!

**A letter found among the personal effects of Mages Guild scholar Pascual Girien, recently deceased due to wounds inflicted while engaged in a relatively new activity—sword fighting.**

You want to know about me? I’m flattered, but what more is there to say about Fa-Nuit-Hen than what has already chronicled in the tomes and legends of Nirn and Oblivion? I’m nothing more than a humble scion of Boethiah, an accomplished duelist, and a master of the sword.

Very well. Since you insist. Besides, the stream of challengers coming to my arena has been slow of late. So, I’ll indulge you. Still, I must reiterate that I do this at your insistence. You have certainly gone out of your way to contact me. How many times? At least four that I recall, including this most-recent request. Really, I don’t know why you bothered. There’s nothing interesting or exciting about me.

I’m the Demiprince of Maelstrom and the Multiplier of Motions Known. Both those names are cumbersome and entirely too complicated to say. I prefer to simply be called Fa-Nuit-Hen. My unimposing demiplane, Maelstrom, consists of an unending series of martial challenges that test contenders from across the myriad realms of existence. I suppose any warrior worth their salt has heard of my arenas. If they haven’t, that’s a sign they’re not skilled or perceptive enough to warrant my attention. From what I gather, you’re some sort of Daedric scholar. As such, I can see why you need to ask me these questions, but if I wasn’t currently so unoccupied, you would be beneath my notice. Try not to take that too personally. I’m particularly focused on the artistry behind martial prowess. If every soldier with a bow, spear, or sword caught my eye, then my tastes would not be very refined, would they? If you lack the skills to interest me, then you must spend the time and effort to gain them.

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.

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.

I don’t remember the details well, but Tutor Riparius reminded me that I once cleaved an Infernium in two with one arm bound behind my back. I remember the ground. How uneven it was that day and how the Infernium’s many legs scuttled across the rocky terrain. If I think hard enough, I can still recall the light on the ruddy dirt and the way my blade slid between the Infernium’s scales.

I still set out on the rare adventure or two every now and again, but my life goals have definitely shifted. I want to enjoy the best displays of strength and acumen from across all of existence. I want to transform the unused sections of Bedlam Veil into greater and grander arena challenges. I want mortals and immortals alike to entertain and thrill me with their struggles at battle and their drive to survive. This is what interests me. If you want to continue this discourse, then that is what I want to see. Put aside your scholarly studies, pick up a martial weapon, develop your skill, and fight well.

Do this and you may hear from me again.

You can typically find Fa-Nuit-Hen within the Maelstrom Arena, however, soon you can also encounter the Multiplier of Notions within Bedlam Veil, one of the two new Scions of Ithelia dungeons. Will you answer Fa-Nuit-Hen’s call for aid? Let us know via X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.

The Scions of Ithelia dungeon DLC pack and Update 41 arrive March 11 on PC/Mac, and March 26 for Xbox and PlayStation consoles.

[trickstarbrave]

WIP Whenever

I GOT TAGGED BY @thescrolls-haveforetold !!

we've got a serious picture of my little idiot ahkrinaak <;3 im also working on secret santa stuff but NO ONE can see those. not yet.

also i have some moon and star spoilers im really happy with >:) cw for blood

ALSO TAGGING: @boethiahspillowbook @soundwavefucker69 @orfeoarte @caliblorn and @mulberrycafe (if you guys wanna)

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He hissed as the blade hit skin, slowly peeling away layers of gold to reveal deep, crimson red. 

“Good boy,” Nerevar cooed to him softly, praising him for his resolve. “You’re doing so well for me.” The praise was enough to make his mind feel hazy, gasping and groaning. It hurt—that was obvious. It stung and burned, every little breeze on the injury like fire. The ache though was a reminder of his dedication: proof of his devotion and love. Voryn would only allow Nerevar to hurt him in this way, and would gladly take the pain from his beloved’s hands. Hands that were all at once so violent and gentle, so loving and destructive. 

Finally, it was finished, and Voryn breathed in a sigh, healing spell in hand. He made sure to heal it slowly, stitching the wound shut carefully. He needed it to scar properly after all, leaving Nerevar’s brand on him for all to see. Voryn smiled fondly however as he traced his hand over it; it wasn’t Nerevar’s full name, just the first letter. N—Neht. What Voryn called him so fondly, engraved on his skin in a large enough symbol that it was impossible to deny.

“I thought it would be better like this.” Nerevar explained with a gentle kiss to his cheek. “I’m not that good at it after all, and my name has too many damn letters.”

“I love it.” Voryn whispered back, reverence in his voice. It would be more legible like this with Nerevar’s clumsy technique. He was not trained in it, after all, and anything more complicated would take an artist’s hand.

Luckily for Voryn, he was in fact an artist.

“Lay down on your stomach.” Voryn mumbled after a few soft, messy kisses. “It’s your turn.”

Obediently—if not excitedly—Nerevar moved off him to lay on his belly, practically buzzing with anticipation. 

Voryn remembered, knife in hand as he crawled on top of Nerevar once more, old Velothi stories and ways their people used to tell fortunes. A mark on your back was often interpreted as from the future, for you couldn’t see the future coming. A mark on the front of one’s body was, by extension, from the past. He wondered if the Three knew that when they placed the moon and star on his chest, if that Ashlander woman was to be believed. 

An injury to the back was at once sacred and profane for the chimer. Hidden attacks and stabs in someone’s back were the ways of Mephala and to some extension Boethiah. To stab someone in the back was an attempt to destroy or change their future, and usually an attempt to cut their life short. But here he didn’t want to take Nerevar’s life, though he knew the other would let him in all of his tender vulnerability at this moment. 

If Nerevar thought it was his future--his destiny--that Voryn would leave him, Voryn would change that. With the knife in hand, Voryn would carve away all the parts of his future that would keep them apart, and make his mark on Nerevar’s very flesh so that it could never be denied. Let the Good Daedra smite him for his hubris if they must, but there must be a reason they marked his chest and left his back bare. 

Nerevar hissed softly at the sting of the blade, fingers clenching and unclenching as Voryn wrote his own name in daedric script across Nerevar’s left shoulder. It would leave his sword arm still free to move with ease while it healed if he needed to fight, and also Voryn found himself drawn to the left side of his body at the moment, pulled to leave his mark there. 

As he carved, slicing skin off in a way that would be sure to scar as cleanly as possible, it became rhythmic and almost trance-like. Red bloomed under the knife, moving down his trapezius to pool along his spine, or slid down the deltoid muscle to the blankets. In the dark, the blood looked more and more black than it did red, mesmerizing as Voryn continued his careful work. The lustful, burning need gave way to something even more primal; a compulsion, an instinct, a drive. He had for so long had the urge to carve his name into Nerevar’s body and repressed it, fearing what kind of a violent, selfish lover that would make him. Yet now, blade in hand and on bloodied sheets, he felt at peace, as though such an act was written in fate. 

Finally, Voryn finished the last letter of his name, the same as the one on his thigh: neht. It was oddly fitting, as though the two of them came full circle, a closed loop. He cast a healing spell on Nerevar’s shoulder, smiling fondly as he stitched the wounds shut carefully so that they would scar as well, before turning his attention to the blood that pooled along his lover’s spine.

“Voryn~” Nerevar moaned sweetly as Voryn lapped it up. It tasted particularly metallic right now; perhaps it was the alcohol in his system or the heavy feeling that clung in the air he had no name for, but he savored the taste all the same. 

“We’re connected.” Voryn whispered with bloodied lips against the pale gold of Nerevar’s skin. Voryn then was hit with deja vu as he remembered saying almost the same when they first made love. Perhaps they really had come full circle; the first time they knew each other’s bodies was just the start of them shedding off everything they used to conceal their love and desires. Now, they had finally completed the cycle, fully open with one another, and fully bound. “Neht…” Voryn whispered with reverence as he continued lapping up the blood from his spine, before trailing his lips up the vertebrae he could feel through his skin, coaxing shiver after shiver from his lover, and placed one last, almost devout kiss between his shoulder blades, before Nerevar rolled over and took Voryn by the waist with him.