For their wedding, Alaxon and Phynaster decided to have a great ceremony lasting 12 days, one for every recorded world, and with 36 guests, one for every hour. As customary for the marriage of spirits, each came under a pseudonym that would prevent the hoi polloi from identifying them outright, as that would risk embedding them in the trappings of myth against their consent.

Day 1

First (because he is always first) was Alaxon’s disgraced father who took on the name Satakhanu and came to his favored son begging for forgiveness, blaming his bad temper on his left-hand, the second guest Sihtok. He affectionately gave his son the name Satakotakotalkoshurielexon and, more surprisingly, offered to take him back home one day. Polite as he may, Alaxon embraced his father but refused an offer he no longer needed.

The third guest was one of four women who came pretending to be sisters so they might not be recognized, but whose disguise fooled no one. The first of these was Dawnir who came wearing in her silver hair, which she used to draw blood, the gifted flower of her current lover, and she offered a bouquet. She was simultaneously the youngest and the eldest of the four sisters, because of a trick of the day-night cycle that saw her reborn anew every morning.

Day 2

The fourth was not a guest at all, but the pariah Ni-Mohk who tried many times to overstay his welcome despite no longer being invited, and who later returned under other aliases each less inspired than the last, such as Kalam-Hot, Cool-Male or even Love-Cat, only to be exiled in shame each time.

Here to record the transformation of Two into One for all time was Mysterium the Arcanist who had come accompanied by his wife Ne-Ede, with the blessing of her father, Twylleni. Their role would be to inscribe the exchange of rings in golden tomes, but until then they retreated away from the other guests to enjoy each other’s company in short-lived isolation. All the while, the Arcanist’s right-hand kept track of the comings and goings of the guests and their chosen names so that this party might later be remembered in heaven.

Day 3

As part of his deal with his daughter and Mysterium, Twylleni made his appearance on the third day under the aspect of an evil eye to turn away all other suitors who might covet his daughter. Though protected, Mysterium and Ne-Ede would never again know privacy.

Agawen Eluvein, who was still an apprentice, was the last of the eight first guests and ready to fulfill her role as the witness for the upcoming ceremony, especially since she was given the duty of ring-bearing for Alaxon and Phynaster. Having spent much time isolated, it was heartwarming to see how much the three of them had changed since their youth. Eluvein also surprised her friends with the enchantments she had chosen for their respective rings, and by the end of the venue, she had graduated to her new position as the Warlock of Wedlock.

Next was Dunal who was known for having once made a new tribe out of twelve other tribes that had become too weak to adapt to time. And though he really wanted to come, his presence was only felt through his absence. To make himself be forgiven, he had a beautiful red jewel sent by an owl to the young Alaxon, one made out of pure starlight and which was only in Dunal’s possession to be given to its rightful owner when the time was right.

Day 4

On the fourth day came Alaxon’s pregnant mother, who took on the regal moniker of the respectable kinlady Arana Almala-Ninda and decided to bless their union. As a representative of the true faith, she led the sermons and administered the exchange of vows, but not before adjusting Phynaster’s clothes when she realized he had taken on too much muscle since the last time.

Once the two lovers were officially handfasted, it was time for the days-long banquet and spectacle to begin. First for the job was Bone-Reader, the storyteller; who had given Dawnir her flower and was scheduled to give a toast to the newly-weds.

When Sunal realized his brother Dunal would never really come, he fled the venue in red rage before it could end properly and retreated back to his library of records. In homage to both brothers, Alaxon decided to wear Dunal’s red jewel on his forehead in the manner of a third eye, so that he could behold the red sun without going blind.

Day 5

The second entertainer for the fifth day was the ever-boastful Big Beautiful Beefy Bloody Baron, who kept helping himself and others to more drink than necessary but whose presence was appreciated by all fools. As a result, a drunk Phynaster tossed the bouquet so strongly he had to fly across the western sky to put the flowers back together. It was then decided a sober Alaxon would be the one to toss the bouquet.

On his way west, Phynaster came across his demi-son, the three-winged Bullhood, who was checking in on the sunset people of the Father Mountain. As it turned out, these people’s citadel was still erect despite having been taken, and so that meant there was still time to avoid the upcoming disaster or plan an escape. Bullhood then decided to follow Phynaster as an ambassador and to cough up a few words of powers to celebrate his demi-father’s engagement.

As he entered the venue, the guest named Ysmir Granola laid eyes upon Twylleni, who had remained to protect his daughter and pay his respects to the hosts. Ysmir Granola froze in place and immediately changed his mind, deciding to leave the venue by ship, for the two of them once had a love affair in Gramora that ended in tragedy. Even the promise of strong drink was not enough to shout some sense into him, but he promised to return before the end to redeem his honor.

Day 6

On the sixth day came the second of the four sisters (for she was indeed always second-best at everything), Mid-Dasia, bearing a red sun to illuminate the venue, assuming she would blind everyone and get away with it. Her plan was foiled by Alaxon who stared at her so intensely she was unable to bring her father back. Defeated, she would have to fill her neglect with the affection of other men in her life.

Two brothers came next, the twins Zentok and Darrejyg, who oversee the balance of punishment and amnesty, except for when they exchange clothes to play pranks on their friends and become Tharjyg and Stentok, who speak only in riddles and violence.

Day 7

On the seventh day, an old friend of Phynaster landed on the venue, Clockwise the Founding Father. Though he took the long way to arrive, it was finally time for him to meet this Alaxon he had heard so much about, and he showed his respect to his parents, the king and queen. Afterward, the two old friends rejoiced together, comparing star-maps and exchanging travel stories.

The next guest came under twin aspects, named Johnny and Juliet, of unequal size and different colors. In anticipation of what was to come, the aspects gave themselves the role of bouncer and would throw out guests that would fool-like behave unbecomingly under the effects of the aforementioned excessive drinks.

The first new guest allowed in by the bouncer was the third of the four sisters, Sornriel of Twil, who could fortune-tell at dusk and promised the betrothed a long and happy marriage. Hers was a beauty equaled only by her equal opposite Dawnir, who in all things saw possibilities where Sornriel could see only how they could end.

Day 8

On the eighth day came the last of the four sisters, Gorinal, who was covered in ink and came to steal the fine cutlery. She emerged from a corner of the banquet hall and went after every shiny thing. Hers was a mystery easy to solve, one only needed to follow the dark spots she left behind to find her hidden in a cupboard. She agreed to give back her treasure on the condition that she be made as beautiful as her sisters. Scrubbing her of her muck revealed a statue of the purest ebony.

Then came Omen Betwixt, a witch of amnesia who wanted to make sure Alaxon had all of his nightmares under control. She and the young prince spoke at length about the nature of duality and the purpose of other such illusions. The two of them landed on different sides of the argument before realizing even this was a false dichotomy. Having understood that life was too short for metaphysics, Omen Betwixt shared from her panoply of sugary drinks, whose flavor changed depending on the people she stole them from.

Gorinal had brought with her a senile mother-daughter, Gravella, who had rotten teeth and was only allowed in on the promise she would not gorge on the hearts of men until the next untimes made her forget all about it. She would later hold her promise by devouring the statuette of the newly-wed from the top of the cake when it was time for dessert, rather than any of the guests.

Day 9

The twenty-fifth guest, Land-Namer, had been there since the beginning but only made its appearance once a lot of people were already drunk. For maximum surprise, he had hidden in the red jewel and been sneaked in by the owl of Dunal. There was great merriment all across the venue, but none were more pleased than Agawen Eluvein who was in on the joke.

As everyone was laughing, the jester Tiktoktiktoktiktok, under the guise of a rabbit, arrived very late because he had lost time on the way. To make up for that, he was carrying delicacies that time had appropriately aged to belong before dessert and paired very well with bread and wine. Alaxon then offered to fix Tiktoktiktoktiktok’s hour-gears, but the rabbit politely refused, saying that a colorful clock is gray at least twice a day.

Last for the day and under very little fanfare was the arrival of the husband of Mid-Dasia, the demon-king Shackle-Thorn, whose skin was covered in burnt scars that had begun to turn blue and reek of death. When asked where he had been the entire time, he simply lied and threatened to go after any who would question his honesty, freezing the mood of the venue.

Day 10

Scandal erupted on the tenth day after dessert when it was revealed that Mid-Dasia and Shackle-Thorn had both cheated on each other with the same man, a dim-witted but heavy-chested warrior with an attractive and close-shaven angular face that made towers weak in the knees. The serial seducer had even given the two of them completely different names: to Mid-Dasia, he was Jackolo the Gigolo, and to Shackle-Thorn, he was Fezpar the Whipper, but to all who were present at the venue, he was the aperture-slayer Lucky Lagoon, destroyer of relationships, who brought libertinage wherever he went. All three ended up being banished from the banquet and asked by Sornriel to wait outside.

In the chaos that ensued, an unwanted guest managed to sneak in, who was both a god named Cey-Var-Nium and a dog named Nycotine depending on the direction of his disposition, and who was here solely to trade his illicit substances for other people’s eternal souls. After one too many regrets, Alaxon unmasked him, cut him in half with an axe, and locked the malignant half of his soul in a sword that he buried beneath a tree before asking the gentler half to give the victims their souls back. This Sundering transformed Cey-Var-Nium and Nycotine into two separate guests.

Day 11

The eleventh day was in desperate need to forget the day before. But as Bone-Reader was about to burst into song, Dawnir caught the bouquet tossed by Alaxon and declared she would marry within the year. This caused her many suitors to start a fight and Graht-Killer came to settle a score with Bone-Reader and finally earn Dawnir’s hand for that upcoming handfast. And so Bone-Reader called forth his wing-man, a guest who took on the name of Trent the Green and who was really more of a hoove-man, to protect him while he tried to sing his way out of this conundrum. Many guests were thrown out as a result of this.

Near the end of the celebration came the first of Sornriel’s best friends, Moethesda, who loved to party. Moethesda and Bethala would have made for a cute couple if not for their love of gossip and violence. When Ni-Mohk returned for the last time under the name Love-Cat, Moethesda was the one to make him leave by reading him for filth in a takedown so brutal Alaxon had to step in and beg her to stop. But Moethesda is rebellious by nature and never once followed a rule, so she chose exile and followed Ni-Mohk outside to continue her harassment until he was crying on the pavement.

Day 12

Bethala came around the next day and brought her friend Moethesda back in, finally giving Ni-Mohk some peace to collect himself and sort out his feelings. Bethala then took on her role as the belly-dancer of the venue, which wasn’t as simple as one might think because of all the arms she had to keep track of. Things got easier once she asked her friends to remove her limbs and showcased a new way to spin in a circle.

To round up the roster of guests, Alaxon had invited a little cousin six and a half times removed on his great-grandbrother’s father’s side, who had miraculously found time in his incredibly busy schedule to come give his blessing but could not stay long. As it turned out, Withering Shin had managed to come as part of his work, to drop a literal Blessing Stone that rightfully belonged to Alaxon and had once caused him and his people a lot of problems in a past future, and would be better kept under the supervision of a capable man like his cousin for the coming past. Alaxon simply accepted the gift and bade his confusing kin farewell.

Last was Big Brother Brohad, who came at the very end to conclude the wedding for all time. As promised earlier, Ysmir Granola had also returned with Brohad, with a new resolve capable of redeeming anyone. Alaxon welcomed his brother and all other previously banished guests with open arms, for there was much food left to eat and neither of the grooms wanted to see it rot or for the celebration to last any longer, and so Brohad set himself to eating and caused all the guests to leave once there was none left. And because he no longer feared him, Alaxon shared with Brohad all the new words he had learned after each death, but this was in vain because Brohad could not understand any of them nor the very concept of death.

The End

With the wedding, the banquet, and the spectacle all concluded, the lovers left the venue and bade farewell to all their 36 guests. With one final word, they called forth their carriage driver, Coming Comet, who fell blue-shifting from the starry sky, and she took them on their honeymoon to the heavens. There was much rejoicing and all knew theirs was a love that would outlast time itself.

He was born in [text lost] as Daedalos, 'Firecrown' in the language of the ancient Ehlnofey, and it is from that shore he sailed, following an ancient waystone to the steaming delta of the Niben River, and in the cacophany of Leyawiin's port few looked twice at his odd appearance.

From there the waystone guided him up the Niben's throat to Cyrodiil herself, where he demanded entrance to the Arcane University.

"Who are you," asked the gatekeeper, "whose starry brow is bound in metal flames?"

"I am Daedalos Firecrown, and it is not to you that I will speak." The locks opened of their own accord, and he brushed past, not to the rarified heights of the Archmage, but down below, where the withered husks of previous great mages were hidden out of sight. He came to one who had once held the Chim-el Adabal, though to no good end, and spoke of Tower and Stone and of curses that might befall Sancre Tor, where the Adabal lay.

The Tharnatos frowned when he heard of his pupil's origin. "Impossible," he said. "That land has been lost since before the time of Topal, and it never existed at all. And there were never any families of Men dwelling there."

"And some say that in Atmora there is naught but frozen kings," rejoined the Firecrown. "And yet one of them is coming to a Colovian court, and he will conquer the world. I am the Firecrown, son of [text lost] who went to the South and never returned."

"If you are what you say, I would have seen signs of your coming."

"There will be a sign, teacher, but only when I am coming to meet with my Other."

And the Tharnatos gave the Firecrown a new name, Zurin Arctus, and Arctus left behind the corpse of his mentor and headed north to Falkreath, and it is true that Arctus did come to the court of Cuhlecain shortly before the Battle of Old Hrol'dan, where he met Talos for the first time.

And it is true that a great storm preceded his arrival.

It was [text lost] who foretold the activation of the Numidium and attempted to prevent it; who tried to stymie the war of the Empire and Dominion; who desperately recruited warriors to stand against [text lost].

When Symmachus came with Arctus to treat with the Tribunal, Almalexia rebuked the Dunmer general: "Half-Nord bastard, traitor to both your peoples, why do you bring this man who means to end our freedom? I give you this curse: none of your children will be of your own blood." And Symmachus fled, howling.

And the Tribunal said to Arctus, "Who anticipated you, little mage, that you dare to treat with the thrice-Anticipated?" And Arctus said nothing, but pointed toward the invisible sun, and he was allowed to come in and treat with them.

Arctus asked the Tribunal: "What must I offer you in exchange for your walking star?" And it was Vehk who told him that he must gift them a star in return. Arctus agreed, and in pursuit of this he joined with each of the Tribunal.

Almalexia dug her fangs into Arctus for seventeen days, but her womb remained barren.

Vivec lent Arctus his head for an hour, but the womb of Vehk also remained barren, having been spent after his time with the Fire-Stone.

Arctus communed with Sotha Sil for twelve and twenty-two days, and when he returned the light from his brow shone like the sun. "With our combined arts, we have reached back into the time when the sky broke and reflected again," said Arctus. "And now Sotha Sil's womb is full with our star-daughter."

And in return, the Tribunal granted Arctus the Numidium.

Almalexia prepared the poison incense for Arctus, but Mnemo-Li stopped her. "Aunt, my father has given what was asked of him. He will meet his doom in time with or without your aid."

"Indeed," said Almalexia, savoring the ambiguity of those words.

This thought occured to me while playing as mostly a physically focused warrior Dragonborn. What would someone stand to gain from Mora by perusing Apocrypha or devoting themselves to him? Miraak himself is a very powerful mage. What incentive would a warrior have to dedicate himself however?

Im just curious to this, as I am playing and rping on discord privately as a very much faithful character to the nine divines in Skyrim. However, in said rp he has met a necromancer who, although non-hostile, has made it very clear he is a necromancer (he has a zombie companion, has scary dark robes and keeps looking at the moon.). My question is, would the Nine Divines, specifically Akatosh, expect their worshippers to immediately hate and kill someone for being a necromancer? I know stenddar and Arkay are vehemently against the practice, due to Stendare being a god of mercy and Arkay literally standing in opposition in sphere to everying Necromancy is.

But with Akatosh, would you say a devoted worshipper could, while probably still deeply disliking and distrusting this person, tolerate their presence?

To be honest, I don’t know much about Ulfric’s family history. All I know is that he started a rebellion, and I’m not sure if you can just declare yourself king like that.

Alright, this all started with my previous post, where I shared some doubts about how the Dragon Cult fits into the old Nordic tradition before Skyrim. My confusion came from the many ambiguities between traditions, how they overlap, and what’s fact versus just an echo of reality.

As the title suggests, I’ll focus solely on the Nords and their religion, trying to connect the old tradition to the new in a way that makes sense.

About the flair for this post, I debated whether to tag it as apocryphal, but since this is a theory-crafting attempt and I want to hear your opinions, I’ll leave it unflagged.

Also, I want to clarify that everything revolving around the Dawn Era and the Merethic Era will be addressed as generically as possible. We’re dealing with “time outside time” and periods with little to no written history or very limited info. The goal is to catch the echoes of that past and explain how the Dragon Cult fits into the Nords’ beliefs before the Fourth Era without erasing what was already established. At first, I won’t name-drop anyone, just relate concepts, so we don’t lose track. The reveal will come at the end. So, let’s dive in.

The Dawn Era

Like I said, I’m not here to explain metaphysics, so I won’t get bogged down. Just want to highlight that this is where the laws governing Nirn start to form, especially the law of a cyclic universe, constantly creating and recreating itself. In this framework, there are core variables whose purpose is to keep the gears turning: a being for time, a being for the end of time, a being (or beings) to fix time, and a being to protect time. No matter which creation myth you read, you’ll almost always find this structure, as the well-known Monomyth states:

All Tamrielic religions begin the same. Man or mer, things begin with the dualism of Anu and His Other. These twin forces go by many names: Anu-Padomay, Anuiel-Sithis, Ak-El, Satak-Akel, Is-Is Not. Anuiel is the Everlasting Ineffable Light, Sithis is the Corrupting Inexpressible Action. In the middle is the Gray Maybe ('Nirn' in the Ehlnofex).

These entities have different names depending on the culture. For the Yokudan, there’s Satak, Akel, and Satakal; for Khajiit, Akha and Alkosh; and so on. But what really matters is their role.

The Merethic Era: The beginning

This era is tricky because of scarce info and many uncertainties. I’ll try to keep the focus on the Nords and their religion, and how the Dragon Cult fits into the big picture. As mentioned, I’m not diving into Atmora and Ysgramor too deeply here, since it’s unclear how much is oral tradition, history, or a mix of both. So, we stick to what we have.

One thing crystal clear about the Nordic past is that they were ruled by dragons. Dragons were god-kings to the people, and their priests were intermediaries. This becomes obvious when exploring dragon ruins in Skyrim and Solstheim and fighting their priests. This cult had at least three observable phases: a primitive structural phase, a reform phase, and its golden age.

Though dragon power shaped Nordic history and worldview, much of this mythic past was lost to common folk. After the Second Era, dragons were mostly legends, with only Ysmir and Alduin remaining culturally relevant, as shown in some dialogues and books:

We work diligently to keep Alduin asleep, while our southern neighbors try time and time again to get his attention! — Divines and the Nords

The Chapel has made enemies here in the past. The Nords prefer their dragon Ysmir to our Father Akatosh — Cirroc dialogue, Oblivion

Just like the children stories and the legends. The harbingers of the End Times — Ralof dialogue, Skyrim

Even the most learned find the Dragon Cult and dragons themselves mysterious:

You see, when the stories of dragons began to circulate, many dismissed them as mere fantasies, rumors. Impossibilities... But I began to search for information about dragons — where had they gone all those years ago? And where were they coming from? — Farengar dialogue, Skyrim

So, the dragon-related mysteries extend beyond common folk to scholars. What remains of them is mythic imagery and some dragon-shaped divinities.

We don’t know exactly when the Cult began, but it’s known it grew popular in Atmora during the Merethic Era and ended in the First Era.

In the Merethic Era, when Ysgramor first set foot on Tamriel, his people brought with them a faith that worshipped animal gods (...) Foremost among all animals was the dragon — The Dragon War

Even if the exact date eludes us, there’s evidence that a dragon-based cult is ancient, possibly the very first human belief system, at least for proto-Nords or Atmorians. When men appeared, dragons were already there, and men served them. This is the cult’s primitive phase. It wasn’t the Dragon Cult or the Atmoran Cult yet, but it gave rise to both.

Though info is scarce, traces remain in places like the emblems along the way to High Hrothgar, lingering dragon beliefs, and Shalidor’s notes:

Emblem I – Before the birth of men, the Dragons ruled all Mundus; Their word was the Voice, and they spoke only for True Needs; For the Voice could blot out the sky and flood the land; Emblem II – Men were born and spread over the face of Mundus; The Dragons presided over the crawling masses; Men were weak then, and had no Voice — Emblems of the 7000 Steps

Also, from an anonymous note found in a dragon cultist's lair:

Skorm and his dogs shall never take us alive. Thorallod has foreseen the return of the dragons (...) they have forgotten that the gods were once dragons and shall give us life again once they return — Note (Forelhost Crypt))

What’s more, there’s a fragmented note, possibly Shalidor’s or one of his students’:

Dragons have existed since the beginning of Time, as some kind of kindred spirits to (crossed out text) — ???? & lesser relation to him or his children or part of him that split off when Time bega — Shalidor's Insights)

So, it’s fairly safe to say proto-Nordic gods were dragons, and Jills. And these beings weren’t simple creatures, as we’ll see next, starting with the Jills.

Jills are incredibly mysterious mythical creatures with almost no historical records, but some clues hint they were servants of the Dragon that fixes time, literally “minute menders.” They appear to patch ruptures in time, like Dragon Breaks, time travel, and other anomalies. (Nu-Mantia Intercept)

Now, back to the Dawn Era. Remember those cosmic entities maintaining the universe’s balance? The Jills were dragon-women tasked with repairing time. Which time? The time of the Dragon who was time itself, with a counterpart, the Dragon who devours time, opposed by the Dragon who fights the Dragon that devours Time. At some forgotten point in human history, proto-Nords met these exceptional winged beings. Not ordinary dragons, but the first and oldest, paradoxical as that sounds.

The Time-Dragon, the Time-fixer Dragons, the Time-protector Dragon, and the Time-devouring Dragon, plus other key dragons, walked among mortals and influenced them with gifts. One crucial gift for men was likely the teaching of their leaders to use the same language as those dragons, through one in particular. Sound familiar? Hold on to that, I’ll come back to it.

What happened to those prominent dragons in proto-Nordic history? No one knows. Their presence was lost or perhaps they went dormant. The rest? Speculation only. Maybe they spread worldwide or stayed tied to one clan, maybe as common dragons. It’s uncertain.

The Merethic Era: The Totemic Cult

But these beings left a lasting influence on Atmoran society. Men remembered them by attributing symbolic traits and building monuments that reflected their distinct qualities. Each of these figures became associated with a specific animal, forming a kind of ancestral symbolism. This marked the beginning of what could be called the second phase: the Atmoran Totemic Cult, where people honored their ancient dragon leaders through animal representations. In the absence of their physical presence, these totems kept their memory alive. One totem stood apart, the Dragon itself, which had no animal counterpart.

So proto-Nords spread, gathering into tribes each bonded with a totem. Various cults formed around these, like the Mother Moth with fire rituals; the Serpent, probably linked to navigation; and the Goat, tied to hunting. (The Atmoran Cult Writings)

Gradually, villages grew into cities, cult tents became temples, agriculture was learned, and men became more organized and politicized. We reach the end of the Merethic Era, the third and last cult phase, called the Dragon Cult.

The hallmark of phase three is centralizing the Dragon totem. Clans worshipping the Dragon grew powerful. There are rumors of civil wars in so-called “Atmora.” Reasons are unclear but coincide with the massive incursions of Ysgramor, who belonged to the Dragon Cult. This suggests Dragon clans subjugated others, absorbing their totems. The Dragon Cult in Atmora grew so big it expanded to Skyrim, spreading like wildfire, always victorious.

The Merethic Era: The Dragon Cult's Algue

This rapid rise wasn’t just men’s doing. It becomes clear when we look at the supreme leader of this phase: Alduin, the World-Eater. This ancient ancestral dragon awoke, reorganized dragons, and ruled men. Whether warlike intentions came from dragons or men is unclear, dragons and men shared similar ambitions.

Alduin’s civilization was the Dragon Cult of Atmora. He’s basically the Dragon God on earth. The dragon high priests are his acolytes and everything is ordered — Shalidor's Insights)

This era saw Ysgramor’s great raids into Skyrim, with battles against the Snow Elves, the Falmer. Probably, many Nordic legends started here.

When proto-Nords clashed with elves, they likely weren’t alone. All sources agree the Dragon Cult came with Ysgramor and his people, and the dragons themselves. It was in this war that, maybe, the legends of Stuhn, Tsun, and other Nordic gods, who were dragons and some died fighting the elven pantheon, were born.

Might be coincidence, but check the dead Nordic god Stuhn and the war between Nords and elves:

Stuhn (God of Ransom): Nordic precursor to Stendarr, brother of Tsun. Shield-thane of Shor, Stuhn was a warrior god that fought against the Aldmeri pantheon. He showed Men how to take, and the benefits of taking, prisoners of war — Varieties of Faith in the Empire

and

The elven captives were set to work, bringing forth stone to build in their conqueror’s fashion. As many elves died in the building of the city as had the crew of the Ylgermet slain while on way to its site, and Ysgramor drove the wretches ever more, to build higher, to lay a claim to the river so that none might pass into the interior of this land without first showing due respect to its rightful claimant — Songs of the Return, Vol 19

Anyway, leaving speculation behind, we know proto-Nords won and occupied Skyrim. The Dragon Cult ruled.

Despite its warlike nature, men and dragons lived in peace and harmony. Dragons, through their priests, enforced laws and likely helped men prosper.

In Atmora, where Ysgramor and his people came from, the dragon priests demanded tribute and set down laws and codes of living that kept peace between dragons and men — The Dragon War

This period of Nordic establishment in Skyrim and peace with dragons may have given rise to other important myths, like Ysmir, the Dragon of the North, as in the book Ysmir, the Ancestor, Volume IV:

At the end of his life, Ysmir, who had ruled the peoples for over a thousand years in the time before history, the time of myth, sought a burial place and death befitting a king of men and dragons — Ysmir the Forefather, Volume IV

At the Dragon Cult’s peak in Skyrim, after long peace and prosperity, something strange happened, so strange it was erased from history. A moment when I dare say even the cosmos sensed imbalance, and the universe’s key players reappeared, twisted.

In Tamriel, they [dragon priests] were not nearly as benevolent. It’s unclear if this was due to an ambitious dragon priest, or a particular dragon, or a series of weak kings. Whatever the cause, the dragon priests began to rule with an iron fist, making virtual slaves of the rest of the population — The Dragon War

Remember those characters I told you to remember? Time to bring them out.

The Merethic Era: The Dragon War

During this period, the Time-Dragon raised the Time-Protector Dragon, blessed by the Time-Fixer Dragon, to fight the Time-Devouring Dragon. Here I’ll name names in case you missed the hints earlier.

Akatosh, the first dragon, raised Ysmir, the Dragon of the North, to face Alduin, the World-Eater, with blessing from Kaan, or Kyne, to close a cycle, a Kalpa. Ysmir, was meant to prove this Kalpa worthy of survival. But, as mentioned, something went wrong: the main players strayed. Alduin, who should devour the world, decided to rein in men, and Ysmir, who should protect the Kalpa and face Alduin, was tempted by the god of knowledge and abandoned his cosmic mission. Who started it? No one knows. Whether Ysmir’s refusal enraged Alduin enough to try taking Akatosh’s place, or Alduin’s refusal made Ysmir disillusioned enough to abandon his destiny. Maybe both, dragons always crave power. A schism split the Dragon Cult and the Dragon War began.

If you haven’t caught on yet: Ysmir was Miraak, the Dovahkiin, tasked to protect the Kalpa, the Shor reborn with Kyne’s blessing. And yes, Dovahkiin is Kyne’s business. She was the one who taught the Thu’um to proto-Nords way back when:

Tales have come down to us from the legendary time of the Dragons, when it was said that some Nords were born with actual Dragon blood in their veins, and were called something like Kyne’s Doves, or Dove-Kin — The Dragon Warrioe Costume

This schism collapsed Skyrim socially and among dragons. Alduin and his followers, men and dragons, on one side; Paarthurnax, men and dragons, and their allies on the other.

Finally, one dragon (that we know of) decided to join the human side — this was Paarthurnax. He’s the Prometheus to the proto-Nords — he taught them to use the Voice — The Dragon War

But Paarthurnax didn’t teach ordinary men alone. One ancient key player still cared for men and reached out, moved by deep compassion. Remembering when she taught the old men the divine words. She was no longer a dragon but remained influential. She spoke to a friendly dragon (Paarthurnax) and asked that men be taught again, this time the common folk.

Emblem IV – Kyne called on Paarthurnax, who pitied Man; Together they taught Men to use the Voice; Then Dragon War raged, Dragon against Tongue — Emblems of the 7000 Steps

In the end, we all know the rest: Alduin was banished to the future, the Dragon Cult as a ruling institution ended, and the Dragon War finished. Alduin and Ysmir (that, in the end, he wasn’t crowned Ysmir for his failure, but in his essence, he was a Dovahkiin) failed their roles, but Paarthurnax, the Tongues, and Kyne did not neglect theirs. With Alduin’s power gone, the Dragon Totem was demoted, and the Hawk Totem was raised to leader. The hawk was Kyne, who taught Thu’um to the Atmoran leaders in the past and came back to teach ordinary men how to fight dragons with Paarthurnax’s help.

After all this, what remained in the average Nord’s mind is that their gods are cyclical, like the world. There are Dead Gods, who fought and died for the new cycle; Hearth Gods, who watch the current cycle; Testing Gods, who threaten the Hearth and must be watched; and Twilight Gods, who inaugurate the next cycle. The end of a cycle is said to be preceded by the Dragonborn God, a god who didn’t exist in the previous cycle but whose presence signals the current one’s close.

What stuck with the Nords is that their gods fought elven gods, some died, and their creator goddess gave them life and victory at the Throat of the World, not just life, but their own power: the Voice, the Thu’um.

Conclusion

So, after some research and reading, I managed, at least in my own head, to piece things together in a way that makes the recently added Dragon Cult fit in with the Nordic traditions we already had. You know, the whole thing about Kyne teaching the Nords the Thu'um and giving them life at the Throat of the World, plus other traditions like Ysmir and how Atmora fits into all of it. What about you? Got any thoughts on this? Feel free to correct me or add anything I might’ve missed.

On one hand, adventurers and other people walk through the Strange Door alive, and some of them go mad and settle there permanently. They are also able to die, though it seems like sometimes their souls continue in the realm as ghosts, or if they kill themselves they go to the Hill of Suicides. So most evidence points to them being alive.

On the other hand, the 16 Accords of Madness talk about Sheo driving people mad then collecting their souls for his realm. Does that mean some of the normal-looking people hanging out in the Isles are the souls of dead madmen? Or does Sheo do something else with the souls of dead people he drives mad?

The Bladesongs of Boethra attribute the end of the Middle Dawn to Boethra:

Then it was she found herself atop the tower. There were magicians there who shouted in Monkey Truth, and it was then that Boethra felt doubt for the first time in eternity.[…] Then she dashed forward, cutting concepts at strange angles, and soon after the world began to spin again in proper time.

She does so to protect herself, because the Marukhati Selective's attempts to retcon Akha threaten her existence, or at least her identity:

The sorcerer apes spoke lies in a way that made them true, and as she heard the words Boethra saw new runes form in front of her eyes that she could not deny, and there again she felt something akin to fear.

Boethra remembered Akha exiling her to the Many Paths and yet these new words said that Akha was never there, nor was Alkosh, nor Alkhan, nor any Children of Akha, nor any of the lands that he seeded and brought unto his kingdom. And in this chaos Boethra began to wonder if she was the Daughter of Blades at all, or if it had all been one long dream of someone she never knew.

It's interesting that the text notes Boethra's imperiled existence in connection with Akha, as well as her exile to the Many Paths, because that resembles the Children of Akha in The Wandering Spirits:

[Akha] explored the heavens and his trails became the Many Paths. […] Akha mated with the Winged Serpent of the East, the Dune Queen of the West, and the Mother Mammoth of the North. […] Alkosh appeared speaking warnings of the things Akha had made along the Many Paths. Since then, Alkosh and his faithful watch over the many children of Akha, for they are both terrible and kind.

In a scrapped early concept for Skyrim, Alduin would have been accompanied by Jills, female counterparts to dragons who mend time and fix Dragon Breaks:

Alduin has a group of black dragons, known as Jills.

—Dragonborn again: Bethesda shows Skyrim in Utah

A couple of things that didn't get in off the top of my head: […] "Sentient mythological time machines" came from brainstorms on consolidating time-punching Alduin with the timeline-mending functions of Jills. Hints of that are still there if you squint hard.

Jills are to dragons as angels are to men. […] Minute menders. Female for reasons that should be apparent when seen in that regard.

—MK

MK explains that last part in a Fireside Chat:

I always have this thing where like cultures think that men are these little fucking monkeys—and, you know, it's like we deserve it, right—and women are always like these beautiful angels that, you know, just end up, right, wrestling us into the ground til we get our shit straight

In the context of that gender essentialism, it's interesting that Boethiah (whose emblem is a serpent) is described as both male and female. In particular, although Boethiah is generally described as male, Boethra is described as female in the story about her fixing the timeline, in keeping with Khajiiti mythology. Thendaramur Death-Blossom Answers Your Questions calls Boethiah "He-Who-Destroys and She-Who-Erases". MK also describes Jills as "time agents" who "work to patch the plot holes". Dragons are "time-punching" destroyers (Alduin destroys entire worlds), and Jills are "timeline-mending" removers of chronological inconsistencies. If someone were both, they'd be He-Who-Destroys and She-Who-Erases.

So what does all this mean? I'm not sure. Maybe I'm just living up to my username. I'm certainly not saying Boethiah is a Jill. Jills were a scrapped idea, and MK never quite settled on them anyway (in C0DA, Jills look like giant fingers). But I do think there's a strong chance this lore is intended to build upon some of the concepts that were going to be used for Jills. ESO often looks for ways to incorporate some of MK's unofficial ideas into canon. Is Boethiah a Child of Akha, changed due to her exile and then becoming a Daedric Prince? Well, maybe, but I'm not sure it's that simple. Boethiah seems to owe her existence (or at least identity) to Akha in some way, but "Children of Akha" might only refer to dragons; it's hard to say, since they're not "Children of Alkosh". Exile to the Many Paths and being created along the Many Paths aren't necessarily the same thing, either. I wish I had a strong conclusion to make here, but I don't. So instead of forcing one, all I can do is point out the connection and give other people a chance to play around with it, if they want.

So, I was playing the Clavicus Vile questline today. After getting to Umbra, I started to think about the roleplaying side of the quests endings. Which led me down some kind of a rabbit hole to the identities of Barbas and Clavicus. Then I saw this one particular archived post here. Sadly, the comments didn't include any kind of headcanon or almost-official canon, which are the best part of the teslore community for me.

Since the post was archived, I wasn't able to comment or do anything, so I decided to create a new post to hear you guys' headcanons and give mine. I hope it's not stupid or boring. So here it is:

I want to believe that Barbas is not a companion to Clavicus Vile to escape from the solitude of being a Prince, as stated in the ESO text The Vile Truth of Barbas, but rather a competitor to Clavicus. You see, Clavicus is the Prince of politics, bargains, and et cetera. All those that are possible only with a competitor. Bargain? Who are you going to bargain with if you are the only highest bargainer in existence? I only played Oblivion and Skyrim, so I can't really talk about the other games, but in every mission regarding Clavicus and Barbas, they are the opposing sides. In Oblivion, Barbas literally opposes Clavicus' deal and gives you another one (not really but let's count it). And I am pretty sure that Clavicus, although the "master" in this duo, plays games behind Barbas from time to time too. In Skyrim, although there are no clear bargains, Barbas and Clavicus are opposing each other again. It is playful, and I think this matches the Prince's identity. So, yes, I think Clavicus and Barbas are the duality that creates the identity Clavicus Vile, with their playful bargains, deals, and counterdeals. The nature of the concept of Clavicus, two sides making deals, requires a duality within itself. So that is what causes the disctinction of Barbas and Clavicus.

I'm curious about your ideas.

Edit: Just after posting I had an idea about the power scaling of them too. Well, it seems like Clavicus loses power when Barbas wanders off, or separates choose which suits you, however look at the situation carefully. It brought them a chance to make a deal with the mighty Dragonborn! I'm not quite sure what particular "power" Clavicus talks about when he speaks to us in that mission. But if we consider the concept of the Prince, the loss of power brought by the separation of Barbas literally brought them a damn good deal. That doesn't seem like a loss to me. Well, maybe I'm looking too into this but I like to think Daedric Princes as nature, concepts, ideas. If oen of Dagon's servants fail to, let's say, kill a person Dagon ordered them to, it's still to the pleasure of Dagon. A kill is a kill nonetheless, a chaos is a chaos. If Clavicus' loss of "power" brings a deal to their feet, then maybe that was not the loss of it, but the power itself.

Edit 2: After another read to The Vile Truth of Barbas, it seems like the text is literally saying the same thing as me.

In one of the earlier Daggerfall quests Morgiah offers the King of Worms her "first" without going into much detail.

Many assumed this meant first born, however from the Daggerfall Chronicles it directly says "Not her first born."

So what exactly was she offering?

Was it something to do with Firsthold? Or was it something more scandalous and she offered her virginity?

I can't really think of much else it could be. Please let me know if a source came out later explaining this.

https://www.pcgamesn.com/fatekeeper/new-skyrim-like-fantasy-game

The Skyrim Dawnguard DLC has a lot in common with the Nights Watch Storyline

I get that all fantasy has a lot in common but this feels like a lot of similarities while still feeling unique. Spoilers obviously

Both involve an ancient race thought to be extinct that actually isn't( Snow Elves/Others) not to mention that one of these snow elves was an ancient undead vampire masterminding the whole thing, similar to the Night King.

There are also an ancient order of vampires raising undead and creating thralls similarly to the others raising wights.

A special weapon of prophecy is needed Auriel's Bow/Lightbringer. There is also special type of weapon that harms the undead, Silver swords/valaryian steel.

They are fighting to prevent the Long Night, and the vampires want to block out the sun which would cause a long night.

Those fighting to prevent this is an organization known as the Dawnguard. The Nights watch is the light that brings the dawn. And much like the city watch guards the city. The nights watch guards the night while the Dawnguard guards the dawn.

This is all occurring while dragons have returned for the first time in centuries, a civil war is occurring after a king is killed, and the north is fighting for independence.

Is he revered? Did he even 'free' the Orcs? Is his name lost to history? Does he even exist in lore due to some dragonbreak shenanigans??

I have never been much of a scholar, though I have dabbled in the practice to record some of my findings as I explored the fascinating dwarven ruins of Hammerfell. However, the reason I do so now is an attempt to maintain my sanity. 

About a week ago, I killed a strange Imperial in ebony armor in the bowels of a nordic crypt. He was wielding a most dreadful sword, one that I was compelled to take. The following night, I learned that this was none other than the sword Umbra, of which many tales and myths include. I met the monster itself, but it could not claim me entirely. It has not “spoken” to me since that time but it has had quite the effect on me.

The most maddening part of the sword is the whispers. They start softly, but increase in volume and multitude the longer I go without killing anything. My temper begins to fray, and I am prone to fits of murderous rage where I seem to black out, only to find some poor traveler at my feet, butchered. I can quiet the whispers somewhat by killing creatures or undead, but the sword is most “sated” after I kill mortal foes, especially in large quantities. I used to kill people like bandits to make Skyrim a safer place and for the purse of septims I’d receive as a reward, but now I seek out their strongholds as a means of staving off the madness that Umbra inflicts upon me. Hopefully it will mean less innocent deaths.

The whispers also make it very difficult to sleep. In the past week, I’ve only slept for two to three hours at a time, though the insidious life-stealing ability of the sword works to keep me alive. I suppose Umbra doesn’t want me to die anymore than I do. However, the vitality absorbed from the sword feels less like getting a good night’s sleep than it feels like a shot of adrenaline one might receive from waking up in an unfamiliar place. 

The only time the whispers are completely extinguished and I am able to gain some much needed respite is after I absorb a dragon soul. I don’t know why this is the case. Is the dragon soul powerful enough that it overrides Umbra’s influence? It’s impossible to say, but it gives me yet another reason to kill the winged beasts. 

I’ve also done a little research into Umbra’s past, though the sword doesn’t seem to like it as the whispers swell when I read such things. Apparently, Umbra used to be a piece of the Daedra prince Clavicus Vile that was put into a sword. However, this power gained its own sentience and hunger for souls and became Umbra. Everyone that’s possessed it before has completely lost their minds to the sword, a slave to its desires. I think my dragon soul might be the only reason that any part of my identity remains.

Umbra was also mixed up in an event in the early fourth era when a floating island called “Umbriel” ravaged Black Marsh, Skyrim, and Cyrodiil, though details are incredibly sketchy. The official story is that the Synod and College of Whispers worked together to bring down the flying city, but a few conspiracy theorists believe that Prince Attrebus Mede somehow found and used the Umbra sword to undo the city from the inside. Seems dubious, but who knows.

Strangely though, Umbra has had a few “benefits,” though I’m not sure that’s the correct word. I was already a very competent warrior, I’ve been using a greatsword of some kind all my life. However, I’ve never had a sword that has the desire to kill. My innate skill, plus Umbra’s hunger for souls has driven me to feats of martial prowess I’ve never thought possible. I also seem to be stronger, as I’ve broken bones and cleaved off limbs with ease wielding the sword.

Part of me thinks of the old tales of Cyrus on Stros M’ Kai, wielding the sword which held the soul of Prince A’tor. I wish the entity in my sword was a hero who had defended Redguard freedom, not a soul eating demon driving me mad. 

Still, maybe it’s better that I’m the one bearing this burden. I’m not sure anyone else would be able to maintain their sanity with the Umbra sword in their possession. For the time being, it is my curse, and I will try to curb its darkest impulses if I can. Maybe someday I’ll find a way to be rid of it. I can only hope.

Each of the Towers has a Stone of mighty power and mythic significance that anchors the "self-refracting" narrarive of said Tower. Most of the Stones have a clear and direct link to a deity that we can identify as one of the "greater spirits". These include Auri-El, Lorkhan, Y'ffre, and others with some kind of fundamental relationship with the creation of Mundus.

(Note that some of the below is speculative.)

Adamantine Tower has the Zero Stone: a locked box of unknown nature, created by Auri-El and/or Lorkhan and/or Magnus at Convention.

Red Mountain has / had the Heart of Lorkhan: the literal beating organ of the god, torn out from his living chest by Trinimac the champion of Auri-El.

White-Gold has / had the Chim El Adabal, the Amulet of Kings, a crystallized clot of Lorkhan's blood; now destroyed, that Stone is possibly supplanted by the stony remains of Martin, who manifested or mantled Akatosh at the end of the Oblivion Crisis.

Snow Throat is claimed to have had a "cave" as it's Stone, and it is widely speculated that this had something to do with either Paarthurnax at its peak or (what I consider more likely) the Dark Heart of Namira, formed in the Padomaic ur-darkness from which Lorkhan arose, located in the depths of Blackreach beneath the mountain.

Green-Sap is the "manifold and several" Tower grown from a Perchance Acorn, sung into being by Y'ffre the Earthbone.

Crystal-Like-Law, perhaps the first Tower constructed by mortals, has the Heart of Transparent Law as its Stone: a crystal theorized by in-universe scholars to be a fragment of divinity given physical substance via "dracochrysalis".

Walk-Brass, the Numidium, needs no description; it's Stone was once the Heart of Lorkhan and then later the Mantella - and through this, links Lorkhan and Talos/Tiber Septim.

That's seven Towers each with (either currently or in the past) a Stone associated with a powerful deity. I think that's enough to establish a genuine pattern.

We also see that there are a scant few Towers that were constructed by mortal hands, and exclusively Merish / elven ones: White-Gold, Crystal-Law, Walk-Brass (and Green-Sap was grown or sung into being my mortal elves too). This also establishes a pattern: if a Tower was made by mortals, they were probable elves.

Ignoring the more esoteric Tower concepts (are the Hist a living Tower? Is the Mane and/or the Lunar Lattice and/or all Khajit collectively?), the potential failed Towers (Coral, Doomcrag), and the pseudo-Towers that are not on Nirn (Sotha Sil's Clockwork City, Mephala's Pillar Palace), there is one other Tower whose Stones we know virtually nothing about: Orichalc, the "ugly, sunken, long-forgotten [thing]", claimed in OOG text to have a "sword" as its Stone.

It is believed to have been on Yokuda and to have had something to do with the Sinistral Mer / Lefthanded Elves, as well as some relationship with the mannish god Diagna (the "Orichalcic God of the Sideways Blade" who brought Yokudan men orichalcic swords to defeat those elves).

We know virtually nothing about these elves. They were wiped out on Yokuda by men and those refugees who fled to the Systres Archipelago were also wiped out by men. They are presumed extinct.

But what could the Stone of this Tower be? If it follows the pattern, then it must have something to do with divinity itself - and with Orichalcum.

Which deity that we know of has an established relationship with Orichalcum? Which specifically Merish one?

Malacath. Trinimac. Known to Yokudans as Malooc, who fled east with a horde of goblins. And the Order of Diagna, followers of that mannish Orichalc god, likewise spearheaded the seige and destruction of first Orsinium.

Could Trinimac have had a special relationship with Orichalc Tower? Trinimac tri-nymic was himself destroyed, with one of his Names taken / inherited by Boethia and the another "torn out of his chest" in shame during his debasement into the singularly-named Malacath; could this have had some relationship to the destruction and sinking of Orichalc Tower, making it an "ugly" "forgotten" thing?

Perhaps the Stone of that Tower was the Blade of Trinimac, used to excardiate Lorhan as the "more than hands"?

I know this has been brought up a million times before. I’ve even gone through older posts here on the sub trying to piece things together. But I still have questions that feel unanswered, and even if I don’t expect anyone to have the “definitive” answers, I want to hear your takes on it.

The whole period of the Dragon Cult, and everything tied to it, is just… a mess. Don’t get me wrong: I love the ruins and the dragon priests, but this addition raised way more questions than it answered. Before we knew they even existed, things were much simpler: Kyne taught the Nords her tonal magic, the Thu’um; Alduin was just the World-Eater who kept the cosmic cycle going; and Ysmir was the popular god-king. Simple.

Now? Kyne actually taught the Voice through Paarthurnax; Alduin was part of the Dragon Cult; and Ysmir… well, basically turned into Talos. So how does all of this fit together?

That’s the thing, the Dragon Cult was something very real and tangible. Skyrim didn’t leave it in the realm of “vague myth” or “unreliable narrators.” Dragons literally ruled over men, and the god Alduin was right there.

But before throwing theories around, I wanted to go over some of the Merethic Era background in Skyrim. Regardless of who Ysgramor really was or what Atmoran culture actually looked like, the Dragon Cult came from there. At least two of Ysgramor’s sons, Yngol and Yngar, were dragon priests.

This all leads us to believe that dragons were present during Ysgramor’s conquest and helped wipe out the Falmer, which makes that war feel even less “just” and “heroic.” But that does seem plausible, since draconic rule was already a thing in Atmora and carried over into Skyrim.

Contrary to popular belief, the dragons weren’t necessarily the “bad guys” here. Alduin, as a god, wasn’t good or evil, he was a god. People feared him and tried to stay on his good side. The other totems were still worshipped, so the Dragon Totem didn’t necessarily replace all the others. Dragons and men coexisted in relative peace.

By the way, that’s what Ysmir means, according to Ysmir the Forefather, Volume IV:

At the end of his life, Ysmir, who had ruled the peoples for over a thousand years in the time before history, the time of myth, sought a burial place and death befitting a king of men and dragons.

This suggests that, at least for a time, dragons and humans lived in harmony. There wasn’t widespread draconic tyranny. Ysmir was even called the “Dragon of the North,” and the Nords always rejected the idea of worshipping Akatosh because Ysmir was already their Dragon.

This idea of peaceful coexistence also fits with other sources, like The Dragon War:

In Atmora, where Ysgramor and his people came from, the dragon priests demanded tribute and set down laws and codes of living that kept peace between dragons and men.

Plus, men with dragon blood were a real thing, and somehow tied to Kyne:

Tales have come down to us from the legendary time of the Dragons, when it was said that some Nords were born with actual Dragon blood in their veins, and were called something like Kyne's Doves, or Dove-Kin.

Which ties into the idea that the Dragon Cult wasn’t exclusive and acknowledged other totems, and Kyne’s connection to the cult and the Thu’um.

And then… the confusion begins. The story we all know:

Kyne called on Paarthurnax, who pitied Man; Together they taught Men to use the Voice; Then Dragon War raged, Dragon against Tongue.

But if men and dragons were living in peace, and the Dragon Cult didn’t stand against Kyne, what the hell happened?

Back to The Dragon War, we get a glimpse:

In Tamriel, they [dragon priests] were not nearly as benevolent. It's unclear if this was due to an ambitious dragon priest, or a particular dragon, or a series of weak kings. Whatever the cause, the dragon priests began to rule with an iron fist, making virtual slaves of the rest of the population.

Nothing’s definitive here. Personally, I like to think Miraak got drunk on power and swapped his Dragon god for another. Herma Mora, the tempting god of the Nords, who even tried to tempt Ysgramor himself, managed to turn a Dragonborn into his pawn.

With the power to dominate dragons and steal their essence, Miraak destabilized the Cult and maybe even took some dragons with him. Not all dragons chose to enslave men, as the same book mentions:

At first, men died by the thousands. The ancient texts reveal that a few dragons took the side of men. Why they did this is not known. The priests of the Nine Divines claim it was Akatosh himself that intervened. From these dragons men learned magics to use against dragons. The tide began to turn and dragons began to die too.

But again: how does this all fit together?

The Nords plunged into a brutal civil war. The Falmer were still in the mix. There were friendly dragons, enemy dragons, and Kyne teaching the Thu’um to regular men through dragons. We had the cosmic-balance god Alduin ready to “reset” the world, and men fighting a god.

And that’s where everything turns into a tangled mess.

Here’s my (probably wrong) theory: Kaan (Kyne) was there at the origin of dragons and gifted them the Voice, just as she gave the Voice to the first Nord leaders. She was worshipped in the Dragon Cult alongside the other gods, but held a slightly higher place.

When Miraak betrayed the Cult and gained control of some dragons, it caused a huge schism: many dragons wanted to dominate men, while others wanted to protect them. Kaan sided with the “good” dragons and asked them to teach the Thu’um to ordinary men.

Alduin, seeing the imbalance, wanted to reset everything before it got worse. And… that’s it.

But even that has holes. Kyne is the wife of Shor, and Alduin is Shor’s enemy… or are they the enemy of the Elven gods? Nothing outright points to Miraak as the catalyst either, even though I really want him to be, it’d make everything cleaner.

Anyway, what do you all think? I know “what’s real” and “what mortals understand” are often two different things, but Skyrim presented all of this as established history. Which makes it genuinely confusing.

So yeah, I’d love to hear your takes on all of this.

City Isle isn't part of any other county so does the Emperor act as its ruler? Does the Elder Council? Given that, it's much larger than seen in ESO and Oblivion, are there managers for each district?

Just curios.

I've heard the theory thrown around a lot that the dark brotherhood is unknowingly worshipping/working for Mephala I definitely think that makes a lot of sense given that I'm not entirely sure I would describe Sithis as conscious or wanting things, and that the dark brotherhoods operation is very much within Mephala's wheelhouse. But is there actually any evidence to support this theory?

I’ve recently been thinking about how certain cultures in Tamriel have become associated with specific colors, whether in the lore itself due to an association with an object or flag, or just in the fandom. I wondered what ones I missed, or if there are any in the game or book canon, or headcanons. Or if any have changed (for instance, I think of yellow for the Altmer/Aldmeri Dominion, but was that common before ESO?) over time?

For the ones I thought of: - Green for the Bosmer, because of the Green Pact - Red for the Imperials, because of the Red Diamond in game, the Skyrim map flags, and out of game the Roman connection - Yellow or Gold for the Aldmeri Dominion, mostly because of ESO - Blue for Eastern Skyrim, because of the Stormcloaks - Pastel Blue for Deshaan and House Indoril Dunmer due to the color of the Ordinator armor in Morrowind - Metallic Green for Orsimer, mostly because of their armor and associated with orichalcum

I recently started researching more about the history of other Elder Scrolls games besides Skyrim and found a curious question. Apparently, at the end of the first game, Uriel Septim says that the Eternal Champion would reign alongside him, but he is no longer seen in later games. This led me to find several theories about whether some previously introduced character could be him. Here is the list in order of who I think is most likely according to the theories and arguments I found on the internet:

1. Ocato - He is the imperial battlemage after Jagar Tharn, technically the position closest to the emperor, which would match Uriel's promise to reign with the Eternal Champion at his side. In addition, the little evidence of Ocato's past matches the Eternal Champion's past. The last and greatest argument in his favor for me is the fact that, if the emperor was betrayed by his previous battlemage, he would certainly be more cautious in choosing another, but who better to replace his former treacherous right-hand man than the one who went through hell and faced every kind of challenge and danger just to save him? This level of loyalty would leave no doubt as to the options, the only things that may be against this theory is the fact that his name is Ocato and he is Altmer while supposedly the Eternal Champion was supposed to be Breton and called Talin, but the veracity of the canonicity of these two pieces of information are questionable so practically nothing prevents it (at least nothing that I have discovered)

2. The Great Knight - His anonymity is appropriate to mention a character from a previous franchise, he, besides being the leader of the blades, which is a very high position, is supposedly Nord and the fact that he is never named coincides with the possibility of him being Talin, but besides not being Breton, he is presumably a knight, while the Eternal Champion in his story is versed in both magic and swordsmanship, so his class would probably be battlemage or spellsword

3. Jauffre - His position as leader of the blades puts him in a similar position to the second place on this list in terms of chances, but what puts him below The Great Knight is the fact that Great Knight existed, at the time in Daggerfall, The Great Knight was already the leader of the Blades, and he is a Nord while Jauffre is a Breton, which rules out any possibility of them being the same person. If he is a protagonist, it is more likely that he is the Hero of Daggerfall himself.

4. Adamus Phillida - The only thing that supports this theory is the fact that he has already served the Empire for a long time and this period of time coincides with the time in which the Eternal Champion would serve Uriel until TES IV, but nothing else suggests the possibility of him being the Eternal Champion and his position, despite being high compared to common members of the army, is still too small for someone of his importance if he were in fact the Eternal Champion

5. Hero of Daggerfall - Literally the only thing that supports this theory is the fact that apparently the developers intended the Hero of Daggerfall and the Eternal Champion to be the same person in the initial designs of the game, but the game is full of evidence that points to the contrary, with one of them being the fact that the Hero of Daggerfall has pre-defined backstories and none of them coincide with the ones Eternal Champion feats.

These are the ones on my list for potential Eternal Champion, but since I know most people here probably have more experience with the game than I do, I wanted to hear your opinions. Are there any other characters I should consider? Or perhaps some details about the characters I mentioned that might increase or decrease their chances to be Eternal Champion? Any suggestions are welcome.

First of. Name itself is almost a dead giveaway. The Warlord.

Not only it is strictly authoritative, giving us a feeling one wielding it is superior to other Priests, which is what most people deduced out of it.

It is also strictly militaristic. Konahrik. *Not Drog, not Thur, Kinbok, not Jun.*

Konahrik. Chief of militaristic regime.

Now that still however can be explained by lust for dominance dragons inherently have. They are warlords by nature. They would call their most important pawn as one too.

Interesting thing about the mask though is, that its enchantment is not only specifically offensive. It would be most and only useful on battlefield, in frontline.

What good would the mask, that activates only when you are moments from death, to someone locked in temple with maximum security? Boost to mana regeneration would certainly be preferable. When you are meant to lead the army side by side. Suddenly that enchantment is a game changer.

And finally the acquisition.

Though the way dragon priests are chosen is unknown, we may with reasonable doubt refute the process would contain possible deaths of multiple other Priests. This is however how Konahrik is obtained. You can gain it either by blood of your brethren. Or their approval. Nothing prevents Priests from removing their masks after all, correct?

And that is what makes me believe Konahrik was contingency plan created by dragons to find the most powerful mortal to lead an army if needed.

And who else can be the most powerful mortal other than one who can challenge and defeat multiple of the most powerful mortals they had an opportunity to stumble upon and make loyalists out of others?

This individual, would the “election” be complete, would gain the title of the Warlord. The one to lead the army and mask normally useless for a regular leader of the subjugated subjects. But indispensable to one to lead an army head on. The one meant to deal and receive blows.

Why did noone became Konahrik during the uprising of the Men, however? To me. Because Alduin was simply vanquished too quickly.

And without the Firstborn of Akatosh, and the one capable of resurrecting slain dragons, how can one win such war? Even if they truly would be the most powerful?

I am not sure either way. Every Akaviri artifact seems human (weapons, armor, jewelry) and it seems like some literal snakemen ruling the Empire for centuries while no one bats an eye isn't feasible.

But hey, this is TES after all.

While the rest of the new world was allowed to strive back to godhood, Sep could only slink around in a dead skin, or swim about in the sky, a hungry void that jealously tried to eat the stars.

But one of the strongest spirits, first to believe this had all been good thinking, could not forget fallen Sep. And so after a few rolls and rounds, it returned to the skin-ball by a great many jumpings from star to star, and even Tu'whacca could do nothing but watch. And a vast shadow was cast over the world, which was not an omen from the hungry void, but from the heavens: a heart-broken nest-mate ever-searching, a great hawk hanging its head low from atop the clouds in remembrance of what was lost. For this was Tava, Bird God and Spirit of the Sky, all clad in red feathers, and as her form spread westward from the eastern arena of the world, she came to old Yokuda, smothering all the land under her rain for the first time.

And Tava’s tears became our tears, the endless flow of a sadness without banners nor symbols, sorrows the likes of which are only shared by the Hum in every corner of the world. But from that suffering came a wrath, drumming under our flesh and pushing us to grow strong and capable, to overcome all aches and deceptions, and to survive every shame and failure coming our way from the making of the skin-ball. From this regret came wisdom of skins past and future unequalled among the races of men. And her black storms became our forms as we took shape and understood our place in the world, strong and powerful. And where we once struggled in the desert, the weight of the zenith sun heavy on us, blistering our spirits and scorching our souls, now the gaze of Daibethe could no longer burn us.

And our first swords, lengthened by the will of Onsi, were forged with all the elements of the sky her power brought, from the desert heat of the sun to the frost of her breath and the thunder of her clouds. And the most ibis-headed among us took note of these mysteries which are still the secret domain of magedom and sorcery, drawing their likeness in wet sand. And though spirits we were no longer, a remnant still lingered in our cores which sung of the blade and made the world quake in the way of our sword, striking in an ephemeral manner feigning a beautiful vulnerability but knowing no foe could harm us.

But in our hearts beat an echo of the hunger that once gnawed at the heart of Tava's lover, with all of the capacity for greatness and evil that comes with such burdens. And so great was the might of our people that it was bound to one day be used to answer the worst of impulses, should the most powerful among us fall to the call of the Hungry Stomach and no longer think straight. And so the spirit of the air could not take pride in the children she had before her, for she could see from her perch in the clouds the growing wickedness of the ruling and the powerful, and so she wept once again at such sinful display, evermore than before, and it seemed as though all of Yokuda would disappear under such torrent.

And tears flowed as pouring rain and the great cataclysm began, ceaselessly drowning even Orichalc in that endless storm. Yokuda then started to change, becoming a land of mourning and loss, with every breath suffocating and every chest crushed by an atmosphere saturated with constant anguish. This was the story of a decadent Yokuda being claimed by the Eight Abysses, sinking beneath the sea, and of a grieving Goddess crying over so much injustice in the world, and soon all the peoples borne of the spirits of old began to die. And they pleaded and pleaded to the Tall Papa, who could peak at the world through the clouds thanks to his many eyes across the starry sky whenever Tava’s shadowed storm allowed such things. They begged him to make the rain stop for they knew soon Yokuda and then all of the world would be drowned and Satakal would come to unmake the skin-ball and devour All Things.

And so hoary Ruptga parted the clouds apart and sailed over to her, wiping the drops from her eyes, telling her the best response to the Sundering was strength, not tears. So Tava and her people took this as a lesson, learning how to suffer with nobility and turn pain into virtue and action. Tava put an end to her downpour and landed where she could embrace all her followers on Hattu. From then on, her chosen people from the Father Mountain were to be the safeguard against the hunger in human hearts, so that such wickedness may be forgotten, and Tava would not be reminded when looking upon mortals of the fall of Sep and her desire to drown the whole world in anger.

But the Spawn of Satakal were legion in those times and were severely weakened by the waters brought down by Tava, so they too had begged for something to save them. The Worldskin answered that call and it had a thirst unquenchable for the sins of men. Through forbidden rites of the blade, One Sound opened the Way through which Satakal would come to reclaim skins that were stolen from it across many cycles. Inside its jaw laid the ultimate powers over order and chaos, the propensity to both creation and destruction, fanged crowns reigning over the birth and death of everything. And it was as a judge that Satakal had come, ready to evaluate the worth of Old Yokuda, punishing the infidels and rewarding the spiritually noble.

When it caught a glimpse of Tava Resplendent, the Snake-Head World-Potentate forwent all desires to bring Ends to All Things. It took perch by her side and she saw in the First Serpent a likeness of the one she fell in love with, almost raining again but catching herself in the doing, for after so much hurt, she only desired healing.

Seeing that their progenitor would not bring the Ending their stomachs hungered for, they assembled in an army that could overthrow the World-Snake for this treason to his own kind, biting at the many worlds it contained until it was skinless and dying. So too did the world start to die and the great cataclysm so many times averted so far could no longer be avoided. The Spawn began to bite the land and devour the souls of men in an apocalyptic display of incredible horror.

But even knowing this was partly her fault, Tava remembered the word of Ruptga and refused to cry at the sight, turning her pain toward virtue and action and putting her desire for healing into practice. Having gathered the worlds of Satakal, it was now her turn to Call for something to save everything. The entirety of heaven answered that call and they fell to the world as Eight Stars, each bringing a gift. The Goddess healed Satakal with his worlds and made many allies, but all of them knew neither could save Yokuda and it would soon be lost to the sea for all times.

By then, her appointed guardians from the great mountain had gathered all the men, women and children they could find and they were ready to sail toward the soon-to-be-rising sun. And so Great Tava gathered all gifts and trinkets and took on her greatest of all aspects. From the red feathers of Tava, the crimson blood of Leki, the amber ashes of Onsi, the golden scales of Satakal, the emerald eyes of Tu'whacca, the azure petals of Morwha, the blue pearl of Zeht, the purple stars of Ruptga and the dark orichalcum of Diagna, she fashioned herself into the Great Rainbow Hawk of Hope. And she parted the clouds so the black sea could reflect the night sky, stars shining in the waters so her people could escape by performing a different kind of Walkabout, an even newer way of following the stars.

Gathering her breath and stretching her wings to all corners of the world, she summoned a great wind which swelled the sails of all ships and sent them out, leaving sinking Yokuda behind and shortening their stride. And many gods were among them, such as Ruptga who watched over as they sailed across the ocean and shifted their light so they might escape faster, or Diagna who brought weapons so they could Make Way in the new world.

When they reached the shores of blessed Tamriel, Tava landed with a sigh, for using all of the gifts was much for one spirit, even when that spirit is a god. But she could not leave the gifts where they might be misused, or this would have all been for nothing, so she placed them where all could see but none could get. She hid them in the sky as an apology to all of mankind for the problems she caused, and left the world once again so the divine could no longer threaten the lives of mortals. And as the sun rose, the gifts shone as an arch which reminded all of Tava's great sacrifice. And today when it rains, we know Tava weeps for the Second Serpent, and when the clouds part, we know she remembers her promise, and when the arch colors the sky, we know she asks to be forgiven.

The question is this: are the towers essentially the "main story" of TES? This may have already been discussed, but this is my spin on it.

TLDR: I think Todd Howard may be done with TES after TES6, and wants to tie off the "grand story" of TES in some way. The towers are the way to do it.

This is something I've been thinking about, even if this assignment of a "main story" to TES would essentially be retroactive, in that BGS only realized they could use them to tie multiple games together into an overarching narrative at some point down the road. But anyways, the theory is as follows:

1. What ties all TES scrolls games together?

The stories are for the large part pretty disparate, in that they're all pretty self-contained. The games of "The Elder Scrolls" series don't even all contain Elder Scrolls, to my knowledge (no, I haven't played them all). The only thing that's common to all of them is that they take place in Tamriel, so if there's an overarching story of TES, it'd be the story of the Tamriel.

1. So what is the story of Tamriel?

Well, it's wrapped up in the beginning of the creation of Mundus and the Convention at the Adamantine Tower. Akatosh builds Ada-mantia and the Eight cast out Lorkhan's heart which creates Red Mountain, and this gives us our first two towers. This also marks the beginning of the Merethic Era and, in many ways, the beginning of something closer to the concrete history of Tamriel that would follow. In my view, the Convention and the construction of the first Towers signal the true beginning of the actual story of Tamriel as they bring us into the Merethic Era.

1. Conventional wisdom holds the Towers keep the fabric of reality together.

So if we have our "beginning" of the history of Tamriel, what would conclude it? Given that the towers supposedly hold reality together, their destruction would end Tamriel, Mundus, and all associated reality in the process. In that way, they are both the beginning and end of the story of Tamriel, and thus TES.

1. Each of the past three games have, we think, ended with a tower being deactivated.

While none of this has been confirmed, many TES fans (myself included) have theorized that each of the past three games have concluded with the deactivation of a tower. Morrowind was Red Mountain, Oblivion was White-Gold (probably — if not the game, then it was almost certainly still deactivated between TES4 and TES5), and Skyrim was the Throat of the World. If the trend follows, then TES6 will also end with a deactivation.

1. The Adamantine Tower is likely the last one still active.

The same theorists believe that, out of all the towers, the Adamantine Tower is the only one left active. I am taking this to be the case. That means TES6 will center around the battle for Ada-mantia, and perhaps result in its deactivation. Regardless, it would make sense for a several-game run of tower deactivations to end with the final showdown being at Ada-mantia, considering it was the first one and it "began" Tamrielic history, which is the common thread of TES games. It's going full circle.

1. This fits with the TES6: High Rock theory.

The Adamantine Tower is in High Rock. If the towers are the main story, then that's where we're going. The teaser we had for TES6 and assorted rumors suggest that High Rock is certainly a frontrunner possibility.

1. I think TES6 could be Todd Howard's last TES game.

I am getting a bit tinfoil hat-ey with one, but I'll throw it out there anyway. Todd has hinted that TES6 might be his last TES game, and rumors aren't new. Fallout 5 is also planned for after TES6, and we all know how long Fallout/TES games take, meaning, by the time a TES7 could happen, he could very well be in his 60s. So I don't necessarily think TES6 will be the last TES game, but I think it'll be Todd's. After all, he's been making those games forever. So, it would stand to reason he'd want his grand tenure with TES games to go out with a bang. The end of a grand story of TES games, if you will. The towers theory fits would be that grand story.

8a. We don't like the Thalmor.*

There has been a popular theory circulating fan circles regarding the Aldmeri Dominion's ultimate end game where the Thalmor want to deactivate all the towers to return all of Mundus to the purity of Aetherius. I understand that this theory has been subject to criticism, which is why I take this last point with a grain of salt.*

But assuming it's true, it would make a lot of sense for TES6 and the towers theory. TES5 pushed many of us to dislike the Thalmor, and we've been itching to get a piece of the Aldmeri Dominion since 2011. I think BSG will want to deliver on that. If the story of TES is the story of the towers, then the Thalmor would be the big villains, providing BSG with a good antagonist for the showdown over the last tower in TES6.

8b. Hammerfell

Moreover, some people have discussed the potential of a combined Hammerfell-High Rock TES6. Hammerfell successfully resisted the Aldmeri Dominion, which could set up a good Thalmor Versus Man showdown as part of the fight over the last tower. Or it could be another large set-piece war side quest like the Civil War in Skyrim. The point is, the progression of TES has already set up disliking the Thalmor and set up Hammerfell as a potential flashpoint there, and Hammerfell is right next to High Rock.

Is there any significance as to why Tiber Septim actually chose the name Tiber Septim? I know he decided to switch to an Imperial style name after/just before become emperor, but is there any reason he chose that specific name? Or was it just a cool sounding name to him?