#ask the heroes of nirn

[theheroesofnirn]

:*:・ﾟ☆ Welcome, Curious Travelers

if you have arrived here it means you are curious about some of Tamriel's heroes

while the timelines are vast and those who have save the world vary, we have managed to gather some from a single two timelines in order to answer any questions you have for them about their lives before, their time as a hero, or even what happened after everything

let's introduce those who have shaped fate with their own hands

The Agent, Sauyron

a dunmer from Morrowind who has long since distanced themself from the memory and legacy they once represented. Which is good, as the Blades have done their best to erase parts of history.

having survived the Warp of the West, they have lived now for many long generations - though eternal life was not a gift they had asked for when they had saved the Underking.

The Nerevarine, Marazira - or better known as Zira to those she is close to

a Khajiit orphan who grew up on the streets, many had regarded her as the leader of a leaderless group of friends. Friends she would and did do anything for..

Marazira did not enjoy her status as the Nerevarine, but does not regret taking up the mantle, as it lead her meeting those she considered the truest family she had ever had

Hero of Kvatch, Fangs-Like-Ice

born to two loving argonian mothers while within the walls of the Imperial City, Fangs (as many tend to call him) always had a talent for magic.. and for taking off with what wasn't his.

while he has earned the nickname Heart-Of-Dragon for some clear reasons, and while he isn't the most conventional hero, he is still a hero nonetheless.. even if there are those who wish otherwise.

last, but certainly not least

The Last Dragonborn, Gael Mosshollow (known in some circles as Gael Barkstone)

while his childhood isn't often talked about, it is known that this spirited young man was raised in Valenwood by an old friend of his birth family, who were taken from this world when Gael was but a sickle baby.

now moonlighting as a socialite who has clawed his way into many political circles, there are only few who seem to notice that infamous figures seem to die soon after meeting this charming bosmer.

/ / / OOC notes! the characters here are LGBT+ and so any homophobia, transphobia, etc will not be tolerated and neither will any racism/racist remarks towards any of these characters

/ / / right now only questions are being allowed, but in the future I will be considering OC interactions (which as of right now OC interactions are only allowed for my friends)

/ / / questions also don't need to be serious or about their! feel free to ask silly questions. just be sure to include who you're asking (which you can ask all of them the same question if you wish)

/ / / finally, these characters do have companions and friends they may mention in their answers. right now these other characters can't be asked questions, but I may allow temporary asks for them in the future! (also I do allow questions aimed at me and questions behind design choices and such)

[sanza-17]

New oc just dropped‼️🙏

I finally have a last Dragonborn oc and her name is Sereia and she is half-Breton and half-Altmer🥴 the drawing on the left is a recent piece and the one on the right is one from a year ago I think

The funny thing is that my vestige Irene actually used to me my ldb but then eso happened so ig not but anyways!! Sereia is the “adopted” daughter (bcs pregnancy is scary and nothing is coming out from between her legs lol) of Irene some time in the 4th era before the events of Skyrim, Irene found her abandoned outside of Daggerfall and has been raising her ever since despite the fact she would never see herself as a motherly figure. At some point when Sereia turns 18 she leaves Daggerfall/High rock to go journey down to cyrodill to go see her relative Yara (who is my forgotten hero/blades fugitive oc) but then the usual happens and now she’s stuck in Skyrim because she finds out she’s the Dragonborn😛 oh and she forms a group with taliesin, Lucien, Kaiden and inigo bcs she lacks male figures in her life😓 also odahviing is her best friend and her glorified Uber, she likes the dragon-slayer to dragon-rider transformation very much

You’re probably going to be wondering who the father is despite her being “adopted” ig we’ll never know🌚

Lol. Are we surprised? :>

at first I was bored and wanted to create a character that was a mix of manni and Irene cuz why not but when I made Irene my vestige I needed a ldb oc so this new oc I made ages ago will fill in that missing spot. Ok so the thing is, is that Sereia wasn’t made through normal means and I had the idea that she was made by akatosh or something making her a sort of “divine creation” to be placed onto nirn at the right time so he could have someone fulfil the ldb prophecy and so he decided to make his champion both a mix of Irene and mannimarco (bcs why not, they’re two people who are connected in some form & Irene has a a good track record of being a hero as well as two of her descendants, yara and my HOK oc) which does make her biologically related to both of them but Irene and maybe manni who’s busy being a god/moon don’t know despite her looking a lot like Irene lol🤷🏽‍♀️

but ngl I like to think of her as a variant of Irene if that makes sense, like it’s Irene but in a different font

that’s about all that I can think of for now but I’ll explain more in future posts🫶 feel free to ask questions if u have any bcs I really wanna figure her lore out but so far, she is baby😩

[varlaisvea]

this pisses me off so much. i can't talk to this person.

i am the fucking vestige. i am the fucking hero of motherfucking nirn okay? you're telling me i can't do fuckall about 95% of the beggars in tamriel? you're telling me that i, defeater of molag fuccking bal, can resurrect myself and others from death at will on the spot, but i cannot give some of my infinity food or infinitely-obtainable moneys to literally anyone who asks me for it?

if you talk to this person begging outside the bank in skingrad, there's no option to give him money. this is all he says:

truly no person deserves to live in poverty, but in my real actual life i have to walk past people in need all the time without the ability to do anything about it. we all do, literally and figuratively, every day. that's how the world is, and eso is meant to be a living world. but also in eso i have infinity food in my bag of holding that means absolutely nothing to me. if this dude were one of the tiny handful of beggars who are interactable, he would ask me for 69 gold nice. that's how much they ask you for. like?? i spend more than that for a lazy wayshrine transport. i literally throw away a meal and a drink every goddamn day for my fucking crafting chores. why not give me an opportunity to be kind, just because? it doesn't have to go anywhere, i don't need an achievement, in fact i would not even want to know how many times i have helped someone. i play this game to feel nice feelings and that would give me a really nice feeling. just let me do it.

not only that, this isn't consistent with the eso i play, you know? my experience of the eso playerbase has been almost laughably kind and supportive for an mmo. for years. literally since the beginning. my experience has been that people are almost universally willing to help if you ask for it. like instead of berating people who ask dumb questions in the zone chat, people will kindly answer the question and give tips. i once saw someone advertising a 'non-LGBTQ' guild in the zone chat, and the zone chat lit up with people telling them they were playing the wrong fucking game. i gave someone 10k gold a couple weeks ago bc they asked for donations in the local area chat. that's nothing to me. i'd have sent more if i'd not just spent all my money on furniture. which is something i am able to do bc someone once sent me A MILLION gold for saying something nice to them. they said it was nothing to them; they didn't need it. it changed my eso life, like allowed me to stop grinding to buy the house i wanted and start farming things that sold for high prices, so that i could make more money to buy cool furniture for my house. like? that is the unobtainable fantasy of most people under the age of ~50 in this country the usa? to start actually saving money, so you can afford a cool home and do good shit for the world? and someone just did that for me bc they didn't need it? i pass it on whenever i can. it's nothing to me. and i am by no means alone in feeling that, in fact i feel it's the leaning of most people i've interacted with in eso, in my guilds or just randos waiting for world bosses to respawn during events. in general, i've found people are nice bc it makes the game nicer for everyone. it's a good way to be in the world. that's literally the eso i play! fuck offffff let me feed people goddammit!

[aladaylessecondblog]

Faal Hah Wuld, pt. 22

The Son of the Void came first to KYNRT, and breathed for the first time the open air. Thus did he understand freedom.

----------------------------------------

Sigurd. My friend, my savior, my brother-in-arms--

One might suggest that we I you made a critical mistake in sending me along with the Dragonborn. This should never have happened

You ASS, do you not know what you've put before me?

-------------------------------------------

The paper was crumpled the instant Sadrith had finished reading that bit.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked.

Torovan tossed the paper into the fire, and whipped around to face her.

They were currently making a brief camp somewhere north of Largashbur, with the intent of a full sleep once they reached Riften. Jarla and Snow were tired, and happily nibbling at grass nearby.

"I can pretend I never saw it," she said quickly afterwards, then thinking, I'll likely forget it soon anyway.

Torovan had been...off kilter since their stop at the Hot Springs. That stoic wall was still there, but thinner than it had been before...at least, she thought so. She kept trying to shove the thought back - clearly she had been suffering a cold bed too long if she was reacting this way to him. And when that consideration would come she'd be forced to think - don't you want more from him too? A few moments wrapped up in those strong arms, like it had been back at Helgen.

My guardian, again...

But no, she was the dragonborn, she was not guarded. She was the one meant to guard everyone else, thanks to Akatosh's whims.

"No, it's fine," Torovan said, breaking her out of her flower-chained thoughts. "Because it ties into what we still need to discuss."

It had been more than a day. It must be something, she thought, for him to delay it.

"Well, talk." She shifted in place. "You keep saying it's important and then won't speak of it again."

"What do you know," Torovan started, more hesitant with every word, "Of Shezarrines?"

"Shezarrines?" Sadrith huffed a little. "The khajiit caravan I grew up with told me of Lorkhaj being cursed to wander Nirn...and then as I got older there were books about Pelinal, and someone I can't remember said something about Tiber Septim being Shezarrine..."

Torovan snorted.

"He is not a subject I wish to discuss." He paused. "I have made a study of...Lorkhan and his shezarrines. And from what you have mentioned, what you have seen...it leads me to believe that you are one as well."

Sadrith shrugged. "I've heard people say Shezarrines are heroes who come into the world 'in times of great need' and...I think I've already managed that great need."

"You're getting ahead of me."

"Sorry." She looked away, and then back at the fire. "I tend to do that."

"So I've noticed." There was a pause. "If your job was done then I don't think you'd be dreaming as you have been..."

"They're just dreams." It was meant to be flippant, even though she knew damn well it was turning into more than that. A hope, in a way. "Even if they're not, what's worse than Alduin? Whatever comes, I can defeat it."

"They are not just dreams," he insisted again, "And the presence of Dagoth Ur is--you should treat it more seriously than you are."

"I killed a dragon god...thing," Sadrith petered out, "Even if Dagoth Ur stepped before me - I could kill him as easily as I did Alduin."

His head tilted, and in the one eye she saw utter exasperation.

"Besides, the heart of Lorkhan's gone," she added, hoping to banish it.

There was a pause.

"And suppose, just suppose, that the Heart of Lorkhan beats in your chest? That the blood of this missing god runs through your veins?"

"Then it's my heart, not his. What do you expect of me?"

"I expect you to take the idea more seriously."

"I take it perfectly seriously." Sadrith sipped at her mead. "If an enemy appears I strike him down. If I don't know how, I find out how and then do it. I already have enough to worry about without anxiety over things that might not actually happen."

She worried about things like that too...but he didn't know how to do that.

"Then why--" Torovan didn't huff, but he seemed confused, "--why do you persist in acting as though these threats mean nothing? Are you not afraid of death? Were you not afraid that day at Helgen when you were soaked from both rain and blood?"

"Maybe a little, but...given who I am...I expected I'd eventually die like that." She paused. "If I ever die in your company you have permission to laugh at my corpse and say you told me so."

"You're not going to die in my company. Now before you change the subject again--"

"Even if I am what you seem convinced I am...what does it change, right now?"

"Right now? This moment? Nothing. But later..."

"Then I deal with it later. In my line of work I deal with things when they become a problem." She paused, and a random thought slipped out. "I establish, I don't maintain."

Then, another one.

"That armor you wore," she said, "Back in Ivarstead, I was just thinking...I've never seen you wear armor before. Why then?"

"Sigurd is paranoid and wished me to have some. He was in possession of the Lord's Mail, and said it was the best suited armor when combined with the ring."

"The Lord's Mail, I've read about that armor," she said. The term brought her back to a moment looking down at a book in the College of Winterhold, and she repeated word for word what she could almost see before her. "The Lord's Mail, sometimes called the Armor of Morihaus or the gift of Kynareth..."

Sadrith stopped on seeing the stare from Torovan.

"Me with Pelinal's armor, and you with the one belonging to Morihaus..." She laughed. "I'd almost call that too convenient."

"Much of warfare is of the mind, and a battle can be won before it has even begun with the right sort of thought, implanted in the right sort of way." Torovan smirked. "And nothing will panic the Thalmor like a sighting of the Crusader and one who even vaguely resembles one who once traveled with him."

"I'll bow to your wisdom then," Sadrith replied, "I'm more of a soldier than a general, and I prefer to be pointed in a direction and told 'kill in that direction' if there are many foes to fight."

"You should be wary of thoughts like that," he said.

"I already have a lot of thoughts to be wary about..." she mumbled under her breath. It was like a shooting gallery in her mind, no sooner would she fix one to the wall than another would pop up, bobbing and weaving and taking up energy she didn't have. "But perhaps I should stay close. Being close to you seems to quiet my head."

He didn't respond to that.

----------------------------

They entered Riften from the south, just after mid-day. Sadrith brought Torovan to a table in the Bee & Barb and said they could set out for the Guild early the next morning, before the sun had risen.

"This woman is in the sewers?"

"She is, yes," Sadrith replied, "There is another way in but as you aren't one of us I can't show you. So we go in the front way."

"Or, you could bring her up here."

Sadrith stopped. She honestly hadn't thought about that.

"It would take less time, but I don't know if she'd agree. I could go ask but that'd delay your operation a bit longer as there's something else I'm meant to pick up."

"That brush I saw mentioned in one of your letters, I assume?"

"And things to tend to...as guildmaster..." Sadrith trailed off, and ordered some food, which she quickly devoured. The skooma was wearing off, and as it fell her appetite rose. "Ah, that's better."

Torovan sat watching her. She greeted a few of those passing by - the two Argonians running the place, Haelga, and some of the Riften guards, and a courier who had a note for her.

"Your guild must have need of you."

"It's not from the guild," Sadrith said, groaning slightly. "It's an invitation."

"And why should that disturb you so?" Torovan asked. She could almost hear the raised eyebrow.

"It's an invitation to the wedding of Ingun Black-Briar in two days. I'm not sure what you know of this family--" Sadrith stopped, and took a shaky breath. "But this isn't the sort of invitation I can refuse."

"Again - why should that disturb you so?"

"I don't--I don't care for crowds," Sadrith protested. "Having to dress up, being in a crowd of people, expecting at any moment that--it doesn't matter. It would be open to the public anyway, but..."

She took a deep breath.

"I'd ask you to come along after your operation, if I wasn't certain you'd hate it too...and that there's likely not a tailor in town that could make you something suitable in time."

"I have something suitable," Torovan waved one hand idly. "If you're that worried for my welfare, I can appear with you."

"I'm being PAID to worry about your welfare," she said, "Something that clearly I don't need to. But if you insist on joining me..."

She could already see it. Her, walking through the crowd on his arm, struggling to speak and being unable to do so, while he laughed alongside her. Finding no words that wouldn't sound embarrassing, and remaining silent.

"Anyway," she said, "I am sorry for the delay, but...consider the Black-briar family...necessary to the operation of the guild here."

"And you're afraid of Maven."

"I am not afraid of her!"

"You are." There was a smirk she could see well even through all those bandages. "You will tackle dragons and gods but a mere woman frightens you?"

"Maven Black-Briar is no mere woman," Sadrith replied.

There was a lengthy pause. She'd ordered him a cut of meat, rare, and he proceeded to eat it in silence.

When he spoke up it was more serious. "And the Thalmor?"

"Right." Sadrith's face sunk into her palms. "Right, we've got to tell someone about THAT. I'll...make a round of the city and tell the Jarl, and then the guards, and head down to ask the face sculptor."

So once she had herded him to Honeyside, she proceeded to do just that. Jarl Laila appreciated the warning, was already in fact aware of the increasing Thalmor presence. She extracted a promies from Sadrith that she'd act in defense of Riften if there was an incursion while she was there, one which was quickly made.

"I expect no reward," Sadrith said, when asked. Then she gave a slight smile. "First pick of their weapons and armor, maybe, once they've passed. Honorhall could use the funds."

Jarl Laila bowed her head slightly and gave a smile, while Maven, who was in the same hall, merely gave the same passive stare she always had.

When she left she spoke to the guards, and then to Balimund, to whom she sold the elven daggers she'd picked from the bodies at Ivarstead. Then to the Pawned Prawn to pick up a few things. A few dresses, shirts, dolls, wooden swords.

And then, finally, to Honorhall.

Constance Michel greeted her with a smile, and then helped her get in the bag and packages she was carrying. "Children, the dragonborn is here!"

It only fit, Sadrith thought, to use profit from war to make these little faces smile.

---------------------------------------

The Son of the Void saw for the first time a child, and thus did the first seed of Doubt take root in his mind.

[madamefluffnstuff]

TES Summerfest 2024, Day 2: Golden Secret

Day 2 of TES Summerfest 2024! Hosted by @tes-summer-fest.

I mean it's a day late but this week has been hectic.

Fandom: Elder Scrolls Online Pairing: None Rating: T Warning(s): Imprisonment, Captivity, Kind of sort of Kidnapping (it's Meridia, she's a spiteful hag, it comes with the territory), Gaslighting, Has a Happy Hopeful Ending I Swear (TM), Darien gives himself a second chance. Spoilers for the Daggerfall Covenant questline and the Summerset DLC. Words: 977 AN: Darien is a good source of angst but Divines I need to give him a chance at hope. And I need to quit making stuff that breaks my own heart, this can't be good for me. Or for my followers.

Darien is imprisoned by Meridia for trying to escape again and she locks him away. All he has are his thoughts to motivate him.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Despite the name "The Colored Rooms", the realm itself was... not very colorful. The only exception to the blues, greens, and browns was the brand new "prison cell" Meridia whipped up. This mockery of a Nirn jail was a porcelain-white hue with garish gold accents and bars, only big enough for a single prisoner.

Coincidentally, there was, in fact, a singular prisoner in the cell. His back pressed against the wall, wrists in shackles attached to said wall level with his head. As if just chains weren't bad enough, Meridia just had to put it where he could constantly see his hands, but not be able to use them.

"Well, now you've done it," Darien Gautier muttered to himself, glaring at the golden bars and crumpled paper sheets in front of him. He rolled his shoulders and clenched his fists to get some circulation flowing.

He cursed himself again for getting caught. He managed to get a few letters out, even a small pamphlet that somehow made its way to Summerset. But as he was about to send another letter, the Lady of Light discovered his little secret.

Meridia scolded him like a petulant child. Didn't he appreciate what she was doing for him? Saving his friends, keeping them alive? Dissuading the other Princes from coming after them? Giving them a chance to make a name for themselves?

Be the heroes they were meant to be?

Something about that last line made something snap in the back of his mind, and- in the heat of the moment- Darien leapt to his feet and did something he never thought he'd have the guts to do;

He talked back to a god.

What he actually said, he didn't remember. Couldn't remember, maybe. All he did remember was there being a solid ten seconds of stunned silence. Then a blinding white light. And finally, him waking up in the cell with a killer hangover-like headache and his arms in chains.

His memory as a whole was foggy most days, but he didn't dare to write any of it down for fear Meridia would find out and take that from him too. Little bits and pieces would come back here and there. Those fleeting memories were precious to him.

The Lion Guard taking down the werewolves in Camlorn. The liberation of Shornhelm with Countess Tamrith and Captain Jenaeve. When they almost lost the good Captain. Gwendis helping him find the smugglers' tunnels. Skordo calling him a "long-legged bastard", asking him to slow down when they were being chased.

Hearing second-hand Gabrielle mention to the Antiquarian's Guild how she wanted to save him.

"Gods DAMN IT ALL!" He nearly roared in frustration. The metal bar on the wall creaked as he leaned forward, gasping for air as he fought back frustrated tears. "Why... why is it... like this..."

Darien slumped back and slid down, the chains clinking and rattling as his eyes slowly closed in exhaustion. Whether or not he realized it, his tired body was forcing him to rest. He was simply too drained.

Then, without warning, it clicked: His friends. His comrades. Allies and fellow soldiers.

The entire Lion Guard, the Countess and her sister. Skordo the Knife. House Ravenwatch. Gabrielle. The late King Dynar. His own father, the General.

They were waiting for him. They were actively looking for him. He couldn't give up on them or himself. Not when so many people cared about him and were awaiting a miracle.

He opened his eyes warily, half expecting to see Meridia glowering at him. To his relief, she was nowhere to be seen. Darien decided to wait a few minutes to make sure there were no watch guards nearby where they could hear him. Then, slowly, he rocked himself enough to get on one knee. He balled his hands into fists and started to pull against the wall.

"Got to do this," he muttered in a voice just barely above audibility. "Have to... get out... Have to do it- nngh!- for them..."

Even Daedric metal has its limits. As he grunted and strained against his confines, Darien could hear the binds groaning. He grit his teeth;

"You can do it, Darien. Just- just a bit- more-!"

Without warning, the shackles on the wall snapped and shattered, the noise startling him a little as the support bar flew over his head and clattered on the floor. He looked at his hands in disbelief, he was really free? Fists clenched and unclenched. He didn't dare believe it.

Darien stood up on shaky legs, testing himself and his balance. Once he steadied, he rubbed his sore wrists and looked around. The coast was clear. He was more determined than ever now as he stalked over to the golden prison bars. A quick glance told him they were not as sturdy as they appeared far away. Another trick from Meridia?

It didn't matter now. His body moved somewhat automatically as the blood rushed through his veins, vigor and vim flowing through him. He grabbed two of the gold rods in an iron grip and pulled. The bare minimum effort was all it took to completely dislodge them. Suspicion took over a moment, this was too easy for his comfort.

Maybe Meridia didn't expect her protege to try to escape again and didn't bother to make them as strong. Psychological tactic, very similar to what he had seen a few times as a soldier. But he reminded himself it didn't matter right now. The chains were off, the bars removed, and a door was open. Darien took a cautious step outside the prison cell. Looking around, he was still in the clear.

When he turned back around, the jail was slowly fading into Oblivion.

He looked left, right, and made a mad dash for the pathway where he last spotted a portal to Nirn.

[late-nite-scholar]

Aug 6th (Day 2): Prompt- Beloved / Ritual

Day 2: Beloved- An early 4th Era Imperial children’s tale/fable.

Prompts by @tes-summer-fest

Nord HoK x Martin Septim, Mara x Akatosh

Warnings- None

Wordcount- ~800

(Made this in Canva for practice and really pleased with how it turned out! It's the free version so I couldn't get rid of the watermarks)

****

(A Fourth Era Imperial children's tale)

The Great Akatosh was sad. 

The other Divines didn't understand why. He'd just won a great victory against Mehrunes Dagon, why should he be sad? He should be celebrating! 

But Akatosh remained sad. 

His beloved wife, Mother Mara, went to him. He was sitting, looking out the window of his room. 

"What's wrong, my dear?" She asked him. "What has upset you so?" 

Akatosh sighed. "My son and aspect, the hero Saint Martin, took my mantle to defeat our enemy Mehrunes Dagon. Now, that part of me is filled with great sadness." 

"What can be done to cure this malady?" Mara asked. 

"My sadness is reflected in one on Nirn." He held up his left hand. Around it was a red, braided thread. "We are bound to her by it." 

"Let us find this woman then!" Mara cried. 

But so great was Akatosh's grief that he could not be moved and he spoke no further. Mother Mara knew she would have to find this mortal on her own. 

She cast her gaze over the Great Empire of Men. There was much sadness there. Many people had been affected by the Oblivion gates and the daedra. Mara disguised herself as a kindly old woman, a flower seller, and went to the cities of Cyrodiil to find the woman bound by the red thread. 

In Anvil she found a woman crying at the docks, her face stained with tears. 

"What has happened, my dear?" She asked. 

"My husband was lost at sea in a storm," the woman replied. Mara hugged her to comfort her, but she did not have the red thread around her wrist. 

In the ruins of Kvatch, she found a woman sitting in the remains of a house, her silken gown torn and filthy. 

"What has happened, my dear?" She asked.

"The daedra destroyed my home and I have lost everything," the woman replied. Mara told a joke to comfort her, but she did not have the red thread around her wrist. 

In Leyawiin she found a woman sitting on a bench in a park, head in her hands. 

"What has happened, my dear?" She asked. 

"Bandits have stolen the goods I was to sell and I am now poor," the woman replied. Mara brought her something to eat to comfort her, but she did not have the red thread around her wrist. 

In Cheydinhal, she found a woman wandering the streets, tearing her hair. 

"What has happened, my dear?" She asked. 

"A sickness has taken my children and I am alone now," the woman replied. Mara sang her a song to comfort her, but she did not have the red thread around her wrist. 

Disheartened, Mara went to the Imperial City. She worried she would never find the woman with the red thread and she would never cure Akatosh's sadness. 

She sat down at the base of a large dragon statue, beside another woman with bright orange hair. She looked sad, and so Mara asked, "What has happened, my dear?" 

The woman sighed. "I have been afflicted by great sorrow. I have tried to help others, to maybe make the sadness fade. I helped a woman who lost her husband, another her home. I helped a woman who was robbed, and another whose children were ill. I hugged them, told them jokes, brought them food and song, but the sadness stays with me." 

The woman touched the foot of the statue, and Mara saw that around the woman's wrist was the red thread!

Mara asked her, "Where did you get that red thread?" 

"I bound myself to another in everlasting love with it," the woman replied. "A love so strong I still feel him through it, though he is lost to me." 

"Then you are the one I am looking for!" Mara cried, shedding her disguise. "My husband's aspect is afflicted by sadness also, bound by a red thread. I came to find the one who reflected it. But you are not his reflection. You have walked as I have walked, done as I have done. As Saint Martin is my husband's aspect, you, Champion of Cyrodiil, are mine." 

The women took each other's hands, and then only one remained. This new aspect joined her Divine source, and they returned to Aetherius together. In joy, they reunited with Great Akatosh. 

"My beloved, my Queen of Heaven! You have returned! And we are both whole, both increased by our love!" he cried. And all sadness was gone from that moment forward. The Divine couple and their aspects were full of joy. And that is why we bind ourselves with a red thread when we marry, to show that our love is a reflection of the love between Mother Mara and Great Akatosh.

[cloudcountry]

My sea bunny asked about my favorite franchise????? My wife wants to know about TES????? I get to talk about my special interest without being called names by my brother???????

AAAHAHHAHHAHHA YAAAAYYYYYY

Ok ok ok!! I got this!!!!

I'll talk about the newer games because I know the most about them!

The Elder Scrolls are a series of games made by Bethesda where you explore a fantasy world on a continent called tamriel on Nirn (the mortal plane), also called Mundus for much of its history, it has been divided into the nine provinces of Black Marsh, Cyrodiil, Elsweyr, Hammerfell, High Rock, Morrowind, Skyrim, the Summerset Isles, and Valenwood. Every game has been focused on these provinces, but you also occasionally go to the relms of oblivion. Oblivion are the other collections of relms where daedra reside, daedra are demonic entities (however evil is in the eye of the beholder so let's just call them tricky and bored because they live forever and come back when they die)

The playable races are Altmer, Argonians, Bosmer, Bretons,Dunmer,Imperials, Khajiit , Nords, Orsimer, and Redguards however there are many more nonplayable races.

There are beastfolk, man, and mer.

Beastfolk for playable races are Argonians (who look like lizards and people at the same time) and Khajiit (who look like cats but have many sub races that all look different according to what moon cycle they where born on, there are two moons named Masser and Secunda. Masser is the larger of the two, well over twice as large)

Mer, also known as elves for playable races, are Altmer (high elves), Bosmer (wood elves), Dunmer (dark elves), and Orsimer (they are orcs but still count under elves to most people)

Man (typical humans in our world) are Bretons, Imperials, Nords, and Redguards.

Then there are the Nine Divines

Akatosh – The Dragon God of Time and Chief god of the Pantheon

Arkay – God of the Cycle of Life and Death, and burials and funeral rites

Dibella – Goddess of Beauty and Love

Julianos – God of Wisdom and Logic

Kynareth �� Goddess of Air, Wind, Sky, and the Elements

Mara – Goddess of Love and compassion

Stendarr – God of compassion, mercy, justice,charity,luck,and righteous rule by might and merciful forbearance (he and his worshipers don't like daedra)

Talos – Hero-god of Mankind,conqueror God,God of Might, Honor,State, Law, and Man (the Altmer don't like Nords worshiping him and try to stop it during Skyrim)

Zenithar – God of Work and Commerce, Trader God

They are considered the "good" gods and are commonly worshiped by the general public.

The Deadra, however, are thought by most as bad and/or dangerous with the exception of the "good" daedra Azura, Boethiah, and Mephala. Who are worshiped by the Dunmer.

All the daedric princes (gods) are as follows:

Azura - Twilight, Prophecy

Boethiah - Conspiracy, Deceit, Unlawful overthrow of authority

Mephala - Lies, Sex, Secrets, murder

Clavicus vile - The granting of power through pacts and wishes (one of my favorites, he also works with his shape-shifting hound Barbas, who is a part of him)

Hermaeus Mora - Fate, Knowledge, Learning, Memory (another favorite he talks annoyingly slow though)

Hircine - Hunting

Jyggalag - Order (he is confined in Sheogorath because he was too powerful, and the others didn't like [and perhaps even feared] him)

Sheogorath - Madness (also a favorite, so silly!)

Malacath - The Spurned, the Sworn Oath, the Bloody Curse (don't ask me what that means cuz idk he's an orc though and calls them his siblings, not that bad compared to the rest)

Mehrunes Dagon - Destruction, Revolution, Change (I don't like this guy he killed my husband).

Meridia - Living things (hates undead and is incredibly annoying)

Molag Bal - Domination, Enslavement, and no, no touching (I HATE HATE HATE THIS GUY!!!!)

Namira - Darkness, all things repulsive (a cannibal but stays in her lane and doesn't really bother me)

Nocturnal - Night, darkness (worshiped by thieves)

Peryite - Ordering of the lowest orders of Oblivion, Pestilence (considered the weakest but is still really powerful)

Sanguine - Hedonism, Debauchery, Indulgence (drunk uncle vibes)

Vaermina - Dreams, Nightmares,omens

The daedric princes deal with mortals the most.

But also have also tried to take over Nirn out of boredom many times, the games take place during those times (not all of them but a lot of them have)

Dagon tried to in the game Oblivion (he killed my husband Martin :'( )

In Skyrim, however, they didn't try to take over Nirn. Dragons did, though.

My favorite game is online, where Molag Bal tried to, in the dlc's more tried as well.

I'm getting really hungry, so I'm gonna stop here, but I might rant more later if you still want it.

ANGELFIIIIISH THIS SOUNDS SO COOL!!!! THE WORLD BUILDING SOUNDS AMAZING????? the SECOND i get home i'm checking this out OMG.

julianos is the divine that caught my eye, wisdom and logic sound cool as hell WGHDIEHUDJEH

sanguine's drunk uncle vibes have me intrigued, and vaermina sounds SO COOL TOO LIKE NIGHTMARES???? HELLO WHAT!!!!!

imagine taking over the world bc you're bored LMAO they sound so goofy

I WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO TELL ME MORE PLS <3 make sure you eat a nice meal and drink water too okay?

[hannah-heartstrings]

I realized I could've posted little meta tidbits on all the days I didn't have a fic for. I'm not missing an opportunity to talk about our OCs so I'm doing it now. XD

@nine-blessed-hero @babyblueetbaemonster @inkysqueed (Do you guys want to be tagged in posts like this?) @tes-summer-fest

Arcane: Mom got so sick of hearing "I don't know what Arch-Mage Traven has against Necromancy, but the first thing he did after taking over the Mages Guild was to ban its practice" that she decided that Praelyn becomes Arch Mage specifically to make everyone shut up about him.

She says the new rumor becomes: "I don't know what Arch-Mage Praelyn has against Traven, but the first thing she did after taking over the Mages Guild was to ban mention of his name." So I guess it didn't work. XD

Beloved: One quest they all do together is Shadow Over Hackdirt because that's possibly the only quest we all actually did (other then the tutorial, of course. We all also might've delivered the amulet, I don't remember). Most of us barely even did quests back then, just explored random places. But we all dropped what we were doing as soon as they said Dar-Ma was gone.

Sanctuary: Does where you find the unicorn count as a sanctuary? My brother and I woke up one morning and Dad just had a unicorn now, we asked him how he fought all the minotaur and he was like "I just got on the unicorn and rode off."

So it became canon that Rann just shows up with a unicorn one day and everyone's like "What on Nirn?!"

Devotion: Reptilious is very devoted to becoming an imperial guard so that other argonians will have someone to protect and look out for them.

In Bloom: Lecrinn likes purple flowers because they remind her of Cheydinhal and, by extension, someone who lives there.

Sword: Lecrinn fights with a cutlass, Reptilious with a Blades katana, Praelyn with magic and Chillrend, and Rann with whatever happens to be the coolest thing in his pocket.

I actually managed to make each fact about a different character or the whole party instead of just Lecrinn, amazing. XD

[mareenavee]

14, 20,22 for the positivity asks! <3

Hi Orfeo!! Thank you for these!!!

Fandom Positivity asks from this meme here.

14. A ship or character that you started liking because of someone else (give them/their works a shout out!)

Oh well immediately give me a hard question to answer why don't you? I've been really inspired by a lot of fics lately, but I have to toss this first one to @thana-topsy for Breathing Water -- Neloth/Teldryn. I didn't see it before, as I write them as friends BUT oh man. I see it now and am fully on board of this ship.

Here's a favorite moment and it's just...I love it for so many reasons. But what leads up to this, and the choices made before hand, and all the FEELS before this and after? Augh. I cannot. So I share from chapter 9:

“Neloth!”  His head shot up, eyes wide. Teldryn stood there, still in full armor, the buggy eyes of his chitin helmet looking down at him. Disbelief. Followed by an emotion Neloth couldn’t quite put a name to. He began to shudder, unable to stop the laughter that bubbled up and out of him. His vision went blurry as he stared at Teldyn’s boots.  “What on Nirn is wrong with you?”  “I did it,” Neloth wheezed. “I actually did it.” He laughed a little louder. “Take that , Divayth Fyr, you bastard!”

Thank you for the gift that is this fic, Topsy, seriously. The ship just works.

20. Give kudos to someone who is a devoted fan (either of your own works or others’)

Ohhh man. Let's give a huge round of applause for @archangelsunited for not only being a phenomenal writer but also a phenomenal reader and friend. And for leaving a fuck ton of comments on my ultra long fic as well as markedly more long fics than I have finished so far in my time. Like. Hats off to you, my friend. Here's one of my favorite comments on World (chapter 8) that I'm still cackling over:

I am sorry, how dare? How dare you. My soul, it is crushed. You have lured me into despair with your words and I demand recompense. I demand a duel.

We did, in fact, duel. Twice now. (: Fandom hero, this one. Thank you, AU, always, for all the effort.

22. Give kudos to someone who deserves recognition for their contributions to the fandom (event mod, server mod, creator of rec lists, etc.)

I'm going to shout out my fellow Librarians and Assistant Librarians for helping run our little writer's cohort.

@paraparadigm, @changelingsandothernonsense, @elfinismsarts and @thequeenofthewinter. You are all amazing and do fantastic work. The positivity and the mutuality and the encouragement here on tumblr, on AO3 and in our server is inspiring. Your writing, your comments, your enthusiasm and most of all your cheerleading helps make all of this not only possible but very fulfilling and worth it to participate in. More positivity in the fandom spaces we're a part is always a good thing, and the work ya'll do <3 AUGH. I cannot overstate how much I appreciate you guys.

[greyborn2]

1, 10 and 23 for The Elder Scrolls (any game, any part of the lore, etc)

Choose Violence Ask Game

Heck yeeee, moreeee! Ok!

1: The character everyone gets wrong Oh goshhhh, I have a few of these. Namira, Mehrunes Dagon, Sheo (in a bad way), Meridia (also in a bad way), Mannimarco (to varying levels), Hannibal Traven... gonna go with Dagon though because he is my bestest boy, Daedric Prince #1. I see a lot of him as a dumb, destructive, senseless, brute. And a satan stand in, besides, (as if that wasn't Molag Bal's job. Bah!) just for his general hellish aesthetics. But I feel what doesn't get talked about enough are all his positive aspects. He is Hope. He is Revolution. He is the downfall of tyrants and despots. His destruction is a means to an end (change) not solely an ends in and of themselves. He just makes a really easy threat because his prime thing is fucking with the status quo and often heroes are working within said status of quo. Beyond that, I think he's a lot cleverer than folk give him credit for. He can be cunning. He can manipulate. He's penned at least one big world altering book, which is normally a Mora thing. And I've always headcanon'ed that his title of 'Lord of Razors' isn't just a literal title referring to blades. That it also refers to philosophical razors. But that's going into my little blorby headcanon depiction of Dagon so I'll stop there xD

10: Worst part of fanon As a whole? How gung-ho some parts of it can be to accept out-of-game texts as primary sources. DO NOT GET ME WRONG, out of game texts can be super interesting and contain a lot of interesting stuff in them, and can often tie into actual confirmed canon down the line... but also they should be treated as a secondary, or even tertiary, sources at best. They can support a theory/idea/argument but they cannot stand as the base of it. For a more specific thing, though? The one thing that riles me up like NOTHING else? How eagerly certain parts of the fandom gobble up 'Notes on Racial Phylonegy' as gospel. It is clearly a super biased text and has been disproven multiple times. I think the thing about it that irks me the most is how almost the entire ESO RP community has taken it as gold standard of proof that 'khajiit cannot interbreed with other species'. My guys, if khajiit are incapable of interbreeding with the other races of Nirn then so are dunmer, bosmer, and orsimer. They share the EXACT same origin as the bosmer. They both came from the same primordial shapeless beings. They were given altered forms by a daedra, as were dunmer and orsimer. Just because they can (depending on moon cycle) look a bit funkier doesn't mean, in my strong opinion, they should be discounted. It just... aghhh. I won't ramble about it it always frustrates and angers me no end. It is my pet peeve.

23: Ship you've unwillingly come around to Dragonborn x Serana. I mean, there are a few others, but that is the main one. Honestly its mostly because I just... really dislike serana actually? IDK. She gets on my nerves a lot and I'd rather not deal with her. But beyond that, she is almost certainly heavily traumatized and she needs a lot of time to work through that and get some help before throwing her in any ships IMO. She does not strike me as in a good mental headspace.

[cheeseandstrawberrytartlover]

🍅🌶🍉🧅 for the ask game for the beloved, the babygirl, the scrunkly, Sereyna

-you already know who, cmon

STOP CHOOSING TOMATO I GET IT

Sereyna

🍅 [TOMATO] How misunderstood is your OC? In-universe or IRL.

IRL, Sereyna is not misunderstood at all. You all currently know her better than anyone in her universe... though, Sheogorath of course knows their child quite well. Sereyna in their universe is very much misunderstood. She seems incredibly cruel in everything she does meanwhile, they just want to exist in peace. It is true that Sereyna has problems controlling her anger and similar emotions, but she is not evil unlike everyone thinks of her.

🌶️ [HOT PEPPER] Who would your OC declare their sworn enemy if they could meet them?

Any idiot or bigot. She hates stupidity and ignorance with a fiery passion.... guess who she learned that from.

🍉 [WATERMELON] What will your OC take to the grave?

I think the number 1 thing would be, being the child of Martin Septim and basically being the last Septim. She would be the rightful emperor and that scares her to no end.

🧅 [ONION] What is surefire to make your OC cry? Who knows of this information?

Comforting them while she is in a hidden state of distress. She will break down in seconds. They pretend a lot. Pretend to be the strongest being on Nirn and then... they break down. Like every other previous Hero of Nirn.

[captain-of-silvenar]

Hey there :) I love this game; 32 and 53 for an OC of your choice.

Hi there! Always down for more of these OC asks, lets go!

Let's go with Yera for this one :) Based off this ask meme

32. If they committed one petty crime / misdemeanor, what would it be? Why?

Oohhohhh, it's better to ask what petty crime and misdemeanor Yera hasn't committed while in Skyrim. But if we have to pick just one, Yera has a case of the sticky fingers for anything that sounds nice. Silverware, crystal goblets, clinking coins.

Ok that just sounds like she steals anything worth value, but as Guild Master of the Thieves Guild she has a reputation to uphold and skills to hone. But for sure things that have a nice sound quality to them will eventually find their way into Yera's possession. She won't do it if she knows it's going to bite her in the ass later. But well... surely the tomb doesn't need all this stuff laying around anymore. And this particular noble has been snubbing her an awful lot. A few missing forks won't hurt them any.

53. Who would / do they believe without question?

Belief without question, hm? Yera once thought that she could always trust the Aedra in their love and support of Nirn. She once thought Akatosh would look upon her in favor once she learned she was Dragonborn. But once she started her destiny to save Skyrim and encountered people from all walks of life and all levels of prosperity and despair that the Aedra don't touch Nirn as much as people wish. And perhaps this is just bias on Yera, as Heroes are touched differently than others, but she feels a bitterness with the Divines and other Gods with how they throw all their desires onto one singular person.

Except for Y'ffre. When all else fails, Yera clings and trusts her foundations and culture from Valenwood and the bond the Bosmer have to the Storyteller. Y'ffre hasn't failed her yet, even if they don't speak or touch her personally, she can see it in her people. The culture she carries with her all the way in this snow covered land. The lessons and morals of generations and generations of people into the future.

When dragon souls and Daedra vie for her attention and focus, when Yera feels herself become more dragon and less mortal, she returns back to her very roots and believes.

[varlaisvea]

Happy 10th birthday to my main, Quest Completer! The Vestige, the Hero of Coldharbour, Savior of Tamriel and Nirn, The Soulless, Moon-Hallowed, High King's Arrow, Eye of the Queen, Ahkatuz, Champion of dozens of dignitaries, deities, and political factions, and of course, Grand Master Crafter! Here she is with the senche-tiger she got for being old.

All of my characters have silly names like this, but unlike Quest Completer, the rest of them all have lore-appropriate 'real' names in my mind. The rest of them are people with fleshed-out backstories and reasons why they became Heroes. But QC is just The Vestige, the one without a soul (or a personality to speak of) and no memory of the past. The Vestige asks a ton of dumbass questions, such as "what does a queen do, exactly?", and in my mind this is because, while saving all of existence is a mundane occurrence to them, they are forever figuring out how to exist in a totally unfamiliar world while also being among the most powerful people in its history.

Because of that, and because the Vestige's dialogue contains very little emotion or humor, in my mind QC is basically No Fun and allows herself little ostentation. Even her whimsy, she takes deadly seriously, like she always has a great costume for themed dungeon runs, but she's lowkey competitive about having the best fit. She's a dual-wielding stamina-based Aedric Spear Templar DPS—about as basic as it gets, but she doesn't care about that; it's a very effective way to do a lot of violence, you have to admit. Despite her litany of accomplishments, she enjoys simple pleasures, like moving furniture around 1 centimeter at a time, learning crafting recipes, and running around fields looking for things to harvest. This woman and Bastian Hallix are bffs for a reason.

I overhauled her look for the occasion. Here she is new armor goofin:

And after 10 years I finally convinced her to get all dolled up for something other than a dungeon.

ESO was my first MMO; I liked Skyrim (my first open-world RPG) so much that I bought a computer just to play ESO when it came out. QC was the first character I made, when I had no idea what a 'build' was. She is maxed out in every crafting skill and weapon skill line, and every morph of all of her Class skills. QC made it to Veteran Rank 16 before the Champion system was introduced. She is only just now doing the Craglorn quests because she reached the end of Cadwell's Silver and Cadwell's Gold (both required to advance) over a year before One Tamriel, and I didn't know anyone else playing ESO, so I couldn't access group content. QC is old enough to remember when it was a bizarre occurrence to see another player outside of a city (or at all at night, in the Pacific timezone). She's also old enough to remember picking up literally every single quest she came upon because there just weren't that many quests to do. She truly is the Quest Completer.

QC and I learned how the fuck video games work together. Here's to another 10 years!

[theclaymorrigan]

FORGING THE SWORD OF THE GREAT QUEEN 📜 Scroll Thirteen:

"You have stopped scribing your memoirs," Sinder managed to make a statement sound like an indictment.

"Aye," shrugged I. We were hunting together near Rivercrest, our adopted hometown on the border of Cyrodill and Valenwood. We had cached one elk and were tracking a second, wounded one. He'd urged me to put what had happened down on parchment but, after filling a dozen Scrolls, the tale was only half told and I was weary or reliving in remembrance what had been lost. 

"Will you take up your quill again?" he pressed.

"Perhaps," I shrugged again.Sinder now ran a smithy in Rivercrest; repairing and tempering armor and weapons for me along with the occasional piece of jewelry. He and a fellow named Lond served the region well and made decent livings. I was considered the town hero which I found ironic since I was more like the town drunk, if you asked me.

"Much remains to be chronicled," Sinder continued. "The forging of Diindinok, Dezbomiin's betrayal, Fara's sacrifice…"

"Fara's killing, you mean!" I interrupted him. "Let things be called what they truly are."

"You did her a mercy, Clay," he reassured me for perhaps the thousandth time over the intervening years. "She wasn't long for this life at that point and ultimately being slain by Hircine's champion;...you, she was assured a place in his hunting grounds and avoided the degradations of Molag Bal's Coldharbour. What's more, this one postulates that you could heal from this heartwound if you honored her memory and, yes, her sacrifice for posterity. Every being living on Nirn owes her a great debt of which they are unaware."

I held silent for a time. 

"I still feel her with me, Sinder," I confessed. "Sometimes, on my 'adventures' as you call them, when I don't know which way to proceed, that floating, blue orb appears like when she cast that Clairvoyance spell and it guides me true. She still guides me, Sinder. I didn't know how to cast it, don't even do anything and it happens right when needed. I know it's her."

"Will you return to the henge that was once Talonscar again this year on the anniversary?" He asked dejectedly, neither confirming or denying his beliefs regarding my Clairvoyance claim.

"No," I answered. "She's not there anyway. She watches over me from The Hunting Grounds. But it is too painful to write down, my friend. She didn't really do it for all of Nirn. She did it for the love of me and I will never forget her. Ever."

"Will you stop drowning your grief in liquor?" he beseeched me.

"I won't drink any more," I said and his amber eyes lit up until I added: "I won't drink any less, either. When I see her in my dreams each night, I need something to make the waking hours bearable."

He nodded and said no more. We brought back an elk apeice that night. Neither of us has broached the subject since.

TO BE CONTINUED��PERHAPS.

[devout-of-the-elder-scrolls]

Oh I adore both Jyggalag and Ithelia, just from a purely fictional canon standpoint, Ithelia feels a bit rushed! You can always argue "Dragon Break!" but that's not a super satisfying solution. It doesn't help that the games jump around the timeline so much, which we end up with situations like Ithelia returning in the Second Era, but nowhere to be seen in the Third or Fourth. All one can assume is they were both fuckin' about doing whatever in their own realms and maybe decided Nirn wasn't worth it for a few hundred years? Or they were just back to being worshiped by private cults or people just in the safety and confines of their own home, instead of within some Mythic Dawn level hugeness. People literally just minding their own damn business and performing Daedra worship and chilling. They might have just not cared about the Dragonborn for example, because frankly, it's kinda a mystery why every Prince cares about every Hero to the degree they do. Even for me who worships them all, I think the degree of what the Hero has to get up to for all of them equally is just a bit much lore wise, but hey, game design. I'm not being asked to do that kinda intense shit lol, not even for one of them, much less all of them.

My personal experience can answer some of these questions, but not the fictional canon I'm afraid. Part of my personal experience also kinda provides more details on what they've all been up to outside of what we see in actual lore (in a milder sense, what else was Sheogorath up to in Skyrim than messing around in the Mind of Pelagius, kinda stuff; but in a bigger sense, just explaining what the fuck Jyggalag was doing for the entirety of Skyrim) I can always elaborate though, because I do love elaborating... But for now I'll leave this post here. I've already added a lot lol

So, I went off on a research tangent tonight, and while I know you're busy with quick start guides for Meridia and Haki... I was wondering if you had any thoughts about Jyggalag and Ithelia? There's something so crunchy about their lore but I can't put a finger on it.

~Jasper

I have so many thoughts on each of them! I'm not completely certain what you mean about crunchy per se so if I'm not answering your question, feel free to send a new question in elaborating, but I'm still gonna share my thoughts.

I think part of what feels odd is their relative newness - Jyggalag is only two mainline games old, and Ithelia isn't even in ANY mainline game. So there's less lore about them which makes them feel odder to worship I think?

Jyggalag makes a great symbol of being neurodivergent in a different direction than Sheogorath, but I think part of what's odd is that people instead see Jyggalag as like... aggressively neurotypical (not a common take, but one I do see - "Sheogorath is neurodivergent so Jyggalag must be neurotypical!"). When no, I think the dude needs to look up autism on the internet and, if prof diagnosis is Their jam, see a doctor! That level of obsession over order isn't necessarily a neurotypical trait, it sounds like a level of neurodivergency but a different type. Jyggalag might not have psychosis like Sheogorath (or at least the same type of psychosis), but I highly doubt Jyggalag is neurotypical of all things, especially with my own personal interactions with Them.

Jyggalag's lore also tends to be kinda odd in that ALL we know about Them is The Greymarch. Unlike with the rest where we can see all these other pieces of lore that give us more details about them as a person. I think that leads to an odd feeling, especially for those who might be more in a boat of... less UPG, more fictional canon.

The final oddness is likely because... well. Jyggalag is in a bit of a limbo. Yes, at the end of The Shivering Isles DLC, the Hero of Kvatch takes over as Sheogorath, freeing Jyggalag from Their curse, so Jyggalag now exists as Their own individual. But most people kinda forget that and still think they're the same person, when no, they're apart, but kinda like two halves of the same whole.

Ithelia is... hoo boy where do I even really begin with Ithelia?

She is said to have always existed but was erased from knowledge by Hermaeus Mora to protect mortality from Her and Her ability over fate, because Her power is so great She could have absolutely wrecked humanity.

First off, that sounds odd for most POVs of Hermaeus Mora, but not to me because Hermaeus Mora kinda likes humans being around so It can get info off of them.

Ithelia also seems to exist to partially retcon some canon stuff, such as changing up the Magna Ge a bit, but She has a lot else that could be a retcon. Now, this is normal for TES lore, Dragon Breaks are canon to allow to retcons in the future, (hell, the end of Daggerfall canonically caused a Dragon Break), but it makes Her lore kinda odd when you go into the lore from anywhere elses perspective, because ESO is the latest game, so even entering from a Skyrim perspective, you might face some retcons and that feels... weird! from a storytelling perspective!

Thinking of it, Jyggalag also feels a bit like a retcon than a natural evolution of Sheogorath's lore. They just did Jyggalag a lot more neatly than they did Ithelia's, in my opinion. Jyggalag also did NOT exist in Skyrim despite all other Princes existing, which is odd.

Hopefully this helps pin down what feels kinda weird about their lore! Feel free to reblog or send another ask to continue the convo if you'd like, if you have additions or further questions for more of my feral insight lol

[partenopae]

15, 16, 30 for eden?

30. what is their love life like?

i’d say it’s complicated but it’s not they’re just being a repressed dumbass about it sdhfs. eden told themselves they were over ortega and at times even resented her for a lot of reasons, mostly based on lies the farm drilled into them, but when they meet her again in rebirth they fall back into love HARD. but they’re being an idiot about it bc admitting they love ortega will make Everything harder and they can’t afford that when they know that they don’t matter, only what they have to do .... but they love ortega with a force they never thought they’d ever feel so these two idiots r gonna get some healing and happiness or i’ll Die jsdgffjalso ..... i have another AU for them in which argent is involved too bc i love their dynamic and ... i am but a simple gay mess 😔😔 ekfhsfh i’m bad at describing eden’s relationship dynamics but .... yeah ...

15. what is their greatest flaw?

they are STUBBORN as hell which causes a LOT more problems like eden being so set in their ways and being incredibly destructive not only to others but also themselves as a result of that. they would put their hand into a burning fire and refuse to take it out and instead wait for the fire to go out instead, that level of stubborn ...

16 answered here!

sidestep asks