#nerevar x nerevarine x dagoth ur

[aladaylessecondblog]

any AU with the polycule

Nerevar is the "nooooo let me sleep" guy and Voryn or Sadara have to drag him out

he's not above spreading his legs to convince them to allow a post-sleep nap

[dxwnfxll]

Nerevar: just trying to get a good nights sleep

Dagoth-Ur:

[khaidrate]

Anyone care about Morrowind still?

if there's anyone who cares about some... killing a crazy ex wife content ;), read up! Description:

In the shadow of gods and betrayal, Ralaas, the reluctant Nerevarine, carries the weight of two lives - his own and that of the warrior-king whose soul whispers within him. Faced with the vengeful and broken Almalexia, he must confront the echoes of love, hatred, and sacrifice that bind them all in a web of ancient tragedy.

Blades clash in the heart of a dying city as Nerevar’s spirit pleads for a peace that seems forever out of reach. Amid rage and sorrow, a divine bond shatters, leaving behind only echoes of what once was - a love consumed by ambition and a warrior haunted by memory.

Or, the Nerevarine kills his mentor's ex-wife.

[late-nite-scholar]

Aug 9th (Day 5): Prompt- Forgotten / Devotion

Day 5: Devotion- Dagoth Ur is dead. But Voryn Dagoth survived and now has to deal with that fact, and the fact that everyone and everything he once cared about is gone. But the Nerevarine isn’t quite ready to give up on him— or let him give up— just yet.  Post-game Morrowind (and completed Tribunal expansion), Pre/Early relationship. Rilenna uses they/them pronouns and is not Nerevar. Shameless Nerevoryn shipping (both Nerevar and Nerevarine). Voryn is dramatic and we love him for it.

Voryn Dagoth x Indoril Nerevar, Dunmer Nerevarine x Voryn Dagoth

Prompts by @tes-summer-fest

Warnings- Blood, canon-typical violence

Wordcount- around 1800

(image made in picrew. description in alt text)

***

He hurt. He was recovering, yes, but it would take time for him to regain his strength. His wounds were mostly healed, though the stab that had gone through his body would ache for a long time yet. But he would survive. 

That was part of the hurt. That he survived at all. He shouldn't have. He believed that to his core. It would've been so easy. To make an end of it once and for all. He would have welcomed that fall, to join all his machinations in the lava below. To end things at Red Mountain, where it had all begun and ended and begun again the first time. To die for good, as he should have. 

To be with Nerevar again. 

Ancestors, he missed Neht. His beloved, but never truly his. Circumstance had always kept them apart in some way, no matter how they'd tried. He knew he wasn’t the only one who’d felt that way, but at the time they'd all done what was needed. And he'd done it, gritting his teeth and smiling as he had. His devotion had been absolute; to his House, to his Hortator, and to the First Council’s grand plan to unite and protect their people. And all he’d been rewarded with had been betrayal, death, and then a terrible, corrupt existence. He’d been freed from all that, but had no devotion left to give. Not that there was anything left to devote himself to; everything was long gone. And had he died, perhaps he could have finally been with Nerevar. But he hadn’t died, and it was a terrible, deserved punishment for his many, many sins. 

"Hey Voryn, you wanna go for a walk or should I just leave you here feeling sorry for yourself?" a voice asked in Cyrod-accented Dunmeris, interrupting his thoughts. He looked up; Rilenna stood at the entrance to their cave with their hands on their hips. They grinned. 

"I am an expert on feeling sorry for oneself, but we should get you up and about. We've been here nearly two weeks. I don't know if you plan on staying in this cave forever, but sooner or later I'd like a proper place to sleep." 

"You don't have to stay." He tried to say it offhandedly, like the leaving of the one person who'd shown him kindness in nearly four thousand years wouldn't affect him. 

As he got to his feet and made his way over, they sighed sarcastically. "All that talk of wanting me to come meet you and now you want me to go? 'Come, Sweet Nerevar…’ and all that? I know I'm not Nerevar, but I didn't think my company was that bad!" 

The self-deprecation at the end made something inside him twist. Not for the fact that Rilenna was not truly Nerevar reborn and the inherent mourning in that, but for how they constantly made such digs at themselves. He reached out, and touched their shoulder. 

“I do like your company. But, I don’t want you to feel obligated to stay.” 

Rilenna shrugged. “Where else would I go? Besides, I dragged you out of that volcano, I should at least make sure you can take care of yourself. Especially after I stabbed you. Come on, let’s walk through the trees. It’s a nice day today, we’ll go down to the river, maybe even catch something for supper!” 

“That sounds lovely.”

The walk to the river was slow. He was better, but still easily winded. Rilenna slid their arm around him, their other hand taking his as he started to sag.

“I got you. Is this too much? Should we go back?” Their crimson eyes had gone big, and they chewed their bottom lip as he wheezed. 

“No. Let’s keep going. I’ll be alright.” 

“You don’t look alright.”

“We’ll walk slower. I’ll be fine. It would be nice to sit by the water.” He assured them. They put a hand to his forehead, just above that third eye that was a reminder of what he’d been. They frowned, like a mother checking a child for illness, but nodded. 

“Okay.”   

By the time they got to the river he was glad to drop onto the scrubby grass and sit. The walk, though short, had taken a lot more out of him than he cared to admit. Rilenna hovered over him, pressing a waterskin into his hands.

"Have something to drink." 

He did, and it helped a little. "Thank you." 

"Are you in pain anywhere?" 

Before he could reply, a voice rasped from the trees. "If he's not now, he might be. Or we could avoid that and you two could give us whatever coin and valuables you've got."

A half dozen roughly dressed mer melted out of the forest around them. Despite their ragged appearance, their weapons were honed and well cared for. They surrounded them in a loose circle, taunting grins on their faces.

Rilenna drew their axe. "Fuck you and the guar you rode in on. You're getting nothing from us but an ass kicking." 

"Huh, and here I thought you were a proper Dunmer, but you're just a filthy n'wa….." 

Rilenna's axe clove the man's face in two before he could finish the slur. That stunned the rest for a second, buying them a precious few seconds. Rilenna kicked and swung, knocking the thugs away from Voryn as much as possible. They cast both Weapon and Armor Eater in quick succession before throwing themselves into the fray. And they were relentless. He could only watch in awe, before coming to his senses and casting a barrier spell to keep Rilenna protected from harm. He couldn't do much else. 

One of the bandits saw this, and made for him. He knew he couldn't hold the spell on Rilenna and protect himself at the same time. But nor could he actually fight in his wounded state. He grit his teeth, perhaps if he could…

But the bandit was on him now, delivering a kick to his ribs that sent a shriek through his body. He gasped— in too much pain to scream— as his body curled protectively around itself. Through watered eyes he watched the other man raise his foot again and braced for more. 

The bandit stopped, frozen to the spot. Then a blade went through his neck, separating head from body. The body fell in a heap, head rolling to rest about five feet away. 

The bandits were quiet now, because now they were all dead. He looked around in a daze. Rilenna had made short work of them. He knew they were an indomitable warrior, but he'd never been so close to their raw, aggressive power. Their own duel had been much more civilized, in comparison. He saw now how powerful a battlemage the Nerevarine really was. Rilenna had told him they hadn’t really wanted to fight him, and watching this proved how much they’d held back. He’d been a god, but Rilenna was a god-slayer.   

But now their hands were gentle, probing him for new wounds. Their voice rose with worry. "Are you okay? Did that guy hurt you? Voryn, look at me, talk to me… please." 

He looked up blearily at mention of his name, and beheld a vision that took his breath. Rilenna was splashed with blood as red as their hair; as red as their eyes that still held a feral wildness in them. And that wildness made his heart skip a beat. 

"Voryn?" They asked again softly, pushing back the hair that had fallen into his face. No one had had concern and compassion for him since Neht. Not until this hero, who'd fought him, destroyed everything he'd worked for, and then saved him. 

"I'm… I'm alright." He rasped, throat so suddenly dry he could barely talk. 

"Good. Here, drink this healing draught. I think you could use it." 

They pressed it into his hands and he drank. The warmth of it paled in comparison to the warmth that spread through him as Rilenna wrapped gentle arms around him. 

"I'm so glad you're okay. I saw that one guy kick you and…" They swallowed hard, then continued lightly, "I did a lot of work to keep you from dying once already. I don't wanna do that again. Why don't we move upriver a little? I don't want this to ruin our day. And you could use the fresh air." 

They moved along until they rounded a corner and the bodies were out of sight. Rilenna washed the blood off themselves and spread out their ground blanket for them to sit on. They brought out some snacks and wine and they ate together. The sun was warm and the water cool, and it was just nice. Nicer than either of them could have asked for.  

Later, the two of them argued playfully as they tried to fish with little success. 

"Maybe pull the line a little more?" he suggested, before joking, “I thought you knew how to do this!” 

"No, I'm from the city!" Rilenna cried with mock indignation.  

"A city on a lake!" 

"You think they'd let riff raff like me near the fancy lake estates? Ha! And the parts of the docks that weren’t so nice was no place for a Dunmer kid if you wanted to stay alive. You didn’t fish as a fancy nobleman?”

“I was busy with other things as well!”  

They both laughed, splashing around like kids. Eventually they retired back to the blanket, drinking a little more wine. Voryn was tired now, but by the Ancestors this had been fun.  

He put a hand on Rilenna’s shoulder, though it drifted a little and settled between their shoulder blades. “Thank you. This was a lovely idea.”

“Hey, no problem! We should do this more often, yeah?”

“I’d like that.” 

Sitting like this and enjoying the day, Voryn realized that perhaps he had a little bit of devotion left in him yet. He’d just needed to be shown the right person to give it to. Perhaps it was the last person most would expect; Rilenna was after all the hero who’d been prophesied to be his enemy and defeat him. But they’d also saved him, and the more time they spent together, he knew that it could be no one else. Rilenna was not Nerevar (or even him returned);  they were instead their own gloriously unique person. And though he hadn’t thought it possible, they’d stolen his heart. No, he corrected himself as he met Rilenna’s smile, Not stolen. I give it freely. 

“Watcha thinking?” Rilenna asked, nudging him a little. 

“Just about how fortunate I am.”

Their smile softened, and they leaned their shoulder into his. “That makes two of us.”             

[falmerbrook]

People have probably asked you this before but what is your personal interpretation of The Battle of Red Mountain? Personally, I love the idea of Dagoth being tempted by the heart despite him being the one guy to urge the tools not be used. (Nerevar too to an extent but he’s bad at making decisions)

I just love my tragic six council.

*rubbing my hands together* This is the perfect question for me! I have already given this much thought because I too love drama. So you're getting a bit of an essay; I hope you are ok with that :D. Skip down a bit if you just want just my thoughts on my interpretation, but I'm gonna start by laying out the options and my thoughts on some of the different interpretations first.

So first of all, I don't think there is a canon for it. Both in the sense that I don't think Bethesada or the Morrowind team actually have a solid canon idea of what went down, and that I don't think any one retelling has overwhelming evidence that blows the others out of the water completely (although some have more merit to me than others).

The other strong opinion I have is that I dislike the Dragon Break explanation (at least in the way I see most people present it). Despite Dragon Breaks being one of the more interesting pieces of lore (and one of my favorite watsonian explanations for an in-game thing ever), I think it is the most boring interpretation of the BoRM. I know there's some canon support for it, but it just doesn't speak to me. Like, if every version of the battle could have happened "simultaneously" because of a Dragon Break, then that means that there's a chance no one is lying because the version they tell is truly how they experienced it, even if someone else experienced something else. Where's the fun in that? We're here for tragedy and lies and drama.

So I sort of see there being 6 main versions of what happened that we've been given (with some details changed depending on the exact source): 1) the Ashlander version (descended from the account of Alandro Sul, 2) the Temple version, 3) the Nord version (from the Five Songs of King Wulfharth), 4) the version in the 36 Lessons of Vivec, 5) Vivec's version (as told to the Dissident Priests and the Nerevarine), and 6) Dagoth Ur's version.

The Ashlander version (x) (x) (x) has the Tribunal outside of the mountain fending off the Dwemer army while Nerevar and Voryn fought Dumac and Kagrenac in the Heart Chamber. These put Voryn (and presumably House Dagoth) on the side of the Chimer. Progress of Truth claims the Dwemer destroyed themselves, while Nerevar at Red Mountain claims Azura showed Nerevar how to "use the tools to separate the power of the Heart from the Dwemer people" (whatever that means) and turned them to dust. After that, Nerevar is kinda fucked up, so while Voryn urges him to destroy the tools, he tells Voryn to guard them while he get's the Tribunal's opinion. They're like "let's keep 'em" and he's like "actually never mind I want Azura's opinion" so they poison him, take the tools, and kill Voryn. This one is interesting because the Ashlander mythology and culture seems to be mostly based on oral tradition, so the versions we see of their accounts have been written by scholarly outsiders (obscuring the truth even further). Additionally, they claim this version was passed down from the the account of Alandro Sul, but that leaves a lot of time for this version of the story to change and morph. These are probably, like, 30th level accounts of what happened.

The official Temple version (x) (x) (x) (x) (x) claims Nerevar was martyred in the BoRM, dying of his injuries, and puts House Dagoth and Voryn on the side of the Dwemer. Most of these claim Nerevar killed Dumac and then died from his own injuries (Saint Nerevar specifically claims these were injuries inflicted by Voryn), but don't specify what happened to Voryn or what was going on with the Tribunal during the battle. This version is much more vague about pretty much everything than the Ashlander or Vivec versions. The thing to note with these sources is they are either obviously biased propaganda from the Tribunal Temple or are drawing from obviously biased propaganda from the Tribunal Temple.

The Nord version (x) is way different from the others and for that reason I kinda ignore it to be honest. So in this version (as far as I can tell?) after the War of the First Council kicks up, Voryn drags the Nords into it by telling them he knew where the Heart of Shor (Lorkhan) was. This version seems to put the Nords and House Daogth (including Voryn) on one side and the Chimer and Dwemer on the other. Nerevar and Dumac are still buddies here and fight Voryn and Wulfharth in the Heart Chamber. Voryn kills Dumac. Nerevar kills Voryn. Lorkhan kills Nerevar. Nerevar kills Lorkhan. Alandro Sul is blind now. Vivec might be there.

The 36 Lessons of Vivec version (x) is also one I kinda ignore in terms of what happened during the BoRM since it too is essentially propaganda and largely lies (also I have a hard time understanding it). From my understanding, Vivec puts the Dwemer and Nords against the Chimer. There's sort of an overall placing of the "Sharmat" against the Chimer/Nerevar as well, but no explicit mention of what Voryn or House Dagoth is doing. The Tribunal destroy the Dwemer and "remove them from the world", while Nerever "went too far inside [Red Mountain], seeking the Sharmat [Voryn]" as it exploded. I guess that's how Nerevar dies? Of course, there is also that infamous secret message in the lessons: "He was not born a god. His destiny did not lead him to this crime. He chose this path of his own free will. He stole the godhood and murdered the Hortator. Vivec wrote this."

Vivec's version to the Dissident Priests (x) is probably the most detailed, and one of two that are first hand accounts. In this version, he claims that during the battle Nerevar and Voryn went into the Heart Chamber and fought Dumac and Co., where Nerevar killed him. Kagrenac did something with the Heart and *poof* all of the Dwemer are gone. Voryn tells Nerevar they should destroy the tools, but Nerevar wants to get the Tribunal's opinion. They tell him to keep them, and he agreed under the condition that "the tools would never be used in the profane manner that the Dwemer had intended". Nerevar and the Tribunal go to get the tools from Voryn, but he refuses to give them up, so the gang fights him, gets the tools back, and Voryn escapes. The Tribunal keep their oath for years (Nerevar nebulously stops existing during this time) before using them and pissing off Azura.

Daogth Ur's version (x), claims that he loyally served Nerevar until the end, and Nerevar betrayed him by killing him after telling to him to guard the tools. "Yet beneath Red Mountain, you struck me down as I guarded the treasure you bound me by oath to defend. It was a cruel blow, a bitter betrayal, to be felled by your hand." What a wordsmith!

The one depiction we have of Nerevar's murder is a sketch Kirkbride did for Morrowind's 10th anniversary and it doesn't match a single one of the other versions we have, but because it's visual (and dramatic) it is burned into the fandom zeitgeist so it's worth mentioning.

So none of these line up completely, but there is some significant overlap between a few.

Interestingly, the Ashlander version of the build up to the War of the First Council and the events of the battle itself up until Nerevar goes to chat with the Tribunal is pretty much the same (with the exception of how the Dwemer disappeared) as Vivec's account to the Dissident Priests. Where they differ is in what happened to the Dwemer, Voryn, and Nerevar. To me that makes that sequence of events the most likely of all of the options from a "which is most likely canon" perspective, and the differences between the two come down to bias, with the Alandro Sul and the Ashlanders trying to bolster Nerevar's accomplishments and portray the Tribunal poorly, and Vivec trying to dissuade any suspicion that he killed Nerevar.

Also interestingly, Dagoth Ur's account matches Vivec's pretty closely, with Vivec claiming Nerevar (and the Tribunal) had to fight Voryn to get the tools back, and Dagoth Ur claiming Nerevar killed him (presumably to get the tools back), despite their completely opposing biases. That's gotta mean something. I'm not sure Voryn ever actually says the Tribunal murdered Nerevar now that I'm thinking about it (please correct me if I'm wrong), rather just implies they betrayed him (which could of course include murder though). Meanwhile, Vivec's secret message in the 36 Lessons is basically a murder confession.

This is so messy (in the best way).

SKIP HERE FOR JUST MY THOUGHTS!

So which one do I like? It depends. Like I've said before, I'm here for interpersonal tragedy among Nerevar and Co., so the version I prefer depends on what part of the tragedy you want to focus on. If I want an interpretation of the story that focuses mostly on Nerevar and the Tribunal's relationship, the Ashlander version where they murder him is the most juicy. But a version where he dies from his fight with Voryn, and the Tribunal watch him die, might be the most tragic. If I want the focus on Nerevar and Voryn's messiness, then perhaps his version where Nerevar kills him is the best fit. If I want a focus on Nerevar and Dumac, perhaps Nerevar dies from those wounds. One of my favorite things about Morrowind is that there is no right interpretation, so you can mix and match for the circumstances of what kind of story you want to tell! You don't even have to be consistent. So much angst potential! So much fun to be had!

If I had to create a best ""canon"" interpretation though based on all of those versions I just detailed, it would be this: Following the Ashlanders' and Vivec's account of the build up to the battle, with the Dwemer (and Nords and Orcs are there too I guess idc) on one side and all of the Chimer houses and tribes on the other, Nerevar, Voryn, and Alandro Sul (among others) end up in the Heart Chamber while the Tribunal lead the charge against the bulk of the Dwemer army outside of the mountain. During the fight in the Heart Chamber, Nerevar and Dumac fight one-on-one, ending with Nerevar very injured, but having killed Dumac (it's tragic and emotional. Poor Nerevar). With Dumac's death, the direction of the battle turns to Kagrenac, who is messing with the tools and the Heart. Knowing everything is about to close in on him, Kagrenac does... something... to the Heart and the Dwemer all disappear (I personally like to think it was a lot less planned and perfected than most like to think. It was a panic move). His tools are left behind, and Voryn gets them and tells Nerevar they should destroy them, considering what they just saw and what he knows personally of Kagrenac. Nerevar is pretty delirious and distressed, and doesn't trust himself enough to make the decision. Knowing he hadn't trusted the Tribunal as much as he should have about the Dwemer leading up to this point, he decides it would be best to get their input. He tells Voryn to stay with the tools, and while Voryn is hesitant to be there alone (that could be because he is nervous to be in the presence of the Heart with the tools, or because he doesn't want Nerevar alone with the Tribunal or getting their advice), Nerevar trusts him fully. He is helped out of the mountain and to the Tribunal, who are dealing with the aftermath of the Dwemer disappearing. Note that at this point in their lives, they are annoyed and frustrated with his leadership, and don't trust his decision making too much. They urge him to keep the tools, and he is not thrilled about it, but relents because he is tired. They all rest a few hours, and then go back into Red Mountain to get Voryn and the tools. There, for whatever reason, Voryn won't give them back (I'll get back to why in a minute), and things escalate very quickly, with the situation ending with Nerevar having killed him. Nerevar, now having killed two of his closest friends over this, changes his mind and decides against using the tools, making the Tribunal swear an oath to never use them, period. They aren't thrilled about this, and their animosity towards Nerevar just grows. They either bide their time and wait for Nerevar to die, or kill him themselves sometime after this, after which they use the tools and piss off Azura.

So back to the topic of Voryn, your point about him is interesting. I feel like there's so many ways to interpret him in this situation and how exactly he was invovled. How did he find out about what the Dwemer (or at least Kagrenac) were doing? What side was he on during the war? Was House Dagoth on his side? Did he mess with the tools when he was left alone with them? If he did, why?

Knowing he was probably closer with Dumac and Kagrenac (whether that be personally and/or politically) than most other Chimer, that could explain how he knew about the heart. I've had a thought in the past that perhaps one of them straight up showed him the Heart and the Numidium, which spurred him to warn Nerevar about it. What if that exposure to it fucked with his head a little, like radiation? Afterwards, he could always feels it's pull and beating, and it only got stronger when he got closer to the mountain. It's like a drug that gets you hooked instantly. My thought was perhaps that was the reason why 1) he is hesitant to watch the tools (and be alone with the Heart), 2) wanted the tools destroyed, knowing first hand how maddeningly powerful the Heart is, and 3) he gave in and messed with the Heart when left alone. There is a delightful irony to him being the first of the Chimer to use the tools despite being the one to most strongly urge not to.

On the other hand, it is from Vivec's account to the Dissident Priests that we get the idea that he had messed with the tools when left alone with them, and of course Vivec has reason to portray Dagoth Ur as insane and unreasonable and corrupted by the Heart to the priests. Perhaps though, Voryn had been faithful and hadn't done anything with them, and was instead unwilling to give the tools to Nerevar because he didn't want them in the hands of the Tribunal, who he believed wouldn't be so noble. Vivec only depicts this as an irrational and power hungry move as projection. On that note, I wish we could've gotten Almalexia and Sotha Sil's account of what happened. I'm sure they'd be just as dubious as Vivec's, but they would've been fun to analyze.

One last thing, I've always been curious about House Dagoth's involvement in the War of the First Council. While the Temple puts them on the side of the Dwemer, it's pretty safe to say this is a form of propaganda to make them look bad after their house was disbanded and essentially erased from history. Other sources give little mention of House Dagoth, but mention their leader, Voryn, as serving under Nerevar, so it's likely the house was on his side as well. I have had the curious idea before though that perhaps House Dagoth, having been more closely aligned and politically/culturally similar to the Dwemer compared to the other houses, had a fracturing caused by the war, with some following Voryn's leadership on the side of the Chimer, and others following the Dwemer. This could explain the conflicting accounts of whose side they were on (ignoring the propaganda angle). But that's more AU than a headcanon.

Anyway, TLDR: it depends! There is no one account that is particularly more canon than others (although i think some are more reliable than others). Different scenarios maximize different drama for different characters, so my interpretation depends on what you want to get out of depicting that battle!

Oh my god I am so sorry this is so long. I'm sure you didn't want this much, but I just have so many thoughts and I figured his would be a good opportunity to vomit them all into the world. If anyone actually read this whole thing, I appreciate you greatly!!

[thana-topsy]

40. Nerevar X Voryn! Tear my heart right out!

(also maybe 32. Nerevarine X Dagoth for super tragic mirroring?)

Alright, I'm sorry, I had to go with Nerevarine x Dagoth Ur because.... horror writing. Fucked Up Dreams. Yessss Gooood. Hope you ... enjoy? CW: disturbing imagery -- on par with the usual Morrowind dream sequences, but slightly hornier.

---

Nerevarine x Dagoth Ur "A kiss to wake up." (457 words)

The dreams begin as they always do: a tall, dark figure wearing a golden mask beckons you forward.

He is speaking to you, his voice pleasant and deep, tickling the center of your chest where your own heart pounds like a drum. He speaks in a language that is long dead to you, yet you feel the meaning behind his words take root, like the familiar ache of an old injury poorly healed.

He takes you by the hand, his long fingers cool to the touch, tipped red—with blood or paint, you cannot tell—and leads you through a barren wasteland. The buildings around you stand like empty crypts, their denizens risen from ash and bone to stare as you pass. Their gaping mouths locked in silent screams, jaws hanging crooked, eyeless sockets watching.

The ground is hot beneath your feet. He wraps your arm around his like you are wedded. The air is filled with smoke, the horizon hazy and red-rimmed. It burns your lungs, scraping like tiny claws. 

“There are many rooms in the house of the Master,” says the figure. “Be still in your trembling, for from the hands of your enemies I have delivered you.”

A mountain looms before you, impossibly large, and the ground begins to tilt as you walk. As you ascend the mountain he is no longer at your side. The ground curves upwards ahead of you, a sheer cliff face. You climb, digging your hands into the dirt and rock, your fingernails tearing, the fear of death thrumming through your veins. The ground rumbles beneath you, alive. 

Tha-thump—tha-thump 

You lose your grip and your stomach lurches as you fall backwards, but you are caught. Long arms, longer fingers, circling your chest, climbing the front of your neck to hold you by your throat. 

“Look,” he says into your ear. “Look upon the Heart.” 

You close your eyes, squeezing them shut. Spiraling fractals and distorted faces dance through the blackness.

“Look,” he insists. 

He is in front of you now, your face in his hands. “Look upon your Lord.” 

You open your eyes. 

Too many teeth. Too many eyes. Pulsing terror as primal as an Ashlander’s war drum.   

Tha-thump—tha-thump 

You open your mouth to scream and he brings his face to yours. His kiss sears like lava, thick as tar, foul and bitter, pushing into your mouth. And you swallow him. He slides into your gut and you feel him inside you, moving, pulsing in and out. 

Tha-thump—tha-thump 

It is ecstasy and terror and you cannot breathe, deep pleasure striking like lightning, crashing and thundering, swelling into a cacophonous symphony of agonized wails inside your head.

You awaken screaming, heat and slickness between your legs and dread in your heart. 

[fictionkinfessions]

canon squicks…… I hate when people portray me/me as the Nerevarine as if i hate Dagoth Ur’s GUTS and wanted to kill him

like yeah i guess canonically speaking that’s probably how i should have felt but my timeline was a little……… weird and ambiguously canon divergent in some ways… he wasn’t really evil, and i knew that cause hes MY OTHER HALF. i knew even the first time that he had no actual malice in his soul and i still listened to the Tribunal— oh, but uh…. thats a rant for another day, lol….

-Nerevar, the Elder Scrolls Morrowind

#stxrdust🌌

(ps im so sorry for sending so much to the inbox i have so many thoughts and this kinshift is hitting me like a sword in my back— i mean, like a bus! it’s hitting me like a bus….)

x

[plagues01]

[t-aevory]

Voryn Dagoth x Nerevar Indoril

[revel-priest]

TWO SOULS & HEARTLESS-

For the Nerevarine & the Sharmat who were damned from the beginning...

To be divinity, to crave mortality, was this the cosmic joke?

He lent down and kissed her, plucked aetherius from her lips. Slow at first, he was careful to taste each and every part of her soul. He savored the taste as his hands held her face to his; the Sharmat had waited a long time for his Lord to return to him and he was not eager to hurry this moment on. He was pained from how long he dreamed and this was the only thing that had eased his desire.

Brought to the waters of godhood, the Nerevarine was to become his forever more here within the heart of Red Mountain.

[ Archive of our Own ]

[aladaylessecondblog]

any au with the polycule, nsft

voryn going back to the bedroom and finding sadara railing nerevar with a strapon or something

sitting down somewhere in the corner like

"no, no, continue. just let me get comfortable."

anyway he teases nerevar about how his natural place is on his knees or smth and how wet he is when being submissive

imagine if there was a spell or something for her to knock him up. the begging nerevar would be doing.

[dxwnfxll]

Thought this audio would suit them when i heard it KMAO

(Added silt strider sounds cause why not)

[kagrenacs]

Explaining the Iceberg #4

I covered most things in this, but not everything. Every previous post I’ve made describing the tes iceberg I found on google image search can be found here x

Lorkhan’s purposeful failure: Lorkhan was the first spirit to go beyond the universe to see the tower, but didn’t achieve CHIM. He likely did this on purpose to show others how not to do it, and to demonstrate that it was difficult for et’ada to achieve this state because they simply don’t have the boundaries (such as death) that mortals do.

The World-Egg: The universe and the 12 previous Kalpas, everything within existence

The Khajiit Tower: this reddit thread https://www.reddit.com/r/teslore/comments/3oh7wf/the_khajiit_tower/ for everyone’s sake i’ll spare you the details of Jungian psychology, TL;DR the khajiit are a ‘tower’ made to hold up the universe and aspects of this

The Grabbers: Mentioned in the 36 lessons, a race of people in Lyg who are said to ‘have never built a city of their own’ there are theories that these are in fact Magne-Ge, due to their connection to Lyg by Mehrunes Dagon

AE: ‘is’ in ehlnofex, can be interpreted as a state of being

Shezzar became Akatosh: The only solid reference i could find was this thread, that immediately discusses how this is probably incorrect http://www.gamesas.com/could-lorkhan-have-jyggalag-t74581-25.html

The Monkey-Truth: Markuth’s teachings, also a website of tes fanfiction writers and roleplayers 

Red Moment: The potential Dragon Break at Red Mountain

The Provisional House: Mentioned in the 36 Lessons, called ‘a space that is not a space’ that Vivec observes the events of Nirn from. It may possibly protect Vivec from dangers associated with this.

Alandro Sul: The Shield-Companion to Nerevar. Sometimes called ‘the immortal-son of Azura’. After being blinded by Wulfharth, he went to live with the Ashlanders of Vvardenfell and is credited with spreading the idea that the Tribunal killed Nerevar

CHIM: To put simply, the process and state where a person realizes their place within the universe and is able to manipulate the laws of the universe as they see fit. Often associated with the concept of ‘Love’

Skaal Secrets: Discussed in the Dragonborn DLC, it’s unknown what their secrets are, but the Skaal report that they’ve kept them a secret from Hermaeus Mora for generations

The World’s Teeth: Mentioned in the 36 lessons of Vivec, sermon 17. Vivec takes Nerevar to the edge of the world, where they see ‘the bottom row of the world’s teeth’ as Vivec states. This may possibly reference a glitch in Redguard. (as a side note: The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild, a game that’s confirmed to have taken inspiration from the Elder Scrolls, has an area on the map, near the edge of the world with a row of spikes similar to what’s described here. This might be just coincidence, but I sure enjoy it)

Dagoth Ur’s Endgame: Speculation on what Dagoth Ur’s final plans actually are. He speaks of his desire to remove the Empire from Morrowind, and unite the Dunmer under the 6th House, but beyond that there’s little to go off of.  Ultimately this is just speculation and theories, mostly on what he plans to do with the Anumidium, and how that could possibly have adverse affects on reality.

Pelinal Cyborg from the Future: Another bit of obscure MK lore that’s not implemented in-game. This derives from the description of Pelinal having a ‘left hand made of a killing light’  ‘PELIN-EL [which is] "The Star-Made Knight" [and he] was arrayed in armor [from the future time].’ and his survival of being decapitated. While the text directly states he is from the future, there’s no ingame canon text stating he is a cyborg.

Reymon Ebonarm is Reman: The thought that Ebonarm, a God of War is the same person as Reman, emperor of Cyrodiil. There’s several theories dedicated to this, with different variants on the specifics.

The Enantiomorph: Directly tied to the concept of mantling and the Fourth Walking Way. Put simply, there are three participants in this. Two combatants who are very much alike and trying to become the ‘Ruling King’ and an observer who determines who wins, this observer usually becomes maimed as a result of this. 

The Third Moon: Two different things, a metaphorical or literal secret moon important to the Khajiit that only appears when Masser and Secunda are aligned, preceding the birth of a Mane. The second option is the Necromancer’s Moon, the godly form of Mannimarco.

The Walkabout: A concept in Yokudan religion. The process of spirits surviving one Kalpa to the next, facilitated by Tall Papa

White-Gold Doomsday device: I remember reading this theory a few years back, unfortunately I cannot find the exact page for the life of me. The Tl;DR on this is the White-Gold Tower is a weapon of mass destruction, either literally or in metaphysical terms (being connected to Akatosh and it’s status as a Tower). The closest thing I can find to it is this thread which describes the motives of Umbra in the novels, and how it could potentially take over Tamriel using the White-Gold Tower http://www.gamesas.com/doomsday-scenario-t69430.html

Jiub was the Nerevarine: Self explanatory, headcanon that Jiub was the Nerevarine, similar to a headcanon on tumblr that stated Teldryn Sero was the Nerevarine

House Dwemer: Mentioned as a House within The War of the First Council (which is written by an Imperial for Western Scholars) and The Lost Prophecy (written by a Dunmer) This could be interpreted in a couple different ways. A) The first book was certainly written for western readers, while there is no evidence for this being the case for the latter, it can’t be ruled out. ‘House’ is used as a simplification B) The Dwemer were considered a house, but perhaps not in the way we would initially think (being on the Great House Council)  They were grouped into a singular entity, rather than distinct clans within a cultural group (either during the First Council or posthumously) 

When Dead Gods Dream: https://www.imperial-library.info/content/when-dead-gods-dream referencing this thread. Discusses the mechanisms of Dagoth Ur’s godhood, the thread explains it better than I can here, TL;DR Dagoth Ur is not alive, but he is within the realms of gods and therefor is able to ‘project’ himself onto Tamriel and the minds of his followers.

Khajiit ended the Metheric Era: Nothing found for this

Parabolic Kalpa: A parabola is a symmetrical U-shaped curve. This theory essentially tries to explain why Skyrim is so low magic, compared to it’s history or even ESO. The thought is that as time goes on, the world becomes less connected to Divinity. Towers are destroyed and the gods are gone, but eventually things will begin to kick off again, and there will be a rise in magic, technology and the connection to these beings. Essentially tries to explain why C0da and Loveletter from the 5th era are more high magic compared to the actual games. 

Sithis: Secret Lesson from Vivec: Connects the both Sithis with the 36 lessons by terminology (The Sharmat, false dreamer ect.) and proposes Vivec may have written the book

Bendu Olo: Colovian King, may have been related to Olaj Olo, nordic demigod of mead. Also used as a placeholder name for the player character in Oblivion and the name of the dev’s test character in Skyrim

Trinimac still lives: An ESO lorebook states the Ashpit, realm of Malacath, extends into Aetherius. Some orcs also believe Malacath is nothing more than a demon presenting himself as the remnants of Trinimac. A r/teslore theory states that Malacath wears two faces. While I assume this is the Iceberg author’s sole reference, I propose this could (should) refer to another theory. (Another theory is similar to this on teslore, proposed around the same time, but this one connects the dots)  https://boethiah.tumblr.com/post/621058598373588993/tsun-is-the-shield-brother-of-shor-and-trinimac 

The Aedra are Dead: Seemingly a common topic on teslore. A basic concept in tes, the Aedra gave most of their powers to Mundus to stabilize it.  Their bodies remain as planets, and they can only have limited interactions with Nirn. 

Divayth Fyr was the Hero of Battlespire: An old theory that looks at artifacts in Divayth Fyr’s possession and ties them back to the tes spinoff Battlespire. There are holes in this theory (Divayth Fyr was a seasoned mage at the time the hero was an apprentice)

Three Talin’s: The default name given to the Eternal Champion is Talin, a character creation scenario proposes that their father was also named Talin, and finally Uriel Septim VII’s general was named Talin Warhaft.

Pelagius I was killed by the Underking: The Arcturian Heresy states that the Underking appeared as an advisor to Pelagius I, who was assassinated by the Dark Brotherhood. This theory is a possibility considering the amminosity between Tiber Septim and both components of the Underking. 

Tsaesci Goa’uld: Goa’uld are a species from Stargate that are parasites towards humans. This theory proposes that the Tsaesci are similar, explaining the inconsistencies of their appearance within the lore.

Lunar currency: The thought that the Aedra and Daedra use mortal souls like currency

Historic Star Inconsistencies: Possibly referring to the variations of the number of days within the year in Arena, not sure about this one

Mnemoli/Star Orphans:Mnemoli is either a specific Magne-Ge (spirits that fled the creation of Mundus after Magnus), or a group of them that only appears during a Dragon Break (often nicknamed the ‘Blue Star’) MK states that they’re the writers and distributors of the physical Elder Scrolls (however this contradicts ingame books, so take it with a grain of salt). Star Orphans may or may not refer to Magne-Ge as a whole. Vehk’s book of hours state's them as a ‘group or tribe’ regardless, Mnemoli falls under this secondary classification (along with Merid-Nuda and Xero-Lyg, I have my own thoughts on this which would be better explained in another post) 

Bosmer Hircine worship: Seemingly referring to a thread on 4pleb, I will not be summarizing this theory here because I’m smart and not going onto 4pleb of all places. But from canon content, Bosmer do not worship Hircine, and consider him a force that goes against Y’ffre and wants to return everything to it’s original state of chaos before the earthbones (Y’ffre being among them) stabilized things 

Septimus Signus Zero Sum: The theory that the aforementioned zero-summed at the end of Discerning the Transmundane in Skyrim. Essentially Septimus is in a fragile state, delving into the secrets of the universe and is being pushed by Hermaeus Mora, who may see him as a lab rat, into discovering things he isn’t meant to handle as a mortal, and consequently Zero-Sums. There’s holes in this, namely Zero-Summing supposedly removes all trace of existence. 

The Soft Doctrines of Magnus Invisible: A very obscure text by Douglas Goodall, discusses the binding of various gods

Abnegaurbic creed: An overly fancy word basically meaning religious beliefs, seen in Nu-Hattia Exerpt 

Dunmereth: A Nordic term for the area of Morrowind, during their occupation of it

Fifteen-and-One Golden Tones: A Dwemer term, possibly referring to the spheres of the Daedra, counting Sheo/Jyggalag as a singular entity. Also, the Dwemer swear by these 

Ideal Masters are God of Worms remnants: As Mannimarco is often said to be the first Lich, the existence of the ideal masters seems to contradict this (similar story with Azidal) this tries to rectify this by proposing that the Soul Carin is the Necromancer’s Moon, and the ideal masters are remnants of Mannimarco. This theory doesn’t hold up when examined, but is cool nonetheless. 

Sermon 37: Found in ESO, an extra sermon to the 36 lessons, ties in concepts present in c0da like amaranth. (interestingly on this list Sermon Zero is never mentioned, despite it being older and more interesting imo, but to discuss that would require lots of work)

Flying Whales: Mentioned in Aldudagga. A now extinct species. The bone bridge of Sovngarde could potentially be a reference to this.

Joy-Snow: It’s cocaine 

Mankar=Tharn: A theory that Mankar Cameron is Jagar Tharn, doesn’t hold much weight and relies mostly on the connection of Mehrunes Dagon

Sharmat: A term used to describe Dagoth Ur, an opposite to the Hortator, a force uniting people for evil. Implied to mean or be associated with ‘the False Dreamer’ a person whose view of the universe is similar to someone whose achieved CHIM, but sees themself as the center of it all, rather than a droplet in the ocean of the universe.

Pankratosword: A forbidden Yokudan sword technique that could ‘cut atoms’ similar to our modern day Nuclear Fission. A bit of etymology here, ‘Pankrato’ seems to refer to the word ‘Pankrator’ meaning all-powerful or almighty. 

Landfall: A concept from MK, a future event where Nirn is destroyed by the Numidium, and the people remaining relocate to the moons. 

Cylarne: The oldest ruin in the Shivering Isles, rumored to be the original capital. Home to the Cold Flame of Agnon

[late-nite-scholar]

TES Shiptober- Dream

I have no explanation for this. It just happened. Prompts by @hombrediablo

Wordcount- 830-ish

Warnings-language

Dagoth Ur x Nerevarine (who is not described, vaguely implied to be Dunmer)

made in picrew. description in alt text

***

It was the moment. The moment. The Nerevarine, walking down the path toward him. In the space of a few heartbeats, the fate of everything would be decided. 

“Welcome, Sweet Nerevar, to this place where destiny is made.” A practiced line. He’d had plenty of time to think about what to say when this all finally occurred. 

But the Nerevarine seemed much less impressed. They bared their teeth, snarling at him. “Don’t you fucking ‘Sweet Nerevar’ me! Not after you spent months teasing me!” 

This was not how this conversation was supposed to go. The outburst caught him off-guard, and he found himself answering more honestly than intended. “I am not sure I understand what you mean.”

“Nix shit you don’t!” Stabbing a multi-ringed finger at him, the Nerevarine glared daggers. “Months of dreams, Dagoth. Months. And I didn’t care that they went in that direction. Cool, cool, you and Nerevar were lovers, let’s do it up. But not once did you see things all the way through! You cut me off every single time!”

“I ended nothing before resolution. You were the one who left before the… climax of things, Sweet Nerevar. I was willing to overlook such a slight. Perhaps you did not feel ready. I do not hold a grudge for that. But to accuse me…”

“I didn’t end shit!” The Nerevarine shouted. 

“No, I did.” A new voice spoke, and they both froze. The third floated not far from the Nerevarine, putting on their best patient teacher look. Dagoth rolled his eyes behind his mask. 

“You are not supposed to be here at this time, Vivec,” Dagoth pointed out. 

“I thought perhaps I should set the record straight. Especially since this is not why this meeting is supposed to occur.”

“You’re the one that’s been cockblocking me all this time?” The Nerevarine launched themselves at Vivec, knocking them both to the ground. Dagoth watched for a few moments, as they cussed and swore. Then they were shaking Vehk, slapping him until the flame that wreathed his head went out. Vehk seemed too bewildered to do anything in response, cowering back from the angry hero. 

Eventually, after standing awkwardly for a few moments, Dagoth felt compelled to do something. He gently pulled the Nerevarine away from Vivec. 

“I think he understands. You don’t have to keep going.” 

Tears ran from the crimson eyes of the Nerevarine as they shouted one last time, “I trusted you! But you were just going to treat me like you treated him! You told me you didn’t know what was going on!”

“Nerevarine, please…”

“I don’t ever want to see you again, Vivec. I know what happened last time, and I don’t trust you anymore.”

He disappeared again, and Dagoth watched the spot for a moment before asking, “What happens now, Nerevarine? Our meeting has been interrupted most rudely.”

The Nerevarine moved closer, looking up at him as their hand reached up to rest on his chest. “I would like, now that we no longer have any interruptions, to finish what we started so many times before. If you wish to as well, Voryn?” 

As the Nerevarine spoke his given name, Dagoth knew he would not refuse.  

***

“I don’t understand, gahata…” The child (though not for much longer) crossed their arms at their grandfather. “That doesn’t seem right.”

“But I remember it! The Blights lifted, the Dreamers returned. Those who had been afflicted also returned, cured. Sometime later the Nerevarine descended from the mountain, dressed in the colors and sigils of the Sixth House and with the Sharmat on their arm. They told us they were leaving for a honeymoon in Akavir and we haven’t seen or heard from them even two hundred years later. I was youngin’, but that kind of thing stays with someone their whole life.”

“The Temples don’t say that’s what happened.”

“You think the Temples are going to spread a story like that? No boy, they needed something cleaner, something palatable. So they have their version. Not that it really matters, it all got sorted in the end, didn’t it?” 

As the child left, the grandfather retreated to a back room in the house, carrying two mugs of tea. He gave one to a hooded figure, huddled on a pallet bed. The figure’s shoulders shook with the ghost of a laugh as a red eye and a gold eye reflected from inside the hood.  

“Thank you. You know they’ll never believe you, young man? The story is too far-fetched, even for the truth.”

“But I still have to try, M’Lord. And I’m no young man anymore.”

“Indeed. And I have almost finished fading. I’ve been without my power so long I’ve forgotten it. It’s almost time. Perhaps we will go together.”

“Well, M’Lord, I’d be quite honored if it came to that. After takin’ you in and getting to know you all these years.”

“Thank you, my friend.”

The two old men drank their tea in silence after that, lost in their thoughts.       

[foulserpent]

You've probably already answered this but I can't find the post. How does dusty feel about being the ~reincarnation~ of nerevar? Do they believe it? Is it a lot of pressure?

big mixed bag

they have like.. identity issues and have always lacked a defined sense of self, place, belonging. as well as having just like an actual psychotic disorder and difficult perception of reality. so theres a period where its like  “well this is bullshit but i guess this is a use for myself” and then eventually “maybe this is why i am the way i am” and they start embracing it.

but at the same time its like. they start to feel Greater Forces at play actively molding them into nerevar. and like some things that strikingly remind them of past manipulation by a very mundane abuser. and like during the events of morrowind theyre trying to start over and kind of define their own identity, theyre also coming to terms with their transgender stuff and realizing they have some connection to womanhood, so theres periods where theyre very resistant to it. and points where its like “no, im not this guy. im me”. 

but THEN towards the end it starts getting realy bad. hallucinations, scars appearing on their body, memories that arent theirs, etc they completely self isolate and start spiralling. its  a constant “i am being manipulated i am being taken advantage of” vs “no this is me im the incarnate this is me”.. and by the time they actually get to dagoth ur theyre able to tell him “i dont think im nerevar but it doesnt matter anymore and im gonna kill you lol” and hes like “cheers”

so yeah its like…they go back and forth on believing it and their eventual conclusion is that maybe they are a reincarnation, maybe not, but either way they were shaped by forces beyond them and either way theyve been inextricably connected to nerevar on some metaphysical level. they dont know the word “mantling” but theyve come to understand the concept, and are trying to reverse that . and the only way to detach is to “kill” the nerevarine and “kill” nerevar.

(heres some relevant posts [x] [x] [x] [x] [x])

[dross-the-fish]

Current WIP I am a lowkey Nerevar x Dagoth fan. I always imagine the Nerevarine feels just a little strange seeing Dagoth Ur face to face, maybe even has little flashbacks of Nerevar’s life. Anyway, I’m gonan keep playing with this. Feedback would be appreciated. Aimless chatting about morrowind is also welcome. Gonna work on coloring this off and on throughout the week.