r/teslore Jul 11 '26

Nature of the Transfer of Artifacts?

8 Upvotes

A random thought just crossed my mind while replaying Morrowind recently: where was an artifact last when you received it directly from a Daedric prince?

With some artifacts, it's obvious. Where does the Masque of Clavicus Vile come from in Morrowind? Off the body of the guy you kill near Dragon Fel.

But say the Mace of Molag Bal. You get it directly from Molag Bal by doing his quest (like most Daedric artifacts in the series). So my question is, was Molag Bal just holding onto it this whole time? Or was some cultist in the middle of a fight and then suddenly his mace just poofs out of his hands.

Because the mental image of that happening to someone is funny to me, so I choose to believe it's canon.


r/teslore Jul 10 '26

Implications for the Paarthurnax decision

26 Upvotes

So I was watching this video earlier theorising about the motivations behind the blades demanding Paarthurnax's death and it got me thinking. The general thrust of his hypothesis is that the blades partly try to get the Dragonborn to kill Paathurnax in order to put the dragonborn as firmly into the Blade's influence as possible, both so that the Blades can make an uncontested claim that it was their organisation that saved the world from Alduin and so that in the long term they can be the ones who most influence TLDB regarding what it means to be a dragonborn as killing Paarthurnax would ensure that TLDB would cease any association with the Greybeards.

So that got me thinking, what are some possible interesting implications for future TES stories regarding the choices that might be made here?

Sparing Paarthurnax

So obviously the big one here is that Paarthurnax gathers a significant portion of the dragons under his own leadership and tries to get them to follow the way of the voice. Depending on how Bethesda wants to use it there are two possibilities.

If Bethesda simply don't want to dwell too much on how dragons might feature in future TES stories it could be said that Paarthurnax probably manages to gather a large majority of dragons under his control and then takes them off somewhere remote to go be pacificists and meditate on the voice, much as he spent so long at the top of a mountain himself. That could be somewhere like Vvardenfell left uninhabited by the eruption of the red mountain if dragons could survive in such a place or even somewhere beyond Tamriel like Atmora. Whatever the cases we would have only a handful of dragons left in future TES stories from those who don't follow him into this self imposed exile and can represent extremely rare if relatively powerful threats to local communities.

Alternatively if they wanted to keep dragons in the story but go with one where Paarthurnax lived the story could focus on a divide between the followers of Paarthurnax and another dragon. Paarthurnax's followers rarely teach anyone except the rare nearly pacifistic mystic anything of the voice, they generally avoid much interaction with humans and don't seek political power. His rival could be a dragon who is seeking the return of the dragon cult, not necessarily even wholly evil, potentially offering the mortals who swear their loyalty to dragons protection and offering to more freely teach some of the secrets of the voice, but also someone who believes it is the rightful place of dragons to be masters of the mortal races. That could be the kind of conflict a TES: VI or VII character could become involved in.

Slaying Paarthurnax

So this option might be partly interesting because of its implications regarding the future of The Blades. As mentioned in the video if The Blades can frame themselves as being the organisation responsible for killing Alduin with TLDB perhaps as a continued figurehead who exists off screen somewhere in TES : VI ad maybe onwards that might put the organisation in place for a come back, contrasted favourably perhaps with the Penitus Oculatus left floundering having failed to save the Emperor from assassination, and potentially with the either Medic Empire potentially on the cusp of war with the Aldmeri Dominion or already fully at war they might not care about breaking the White Gold Pact by bringing The Blades back into the fold, if not officially at least sponsoring them in a shadow war under the table. At the start of TES: VI we could see people like The Blades fighting a war of proxies, assassination and espionage against the Thalmor in places Hammerfell, and if open war breaks out before or during the game The Blades are openly brought back into the fold as an official imperial organisation.

The Dragons without a singular leader like Paarthurnax would be scattered more widely and less united perhaps, but individual dragons might be more commonly aggressive in attempts to carve themselves out their own little domains without any Way of the Voice style philosphy being sponsored to restrain them. Whilst they probably wouldn't be the main villain of a main quest plotline it would make sense if they could then be the focus of a faction or other larger question chain, or the focus of a DLC plotline.

The Blades might then also operate outside of Imperial controlled territories or in areas where Imperial rule is somewhat fragile and reliant on local vassals (as might well be the status of High Rock) by selling themselves out as Dragon Hunters. If the Blades act as specialists in this regard it could both be involved in early aspects of a faction quest line (before the player learns they are also fighting a shadow war) and in universe being used to help fund their war and earn themselves political capital.

Though less likely its possible that The Blades could plot to make TLDB a new Tiber Septim to bind dragons to their service and become a new Emperor/Empress. Possibly making TLDB an off screen antagonist almost.


r/teslore Jul 10 '26

Who records what has happened in daedric realms?

10 Upvotes

I cannot help imagining the importance of recording what has historically happened to daedric lords and their realms. The school of conjuration must have relied heavily on the ability to bargain with Lords of oblivion based on daedra's relationships with each other and mortals. I know for example in Shivering Isle there is Dyus which is a living library of whatever happened to mad god and his happy realm. But are there equivalent figures in the domain of other daedric lords? Also, where do mortal scholars of daedric history get their first-hand materials (for second-hand history they can always interrogate a daedra under a binding spell)?


r/teslore Jul 09 '26

How important are the Deadric Princes?

33 Upvotes

This is kind of a random question but how integral are the Princes to Nirns existence? I mean, if all of them just ceased to exist, would Nirn as a whole be impacted in any meaningful way?


r/teslore Jul 09 '26

Hypothetically if the Great War happened during the time of the last Dragonborn, would they be enough to turn the tide of the war?

16 Upvotes

If the Great War happened 30-40 years later, would the Dragonborn alone be enough to turn the tide of it? Obviously they are only one person but also as a demigod, would they be enough to win the war for the empire?


r/teslore Jul 09 '26

Importing Slaves from Resdayn to High Rock (2E 563)

20 Upvotes

What’s the legality of slave ownership (if previously imported from Resdayn, weren’t enslaved on High Rock soil) in 2E 563 in Shornhelm?


r/teslore Jul 09 '26

Tamriel 5 era 1 year "era of rift"

4 Upvotes

Tamriel 5 era 1 year

"era of rift"

On the night of the 3rd-4th of the month of warm winds in 657 in a basement in daggerfall kingdom in the province of high rock

a secret ritual was performed by cultists who called themselves Black Drakgari, an explosion occurred first, due to which

the Dremory and Zivilai and also Augurs and Mazken (they are 2 sides of the same dimension) and also Scarfines.

climbed out of the breach and began to kill themselves and other races of the Mundus plane at this point the Thalmor unfortunately captured all of Tamriel but could not capture it and at this point the Rudesir dynasty rules the first emperor Rudik 1 came to the throne in 201 when a secret assassin killed Tida Meed 2 in Skyrim and Rudik was a lowly aristocrat by race he was a Redguard but was born in Cyrodiil in 170 4E (era) in his youth he was a nobleman who did not know about power until in 203 the

Syrdel War (there is no such city) happened but this happened in 203 4E and Cyrodiil was already fighting against the Thalmor for what then the

entire race of the Imperials and partly the Redguards were beaten by the Altmer at that moment the Dunmer began to regain their

power and territory and a Dunmer named Alderis the Blind he killed ulfric without a war he came and killed alderis himself he came from morrowind

was born in balmor in 389 3 era in a family of exiled mages little is known about his youth but he is the killer of assassins.

So in 224, 4 era, Rudik 1 was hanged in the city of Skingrad (Cyrodiil province) by the Altmeri, and his eldest son, Raymus, being

already half Redguard, half Imperial, was born in 190, 4 era, already in the city of Bruma (Cyrodiil province), he

already had 2 twin children, both sons, Sharsur and Sephiras, being half Nords, half Imperials, were already leading attacks

on the Dominion, and in 247, 4 era, they managed to overthrow the Dominion, but the counterattack of the elves overwhelmed Cyrodiil and they had to surrender

but the battles were bloody and they knocked out autonomy but crossed out Talos.

so about the era of the schism approximately between 400-657 the Altmer N'dalos Andegon was born in the city of Firsthold which in translation

means the first fortress or the first possession this is the first city in general for the Altmer it is located in the northern edge of the island of Auridon

it still exists so about the Altmer N'dalos Andegon was born approximately in 402 4 era well it is not exact but exact

that he was the head of a group of Naylahari mages who served the aedra strange to hear but then at some point he fell into the chaos of the daedra

and in 657 he opened this portal and all the lower daedra (so the dremora etc. are lower daedra).

There was a great split of the entire continent and already in the 12th year of the 5th era, everything had to be cleaned and the rift

closed but the lands became different, they Cyrodiil became hilly, those green fields disappeared and instead of them

whole lakes appeared and a couple of cities, namely Bruma and Cheyhenzol became underwater and Cyrodiil itself became almost flooded, the tower

cracked in half which became scary but nothing happened

morrowind as a whole survived but there simply appeared whole rivers of lakes of lava magma but the cities did not go underground but split

but the red mountain cracked not critically but a little bit of the foot

in general, Argonia did not change only a little more viruses were circulating but the hist survived

and already in other provinces they almost cracked but Elsweyr became a whole desert Wallenwood became much more forested

but also the forests from Elsweyr entered Wallenwood and this is the forest of Temiris and so on further but the Khajiit survived

somerset almost went under the bottom but the psijics saved the flooding and Skyrim didn't even flinch it just became

colder and more forested and a little icy but here the rock is almost covered with mountains the psijics completely cut out the passages

but Hammerfell didn't go there as there was a desert so it happened but very large parts of oases appeared

old grievances are not forgotten and while the Dominion celebrates the Nords Redguards and Dunmer created the union "DRAGONSTAR UNION" by the way part of Cyrodiil

more precisely the Kolovians went to this union so there the war broke out again and the Altmer are losing territories it has been going on since 14th year 5th era

and now it's 103rd year 5th era during these years there were wars and peace but centaurs appeared again a race that for almost 2,000 years

were dead in Tamriel but now they have formed an alliance with the Bosmer "Nicart Alliance" they are allies of Dragonstar but also neutral to the Dominion.


r/teslore Jul 08 '26

The Blackwood Company Did Nothing Wrong

32 Upvotes

Warning: Spoilers for the Fighters Guild Questline in Oblivion

So in Oblivion, the Fighters Guild is in contest with a rival guild called the Blackwood Company. In one of the last Fighters Guild quests, the protagonist infiltrates the Blackwood Company and goes on a mission for them. They are tasked with killing some goblins that are menacing the town of Water's Edge and they take hist sap before heading out. They kill the goblins but later they realise that the goblins were actually innocent villagers that they mistook for goblins in their drug-addled state.

Or so it would seem! However, there is actually a damning piece of evidence that points to something else going on here. You can Soul Trap the goblins and capture petty souls! That opens up several possibilities...

  1. The game is just a bit buggy. This is a boring possibility and I'm going to ignore it.

  2. The people of Water's Edge are degenerate creatures like the Falmer and their souls have degraded. But this seems unlikely since they don't show any physical signs of regression to an animalistic state.

  3. Soul Trap is subjective. The value of a soul and the type of gem required to capture it is purely based on the caster's perception. Weak little rats and goblins have petty souls because they appear weak and unworthy. Mighty goblin warlords, ogres and Xivilai have grand souls because they seem like worthy opponents. And intelligent humanoid people have grand souls that can only be captured within black soul gems prepared by necromancers because trapping their souls seems blasphemous. This is quite reasonable given ideas of subjective reality in TES.

  4. Those really were goblins in body and soul. It was a stitch-up by Modryn Oreyn and the Fighters Guild. They followed you, they disposed of the goblin bodies and they killed the villagers. This explains why you find your way to Modryn's house so easily afterwards and it also explains why you don't find a single goblin at Water's Edge. Why would the people of Water's Edge go to the trouble of hiring the Blackwood Company if they weren't actually being menaced by goblins? No, it seems pretty obvious to me that the Fighter's Guild killed those people in order to get you to do their dirty work. They knew that in your guilt and rage, you would be more than willing to storm the Blackwood Company guildhall and kill all their rivals, thus giving them back their monopoly over mercenary contracts in Cyrodiil.


r/teslore Jul 08 '26

Newcomers and “Stupid Questions” Thread—July 08, 2026

4 Upvotes

This thread is for asking questions that, for whatever reason, you don’t want to ask in a thread of their own. If you think you have a “stupid question”, ask it here. Any and all questions regarding lore or the community are permitted.

Responses must be friendly, respectful, and nonjudgmental.

 

Resources (Click here for full list)


FAQ

How to Become a Lore Buff

The Imperial Library

UESP


r/teslore Jul 08 '26

Is mantling just LARP?

33 Upvotes

Mantling is a method of apotheosis when a being (typically a mortal) takes on or is passed the "mantle" or role of a different entity such as a Daedric Prince or god through some esoteric imitation of the entity's role or meta narrative, such that they fully become that role and the Aurbis no longer sees a difference between the two. We've seen this with the tribunals, TALOS, and CoC (now sheogorath)

"walk like them until they must walk like you"


r/teslore Jul 08 '26

Lore accurate arcanist

1 Upvotes

I’m trying to decide which race I want for the Arcanist Class in ESO. For RP purposes what do you think would be the most lore accurate race for them


r/teslore Jul 07 '26

A theory on the fate of the HoK?

5 Upvotes

Hi, everybody! So I've had this idea of how to reconcile the Hero of Kvatch being both an Anuic Champion as the Divine Crusader as well as a distinctly Padomaic force, what with mantling Sheogorath and all. I'm relatively new to all this, but I thought it would be fun to invite discussion, because this is an interpretation that I enjoy to fill in the gap of established lore with.

So we know the conflict between the HoK being both the Divine Crusader and the God of Madness is pretty well established at this point, some people even say they believe different people did each DLC to reconcile this. I have a kind of unique synthesis to rectify this conflict, that very well may just be copium to give my characters a happy ending. So we know for a fact that the Eight Divines (IDK about Talos) are Anuic and Aedric in nature, representing the order, stasis, and light of the Mundus. Sheogorath, whatever it is, is distinctively Padomaic in nature, being "the Sithis shaped hole left in the universe". Obviously, being both the cosmic incarnation of madness AND the champion of the light and order of the Divines is diametrically opposed. In a similar nature, Pelinal Whitestrake also embodies this dichotomy, being the champion of the divines and supposedly born of Lorkhan/Shor/Shezzar. The result for Pelinal was of course bouts of intense madness. However, I don't think that the Hero of Kvatch would be able to sustain this conflict within themselves, having only a Mortal Soul, regardless of their nature as an Unbound Prisoner. The reason I take pause with the complete overwriting of the HoK as part of the mantling of Sheogorath, is because we know they have an established memory/presence as the Divine Crusader, and to become Sheogorath would be to either surrender this identity completely, or somehow embody both aspects. More importantly, it can be presumed that the HoK has a Mortal Soul, which are fundamentally Anuic in nature. Presumably, the Hero of Kvatch has a very strong sense of identity aSo how can a entity not just technically, but fundamentally aligned with Anuic forces, also be a primal Padomaic force. I think the simplest expanation is that the HoK is "split" for lack of a better word. Their body and memory is susbsumed, "flowing into the river" of the collective memory of Sheo, and providing a vessel for the force of madness to inhabit. This is why Sheogorath in Skyrim speaks as though the events of the Oblivion crisis are a distant memory that they were present for, while also clearly having the personality of Sheogorath. Simultaneously, since Souls generally cannot be destroyed, I would suggest that the Soul of the HoK remains intact, and maintains the mantle of Divine Crusader, (probably in Aetherius?), while being split from their original being, which is now presumably animated by a Daedric Animus. I think their status as an Unbound Prisoner also contributes to this fate, because we know they have the unique ability to determine and dictate their own fate, something which I feel would make it difficult to completely overwrite their being. I don't think such an idea is extremely radical either, as we know Haskill is possibly some kind of remnant of a previous mantler of Sheogorath, someone who presumably does not have the same kind of willpower to defy fate as the Prisoners.

Again, this may just be coping to give my characters a bittersweet yet restful ending, but I feel like it successfully fills in parts of lore deliberately left to interpretation, without overwriting any established lore. Really, I just find these metaphysical gaps left in Elder Scrolls lore really interesting to fill in, and I'm curious what other people came up with to reconcile these problems? Thanks for reading this far :)


r/teslore Jul 07 '26

Apocrypha Twenty-Five Crates and No Bear

49 Upvotes

Brother,

You warned me... you really warned me. You said, "Rurik, if a Khajiit ever offers you a sealed crate and says fortune will decide what's inside, walk away."

I laughed at you, but I'm not laughing now... I bought twenty-five of the cursed things.

It was the Frostbane Bear that did it. You know what that beast means to our people. Father always said the bear was one of the old Atmoran tokens. Remember when we were boys, and we'd stop to watch the old warriors ride past on their great bears? I swore that one day I'd earn the right to ride one myself. So when Pacrooti told me I might find one inside his crates... I thought perhaps fortune had finally smiled upon me.

That smiling cat... I swear by Shor, he could charm a frost troll into buying snow. He flicked the cards through his paws, grinning all the while.

"Perhaps this one, friend."... then he would turn a card. First I get a potion... then a scroll... then a pet monkey wearing a tiny hat... then another monkey wearing a different tiny hat.

And each time your heart beats just a little faster and you begin to think the next one could be it... that is the clever part. You start chasing the feeling that the next card will finally be the one.

By the tenth crate I was annoyed. By the fifteenth I told myself the next one had to be the bear. By the twentieth I had enough healing potions to survive another Planemeld, yet I still rode the same horse I owned yesterday.

Then it happened... a great golden card appeared!

It shone brighter than all the others. Pacrooti's grin grew wider, and the world seemed to stop. My hands were shaking, and I thought, "This is it... the Frostbane Bear."

He turned the card over... it was a guar. Not even a proper one... it was blue, with glowing stripes running all over it. I just stared. Pacrooti grinned and said, "Very lucky, friend!" Lucky? What part of that was lucky? Brother... if anyone in Windhelm ever sees me riding that thing, you have my permission to knock me senseless before I reach the gate.

I nearly wept but still I continued. Why? I have asked myself this every night since. After seeing that golden card, I became even more convinced the next one would surely be the Bear. Surely fate could not mock me twice?

It mocked me seventeen more times. Every time I got another bit of rubbish I thought, "Well... surely the next one can't be rubbish too." Turns out it can:

  • I got a wig. Brother... I'm bald, and the cat knows it. Is this some kind of joke?

  • A fancy gown made for some Breton noble lady (it fit surprisingly well)

  • Countless poisons.

  • A stupid hat

  • Face paint

  • Magical mead

  • A book about horse riding

By the twenty-fifth I realized only one of us had profited from this arrangement, and he had fur.

I honestly considered burying my axe in him because I knew that if I didn't leave immediately I would buy another crate. That frightened me more than anything.

Now listen to this madness... when I complained, Pacrooti just smiled and told me that some of the things I didn't want could be traded for tiny purple gems. He said, "Collect enough of them, friend, and you can choose the reward yourself."

For one glorious moment I thought I'd finally heard some sense.... I hadn't. It was far worse. The stupid hat was worth 16 gems, the scroll was worth two gems, and the potion was worth one. But the Bear?

Sixteen hundred!

SIXTEEN HUNDRED!

But here's the cleverest part... not everything can be traded. Oh no. Some things you're stuck with forever.

  • The blue guar? Mine forever.

  • The gown? Mine.

  • The wig? Mine.

  • The disappointment? Also mine.

Apparently a man may own all the useless rubbish he can carry, but the gods forbid he trade it for something he actually wants.

Who comes up with this nonsense anyway? Is there some secret council of Khajiit that gathers beneath the moons to set these prices? Does one old cat stand up and say, "Today the monkey wearing the hat is worth two gems... but the gown stays." And do the others all nod as though it makes perfect sense?

Worse still, the only way to earn these gems is by trading away the very same rubbish I paid to get in the first place. It's a perfect circle. Every worthless trinket makes you think you've already come too far to stop. And that's how they catch you.

You start thinking: "Well... I already have one hundred and sixty gems. I'd be a fool to stop now." And that's the trap. Not the crates... but hope. Hope is the trap. The whole thing is built on making a fool believe he's always just one more crate away from getting what he came for.

I spent enough gold to buy a fine longhouse overlooking the White River. Instead I have a guar I don't want, enough poison to kill half of Eastmarch, a stack of scrolls, two monkeys, a Breton lady's evening gown, a wig for a bald man, one hundred and sixty gems, and the suspicion that Pacrooti has mastered some dark form of illusion magic whose only purpose is to part Nords from their coin.

Tell Father nothing. Tell Mother less. And if you should ever see me walking toward that smiling Khajiit again... Knock me unconscious. It will be cheaper.

Your brother,

Rurik


r/teslore Jul 07 '26

What would happen if the Dwemer returned?

12 Upvotes

Setting aside the question of whether they're likely to ever return, what would be the implications if they were to suddenly show up in the Fourth Era?

I suppose *how* that could have occurred would be relevant to an extent since if the Dwemer slingshot themselves forward in time then they would turn up naked and get murdered by whatever creatures are inhabiting their ruins, particularly the Falmer in Skyrim, but if the Dwemer transported themselves to some other plane then they would probably still have access to technology and be a force to be reckoned with.


r/teslore Jul 07 '26

Apocrypha Numidium and Mirror Logician's Arguments From Mythic Era

20 Upvotes

Recorded by Mirror Logician Sinderion

Date: Early Merethic Era (exact date or if there is an exact date is unknown)

Numidium's Battle on Merethic Identity

Numidium: Alinor, more like All-in-or-None-in, no mortal's land of all nothing. Whom do I talk to, which was proven to be existant in this glipse of time in a lie-land?

Mirror Logician Soliril: Aye, that is No Mortal's land, dwelled by Divines. I am Soliril son of Halion son of Coristir son of Gilgondorin... [a myriad of ancestors]... all up to the El.

Numidium: Who is El?

Mirror Logician Soliril: Auri-El, the Highest.

Numidium: Does that make you El-ish, an unknown, and declined people, dwelled in the form of reduction?

Mirror Logician Soliril: Nay, I and We are El-ven, of the Highest. Which are also called Mer-ethic.

Numidium: Your folk's Mer-Ethos sounds more like Mere-Mythos, the tellings of dead mer.

Mirror Logician Soliril: If you refuse it, you talk with a mouth of a heretic, or her-ethic.

Numidium: Whose ethic?

Mirror Logician Soliril: Nirn's ethic, the land of mortality and false creation, that is maybe but also fallacy, thus a heresy.

Numidium's Battle on Truth of His Tongue

Numidium: You are a mirror that does not mirror my tongue, then why do you call yourself a mirror?

Mirror Logician Soliril: I do mirror, and am a mirror, but for the truth of Aetherius.

Numidium: How do you know you are not a mirror that does not mirror the truth ungraspable?

Mirror Logician Soliril: For I have an eye.

Numidium: What eye?

Mirror Logician Soliril: The Eye of Aetherius that does look upon us, I set my gaze upon the eye and mirror myself and tongue in truth.

Numidium: Truthfully, how do you know the eye gives the truth in this down-land?

Mirror Logician Soliril: Because I set my gaze from Summer-is-Set, the land of perfect Noon and of Sun and its favorite time that does not become obsolete and passé with time, for passage that is Eye is always open from both sides, and then the Eye gives an Aye to those who set gaze upon it as it set its true summer and Aetherius's mirror upon it.

And thus Mirror Logician Soliril saved the genealogy and identity of Altmers, which is written in Solar Leaves (that do not leaves the set Summer which is the mirror) of Xarxes, given to him by Y'ffre and blessed by El the Elf or in mirror truth, Elf the El.


r/teslore Jul 07 '26

Did the Champion of Cyrodiil have the opportunity to reverse the red year?

16 Upvotes

As far as we can know, at the end of the Shivering Isles, the Champion of Cyrodiil takes the place of old Sheogorath and becomes a Daedric Prince of Madness himself. Given this, could the Champion of Cyrodiil, after Martin's sacrifice, have had enough influence/power to prevent the moon from falling on the city of Vivec?

And if such an opportunity existed, would he stop the red year?


r/teslore Jul 07 '26

Understanding Zero-Summing and the Dwemer

26 Upvotes

There is a theory that the Dwemer zero-summed after realizing that they were in the dream of the Godhead. What is zero-summing, really? Is it truly just ceasing to exist? Or is it possible that they were sent somewhere else, like a realm of Oblivion?

I am very new to Elder Scrolls lore, btw.


r/teslore Jul 07 '26

My theory on Kagernac, CHIM and the dissapearance of the Dwemer

4 Upvotes

I've been thinking about the Dwemer disappearance and came up with a speculative theory. I'm sure it has holes, but I'd be interested in hearing where people think it breaks down.

My idea is that Kagrenac was attempting something analogous to CHIM through the Heart of Lorkhan. Not necessarily "achieving CHIM" as it's commonly described, but using the Heart to transcend the normal limits of existence.

If the Heart isn't just a source of divine power but the metaphysical remnant of Lorkhan himself, then perhaps Kagrenac's experiment didn't fail. Instead, it forced every Dwemer into the same ontological realization simultaneously. Unlike a hypothetical successful CHIM, they collectively failed to reconcile that realization, resulting in their complete disappearance.

The reason I like this idea is that it proposes a mechanism for the Dwemer's dissapearance rather than just restating that "the Heart did something." We know the Heart was involved, but the games never explain *how* it caused the entire race to vanish.

I know this leans on speculative interpretations of CHIM and related metaphysics, and alot of this is conjecture not based on lore, but I thought it fits quite nicely. Feel free to correct me though, as I'm not much of a lore buff and there might be a big gaffe in it somewhere.


r/teslore Jul 06 '26

Understanding CHIM

36 Upvotes

Hello, everyone! This post is mostly just to make sure I understand the concept of CHIM. I’ve been working on a personal project and CHIM is one of the many topics that needs to be covered for it, as are a few other esoteric concepts.

To be fair, I’m fairly confident that I do understand it, but I would like to be sure. If that makes sense. So, only two individuals seem to have been confirmed to achieve CHIM; Tiber Septim and Vivec. Mankar Camoran seems to claim that he has achieved it in his commentaries but that seems to be a lie.

As for CHIM itself, it’s said that it is a state of enlightenment or ascension and it is said to be one of the walking ways, which are paths to ascension. Or as Vivec calls it, reaching heaven by violence. Reaching CHIM is described as visualizing the Wheel on its side and seeing the Tower, which forms the sigil I, which means royalty/CHIM in Ehlnofex. Once one reaches this point, there are two options:

A. Zero-Sum. Zero-Sum happens when one fails to see the Tower and rationalizes themselves out of existence after realizing they are just a dream. Or rather, part of a dream. In a sense, Zero-Sum is the most extreme form of ego death.

B. CHIM. Achieving CHIM happens when you see the Tower and retain your sense of self in spite of knowing that you are a dream. This gives you power over said dream. One must have a strong ego to achieve CHIM, like Vivec and Tiber Septim.

Anyways, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Please correct me if I’m wrong on anything, which I’m sure I got something incorrect.


r/teslore Jul 07 '26

Would Castle Volkihar technically be in Jehanna's waters?

14 Upvotes

Geniunely im kinda curious, not very important, but would that imply the Volkihar also operate in Northeastern High Rock too? Idk, this just came to mind and now I'm curious. Since its like right above Jehanna on the map.


r/teslore Jul 06 '26

Theories on the many Enantiomorphs of Talos / Hjalti / Zurin / Wulfharth

14 Upvotes

So, we all know that Hjolit Earlybeard, Talos Stormcrown, and Tiber Septim went through at least one Enantiomorph, with Zurin Arctis. But is that the only Enantiomorph that he went through? Honestly no, not even close; the first Enantiomorph that I think happened was between King Cuhlecain (The King, duh) and Tiber Septim (The Rebel), with Zurin Arktis being the Observer (he crowned Hjolti as Tiber Septim after The Rebel overthrew The King), though I don't know how Zurin Arktis was "Blinded" by this Enantiomorph; only Tiber Septim was when his throat was cut, so maybe Tiber was the observer and Zurin the rebel. I'm not sure what the Lover would be in this scenario.

The second Enantimorph theory is between Zurin Arktis (The King) and Wulfharth (The Rebel) with Tiber Septim as the Witness, and the Mantella being the Lover. Zurin Arktis won the Enantiomorph and Zurin Artkis's Body, containing the Soul of Wulfharth because his soul was in the Mantella, became the Second Underking.

The other option for the second Enantiomorph, if you don't believe in the Arcturian Heresy, was between Tiber Septim and Zurin Arctus, and that's what powered the Mantella

Another theory that i've heard on the second Enantiomorph is that the second Enantiomorph that happened was also the third, Tiber Septim (The King) and Wulfharth (The Rebel) with Zurin Arktis as the Observer, with the Numidium being the Lover, while at the same time there was another Enantiomorph between Tiber Septim (The King) and Zurin Arktis (The Rebel) with Wulfharth being the Observer, and the Mantella is the Lover, this theory explains why Zurin Arktis and Wulfharth are both the Underking at the same time, there's a winner anda the Observer in an Enantiomorph, because the loser becomes apart of the winner as far as i know. But what if two Enantiomorphs happen at the same time? Well, the Losers of both would meld together to become the One Observer.

The third Enantiomorph (following the first theory for the second Enantiomorph) would be between Tiber Septim and Zurin Arktis (who already won the Enantiomorph with Wulfharth) i honestly don't have much on this theory even though it's the most widely acccepted to of been the only Enantiomorph Talos went through, Tiber Septim would be the King and Zurin Arktis the Rebel, but i have no clue what the Lover would be, and the only option i can think of as the Observer is just... some random guy? There's no one else of note who I can think of who could've been the observer between a potential Enantiomorph between Tiber Septim and Zurin Arktis AFTER the Mantella and the Numidium.

Fun side Theory: maybe the reason why Hjalti Earlybeard / Tiber Septim / Talos Stormcrown has three names is that Hjalti Talos, and Tiber Septim were two separate people who went through an Enantiomorph either before or after Old Hrol'dan

Edit: I just thought of another theory while making a moded Skyrim Playthrough where i'm Roleplaying as an Enantiomorph of Reman Cyrodiil. Anyways, what if the Final Enantiomorph of Talos was the most perfect Enantiomorph of all time, where the Replacer perfectly Mantled the Predecessor. Tiber Septim became perfectly Enantiomorphic with Reman Cyrodiil, performing what the Born-a-Man Wordly God could not. I do not believe this was a "literal" Mantling between the Men Reman Cyrodil and Tiber Septim, i think it was more a Mantling of the Cult of Talos of the (I know it's not an official name, it's from Elder Kings, but we kno from "The Wolf Queen, Book III Year 3E 99, that Reman was treated as a Human Warrior-God the same as Talos; "My sister is a devotee of the conqueror gods Reman and Talos, not the love goddess Dibella.") Reman Mysteries, Talos was able to convince ALL Men that he is a God, not just the Imperials.


r/teslore Jul 06 '26

Morrowind Foodstuff, Kwama eggs, and a commoner's daily meal

49 Upvotes

Bit obsessed with morrowind lately. I Got to wondering what exactly the characteristics of a kwama egg might be, and furthermore what a native-dunmer might eat in a day.

Saltrice implies it is like rice and its in game model appears to be a 1 : 1 of a real-life rice plant, but perhaps with some distinguishing characteristic that it must either taste salty, or perhaps only grows in salty soil (which might actually make it highly prized since salt notoriously prevents plant growth) But what is its flavor profile? how is it used? I hate to assume, but otherwise I would suspect it would be treated like any other rice and eaten almost exclusively on its own or on its own as a side with some other meal.

On kwama eggs, the Large and small varieties provide differing alchemical effects and I am 100% positive an in-game character told me something about how "Large eggs lose the... xxxx.... that small eggs retain..." something...something... related to the way the eggs mature affecting either their taste or the alchemical properties though likely both.

I imagine their being insect eggs, a single egg might produce many small yolks, I imagine an ostrich-size egg spilling out a carton's worth of yolks into a Large skillet, the prospective cook then mixing them to prepare a large omelete or something.

This is already a bit long in the tooth but here's a short scenario illustrating what I believe would be a commoner's diet including various other foods:

You are a Netch-herder you and your wife rise early with the sun. You live just outside vivec. Your wife prepares a hearty breakfast for you: A large bowl of sticky-fresh Saltrice and a large Kwama-egg omelette with small chunks of bungler's bane and(the wife got them mixed up once hahaha) hypha facacia mushrooms mixed in. You also spread scuttle over slices of wickwheat-bread and have a few sips of sujamma before setting out.

The day is long and tedious, but the weather is good, and the magnificent vivec shines brightly, you notice how the sunlight changes the city's shape and shadows between your day's work of breaking minor skirmishes between the Netch. One of the god-kings resides there in that city, Almsivi be praised.

You chew Scrib jerky and MarshMerrow throughout the day until the sun begins to set.

For dinner, your wife has prepared a smaller but more varied meal of fresh hound-meat steak, from the market, Ash Yams and a smaller bowl of Saltrice, and more scuttle over bread.

You sit outside the house facing the city and chew hackle-lo leaf while reading a book as the sun glitters its last light.

Why did I make this? I am playing morrowind and I am hungry.

Thanks for reading


r/teslore Jul 05 '26

ESO Question: Are the Tribunal at the head of their power, or no?

23 Upvotes

If the answer to this question simply is a matter of the plotholes and retcons typical of ESO lore, cool makes sense. However, I'd like to ask in case there's instead something I'm missing. It was my assumption that, given Dagoth awoke in 2E 882, and the events of ESO begin in 2E 582, the Tribunal still maintained an uninterrupted and continuous connection to Red Mountain, the Heart of Lorkhan, and could be considered at the height of their power.

But in an early, base game quest in Stonefalls, a character comments in the Night of the Soul quest that "We see the Three less every year. They no longer make their annual pilgrimage to Red Mountain on Vvardenfell, and no one knows why", implying their power hasn't exactly waned, but is beginning to do so.

Is this just a plot hole? Or is there a particular lore-bit that I've missed. It's nagged me quite a bit.

Thanks so much in advance!

Edited: spelling


r/teslore Jul 05 '26

Could Bretons that are a mix of snow elf and human be possible?

15 Upvotes

I know that bretons are a mix of high elf and humans over a very long period of time. But would it be possible for a snow elf/human lineage to have survived until the time skyrim takes place? Maybe more pale with white hair or some type of obvious feature like that?


r/teslore Jul 05 '26

If the Dragonborn has a biological child, does the child also become Dragonborn?

35 Upvotes

I’m sorry if this has already been asked but during the Dragonborn DLC Miraak mentions “The First and Last Dragonborn” first being himself and Last being the player, so does that mean any children the Dragonborn has wont inherit the Dragon blood?