#Parts for Summerset

[mannimarcoiscool]

☁️ Elenwe of Cloudrest ☁️

[selenesweb]

i know im late in the discourse but i have a feeling that whoever was in charge of the summerset plot decided that nocturnal should be the main villain instead of mephala bcuz they wanted a plot twist or smth

[bam-monsterhospital]

god dammit rigurt.

you show up on altmer island and here i am playing as my altmer, all ready to do some diplomacy with you, but all you can talk about is the hoity toity shitty high elves and how they're the worst and you're sick of dealing with high elves... TO THE HIGH ELF YOU ASSUME WILL HELP YOU.

summerset dlc, you're better than this. your writing acknowledges player species all over the place (not just altmer vs non-altmer, but stuff like extra dialogue for reguard players talking to the redguard man at the alinor docks, and josajeh in artaeum), but somehow you slip up here?

"I've been sent to extend a branch of peace to snooty, rude, and very tall high elf peoples".

rigurt, I'm one of those snooty rude very tall high elf peoples.

"you really need to reconsider the company you keep"

I wholeheartedly agree. Let's throw rigurt into the ocean.

so far this quest has been a slew of grossness (lookin at you, 'i think of people from other lands/cultures as creeeaaatuuuurrreessss' sapiarch shitlord), but then i recieved a sign to not bother with this quest from zos themselves!

the game crashed and kicked me out.

[sheos-silliest-soldier]

On Tamrielic Textile Motifs, pt. 2:

For the purposes of organization and relevant comparison, star and sun motifs have been grouped into the same category.

The sun and stars are visible to all peoples, and so are popular motifs in all parts of Tamriel. Included in this are personalized patterns and motifs depicting a person's Sign. The reasons to display this can vary, but include superstition (the belief that wearing your Sign will grant luck), sentimentalitiy (often being a gift from a friend or family member), or as a symbol of erudition. Star patterns are also widely used by religious and magical scholars, and temples dedicated to the Magna-Ge.

In the Summerset Isles, sun motifs and patterns are especially prevalent due to the importance of Auri-El in the Altmer pantheon. These often feature eight-pointed suns with waved rays, and are highly popular among clergy and nobility.

An almost identical six-pointed design exists in Morrowind, but is referred to as Azura's Star. Curiously, Azura's Star (the artifact) is mainly depicted as having eight points. It is possible that the number was changed in order to avoid multiples of four, as keeping with Dunmeri tradition. However, the pattern itself may be a remnant of Aldmeri culture that has carried over from the Chimer, and been adapted to current Dunmer culture.

Interestingly, the same eight-pointed sun design can be found in parts of rural High Rock, along the border with Skyrim, and the Reach. There is no conclusive evidence as to why this pattern is seen in such isolated areas, though some claim that it was adopted from the former Falmer inhabitants.

[changelingsandothernonsense]

Josh designs part 5- Post Morrowind

Rounding out this um... awful day that started ok with Joshi's designs from between the end of Morrowind's main quest to post Dragon Crisis.

After he defeated Dagoth Ur, Josh is at a bit of a loss. He lost his husband, his joy and his ability to move with ease. His pelvis and femurs get crushed under the hand of Akulakhan and he's lucky that he can walk mostly unassisted at all.

As a part of Ashland mourning rituals, Josh has three ritual scars cut into his cheeks (loss of a spouse) and his head shaved. He starts growing it back a year into his three-year mourning rite courtesy of Nerevar taking the reins and sending him to Mournhold for a "reunion" with his ex-wife. Josh does front at times but he really only has tiny fragments of memory from that time. He flees Morrowind after the death of two of the Tribunal and finds himself in Cyrodiil pawning off Nerevarine memorabilia to feed his alcoholism.

He meets Jiub again and finds a shed of joy and stability. Things start looking up for a few years before the Oblivion Crisis. Of course his time had to be ruined by more daedra. (Josh can't handle affection, also his hair's cute here)

Which sends him to his first of many rock bottoms. He shaves his head, though the scaring can only be done by wise-women so he feels like he can't even mourn right. Josh wanders Cyrodiil with nothing but the clothes on his back until he steals enough cash to take him to Sunhold, where his mother currently lives. He knows he needs someone to take care of him after everything. (Sidenote Josh is upset here over his son rejecting him in that letter.)

He starts doing better with care and starts focusing again on cracking Dwemeris. He gets his work published in Summerset under an Altmeri pseudonym and has submitted his work to the last shreds of the Arcane University by the time he runs back to Vvardenfell to get his family (the Urshilaku confederacy and his son) out before Red Mountain blew. He spends a lot of time after Red Year leading refugees out of Morrowind, though he keeps his face covered. He starts wearing a mask in public permanently. No one needs to know what became of the Nerevarine. (Josh cuts two new scars into his face that represents the concept of mourning a group, he mourns for sixty years)

Jump a few centuries into the future and ya boi is fresh out of luck once again. He ends up taking the blame for the death of a child and finds himself on the run for years. This is when we join up with the Skyrim timeline- or just before in my fic. (He had his ear notched and his earring- ringmail of Alandro-Sul taken as a trophy)

He's a mess by the Dragon Crisis, sobriety becomes a rarity. He finds a bit of joy once he and Sydari stop doing the on and off again thing though that ends when Sydari goes and deals with Alduin. She's gone for six years and that leads him to picking fights with dragons, ancient Nords and deadra alike.

And he doesn't come out the other side unscathed. A dragon mauling sees him lose most of his right ear, part of his left and scaring that causes him facial paralysis and slightly slurred speech.

He does, after way too long drowing, get himself a modicum of peace. He sobers up after Sydari comes back, hoping to be a better father to their daughter than he was for his son. Sydari manages to patch up things between him and Adren well enough. Vyna should know her older brother after all. The length of his hair is kinda indicative of his turmoil. Longer hair means more time between losses, shorter hair indicates grief. Shaved hair indicates mourning etc.

Anyway, hopefully next year's Josh!fest is less devastating.

[wispstalk]

Which culture in Tamriel might give good massages?

Probably anywhere you go you'll encounter good massage, though the modalities differ from place to place.

Khajiit, being generally more flexible than other folks, pay particular attention to the connective tissues and use rolling motions to work out tension. If you make jokes about kneading, though, you might get a light smack upside the head.

In Skyrim and High Rock, where the climate is more cold, masseuses will start by drumming on the body to increase blood circulation and warm stiff muscles.

In Valenwood, massage is done with rendered tallow which makes the skin incomparably soft. It's important that the tallow is rendered very slowly, so it turns pure white and odorless; otherwise you are gonna smell like dinner. Various musks might be used to scent the tallow, and pots of this salve are often found outside Valenwood in the kits of more high-end masseuses.

In Cyrodiil, massage forms a part of the public bathing culture and many types of scented oils are used after one has thoroughly sweated out impurities. This is also the case in the Summerset Isles, though typically these experiences are more private.

Warrior training in Orcish culture incorporates a type of massage that uses assisted stretching -- even the biggest muscle-bound fighter is not considered very strong unless they are also flexible. Massage as a form of physical training is also utilized in Hammerfell, though practitioners use tools -- such as stones or smooth dowels -- to work the muscles. More healing-oriented masseuses have a particular focus on circulation, and match the pressures of their hand to the heart's rhythms.

Argonian massage is done with a soft brush and scented soaps and is done very carefully and slowly. Though this style was designed with scales in mind, many outsiders find the experience luxurious and pleasant, and their skin will glow for days afterward. And in Morrowind, styles of massage vary highly from region to region, but they're almost always preceded by a long soak in the geothermal baths, which loosens the muscles considerably. Work smarter not harder etc etc.

[jag-rat]

Merethic Era Falmer (snow elves)

I was thinking of doing a mini project about Merethic Tamriel and a documentation of the people that were living there in a sort of semi-historic way.

Of course most of it would probably not be entirely lore accurate and there will be a lot of headcanoning but it's fun regardless. So enjoy the first addition to this series.

Falmer: The falmer during the Merethic era were the tallest mer race on Nirn growing on average between 6 - 7 feet. They were also the hairiest and bulkiest on average due to the cold climate. Their culture and practices during this time were very similar to modern day nordic ones due to the cultural overlap and assimilation on the atmorans end when they first arrived to Skyrim.

They valued strength and honour. Their original gods are long lost now however historians speculate the modern nordic gods could share traits with the Falmer's old gods.

In the early Merethic era the snow elves invaded and seized what is currently the Summerset isles. This is how it is assumed Auri-El (An Altmeri/Aldmeri God) was introduced to Skyrim and later would become the primary god in the snow elven pantheon.

Furs, beards, and long hair was the norm in terms of falmer fashion for a long time due to the extreme weather however the shorter hair and beardless look though impractical in such weather was popularised in later years. Again influenced by the fashion trends on the much warmer summerset isles.

Generally speaking when the Falmer weren't invading distant lands or declaring wars with other clans they were a prospering civilisation and in the early days were much like the nords not particularly interested in magic. This was partly due to the fact Skyrim has large iron deposits meaning smithing and weaponry were the most practical but that didn't mean there was no magic at all.

Healers generally could manipulate the weave and tell or even change the future. But when Auri-el was popularised magic become a much larger part of the Falmers lives being combined and assimilated into what they already had. For example enchanting among smiths and manipulation of elements specific to Skyrim (Ice magic mostly).

These changes didn't come fast of course, the falmer were quite stubborn. But over time a cultural shift did happen going from axe-wielding barbarians (As the Aldmer called them) to a slightly more tame society that we know a little bit today.

This didn't come without its challenges however as while the falmer were changing the Atmorans living there were not and in fact had taken on a lot of the cultural aspects or even gods of the traditional falmer. This inevitably was the beginning of the end as tensions got higher with these cultural and religious differences it ended the only way it could, in a war. And well, you know the rest.

Currently the ancestors of the Merethic snow elves thrive in cave systems below ground. While the nords toil above ground, the nords frost resistance of course being a product of falmer and atmoran ancestors. Regardless both societies still hold the values the early Snow elves held. Strength and Honour.

[fanartbyherd]

Gotham Map

whoo! I'm not 100% done but if I don't stop now I will never stop.

over a month of work and I can now say I have completed my own map on Gotham!

as well as Bludhaven and summer set,

Bludhaven famously being the sister city of Gotham and primary haunt of Nightwing.

Summerset is a community between the two cursed cities that is just extrodinairaly normal. (I don't know what comic it is but I got the name from one I was looking at.) but here's the panel.

(No idea what issue this is from, I was browsing quickly through a large collection of older Batman comics and didn’t have time to sit and read it yet.)

So! Some Good Golly Gosh Context for the existence of this map. Before someone comes at me for non cannon accurate information and BS I'm about to pull.

This map was created for my use for a Transformative work I started toying with the idea of, that now has a hundred something chapters drafted (note: Drafted dose not mean written only one of those chapters is written and available to read. Dandelion puffs)

found here:

this map is a combination of the (mostly taken as) Cannon Map and the map that briefly appeared in "the Doom That Came to Gotham" film. the main inspiration for the Fanfic Idea. as well as things scavenged from Fannon and my own head cannon. some parts of it are also cobbled together from other bits of cannon, things such as the long halloween, Batman Year one, the one Nightwing comic I have read all the way through, a Batwoman and Catwoman comic, The Arkham Knight games, Actual maps of New Jersey (I mentioned that in my previous post about this map), The Harley Quinn Show, Joker (that movie) especially the subway map that apparently appeared in that film. Multiple Batman films... I'm not actually sure what batman movies I have watched just that one of them had Ra's Al Ghul and the scarecrow in them and featured the Narrows, and the 2022 batman film, and birds of prey. I really should have been keeping track of all the inspirations I used. I do that for Original works... but not for fan works as I'm not that used to making them or something.

this map operates with the assumption that the year is somewhere around 2020. and that in 1920 the city of Gotham suffered from a destructive fire. (see events of the doom of Gotham)

and in the late 1950s suffered from a catastrophic earthquake. (haven't read it but heard through the grapevine about Batman: no mans land. lots of the online maps reference it)

Also opperates under lovecraftian horror rules, because that's what this elderich horror AU...

the colors are a bit hard to see unfortunately, but they are mostly for my own use.

Gangs of Gotham:

Lime Green-Jokerz: they have close ties to the cult of the clown posse. operate mainly around the Amusement mile.

Scarlet red-Redhood: Headed by the mysterious Warlock Redhood. the gang is relatively young but rose to power quickly in 2005. most of Park Row (aka crime ally) and some of the surrounding areas are under the red hoods control.

they took their name from an earlier gang that was wiped out by the jokerz. The higher members of the gang jokingly refer to themselves as Red hood's merry men.

Red hood has a deep hatred for the Joker and Black mask considers him his primary rival.

Cyan Blue-Siloni: A Gotham grown mob, that consists of many different families that merged to become a singular mob.

Indigo-Moronei: Major rivals to the Falconies, they also got mostly destroyed in the same incident that destroyed their rival gang, but there where people to pick up the pieces

Gold-Cosa Nosta: a collection of families mobs originating from Sicily

Grey-Falconies: in the early 1940s the family was nearly destroyed following a series of incidents.

Dark green-Thorn: American Gangsters.

Colbalt blue-Penguin: Took their name after the moniker used by a professor at Gotham university. Rose to prominence in the 1920s during probation as the main go too if you wanted to set up a speak easy. under the leadership of Ms. Ollie "the penguin" Cobb. the gang was nearly taken over by the falcons in the 30s but after the destruction of the original falcon famaly managed to establish themselves. even operate as a half legitimate business a good portion of the time.

Orange-Lucky hare: collective term for the Irish mobs such as the Rileys, Sullivans, and so on.

Maroon-Black Mask: Run by the ambitious warlock Roman Sions Aka Black Mask. dominating he aria of the Bowery, He and the Red hood have a very violent Rivalry. He covet's Red hood's "red burial shroud." and territory. The black mask gang has ties to both the older sionis mob and the false face society.

yellow-Maxia: the gang Run by Maxie Zeus and the twelve olympians. the gang was founded by Greek immigrant Maxine Seuss. former Archeologist who went a bit mad after the death of her husband and daughter. she immigrated to the United States in 1922, after her American husband's death. her son Maximilian took over after his mother.

pale pink-Yakuza: are what they say on the Tin, operate both in Gotham and in Bludhaven.

purple-Scareface: one of the old Gaurd of street gangs. Is headed by “scareface” and his Vantriliquist. Scareface is a man who was opporating in Gotham back in the 1890s and 1910s but was hung by the place that later became Blackgate Penitentiary. He was also the man who ordered the death of Cyrus Gold and the subsiquent dumping of his body in Slaughter swamp.

brown-whispers: the collective name used for the Russian and Ukrainian mobs in the area. They operate partly out of the old subway tunnels. Mainly consists of the Ibansscas and Odessa gangs but there are others referred to by the collective term.

jade green-Evening Dragons: collective term for a good deal of gangs and organizations that have East Asian origins or influences.

this includes the East side dragons, Ghost Dragons, Golden dragons (might see where the name came from) the Lucky Hand Triad, Hanoi tan.

sky blue-Whites: A merger of the Black gaters gang and the Gangs run by Warren White "the shark".

pink-Other: a bunch of smaller gangs, gangs that are not organized or seen as being one of the largest players. gangs that are less well established or gangs that are extremely local to a certain neighborhood.

Intergang (metropolis baisses), street Demonz (local biker gang), the Mutants, sprang bridge soldiers, Burntly Town Massive, Decons, Escabedo Cartel, The stonewall Drug lords, Pealuan cartel, Skevers, Moon, and para military groups like Bane's and TYGER. and on rare occasions when Two-Face's Gang on the periodical basis that they become an issue.

Cults of Gotham:

I'll probably make some other post on a more in-depth chat about the cults of Gotham, the Occult comunity, and how they interact with the gangs, elite and citizens of Gotham. but that's not this post. here's a quick overview.

-Cult of Ghul: its leaders were destroyed in 1920. prior to this they had a lot of influence in Gotham as the guardians of the Lazarus pits that exist below the city. after the 1920s they lost most of thir influence, they still ave plenty of influence in other parts of the world with the surviving al ghul daughter.

-Court of Owls: been around forever want "what's best for Gotham" at least what they think is best, after the dismantling of the Cult of Ghul took over as the head honchos in the city.

-Baset's cats: Catwoman runs this cult, its a sect that broke off from a cult in New Orleans.

-Court of the yellow sign: They're a problem, and looking to make themselves everyones problem. very popular among the elite as it is a lot about pleasure and indulgence, and theatrics. work often and closely with the cult courts and the wounderlanders.

-She who Breaths: has a few other names, but is primairly a fertility and prosperity cult dedicated to Shub Niggurath and simular entities. they have a close and cordial relationship to the Green lady and is well respected among the Gotham and surrounding areas cults.

-Court of winter: the local fairy court.

-False face society: have a lot of pull and sway in the criminal underworld. also deal with the fay and vampire population of Gotham.

-Rail hoppers: A strange and loosely organized secret society whose worship revolves around the public transit system... people aren't really certain what thier deal is. but they're normally harmless.

-Pain: pain anyone? sort of your typical demon worshipers.

-Dead's Dawn Society: they have some weird beliefs around necromancy. the bats and birds is a decisive topic.

-Clown posse: people who believe that they can somehow appease the Entity known as the Joker. its a bit more complicated than that.

-Green Lady: Worshipers of the green.

-Bat and Bird watchers: one of the most yet least organized cults on the list. they aren't always considered a cult by the other cults in Gotham and has many facets to them. the

-Torch bearers: worshipers of Yeb and Nug. more so Nug than Yeb.

-Mad Society: AKA the brotherhood, a section of Gotham vampires worship here and seek to bring about the end of humanity and have vampires rule the world. or something along those lines.

also might want to create an army of werewolf women. this causes issues with the wounderlanders.

-wonder landers: in reality encompasses a great number of smaller cults who are all associated with the dreamland and dreamland deities in some way or another. but the main part style themselves after the book Alice in wonderland, the Avatar of the Elder God Hypnos. the current Batwoman's sister is a member.

-Triad: worshipers of the Earth Gods Lobon, Zo-Kalar and Tamash.

-Court of Dagon: Mostly dock workers and Deep ones who worship Dagon and Mother hydra.

-Court of truth: primarily worshipers of Aletheia, have some loose connections to the order of Saint Dumas.

-Court of stone: a group who seeks the caves of Solomon. spend a lot of time spelunking in the tunnels and cave systems of Gotham.

Stops on the Railway system.

H. Red Line: Redwall, Avalon hill, bludhaven port, the spine, old station, Melville station, Drawbridge station, Mealtide park, span bridge station, Gotham university, Cemetery hill, city council, Gold Gotham station.

8. Sea Line: Arkham, Arkham bridge park, Eastside, dockside, old city hall, memorial park, old Gotham, city council, Cemetery hill, Southside, span bridge station, lainly point station, Mealtide park, train yard.

0. Silver line: Steel st, Wayne Central, clock tower, city hall, central library, Roman st. Ottisburg, Park row, old Gotham

J. Tree line: Ash st. Oak st. clock tower. chinatown, Alder st. park row, Lemur park, spring st. cherry lane. Robinson park, Ottisburg, Roman st. Old Town

K. Central line: Wane central, clocktower, Penguin station, Millers Harbor, china town, old town.

9. the Loop: Wayne Central, Owl station, Burnley, Penguins station, Elliot Center, Precinct station, justice station,

A. Amusement line:Airport terminal, Kane street, Riverside, stadium, blackgate, Sheldon park, city hall, clock tower, Wayne central.

(some stations are not yet named, especially on the silver line, central line and tree line.)

the city also has an extensive Bus and Tram system, but if I drew that I may actually go crazy and try to bite someone's head off.

(stuffs mislabeled slightly on this map below but its accurate enough)

Parks

Robinson park- a park just outside of park row. its said to be the domain of some strange being known as poison ivy.

Memorial park-houses the 1920s fire memorial.

Wayne park- between North City park and Southside park. its located in the Financial district.

Sheldon park- the park next to the amusement mile. it could use some clean up, but is popular with teens and explores as it allows for an easy access to the cave systems of Gotham.

Southside park- houses the Gotham City zoo. and just outside of the flood area of the Cauldron.

North city Park- near the Gotham central hospital.

Lemmars park- in the cherry hills district. it was converted from the old Lemmars and other farm lands when the city expanded.

Arkham bridge Park- a rather large and wild park that takes up much of the eastern coast of Old Gotham Island.

Anders park- a small park south of Robinson park. its well known for cult activity.

I'll figure out the bridge situation some other time, just know that for this Span Bridge is the one that connects Bludhaven to Gotham.

Districts.

1.Bristol- Island home to Gotham's Elite and Wealthy. the entire island essentially acts like a gated community. there is no metro trains to Bristol but there are a handful of bus stops. home to Gotham Academy a prestigious K-12 private school. Wayne manor and Drake manor are both located in Bristol.

2. Old Gotham- Mostly destroyed in the 1920s fire. the revitalization and rebuilding of the district left it with a very Art deco look.

home to the city council, the old city hall, and the Old Library.

3. Downtown-Built in a gothic revival style as an honor to the cities name and legacy. its history has been shifting with its demographic for years. still a rather populated and well lived in neighborhood, even if some businesses have moved to the financial district.

on the other side of the water to the area known as the Cauldron

4. Arkham City- Relatively unpopulated compared to other other parts of the city. is notable for its unique Victorian Gothic revival architecture. a lot of the structures are original to the area as Arkam Island survived relatively unscaved from the 1920s fire and the earthquake in the 1950s. the more populated parts of the island are heavily crowded and home to the failed "ark project" and the failed "wounder city." the most famous feature of this district is located on a small island just off the coast of the larger Arkham Island, and that is the infamous Arkham Asylum.

north of Arkham island are three islands of Founders, Bleake, Miagani Islands.

5. Docks- the main Port and Docking Area of Gotham. there are a lot of warehouses and industrial buildings in this area. also home to plenty of famous food stands and hole in the wall places like Mama Mathew's shrimp, as well as a good assortment of Bars and Dives, such as Sandyhood, Noonan's and Siren's whale (favorite bar of the Gotham City sirens).

the docks also hosts the Empty water tower that has Become one of Omen's Roosts. (note: Omen is Red Robin)

6. Parkrow- More well known as Crime Ally. once a prosperous neighberhood, it survived both the 20s fire and the 50's earthquake and fallout of both incidents. in the 80s, some of the area was redeveloped into "projects", though crime had already been on an upward spike since the 30s. some classic revival buildings survive from the cities heyday.

the old courthouse that hadn't been in use since 1903 was in this district as well as the famous monarch theater. and Leslie's Clinic.

the district has the cheapest renting all of Gotham but also a huge homeless population.

home to the Oldman building, the abandoned fire station, and is well known to be the haunt of the Red hood and the strange spirit known as the red wraith.

park row has its own community culture. you are likely to get stabbed.

7. Narrows- A narrow strip of land between the South (old Gotham) and North (new Gotham) islands. it is densely packed with buildings that frankly are not up to code. its just as densely packed with people. people make the best of the situation they find themselves in.second cheapest rent in the city, largely lawless.

jacks junkyard is a bit of lifeline in the area.

8. China Town- this districts architecture and open-air markets are what the it is famous for. Alongside its colorful nightlife (and we aren't talking bats!) Traditionaly played host to the cities east Asian immigrant communities. some parts of the districts are known as Korea-town or little Japan, there is also the statue street, that traditionally housed a lot of immigrants from India. the district is well known for having its own spin on the cities beloved gargoyles.

9. Little Italy- little Italy and the surrounding areas play host to many immigrant communities from the 1830s to 1950s. it rebuilt stronger and better both after the 1920s fire and the 1950s earthquake.

home to Maroni's pizzeria, leaty tile bar and the falcon statue.

10. Bay Ridge- another mainland district on the east side of the river.

11. Dimond District- the crystal, and glass facade that covers up much of the corruption of the city.

a popular district with locals and tourists both.

houses the main precinct of the GCPD, the County court house

12. Fashion district- An extension of the Dimond district but houses many more shop and places of entertainment. it's known for its 1950s futuristic appearance as it had to be rebuilt after the 1950s earthquake. has few fewer gargoyles compared to the rest of Gotham. relies on a series of flood dykes to keep from flooding. less prone to flooding compared to the poorer district of Coventry.

part of the area known as the cauldron.

13. Burnly-a large district that is a mix of residential, financial and industrial. it's a safeish neighborhood. though there's plenty of issues, but if you follow common sense rules for Gothem you should be fine... probably. its not as safe as some of the rich neighborhoods, or the mainland neighborhoods.

Gotham cathedral is in burnley, the watchtower is at the edge of the district.

14. Coventry- home to the Central library, the Elliot center, Iceberg lounge and millers harbor.

Millers harbor was created by the use of floodwalls and dykes in order to drain portions of the once marshy land and create a new part of gottam city. as a result most of millers harbor and coventry sits below sea level and is prone to flooding.

part of the area known as the cauldron.

15. City hall district- has a lot of crossover with the financial district and Dimond district. City hall, Gold hotel, National history museum are all located in this district.

16. Financial district- home to office buildings of most of Gothams companies. including the influencial Wayne industry. there are also several upscale apartment buildings in the area. Wayne tower is located here and the cities Subway system has its central station

the historic clock tower is towards the edge of the district.

17. Tricorner- a handful of small neighborhoods but the island is less populated, there is several industrial areas here, such as Kane industry having their plant in the area. Fort Damas is located on this island. its an inactive fort, and is now a historical site.

18. Newtown- a residential neighborhood with classic brick houses, different areas of knew town have different and rather recognizable styles.

19. Cherry hills- once upon the time used to be orchards. though there was space city earlier, the area was built up a lot on the 1970s. it is a pleasant area famous for the flooring trees that are in the area some still around from when the area was farmland. its also a testament to the fact that Gargoyles never go out of style in Gotham, even when the city dose brutalism. its a popular place especially during in spring. Bech tower is located in cherry hills.

20. the Bowery- the third cheapest place to live in in Gotham. the Bowery suffers a lot from the same issues that its neighboring district the Narrows and Park Row. Most buildings in the Bowery are Brick or stone. Gargoyles are quite popular here.

Black mask dominates the streets. Sal's Dinner and Hogan's ally Bar.

21. Upper Gotham-part of West Gotham

22. Lower gotham-part of West Gotham

23. Robbinsville-East side of Gotham river.

24. Lesser Gotham- the largest district on the new Jersey main land. it's practically its own city and was built up during the 1950s. its got its own police precinct (I feel like that's the wrong word) hospital, fire station and schools. probably one of the safer places to live in Gotham, but its still Gotham. people who move into Gotham from outside and can afford it tend to move here. largest issue is that

25. Gotham town- facing The Atlantic Ocean, its a relatively industrial area housing Star labs, Orion chem, Cobolpot steal and one branch of Wayne enterprise.

26. Ottisburg- A quite popular neighborhood, fox tech is located here.

27. Gotham Achors-located on the east bank of the River. A good deal of bridges that go into Gotham proper are here.

28. Midtown- part of West Gotham. location of Gotham general hospital.

29. Gotham village- part of the suburbs of Gotham, located in the west bank of Gotham River (seriously that's what it's called?) the Gotham Aquarium is found here.

30. East side- connected to the down town area, east side is a nebulous region that includes districts like the docks, millers harbor and down town.

31. South side- relatively industrial area. in recent years has seen revitalization in the form of parks and green spaces. relatively considered a tourist attraction as people from bludhaven will actually visit the area. its water front is relatively clean, and its proximity to Gotham university means that entertainment venues get a good deal of traffic.

the ferries to Gold Island and metropolis leave from that area.

gold island hosts the "statue of lady justice" that stands at the entrance to Gotham Bay.

within south side is the rust district. its still largely industrial and

32. Amusment Mile- Createdwith the intention of it being a boardwalk, it has several venues and pairs that fulfill the purpose. it is mostly safe during daylight hours, but should be avoided by anyone who's not looking to risk thier life at dawn or dusk, and especially it is ill advised to go there at night unless accompanied by a member of the clown posse, even then... the chance is high of encountering a certain clown prince of crime and his carnival of fools.

33. Harthrow Docks- part of East Gotham. A private docking area. was rebuilt in the 1920s. unlike millers harbor in coventry its a natural harbor.

((Also I welcome suggestions and idea on the "personality" of the different districts and locations that exist there and what the places look like.))

A huge thank you to @downtherabbittrail and @theredhoodedcryptid.

the red hooded cryptid gave suggestions on maps to use as resources.

I recommend checking out her cryptid batfam fic its quite nice.

meanwhile I stole (got permission from) Downtherabbittrail to use a lot of the street names they invented for one of their fics.

other street names are scavenged from other sources (cannons or cannons) as well as me just making stuff up.

Here are several closeups of the parts of the maps. Still illegible but it is what it is.

Here is a close up of bludhaven. It’s a lot more accurate to the maps I found online. especially compared to the maps I used for Gotham.

Things to know about bludhaven.

It’s the sister city to Gotham and is on the other side of Gotham Bay.

Bludhaven was founded as a port for whalers. It never saw as large success as its sister city. As the city of Gotham is practically a city state in some regards. The city of bludhaven survived in part thanks to its close relation with Gotham and its businesses.

As well as seeing a steady stream of crime in its waters since the very early days of the settlements existence. The Span bridge crossing over into bludhaven ascos the Gotham straight was built in 1878.

the overall architecture of the city is more modern, but a lot of Americana style brick houses and apartments are around.

Bludhaven districts- I can tell you less about these, as I'm having harder time finding info, might have something with bludhaven blowing up in cannon at some point?

Centeral business district- is what it says on the tin. houses both bludhaven's main hospital and the BHPD (bludhaven police department.)

2. Melville-the older parts of Bludhaven and Bailey's church. (had a goat named Bailey once, my uncle named her because she stared at him the same way his at the time GF did.)

Melville is also the place where Nightwing's apartment and Roost is.

3. Caernarvon- a more inland portion and houses a great deal of industrial areas as well as many places of worship.

4. LAnely- the peninsula its mainly a residential area

The Spine: is what Bludhaven has instead of a Main Street. It is the largest street in Bludhaven and Acts much like a Strip. with clubs, restaurants, hotels and other establishments. it has a reputation but most of the businesses are legitimate during daylight hours. some business or another is open on the Spine 24 hours of the day. the spine goes right along an industrial area of the Bludhaven port and officially ends just before Avalon Hill

The largest crime boss In Bludhaven was BlockBuster between the years 1989-2007

the largest cults in Bludhaven

-Blood hounds: a local vampire cult. they actually have quite a bit of bad blood with the Mad Society.

-Cormorants: An odd Cult who are the self-proclaimed guardians of Bludhaven. thier opinion on Nightwings presence is a bit split and has caused a schism in the cult.

-night doctors: bad news.

-bird watchers: made a jump over from Gotham when Nightwing moved cities. they also watch the activity of the cormorants

-Rail hoppers: because the Bludhaven Metro and the Gotham Metro connect to each other the Cult of the Rail Hoppers extended their reach with the reach of the public transit.

(There’s a good bit of lacking information online about Bludhaven when I went digging, which is surprising as the city has been in publication since 19, certainly it’s not Gotham that’s been a thing since 19, but still. )

Final note about this map is that it likely will have updates, especially as I get around to writing and growing more confident in my research on the whole thing.

[tastesoftamriel]

Are there any accommodations for people with disabilities? For example, accessible entrances for those who require mobility aids? I would assume there would be a lot of injuries from the war or at the very least from wandering monsters.

In terms of physical disabilities, there are a wide range of accommodations for helping the disabled! Accessible entrances to most shops, temples, and homes are just the beginning.

Hearing aids for the partially deaf are in the form of ear trumpets, a rather crude device into which one shouts to be heard. Enchanted pocket ear trumpets magnify the sound further, using soul gem magic to power a Dwemer-inspired... actually, I'm not even going to pretend I know how magic works.

For the fully deaf and mute, sign language is fairly commonplace around Tamriel, albeit with certain regional variations. Thieves and assassins in particular are great with sign language as it allows them to communicate silently and effectively, and the trend of learning sign language across Tamriel started with those who seek to mimic the cool demeanour of a criminal. As such, it's very practical for those hard of hearing when at least one or two people in their community know sign language!

Prosthetic limbs, generally fashioned from wood, have been in popular use for hundreds of years in Tamriel and beyond. Ranging from crude stumps to finely carved realistic or ornate limbs, it is not an uncommon sight on war veterans and victims of violence, or sick amputees. Prothestic limb wearers who are skilled in magic are also able to meld their minds with their wooden parts, making them function just as well, if not better than the real thing.

While glass eyes have always been common for the blind, but aside from realistic replicas, some Tamrielic citizens have begun wearing polished gemstones instead, a trend said to have started in the Summerset Isles. For those with poor eyesight, spectacles are the most common way to correct vision without magic. ~Talviel

PS: Here's an ESO NPC (Amalien in Solitude) who uses a wheelchair!! Which I think is very cool.

[pocket-vvardvark]

WIP Wednesday

Ty for the tag @skyrim-forever @thequeenofthewinter <33

I'd like to tag: @aviel-the-trans-bucket @hircines-hunter @fangsandsoftgrass @kiir-do-faal-rahhe @scholarlyhermit @sanza-17 @sulphuricgrin @changelingsandothernonsense @progmetol @varlaisvea @yansurnummu @yewphoric @lucius-the-sinful no pressure as always!! ♥️♥️♥️🥰 Love ya'll with my whole heart

I've got a new chapter in the works for sweet decay 🤪 so, here's the WIP under the cut bc it's sorta long

Rivenspire is cloaked in the warmth of the sunrise. Blooming across dry earth, it softens the land’s foreboding appearance into something habitable. Having been awake for far too long, Verandis palms his sunken eyes as the soft glow filters in through open windows behind him. At the very least, the weather was somewhat pleasant in favor of the most recent heatwave. His body is no longer among the living, but the heat still drove him onto the edge of exhaustion just as easily as it would to a human. Voyage to Lillandril would be a pleasant escape to the lingering heat, and a part of him missed Summerset. Among the cities in Summerset, he supposed Lillandril was the fairest. Cradled upon the sea, the wind which swept only the most beautiful flowers was tinted with a satisfying chill against the heat. His thoughts shift to Angelica; briefly imagining her time on the island. Yesterday, she mentioned her distaste for Altmer culture, which was fair in its own right. No matter how hard a half-breed attempted to live up to their purpose, no full-blooded Altmer would label them anything but an Ephem. As saddening as it was, this was the way of his people. Thumbing over a groove on the hardwood of his desk, Verandis mulls over his relationship with the pesky minx. It was growing, that's unfortunately true, but to what extent? It had been an incredibly long time since he called another his lover, and oddly enough, Angelica didn't seem the type. She seemed content to toy with him, refusing to acknowledge him as anything other than good fun. Although, her gentleness from the other day did start to confuse him. The whole situation vexed him; feeling like a bumbling idiot left in the dark of some grand plan. Years of building House Ravenwatch softened him, and maybe that was why he was far too slow on the uptake. Regardless, the job needed to be completed, and he supposed he should use her…talents she so dramatically bragged about. The sun rises above the trees, signaling it was time to move. Verandis does so, gathering the bare essentials and finally roaming the halls until he reaches Angelica’s room. Raising a hand to knock, his knuckles fail to reach the door as it's opened before he can. 

She smiles. It's surprisingly bright for how strangely she acted the other day. Another facade? He'll see in time, Verandis assumes. 

“So…it's time?” Casting red hair aside, she tugs it into a messy bun of locks, then pats her leathers down. Ah, another surprise; that she's actually wearing proper clothes this time.

Prepared to suffer by her hand from whatever acts of mischief she'll no doubt drum up, Verandis answers with the utmost exasperation, “Yes. Bring along what you need.” Squinting, he watches as she disappears back into her room to procure a satchel.

“I do hope that's necessary.” 

Laughing as she peeks into the standing mirror, she makes one final adjustment to push her breasts up. “Oh, hush. We're taking a trip to the market, right? I'll need gold for that…among other things.”

‘Among other things’, that little remark did not inspire much of anything in him but annoyance. She hoists her arm into his, linking together as she bats her lashes. “I’ve been waiting for a chance like this; to come along on some grand adventure with the Count of House Ravenwatch. My sister told me all about you, you know.” 

He's pulled along with her, walking a stride slower due to their height differences. It would seem her younger sister had a bit of a loose tongue. Thinking about Alethia softens his expression, though, he knows there was no ill intent behind her excited story-telling. She couldn't keep a secret, that much he knew.

“Did she, now? I can only pray she had good things to tell.” They pass the doors, already walking down the rough, cracked path to shornhelm. 

Making a sound rivaling that of a disgruntled guar, he’s bewildered enough to glance down at her. She sticks her tongue out once he does, “That's what I think about your stupid attempts at being posh. Or…maybe you're shy. Are you shy, count?”

She snorts, tugging at their linked arms with an impish grin. 

“You-” Verandis scoffs, but he makes no move to wriggle away, only yielding to her kisses placed on his cheek. “I'm not shy. You're just…too overzealous for me. Not even Gwendis is this tiring, I should have you know.” 

Gasping dramatically, she feigns a sniffle, “Breaking my heart so soon? How could you…I thought we shared something special.” 

“Special? Hm, I had the distinct feeling I was but only a tryst to you, Angelica.” Their footsteps halt on the barren path of dirt as Verandis stops. He grazes a knuckle over her cheek, relishing in her sudden speechlessness. There's a hint of intrigue in her eyes, but something much less distinct; embarrassment. 

“Tsk, tsk…” the pad of his thumb strokes the tip of her cheek bone, “Projecting, are we?” 

Life spreads back into her features, moving her lips as her expression excites, “Projecting? No way, now you've got to buy me something like you promised.” 

Nothing gets past her, he's sure of that as she reminds him of what foolish words he uttered last night. It almost worked, if she hadn't been so perceptive. No matter, it would prove useful in the next days they’d spend together 

“A shame you hadn't kept your promise, then.” She blinks, fascinated by the ethereal hue his carmine eyes take against the bright sunshine. It steals her breath away, causing the briefest stirring deep in her belly. Truthfully, she was beginning to fluster at the sight of him like this; gazing down at her with such a romantic expression, like he could dip her back any second for a kiss. There was no love lost between any number of her trysts and herself, as the fickle emotion only served to complicate things. It stood in the back of her mind, though, as if it tempted her into taking that step. Oddly numb, she couldn't make sense whether she even wanted love. Sure, she'd never stayed quite this long with any of her romps, but it felt strange to just up and leave like they never met. Perhaps it was as her mother said, that one day she would want to settle down, to be with the one man who stole her heart. A flush does make its way to her cheeks, so light a dusting that Verandis nearly mistakes it for the sun on her skin. She takes her own embarrassing reaction in stride, smiling to him so lovingly that they both falter in each other’s grasp. Unlike the night they shared, it is him who concedes first, his grasp brushing away so softly she misses it. Clearing his throat, they continue down the path until Shornhelm can be peered at in the distance. The blob grows until she can see the roofs, the people, and of course, the market. Angelica observes the sights, its fairly different from both of her homelands from what she can recall from both Summerset and Western Skyrim. Hard times have clearly claimed most of Rivenspire’s goods and, frankly, the morale, too. Most shopowners looked more like they were proud owners of shacks rather than appealing homes; it went double for their wares, unfortunately. The only exciting things left were the rare pieces of jewelry she spotted along the way, and the occasional sneak she took of the count’s face while he was deep in thought. A local apothecary catches her attention, drawing her closer until several ingredients greet her eyes. The woman looks only to be a few years younger than herself, smiling but ragged after whatever turned shornhelm into turmoil. Hopefully, after her sister’s little adventure here, things would get better. Nevertheless, Angelica wasn’t entirely heartless, so she took what little ingredients were left and paid a little extra. She winks, and tugs the count along before the young woman can argue against the generous amount of coins splayed across the worn market stall.

“Well…I believe that’s all I’ll be in need of. Never hurts to pack a few poisons.”

If he noticed what happened, which she realizes he must, it doesn’t earn her a conversation. Either perturbed by her shocking display of kindness, or their recently shared embarrassment, Angelica cannot tell beneath his seemingly aloof gaze. 

“We should get a move on, then. Rivenspire lacks ferries, so we’ll have to carriage our way to Glenumbra.” She wants to kick herself for feeling disappointed he doesn’t thrust his arm out for her to hold, but makes due with this new development. It’s not like they were close, but she was finding herself longing for some type of…praise from doing good. Divines, did whatever happened last night really affect her that badly? She hadn’t thought so, until her thoughts soured from every woman which passed their way to ogle Verandis’ human disguise. A part of herself swelled in pride when they sunk back down upon her appearance by his side. That feeling was only doubled when she realized they would never know his secret, and such an intimate secret it was. Jealousy wasn’t her style, but she wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to swathe the Count in her perfume before exiting the castle next time. He certainly smelled better in it than whatever ancient perfume he wore beside her. Curious, she peeks over to marvel at his disguise. Honestly, she preferred how he always looked; with eyes as red as rubies and alabaster skin. It simultaneously enthralled and got her feeling rather heated. Such raw and dangerous intent was no longer evident in his now honey-colored eyes, and that left her feeling quite bored. Although…she could make due with those amber eyes if they watched her with the utmost adoration; that would be her goal for the day.

Grinning, she’s back to her confident self, looking as mischievous as a nixad. He realizes she snickers like one, too.

“Do I dare ask what you’re conjuring up behind me? I fear you, at times.”

Prancing back to his side, her fingers curl into his own, forcing him to slow his stride once more.

“Nothing much, just admiring the view.”

He snorts, “Of my backside? How quaint.”

Nudging him, he gains an eyeful of the sweet little twist of her lips, “It's a very disarming backside.” 

Sighing, he can't help but chuckle at that, “Whatever shall I do with you?”

His eyes jump between her own, searching for the reply her lips twitch with. Angelica settles for a gentle peck on his nose, laughing when he wrinkles it from the tickle. 

“I'm sure you'll dream up some elaborate plan to keep me quiet, darling.” 

[dynamite124]

Would Taliesin's sisters like Skyrim? Are they interested in visiting other places (like for a vacation) or are they content in the Summerset Isles?

Runefaire would love exploring the more dangerous parts of Skyrim, Naarein would stick to Solitude and do some shopping along with trying to paint Elisif the fair.

They would love to see what lays just past the horizon of their home, but haven't had any reason to leave Summerset just yet.

I do have in-game models of his sisters available, but I'm debating on if I want to put them in for Taliesin to see his sisters again, or to have them in a completely separate mod of their own.

[greyborn2]

A SUMMARY OF MAORMER*

*with occasional headcanon

Gosh, so this one took a while. What follows is a complete summary of maormeri lore as it currently stands. Mostly taken from ESO since, well, that's been are biggest source so far really. Everything written in blue is as near to fact as we can get. It is either directly stated or pretty clearly inferred from the pieces of lore we have. HOWEVER... well, I couldn't help myself. I'm a theorist. Everything not written in blue is more theorizing and worldbuilding on my part. As a general rule I've kept to a 'connect and fill in the dots' approach rather than wholesale making stuff up. So while a lot of this isn't canon, I'm doing my best to keep to its spirit. Also; this is a long ass post so feel free to just skip around to titled areas that interest you!!

HISTORY AND RELIGION

Altmeri and Maormeri history (and faith, on the sea elves’ part) understandably differ somewhat on the topic of king Orgnum. The Altmer hold that he was once a nobleman, and priest of Auriel, and a phenomenally powerful sorcerer who turned from his god. He, they go on to claim, would start a cult in reverence of himself, bankrolled by arcane relics he forged. The Aldmer eventually being forced to break a part of their homeland away, cast it into the sea, and weave powerful mist magicks around it to contain their enemies.

The Maormer claim and fervently believe, for their part, that what the other Mer worship as Auriel is simply a small fragment of the whole truth. Their faith sticks surprisingly close to that of the Redguards; that the time god is both beginning and ending. The serpent god Satakal who bites on and eats his own tail. A god not unlike a synthesis of the traditional Auriel and the Nordic Alduin. They say Satakal, coiling serpent of time, upon who's scales all reality rests, would fall in love with the Mother Sea; from their union all the beasts of the shores and seas came. And so in love with the Mother Sea and his children was Satakal that he would shed his godly scales, for this rotation of time, walk as an elf. King Orgnum. From there the Maormeri and Altmeri tellings converge. They speak of Orgnum attempting to speak the truth to the Aldmer, of how most rejected him, and how he and the Maormer were banished.

While Orgnum-as-Satakal is the primary god of the Maormer, much reverence is also paid to the Mother Sea as well.

Some tellings draw more parallels between the story of Satakal and Mother Sea to that of Anu and Padomay, with each related to the other respectively. By this account Orgnum, as the second incarnation of their telling of Anu, can be seen as a synthesis of Anuiel and Auriel into one.

Maormer see Orgnum as not just their king, but king by right of all the seas, of his love. By this reasoning all islands, from the tiniest rock to the summerset isles themselves, are his by right.

Legend claims that Orgnum made the Maormer his children, and the children of Mother Sea, by ''spilling the spirit of the sea'' into their blood, and it was this that transformed the Aldmer into the Maormer.

When Satakal assumed the skin of Orgnum, his visage as serpent god of time still shone through his mortal form. He began looking as an ancient Mer, and as this rotation of time slowly shortens so to does his mortal life, growing younger and younger by the centuries instead of older. In the current era, it is rumoured, that king Orgnum looks as an adolescent.

Though king Orgnum's full face is almost never seen, everything below the eyes being hidden by a long veil, those who have seen it say he possesses an otherworldly beauty. Some priests and priestesses to Satakal adopt this item of fashion.

Another mark of Orgnum’s divinity is his third arm. Legend says that one can reach toward the past, one the present, and one the future. Though little has been seen of his ability to manipulate time beyond minor miracles.

King Orgnum is able to adjust his form, taking on the shape of the largest sea serpent ever seen. This silver scaled beast is the terror of the Altmeri navy and has been seen swallowing entire ships whole. It is Orgnum’s duel nature of man and serpent that the common Maormer echoes by bonding with a sea serpent at birth.

PYANDONEA

Pyandonea is a floating island chain, kept above the sea by a vast 'bed' of roots beneath her, massive deposits of the naturally floating frog metal, and a small amount of lingering Aldmeri magicks.

Pyandonea, and her surrounding sea, is eternally shrouded in unrelenting mist. Without magical aid the mist is quite literally impossible to traverse. An unaided Maormer could no more leave the isles than a mainlander could enter it. Only with the aid of Sea Witches can passage to and from the isles be formed, as well as between island settlement and island settlement.

The landmass of Pyandonea is that of dizzyingly vast mountain archipelagos overflowing with verdant jungle rainforest, from which mist and waterfalls pour down constantly. The seas around her a maze of kelp which grabs, entangles, and drowns unwary sailors and ships alike, or smashes them against the rocks... though it is only with the aid of these grasping kelps holding onto the underlying root bed of Pyandonea that it stays in one place at all. Sea beasts and water spirits prowl water and land, only adding to the danger. She is a land designed to keep people in, and out, with no passage between; and it took the Maormer much skill to escape her and turn her defences to their advantage.

Maormer settlements are often built in or around the remains of huge emperor crabs, whale carcasses, or otherwise slain titans of the deep. Maormeri ships hunt them, drive them against the shores, and harvest what meat they can; but there is often enough leftover food to support a population for the years necessary to build up a new port or town, and so some of the crew stay behind. Further inland are overgrown Aldmeri ruins, some still inhabited as strange cities that look indistinguishable from the abandoned ones from outside, only within the vines cut away and replaced with signs of civilization. Orgnum himself holds court and rules (when he is not at sea, which he is for most the of year) in one such overgrown city of ruins.

Shades of blue and white are the most popular architectural colours, just as they are most popular in fashion. White marble walls with blue shingles, deep blue sunshades spread between the whitened ribs of old krakens, sky blue tents in bustling markets. It is seen as representative and in honour of the sea; of both her waves and her crashing foam.

Despite the jungles and humidity, Pyandonea is still quite unlike the forests of Topal or the Niben. Unlike both of those it is much further from the equator, almost down to the southern ice sheets, and thus even without snowfall it can be devastatingly cold. Unprepared travellers can find themselves soaked in the mist and losing an entire limb to frostbite... if they are lucky.

BIOLOGY

Maormer are split into, very broadly, two categories. The majority of Maormer are milky white in skin and eye colour, with predominantly white, black, or grey hair. Their ears end with fin-like ridges, and they are able of safely consume salt water - their tongues have an adaptation to safely filter out salt from water, an ability that even remains for a while even after death and removal. Contrary to popular belief, they do not have gills or any special ability to breathe underwater. Finally, almost all possess a mouth of sharp teeth, specialized in tearing meat and breaking shells. So called 'leviathan' Maormer are a minority, making up perhaps a tenth of the overall population. Theirs is a bloodline that has been altered by powerful magicks - sorcery combining their ancestors with beasts of the sea. While most leviathan Maormer are descended of sea snake-hybrids, having faintly white scaled skin, fangs, gills, and springy bones that flow through water at terrifying speed this is not the case of all leviathans. Some have chitinous shells, others semi-translucent jellyfish skin, some even bearing tentacles and bioluminescent patterns. There are as many shapes of leviathan as there are fish in the sea. All are larger than their kin, though, all more at home at sea than land, and all both feared and respected by their fellows. Any captain worth their salt has a coterie of leviathans in their crew.

Maormer are naturally resistant to lightning, though fire and heat can be potentially debilitating - drying their skin out far faster and leaving longer lasting damage than it does to mainlanders.

Maormer possess the uncanny ability to 'blend' into the background and go unseen until they move, or make a noise, oftentimes to the shock of those who forgot they were even there to begin with. While the ability seems chameleonic it doesn’t actually alter the colour or texture of their skin, indeed, even a Maormer in full armor has this power. This ability is most obvious in mist and fog, where they can achieve something even surpassing invisibility.

Maormer are naturally attuned to find their balance on moving ground, be that on the deck of a ship or on the shores of their floating island-homeland of Pyandonea. When forced onto stationary land almost all seem to fall into a strange, staggering, swagger, and many suffer from so-called 'land sickness'.

CULTURE

Maormer society is organized more as a fleet than a traditional nation. Orgnum presides over the entire kingdom as both god and king. Beneath him are the many Sealords, occasionally referred to as ‘Coastal Princes’, each commanding over a fleet and clan, with many holding seaports and territory on Pyandonea itself. These Sealords are the admirals of their people. Beneath them are countless captains of near endless degrees of power. Some are near-rivals to Sealords, commanding small fleets, and ports, all across Maormer territory. Most command a single ship and crew, however. All Maormer, from the lowest sailor to the highest Sealord give a tribute of their take to those above them. All wealth trickles toward their king.

Maormeri society is traditionally a strict meritocracy. When a Sealord dies, their most powerful captain takes the role. When a captain dies, their first mate assumes command and is expected to assign the most capable Maormer under their command to their former position. Nepotism is a grave offence, a betrayal of those that serve under them.

Maormer often take slaves, as well as plunder, in their raids. Those who require too much work to keep are often killed or abandoned, with the fit potentially remaining with their new crew and captors for the rest of their lives. In dire straits, slaves are sacrificed to power Maormeri sorceries. It is not entirely unheard of for a slave to eventually earn their freedom, either remaining with the crew as a true member, or being left on the mainland once more.

A Maormer ship is nearly entirely self-sufficient, and can remain at sea indefinitely barring repair work. The sea provides adequate food and water for a Maormeri crew, and captured supplies can support whatever slaves the ship has.

Every ship keeps one or more Sea Witch, incredibly powerful mages able to command weather to devastating effect. Most Sea Witches are then further accompanied by a throng of apprentices, called Stormcallers.

Maormer trade with both Khajiit and Redguards as often as they prey on them, though some travel further afield. Even far-off Skyrim is at least partially known to them.

Almost every Maormer owns a sea serpent. When a new Maormer is born, the serpent who hatched nearest to the event is assigned to them. The two care and protect each other, forming a deep symbiotic bond. Though few sea serpents are afforded the food needed to grow to ship-crushing sizes, those who do make terrifying mounts for their bonded Maormer. Rider and beast attack as one, the intelligence of their Maormer given to their mount's terrifying strength in pure harmony.

Those Maormer who, by some means, lose their serpent are often paired again with likewise orphaned serpents - if such an opportunity is possible.

After a raid, the take is surprisingly often most distributed fairly and evenly amongst the crew. A captain or Sealord who denies his people their fair share is seen as betraying their service, and rarely long for this world.

Those Maormer unable or unwilling to live a life at sea will most often instead find themselves working as shipwrights or any number of other occupations in Pyandonea's ports. They are a small, but vital, minority.

While all Maormeri ships and crews are combat-able, not all are pirates and raiders. Some work as merchants, trading goods between Pyandonea and the broader fleet. Others make way as diplomats between the Sealords. Many more are simply 'civilian' ships; little different from a mainlander village save for the fact that they are always at sea and farm kelp and fish in place of grain and livestock.

For those Maormer unable to breathe underwater, drowning is a terrible fear. Many legends are of drowning Maormer being saved at the last moment from this fate, and their armor and clothing is designed to adapt as best it can to water and save them from drowning. Fabrics and leathers (mostly from porpoises and ornaugs) are kept resilient to water retention and wet-weight, boots are either designed with mostly uncovered feet or such that they can easily be shed, and the only metal broadly used is frog metal, or orgnium, a metal strong as steel but bearing incredibly buoyancy.

Mainlanders are often seen as clumsy, stumbling, and ill-suited to life at sea. The phrase 'groundwalker' is thus used as both a clear statement of fact but, also, often an insult to the clumsy or foolish. The irony that Maormer are just as clumsy on land is utterly lost on them - or, more likely, they simply believe it more important that one be at home at sea.

Treason and mutiny are one and the same, and both are rare indeed. The offence and mistreatment a captain must provide their crew with is incredible before the bonds of loyalty (and often blood ties too) are broken.

Song and music are major parts of Maormeri culture. From the rhythm keeping slave chants, to the sailors’ shanties, and and even the popular tunes of a pungi in a seaside town, it is hard to go long in Maormeri company without someone striking up a song or tune.

Maormer are far, far, less obsessed with breeding, pedigree, and lineage than the Altmer, or indeed most elven culture. In their eyes, their blood is only a very small part of what makes them better than mainlanders. Theirs is a sense of cultural superiority more so than racial, and those who integrate are often treated little differently than born Maormer - save perhaps for the occasional joke at their expense as they fail to find their sea legs. The endless forms a leviathan Maormer can take have almost enforced this view of accepted diversity amongst them.

[allthingstamriel]

Auridon

ESO region aesthetic board More >

The second largest of the Summerset Isles, Auridon has always served the High Elves as a buffer between their serene archipelago and the turmoil of Tamriel. The Altmer of Auridon have been hardened by generations of repelling invaders, pirates, and plagues.

"It's as I said. The ceremonies are for the people. They've always been a part of crowning a new Altmeri monarch. The people are already nervous about my extended absence. They need to know they can trust me." – Queen Ayrenn

[x] [x] [x] [x] [Cosplay by Ari Ruben] [x]

[sunlightpassingthroughthewater]

The Beautiful

   The Beautiful are a group of anti-Thalmor rebels, who originated in a salon in Alinor by the same name.

   Initially, they were a group of philosophers and scholars who took umbrage with Summerset’s cultural stagnation and its xenophobia, they wished for a more modern and egalitarian society – at least by Altmeri standards at the time.

   Its members have had many conflicting ideas on how best to bring about this change, some more violent than others. Notably they were responsible for the destruction of The Crystal Tower and the assassination of the king of Shimmerine’s daughter during the end of the 3rd era.

   The group have changed significantly in the approx. 200 years since its founding, having absorbed many other groups with similar grievances into their ranks – most notably, the Welkynar, a group of gryphon riding knights that were disbanded by the Thalmor after they rose to power in 4E 22. Due to the inclusion of the Welkynar, it isn’t uncommon for the members of the Beautiful to take on names derived from famous gryphons from history as aliases. The leader of the Beautiful is only known by the name Cel-hinwe, a name derived from the first gryphon to ever be tamed by the Altmer.   

   In modern times, the Beautiful has become more organised and solidified in their goal, and for the first time in its history, has begun to look beyond the borders of Summerset for allies. This has proven difficult as most don’t even know they exist, or if they do, they dismiss them as nothing but a group of disaffected nobility playing at rebellion.

Characters:

Quenanya Adallaireon (Nagravia):

Lived the first 13 years of her life in Cheydinhal with her parents, her father was a Cyrodiilic-born Altmer and an adventurer and her mother was an artist from a noble Summerset family. After her father's death, her mother took her to live with her family in Auridon. The Adallaireon's were a politically powerful clan on the isles, with her grandfather being a member of the Thalmor council, a fact that Quenanya would later use to her advantage when working for the Beautiful and undercover as a Justiciar. Is married to Caliathmo, much to the displeasure of her family due to his seemingly commoner background.

Caliathmo Culaari (Haeliata):

Caliathmo's father was a battlemage in the Imperial Legion when Summerset was still part of the Empire. He now lives a quiet life as a fisherman in a small village on Auridon, where Caliathmo and his younger brother, Tilaandil, were born. Their mother came from Clan Culaari, a family whose lands were seized, and the clan destroyed following the Thalmor's rise to power due to their loyalty to the Empire. Both of Caliathmo's parents were members of The Beautiful, a fact that strongly influenced his own involvement. Caliathmo eventually works undercover for The Beautiful while posing as a Thalmor agent.

Tilaandil Culaari (Sunnawel):

Caliathmo's younger brother. Tilaandil wouldn't get involved with the Beautiful until later in life - when he got drafted into the Great War as a soldier - where he would use his connections in the thieves guild to aid the resistance. Is in a relationship with Orthorn.

Orthorn (Quillmane):

Orthorn came from a working class family. His parents worked for a noble family who would sponsor Orthorn's education, a fact that would allow him to become a professor of Archaeology - with a focus on the Ayleids. He uses his knowledge to aid the Beautiful in stopping the Thalmor from getting their hands on powerful Ayleid artefacts.

Mirithiel (Silaeda):

Mirithiel never knew her birth parents, all she knows is that one of them was an Altmer and the other a Bosmer. She was raised in Valenwood's capital, Grahtwood. She is a talented healer and alchemist, she was recruited to the Beautiful by Cel-Hinwe themselves after she, not knowing who they were, helped them evade capture by the Thalmor.

[falmerbrook]

Summerset Chapter thoughts

I've actually moved on to Murkmire a bit ago and forgot to do this oopsies.

Overall: I liked it! Although I have a harder time saying why or why not compared to previous expansions (although lord knows I'll certainly try to explain below). I just had a good time with it and looked forward to logging in every day to play, but I don't think it was my favorite thing ever either. I particularly liked the main quest, it gave us a lot of good characters to get attached to.

More details under cut

What I liked:

The characters! I pretty much liked every reoccurring character in the Main Quest. Obviously y'all already know I loved Darien, and I think this chapter did a good job giving him a bit more depth and setting up some very juicy intrigue for him. Raz is always a joy (although he made less of an impact in this chapter for some reason). I also liked Iachesis (although he made me feel kinda sad, but that's a good thing) and I liked how kind and mentor-ly he seemed. I really liked Leythen and Valsirenn. Their relationship was super compelling to watch unfold and they both got their own internal dilemmas set up due to each other than made them both just really interesting. Leythen was really interesting to me, but I do wish they developed what drew him to Mephala enough to make him loyal to her until he literally died. Valsirenn's voice actor was also doing over time good lord she really made me feel horrible for her. Val needs a long ass vacation after all of that. Even in a good number of the side quests there were a lot of good strong personalities that were fun to work with.

The voice acting has gradually gotten better and better with each new expansion, but I think this is the first one where it has been noticeable enough to mention. I liked the voice acting.

There were a good number of interesting side quests. Some good mysteries (especially the Russafeld one) and lots of "well that was fucked up" magical nonsense. I had fun with them.

I liked the cities and architecture. It felt tall and grand. I have more to say in my dislikes though.

I loved Artaeum! It was so gorgeous and the buildings were gorgeous (I liked the disney castle effect they had on Ceporah tower, that was a good touch to make it look bigger). I liked it so much I've taken several opportunities to just take a walk around it. It was the highlight of this chapter.

The themes with Summerset opening up to emigration were real topical, probably even more now than when the chapter first came out, and I liked their inclusion.

I liked the look of Summerset. I bit generic fantasy but it has enough of its own thing going on that I think it still stands out. The fossilized coral forests were very cool, and most of the fauna were unique but also felt like real enough animals (unlike some other eso creatures). Not my favorite visually but still nice.

On that note, I also really liked the Indriks. Good ass animal. Welwas are good too (although I recently discovered they were also in Craglorn but I skipped that one).

In the Russadeld murder mystery quest (which I just really liked in general) I enjoyed getting some worldbuilding on minor things like the different ways forensics can be undertaken. I just always appreciate when side quests are used to develop parts of the world that are otherwise mundane to us but would probably be different in a fantasy setting.

I appreciated how connected some of the story points of the side quests were with either other side quests or the main quest. It usually wasn't important or anything, but it's a nice touch.

Another thing that I have noticed gradually over the expansions that I think stood out most here was that the enemies in each zone are no longer every 5 feet. You can explore the wilderness without having to kill something every 15 seconds, and I appreciate that.

What I disliked/thought could've been better:

Now, I'm not gonna be one of those "but the cities are supposed to be made of glass!!!" people because I generally don't think the games should have to follow every single one off line or lore from previous games, but I do think they should've leaned into the glass look at least a little bit. Make the cities more colorful! The while stone and marble were pretty, but idk I just feel like they could've been colorful. Maybe keep the white buildings but make their windows all ornate stained glass so during the day the reflect on nearby building and light up the interiors with colors and at night the cities look like a sparkling rainbow? Something like that. The architecture, while pretty, was also a bit to generic tbh.

So arguably this is a complaint I could make about literally any zone/environment of any of these games, and I don't expect it to ever change, but man it is disappointing to me to see some interesting ecological lore in books get tossed out the window so we can always have a bunch of hostile animals/plants that attack you on sight when you travel off of any path. Don't tell me that Summerset's environments (or at least major parts of it) have been carefully crafted to be perfect in the way the Altmer culturally see it (and have a quest around it) and not be able to actually see that outside of like, gardens!

I find delves tedious and was annoyed that we had to go through a few of them for the main quest. I don't think that's happened in any of the zones before this but it felt lazy. Like they didn't want to bother making a new location for the main quest so they just plopped whatever you had to grab in a delve they already built.

Veya made me so angry!! I mean I guess that indicates some good writing because I cared that much and it makes sense she'd turn to more destructive ideologies after everything she went through but I was so disappointed in her and they didn't do enough with her! She just became a generic bad guy we killed (I think this comes down to one of ESO's biggest writing flaws imo, that every story has to be accessible to new players)!

So I'll be honest, daedra lore is probably one of the places where I'm weakest, so maybe I'm wrong, but the inclusion of Mephala and Nocturnal in this whole scheme felt really out of character for them. And even if they would go through something like this, they were written to just be very generically evil demon-like to me. They're designs are meh to me too (Mephala's more than Nocturnal's). Vile at least felt in character and like this is something he'd get invovled with (and I liked his design, but that's because the humanoid look is already what he's always been portrayed as). I just always felt like Mephala and Nocturnal were some of the better examples of how the Daedric Princes aren't just evil but have their own complex moralities, but in this they make them "I want to take over the whole universe!" level evil. Their motivations (once again, besides Vile) feel not in character either. They were weakest part of the Main Quest for this whole arc for me (besides Barbas, who I always enjoy).

Kinda related, a lot of their minor daedra from their realms (specifically Mephala, the other two were fine) felt kinda bland or generic to me.

Also kinda related, the didn't sell why anyone in the Court of Bedlam (specifically Leythen) would believe they Princes or go along with their goals. They wanted to create a paradise? They're daedric princes how do you fall for that??? I can see Veya or cultists who already followed them being easily manipulatable but Leythen goes from respected Psijic to taking the Daedra at their word because of seemingly nothing but grief? And he continues to support Mephala until he dies despite knowing they were lying?? I didn't get it.

Finally, there was a moment that implied that Meridia's realm was invaded that never got a conclusion. Normally I'd be like "well maybe they're setting it up for later" but I know they haven't done anything with it yet so it feels like more of a dropped plot point than a set up for the future.

Let Darien take me out for a drink, dammit!!!

[starfreak]

I'm gonna talk Elder Scrolls 6 and fantasy politics here for a second. Maybe a long post, who knows.

I think that the Elder Scrolls 6, which is all but confirmed to be set in Hammerfell, is going to be about politics. Like, full stop, it has to be. The overwhelming presence of the Empire as of TES 5 is undeniable, with the territories of Cyrodiil, High Rock, and half of Skyrim being under Imperial control.

If the civil war in Skyrim canonically goes to the Empire, then their coverage will cover the entirety of 3 provinces out of the 9 on Tamriel. They will control a THIRD of the continent.

But that's not all, because the Empire is backed (some might even say controlled) by the Aldmeri Dominion. The Dominion's geopolitical grasp is comprised of the Summerset Isles, Valenwood, and Elsweyr. That's another third of Tamriel. With the Dominion and the Empire's forces combined, they will be in control of 2/3 of all of Tamriel. Let's see who remains:

Morrowind: After the eruption of Red Mountain in the early 4th Era, this region is almost completely uninhabitable, with even its ashen-skinned residents (the Dunmer) choosing to leave their home in search of refuge in Skyrim, Cyrodiil, and even Black Marsh, two out of the three of which absolutely despise the dark elves. They are a shattered people, and have virtually no presence in the continental war besides what they lend to their respective places of refuge.

Black Marsh: Inhabitable by pretty much only Argonians, who could have even spread their control to Morrowind due to their hardy biology. Though, I wouldn't count on it due to the Hist's control over their every action. I've never heard of a Hist tree growing in ash, so the likelihood of the Argonians taking Morrowind is slim. However, Black Marsh will probably be the last territory that the Dominion/Empire take, due to the inhospitable nature of it. Previous attempts to invade Black Marsh have proved ineffectual, and notably the only battles the Argonians seem to win are those involving the defense of their home. They are not an offensive people. I suspect that the Dominion would sooner burn the marshes to the ground than attempt to colonize them.

And last but not least Hammerfell: Supposedly the setting for TES 6, and surrounded on all sides by Dominion and Empire alike, with the Imperial territories of High Rock, Western Skyrim, AND Cyrodiil surrounding them, and the Aldmeri territories of the Isles and Valenwood to the south. Hammerfell is basically fucked. It's gonna take a whole lot of divine intervention to—...what's that you say? There's an Elder Scrolls protagonist on the way...and Hammerfell's history recounts tales of people who can summon magic swords? Well I think the Dominion may find some resistance in Hammerfell after all.

The Dominion is basically guaranteed a victory over Hammerfell, especially if what the Alik'r from Skyrim's "In My Time of Need" quest are to be believed, and that Saadia's betrayal meant that the Dominion (whom most if not all people in Hammerfell hate) was able to take the city of Taneth in the war. Now if we look at a map like this:

If the Dominion's forces are coming from the south, it means they have a strong enough navy to oppose Hammerfell's, which is notably a province known for their pirate activity (see the Elder Scrolls: Redguard). And if they took a city as far north as Taneth, not only did they have to probably take Rihad to get there unopposed, but they also had to make it through that bay unscathed, meaning they either have strong enough outposts on that peninsula to oppose forces from Gilane OR they took Gilane too.

And if they took that whole south central and eastern part of the coast, and are coming from the sea, who's to say they haven't taken Stros M'kai and Helgathe as well?

The north stands basically no chance against the Empire, and the south has probably already been taken by the Dominion. All that leaves is...the huge fucking Alik'r Desert in the middle.

The game will probably start in Dragonstar or Elinhir, my bet goes to Elinhir because it's more on the Skyrim side, but Dragonstar is also almost equidistant from Elinhir and Skaven, with a straight shot to the Alik'r Desert. Plus, starting in Dragonstar after playing a game about literal dragons would be a nice little poke. Like, "hey, remember the dragons?" I wouldn't be surprised if there were a few dragons in the mountains that the Dragonborn missed. They could also have them be infinitely respawning, since they don't truly die unless their souls are absorbed by the Dragonborn. So there's your dragon tie-in, Bethesda, you freaks.

The story is likely going to be about the political struggle between the cultural identity of Hammerfell and the forces that seek to swallow it whole and reshape it in their image. There'll be some references to the Swordsingers of Yokudan legend, but whether or not we will be able to actually learn the technique is uncertain. And there will be a HEAVY Dwemer presence. In previous games we were given access to none other than the hammer of Malacath, Volendrung, which was once a Dwemer weapon corrupted into the image of the Orsimer god-daedra Malacath. The hammer, according to legend, was thrown from Morrowind all the way to the desert that we now call Hammerfell (guess why they call it that) and the dwarves made their new home there, founding the city of Volenfell. Not only am I certain that we will see Volendrung in TES 6, but there will likely be heavy Dwemer presence (metaphorically speaking, they are extinct after all) and Orsimer presence. We could potentially even see some dead Dwemer, in the form of ghosts, time travel visions, sentient automatons, or even some sort of lich. If so, we might get to see a struggle between the Dwemer and Orsimer over the control of Volendrung. The dwarves and orcs do seem to have a bit of shared history.

Overall, this game is gonna be huge, and i can't wait to play it when im 80.

Lemme know if I made any mistakes in the replies, and feel free to argue about fictional politics with me in reblogs :> may your road lead you to warm sands.