#same with people who tamper with the Heart of Lorkhan

[wellthebardsdead]

The loved & the forgotten pt19

Part 18 here

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Team dragonborn: *seated in the councillors estate after sharing breakfast with nerevar & voryn as well as the councillors before they left to attend to their duties*

Vivienne: *seated in taliesins lap, fast asleep as he rests his head against his chest*

Taliesin: *stroking his hair gently, looking at Vivienne’s nearly full plate now sitting cold* …he barely ate anything.

Kaidan: shhh it’s alright he’ll eat later. You know he can’t eat when he’s upset, stomach too tight…

Nerevar: *seated across from them smiling warmly* vivec was much the same. He could be starving to death but the moment he’d get upset he couldn’t stomach a bite.

Voryn: I still stand by it was just another method of his to make you fuss over him. This one though- *looks over at vivienne resting against his high elf lover, eyes heavy and face still sad and tired* had a panic attack. *sighs and shifts on the cushion as he picks up his tea*

Nerevar: finally starting to see he’s different then?

Voryn: hm… Vivec would often have meltdowns to get attention, to get what he wanted. Mainly from you. And yet this reincarnation of his had a panic attack because you were all worried about him?

Kaidan: aye he… he’s never done it before either, never raised his voice at us too for that matter.

Taliesin: *brushes Vivienne’s hair out of his face as his nose twitches in his sleep from it bothering him* he hasn’t… he’s not… *sighs* he’s not allowing himself to process what he’s been through. He seems to think just ignoring it and moving on will make it go away.

Miraak: *sighs taking off his mask and rubbing his dark green eyes with exasperation* am I really the only person who understands what’s going on?

Everyone: *looks at him confused*

Miraak: he’s afraid to ask for what he wants. He doesn’t think he deserves to ask. He’s spent his entire life being used by others and believes his only value is how much service he can provide… he’s afraid if he asks for what he wants… you’ll all leave him.

Kaidan: I- wh- Whot?! How do you know that?

Miraak: *slaps himself in the face groaning* was I the only one who witnessed his outburst this morning too?!

Sero: *sobered up enough to join into the conversation* let’s not even begin on the whole questioning his identity thing. I decked 12 people trying to ‘ask for Vivec’s blessings’ while we were trying to calm him down.

Lucien: and the shockwaves he keeps emitting when he’s stressed or hurt.

Voryn: calling the heart for aid.

Lucien: what?

Voryn: *sighs* my heart is the heart buried beneath red mountain. There’s a reason why my title is still father of the mountain in that regard. From the moment we set foot on this island I knew he was here. His past incarnation tampered with the heart of lorkhan after murdering neht. And it seems a part of that energy still resides within him. I felt when he was hurt. I heard him call out for aid. And I commanded the mountain to answer… whether I like it or not. We’re connected.

Kaidan: …if you don’t like him that much why bother helping?… *furrowing his brow sensing voryns distaste for his partner*

Voryn: I don’t hate him if that’s what you’re implying… but I don’t trust him either. Vivec was a known liar. A manipulator. And I can’t trust that his new form is any different. I watched him murder Neht right in front of me. I watched him carve off his feet and face as he screamed and begged for them to let him hold my hand as he died… *looks to vivienne* He has his face. His voice. His body… so forgive me for finding it difficult to believe he’d be any better in this life than he was then. He may have a new life. But his heart still beats with mine… I aided him to give him a chance… and because Neht wishes to give him one too.

Kaidan: you can trust him… *gently takes Vivienne’s hand, smiling as the dunmer squeezes it in his sleep* he’s a good person…

Lucien: always puts everyone before himself.

Inigo: he even forgave me for attempting to kill him.

Everyone: *looks at him*

Miraak: He forgave me for attempting to kill him too… and for sending my followers after him… and for nearly trapping him in apocrypha-

Kaidan: he’s never once gotten upset with me even with all my secrets and my past nearly getting him killed.

Taliesin: he’s never judged my past for being with the thalmor and aldmeri dominion-

Nerevar: Okay I’m starting to think It’s all of you I need to be protecting him from-

*that evening*

Nerevar: *brushing out his hair and walking to bed, smiling to see Voryn already laying there, waiting for him* thoughts?…

Voryn: he’s young. Reckless. Headstrong and stubborn.

Nerevar: Ryn…

Voryn: *sighs* but he’s not Vivec… *gently embraces him pulling him into his arms as he joins him in the blankets and pillows*

Nerevar: *smiles kissing him softly* he’s still very young, and he’s a lot to learn.

Voryn: and a lot of pain he needs to heal…

Nerevar: you saw their eyes didn’t you?… his lovers?…

Voryn: they’re conflicted… hurting with something deeper than just worry for his well-being…

Nerevar: should we talk to them about it?

Voryn: yes… maybe we can help them… but speaking of well being- *slides his hands down his back, stopping as they playfully grasp and squeeze the smooth skin of his exposed rear* I think you need some stress relief~

Nerevar: *gasps softly and nods shyly, his face flushing pink and ears dipping down in a relaxed manner* y-yes please…

#voryn dagoth #nerevar #vivienne dragonborn #vivec #dunmer dragonborn #Kaidan skyrim #skyrim taliesin #teldryn sero #miraak #inigo skyrim #Lucien skyrim

[tamrielwolf]

My personal thoughts regarding the Tribunal as characters:

“FOUL MURDER” Is the disturbing message hidden within the Thirty-Six Lessons of Vivec, Sermon Thirty-Six after taking the first letter of the first word from each paragraph. Why would the Tribunal admit to their crimes? Perhaps they aim to further mock General Nerevar for his weakness and refusal to harness power? Perhaps it is an outward act of defiance to Azura who was consumed in spite after ALMSIVI utilized the Heart of Lorkhan’s and turned the Chimer away from Daedric worship? Or what if the confession is evidence that they carry remorse for the murder of their beloved friend Indoril Nerevar all those years ago at the Battle of Red Mountain?

No Dunmer will ever know what ALMSIVI’s true feelings about Nerevar was, his death is a topic shrouded in mystery and tangled within contradictions as well as an ancient hate between the Tribunal and Azura that ended in bitter prophecy. To speculate beyond the implications is a great way to find yourself immersed in debate.

However, there is one thing that is clear regarding the murder of Nerevar, and that is the motive. Power. Man or mer, mortal or Daedra, we’ve seen it tale after tale, how the inhabitants of Nirn and Oblivion seek it. Power to be benevolent, power to be wicked, power to restore, or power to corrupt. Almost every great conflict or rise and fall of an Empire that has occurred is credited to the uninterrupted flow of power. One can say the desire for power, much like the real world, is what makes the Elder Scrolls games the disheveled yet beautiful universe it is.

Many would agree that the Almalexia, Vivec, and Sotha Sil are not heroes. What is so heroic about murdering your husband, friend, and esteemed General with poison and implement in exchange for ascension? Saint Alessia, Tiber Septim, and Ysgramor to name a few are surely the more appropriate historical figures that deserve such a title, right? Well, that can be challenged. What’s remarkable about ALMSIVI’s story is that unlike other legendary characters in history, the power they killed for is a pendulum that swings back and forth from the good and bad. The same Lady Almalexia who left Sotha Sil’s corpse to dangle and rot was once the mother of mercy who wept at the sight of her people’s blood and nearly died defending them from Mehrunes Dagon’s slaughter. The same Lord Vivec who threatened to send Baar Dau hurling onto his city if his people’s love for him were to fade, was once a great lord who led battles and with his negotiations, spared Morrowind from Tiber Septim’s conquer and Imperial assimilation. The same Lord Sotha Sil who isolated himself when his people needed him the most, was once the epitome of wisdom and mystery, a sorcerer who from his Clockwork City, worked to secure a future where Nirn would see liberation from Daedric plots.

It appears that the Tribunal whom represent mercy, mastery, and mystery also coexist as the antithesis of what they stand for. One can theorize that the source of their power, Lorkhan’s Heart, is the reason for such turbulence. Voryn Dagoth’s transformation is proof that using the heart is a painstaking task with grave repercussions. Lorkhan was the trickster god after all. He wouldn’t miss the opportunity to have a final laugh seeing those who tamper with his essence in search for sweet power, turn absolutely foul from it.

Something to add that not many have considered, is how lengthy the Tribunal’s rule actually was. From 1E 700 where they were reborn as gods to 3E 427 where their temple splintered at the hands of the Nerevarine, was 3543 years in totality. Making their reign longer than any Cyrodiilic dynasty and arguably the most successful governments in TES history. 3543 years the Dunmer people were able to preserve their culture and remain under the wings of not one, but three living gods whose unique power, although achieved through questionable methods, allowed Morrowind to flourish. Yet this greatly upset Azura. Whether it be the intoxication of rage for the murder of her champion or jealousy for being confronted and replaced by mortals, she believed a prophecy that would suddenly terminate this ancient rule was the best and only hope for the Dunmer.

Yet Azura and the Nerevarine did not restore Morrowind, they crippled it. The devastating eruption of Red Mountain which eventually left Vvardenfell a disfigured uninhabitable wasteland smoldered in ash is what that glorious prophecy bestowed. “The gods really have abandoned your people, Dark Elf” are the words Dunmer players hear upon entering Skyrim. A simple and honest statement for those wondering what had happened to the Land of War and Poetry after they supposedly saved it from the greedy claws of false traitor gods.

When Dagoth Ur resurfaced within the chambers of Red Mountain and retook the Heart of Lorkhan, it is undeniable that being quarantined from their power, made the Tribunal enter a downward spiral that left them unfit to rule. The madness that claimed them and the far from peaceful way their lives ended is what players remember ALMSIVI as. Though the Tribunal Temple collapsed in a manner that left them depicted as frail envious gods famished for power, may they also be seen as incredibly complex characters who were simply opportunists who wield a cunningness that forged a golden age for the Dunmer. Villains or not, their rich history and influence reserves a space on every bookshelf in Tamriel.

“For some years we kept the oaths we swore to Azura with Nerevar, but during that time, in secret, Sotha Sil must have studied the tools and divined their mysteries. And at last he came to us with a vision of a new world of peace, with justice and honor for nobles, and health and prosperity for the commoners, with the Tribunal as immortal patrons and guides. And dedicating ourselves to this vision of a better world, we made a pilgrimage to Red Mountain and transformed ourselves with the power of Kagrenac's tools.”

-Vivec

#the elder scrolls #morrowind #almalexia #sotha sil #vivec #indoril nerevar #nerevarine #dagoth ur #voryn dagoth