#also most redguards

[transyourgenderhere]

Playing Skyrim at your actual height sounds fun.

In concept.

[princekirijo]

What would your OC's favorite rides at an amusement park be?

OH this is a fun one :3

Riku & Yuna: Combining the siblings together because I actually think they're pretty similar! They're both daredevils and would absolutely go on the most wild ride they can find in the park (that they can ride on at least). I think Riku has a preference for water themed rides while Yuna would like rides that take you up and then drop you down really fast...

Spiderfiend: OK since Spiderfiend is basically me, I like roller-coasters that are like somewhat fast but nothing too crazy (NOTHING that goes upside down...). I also like water themed rides so those too.

Hikaru & Hiroki: It's been a while since I mentioned these two but why not go with them too (all you need to know is that they're yokai wolf twins). They are COMPLETE opposites Hikaru is also a daredevil and loves to go on the most ridiculous roller-coasters they can but Hiroki would rather eat hot nails then go anywhere near an amusement park much less any of the rides 😭 but he would take Hikaru... he loves his sister...

And one more I've only mentioned like once or twice: Malik my Skyrim OC: Malik would go on all the children's rides with his kids. He is the ultimate dad guy.

[thana-topsy]

Sarel was only a few months old when he was abducted from the Alftand caverns as part of a college-sanctioned research project to study the intelligence, development, and magical ability of the Falmer. His abductor and head of the project, Aiden, was a disgraced mage from the College of Sapiarchs on a mission to prove his worth as a formidable scholar. Aiden operated under the assumption that the Falmer were a "devolved" race and did not possess the ability to communicate or develop past most basic functions. This assumption all came crashing down around him when Sarel developed at the same speed as any elf child -- curious, inquisitive, emotionally expressive, and communicative.

As Sarel grew and developed, Aiden stopped thinking of him as an experiment and began to see him as his son. Being the only child at the College of Winterhold, as well as fully blind, presented many stumbling blocks for Sarel's upbringing, resulting in him having a very sheltered experience. Aiden was also hesitant to reveal to him the full history of the Falmer, and also kept the nature of his adoption hidden from him. Sarel grew up without knowing he was an "experiment".

On his 11th birthday, a stranger showed up at the College of Winterhold asking after him. The stranger was a man named Harukar -- a Redguard vampire hunter with the Dawnguard -- and he'd recently met Gelebor in his quest for Auriel's Bow. Knowing that there was a modern Falmer being raised at the college piqued his curiosity and gave him hope that the Falmer were not an irredeemable, lost race of elves. He wanted to pass this news onto Gelebor, but inadvertently ended up triggering a chain of events that resulted in Sarel being sent away from the college to "be with his own kind".

A distraught Aiden agrees to travel with Harukar to deliver Sarel to Gelebor. [Their story is the plot of "Halfway to the Sky", so I won't be spoiling how it ends here!]

When Sarel turns 16 he returns to the College of Winterhold to complete his "formal" training as a mage. His story after that is tentative and ever-shifting, but he goes on to be a formidable scholar in the field of ancient Dwemer research as well as modern Falmer anthropology, acting as a translator and ambassador. Eventually, much later in his life, he assumes the role of Arch-Mage at the College of Winterhold, promoting cultural exchange and study between the College and the Alftand settlements.

[sanza-17]

I know very little about Irene, other than the fact that she's the vestige. Info dump to a newcomer?

Omg I feel like I’m going to end up waffling a lot lol whatever this is my time to shine 🥴

so apart from the fact she was a self insert turned oc, she’s originally a nereid in her past life which is how she met mannimarco and formed some kind of “relationship” with him, she ends up dying somehow (still trying to figure that out😓) and then gets reincarnated as a Breton born in Daggerfall. Her father owns the rosy lion inn whilst her mother is a homemaker and she is the youngest of three kids and gets coddled the most by her parents (daddies girl🌚) her older brother is an architect who moved to wayrest for work and as for her older sister I’m still trying to figure it out lol

she learned how to use a sword at a young age alongside one of her close friends Layla (Redguard) which is another oc of mine with the two of them being taught by her father who is really good with swords or something like that. She’s also good with a bow and enjoys riding her horse lady which was a present her father gave to her on her 18th birthday

her hobbies include, sword fighting/duelling, riding, archery, thinking about her crushes, hanging with friends, eating dessert, being in her room🙏 oh and embroidery too which was mostly bcs of Laylas influence as she’s a seamstress

She had dreams of growing up and becoming a knight by joining one of the knightly orders in high rock, either the lion guard or knights of the dragon but then she realised that she doesn’t like the idea of potentially ending up as some guard standing outside some castle so she settles on wanting to be a knight errant (somehow) and/or a world renowned duelist, you can tell she really likes sword fighting🤓

and for some reason at the age of 14 she woke up and decided that she was sick of wearing dresses all the time which is how she entered her “tomboy” era which is why its probably very rare to see her wearing a dress now unless it’s for a special occasion, I like to think she got more comfortable in her own femininity as she got older but she still has a few tomboyish traits

Even though she’s now more feminine I like to think she has a larger number of female admirers compared to men, and I’d argue that she’s more of a gentlemen that most men nowadays which is probably why the ladies swoon when they see her😩 but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have her fair share of male admirers tho she just doesn’t care about them that much, especially on hearts day when she receives a shit tone of love letters (being a hero and gaining celebrity status can do that to you😓)

sometime after the planemeld she gets taken under vanus’ wing as his apprentice (forming a sort of playful fondness for him) so that she can further her magic skills which she low-key doesn’t really care about, she’s all about the way of the sword but regardless she doesn’t mind switching to being a spellsword. Incidentally she finds herself also taking up and apprenticeship with the lich Vastarie in grahtwood (ig she ends up spending time there so I should make a design for her at that point) where she learns a more “ethical” form of necromancy despite her vocal distaste for it making her a hypocrite 🤡 but she doesn’t practice it afterwords, more like stores that knowledge in her brain just for the sake of learning and satisfying her curiosity whilst also making sure to keep it a secret, especially from her mentor vanus 😔

in terms of other random things, she has a cat called pudding who she would destroy the world for, has a big fat crush on mannimarco despite hating him, crushes on too many older men (vanus, Verandis, sotha sil, etc) 💔 can have a few strong political views/opinions, has negative opinions on the sload that borderline on genocidal and she likes to drink alchohol quite frequently but not to the point of getting drunk🙏

oh and she also ends up adopting a daughter in the 4th era, a half Breton half Altmer girl called Sereia who is basically her and mannis biological child that was created by akatosh to act as his champion or something but basically she’s my ldb oc and I have a whole post HERE explaining her backstory

she is NOT mother material, older sister mostly and maybe aunty (she’s Tiber septims great great grand aunt) at best but whatever she’s making it work 😔

[theanoninyourinbox]

NO THOUGHTS MORE SKYRIM WARRIORS AU - RACES

AS DIRECTED BY THE POLL The Races/Breeds of Skyrim! And Vamps and Werewolves (well, werecats)! Thanks to @jus-a-lil-mouse for letting me bounce off of them and giving me the Somali idea, and also @mothmans-w00ds you get a Serana!

These are the Races of Tamriel, with the most common Breeds being featured. The rest are as follows., with the note that ALL Races can produce Standard Issue Cats.

Argonians are near always Hairless, but some have sparse feathery fur on their head or down the spine. Their webbed feet make them excellent swimmers.

Khajiit always look like The Ancestors, the mighty Lions, Tigers, and more. They are Bengals, Savannah Cats, Toygers, and more.

Orcs are the flat-faced Breeds - Persians for the most part. They usually have magnificent long pelts, but many trim theirs to be more versatile in battle.

High Elves are Devon Rexes, Cornish Rexes, and rarely Selkirk Rexes. They claim that their magic and short fur makes them superior, but behind their backs, many point to the Argonians that many High Elves dislike.

Nords are enormous cats, usually with thick long fur. Norwegian Forest cats and Maine coons, almost always muscled and fierce.

Wood Elves are the smallest of the Tamriel Races, no matter the circumstances. Scottish Folds and Munchkins dominate their families, and their Standard Issue family are still very small.

Dark Elves are graceful and misunderstood by many. Orientals and long limbed, all Dark Elves have pointed fur patterns.

Imperials are British Breeds - Longhair or Shorthair, they are all welcome. The Imperials have the most diversity, with many intermarriages leading to many recessed genetics popping up.

Bretons are the most affable Breeds - Ragdolls are the majority. Their fur is either long or plush, and they are often underestimated.

Redguards are Somali, Mau, and desert Breeds. They are also the most likely to have tailless cats in their family trees, though they aren't always seen as a good omen.

Vampires can come from any Breed, and ALWAYS have visible fangs. Not all cats with visible fangs are well-fed vampires, however, and this has lead to innocents being accused. Hungry vampires are much more noticeable, with faded colors and bloody eyes.

Werecats are an interesting case. Some claim that they are infused with the spirit of the noble Wolf, and others call it a disease. The truth is that the Daedra Hircine has laid his Blessing upon cats, giving them aspects of His Own Face.

Aaaaand that's it for now! I'm thinking about Daedra next, but I'll be working on my [REDACTED] project first!

[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.

[tastesoftamriel]

Hey! Piggybacking off the previous ask: I would be desperately curious to hear some of your thoughts on Ash’abah cuisine! I also seem to recall you posting once about how the foods of Craglorn and interior Hammerfell might differentiate from foods along the coast, but I can’t seem to find it. Could potentially be related topics? Most bustling cities in Hammerfell seem to be along the coast, and I don’t imagine they’d want Ash’abah pariah tribes just hanging around, so idk. It’s a thought!

You are correct that the nomadic Ash’abah are primarily at home deeper in the northern Hammerfell deserts. This is partially because of the posher coastal folk making their disdain known to the group, and partially because, in the words of a member of an Ash'abah group I stayed with for a few weeks, they are at home in the desert.

In a similar vein to Ashlanders in Morrowind, Ash'abah cuisine is shaped by the hostile environments they inhabit, and are therefore unique from urban Redguard fare. While trade with wandering merchants is certainly arranged in order to obtain essential ingredients like spices, grains, and oils, it isn't relied on as the backbone of Ash'abah food.

The traditional Ash'abah diet is somewhat restricted due to the scarcity of the Alik'r, yet through generations of shared knowledge, they have learned to harvest the bounty of the sands. Dunerippers; lizards; giant scorpions, snakes, and spiders; wild goats and camels; rodents, and birds like fellrunners all have edible components, if you know how to cook them! Aloe and cactus are also popular, refreshing inclusions in food to make up for the lack of vegetation.

At the end of my time with the Ash'abah, we sought and gained shelter at a johad and shared a feast the night before my departure. Every other person in the group contributed a dish, meaning we had quite a spread! Jerboa grilled in giant wasp honey; cous cous salad with cactus chunks; sand-baked duneripper shank; barbecued lizard skewers; giant snake steaks cooked in black garlic and camel fat; whole fellrunner roasted on a spit with chili goat's butter, and a rich and spicy scorpion tail soup with wheat flatbread were the main dishes on offer. To end the meal, we had a chilled aloe pudding, made with goat's cream, cardamom, giant snake egg, and a good heap of sweetened aloe pulp. ~Talviel

[conlangcrab]

Can someone help me out I am itching to do something.

So in TES I: Arena, all character names are procedurally generated, and I love that shit tbh. But to me the most amazing naming system from there is the Redguard names, which has a total of 74,175 possible names for men and 519,225 possible names for women. This also continues in Daggerfall, where all Redguard names are unisex and there are 245,310 possible names total.

I. Am itching to have a whole list of the names. Like on god. If you don't know about my @444names and the subsequent @444namesplus blogs you don't know how crazed I am about this.

They are not listed on UESP due to the sheer size of the document, but I need. Need this.

Woowspace.com->Awkwords won't allow me to generate the whole thing efficiently since it doesn't have a "generate all possible combinations" option, and the Jasontank.net->Wordgen doesn't support multi-letter units.

[moonpile]

Sulfur Pool

Since the Pan-Tamriel event promotes fishing by curating trophy fish drops, I wanted to show one of the most useful furnishings you can get – the Sulfur Pool – in-situ.

Don't mind how it looks in the preview! This pool is one of the too-few natural, clear water items we have, and was the only one earnable / gold-buyable until U44 gave us the Sky Spirits reflection Pool.

(Not counting the Firesong Spring, Basalt because it isn't clear; the saturated blue color looks cartoonish in most situations. A few fountains can also be disguised to create natural-looking water features, the ones suited for that are all Crown/Crate items.)

It's easy to blend the Sulfur Pool together with rocks and waterfalls to create natural-looking water features. Here's a few cobbles I've made:

Hot springs:

Stream, together with Waterfall, Small Everlasting:

Small woodland pond:

Another pond, 2-tier with waterfalls:

Fountain, using several pieces to hide the pool:

You'll be able to get Deadlands Master Angler quicker during this event! There's plenty of time left.

Related:

#eso housing wishlist

wishlist: bridges & large, natural water

Redguard Boat, Sailing (U45)

[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.

[themegachessatron]

A Review of my time in Skyrim's Prisons (Featuring some followers): Morthal Jail

I'm back on my Skyrim prison bullshit. I can only apologise. This chapter of the review will cover Morthal, the community's collective 9th favourite Skyrim city. Will its prison fall just as flat as the city that holds it?

Arriving in my cell for the first time and I'm pleasantly surprised. Morthal Jail uses cost effective but cozy bedrolls to give prisoners a place to sleep, as well as a complimentary bucket and broom to encourage their responsibility in helping tidy their accommodations. From these we can immediately infer that the mindset in Morthal is one of community strength. Placing multiple prisoners in one cell helps build bonds and encourages teamwork, communication and friendship. Admittedly the sorts that end up in prison are more likely to simply beat their cellmates to death with their bare hands than work in-tandem with them, but it's the thought that counts.

There was space for three prisoners in this one cell, which was fortunate as Sofia and I had been arrested simultaneously (Sofia for drunken hooliganism and myself for lollygagging). Included on Sofia's side of the cell was an additional bucket, this likely serving as the simple but effective waste deposit for this cell. Also included was a basket containing five green apples and multiple sacks. Most of the sacks were empty but one of them had some salt piles inside, useful for when we needed to add salt to somebody's wounds. These simple supplies show a level of understanding for prisoner's needs not really seen in most other prisons which goes a long way to making this one feel more welcoming. Thankfully I was given an opportunity to explore beyond my cell not much later.

Less than a minute after Sofia and I had arrived in our cells, Inigo walked up to the cell doors... and simply opened them. I was at a loss for words! How had he done this? Had he used his special Khajiit powers again? Did he steal the key from an unsuspecting guard? Or had he simply intimidated the door into giving way? Well as it tuns out it was much simpler than that. He paid our bail. He had picked up some trace valuables from our adventures while I was, and I quote, "too busy scarfing dragon souls as if they were sweet rolls" and could very easily afford the rather meager bail price. Yeah turns out lollygagging doesn't incur that high of a bounty, and as for Sofia, I had asked a guard and he told me that since Morthal is such a nothing shithole drunken hooliganism is a very common offence and as such more major punishments weren't really practical for having a city with people not in prison. Still, it gave me the chance to freely observe the rest of the facilities.

Leaving my cell had allowed me to freely confirm something I had observed inside my cell. The Morthal guard leave the prisoner belongings chests directly next to the prison cells, in plain view of all the prisoners. Now, I understand that this prison is trying to build a feeling of mutual trust in its prisoners, but I fear this is far too optimistic. With the chests in this position, any wannabe escapist can freely identify where their equipment is held and try to access it without even being in the peripheral view of any guards, leading them to easily re-acquire their trusty Banded Iron Shield of the Major Knight or whatever it is they use and be more than prepared to force their way to freedom without major harm. This, much like the issues plaguing Dragonsreach Dungeon, is a major security breach and should be remedied.

I (the rather large Redguard man in the rags pictured above) then noticed that the entire prison floor in this hold was being guarded by a single solitary guardsman. Initially I had considered this lack of manpower a major oversight and a suggestion that the Morthal guard were largely lazy and/or not effectively utilized like the Whiterun guards. However, in reflection shortly after coming to this conclusion, I came to a realization. This city is a nothing shithole with a total named population of eighteen people (three of which are children). Of course there's only one guard stationed here. What few guards this city has stationed here are likely stretched incredibly thin and not very satisfied with life given they do, in fact, live in Morthal. As such, I can readily forgive the short-staffed nature of this jail.

Opposite the guard was a desk for writing legal documentations, equipped with a writer's quill, rolls of paper and multiple bottles of wine. Naturally at the sight of alcohol Sofia immediately made herself at home and then took some serious persuading to leave. Turns out having an alcohol-happy workspace in a city where drunken hooliganism is let off lightly is exactly the sort of thing to get her attention, though knowing her should have made that obvious.

The way out of the jail floor leads directly into the guard barracks with zero alternative routes and multiple guards inside at all times, which in any other hold would act as a strong defence against escaping convicts. However, with this being Morthal the nothing shithole and the guards being so few in number, every guard in the barracks when I entered was fast asleep, catching up on any rest they could possibly get. I pity those soldiers, but I doubt thieves, murderers and other more serious convicts would be as sympathetic.

On the whole, I found Morthal Prison to be a much better facility than Dragonsreach Dungeon. It has a clear intention for its captives in mind, it accommodates them well without breaking the bank and the guards (what ones are still awake that is) are very nice and understanding. There are still faults however, namely the placement of the prisoner belongings chests and the fact that this is still, at the end of the day, Morthal. Despite these though, I'd recommend Morthal Prison. It serves as a diamond in the swampy messy shithole that is Hjaalmarch.

Final rating: Seven Banded Iron Shields of the Major Knight out of Ten Banded Iron Shields of the Major Knight

Thank you for entertaining these reviews of mine. Next time we see if the Dawnstar Jail is the reason why all of the city's residents are troubled by endless nightmares.

[devout-of-the-elder-scrolls]

Kynareth Quick Start Guide

A guide for beginning with Kynareth, intended to help you begin your practice, but not to serve as the only information you use.

Keep in mind most of this post is UPG versus just based on the fictional canon, based on my personal experiences with this entity. It may directly contrast fictional canon and the experiences of others.

KYNARETH

kin-ah-reth aka. Kyne ◦ Kaan ◦ Kin ◦ Khenarthi ◦ Tava kigh-nn ◦ kah-nn ◦ kin ◦ kay-narr-thee ◦ tah-vah prns. she domain. The Holy Roost date. May 23rd

Kynareth is mostly known as the Goddess of the Elements and Nature. Though, She is also the patron of travelers, of sailors, and of so many more people. 

She can function as the Chief Goddess of the Nine Divines, albeit She is not equal to Akatosh. She is simply very, very important, especially to the Nords. 

Within Nordic tradition, as Kyne (or Kaan within Dovahzul) She is depicted as the Sister Hawk, is the widow of Shor, the Blessed Warrior-Wife, and a favored god of warriors. She’s one of the Hearth Gods, and considered the Chief Deity of the Nordic pantheon. Kyne is known as the Mother of Men and Beasts, as Nords believe the sky exhaled onto the land at the Throat of the World to form them; and as the Kiss at the End, as it’s believed She leads their dead to Sovngarde.

Within Khajiiti tradition, Khenarthi is the most powerful of the Sky Spirits. It’s Khenarthi who guides their soul to Azurah for judgment, or to Llew’er, the Sands Behind The Stars. It will be Her clarion call that will summon the eternal united spirit of all Khajiit to defend creation at the end of time. She’s most often depicted as a great hawk.

Within Redguard tradition, Tava has dominion over the elements of the sun and storm, except for the stars who belong to Ruptga. She led the Yokudans, early Redguards, to the isle of Herne after the destruction of their homeland. The redtail hawk is sacred to Tava, as is the goshawk.

🜚 terms of respect . . .

Term – Goddess Prefix – Lady • Queen Titles – Lady of Nature • Queen of the Elements • Patron of the Travelers • Mother of Men and Beasts • Kiss at the End • Sister Hawk • God of Winds • Gatherer of Waters • the Elder Spirit of the Heavens • Widow of Shor • Mother of Nords

🜲 rulerships . . . the sky and heavens • the winds • the elements • the unseen spirits of the air • rain, storms, and other weather • the sea • good fortune • sailors • travelers • the verbal craft • sun • warriors . . . HELPS WITH . . . ptsd and trauma • watching over and guiding warriors

🝰 commandments . . .

Use Nature’s gifts wisely. Respect her power, and fear her fury.

⛯ main tarot cards & other signs and associations . . .

Tarot Cards — 

II the High Priestess • III the Empress • VII the Chariot • IX the Hermit • X Wheel of Fortune • XII the Hanged Man • XIV Temperance • XXI the World

II of Cups • IV of Cups • VI of Cups • X of Cups

II of Swords • IV of Swords • VI of Swords • King of Swords

VI of Pentacles • VII of Pentacles • IX of Pentacles

III of Wands • Page of Wands

Other Signs & Associations — 

large, tall trees • natural materials • friendly animals, esp if they’re wild or feral

birds

❂ devotional acts . . .

go exist in nature for a little bit. it doesn’t have to be grand, sometimes it’s just your backyard! 

keep and tend to bird feeders, bird baths, etc. squirrel feeders too

cloud gaze, perform divination with the clouds

wear Her amulet

take a bath or shower

understand how nature is within everything, and utilize nature in everything

cook with fresh food

doodle a little birdie

meditate in nature

sit out in the rain (be safe!)

drink sterilized rain water

talk to Her while out in nature

bird-watch

collect feathers (check for mites and etc!)

make a pendulum with a rock / gemstone or use a pendulum with a rock / gemstone

protect nature

donate to nature preservation efforts

donate to zoos

visit a zoo and learn as much as you can about the animals there

pick an animal and study it

watch nature documentaries

devote travel time to Her

. . . offerings ❦

↘ natural ; 

rainwater or stormwater

leaves from plants

naturally felled branches

bird feathers

birds of paradise flowers

opal

↘ foodstuff ; 

freshly cooked meals

any fruits and/or vegetables

beef

oranges

apples

Note: Not a big fan of sweets or sours.

↘ items ; 

bird iconography

windchimes

fake feathers

ornate cups

those little… bird water things?

↘ music ; 

melodic music

things with bird sounds in it

↘ etc ; 

anything collected from nature

the sound of falling rain

sky blue candle

🜾 altar building . . .

This is all suggestions. Please build it however you can, if a physical altar is even possible.

As always, you can use offering items to build an altar.

near a window. open it often for Her

a windchime. make sure it’s hanging and the wind can push it

fake pine garland

a bird statue of some form

a small bowl / cup to hold rainwater / stormwater

🝊 identity . . .

Kynareth is a gentle but commanding force. She shows kindness and sweetness, though has great power and rage that She will show if properly provoked. She is much like nature itself, having a very multifaceted identity, representing all ways that nature can be. 

She can be nurturing and protective, She can be destructive and cruel, She has great power and has earned a certain amount of healthy, respecting fear.

Kynareth usually presents Herself as a tall woman, with long brown hair with bright, grassy green eyes. She dresses in either long, flowy dresses which move like water; or in clothes more befitting for a hike or travel through woodlands.

Kynareth has a middle-pitch feminine voice, and She speaks very strongly and with powerful, grand cadence and tone. She speaks with authority, properly encouraging all to listen to Her and abide by Her.

☘ aspects . . .

. . . Kyne / Nordic ] Kyne is the Chief Goddess of the Nords, especially said to control the storms – rain and wind – even when it brings misery. She leads the dead to Sovngarde, the Warriors afterlife. She also has the power of thu’um, the storm voice – having either taught it to the Nords herself, sent her “daughters” to do so, or sent Paarthurnax to do so. Totemically, She is the Great Hawk. Nords refer to themselves as the “sons and daughters of Kyne”.  Some Nords see Kynareth as a “pale shadow” of Kyne, whereas others do believe Kyne and Kynareth are one and the same.  They also see Mara as Kyne’s handmaiden.

. . . Khenarthi / Khajiiti ] This aspect is specific to the Khajiit people. Born to the first litter of Anhurr and Fadomai, alongside Alkosh, Mara, Magrus, and S’rendarr.  She is responsible for finding the pieces of Alkosh in the event of a dragon break, piecing Him back together. Khenarthi is also seen as a hawk.

. . . Tava / Redguard ] Not much is known, other than this aspect is especially related to sailors and protecting them.

☉ domain . . .

The Holy Roost is Kynareth’s domain, being full of trees and a broad expanse of sky. 

It is welcome and open to all who wish to visit.

⛮ working with . . .

Kynareth is often treated like a “lord” above you, sometimes as a teacher and sometimes even as an Empress, depending on who is worshiping Her.

She is not very keen on being pampered, preferring to more be a casual part of your life. 

Working with Kynareth often involves and includes the honoring of nature and living well alongside nature.

She doesn’t actually request that much being given Her way, as long us followers are still devout to Her and provide nature its proper reverence. While you are still called to give some, it’s nowhere near as much as the others.

The benefits of working with Kyne are that She will guide your hand lovingly and with great respect towards you and for you. She is a very giving woman, who believes that natures bounty should be shared by all. 

However, should one happen to earn Kaan’s ire, which isn’t that easy of a task, She is a blaze of fury. Khenarthi will stop at nothing to deliver a just punishment upon the follower, and will only settle once a lesson has been learned.

Things that slight Kynareth:

disobeying Her commandments

disrespecting nature and animals

using your words for harm on purpose

⚜ holidays & festivals . . .

May 23rd is Kynareth’s day.

My preferred ritual is to greet the morning at dawn by sitting outside with Her. I spend most of the day with our windows open if the weather allows for it, welcoming Her and nature into my day.

♡ prayers . . .

⛤ 01 . . . O Kynareth, blessed be, You of nature and of the Thu’um. I welcome You and Your voice into me and my life, to guide me and nurture me.

⛤ 02 . . . Great Kynareth, great Kyne and Khenarthi and Tava, Goddess of the Storm and of the Rain, of the Thu’um and of the sky, I call upon You now, to join me in this moment, (for Your aid on xyz).

⛤ 03 . . . Blessed Kynareth! Great Kynareth!  I profess now my love and my adoration for You! You, wonderful Kynareth, lady Kynareth!

⛤ 04 . . . Lady of Nature, Queen of the Elements, powerful Kynareth. I ask of You now, humbly and sweetly, for (xyz).

⛤ 05 . . . O Kynareth, please bless my journey. I have need of Your kindness and of Your love for me.

⚿ evoking, invoking, summoning . . .

EVOKATION &&° 

wear loose clothing that the wind can move

leaf patterns

feather jewelry (note: be respectful of Native Cultures in doing so)

— ☆ — 

Things in [] are for making it a summoning.

WHY AND WHEN &&° 

when you’re about to travel a long distance

when you’re wanting to connect more with nature

INGREDIENTS AND OTHER TOOLS &&° 

blue candle, [with a bird carved into it. the v shaped birds count]

bird feathers (fake count)

[opal]

[apple]

IDEALS &&° 

Time – anytime

Location – near a window

STEPS &&° 

[Carve the bird into the candle.]

Dress the area around your candle with the feathers [and opal].

Light the candle.

Say the following while offering the apple: Lady Kynareth, Great Kyne, Khenarthi, and Tava, I call upon You here and now, to join me in this moment. I welcome You into my home and into my space.

Say or do whatever it is you have to do.

Blow out the candle.

NOTES &&° 

Kynareth comes pretty quickly once She notices you even lighting the candle.

𝌁 other vettable information . . .

When meditating on Her presence and name, Kynareth brings:

visions of: birds • falling feathers

smells of: freshly cooked food

sounds of: flapping wings

feelings of: intense wind

❡ notes . . .

Kynareth is best revered outside, by an open window, or by something from nature such as houseplants.

[nientedenada]

Is it fair to say Tiber Septim nuked Alinor? - The nature of Numidium as a weapon

Reposted from r/teslore. Yes. It's completely fair.

Lately, I’ve read and participated in a bunch of arguments over

whether it’s right to compare Numidium to a nuclear weapon,

whether it caused nuclear-weapon level destruction in Tiber Septim’s conquering of Summerset.

I’ve seen the argument that if you go by official Bethesda sources only, there is nothing to support 1 & 2. It’s alleged that only Michael Kirkbride’s unofficial writings support this. Specifically, this post:

Numidium's siege of Alinor: It's not the Brass God that wrecks everything so much as it is all the plane(t)s and timelines that orbit it, singing world-refusals. The Surrender of Alinor happened in one hour, but Numidium's siege lasted from the Mythic Era until long into the Fifth. Some Mirror Logicians of the Altmer fight it still in chrysalis shells that phase in and out of Tamrielic Prime, and their brethren know nothing of their purpose unless they stare too long and break their own possipoints.

That’s a reflection on how the Numidium worked in Alinor by one of the devs who wrote parts of this story about Tiber Septim and Numidium. I think it influences Bethesda official lore (as we’ll see when we get to ESO) and will continue to do so. However, we’re going to put unofficial lore aside for this post, and take a look at what the official lore says about Numidium and whether it supports the nuclear weapon comparison.

Numidium of course doesn't work like a nuclear bomb. That's not what anyone means when they're comparing it to a nuclear bomb. They're comparing it to a similarly feared horrible weapon of mass destruction. For us, the nuclear bomb represents the worst weapon imaginable, for Third Era Tamriel, it’s much the same way.

There are not many sources on Tiber Septim’s invasion of Summerset. The Pocket Guide to the Empire, First Edition, which is one of the main Tiber-era sources, is written before the Armistice with Morrowind and the invasion of Summerset. The anti-Imperialism game Redguard is also pre-Numidium, with Tiber Septim’s deputies searching Dwemer ruins for weapons. We never hear the story of the invasion from a Summerset source. We’re stuck with some very vague references. We know Tiber Septim used Numidium to conquer Summerset, but what happened there?

The Pocket Guide to the Empire, Third Edition says,

Thus, the Dominion thrived until the coming of Tiber Septim. The conquest and assimilation of Summerset into the Empire is remembered by many a living Altmer with horror only partially diminished by time. Certainly, the pride of the people has never recovered.

People argue over whether the “horror only partially diminished by time” refers to the horrific nature of the Conquest or to Altmer horror at humans conquering them. I believe that, from what we know of Numidium, it’s both, but the source here doesn’t say outright.

During the War of the Isle in 3E 110, the Maormer of Pyandonea were very nearly successful in conquering their ancient enemy, and the Altmer had to call upon the aid of the Psijics and the Empire to help defend themselves.

The Dominion’s ability to defend itself was still not restored 110 years after Numidium.

So, given how scant our sources are on the use of Numidium in Summerset, we have to look at the general cultural memory and opinion of Numidium in Tamriel, and at the one time we get a detailed canon look at its use: the Warp in the West.

Sotha Sil, quoted in the Truth in Sequence, calls it “the walking horror.”

But most profane is this: the walking horror that bears the Name, NM. The Brass Tower of Vanity. The mindless guardian of the Nirn-Prior. The Antipodal-God-Thing that reigns on the darkest pole of the sacred Nirn-Sphere. Of all the threats to Tamriel Final, NM is the greatest. Anuvanna'si. The Daedra can be banished in thought, but NM must be sundered on Nirn. It is the welded knot at the center of Anu that must be untied. The God-Puzzle. The Mainspring Ever-Wound remains silent on this point. And where there is silence, there is great wisdom.

In Where You When the Dragon Broke? the tender to the Mane speaks

You did it again with Big Walker, not once, but twice! Once at Rimmen, which we'll never learn to live with.

What happened at Rimmen with Big Walker that the Khajiit can never learn to live with? Well, there's an official Bethesda Q&A promoting Morrowind from 1999 that makes the nuclear comparison clear

Jodenjone! Don' let Marshee lie to you about Big Walker. The Blades took It from here, sure, but they din' take It back to Cyrodiil and rebuild the thing. Talos, he "annexed" a swath of our bounty-land in Ana'quinal and cleared the Khajiiti out by force. There's where he built the Hall of Colossus—a mighty name for a secret testing warehouse—and that's where Big Walker was born. And that's why that part of our Elsweyr is still poisoned glow-rock, where no cats go. Ach, for the lunacy of you Wayward Folk!

"Poisoned glow-rock". It’s not just the fans comparing Numidium to a nuclear weapon It's clear that was the devs' intention here.

The horror of the Numidium is also the foundation of the main quest of Daggerfall. Throughout the Agent’s quest, s/he receives letters from various random people and factions in game detailing the Numidium’s reputation.

The first letter the Agent gets reads

You have probably not heard the fairy tale of Numidium, but you need to. The legend dates back to the earliest parts of the third era [sic]. Numidium was supposed to be a giant so big his hands could knock the moons from the sky. I do not recall from the stories whether Numidium was supposed to be good or bad, but the legends used to scare me as a child.

Followed by another letter:

Numidium was Tiber Septim's secret weapon in his bid for supreme power: a thousand foot tall automaton, a golem or an atronach of sorts powered by a gem called the Mantella. The Mantella was infused with the life orce [sic] of Tiber Septim's Imperial Battlemage, and with it, Septim crushed all who stood in his way. After the complete and total defeat of all his opponents, Septim began using Numidium to crush the neutral royal families of Tamriel so that he could enthrone only persons he knew to be loyal. His Imperial Battlemage was furious at this use of his creation, and fought to reclaim the Mantella.

The letter writers aren’t certain how it worked or what it did exactly - which matches Tiber Septim’s secrecy, Numidium’s immediate destruction after its first big use, and the nature of a time-breaking machine that messes with people’s recollections of how things happened. But they are sure that Numidium was a horror, a weapon of mass destruction unlike anything else.

The people of the Iliac Bay would soon get a front row seat to that horror.

The Warp in the West is the only time in canon that we get extensive details on the aftermath of Numidium’s use. As could be expected from the general fear of the Numidium in the above sources, the picture isn’t pretty. We don’t know exactly how Numidium would have functioned in Summerset, but we do know that Numidium works by breaking time. The clash of many different narratives and timelines in the Iliac Bay brought about massive losses of life and property, and huge environmental damage.

The shorter account of the Warp in the West is in the Pocket Guide to the Empire, Third Edition. Bolding of phrases attesting to the destructive force of the events mine.

In the year 417, however, the province redefined itself in a most mysterious way. They call the event the Miracle of Peace. On the 10th of Frostfall, a strange force exploded over the Iliac Bay, displacing armies and decimating whole territories. Though its nature is still unknown, most Bretons believe it was the ancient Gods who had once made High Rock their home scouring the land, making it whole once again. Though it was a painful process for most - the Miracle is sometimes spoken of as the Warp in the West - the result of it is a province that is more unified than it has ever been in modern history. Where once there were a hundred small squabbling kingdoms, today, just two decades after the Miracle, there are five.

Even the ever-optimistic PGE3 admits it was a catastrophe for those who lived through it, but claims the resulting hegemonies and peace were worth it.

The Book, The Warp in the West, which is a private Blades’ report on the event is less circumspect about the details.

Speaking of the official “Miracle of Peace”:

The catastrophic destruction of landscape and property and the large loss of life attending upon this miracle is understood to have been 'tragic, and beyond mortal comprehension.'

And

The other remarkable features of these events -- mass disappearances, armies mysteriously transported hundreds of miles or completely annihilated, titanic storms and celestial phenomena, apparent local discontinuities of time -- fit comfortably into the notion that these events are part of a vast, mysterious divine intervention.

Mass disappearances of people, armies annihilated, titanic storms: all these are part of the catastrophe caused by Numidium. The Blades agents on the scene had more details. I’m quoting the bits that specifically attest to the destruction and harm caused by Numidium.

The Blades have on file few reports from agents dating from the "Warp in the West" period. Most of our agents were lost in the initial dislocations, and others were lost in the confusion after the event.

Most Blades agents in the area died or vanished in the Warp. Others fell to the after-effects.

The Report of Hammerfell Agent 'Briarbird' 'I was on assignment in the Alik'r Desert, a few miles south of Bergama on the 9th of Frostfall. I was encamped, as it was still early morning, when I felt the ground shake so violently, I was thrown to the ground. Dazed, I was aware of a great roar of a sandstorm, which alarmed me, as I had been on a high dune and had seen nothing like that on the horizon. It was on me before I was even on my knees, burying me and my camp.

The first detail on the “titanic storms”. Here, the ground shakes violently and sandstorm buries people in its way.

Briarbird continues:

When I crawled my way out of the sand, I realized that I must make haste and get to Bergama as soon as possible, as all my food and water had been swept away. The sun was just rising as I began, like I said. When I reached Bergama, it was nightfall. The town was in chaos, filled with the soldiers of Sentinel. The Lord of Bergama's fortress was in ruins.

Bergama got off better than other places, as we’ll see. The fortress is said to be in ruins the Sentinel armies have defeated its own troops (who can’t recall how or when it happened), but the town is still there.

Much unluckier is the next account:

The Report of High Rock Agent 'Graylady' ’I was, at the time of the Warp, undercover as a witch in the Skeffington Coven of Phyrgias [sic], in central High Rock. In order to give my report, I had volunteered for an expedition to gather supplies, which would allow me the freedom to reach my contact in Camlorn. I was traveling north-east along the foothills of the Wrothgarian Mountains, on the 9th of Frostfall, when I felt a great heat behind me, like a fire. I turned, but I regret to say I cannot tell you what I saw. The healers tell me my eyes were burned out of my sockets.

This bit btw, about the wave of heat, seems to be consciously modeled off accounts of Hiroshima and Nagasaki survivors.

I think I must have fallen into a state of semi-consciousness, for I distinctly remember falling as the ground seemed to give way beneath me. Then there was a series of explosions in the distance, to the south, and I heard high whistling noises that were getting louder, coming closer. I had my shield with me, and fortunately anticipated that volleys of some sort were falling from the sky. Though I could not see them, I could hear them coming from a distance away, and was able to use my shield to block them from striking me. The assault stopped suddenly, and I could smell smoke. I learned later that most of the forest of Ykalon and Phygias [sic] had caught fire, in an inferno that started further south in Daenia and the Ilessan Hills. Fortunately, I kept my bearings, and moved north, finally reaching a temple in the wilderness where my wounds were healed, as well as they could be.

People here experienced the Warp in the West as a fiery inferno and volleys coming from the sky. Even after the Warp itself ended, the forest fires that it began kept burning.

It was there I learned that there had been a three-way clash between Daggerfall, Wayrest, and Orsinium not far from where I had been, and that the land midway between their kingdoms had been decimated.'

‘Graylady’ doesn’t say that the land decimated was all wilderness or countryside, just that it’s the land midway between the kingdoms. In the heavily populated Iliac Bay, it would have included towns and villages and farms.

Lord Strale encountered a tsunami-like wave on the River Bjoulsae.

'We had just passed the delightful riverside village of Candlemass when the captain sounded the alarum. There, in front of us, was a colossal wall of water, at least thirty feet high. It smashed our barge to splinters before any of us had a chance to react. I woke up on the shore, having been rescued by one of my servants who had miraculously not lost consciousness. He and I and one other man were the only survivors.

Strale finds every town along the Bjoulsae on fire in the aftermath, with soldiers fighting along it.

there were seven great battles in the Iliac Bay, and no one could describe them at all, only their bloodsoaked aftermath

And

to summarize: on the 9th of Frostfall, there had been forty-four independent kingdoms, counties, baronies, and dukedoms surrounding the Iliac Bay, if one includes the unconquered territories of the Wrothgarian Mountains, the Dragontail Mountains, the High Rock Sea Coast, the Isle of Balfiera, and the Alik'r Desert. On the 11th of Frostfall, there were but four - Daggerfall, Sentinel, Wayrest, and Orsinium - and all the points where they met lay in ruins, as the armies continued to do battle.

And

The battles continue on, now months later, as I return to the Imperial City to make my report. What more do I have to say? They are bloody, violent clashes, as is always the case with modern warfare, but I have been to the blackened, desolate no-man's land between the four remaining kingdoms. No mortal army caused that devastation. I can say that the force that shook the Iliac Bay on the 10th of Frostfall 3E 417 was infinitesimally [sic] greater than the power these mighty kingdoms are wielding today.

Is the Numidium a nuke? No. Is it a catastrophic weapon of mass destruction, one of the worst weapons the people of Tamriel can imagine? Yes. Did it cause mass destruction in Alinor as well? Almost certainly yes. That’s how it works. It meddles with time, but not bloodlessly: Numidum retcons reality, but in the process it also burns, maims, drowns, and kills people, and destroys regions, as seen in the Warp in the West. It’s the perfect weapon to bring down an island nation that can otherwise defend itself against outside invasion.

That is why we compare it to a nuclear weapon. It's a comparison that I believe the developers intended as well, for what it's worth. And if I'm a bit over-passionate about the point, here's why. The developers went out of their way to show the horror of modern war and weapons of mass destruction. It's a bit of reality they injected into this fantasy world. I think it's worth taking in, rather than arguing that actually, Numidium isn't that bad, and it's an exaggeration to compare it to a nuke.

Even if you don't think you'd personally compare Numidium to a nuclear weapon, it should be clear that it's a quite rational comparison other people can make based on the evidence.

This post sparked some interesting and passionate discussions as well as some very angry politically-charged ones that are now thankfully deleted! You can read the full discussion here, since I don't want to copy large bits of other people's responses on to my tumblr. But I'll append some stuff I wrote in the comments.

We see something very specific with the atomic bombs, and with the TES reports of Numidium's wreckage, which I think are actuallly modeled in part on eyewitness accounts from HIroshima and Nagasaki.

Both are a horror that's incomprehensible. A single moment in which the entire world around the witness goes from normal to apocalypse without any seeming explanation or warning. The laws of reality themselves seem to bend and the earth tears itself to pieces. Nuclear war really was a historical departure from previous experiences in this regard.

If you compare historical atrocities by which was worse, the bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki didn't claim many lives compared to other horrifying deaths in WWII. They still haven't been followed up. All the many atrocities of the 20th and now 21st centuries haven't involved the use of nuclear weapons on populations.

But the threat of Nuclear war still stands out as something categorically different and horrible, the potential for the complete destruction of humanity in such a short time. The Numidium was probably only used once or twice in history, but it has the same terrifying potential, and is even more inexplicable to the residents of Tamriel than the nuclear bomb is to us today.

Roak67 made some interesting comments about whether we can trust certain sources, given Bethesda has retconned a lot. I replied:

You have to take any lore with a grain of salt, since it's bound to be contradicted at some point, but you're right that older sources like the Skeleton Man interview are most likely to be contradicted. However, I'd say it's important for a few reasons.

It's official lore, copyright Bethesda, and contradicts the idea that the Nuclear comparison is unofficial lore from Michael Kirkbride's pronouncements post-full-time-employment with Bethesda. Nope, the nuclear comparison was there during Morrowind development as shown by the "glow rocks".

The origin of the Halls of the Colossus has been retconned twice, first by Skeleton Man, then by ESO. However, unless there's something in the future that retcons the information Numidium was rebuilt, tested, and activated there, that lore should still stand. It's a big place with a spot for the Numidium, no matter who first built it. "Where were you when the Dragon broke?" refers back to what happened there, and continues to be in the games.

I think it was turned on in Rimmen and then went to Alinor in one incident. Breaking time is, as far as I can see, a function of the Numidium, how it works. It's possible it can work in other ways, as you've proposed, but it wouldn't be my favoured interpretation.

If Tiber Septim had better control over it - which is likely enough - I'd suggest he was still breaking time, because its advantage is getting to a place and defeating defences while the opposition is unaware, but could better direct it to hit his targets in Alinor.

About Summerset's lowered defence capabilities after Numidium.

I'm not making that assumption. That's simply the only baseline we have for the condition of the Isles post-Numidium. It's 110 years later.

However, we do know that prior to Numidium, Summerset always was able to push back invaders. According to the PGE3 at least they weren't able to after Numidium.

Did Tiber Septim use Numidium anywhere else than in Elsweyr (turning it on) and Summerset?

The legends surrounding Numidium posit that he was in the process of turning it on neutral parties, at and some point the Underking stopped him. According to the Arcturian Heresy, he didn't actually get that far. The Arcturian Heresy is clear that he only used it on Summerset Isle and the Underking destroyed it right after.

Daggerfall lore has him using it to conquer all of Tamriel, but no one after speaks of it, so I would guess that's been retconned? It's certainly been removed from later versions of the in-game book, the Real Barenziah. The Daggerfall version had the Numidium conquer Morrowind, that is gone from later games, and the new Numidium origin story is that the Tribunal gave Tiber Septim the Numidium in return for peace. All of the above leads to the lore post I've never written, but need to some day, which basically would be. "Yeah, Tiber Septim is a bad guy and he was MEANT to be a bad guy. Each TES game is learning more about stuff he did and there's rarely anything good." But it's a delicate subject, particularly since some devs. started going on like he was the best thing since sliced bread because he found CHIM. (Press X to doubt). Anyway, that's another story for another time, but the bottom line is the gods in TES are not necessarily good, they're just powerful. See every other Daedra who might help you out sometimes but has also been involved in some plot against humanity. And the Aedra aren't always nice either. Talos fits into the crowd as one of the better documented and more recent stinkers.

[incorrectskyrimquotes]

Uru! My current "everything" run, who exists in her own special timeline :D

Uru fun facts:

She's mute! I had an idea a while ago for a mute dragonborn and this is her!

She communicates using Tamriel Sign Language (TSL), something most people only have a very rudimentary understanding of. She also uses magic to help add some emotion and flare to her signs.

Being able to use her hands so precisely is ultimately what will make her Best At Magic

Her current quest is the college!

She's named after my favorite Lion King Lesser Known Character(tm)

She likes soups and stews a lot

I randomized her starting skills and they were Conjuration, Enchanting, Illusion, Sneak, Smithing, and ironically Speech.

She is not deaf, but often people sign back at her. (Note: I use ASL every now and again, and even people who know me very well will sign back at me instead of speaking back to me. It's very natural to just speak a language back at someone who is speaking it, yk?)

She was born under the sign of The Lover

She isn't amnesic or anything, BUT I havent come up with a backstory for her yet so its A Secret.

Kinda obvious but she's a redguard!!

I'm currently trying to powerlevel various magic skills as well as heavy armor (with the goal of someday using the modded witchplate armor) and alchemy (she fuckin loves eating plants. apparently)

[poor-ciceros-voring-again]

So I've been jotting down ideas the past few days about diseases and hygiene in Tamriel, and I've decided these ideas expand into Healers and even as far as Necromancy.

*Just for reference while reading this, I personally believe there is a very fine line between accepted restoration magic and Necromancy. Flesh magic in particular is blurred along the edge between those two.

According to the book Skin Blights by Any Other Name, the people of Tamriel, at least some of them, have knowledge that proper frequent bathing, clean clothes, and only eating quality food will lessen the chance of diseases. So I decided to take this and run with it. I personally believe that this was taken to heart and it's fairly common to be clean and well groomed. I also think that larger cities, especially ones such as Solitude, Whiterun, the Imperial City, etc make use of proper sewage disposal to lower the risks of disease and also to keep the city/streets clean.

Regarding the last point, I think common areas such as bath houses and public outhouses are common in large cities as well.

I believe masking is also a fairly commonly practiced way to fight outbreaks and general illnesses. They might not necessarily know what causes certain diseases, but they know they DO consider it to be a type of miasma. I believe this practice was adopted from the Redguards in the Alik'r Desert, who use a type of masking to protect themselves during sandstorms (Excerpt from Alik'r Survival for Outsiders).

There was a major resurgence after Red Mountain erupted in the 4th era and every day masking is now common in still inhabited parts of Morrowind and Solstheim, especially in parts where ash from Red Mountain is common.

I believe masking was made common among most groups of Necromancers fairly early on due to the belief that diseases from the undead were miasmic in nature(plus it helped keep gross smells at bay via herbs/flowers/etc), this eventually lead to what I would compare to plague doctor masks being created. I think you can recognize a lot of necromancer groups based on their mask design of choice. Some aren't in a group and choose one for more aesthetic purposes. (Example: my OC Karasu is a necromancer and a Nightingale who follows Nocturnal. His mask of choice is a raven.)

On a similar note, I think gloves became common use when dealing with injuries, surgeries, or blood for general sanitary purposes not long after cleanliness started to become more important to the general population.

At one point in time I believe the Dwemer were able to create microscopes (based on some of their other machines) and by extension discover bacteria and other things, however a lot of this knowledge was lost when they disappeared.

The school of restoration isn't as powerful as the games make it out to be. I believe that health potions act more as pain medication with an added bonus of encouraging cells to regenerate or completely regrow, same with healing spells.

Cure disease potions and spells can cure a variety of very common illnesses, but it depends on the severity of the illness. Some diseases need specific treatments due to natural resistances.

Praying to cure diseases doesn't always work, and it doesn't work for every disease. I believe diseases like various forms of vampirism and lycanthropy are mainly cured this way.

Natural disease resistance only effects specific diseases and ailments, mainly ones that are specific to the region where they live or lifestyles they lead. (ie Bosmer, especially those who follow the Green Pact, are naturally more resistant and sometimes even immune to diseases such as Cannibal's Prion)

Healing spells can close small cuts and wounds relatively easily, but it can only assist so much when it comes to big gashes and other major wounds.

I believe surgeons would exist and play a major part alongside Healers and Alchemists when it comes to major wounds.

Surgeons are magic users who focus on the school of Flesh Sculpting, which I believe blurs the lines between Restoration and Necromancy.

Most of the best Surgeons are those who have studied Necromancy or practice it currently (or previously). If currently, its mainly the ones who believe you can practice necromancy in an ethical and humane way.

God, I have more but I didn't know I'd already typed so much and my hands are starting to hurt. I might share more later

@unsettlingcreature

[falmerbrook]

Ok so one of the things in ESO that completely decanonized On the racial phylogeny for me is an NPC from Dragonhold DLC, Aeliah Renmus. She is half redguard, half imperial, with dad being imperial and mom being redguard, and while you could argue that she looks standard for a redguard, she really doesn't. She has some features that *scream* "imperial", at least they do to me. So maybe that book is somewhat correct as *most* of mother's racial features express themselves over the father's and that's why it came to the conclusion that it did. Or maybe it's just wrong completely. We all know why there haven't been another book on hybrids since (it's because todd howard is deathly afraid of sex)

(I was trying to find a close up shot of her face but google let me down).

oh cool! that's interesting (and it matches my own personal headcanon (which I should probably make a post about some time lol) so that's nice)

After I reblogged that one post I also realized that ESO also has Lyris too