#maybe namira too??

[zuutiomi]

Mistress of Shadows

[moodcrab]

Fixing Skyrim's Daedric Quests

Introduction

Unlike my Oblivion character - a mere mortal who stumbled upon a shrine while lost in the wilderness, becomes somewhat obsessed with gaining the level requirement and collecting an offering, then undertakes the quest feeling like a dark god is testing their worthiness to be their champion - The Last Dragonborn has Daedric Princes falling over themselves to make them their champion straight out the gate. Level one? Who cares! No offering? No problem! Not my Summoning Day? We haven't cared about that since Morrowind! Literally told me to go fuck myself? Take the prize anyway Champ you've earned it!

Basically, much like factions, Skyrim shoves nearly all of the Daedric Quests in the player's face as soon as possible because they're widely considered to be the best and most rewarding by fans of the previous games. But the older games had them, to varying degrees, hidden away or locked behind mechanics, and Bethesda didn't want newer, more casual fans to miss them. In doing so the Princes and their cults lose that air of mystery and danger they once had.

On the other hand, it was nice to be doing something else entirely then have a surprise Daedric Quests blind side me, and it's not like the old Oblivion way was perfect. Find shrine, give offering, get quest for EVERY Prince? And just one quest and I'm the champion, dedicated my soul to your afterlife and all that jazz?

This series is going to try to maximise the good parts of Skyrim Daedric Quests, while bringing back some of the classic elements that it left out, starting with...

Part I - Namria

Quest A) A Taste of Death.

If you visit the Treasury House in Markarth you might overhear an argument between Brother Verulus and Thongvor Silver-Blood. This location change means you are unlikely to just run into this quest immediately as in vanilla, but also gives you a high chance of encountering it during The Forsworn Conspiracy, in which case it has the double benefit of acting as a kind of red herring in that quest and linking this quest with Markarth's corruption and secret society vibes.

Brother Verulus wants the city guard to stop their lockdown of the Halls of the Dead and to actually go in and deal with the draugr head on (in my alternative "Fixed" Skyrim the increased draugr population is connected with Alduin's return, who is raising his Dragon Priests to serve him, even within cities). Why doesn't he go pester the Jarl or the Captain about this, asks Thongvor, dismissively. Oh come on, don't act coy, we all know who really controls the guard in Markarth, why not let them do their job, replies Verulus. Thongvor counters that that would be a desecration of the Nordic dead, that guards putting them down like a pest would be dishonourable. What's more, perhaps if the glorious Nordic dead of the city weren't being tended to by a poncy Imperial Priest of Arkay instead of a proper old fashioned Orkey Shaman, maybe none of this would have happened. Verulus starts to lose his temper at this, and in anger implies that he knows that the draugr problem that plagues the other cities isn't the real issue here, that most of the ancient dead here are Reachfolk not Nord, and begins to demand a true explanation for being locked out but stops himself, he has said too much and leaves.

The quest begins by talking to Verulus who will ask you to investigate what's really going on in The Halls of the Dead. How you get in is up to you. If you're a sneaky type or a smooth talker you'll get in that way. You can also commit a crime to lure the guard away maybe. You could go find Thongvor who can be convinced to give you an alternative - take care of Verulus, but more on that later.

However you get into the Halls, on entering you start finding evidence of cannibalism, butchered bodies, cooking stations and so on. As you delve deeper you hear Eola, a Reachman Namira Devotee, goading and teasing you; "Not many would walk blindly into a crypt, smelling of steel and blood, but not fear... Don't you see what I am about down here in the dark? Is that disgust? Revulsion?... Or curiosity? Why don't you come deeper, and scratch that itch?" You can question her about who she is, what is her purpose here, why is Thongvor protecting her etc. but it will come down to convincing her to leave, killing her, or accepting her invitation to eat human flesh.

Now, IF you sided with Thongvor, the plan is to lie to Verulus to get him to follow you into the Halls of the Dead, this time you'll be confronted directly by Eola and Thongvor together. They intend to kill and eat you both and blame your deaths on Draugr. You can fight your way out and try to save Verulus, or you can prove yourself by killing Verulus yourself and tasting him by way of a test.

If you partake in cannibalism you will get a monologue from Eola about Namira, waxing poetic about the oldest god, The Black Fly, being the Daedric Prince of decay and squalor and all things ugly and repulsive... But also her significance to the Reachmen. To them she is the Spirit Queen who is the true god of death, not Arkay, the primal darkness that gives and takes life. You will gain the power to feast on a corps once a night or when underground, and unlock the second quest.

Quest B - A Guest for Dinner

The second quest will be even less obvious to the player and will hopefully take most people completely by surprise the first time it happens. The quest will only begin after the following criteria are met: You have used the lesser power to consume 10 or more corpses. You own a fully furnished player home. You spend the night there with either your spouse or a follower. When you sleep, a slow, loud, ominous knocking at the door awakens you.

At your door is a stranger in rags and a hideous face asking to come in. You can refuse or invite them to stay. Once inside they will take a seat at your table and ask what is being served for dinner. At this point your follower/spouse will be freaking out a little. You can offer food, like regular food, which will disappoint him and he'll leave. You can offer your spouse or follower as the meal and you'll have to attack them, the screen will darken for an gruesome audible muckbang. Or you can tell the Stranger he is on the menu, which will please him greatly and he will warn you against choking on him, depending on the disposition of your specific follower or spouse they will either join in or abandon you forever.

The Stranger, if he survives the night, will give you the Ring of Namira as thanks. If you ate him Eola, who incidentally will now double as a replacement spouse/follower, will arrive and give you the Ring. The Ring is a powerful reflect damage/magic ring, a unique enchantment in Skyrim.

[mehrunessdagon]

been having massive brainrot about my recent skyrim mc so here are some things about her that i would like to share:

unironic mehrunes dagon and namira worshipper

joined the stormcloaks not because she particularly cares about the politics of skyrim (shes a breton, she has enough internal strife to think about) but because oh boy wouldnt it be fun to be part of a revolution

doesn't have any problems with the empire, just the fourth era thalmor (understandably)

thinks the thalmor weren't actually too bad during the first and second altmeri dominion(s), just hates those in the current era. both because of the obvious xenophobia and because they took credit for "saving the altmeri people" post-oblivion crisis

^^ part of the reason she worships dagon, she believes their failure to prevent another oblivion crisis will lead to people questioning them and ultimately their downfall in tamriel

joined the dark brotherhood simply because she likes murder. she truly does not give a fuck about sithis or the tenets

simultaneously a massive nerd who loves history and collecting books. yes this means i have to find every single book and yes it is a pain in the arse organising them all

helps the citizens of skyrim not because she cares but because she's bored and needs something to pass the time / make money before she can finally go home. best believe she does not remember anyone's name

^^ she ends up actually enjoying life in skyrim and never leaves

got stuck in skyrim by accident, was intending to journey to the mythic dawn headquarters in cyrodiil but got stopped at the border

ofc there is still more about her that i haven't put into words yet but maybe i will eventually add those if people actually care enough

[morpheus-somnium]

skyrim characters at the Balaton

balaton is the largest lake in hungary. also known as 'balcsi' and 'the hungarian sea' it is the most popular vacation resort. for many hungarian people, summer = going to the balaton.

i am also at balaton rn so here are my hcs 🤞🏻🤞🏻

the balaton enthusiast

visits the balaton every single summer. probably has their own summer resort where they stay with friends. their diet consists of hekk (fried fish from balaton), lángos*, boiled corn, watermelon, ice cream or slushie, and tons of alcoholic beverages. they swim in the lake so much that the fish think that they're one of their own. when they're not in the water, they probably tan or play volleyball. tried fishing or crabbing at least once while staying here. brings their own swimming ring or rents a pedalboat with friends. probably visits tihany* every once in a while for the lavender merchandise.

lucien flavius, inigo the brave, brynjolf, j'zargo, teldryn sero, delvin mallory, farkas, astrid, cicero, galmar, elisif, marcurio, maven (but without the 'having fun' part), runil, khash, faendal, erandur, boethiah, clavicus vile, namira, sanguine, sheogorath, tolfdir, festus krex, vekel the man, mjoll the lioness, keerava & talen-jei

the balaton hater

hates summer, hot weather, the way too oily food, mosquitoes, people, and water. you can bring them to the balaton, but you cannot bring them inside it. probably stays at the resort, reading books, playing on their phone or watching tv and maybe even participating in some board or card games.

taliesin, miraak, neloth, serana, mercer frey, vex, vilkas, babette, gabriella, enthir, urag gro shub, hermaeus mora, jyggalag, meridia, arnbjorn, idgrod ravencrone

the one that only visits balaton because of their family and/or friends

this one doesn't need a description, it's literally the title.

kaidan, brynjolf, nazir, vilkas, tullius, ulfric, lydia, malacath, meridia, nocturnal, savos aren, arnbjorn, calcemo, aerin

the tourist

always finds the most overpriced places and spends more money at the balaton (not counting the price of the resort) than their monthly income. buys a lot of stuff at the beach vendors, including bracelets with their name on them, crystals, fridge magnets, and many more.

lucien flavius, ondolemar, the whole thieves guild, farkas, ancano, elenwen, elisif, belethor, balgruuf, azura, mephala, meridia, nocturnal, sanguine, sheogorath, mirabelle ervine

the balaton denier

doesn't believe in the existence of balaton. went inside and came out dry. therefore, they believe that the balaton is just a mirage.

elenwen, miraak, isran, harkon, septimus signus

the (nature-)nerd

spends most of their time in nature. probably sleeps in a camp. they spend half of their day inside the lake and the other half hiking the bakony. wants to visit iharkút* for the dinosaurs. tells stories of the badacsonyi görényember (the ferretman of badacsony?), ghosts of the balaton, and many others at the campfire. brings board or card games. roasts marshmallow and bacon at the campfire.

auri, gore, lucien flavius, inigo, brynjolf, talvas, serana, cicero, hermaeus mora, hircine, ralof, hadvar, veezara, aincantar

[underscorehrtsu]

it's time. for my daedra au infodump.

proceed under the cut i am VERY normal

OKAY GUYS here are most of the characters in my modern, high school, human daedric prince HS au ^_^ (what a mouthful)

now technically this is actually a TES modern, high school, whatever au but i wanted to focus on the daedra. so the daedra are, as im gonna mention in a sec, their own "clique." i PERHAPS will expand in the future

the daedra are their own little clique, some people revere and respect them, some think they're edgy scum. even though many think they're all one big friend group, it is actually way more intricate. it's like a spiderweb of individual connections and clusters.

azura - she/her - azureskyyys

mom friend, loves all the whimsy astrology and astronomy stuff. azura is one of the daedra that non-daedra may actually generally like and respect. she is deeply intelligent. she might come off as cold to others, especially to non-daedra. despite her tendency to be cold or even uncaring, she really does care for her friends and others inside. she is wise, and is often the one to amusingly foreshadow something happening.

meridia - she/her - bl00dmeridian

meridia is a straight edge student. she is part of JAG (job's for america's graduates—it's not a very popular program nationwide i don't think) and student council. she also is one of the daedra that others may actually generally like and respect. somewhat similar to azura, she might come off as cold, but she also is strict. while she has good intentions, some believe her righteousness and uptightness are too much.

vaermina - she/her - dreamina

vaermina is one of the daedra that people in general don't see very highly. she can just come off as creepy and cold (see a pattern?). she doesn't care for that, though. she is what some may consider a hippie, she loves whimsical things and things regarding the psyche and spirituality. she finds humor and beauty in the macabre. she goes by "mina" for short.

namira - she/they - n4m1r444

namira oftentimes keeps to herself. she is seen as creepy or downright weird by others. like vaermina, she finds beauty in the macabre and is more expressive about it. she loves horror media and the likes, as well as absurd history. she is part of the art club. (also, she has curly hair, but doesn't really know to take care or style it... someone help her) (she's the weird kid in me kisses her on the forehead)

mephala - she/her - ultravi0lets

mephala is oftentimes shrouded in mystery. she purposely keeps to herself and she actually does it very well. she is very quiet, but somehow knows everyone's deepest secrets. luckily, she is not a gossip, but it unnerves people to know that at any moment, she could be listening and finding amusement in their private turmoils. she also is hermaeous mora's sister. she is part of a troublesome trio with clavicus vile and nocturnal.

nocturnal - she/her - vvampyrzz

school goth kid. she's used to the comments. she loves mystery novels and shows! she actually wants to be a detective. she is a night owl and can frequently be found at evening functions and just awake at the most desolate hours; most of the time to study or read. she's part of a troublesome trio with clavicus vile and mephala, though she usually keeps them out of trouble, actually.

boethiah - he/she - boeytaz

boethiah is known for her love of gossip, almost opposite of mephala. if you dig far enough into any conflict, you wouldn't be surprised to see if he has a hand in it. this doesn't mean he gets into trouble or drama often himself; she just strings people like puppets for her amusement. despite this, a fair amount of people respect him as well. maybe surprisingly, he is head of the school newspaper and stuco's social media head. (despite her meddling in conflicts...?)

hermaeous mora - he/him - hermamora

he insists on mora, for short. mora is known for being the elusive school...nerd. but his intelligence and knowledge are genuinely impressive. he is head of the academic bowl team and he works at the local library. he seemingly knows pretty much everything, and as such, he has some of the best grades in the school. he also has a knack for solving puzzles and mysteries. he is head to head with jyggalag for valedictorian.

hircine - he/him - d33rsparrows

hircine is a gruff guy of few words. one thing is for sure, he loves the environment and hunting. he absolutely will break his silence to ramble about it and about wildlife conservation and blahblah. he is a proud member and soon to be head of the conservation club. he is a bit of a lone wolf, but despite that, he has actually quite a few people that really admire and like him.

clavicus vile - he/him - vviillee

clavicus vile, or just clavicus or just vile, is known for his deals. he has all the things you could need or want in his clunky messenger bag. he also is infamous for not paying you back, so don't expect your money back if you do something for him. besides that, he loves a good prank (he's in charge of spearheading the yearly school prank) and is part of a troublesome trio with mephala and nocturnal. he also has a pet dog that everyone loves.

jyggalag - he/him - jygg11

jyggalag, like meridia, also is part of stuco. if you think meridia is straight edge, look at him. he is very set on order and logic. he keeps a watchful eye on all, ensuring order whenever he can. people note that he is very... bland. stern. however, he is not necessarily mean. he is at odds with mora for school valedictorian. weirdly enough, he is related to sheogorath. people don't believe it. some say brother, others say a cousin or something like that.

malacath - he/him - malacath1234

malacath just wants to chill at this point. unfortunately, he is oftentimes angry and known throughout the school for that. though, inside, he is very anguished. he is picked on by others for their amusement, leading to a lot of internalized shame as well. he is the school's best wrestler, and he finds it a relief from the state of "everything." (if i could compare him to a character, it would be karkat. lol.)

mehrunes dagon - he/him - mehdag666

dagon for short. he LOVES some bullshit. he's always up to something, and starts things just to piss people off. there's no real reason for it, other than he's bored and likes the thrill of getting into a fight or argument. people often steer clear from him, as pretty nobody is free from his shenanigans. he is often the focus of meridia and jyggalag, where they desperately try to help him any way they can. but, he just likes to fuck around T-T

(note, i initially didn't want to include him, but i felt like i needed to somehow lol. i'll think of a more deep bio later. rn hes just that one kid thats always doing something unnecessary and annoying)

sanguine - he/him - saanguuine

sanguine is like if a frat boy blossomed a couple years too early. he is wildly hedonistic, and often is the host of the most popular parties all year. sometimes, he shows up to school hungover. of course, he's also the school fuckboy. his motto in life is, you guessed it, YOLO. he is the no. 1 user of the "😂😂🔥🔥💯💯" emojis. despite all that, he is the only one with braces, making him look quite silly.

(note, i kinda steered from the "sinful sex fiend" thing which was kinda his whole thing, but it felt kinda wack to make it a high schooler's whole thing yk. it's already hard enough to make ... realistic, fleshed out people from their canon characters 😭)

sheogorath - he/they - 5h30g0r4th

called sheo by many, sheogorath is the stage manager of the theatre department and is known for his flamboyant and rather whimsical attitude. he is a rampant theatre kid, and you can tell. he struggles deeply with mental health (as honestly most of the daedra do) (and sometimes he goes off his meds when he "feels better." you feel better because of the medicine. TAKE THE MEDS.) he sometimes can pick on other people, for example malacath. he is the definition of chaos and a hot mess.

i decided not to include molag bal or peryite bc i didn't really know what to put for them. i mean what do i put for molag bal, school stinky kid??? and also hes kinda. well. not so savory. even for a daedra?? and peryite is like a dragon, man idk 😭i feel bad but i just couldn't

also idk if its me but writing characters for the men were so much more difficult. in general though it was weirdly hard to make decent characters from their canon self. i wanted to at least vaguely make them similar to aspects of their canon elements, but also this is my au so . lolsies!

anyways, this is the info i have for the pure insanity of my brain. i might dump this into th if im not lazy but i also dont have art for any of the men besides vile so 😀 oh well

[cfmanymuses]

"Can't a grown man be afraid of ghosts and freak out in peace?" ( to Namira from Gintoki. lol )

Namira's scarred lips pulled into a grin, her laugh barely stifled. "Easy there, big guy. I heard a shriek, thought something happened. Nothing more." She allowed herself to relax a shade, though her hands remained close to her weapons while she kept a curious eye on the human.

"Look, if you're that scared of ghosts, maybe you should try silver? I don't think it matters too much if you wear it, or if you have a silver weapon, it usually repels them. At least, it does where I'm from."

[my-dumb-obsessions]

OC Tag Game

Tagged by @sinquisition. Need to expand into my Amell family OCs and maybe even Skyrim ones or all the answers would be "Cariane" 😅

Favorite OC: Cariane Amell, hands down. She is my baby girl and I love her more than life itself.

Newest OC: For playable OCs, Tahj "Trevelyan" Amell, who I haven't played yet. As far as starting to get their stories fleshed out, it's Lev Amell, one of a set of twins. Sent to the Cumberland (Nevarra) Circle at age 11, he's an ice mage/necromancer who will resurface with the rebel mages during Inquisition.

Oldest OC: I've been doing this for a very long time, so I could take it way back to some early Elder Scrolls OCs, but the oldest one I still actively think about is Ruari, the Forsworn shaman (originally created 2017). Priestess of Namira and Hircine, Harbinger of the Companions, and friend of hagravens.

Meanest OC: Probably also Ruari 😅. Though Selyse Arano is an actual Morag Tong assassin so she's pretty close. It's not personal, though.

Softest OC: Astrid Hawke. She is a stong girl, tough because she has to be, but deep down she's got a soft, gooey heart. Second place is Cariane's older sister, Dahlia Jahani, who trains baby mages to be healers.

Most Aloof/Standoffish OC: Though she is actually a very warm and loving person, Seer Hadizah Jahani, Cariane's great-aunt and Gana of Afsaana, is pretty intimidating. Carie herself is a bit reserved until you get to know her, too.

Dumbest (Affectionate) OC: I honestly don't think any of them are dumb, though I'm sure everyone of them has their moments.

Smartest OC: Tahj Amell. Fast-tracked to senior enchanter, expert at earth, lighting and force magic, Lieutenant to Fiona during the mage rebellion. I don't call him "The Professor" for nothin'.

OC I'd Probably Be Friends With: Is it weird that I'd get along with the assassin really well? Selyse is just cool. If I had to pick only one of my DA OCs I'd probably actually be friends with Astrid.

Tagging @sillyliterature, @wardenkay, @psalacanthea, and @nowandthane if you want to talk about your OCs!

[pheita]

77 for the spotify wrapped drabbles 😁 @catharticallysarcastic

Hi @catharticallysarcastic , so the song is this

The warehouse still seemed much too large, although there were certainly about a hundred and fifty people inside. The improvised platform stood opposite the large gate, so that everyone who came in saw it right away and knew where to go. Aleena stood to the side with a grim expression, nervously playing with one of her daggers for reassurance. Somewhere, Nasya and Raila were scurrying after Namira like little ducklings, just as Thane was probably somewhere nearby, probably trying to convince Swea once again to let it all go. Aleena had to laugh briefly at the thought. Swea was just as stubborn as she was, that's why they got along. For the second time, her eyes wandered over the crowd. There weren't many, except for the fact that there were three safe havens in the city and each had about 700 residents, and there were certainly many times that number of mystical beings in the city living among the people. Maybe one percent had come, but some had come. Wars have been fought with fewer people. "Ready, my child?" Aleena didn't even flinch when Swea appeared beside her. "I have no choice. The Tree of Life decided that for me a long time ago."

"You always have a choice, remember that." "Not in this. It's fight back or die." Swea smirked slightly and followed in step. Of all those present, besides Thane, Swea probably understood best why Aleena was doing all this. As she climbed onto the platform, the crowd grew quieter as one by one the conversations died down. Her grandmother Becca's memories of how seventy years ago her grandfather had to do something similar to stand up to Aurelius briefly intruded her thoughts, and Aleena had to force them aside. Her nymph powers were slowly starting to go crazy, but she could still conceal it. "Thank you for coming here today and answering the call to do something," Aleena began speaking into the microphone in a firm voice. At her side, she saw Thane and Namira, who had Nasya and Raila standing with them. More calmly, she continued. "As you all know, for months now, employees of a strange organization have been patrolling the streets of every major city in the world. I'm sure many of you have heard that the energy lines have dried up or been poisoned in many places. I stand here to tell you that it is true, and that all the indications are that this strange organization and the drying up of the energy lines are connected. It is not yet clear if it is intentional or not, but as it happened decades ago in the War of Fate, the elders are again inert and do not want to see the danger. It's up to us, to those who go through the world with our eyes open and young enough to want to make a difference, to get to the bottom of this until we find something that will also force the elders to finally act."

Aleena let all this sink in and waited for reactions before continuing. If Charis was right and the Tree of Life had chosen its warriors, then it will also have ensured that the life paths of some led here today. Whether they wanted it or not, they were the warriors of destiny. "This isn't going to work." One man had spoken, loud and clear. A few people stepped aside, and a man stepped forward who looked vaguely familiar to Aleena. A few steps behind him followed a young woman, at the sight of her Aleena then remembered with a smirk. "Why won't this work?" "The idea is good, but as a nymph, you should know that the clan leaders and elders of the different tribes will take too long to make a decision once we have enough information. It will all be up to us. Apart from that, I think this organization is just part of a larger organization and the whole process is done on purpose. The choice of location is too appropriate to be accidental." Thane came to Aleena and stood next to her with a questioning look and whatever the woman wanted to say went unsaid, as it did the other day at the festival in the safe haven, because she was obviously smitten by Thane. Her companion noticed it as well and put an arm around her shoulder with a smirk. "Don't forget to breathe, Tali." "I think we should discuss the further course of action together," Thane began. "There's no need for much discussion," yawned a slender tall woman with colorful hair, "Our big mystery guy here has a point. If we're still going to stop all this from happening, we need to do this." "And you are?" "Hannah, and whatever you're up to, I'm in." Murmurs of agreement came from a few corners. Aleena looked around with a disgruntled smile. This felt more like rebellion than anything else, but if it was the only way, then so be it.

[iteats]

⤳​ @kyuseshu​​​   asked:     ‹  would you believe it's fate? ›

psh. she contorts her nose, sneering at the thought, before she turns her gaze away, fixated on nothing in particular. “ fatal. maybe. ” she makes herself laugh, a weak sounding huff escaping her lips as she rolls back her shoulders and does little to stifle the grimace which overwhelms her features. “ would you? ––  do you want to? ” with a shivering action, she smiles, now, a genuine unraveling of yellow-tinted teeth, for she can guess at their answer. she does so like to amuse herself with assumptive thoughts. wrist rolls and bones crack, and she pays ample attention to the sensation of the mud which seeps around the sole of her bare foot, digging it into the earth between them. “ do you think this, and me, and you, and that tree, maybe ––– predestined? if i offered my hand covered in something rotten and divine, would you take it, because fate handed you a sign ... ? would you care if i did it only to eat you whole, or would you risk that the gods might've been granting you possible refuge? 𝐀𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍. ” she reverts her gaze, pulling it back to them. namira sports an eagerness to her speech, now, as she continues, tone provoking but sincere in its excitement, jumping quickly to a sudden thought, uncaring of his answers to her previous questions. “ i like you. your face is too pretty. but you're quite 𝚞𝚐𝚕𝚢 beneath the surface, aren't you? ”

[oblivions-dawn]

👻 for the October ask game :3

Hello there :3c

✑ Can you tease some WIP ideas that have been haunting you/something you want to write in the future?

I'm haunted by a million and one ideas, always WHEEZE. I do want to write about Vigdis and Serana going on an adventure to Solitude after Breathless is over, perhaps dealing with Potema . . . I'm also still slowly but surely chipping away at the Valerica piece I've shared bits of on here before. There's also some Shatha [Dark Brotherhood] and Wynnarwe [Thieves Guild] stuff I'd love to write. And I have an idea for Raeyla'szah too that has Namira and Jordis the Sword-Maiden in it. So many ideas and . . . . lately not enough motivation/inspiration to do it all I'm afraid. Maybe some day

[wispstalk]

theft

(a silly discussion about daedric princes. cw: mildly nsfw text, reference to cannibalism)

Tanis and Coradri pass through the great hall, sweaty from their morning sparring session and deeply embroiled in conversation.

“—ripping off some kind of god or something, right?” Coradri is saying. “You can’t lie to save your life.” 

“Some kind of god,” scoffs the Hero of Kvatch. “We’ve been living at the temple how long, and— for fuck's sake, do you even know why we’re here?” 

“I’m just along for the wagon-ride, shorem.” Coradri punches his arm. “That’s exactly my point.” 

Martin closes the Xarxes and pushes it aside. “What are you two doing now?” 

“We’re arguing,” Coradri says cheerfully. “Irathi thinks he ought to go after the artifact himself, and I say he’s fucking dented. Maybe you can help us settle this, Brother.” 

Martin tents his fingers over his mouth, looking between the two of them. Tanis can certainly lounge, and the Sanguinites do a lot of that, but it’s hard to imagine him… frolicking. Reveling. For him, “cutting loose” likely means a good tavern brawl. Not the sort. Coradri, on the other hand: she plays the wide-eyed innocent when it suits her, but there is no missing the deviousness in her grin.

“It would be ideal if both of you could look out for each other,” he says carefully, “but that’s likely to raise some eyebrows. I’d have to choose Coradri.” 

“Guarshit.” Tanis folds his arms. “Why.” 

“Well, you’re… You’re a bit…” Martin circles a vague hand through the air.

"Spit it out, priest. I'm a bit what?" The Dunmer gives him a dead-eyed scowl, as if that itself doesn't put paid to the notion.

“The Daedra lords don’t take kindly to theft," he says instead. "It’s essential that our ruse is convincing.” 

“I like drugs and drink and fucking just as much as anyone,” Tanis says indignantly. 

“For gods’ sake, that’s not— I’ve said and said, you cannot touch anything they give you. Or anyone.” He tries not to make this sound petulant. “Only your own offering.” 

“Yes, yes, we heard you the first time,” Coradri says, exasperated. “I’ve got Emberbrand wine from our visit to Cheydinhal. That’s a real knee-walking drunk, Sanguine ought to like it.” 

“You mean I’ve got Emberbrand wine,” Tanis grumbles, “and it happens I like it.” 

“No one likes that gutrot, it tastes like lye and wet dog. The only thing you like about it is that you’re holding something the city watch will tackle you for.”

“Ha! True. You still can’t have it.” 

Martin suppresses a grin. She’s likely hidden it from him already. He sifts through the pile of books on his desk, looking for Modern Heretics. 

“I only suggested Sanguine because I can give you some idea of what to expect. Somewhere in here— ah. This one details the location of a few shrines, including Azura’s. Of all the Princes, she is least likely to involve you in something unsavory.”

“First of all, stop foisting books on me,” Tanis says, waving it away. “Second, if I got my hands on Azura’s Star, I sure as hell wouldn’t give it to you.” 

“Tanis!” Martin laughs. “With all the mortal realm at stake, really?” 

“Fuck the realm. You know what it costs to get your weapons recharged?” 

Martin scratches Nocturnal off his mental list, in that case. If Coradri gets hold of the Skeleton Key, he won’t see that either, to say nothing of the havoc she would unleash all over Tamriel. He won't be responsible for that.

“I know where Namira’s shrine is— Irathi, give me your map.” She squints at it, then points a little distance from Bruma, perhaps three hours’ walk. “In the mountains near here.” 

“And how do you know this?” Tanis says, squinting at her. 

“Walking around! There’s fuck-all else to do here. Anyway, the priestess said I was too pretty and charming to be let in— shut up, Irathi, she really did. Everyone there was hatchet-faced and mean. You could definitely take care of that one.” 

“Thanks.” He flicks the side of her head. “You know some of her followers eat human flesh? I’ve smelt burning bodies before and it’s… well, I’m fond of pork, let’s just say that. Best not to find out.” 

Martin shudders. “Namira’s out of the question. What about Meridia?” 

“What kind of things does she have?” Coradri says. That’s just lovely, Martin thinks, now I’ve piqued their curiosity about the artifacts they could acquire, the one I’ll have to destroy. 

He flips through Modern Heretics. “The Ring of Khajiti, but that one is rumored to be in possession of a famous jewel thief. And there’s Dawnbreaker.” 

“Dawnbreaker. Heard of it. Ebony sword, burns with some holy light, destroys the undead in a single blow?” Tanis shakes his head. “Yeah, you can’t have that one, either.”  

“Stealing from Mehrunes Dagon would be pretty funny,” Coradri puts in. “You know, given the whole mess we’re in.” 

“It would,” Martin is forced to admit. “Also most likely to end badly. And destroying it could create some kind of interference with the Xarxes, which will obviously be a problem.” 

One of the weaker princes: Peryite? Gross, says Tanis, and throws out Sheogorath's name. Please don’t, pleads Martin; that’s the last thing he needs in his Xarxes-addled state. Sending either one of these inveterate gamblers to Clavicus Vile seems unwise, and briefly he considers Hermaeus Mora — but no, now he’s beginning to sympathize with Tanis’s stingy dismissals. Any of the Black Books would be hard to give up. 

Coradri watches this debate with detached interest. These all-powerful immortals are just names to her, high-value theft targets. He still laughs when he recalls mentioning the ascension of Talos one night. Coradri cocked her head and asked, “Who?” Who indeed.

Mephala, Molag Bal, Boethiah, Vaermina, Malacath: all too bloodthirsty for Martin's taste. Tanis spends a hair too long considering Hircine, and Martin puts his foot down. He can already hear the argument upon Tanis’s return: It’s fine, piss off, I don’t need a cure, being a werewolf’s actually pretty class. 

“So we’ve gotten nowhere, then,” Tanis concludes. “Sanguine’s the most practical option, that’s clear.”

“And Brother Martin says I should do it,” Coradri says primly. 

“I don’t have to listen to him if I don’t want to.” Tanis fishes in his pocket and produces a gold septim. “Flip you for it. Three times.” 

“I call Martins.” 

“For gods’ sake. It’s not me on that coin, you know, and don't you think the stakes are a bit high to be settling this with—"

“Shut up,” they both say in unison, and they flip for it. Coradri wins. “Always bet on Brother Martin,” she says, elbowing her scowling companion in the side.

[full-pockets]

Okay so the Vigilants of Stendarr hate any Daedra worshippers right? But they only mention things like witches, vampires and werewolves. Monster things. Things that fall under Hircine & Molag Baal.

What about Orcs? They worship Malacath, who is a Daedra. What about Dark Elves, don't they worship Azura and Mephala and I think one other Daedra, Boethia maybe? What about Sheogorath's insane disciples? What about those who spread destruction for Mehrunes Dagon's name? Or Hermaeus Mora's disciples who kill others for knowledge? What about literally any other worshipper of Daedra, like Clavicus Vile or Meridia or Nocturnal? The Nightingales are sword to Nocturnal, so would the Vigilants hunt down those members too? And Meridia hates undead, which vampires fall under, which the Vigilants also hunt. What about Peryite or Jyggalag, who represent some sort of 'order', one way or another? Then you have Sanguine and Namira, both who's worshippers do bad things.

But if you want to use that logic, Dibella's -supposedly an Aedra- worshippers don't exactly do 'nice' or 'good' things either.

Then you've also got the ForSworn, who I don't think worship any Daedra but they worship some 'old god' and do things with HagRavens, which could be a witch, which the Vigilants say they hunt. So by association ForSworn are bad. Also I think they do some sort of weird witch magic.

You've also got another old god worshipping cult, the Dark BrotherHood who worships Sithis. Not a Daedra but a force, revered as a god. On topic of the DBH, wouldn't the Night Mother also be somethin the Vigilants should be concerned with, since she's worshipped as well, a being of evil, and has the favour of the Dread Lord?

Let's just assume the Morag Tong are 'outside' of the Vigilants perimeters, since they're on Solstheim. They are the faction the DBH splintered off of, so I assume they worship Sithis and the Night Mother in a different way.

And going back to the monster thing, one could classify Sheogorath's insane worshippers as monsters, or Sanguine's Revealers, or Namira's cannibals cause they all could technically 'loose their humanity', just like a vampire or werewolf could and do. They succumb to the Daedric Princes influence and become mindless beasts of destruction and the downfall of humans sanity.

So if they are only targeting werewolves, vampires and for some reason witches, why not all the other Daedric, old gods or ancient dark beings worshippers, all who are capable of mass killings or 'evil' magic?

[aloeverawyvren]

Bringing this post back because I just started playing Skyrim while listening to TMA:

Ok, so some of the parallels are non-existent and I'm going to have to reach a bit for it to make sense

Ok, so first of all I think it would make more sense to compare the daedra to the fears rather than the gods. There aren't direct parallels ( the Fears being human/animal fear itself, while the daedra are more multifaceted and nuanced) and some of their spheres are very similar.

Ok, so Sithis despite not being a Daedric Prince is the perfect stand in for The End.

Hermaeus Mora= The Eye (Duh)

Sheogorath= The Spiral and maybe also the Stranger???

Namira and/or Peryite = The Corruption

Hiricine = The Hunt

Mephala and/or Boethiah = The Web

Meridia and/or Azura= The Vast???

Nocturnal or Vaermina could be the Dark or End also, Vaermina's sphere is tied to dreams and nightmares and the End is also associated with dreams and nightmares.

Mehrunes Dagon = The Extinction

Malacath = The Lonely?

Mehrunes Dagon and/or Molag Bal could be the Flesh, Desolation and Slaughter?

I'm not sure what to do about the others though. Namira could also be The Buried??

Sanguine – The Prince of hedonism, debauchery, and the further indulgences of one's darker nature.

Clavicus Vile – The Prince of deals, pacts, power, bargains, and serenity through wish fulfillment.

Ithelia – The Prince of paths, the untraveled road, the unseen and fate-changer.

Jyggalag – The Prince of logical order and deduction, upholds strict order above all else

The fears from the Magnus Archives

The Eye,

Also called Beholding, The Ceaseless Watcher, It Knows You, The Great Eye that watches all who linger in terror and gorges itself on the sufferings of those under its unrelenting stuporous gaze. The fear of being watched, exposed, followed, having secrets exposed. Can also pertain to the drive to know and understand, even if your discoveries might destroy you. Manifests as eyes, security cameras, a creature or figure that keeps constant watch. Often manifests in libraries and books.

The Desolation,

The fear of pain, loss, burning, and destruction, especially with a senseless cause. Followers are enriched by destroying the lives of people who had things to live for, and destroying things before their potential is realised. Manifests as fire, wax, heat, burns, destruction of potential.

The Slaughter,

The fear of pure, unpredictable, unmotivated violence. The fear of pain coming at sudden, random moments. Manifests as people driven "mad with Slaughter," soldiers, music that either induces Slaughter or warns that Slaughter is coming. Often manifests in imagery of war or murder, and can appear wild like a frenzied killer or calm and regimented like soldiers firing on the battlefield.

The Spiral,

Also called Es Mentiras (It Is Lies), The Twisting Deceit, It Is Not What It Is. The fear of madness, that the world you know is wrong, that your mind is lying to you. Fear of deception, lying, deceiving of the mind and senses. The Spiral appears with imagery of spirals, patterns and fractals, and often manifests as hallucinations or illusions.

The Vast,

Also called The Falling Titan. The fear of heights, falling, and large open spaces including sky, space, and deep water. More broadly: the human fear of insignificance and meaninglessness, of losing oneself in too much space. Manifests as void, wide-open spaces, vertigo, falling, the transformation of something that should have a limit into something infinite.

The Web,

Also called The Spider, The Great Spider, Mother of Puppets, The Mother, The Spinner of Schemes, The Hidden Machination. The fear of being controlled or trapped, especially being unaware of one's own entrapment. The fear of being forced to do things against one's own will, of being manipulated. Also the fear of spiders. Manifests as spiders, spider webs, web-like patterns, puppets.

The Stranger,

Also called I Do Not Know You. The fear of the unknown, the uncanny, the unfamiliar. The creeping sense that something is not right. Manifests as beings and aspects of beings that provoke an "uncanny valley" response: human and other being-adjacent forms, such as mannequins, wax figures, masks, and taxidermy. Often manifests in theatres and performances.

The Lonely,

Also called Forsaken, The One Alone.The fear of isolation, of being completely cut off and alone or disconnected from the rest of society.Manifests as fog, large rooms, silence, suburbs, empty rooms, crowds of faceless people.

The Hunt,

The animalistic fear of being chased or hunted; the primal fear of being prey. Manifests as predators, predatory monsters, animal instincts, animalistic traits. Takes hold of apparently "normal" people after they are exposed to the need for The Hunt. Self-proclaimed monster hunters might become 'Hunters' and proceed to develop a need to hunt and kill monsters.

The Flesh,

Born from the fear held by animals bred for meat, and in the human realisation that we are just animated meat and bones. Manifests as meat, corpses, blood, bones, butchers, meat-related industry. Often manifests as strange bodies—bodies being unnaturally twisted, reshaped, and butchered.

The End,

Also called Death, Terminus, the Termination of All Life, The Coming End That Waits For All And Cannot Be Ignored. The fear of death itself—⁠uncaring and unstoppable, the fear that everything ends eventually. Manifests as bones, various forms of the dead (skeletons, mummies, zombies, etc.). Also has close ties to dreams and can manifest through them.

The Extinction,

The fear of catastrophic change, destruction of nature, destruction of human skin and tissue, the destruction of humanity itself and its replacement by something different; all of this especially via mankind's own causing. Manifests through human technology such as computers, code, and radio, and seems to present horrifying visions of what humans could become, or what could become of humans. ( Reminds me of the Dwemer?)

The Dark,

Also called Mr. Pitch, The Forever Blind.The primal fear of the dark, of the unseen, and the creatures hiding from our view.The Dark is said to be one of the oldest Entities.Manifests as creatures hidden in the dark, shadow figures and monsters, blindness, coldness, dark water.

Anyways, Jon would some kind of elf, maybe a Breton? but also imagine him being an unusually short high elf, that would be very funny.

Also funny if Breton though because Breton almost literally means British.

Martin is a nord? Tim is an imperial and Sasha would be some kind of elf as well. Elias is a high elf??? And they basically work at magic research center/something resembling the Mages Guild. (Insert The Eye of Magnus questline joke here)

Daisy is a nord or orc werewolf and Basira would be a redguard. They would be bounty hunters or city guards I think.

The Magnus Archives and Elder Scrolls crossover, but the only thing that changes is the Daedric Princes are the Fears.

This will probably change nothing.

[bitchwhoreofastorm]

lorkhan :) or anything dawn era

((tw: mention of molag bal, self-induced vomiting. written 2018, i think? boethiah and namira))

.

"You're getting good at this." 

Doubled over, he wipes his mouth. "Yes, I wonder why. Taking things into me and ejecting them violently-- where did I learn that, Bal?" 

"It's all you're good for." 

He looks at the pitiful puddle at his feet. "Maybe." 

Someone crouching beside him. "Such fear. You're all sharpness." 

"You are surprised, Bal? This is your footprint." 

"Don't you ever tire of this hunger, Boethiah? You grow the emptiness like a garden." 

"So you're a poet now? Leave me." 

"Look again. Look closer." 

-

Hungers have surrounded the woman, prodding her with their pointed snouts, with unusual interest. Their spiky tails are wagging, their withered arms grasping at her tattered dress. She reaches out to them, gathering them close to her, cooing over them; they show no hostility towards her. This is enough to set off alarm bells in Boethiah’s mind. 

He rises and draws his sword and bares his teeth. 

“I won’t hurt you.” The woman says in a sing-song. She hasn’t looked away from the hungers, but embraces each one as it comes to her. 

Boethiah nods at the daedra. “They seem to like you.” 

“You call them hungers, no?” She sighs happily as one nibbles her arm. “Like me. And just like you, devourer!” 

“Like you?” 

“There are some who call Lorkhan the hunger at the centre of the world. A void begging to be filled. You and me and all the others, we’re all like Lorkhan… hungry. We want.” 

“Lorkhan is dead.” Boethiah raises his sword. “Who are you?” 

“The crawling darkness, the primal abyss, the cliff at the edge of the world... you may call me Namira.” 

“I don’t know that name.” 

“I was a fetus in Lorkhan’s womb when he perished. Once you and the scavengers robbed his sphere I came and ate the rest. So many new things did his death invent-- the very concept of death! I adore it!” 

Boethiah sneers. “You think you’re an Aedra? You’re no better than us.” 

“The insults you give me I will savour.” 

Namira sighs, and bends her head, and presses her face to the scaly rump of a Hunger. Boethiah can’t help but be curious; he walks over to the flock and kneels by one, giving the lesser daedra a little scratch behind the head. He’s never seen them so docile. 

“So why are you here, then?” 

“I like to watch you.” 

“Um.” 

“I heard that you like to devour things, and then eject them. I heard you made a sport of it. I heard a lot of things about you, Boethiah, and I was curious. You have that hunger… Lorkhan’s hunger.” 

“Lorkhan is dead.” 

“Does that sadden you? It saddens me. I should have liked to meet him.” 

“Who else have you met?” 

“Oh, many people… Mephala is close with you, right? She was one of Lorkhan’s lovers. He had so many. But I like Mephala. Kyne, too. Mephala is very beautiful, and she too is hungry. Is it true she invented sex?” 

“Go ask her about it.” 

“No, she’s like me. She likes to stick to the shadows. We are subtle. Not like you, who’s active and clawed like a nix-hound. You like to make a lot of noise, and have all eyes fall upon you. Me, and Mephala, would rather be unseen.” 

“So go bother Mephala.” 

“I will, soon. I like her very much. I like her darkness. But I like your hunger too, even more than the darkness. So I enjoy watching you, hungry one.” 

Boethiah wipes his mouth again, and scowls down at the woman. “Hunger this, hunger that. What do you know of hunger?”

“As much as you know of it, I suppose.” 

“What do I know of it?” 

“Well, you have a strange habit.” Namira presses an idle kiss to an overly-affectionate Hunger. 

“And that is…?” 

“They say that you like to ingest, and ingest, and ingest. That you take things inside of yourself until nothing more can fit. They say you do this until you can take no more and expel all of it. They say it’s a wretched practice, and I think they’re right. It’s disgusting.” 

“I guess it is disgusting.” 

“So, I want to know, why? Why do you do it?” 

Boethiah wipes at his mouth again, trying to expel the bitter taste, and he looks at Namira’s face closely. A face that betrays a sphere once held by Lorkhan. 

He shrugs. “Call it practice. I have my plans.” 

[cfmanymuses]

Despite the danger her visits posed, Namira had decided to go back to her village and visit her mother. The fact that it was also her birthday would just make this sweeter, and she had promised to visit more often. The fishing's better out this way, too. I'll catch something and bring it home for Ma, maybe she'll make that spiced fish that she used to make when I was a kid. The memory brought a smile to her face as she walked along the riverbank, looking down at the water. It sparkled in the sunlight, and she had to squint so it wouldn't blind her.

"Ah, here's a good spot, right before the turn." Namira shook off her backpack, dug out her fishing line and some leftover jerky for bait, and waited for a bite. It didn't take long for something to bite, and she pulled it in. The telltale markings of salmon made her grin, and she swiftly put the fish out of its misery. "She's gonna love this!" After grabbing her belongings, she set off again, almost at a jog. The salmon, still on its line, dangled off her backpack, and she tried to ignore its squelching sounds as she navigated the forest.

Soon, the sounds of a busy village filled the air, and she slowed to a walk so she could take in the sights of her childhood home. Is that Elsy? Gods, I thought she would be halfway to Neverwinter by now, the way she used to go on. I guess some things never change. Somewhat lost in her thoughts, she let herself wander home, where she idly noted that the shutters were open and there were sounds coming from inside. Smiling, she walked to the door, knocked, then poked her head in.

"Hey, Ma! Promised I'd come to visit, and look, I caught you a salmon!"

[obiternihili]

Elder Scrolls headcanon

Aedra are just misremembering the times the Daedra weren't complete assholes (or were beneficial to the ones remembering). Some also are syncretisms of half remembered memories, too, just like the domains of the daedra overlap.

Akatosh - Hermaeus Mora, also why he's involved with the dragonborns

Dibella - Sanguine. Elements of Mephala too. Maybe Namira as well.

Kynereth - Hircine when he girl modes.

Mara - Mephala if you're cynical, Azura might have something to say about fate

Stendarr - Just boymoding Meridia (not really daedra). That's why the vigilants are Like That

Zenithar - Clavicus Vile. Nocturnal to a degree as well.

Julianos and Arkay I'm less sure about.

Julianos might also be Herma Mora, because of the knowledge domain. He's easily someone who could have multiple personas. Could also be Magnus, as with Stendarr and Meridia overlapping.

Arkay's pretty much Talos and could easily be another story like that.