second era - THE SKY FORGE2024-03-28T17:29:13Zhttps://TheSkyForge.ning.com/groups/the-lore-group/lore-reports/feed/tag/second+eraElder Scrolls Lore Report - Manny the Wormy Mammoth, Empty Moons, No-Lag Balhttps://TheSkyForge.ning.com/groups/the-lore-group/lore-reports/elder-scrolls-lore-report-manny-the-wormy-mammoth2024-01-03T01:42:00.000Z2024-01-03T01:42:00.000ZFimvul, the Psijic Loremasterhttps://TheSkyForge.ning.com/members/Fimvul<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12344649894?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p> </p>
<p>Mannimarco is, perhaps, the most prolific necromancer in The Elder Scrolls Cosmology. At the height of his power, he was poised to supplant Molag Bal and become the new God of Schemes, but he was ultimately thwarted. His legacy, however, remains imprinted upon the stars. But what, pray tell, is his legacy?</p>
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<p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}12344650479,RESIZE_1200x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-full" src="{{#staticFileLink}}12344650479,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="710" alt="12344650479?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a> </p>
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<p>Thereafter the Dragon Break of the Middle Dawn, brought about by the Marukhati Selectives, a splinter sect of the Alessian Order, sometime between the 13<sup>th</sup> and 23<sup>rd</sup> centuries of the First Era, during their attempted exorcism of elements of Auriel from the Imperial Akatosh. Allegedly, according to Psijic Loremaster Celarus, it was the corrupted and abused use of the Staff of Towers that tore a “impossibly dense aurbic gyre” that resulted in the Dragon Break, though exactly whom misused the staff, he did not specify. Despite the Dragon Break of the Middle Dawn being the only universally-known Breaking, there were many civilizations who claimed to have been protected. It was during this breaking that Mannimarco perceived his mystery.</p>
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<p> <em>Where Were You When the Dragon Broke?</em></p>
<p><em> Various accounts of the Dragon Break</em></p>
<p><em> Mannimarco, God of Worms, Necromancers:</em></p>
<p><em>“”</em>The three thieves of Morrowind could tell you where they were. So could the<br /> High King of Alinor, who was the one who broke it in the first place. There are others on this earth that could, too: Ysmir, Pelinal, Arnand the Fox, or should I say Arctus? The Last Dwarf would talk, if they would let him. As for myself, I was here and there and here again, like the rest of the mortals during the Dragon Break. How do you think I learned my mystery? The Marukhati Selectives showed us all the glories of the Dawn so that we might learn, simply: as above, so below.”</p>
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<p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}12344650491,RESIZE_1200x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-full" src="{{#staticFileLink}}12344650491,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="710" alt="12344650491?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a></p>
<p><em>(the Staff of Towers, as seen in </em>The Elder Scolls Online: Summerset<em>)</em></p>
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<p>Though it is not revealed until much, much later in his life, the “mystery” that was revealed to Mannimarco during the Breaking of the Dawn was actually quite straightforward, for the most part. Keeping in mind that the Breaking was brought about by an attempt to separate Auriel from Akatosh, the mystery is quite simple to unravel: Mannimarco saw he was destined to bring Nirn and Oblivion together through the Amulet of Kings by which he could use its power to supplant Molag Bal and become a god. As for how exactly he determined how he might achieve this? We have the Psijic Order to thank.</p>
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<p>Some few hundred years following the Dragon Break, in the early Second Era, Mannimarco joined the Psijic Order alongside Vanus Galerion. Mannimarco was said to be incredibly keen-minded, dutifully diligent in his studies, always yearning to learn new things, but that his heart was “dark and cold” and almost polar contrast to Galerion, who was described as “bright and warm” – if not also equally driven. Through his studies in Mysticism, which the Psijics favored above all other aspects of magic, Mannimarco began to delve into soul trapping which inevitably led to necromancy – though the manipulation of souls was not taboo to the Psijics, they not only frowned upon necromancy, they prohibited it. For a time, Mannimarco kept his nefarious studies secret, but, eventually, Galerion discovered what Mannimarco was up to and threatened to inform the Loremaster if he didn’t stop. Ultimately, Mannimarco was exiled from Artaeum and cast from the Psijic Order for his dark interests. Unfortunately, Mannimarco had already learned what he needed from the Psijics and spent the next several decades gathering a group of followers to brainwash into his mind-slaves.<a href="{{#staticFileLink}}12344650868,RESIZE_1200x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}12344650868,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="209" height="208" alt="12344650868?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a></p>
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<p>As the decades passed, Mannimarco drew about himself a vast cult of necromancers, dubbing themselves the Order of the Black Worm. He was described as one of the first true, undying Liches, despite there being evidence of several immortal liches before him. His body and mind left him, his blood became acid, and he became a living, moving corpse. All manner of profane things happened about him and he was dubbed “King of Worms”.</p>
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<p>Some three hundred years after his expulsion from the Psijic Order, in Second Era Year 578, Mannimarco joined the Five Companions, a group of adventurers who had made it their goal to recover the lost Amulet of Kings during the Interregnum. Emperor Varen Aquilarios of Cyrodiil lead the faction and desired the Amulet so he could reignite the Dragonfires and persuade Akatosh to make him Dragonborn, thus legitimizing his claim to the throne – other members were Lyris Titanborn, a Nord warrior said to possess the heart of a giant who served as the Emperor’s personal bodyguard; Sai Sahan, a Redguard and Captain of the Dragonguard; Abnur Tharn, Chancellor of the Elder Council and Varen’s advisor, as well as the Imperial Battlemage; and Mannimarco, who was unknown to most of the group but held great influence with Varen and claimed he knew how to conduct the Dragonfire Ritual.. A year later, they discovered the Amulet of Kings and Mannimarco betrayed the group and corrupted the ritual, severing the ancient bond between Akatosh and mortals. The triggering catastrophe was a massive explosion of arcane energy, sweeping across all of Nirn, setting it adrift in Mundus. This explosion, referred to by the Elder Scrolls as the Soulburst, sundered Nirn and left it vulnerable to Oblivion, allowing Molag Bal’s Coldharbour to begin to fuse with Nirn, an event known as the Planemeld.</p>
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<p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}12344650689,RESIZE_1200x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-left" src="{{#staticFileLink}}12344650689,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="244" height="244" alt="12344650689?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a>As Molag Bal began to invade Nirn, Mannimarco invaded Coldharbour, desiring to use the Amulet of Kings to siphon away Bal’s power and become a god. However, as he infiltrated Coldharbour, he lost the Amulet of Kings. It was recovered by Sai Sahan, who brought it back to Sancre Tor and protected it behind a Ward of Stendarr. When Mannimarco uncovered its location three years later, he went to retrieve it, only to be confronted by the Five Companions – Varen Aquilarios, Lyris Titanborn, Sai Sahan, Abnur Tharn, and the Vestige. A short but brutal battle led to Mannimarco’s defeat and his soul was captured by Molag Bal, who tortured Mannimarco for betraying him – similar to how Mannimarco had promised the Five Companions he could reignite the Dragonfires, he promised Molag Bal he would bring him to Nirn and let it become one with Coldharbour. However, Mannimarco managed to escape and returned to Nirn. Sometime during this, the Vestige and the rest of the Five Companions ended the Planemeld, returning Coldharbour to Oblivion and Nirn to Mundus.</p>
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<p>Mannimarco wouldn’t return with a new scheme until Third Era Year 405, when he began searching for the Totem of Tiber Septim, which would allow him to revive and control Numidium, buried deep in the Scourge Barrow crypts in the Dragontail Mountains. His goal was to use the Totem to cause the Mantella to fall from Aetherius and capture it before it could reach Numidium. Using its power, he intended to ascend his mortal frame – to what end is uncertain, the likely theory to join the ranks of the Daedric Lords in Oblivion. In order to locate the Totem, he involved himself in the affairs surrounding the Iliac Bay, coming into contact with an agent of Uriel Septim VII. It is known that this agent – whether with the aid of Mannimarco or despite him – did retrieve the Totem and returned the Mantella to Nirn, but the events directly following are unknown because of the Warp in the West.</p>
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<p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}12344651062,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-full" src="{{#staticFileLink}}12344651062,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="640" alt="12344651062?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a> <em>(the Iliac Bay region prior to the events of the </em>Warp in the West<em>, as seen in </em>The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall; the fate of the Isle of Balfiera remains unknown)</p>
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<p>The Warp in the West – known as the Miracle of Peace or the Second Numidium – was a bizarre phenomenon that took place during the 9<sup>th</sup> and 11<sup>th</sup> of Frostfall in Third Era Year 417, when events stemmed from King Lysandus of Daggerfall’s death surged an upheaval in Hammerfall and High Rock. The effects caused by the Warp in the West lead many to compare it to a Dragon Break – specifically the Breaking of the Dawn – though it was localized to the Iliac Bay region. All that is known is that the agent of Uriel Septim accidentally – or, perhaps, intentionally – activated Numidium. Though the agent itself was unable to use Numidium, somehow, simultaneously, Sentinel, Wayrest, Daggerfal, Orsinium, and the Emperor all took command of Numidium and used it to consolidate their power. This synchronized abuse of Numidium’s power caused a surge of mysterious cataclysmic events and anomalies that not only reshaped the landscapes but rewrote history itself. Before the Totem was recovered, there were 44 city-states warring in the Iliac Bay region and when the dust settled only four remained – Sentinel, Wayrest, Daggerfall, and Orsinium, the same four that commanded Numidium at the exact same time, minus the Emperor, of course.</p>
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<p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}12344651263,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-full" src="{{#staticFileLink}}12344651263,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="639" alt="12344651263?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a><em>(the Iliac Bay region after the events of the </em>Warp in the West<em> as seen in </em>The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall<em>)</em> </p>
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<p>The alterations to the Iliac Bay weren’t the only ramifications of the Warp, however. It is said the Underking used the power of the Mantella and Numidium’s awakening to reclaim his missing “heart”, allowing him to finally die. The Agent of Uriel Septim, revealed as a member of the Blades, supposedly died. Mannimarco, the King of Worms, disappeared from Nirn entirely. Finally, a new celestial body appeared in the night sky – the Revenant or the Necromancer’s Moon. Somehow, Mannimarco had manipulated the power of Numidium to cast away the shell of his mortal body and fully transcended his apotheosis, becoming the God of Worms.</p>
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<p>Every eight days, Mannimarco’s new divine body would eclipse Arkay, an event known as the Shade of the Revenant, which would cast an eerie purple light across certain locations in Tamriel, foiling the power of the god Arkay. During this time, the Revenant commanded life and death. Though the purpose of this eclipse is, as of yet, not known in full, the Cult of the Black Worm built altars at these locations and used the power of the Shade of the Revenant to create Black Soul Gems.<a href="{{#staticFileLink}}12344651290,RESIZE_930x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}12344651290,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="294" height="221" alt="12344651290?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a></p>
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<p>Sometime around Third Era Year 433, Mannimarco returned to mortal affairs when he began capturing the souls of prolific mages for use in his studies. He attempted to capture the soul of Arch-Mage Hannibal Traven, Head of the Mage’s Guild who had recently outlawed necromancy, which brought a lot of new followers into the Worm Cult. However, Traven was crafty, and instead he managed to thwart Mannimarco by sacrificing his soul to the Hero of Kvatch, saving his life. This enable the Hero of Kvatch to kill Mannimarco.</p>
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<p>Despite the God of Worms having been killed by the Hero of Kvatch, the Revenant maintains its place in the cosmos and the Shade of the Revenant still shines down on Nirn and necromancers across Tamriel still worship the Necromancer’s Moon and forge Black Soul Gems with its light well into the Fourth Era.</p>
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<p>Mannimarco may have failed to achieve his mystery in earnest, but perhaps he did. He has ascended as the God of Worms, eclipsing Arkay’s lordship over life and death every eight days, allowing necromancers everywhere to become just that much more dangerous. Whether the God of Schemes, an immortal Lich, or the Patron of Necromancers, Mannimarco has, at the very least, cemented himself as the most powerful necromancer to have ever walked upon Nirn.</p>
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<p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}12344651081,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-full" src="{{#staticFileLink}}12344651081,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="710" alt="12344651081?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a><em>(four of the </em>Five Companions<em>; from left to right: Emperor Varen Aquilarios, Captain Sai Sahan, Lady Lyris Titanborn, High Chancellor Abnur Tharn)</em></p></div>Elder Scrolls Lore Report - Undead, Werebeasts, Shadeshttps://TheSkyForge.ning.com/groups/the-lore-group/lore-reports/elder-scrolls-lore-report-the-gray-host2022-12-14T18:14:22.000Z2022-12-14T18:14:22.000ZFimvul, the Psijic Loremasterhttps://TheSkyForge.ning.com/members/Fimvul<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10910291269?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p> </p><p><em>A hunter sits at camp, watching the embers of his fire burn to ash. The clouds clear away as the full moon blazes in the sky. His skin shivers as he hears a low howl. There are no wolves nearby.</em></p><p> </p><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10910287457,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-full" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10910287457,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="10910287457?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="710" /></a></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em>A tavern wench is cleaning tables late into the night when the door swings open quietly, the cool winter breeze tickling her uncovered skin. Goosebumps, but not from the cold, prickle her as she feels thin and bony fingers travel up her arm before feeling a pinprick at her neck and breast.</em></p><p> </p><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10910291252,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-full" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10910291252,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="10910291252?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="710" /></a></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em>The town drunk stumbles through the streets in the darkness. He swears he could see shapes, but when morning arrives, he can see no more.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Werewolves. Vampires. Shades. We’ve all heard tell of these most foul and most profane terrors of the twilight, but at least we can take small comfort in the fact they have never tried to work together. Or have they?</p><p> </p><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10910291698,RESIZE_584x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-left" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10910291698,RESIZE_584x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="10910291698?profile=RESIZE_584x" width="509" height="509" /></a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Early in the First Era, a council of vampires and lycanthropes came together in the ancient city of Verkarth, an unholy city somewhere in the vast wastes of Hammerfell. Not much more than a network of connected tunnels and caves before expanding to the surface, these damned creatures came together deep beneath the soil. No one really knows what happened during the next one hundred years, but the Pyre Watch describes it as the City of Verkarth and the Gray Host appearing out of nowhere. Nestled in central Hammerfell, the Grey Host quickly conquered all of Hammerfell. So, who was the Gray Host? What made them so dangerous and so powerful?</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Archibald Laurent, the Lordly Explorer, writes about the Gray Host and their sudden appearance, though he writes some thousand years after the fact. They supposedly appeared out of nowhere in their City of the Damned, casting a shadow over Ska’vyn – one of the eight major cities of Hammerfell. They say the new city at first promised peace with its neighbors, but that quickly changed. Whether a pretense from the beginning or something shifted in the moons, no one knows. What is certain is that it did change and all of Hammerfell had a fear of the undead and other nightly terrors driven deep into their souls.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Sometime during the early First Era, the subterranean city of Verkarth was founded by a host of vampires, lycanthropes, and other undead, who rallied others of their kind together before using profane magic to raise the city to the surface – the origin of the magic is unclear, but Laurent writes of finding ancient scrolls written in Daedric during his expedition to Verkarth. The Gray Host itself refers to the army that came out of Verkarth and washed across Hammerfell. They were led in battle by the Vampire King Styriche, known infamously as the Vampire of Verkarth, who struck a deal with Molag Bal to gain power – it is unknown if this power was his becoming a vampire or if he already was a vampire before selling himself to the Lord of Domination. Though Styriche was their commander, he did not hold absolute power among the Gray Host, which was instead governed by the Gray Council, made up of the most powerful vampires and lycanthropes within the Gray Host’s hierarchy. The highest ranking members of the Gray Council were known as Exarchs. Though very little is known about Styriche and the other Exarchs, what little we do know comes from Rada al-Saran and his time as the Second-in-Command of the Gray Host armies, under Styriche himself. When Styriche made his deal with Molag Bal, it inevitably doomed the majority of the Gray Host’s fate to Coldharbour. It is believed Rada was one of the few members of the Gray Council to survive. Sometime in the Second Era, he plots their resurrection. He even wrote a list of the fallen Exarchs.</p><p> </p><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10910291887,RESIZE_1200x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-full" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10910291887,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="10910291887?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="710" /></a></p><p><em>(Vampire King of Verkarth Styriche as he appears in </em>The Elder Scrolls: Online<em>)</em></p><p> </p><p><em>Eeze of the Creeping Dusk, my crown, my glory, our first and greatest.</em> She appears in <em>The Elder Scrolls: Online</em></p><p><em>Tzinghalis, my brain, ever turning, puzzling out the riddles of our restoration.</em> He was known for his vast intellect and sadism. He appears in <em>The Elder Scrolls: Online</em></p><p><em>Gazes-Red, my right eye, staring longingly at past wrongs.</em> An Argonian Vampire. He appears in <em>The Elder Scrolls: Online</em></p><p><em>Serevur Rouillac, my left eye, looking proudly to the future.</em> He appears in <em>The Elder Scrolls: Online</em></p><p><em>Braxhard, my tongue, whispering my truths to the outside world.</em> He appears in <em>The Elder Scrolls: Online</em></p><p><em>Ulfra Redclaw, my backbone, standing tall against all misfortune. </em>A behemoth Werewolf, she appears in <em>The Elder Scrolls: Online</em></p><p><em>Kraglen, my right hand, braced to ward away my foes.</em> A behemoth Werewolf and first boss of the Stone Garden, he appears in <em>The Elder Scrolls: Online</em></p><p><em>Uls Grimlantern, my left hand, raised to wreak terrible and swift justice.</em> He has an insatiable thirst for blood. He appears in <em>The Elder Scrolls: Online</em></p><p><em>Vem the Dirge, my breath, bringing life to every part of me.</em> Partner of Serevur Rouillac, she appears in <em>The Elder Scrolls: Online</em></p><p><em>Grand Nezbi, my sinew, knitting together all my beloved.</em> A Khajiiti vampire who uses light magic to trick and entertain Ritia Longstep. She appears in <em>The Elder Scrolls: Online</em></p><p><em>Caia Avernico Sanctus, my bones, the bedrock of my strength.</em> She appears in <em>The Elder Scrolls: Online</em></p><p><em>Ritia Longstep, my stride, bringing me ever closer to my aim.</em> A Bosmeri vampire, entertained by Grand Nezbi’s magic. She appears in <em>The Elder Scrolls: Online</em></p><p> </p><p>And he also writes of how even thinking of how he betrayed the Host brings him anger, that he, Rada, seeks him, his thirteenth sibling, not for freedom – but for reckoning, but we go too far.</p><p> </p><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10910294069,RESIZE_930x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-full" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10910294069,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="10910294069?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="710" /></a></p><p><em>(Vampire Lord Rada al-Saran as he appears in </em>The Elder Scrolls: Online<em>)</em></p><p> </p><p>During the early days of the Gray Host, as they began to conquer Hammerfell, Empress Hestra took notice of this horde of undead and other terrible creatures. She heard of this dreaded army of vampires, werewolves, and zombies mounted on skeletal wolves, burning and killing across the Fallen Wastes as they marched. Soon, Styriche claimed dominion as far east as Elinhir and as far west as Thorstad Place.</p><p> <a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10910298285,RESIZE_180x180{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-full" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10910298285,RESIZE_180x180{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="10910298285?profile=RESIZE_180x180" /></a></p><p><em>(Elinhir as it appears in </em>The Elder Scrolls: Online<em>)</em></p><p> </p><p>In 1<sup>st</sup> Era 1029, Hestra finally took action, arriving on her steed Fiery Ursula, leading her legions against Vampire King Styriche and the Gray Host, harrowing him into western Hammerfell. The Gray Host was driven all the way to the Bangkorai Pass in the south, crashing upon the garrison and slaying hundreds, if not thousands, and draining the blood before casting them across the wall as naught but pale and empty husks. So the battle drew to a humble Chapel of Stendarr, where St. Pelin, who had been tending the soldiers, ran out among the fighting to find his friend Sergeant Clancie fighting off the horde alone. Hearing the horde would soon burst through and knowing only blood could slow them down, St. Pelin cast himself into the mass and sacrificed his own blood, praying to Stendarr to fill him with an ocean of blood, that he might sate the demons a moment longer. Stendarr decided to bless this miniscule priest and a divine gout of holy blood erupted from St. Pelin, showering every vampire in the horde as it turned into a feeding mound before the gates – and yet, they could not drain him dry. Claimed by his sacrifice, the soldiers of the Garrison rallied to the gates and collapsed a battlement, killing most of the vampires in a feeding frenzy. Before reinforcements of the Gray Host could arrive, the legions of Empress Hestra finally caught up and killed or captured the remaining survivors of the Gray Host, which spelled their end. Impressed by their battle prowess, Empress Hestra extended a formal invitation for High Rock to join the First Empire.</p><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10910298900,RESIZE_1200x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-left" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10910298900,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="10910298900?profile=RESIZE_400x" width="177" height="177" /></a><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10910299873,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-left" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10910299873,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="10910299873?profile=RESIZE_400x" width="174" height="174" /></a> <img class="align-left" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10910300887,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="10910300887?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="173" height="173" /></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><em>(A Gray Host Vampire Lord, Werewolf Behemoth, and Harrowing Shade/Reaper</em><em>)</em></p><p> </p><p>It is not known if the details surrounding St. Pelin’s sacrifice are true – indeed, it is unlikely they are – but all accounts credit that the combined might of the Bangkorai Pass Garrison and the legion of the Alessian Empire, as well as some degree of unknown magic, was what finally brought an end to the Gray Host.</p><p> </p><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10910302701,RESIZE_1200x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-full" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10910302701,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="10910302701?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="710" /></a></p><p><em>(The Garrison at Bangkorai Pass)</em></p><p> </p><p>The bodies were burned with holy fire until nothing but ash remained, and the ash was interred in the Unhallowed Grave, which has been left unmarked on purpose. Only the Pyre Watch Guardians knew its exact location, and it was something they closely guarded as secret. The Gray Host would never return.</p><p> </p><p>Or so they thought.</p><p> </p><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10910303276,RESIZE_930x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-full" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10910303276,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="10910303276?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="319" height="319" /></a> <em>(Though Satakal has no place in the Gray Host, it is said their new leader, Rada al-Saran, a former Ansei Swordsinger, once challenged Satakal to a duel just to test himself)</em></p><p> </p><p>During the Planemeld in 2<sup>nd</sup> Era 582, Styriche, doomed to Coldharbour, served as a general for Molag Bal, alongside his companions Fangaril of Cyrodiil and Zayzahad the Bat, leading legions of Daedra and undead, imprisoned members of the Gray Host at Dark Anchors. Not much later, grave robbers hired by Vampire Lord Rada al-Saran located and raided the Unhallowed Grave, taking many of the urns holding ashes of the Gray Host, which were moved to Skyrim. Rada attempted to kidnap Jorunn the Skald-King in a move to turn him into a sleeper vampire agent, but his plans were foiled by the Vestige and Lyris Titanborn. Fleeing to western Skyrim, Rada instead offered great power to High King Svargrim of Solitude, who easily accepted the offer to prove his worth against his bitter rival – ironically, his rival was Jorunn, whom Rada had failed to turn.</p><p> </p><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10910303685,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-full" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10910303685,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="10910303685?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="710" /></a></p><p><em>(Rada al-Saran, now an Ashen Lord, sits on his throne in Grayhaven)</em></p><p> </p><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10910304479,RESIZE_1200x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10910304479,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="10910304479?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="270" height="270" /></a>Given free reign across Western Skyrim, Rada and his followers used Harrowstorms, supernatural storms created by the Icereach Coven – witches who served the Longhouse Emperors – and focused by the ashes of the Gray Host, to pull their souls out of Coldharbour and into Stone Husks, where their bodies and powers were slowly reconstituted. Tzinghalis in particular was vital to the Gray Host, as the genius of the Gray Host solved puzzles in days that Rada had spent centuries trying to figure out. Ultimately, Rada wanted to unleash a devastatingly massive Harrowstorm in Solitude and pull the remaining souls out of Coldharbour in one, fell swoop. However, his plans were foiled once again by the Vestige who, with the help of Lyris Titanborn, an Altmer vampire Fennorian, who was a member of House Ravenwatch, and Svargrim’s own daughter Svana, exposed the High King for his treachery and permanently deposed him.</p><p> </p><p>Rada and his Gray Host fled into the Reach, slaughtering any of the Reach clans who stood against him. Lady Belain made a pact with the Gray Host to revive the Nighthollow Clan, who had already served him once before. She was planted as advisor to Ard Caddach – one of a few rulers of the Reach – and convinced him to rally the fearful Reachmen clans to take refuge into Markarth. This was, however, a ploy to gather mortals together to revitalize the Dark Heart. Rada desired to bind the Gray Host to the Dark Heart and use its power to pull the remaining members of the Gray Host out of Coldharbour, ending their contract with Molag Bal.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>When she was discovered, Belain rallied the Ghostsong Clan of the Reach to begin the Prophecy of the Dark Heart. A few members fled and were killed, while the others sacrificed themselves to the Dark Heart. However, Arana, a dissident of the Ghostsong, aided the Unnamed Hero into discovering their hideout, where they discovered that Nathari, Leader of the Ghostsong Clan, had primed the Heart already. As she summoned Dark Shades from the Heart, she transformed into a Voidmother and was slain by the Dark Heart, which gained temporary stasis.</p><p> </p><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10910305078,RESIZE_1200x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-full" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10910305078,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="10910305078?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="710" /></a></p><p><em>(the Dark Heart achieves temporary stasis, as seen in </em>The Elder Scrolls: Online<em>)</em></p><p> </p><p>Nighthollow Keep was then discovered in Blackreach by House Ravenwatch. They descended quickly upon the Dark Heart, but as it was too late to stop the ritual, the Dark Heart awoke before them and pulled the souls of the slain towards itself, resurrecting the Nighthollow Clan from its ashes. Belain unsealed the doors of Nchuand-Zel, catching those in Understone Keep off-guard, almost resulting in the death of Ard Caddach. The Vestige followed Arana in Nchuand-Zel and recovered a keystone to gain access to the Orrery of Arkthzand, which Rada needed for the Dark Heart to reach its full potential. Belain teleported to the Dark Heart and drank in its nefarious power, but Namira chose to intervene and blessed Arana, giving her the strength to keep going. Alongside the Vestige, they managed to slay Lady Belain, dealing another staggering blow to Rada al-Saran. Arana would later succumb to her wounds.</p><p> </p><p>Having been foiled, yet again, in his attempt to fully awaken the Dark Heart, Rada al-Saran opened a gateway to Grayhaven, using the Dark Heart as a power source. Grayhaven, a piece of land “stuck in the void between Mundus and Oblivion” would be his final stand, where he would set Dark Anchors to latch onto the Gray Host in one final attempt to pull them out of Coldharbour. In this way, they would become anchored to Grayhaven like their own plane of Oblivion and death would be but a minor inconvenience for them.</p><p> </p><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10910305464,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-full" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10910305464,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="10910305464?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="710" /></a></p><p><em>the Darkstorm is formed over Grayhaven, threatening to destroy all of the Reach and possibly most of Mundus)</em></p><p> </p><p>As the Vestige, Lyris Titanborn, and House Ravenwatch descended upon Grayhaven, Rada al-Saran conjured an apocalyptic Harrowstorm known as the Darkstorm that would swallow every soul in the Reach, fully power the Dark Heart, and transform Grayhaven into Rada’s own piece of Oblivion. However, before the Darkstorm reached its full power, the combined might of the Vestige, Lyris Titanborn, and Verandis finally slew Rada al-Saran and saved Mundus from the Gray Host.</p><p> </p><p>I can’t even begin to imagine what Tamriel – nay, what Nirn – would be if the Gray Host had become as unyielding as lesser Daedra.</p></div>The Reachmen, the Witchmen, the Forsworn - A History of the Peoples of the Reachhttps://TheSkyForge.ning.com/groups/the-lore-group/lore-reports/a-history-of-the-peoples-of-the-reach2022-11-15T20:52:49.000Z2022-11-15T20:52:49.000ZFimvul, the Psijic Loremasterhttps://TheSkyForge.ning.com/members/Fimvul<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10884613500?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p>You’ve heard the stories. The Forsworn. They steal children in the night. They boil them skin and bone. They are as ferocious to their kinsmen as to their enemies. What led the people of Skyrim to such fanciful tales? We have to go way back to the beginning.</p><p> </p><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10884613896,RESIZE_584x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-left" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10884613896,RESIZE_584x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="10884613896?profile=RESIZE_584x" width="408" /></a></p><p>Sometime in the unknown history of the Merethic Era, or possibly even as late as the early First Era, up to year 221, there were a splinter of men – many, including many Reachmen, believe they are mostly descended from Bretons, but their true origin isn’t yet known – who lived in the area to the south and west of the tundras of Skyrim and the east of High Rock, a valley situated well between the two nations, that came to be known as the Reach. In their earliest stories, they were ruled by vampires of the Nighthollow Clan, who coveted the blood of the mixed species – the Reachmen were a hodgepodge of races, including man, mer, and even daedra. These vampires, known to the early Reachmen as Night Lords, ruled below them from the depths of Blackreach. However, as time went on, the influence and power these Night Lords had over the Reachmen slowly began to fade.</p><p> </p><p>The Nighthollow Clan are – or were – among the first vampire clans in all of Nirn, believed to be almost as old as vampirism itself. They inhabited a section of Blackreach that lay hidden beneath the Reach. Between the Merethic Era and into the second century of the First Era, Molag Bal introduced vampirism into Mundus and the clans slowly began to emerge. Among the first were the Night Lords. They discovered an artifact called the Dark Heart in Blackreach and settled near it, feasting on its power despite the risk. As they feasted on the power of the void that the Dark Heart presented them, they became enslaved by its power, and they soon became entirely unable to consume blood, which inevitably led to the freedom of the Reachmen.</p><p> </p><p>As the Reachmen began to flourish, free from the corruption of the Night Lords, they began to study hedge magic, fueling their power with profane rituals to the Daedric Princes – most notably Hircine, the most primal of the Princes, but their reverence included Molag Bal, Namira, Mehrunes Dagon, and Malacath. During the Wild Hunt of 1E 369, the first Hagraven was spawned and then captured by the men of the Reach. When the Dwemer disappeared in 1E 700, some Reachmen took refuge in the ruins of Nchuand-Zel, struggling to survive seasonal hardships. Within a few centuries, it had developed into a full settlement, and they named it “Mar-Karth”, “Above the Karth” in their native Reach language. The chieftain of Mar-Karth was known as the Ard, or “the King of the Fort”.</p><p> </p><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10884614092,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10884614092,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="10884614092?profile=RESIZE_400x" width="256" /></a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p><em>The Legend of Red Eagle</em>, which is, possibly erroneously, dated around 1E 1030, suggests that, during the time of the Alessian Empire, the Reach was ruled by ten kings, though the various clans were scattered and warred with each other as often as not. It also speaks of how the Reachmen revered and worshipped the “ancient and venerable Hagravens”. When the armies of Empress Hestra arrived to conquer the Reach in 1E 1028, nine of the ten kings either swore fealty to her or were killed. The only one who didn’t was Faolan of the Sundered Hills, who, in order to gain the power needed to resist the Empire and defend his home and his people, carved out his own heart and replaced it with a poisoned briar, becoming the first Briarheart. Though Faolan’s efforts were mostly successful, he failed in completely driving out the Empire. It is said that when the Empress called for reinforcements, Faolan himself was driven out of hiding and went to battle, killing over a thousand soldiers before he was finally defeated. Even unto the Fourth Era, he remains the most famous hero of the Reach. His last known descendent is encountered in ESO - Bjora.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Over a thousand years later, in 1E 2704, after repelling the Akaviri Invasion, Emperor Reman of the Second Dynasty laid conquest to the Reach and sliced it in two. The Western Reach was controlled by High Rock and the Eastern Reach was controlled by Skyrim. As the Second Empire began to grow, not a decade went by where one or both of the two armies had to suppress the men of the Reach.</p><p> </p><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10884614495,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-full" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10884614495,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="10884614495?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="651" /></a></p><p><em>(an early Nedic tapestry depicting the descent of man and the Celestials; the men of the Reach are believed to be descended from these first men)</em> </p><p> </p><p>When the Second Empire collapsed and near the beginning of the Interregnum, the men of the Reach had reclaimed their independence and once again taken Markarth as their capital.</p><p> </p><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10884615094,RESIZE_1200x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-left" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10884615094,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="10884615094?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="710" /></a> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In 2E 516, a new faction of Reachmen was formed known as the Tagh Droiloch – High Dark Wizard in their native tongue. These were the first of the Witchmen and were powerful, dark wizards wielding nefarious magic. They took rule of the Reach in secret during the Interregnum and were directly responsible for Durcorach rising to power and becoming the Black Drake, the first Longhouse Emperor, when conquered the Empire of Cyrodiil in 2E 532. He would later marry Veraxia Tharn of the Niben, cementing his claim to the Ruby Throne as legitimate. Durcorach only ruled for a decade, though, as he made a hasty retreat from Wayrest and settled for invading Daggerfall instead, only to be taken by surprise as Emeric of Cumberland led a daring pincer attack, which took the life of the Black Drake himself.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Despite Durcorach’s fall, the Tagh Droiloch endured, continuing their rule of the Reach from the shadows. In fact, some even attest that, despite their alliance, Durcorach had displeased the Tagh Droiloch, and used their secret asp oil war paint to drive the Black Drake into a frenzy which led to his death. They were known to commune with the Daedric Princes, notably Mehrunes Dagon, to give their allies power – this is more or less confirmed in <em>The Elder Scrolls Legends</em> when Durcorach’s soul is encountered in the Deadlands. However, by 2E 536, the Tagh Droiloch had withdrawn entirely from public affairs and seemingly disappeared. Longhouse Emperor Leovic, grandson of Durcorach, crowned between 2E 560 and 564, was known as the “Scion of Tagh Droiloch” despite his advisory Witchmen clan being the Icereach Coven. Leovic was the first to order the creation of a Guide to the Empire – <em>The Emperor’s Guide to Tamriel</em>.</p><p> </p><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10884615456,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-full" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10884615456,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="10884615456?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="710" /></a><em>(the Deadlands and the Four Damnations, the principles of the Tagh Droiloch)</em> </p><p> </p><p>In 2E 577, Leovic was overthrown by his former ally, the Duke of Chorrol, and marked the end of the Longhouse Emperors.</p><p> </p><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10884615862,RESIZE_1200x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-full" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10884615862,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="10884615862?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="710" /></a><em>(Kurog gro-Bagrakh, King of New Orsinium)</em> </p><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10884616258,RESIZE_1200x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10884616258,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="10884616258?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="710" /></a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Following the Soulburst of 2E 579, several of the Witchmen Covens allied themselves with the Worm Cult and became powerful enough to launch attacks on the Ebonheart Pact, even attacking as far at the Rift and Glenumbra. One of these covens in particular, the Winterborn, laid siege to Wrothgar, fighting the orcs for control of the region after King Kurog gro-Bagrakh re-established Orsinium. During a final battle at Frostpeak Fortress, the last Winterborn Warlord, Urfon Ice-Heart, was slain.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <em>(General Mercedene, an early Winterborn Warlord)</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10884615496,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-left" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10884615496,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="10884615496?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="710" /></a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Some two or three centuries later, during the 9<sup>th</sup> century of the 2<sup>nd</sup> Era, some men of the Reach allied with the Second Aldmeri Dominion. Though their people had remained largely independent – not counting their frequent clashes with the Nords – the arrival of Tiber Septim towards the end of the 2<sup>nd</sup> Era changed that. In 852, Cuhlecain, king of the Colovian Estates, and his favorite general – Hjalti Early-Beard – successfully breached the front lines of the Reachmen, who fled into the fortress of Old Hrol’dan. The next day, Hjalti Early-Beard marched on the gates himself, protected by the winds created by a storm that seemed to be following the general. Reports say the walls of the ancient fortress were shouted down by the Nordic art of the Thu’um, after which the combined might of the Colovian military and the Nord berserkers smashed through the city and took it with ease. It didn’t take long for Markarth and the Reach to become occupied by Nords. To keep up appearance, Imperial propaganda marked the Reachmen as rebellious and lawless mongrels. In fact, the 1<sup>st</sup> Edition of the Pocket Guide to the Emperor was the first official document to label the Reachmen as “the Witchmen of High Rock”.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p><em>(a Briarheart Tree at Frostpeak Fortress)</em></p><p> </p><p>It wouldn’t be until over five hundred years later when the Reachmen, now known as the Witchmen, would manage a successful uprising. In 4E 174, during the Great War, the Empire lost the excess resources to maintain the outer provinces and a group of Witchmen, led by Madanach, stormed the Reach and establishing an independent kingdom in Markarth. According to Arrianus Arius – an Imperial scholar who dubbed Ulfric Stormcloak the “Bear of Markarth” and stated his actions in Markarth were nothing short of war crimes – the kingdom was ran peacefully, for the most part. Only a few of the harshest Nord landowners were executed. It seemed the Reachmen intended to try to coexist with the Nords. Two years went by and their experiment with independence was largely successful, leading Madanach to reach out to the Empire to become an officially recognized independent kingdom.</p><p> </p><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10884616664,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-full" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10884616664,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="10884616664?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="710" /></a><em>(Ruins of Old Hrol'dan)</em> </p><p> </p><p>With no available Imperial legions, a desperate and deposed former Jarl Hrolfdir enlisted the assistance of a group of militia led by Ulfric Stormcloak to help him retake Markarth. In 4E 176, Ulfric and his men marched into Markarth, put down the Reachmen, and took back the city for the Empire. The surviving Reachmen fled into the valleys of the Reach and became known as the Forsworn.</p><p> </p><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10884616697,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-full" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10884616697,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="10884616697?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="710" /></a></p><p><em>(early concept art of the Understone Keep)</em></p><p> </p><p>As the years went by, the Reachmen, once a divided but proud people, devolved into little more than scattered bandit clans. Often employing guerilla tactics, they would raid caravans, harass travelers, and even launch attacks on small settlements in the Reach. In truth, each sect of Forsworn was allied with the others, like a large terrorist cell, led by a Hagraven matron or a Briarheart warrior – sometimes even both. The Forsworn efforts to retake the Reach made it increasingly difficult for the Reachmen not allied with the Forsworn to live peacefully. Native landowners were under duress from both the Nords and the Forsworn, each thinking they were allied with the other. Many Reachmen came to lament that their friends and loved ones were dying fighting for lost causes.</p><p> </p><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10884616896,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-full" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10884616896,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="10884616896?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="710" /></a></p><p><em>(the Druadach Moutains and the Valleys of the Reach)</em> </p><p> </p><p>Even unto the arrival of the Last Dragonborn in 4<sup>th</sup> Era 201, despite Madanach’s defeat, it seems the King in Rags still lives, as the Forsworn presence has not diminished and they still seem to be unified, despite the supposed death of their king. In spite of their vast differences, Madanach actually has something in common with another famous ruler within the Elder Scrolls: Indoril Nerevar. Just as Nerevar was the first to unite the houses of Morrowind, Madanach was the first – and, thus far, only – to unite the scattered camps of the Reachmen.</p><p> </p><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10884617472,RESIZE_1200x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-full" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10884617472,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="10884617472?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="710" /></a></p><p><em>(Madanach, the King in Rags, in Cidhna Mine)</em></p><p> </p><p>I, for one, hope to get more about the Reach and the Forsworn in a future title, though I do not think there is enough to put into a standalone. Either way, the history surrounding the men of the Reach is fascinating and extends even further than most of the peoples of Tamriel.</p></div>Elder Scrolls Lore Report: Who Are The Kamal?https://TheSkyForge.ning.com/groups/the-lore-group/lore-reports/elder-scrolls-lore-report-who-are-the-kamal2022-01-14T01:43:24.000Z2022-01-14T01:43:24.000ZFimvul, the Psijic Loremasterhttps://TheSkyForge.ning.com/members/Fimvul<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10010717693?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=250"></div><div><p><span style="font-size:18pt;"><strong>Lore Report – The Kamal</strong></span></p><p> </p><p>What are the Kamal? Well, simple enough, the Kamal were a race of snow demons living in Akavir. Kamal itself translates to snow hell. These snow demons would spend the cold winter months frozen solid, but, when summer came, they would thaw out and immediately attack Tang Mo, though they were always unsuccessful.</p><p> </p><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10010718284,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-full" style="padding:3px;" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10010718284,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="710" alt="10010718284?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a></p><p><em>(Akavir)</em> </p><p> </p><p>Tang Mo, the Thousand Monkey Isles, was inhabited by many different breeds of monkeys, collectively forming the race called Tang Mo. Oddly enough, every race in Akavir has attempted to enslave them at some point, and, thus far, none have been successful.</p><p> </p><p>In 2E 572, the Kamal invaded Tamriel under their king, Ada’soom Dir-Kamal, supposedly in search of something they called the “Ordained Receptacle”. They arrived in northeast Skyrim and ransacked Windhelm, successfully taking the city and killing Queen Mabjaarn and Nurnhilde, her daughter.</p><p> </p><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10010719083,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-full" style="padding:3px;" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10010719083,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="250" alt="10010719083?profile=RESIZE_400x" /></a></p><p><em>(The Ebonheart Pact was formed shortly after the Second Akaviri Invasion)</em> </p><p> </p><p>Jorunn, Mabjaarn’s son, escaped the slaughter. He met up with the Dunmer army led by Almalexia and they marched on Windhelm. The battle seemed to be in favor of the Kamal until a phalanx of Argonians arrived. Dir-Kamal, now trapped between Jorunn’s army of rallied Nords, Alamalexia’s Dunmer forces, and the savage Argonian army, was pushed back, driven into the sea to drown. Some attest it was the combined might of the three armies that drove back the Kamal, but others say Vivec himself arrived and raised a massive tidal wave to destroy the Kamal. Whatever the case, Jorunn was later crowned High-King.</p><p> </p><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10010719053,RESIZE_930x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-full" style="padding:3px;" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10010719053,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="710" alt="10010719053?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a></p><p><em>(The Coral Heart, deep within Vivec's Antlers)</em> </p><p> </p><p>The site of the final battle, a place in the Stonefalls of Morrowind, would become known as Vivec’s Antlers. This further proves the theory that it was Vivec that destroyed the Kamal. It is home to several species of bizarre land-coral that looks like trees on fire, and Vivec’s Antlers is also home to what is known as the Coral Heart.</p><p> </p><p>This was not the last time Tamriel would see the Kamal, however. Remnants of Dir-Kamal’s invasion force that somehow managed to survive the assault at Vivec’s Antlers would resurface over two hundred years later.</p><p> </p><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10010719067,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-full" style="padding:3px;" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10010719067,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="710" alt="10010719067?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a></p><p><em>(Akaviri Ghosts holed up within an Akavir Ruin)</em></p><p> </p><p>In 2E 812, the Kamal returned in Cyrodiil, this time capturing the Ruby Throne from the successors of Attrebus, a notorious warlord who was infamously known as the Pretender King. He reigned over the Imperial Throne sometime around 2E 430 until the reign of the Longhouse Emperors. He mounted a campaign to rid Cyrodiil of foreigners and began by forcefully expelling the Akaviri, who fled Cyrodiil to settle in Elsweyr, founding the city of Rimmen.</p><p> </p><p>During this invasion of Cyrodiil by the Kamal survivors, the Akaviri living in Rimmen rose to invade Cyrodiil alongside the Kamal and they were successful in taking Cyrodiil almost in entirety, though they failed, quite horribly, at raising their own empire. The Akaviri of Rimmen slowly returned to Elsweyr only to learn the Khajiit had taken Rimmen back and the Akaviri refugees were once again put under the rule of The Mane. They have since adopted a renewed tribute, a sort of tax, to maintain their independence.</p><p> </p><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10010719871,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-full" style="padding:3px;" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10010719871,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="710" alt="10010719871?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a></p><p><em>(Rimmen in Elsweyr)</em></p><p> </p><p>What happened to the Kamal after this is anyone’s guess. They seem to have disappeared entirely from Tamriel, but perhaps they are beneath the frozen tundra of Skyrim, waiting to be thawed.</p><p> </p></div>Elder Scrolls Lore Report: Vanus Galerionhttps://TheSkyForge.ning.com/groups/the-lore-group/lore-reports/elder-scrolls-lore-report-vanus-galerion2021-02-17T04:31:10.000Z2021-02-17T04:31:10.000ZFimvul, the Psijic Loremasterhttps://TheSkyForge.ning.com/members/Fimvul<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8563139057?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p>Vanus Galerion. His name pops up many times throughout the entirety of the continuity of the <em>Elder Scrolls</em>. Known as the Great Mage, he is most famous for the founding of the Mage’s Guild and the defeat of Mannimarco, the King of Worms. But, <em>just who was Vanus Galerion?</em> <em>What is his origin?</em></p><p> <a href="{{#staticFileLink}}8563127699,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-left" style="padding:4px;" src="{{#staticFileLink}}8563127699,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="145" height="158" alt="8563127699?profile=RESIZE_400x" /></a></p><p>Vanus Glaerion was born as a slave in the Summerset Isles, during the early years of the Second Era. His given name at birth was Trechtus. His family were in service to Lord Gyrnasse of Sollicich-on-Ker. Against the laws of Lord Gyrnasse, his father had secretly taught both himself and Trechtus to read, relying on the black market to get around the restrictions and attain a steady supply of books and scrolls. However, by Trechtus’s eighth birthday, the smugglers were found and imprisoned. There was a rumor that his mother, a fearful and ignorant woman with a radical belief in superstition, was the one who led Lord Gyrnasse’s guards to the smugglers. There was no trial. His father’s body swayed for weeks on the gallows during the hottest summer Sollicich-on-Ker had seen in centuries.</p><p> </p><p>Fearing he’d be caught and executed as well, Trechtus managed to flee three months later, making it as far as Alinor, half-way across the Summerset Isles. A band of troubadours found him, near death and curled in a ditch on the side of the road. They took him in and nursed him back to health, employing him as an errand boy in return for food and shelter. One of them was a soothsayer named Heliand, who had once trained as a Mystic on Artaeum. He divined Trechtus’s potential for magic. Trechtus, now eleven, was taken to Artaeum after the band performed in the village of Potansa on the far eastern end of Summerset, where the Magister, Iachesis, also recognized his potential and took him on as a pupil. Thus, Trechtus shed his serf name and was henceforth known as Vanus Galerion.</p><p> </p><p>Vanus would spend many years training as a mystic – the exact length of time he spent on Artaeum is unconfirmed – and he would become good friends with another new recruit: Mannimarco. Over time, Galerion used his talents wisely and honorably, being described as having a “light and warm heart”. Mannimarco, however, turned to dark arts and was slowly corrupted by them, turning his heart “dark and cold”. Galerion was attuned to this transformation and confronted Mannimarco about it, but he scoffed at Galerion’s threats and continued to study the dark arts. When the Psijic Order sent Mannimarco to mainland Tamriel for an errand, Galerion realized that he would use this opportunity to amass a following as a necromancer. However, the elder Psijics ignored Galerion’s pleas about the terror they were unwittingly unleashing upon the world, a mistake the Galerion would never forget. Eventually Galerion confronted Mannimarco at the Ceporah Tower, demanding he would end his ways, but to no avail. As result of this and because of many disagreements with the Psijics – despite being united in hatred of Necromancy – Galerion left Artaeum to pursue his dream: bringing the wondrous benefits of magic to the public.</p><p> </p><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}8563132076,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-full" style="padding:8px;" src="{{#staticFileLink}}8563132076,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="503" height="319" alt="8563132076?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a></p><p>(Artaeum as seen through the Ceporah Tower)</p><p>When Galerion began gathering magic-users from across the Summerset Isles, he attracted the animosity of all mages in the Summerset Isles. Operating out of the urban center of Firsthold, he employed a common – and not entirely unfounded – attitude that magical experiments should be conducted only in unpopulated areas. Even more provocatively, Galerion proposed to make magical items, potions, and even spells available to any member of the general public, assuming they could afford it. As far as Galerion was concerned, magic should no longer be limited to aristocracy or intelligentsia. This ideology would be labeled “Galerion’s Folly”.</p><p> <a href="{{#staticFileLink}}8563134492,RESIZE_1200x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-right" style="padding:4px;" src="{{#staticFileLink}}8563134492,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="233" height="177" alt="8563134492?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a></p><p>In year 230 of the Second Era, less than a year after leaving Artaeum, Galerion appeared before Iachesis, Rilis XII the King of Firsthold, and various nobles and members of the Order in the Charter Conclave to state the intentions of the fraternity he was forming. His speech was not recorded, but his charter was approved. It grew to be widely successful and Galerion was often praised for his wisdom. His magical theories and ideas are still practiced today, such as the trafficking with daedra and the current schools of magic. He even outlawed Necromancy entirely within the Guild and set laws for soul trapping, separating it into two distinct groups: legal “white” souls, such as those from beasts, and illegal “black” souls, such as those from sentient creatures. He believed such illegal trapping was a plot by Mannimarco to grow sympathizers for Necromancers. He also formed the Order of the Lamp to act as protectors of the Guild.</p><p> </p><p>Not long after the formation of the Guild, it is said Galerion angrily departed, calling the Guild a “…morass of political infighting” and left Tamriel entirely. However, he still held the title of Archmagister Emeritus and continued to influence the affairs of the Guild, including many accounts that attested he continued to lead Mages Guild forces against Mannimarco’s Worm Cult throughout his life.</p><p> </p><p>Following the Soulburst, Galerion became increasingly concerned about the activities of the Worm Cult and the looming threat of Molag Bal’s Planemeld. In 2E582, he and the Vestige attempted to negotiate a cease-fire in the alliance war, so the three alliances could commit their full resources into assaulting Coldharbour. Though the negotiations were ultimately unsuccessful, they did agree to send a smaller force comprised of Mages Guild and Fighters Guild members to invade Coldharbour and stop the Planemeld.</p><p> </p><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}8563135470,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-left" style="padding:4px;" src="{{#staticFileLink}}8563135470,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="261" height="169" alt="8563135470?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a></p><p>During the invasion, Galerion was teleported outside the Black Forge of Coldharbour and he attempted to disable it to help stop the Planemeld. However, he was quickly captured by the daedra running it and was utilized as a power source, where his essences were split from him. The Vestige managed to free him and restore his essence, and they journeyed together to destroy the Great Shackle that would bind Coldharbour to Nirn. Valerian returned to his command in Hollow City, guiding the Guilds across the Chasm, but they were intercepted by the forces of the Vampires of Orchard, though Galerion managed to wrench away Molag Bal’s control from them, allowing the Guilds access to the Reaver Citadel, which they then captured. From there, they were able to reach the Endless Stair. Alongside the Vestige, Darien Gautier, Lalorian Dynar, and Meridian, Galerion entered and disrupted a planar vortex that connected the two realms, ending the threat of the Planemeld. A few weeks later, he enlisted the Vestige to help him rescue Oracle Marieve from Mephala.</p><p> </p><p>Some time following the Planemeld, Galerion headed north with an army of mages and Lamp Knights to a cursed mountain to settle his business with Mannimarco. Galerion and his army were met by an equally powerful army of necromancers on the mountainside, both sides willing and ready to do battle. As these two armies clashed, hordes of undead and daedric creatures were summoned by the Necromancers, only to be swallowed by “…endless streams of light” from the battlemage</p><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}8563135875,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-right" style="padding:4px;" src="{{#staticFileLink}}8563135875,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="188" height="283" alt="8563135875?profile=RESIZE_400x" /></a></p><p>s. Before the end of the battle, Galerion noticed that Mannimarco was no longer living: he had successfully turned himself into a lich and thus gained immortality. This would be Vanus Galerion’s final confrontation with Mannimarco, for just before the battle’s end, Galerion himself was killed. Mannimarco, originally thought to have also perished, clung to his state of undeath and continued to practice Necromancy. Despite Galerion’s death and Mannimarco’s survival, the Worm Cult was almost entirely destroyed by the Mages and Lamp Knights, securing the legacy of Galerion and the Mages Guild.</p><p> </p><p>In a never-ending lust for power, the undead Mannimarco began a tradition of killing, soul-trapping, and collecting the bodies of powerful wizards, often Arch-Mages of the Guild, whom he would then resurrect as Worm Thralls for study. Galerion would become one such Worm Thrall, and he became Mannimarco’s favorite Thrall, developing a fondness for it. Even when Mannimarco disappeared, Galerion remained in a state of undeath, and would continue this abominable existence through third era year 433 when Mannimarco once again returned to the affairs of mortals.</p><p> </p><p>Thus, the history and legacy of Vanus Galerion is known. Most famous for his defeating Mannimarco, the founding of the Mages Guild, and the theory of magical principles that came to be adopted by most institutions as the major Schools of Magic.</p><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}8563137468,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-full" src="{{#staticFileLink}}8563137468,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="710" alt="8563137468?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a> </p></div>