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 Crusader Kings 2: Elder Kings  THIS IS NOW A DEMOCRATIC THREAD! HELP RUIN THE EMPIRE, READ THE VOTING RULES HERE! If you do not know what Crusader Kings 2 is I would encourage you to check out any of the many, many fine LP's of CK2 in the archives: https://lparchive.org/title/paradox https://lparchive.org/title/crusader But if you'd prefer the quick and dirty explanation, here it is: Crusader Kings 2 is game in which you play a dynasty in Medieval Europe, Africa, the Middle East, India or Central Asia. Your goal is to expand your realm, gain prestige and end the game with as impressive a family tree as possible. Elder Kings is a fantastic mod that sets the game in the world of the Elder Scrolls series. It's got a lot of really neat features, including magic, vampires and eugenicist elves. My goal with this LP will be to show off the mod while also making an interesting story. I will be playing sub-optimally in the interest of making the story interesting to read, mainly by trying to play the way I think my current character would behave. If you'd rather just play the game yourself or want to try it out as well, you can get it at the link below. Elder Kings on Paradox Wiki A final word on LORE. There will be a good bit of lore in this story. I'll do my best to present the extraordinarily convoluted lore of the Elder Scrolls accurately, but reserve the right to fiddle a bit so as to make things interesting to read. Don not @ me about CHIM. Table of Contents Leo Renault I [2E 419(?) - 2E 430] Sebastien Renault I [2E 430 - 2E 451] Sebastien Renault I [2E 451 - 2E 475] Mechanics and Lore Interlude 1 Leo Renault II [2E 475 - 2E 492] Faida Renault I [2E 492 - 2E 516] Faida Renault I [2E 516 - 2E 532] Faida Renault I [2E 532 - 2E 545] Mechanics and Lore Interlude 2 Lisette Renault I [2E 545 - 2E 557] Hrol Renault I [2E 557 - 2E 581] Hrol Renault I [2E 581 - 2E 597] Hrol Renault I [2E 597 - 2E 631] Mechanics and Lore Interlude 3 Leo Renault III [2E 631 - 2E 644] Leo Renault III [2E 644 - 2E 647] Leo Renault III [2E 647 - 2E 666] Leo Renault III [2E 666 - 2E 681] Map and Lore Interlude 4 Hrol Renault II [2E 681 - 2E 696] Torvic Renault I [2E 696 - 2E 703] Torvic Renault I [2E 703 - 2E 716] Torvic Renault I [2E 716 - 2E 745] Mechanics and Lore Interlude 5 Ferou Renault I [2E 745 -2E 753] Lisette Renault II [2E 753 - 2E 754] Baryctor Renault I [2E 754 - 2E 764] Amarie Renault I [2E 764 - 2E 777] Aime Renault I [2E 777 - 2E 796] Aime Renault I [2E 796 - 2E 802] Map and Lore Interlude 6 Tiberius Renlius I [2E 802 - 2E 813] Tiberius Renlius I [2E 813 - 2E 822] Tiberius Renlius I [2E 822 - 3E 10] Tiberius Renlius I [3E 10 - 3E 15] Tiberius Renlius I [3E 15 - 3E 31] Official and LP Lore Interlude 7 The Elder Council Explained Tettienus Renlius I [3E 31 - 3E 37] Aurine Renlius I [3E 37 - 3E 44] Clayren fucked around with this message at 17:11 on Oct 21, 2019 |
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Jul 14, 2019 04:49
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 Reign of King Sebastien I 1. The Beginning of the Interregnum  The Interregnum following the collapse of the Second Empire of Man has rightly been described as a period of dark and cumulative loss (1), while many of the major events from this period have at least some documentation, little has survived of the history of High Rock during this period. One cause of this is the province’s age-old factionalism. The near-constant state of conflict between the many petty kingdoms and city states in the province picked back up again, as if the last 500 years of imperial rule had simply been a temporary ceasefire. (2) Perhaps even worse, the increase in piracy, banditry, daedric worship, necromancy and plundering which followed the collapse of centralized power meant that innumerable libraries were lost. One of the few records that survived the early period of the Interregnum is The Kingdom of Camlorn: Being a True and Accurate Account of the Reign of the House of Renault Beginning with the Conquest of the City of Camlorn by King Leo I. Kingdom of Camlorn is a great source for understanding the state of High Rock during the early Interregnum, but as with all nobly-commissioned family histories, it must be viewed with some skepticism. In this paper I shall endeavour to transcribe the Kingdom of Camlorn accurately, while including notes as to the veracity of the events described.   In the year of the death of Potentate Savirien-Chorak the King Leo the First of Camlorn passed away from ill health after contracting Ataxia. A brave and mighty warrior, he is remembered for seizing the city of Camlorn from the despotic Queen Marielle the First when she and her house fell into daedra worship and oppressed the nobility of Camlorn. In avenging the landed gentry and the title-holders he set afire the keep of Camlorn and emblazoned the burning keep upon his banner beneath a crown of gold. Somewhere between 2E 419 and 2E 426 an uprising of minor nobles and merchants occurred in Camlorn, but the cause of this rebellion was almost certainly not daedra worship. The second reason given, the oppression of the nobility, likely refers to an attempt by the Queen to impose a set of new taxes upon the nobility and the merchants. By 2E 400 the Imperial army had almost entirely pulled out of High Rock, forcing the kings and lord-mayors of the province to rely entirely upon their own levies. This empowered the petty nobility, who launched a number of rebellions even before the assasination of Potentate Savirien-Chorak. Leo Renault, a minor baron in the county of Blain and soldier of some talent, led the rebellion and was chosen as the new king by his fellow participants.   Word at once was sent by messenger to the first-born son of King Leo I, Prince Sebastien of Camlorn, who was studying at the College of Winterhold in Skyrim. The Prince returned swiftly and mourned by his father’s grave for two weeks, even through storm and hunger. Then King Sebastien the First took up his father’s crown and swore upon the names of the Eight Divines to serve Camlorn faithfully, as his father had before him. Though long gone in the lands of the north, the people of Camlorn soon found the mage-king an affable and honest lord, who lacked all ambition outside of seeing to the care of his now orphaned siblings. Although unusually tall, the King was born under the sign of the Lord and suffered none of the health problems such men are known to have. There is reason to suspect that King Leo I did not intend for Sebastien to inherit his throne. For one, Sebastien had not yet been engaged by his 16th birthday, while his younger brother Vicmond had been, despite being half as old as Sebastien. Furthermore, Sebastien had been sent to study magicka in Skyrim, despite there being plenty of colleges in High Rock. That he went to college at all is unusual, it was common practice at the time for young nobles to study under a mage from the local guild, so that they could also learn statecraft at the same time. Likely King Leo I intended his younger son to inherit, but died before the child came of age.   Upon the 4th day in the month of Morningstar the prioress of Morvath in the Thanedom of Morthal arrived in Camlorn after an exchange of letters between her and the steward of the realm. A Nord whose beauty was outshone only by her talents, she was warmly received by the court. On the 15th day of Morningstar the King took the fair Faida as his queen in a nighttime ceremony lit by magic flames in every color. It is not unlikely that King Sebastien had known Queen Faida previously, he would’ve passed through Morthal on his way to Winterhold. Indeed the circumstances around Sebastien's marriage seem to suggest it. While the position as Prior was respectable, Faida was nonetheless a lowborn. As a young king King Sebastien would doubtlessly have had more politically advantageous and prestigious possible pairings available.      In the Month of Sun’s Height Queen Faida began to show signs of pregnancy. A spell of detect life showed these signs true and a great festival was held in praise of Mara and to ask her protection for Faida. The Queen honored the Divine Mother well and all who attended praised the beauty, nobility and kindness of Queen Faida. Mara was pleased and Prince Leo was born without issue under the sign of the Lover.   King Sebastien continued to attend to his family duties throughout the year 2E 433 and a second child was a result. Princess Belladonna was born under the sign of the Mage.   The Mages Guild in Camlorn was supported by King Sebastien, who retained his membership after being crowned. When not otherwise needed his lordship offered instruction to the novices who came to the city to study.   The peasantry were greatly eased by the kindness and wise stewardship of his lordship, and tales of his benevolent rule spread far. In the county of Orvault the nobles heard these tales and encouraged the Baron to pledge his allegiance to King Sebastien, for he was the rightful King of all Camlorn. But the Baron would not, for he had remained loyal to Queen Marielle during her overthrow and resented the House of Renault. Baron Francis of Orvault did indeed fight on the side of Queen Marielle in the rebellion which placed Leo I in power, according to records kept by the neighboring city of Phrygias.     King Sebastien was therefore forced to press the issue by means of war. The Camlorn Knights of the Dragon pledged their support and accounted themselves well at the Battle of Blain.   The castle of Orvalt fell after a short encirclement and the Baron Francis pledged his loyalty to King Sebastien. Magnanimous in victory, his Lordship bestowed the title of Chancellor upon his once-foe.[/i]   In 2E 441 a second princess was born to King Sebastien and Queen Faida. The child was delivered healthy, but Queen Faida took ill afterwards and did not recover. King Sebastien grieved deeply and did not remarry for many years.     The King devoted more of his time to the study of magicka during this time, spending whole weeks in his study. This was concerning to his councilors and subjects, who urged their lord to end his mourning period. He finally did so in 2E 448, marrying Princess Moigan, first-born daughter of King Madanach of Dankarn.    A year later Queen Moigan gave birth to King Sebastien’s third daughter. The birth of Princess Gwynolda did much to improve the King’s mood and he once more spent his time improving the realm and less time in his study. As the 22nd year of the King’s rule approached the Kingdom of Camlorn prospered greatly. 1 Pocket Guide to the Empire, 3rd Edition: Arena Supermundus: The Tapestry of Heaven — Imperial Geographical Society, 3E 432 2 Pocket Guide to the Empire, 3rd Edition: The Sons and Daughter of the Direnni West: High Rock — Imperial Geographical Society, 3E 432 Clayren fucked around with this message at 03:46 on Jul 18, 2019 |
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Jul 14, 2019 04:50
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Hell yeah. Let's get this started. Looking forward to seeing this!
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Jul 14, 2019 10:21
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 Reign of King Sebastien I 2. The Starry-Eyed King  In discussing the latter years of the reign of King Sebastien the First it is necessary to understand the role of daedra worship during the Interregnum. Some scholars have mistakenly blamed the increase in daedric influence on the loss of the Amulet of Kings, clearly misunderstanding how the dragonfires are lit. The Amulet alone is not enough to guard against daedric invasion, as can be clearly seen from the failed invasion of Morrowind by Mehrunes Dagon in 1E 2920 (1). The ceremony also requires an emperor with the blood of a Dragonborn, the last of whom was assassinated a full 430 years before the loss of the Amulet. (1) But while the possibility of a daedric invasion existed following the death of Emperor Reman III, the existence of a functioning imperial system kept daedra worshipers underground. Hunts for cultists were routine and both local and empire-wide organizations were dedicated to this pursuit. While the dragonfires going out allowed for daedric invasion, it was the collapse of the Second Empire and resultant chaos that truly emboldened daedra worshipers. In the case of King Sebastien’s purported daedra worship we find only scant evidence. While it is true that cult activities increased, it is also true that the Interregnum was a period of extreme paranoia, especially towards mages. As a well-known scholar and eventual Archmage of the Mages Guild, Sebastien was eyed with suspicion by many. The excerpts included alongside those of Kingdom of Camlorn are from a collection of oral traditions gathered by the esteemed historiographer Berelius of Wayrest. His Tales of Glenumbra and Rivenspire serve as a useful, if dubious, source for the history of western High Rock during the period.   The fair Queen Moigan was much beloved by King Sebastien the First, who honored her with titles and gifts. In turn did she honor him, and herself, with many fine children. Tales of Glenumbra and Rivenspire posted:
These two accounts give us two very different views on Queen Moigan. The Tales betray a strong anti-Reachman bias, not uncommon among the peasantry of High Rock. While it is true that daedra worship is part of the faith of the Reachmen, we have no real reason to believe that Sebastien was converted by his new wife, or even that she continued her faith after moving to Camlorn.   Prince Leo took as patron wise Julianos like his mother and dedicated himself to the rooting out of heretics and cultists. His engagement to the Baroness of Grimrock in 2E 453 was celebrated in the streets of Camlorn. There is in fact evidence that Sebastien sought to clear up such rumors by naming his son and heir magister and charging him with rooting out what daedra worship did exist in the kingdom. Prince Leo became known as “The Cleansing Flame” for the many cultists he put to the torch during his father’s rule.   A number of passages in Kingodm of Camlorn refer to festivals and feast days organized by Sebastien during this time, which did much to improve relations with the religious authorities who might have been concerned over his marriage to a follower of the “Old Gods”.   In the years of 2E 453 and 454 his royal highness set about reforming the laws of the realm for the happiness of all, which was always his sincerest wish. Barons were henceforth not able to set the rate of fines on traveling merchants as a kingdom-wide set of fines was set. As well, the King declared that knightly orders and guilds wishing to operate in any part of Camlorn Kingdom would need only receive permission from him, even should they operate in a baron’s land. Pilgrims and adventurers would also henceforth not need permission from barons to enter Camlorn Kingdom, but from the king or some official of the crown. This passage is noteworthy because it shows how decentralized High Rock had become by this point. Minor barons had begun regulating cross-barony trade and traffic in the late 300’s as Imperial power in High Rock dried up rapidly. The passage of the 453 Trade and Travel Laws was an early attempt to reverse this process.   Fair Faida was alike her mother in faith, alike her father in scholarship and alike nobody in her ambition. At the age of only 16 Faida was already in possession of a talent for the arcane arts greater than her father. At her birthday feast Faida amazed her father with grand magicks and he promised her that he would grant her any wish. Ambitious Faida asked for a barony and doting King Sebastien could not restrain himself from fulfilling her wish.     With swords enchanted the hosts of Camlorn marched upon Graymont, meeting the forces of the Baroness at a set of hills outside of the town. There, with sword and spell at hand, Sebastien did valiantly face the commander of the Graymont forces, only to come away bloodied.  Seeing the valour of their lord on full display, the forces of Camlorn rallied and pressed the Graymont forces sharply. The latter fell back in retreat, but suffered terribly to missiles and spells cast at their exposed rear and soon fell into a rout. The defenders all gone the town was open before the Camlorians. Afore retiring to his tent the King ordered all shrines and stores be spared looting, but granted such rights for the keep and barracks.    Upon returning to Camlorn King Sebastien developed Rockjoint and for some weeks was unable to much move until a scroll of cure disease could be procured.  Upon his recovery a ceremony was held and the Barony of Graymont was awarded to Princess Faida.   Tales of Glenumbra and Rivenspire posted:
  In the year 461 of the Second Era King Sebastien sought to understand the role of the Sun and Aetherius and so constructed a royal observatory. To this place he called scholars from throughout High Rock to study and debate. Again we see two very different views of an event. While the Kingdom of Camlorn presents the construction of the Camlorn Observatory as an act of scholarly patronage, the Tales reads something sinister in the act of studying the night sky. Astronomy had long been held as a noble pursuit by scholars, mages and nobles alike, but by the time of the Interregnum anti-intellectualism had reached such a point that the simple act of building an observatory drew fear and anger from the common folk.  While useful in some regards, the Tales absolutely should not be accepted as a strong source, especially not for something as drastic as accusing a former Archmage of the Mages Guild of Daedra worship. Such actions by careless modern scholars are shameful and only serve to turn the public opinion against historians.    Certainly nothing we know of the last years of King Sebastien’s reign support such claims. King Sebastien continued to rule peacefully, he had two more daughters by his second wife and in 2E 471 was awarded the title of Archmage of the Mages Guild. This additional responsibility, along with health issues, convinced the King that he could no longer fulfill his duties to the realm. In 2E 475 he abdicated in favor of firstborn son Leo, who the council of nobles voted unanimously for. King Sebastien moved his office to the Camlorn Mages Guild and King Leo the Second was crowned. (1)2920, The Last Year of the First Era — Carlovac Townway Clayren fucked around with this message at 21:49 on Jul 18, 2019 |
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Jul 15, 2019 16:45
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You may want to not timg your screenshots, as to get a good look at them readers will have to click on every one, which gets old fast. Other than that, this seems really cool!
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Jul 17, 2019 08:45
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NewMars posted:You may want to not timg your screenshots, as to get a good look at them readers will have to click on every one, which gets old fast. Other than that, this seems really cool! Yeah I did a bit of experimenting and I think I've got the size to a good place where the images are legible but not bigger than the average screen. Let me know if the post below isn't working size-wise. Mechanics and Lore Interlude 1: Traits in Elder Kings and the Bretons of High Rock This is a short interlude to explain some of what’s going on in the game, both in terms of the mechanics and the lore of the Elder Scrolls series. For this update we’re first going to focus on the new traits that have been introduced in the mod.  In the base game there are 5 education focuses, each with 4 levels of talent. These are diplomacy, intrigue, stewardship, martial and scholarship. In Elder Kings these focuses are mostly the same, except for scholarship. Scholarship is replaced by magic as a focus and has two very important effects on the character.  First of all, characters with a magic education generate magicka points every month. A character is limited in how much magicka they can store up, however. For every point of learning a ruler has 2 magicka points can be stored.   With enough points of magicka a ruler can cast any of a massive number of spells. Different spells have different costs and most spells have a minor, medium and major versions which cost different amounts of magicka and have different levels of effect. If, for example, you wanted to kill a character with a curse to lower their health stat temporarily an expensive “major” version would be more likely to work.  Another change with Elder Kings is birthsigns. The 13 constellations are not simply stars, but beings of godlike power and the influence they have on the traits and talents of mortals born on Nirn is all too real. Starsigns are assigned at birth depending on the month a character is born.  Race is another trait assigned at birth. Besides granting a small bonus or malus to certain traits, race also has some big effects on the game. Different races have different lifespans, with humans (Men) tending to top off at 100 and elves (Mer) topping off at around 300. On the flipside, Mer have a harder time getting pregnant than the races of men and the beast races (Khajit and Argonians). As well, some races will find it hard (or even impossible) to procreate. All the human races can interbreed without trouble and the elven races can do the same. Human-Elf combinations are unlikely, but not impossible. Humans and elves cannot procreate with an Argonian, Khajit or Orc, and these latter races can really only breed within their own group. When a union between two races does occur, the resultant offspring will randomly be assigned to one of the parent races.  Membership in a guild grants a character the ability to pursue a particular set of skills. There are many of these in Elder Kings and they can help turn a good character into a great one.  Finally, we have religion. We’ll cover the Eight(Nine?) Divines in a later post, but for now I just want to point out that secret religions are most certainly a thing in Elder Kings, where the Daedric Princes are always lurking nearby with a promise of power and gifts. More on that later as well.  Bretons of High Rock The Bretons of High Rock are descendants of the Nedic humans who likely arrived in Tamriel from far northern Atmora in the distant past. In High Rock these Nedes would later interbreed with the Aldmer who arrived in the region near the start of the First Era. Because of their mixed human-elven heritage Bretons tend to be more skilled at magic than other human races. Most Bretons follow the pantheon of the Eight Divines as do the Nords, Colovians, Nibenay and Imperials. In some areas of High Rock worship of the Aldmer god Phynaster continues and it is notable that Bretons generally view Shor (or Sheor) as an evil god, whereas the Nords revere him and the Colovians, Nibenay and Imperials are mostly neutral on him. Culturally the Bretons are the most agricultural and feudal of the societies of Tamriel. Most Breton villages are a collection of "quaint" earthen huts and a nearby manor, keep or castle of stone. This is in part a result of the constant jockeying for power among the squabbling monarchies and city-states of the region. This low level warfare somewhat inhibits development. This is not to say that High Rock lacks major cities, indeed the Iliac Bay hosts many Breton cities which benefit from widespread trade. The Reachmen of eastern High Rock and western Skyrim are descended from the same ancestors as the Bretons, but the relative isolation of the region and the influence of Orcish and Nordic culture has resulted in a very different culture. The Reachmen, or "Witchmen of High Rock" live in semi-nomadic tribes and their religious practices involve the worship of a number of daedric princes and the existence of shamanistic mages. The Reachmen worship Molag Bal, Malacath, Mehrunes Dagon, Namira and most of all, Hircine. Some tribes have been observed to live alongside and even venerate the Hagraven Matriarchs which live in the Reach. These creatures, half old woman and half bird, are witches who have traded their humanity to the Daedra Hircine in exchange for great magic power and long lives. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Bretons do not appreciate being compared to Reachmen. Questing is a common enough part of High Rock culture. Young Bretons seeking a way out of their squalid peasant villages (or the even more squalid city slums) will seek to join up with a knightly order or a guild. Bards are well respected in High Rock and many bardic colleges offer young men and women a path out of poverty (if they are good enough) and a chance to see the world.
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Jul 17, 2019 21:00
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Elder Scrolls AND CK2? Christmas has come early!
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Jul 18, 2019 14:51
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 Reign of King Leo II 3. The Priest King  As we near the end of the Kingdom of Camlorn your humble author thinks it worthwhile that a moment be spared for dismissing the sadly all-too-common myths of King Leo the Second’s “blindness”. These notions have been posited by a number of ill-informed scholars who, upon reading that Leo was a member of the Cult of the Ancestor Moths, assume that he fell victim to the blinding effects which the reading of the Elder Scrolls inflicts on well trained priests of that order. Such incorrect assumptions are perhaps forgivable, given how little the average person knows about the Cult. The Ancestor Moth is native to Cyrodiil, although colonies can be found carefully cultivated in Ancestor Glades throughout Tamriel. To the Nibenay of southeastern Cyrodiil the Ancestor Moths are sacred, said to be kept alive by the love of the dearly deceased. Ancestor Moth silk has long been gathered and weaved by the Nibenay, who believe that the songs of their ancestors are woven into the fabric and those who listen closely can hear this music when the silk is moved. The deep red fabric, which gains its color from the bark of the Canticle Tree upon which the Ancestor Moths feed, is considered the strongest light armor in Nirn. The Cult of the Ancestor Moths began as a religious order dedicated to Arkay, whose dominion includes death and departed ancestors. From Nibenay the Cult spread and changed. Long exposure to the Ancestor Moths from decades of tending to them, harvesting their silk and weaving garments from the silk revealed another startling property of the moths. When gathered in great numbers the soft, harmonious trilling of the Ancestor Moths can grant a well trained monk the ability to read an Elder Scroll. These fragments of creation originate from outside of time and their exact nature and origin is only partly known. Whatever else they are, these Elder Scrolls contain visions of the past, present or future. By tradition and law these scrolls are gathered by the forces of the Empire of Man and only accomplished brothers of the Ancestor Moth Cult are allowed to read them. Few are ever granted this honor and the vast majority of priests spend their time tending to the Ancestor Moths, gathering their silk, weaving it and taking care of those elder priests who have gone blind from reading the Elder Scrolls. These lesser duties were the type which King Leo Renault the Second performed during his 8 years of service at the Ancestor Moth Glen in the King’s Guard Mountains. There is no evidence he ever read an Elder Scroll, let alone went blind from doing so repeatedly.   When King Sebastien the First stepped down in 2E 475 he made known his wishes that his son Leo be granted the crown. By the traditional law of Camlorn such matters were up to a vote, but the lords and ladies of the kingdom greatly loved the old king and approved his choice. So it was that Prince Leo, Baron of Grimrock, was crowned King Leo the Second of Camlorn on the 21st of Evening Star 2E 475. King Leo was a brave man, accomplished in martial skill and possessing the strong Nordic features of his late mother Fraida. But the new King was no mere brute. Possessed of a keen intellect, Leo had split his years away from Camlorn between helping his wife to manage the Barony of Grimrock and serving as a novitiate in the Cult of the Ancestor Moths. As mentioned earlier, Leo spent months at a time assisting at the Ancestor Glen in the nearby mountains of King’s Guard.  Shortly after arriving in Camlorn disastrous news reached the new King. King Leo’s beloved son Thurek had been captured and imprisoned by a Reachman marauder who had besieged the castle of Grimrock as part of his campaign to conquer the Kingdom of Kambria. King Leo offered a large ransom for his eldest son’s return, but this was refused by the cruel Witchman.    A second offer was made, with additional funds provided by King Leo the Second’s loyal vassals. The Baron Sam of Orvault, a talented lord who had trained with the Greybeards of High Hrothgar and King Leo’s sister, the powerful mage Baroness Faida of Graymont. This too failed to sway the heart of the foul Huet, who replied by sending Thurek’s nose and lips back to his father. A month later the noble Prince was liberated when Huet’s marauders were at last defeated by the King of Kambria. But Thurek was only returned to his father’s side a day before his infected wounds took their toll and he fell into a deep and feverish coma and soon died. King Leo grieved deeply and for 5 days the bells in the Temple of Julianos were silent.   The realm again was again stricken with grief in the following year, when King Sebastien the First passed on the 23rd of Last Seed, 2E 478. Mourning for the old king was cut short, however, when a plague of typhoid struck the western coast of High Rock. The city of Camlorn closed its gates to trade for several months and many residents came close to starvation before the mercy of the Eight delivered the city from death.    Among the nobles of the court of Camlorn there were some whose loyalty was found wanting. These nobles spoke in whispers and said that these troubles were the cause of a weak king. King Leo the Second marshalled his forces and in 2E 479 proved these doubters wrong by leading his knights against the city of Phyrgias. At the battle of Blain he led the knightly Dragons of Camlorn in a grand charge and slaughtered the enemy's battlemages.   The assembled soldiers cheered King Leo’s tactical brilliance, but the noble lord ordered silence and reminded his troops that “No victory comes but for the will of the Divines”. Those assembled were amazed at the humility of priestly king.   Upon return to Camlorn the King had craftsmen raise a stone commemorating the memory of King Sebastien the First. Nordic priests from Markarth inscribed the deeds of Sebastien the Seemly in the ancient and ceremonial language of Nordic Runes.  This stone remains today in the gardens of the Castle of Camlorn. Your author obtained a drawing of the stone done by a Breton artist who visited the site some years prior. While worn down by time, the markings are still visible today.   King Leo II, though victorious in battle and well beloved, still mourned the losses of his early reign. The king sought solace in faith and ate little as a show of dedication to the Eight Divines. In 2E 485 set out in pilgrimage to High Hrothgar, to seek the wisdom of the Greybeards of SKyrim. His faithful sister Faida ruled in his stead.     Through many challenges and trials mighty King Leo prevailed and studied under the priests of High Hrothgar for a year, before returning home to Camlorn.  Upon his return the King ordered a chronicle of the Renault family history be composed. His faithful scholars and scribes began work on the first volume of the The Kingdom of Camlorn: Being a True and Accurate Account of the Reign of the House of Renault Beginning with the Conquest of the City of Camlorn by King Leo I. This passage seems to imply that the Kingdom of Camlorn was intended to be more than a single volume in length, but no such other volumes exists. It is possible they were lost in the events that followed the reign of Leo II, or that the following ruler cancelled the project and had what was already done published.   In 2E 488 King Leo the II offered vassalage to the Baroness of Darguard, offering protection from the growing threat of Witchmen to the north. Stubbornly she refused this aid and was made to see reason by force of arms. The hasty manner in which the last few pages of Kingdom of Camlorn are written supports the theory that the writing of the book was incomplete upon the ascension of Queen Faida, who ordered it hurriedly finished.     As he rode through Darguard the peasants pleaded with King Leo to put an end to the madness just beyond their border. For in the grand city of Shornhelm the vile King Gyron had declared himself a servant of the daedra and oppressed the faithful of the realm. Armies of wretched monsters walked the streets and plundered without resistance. After the fall of Darguard the lordly King spoke to his soldiers and said “You have served your king as required by your oath and may retire to your homes. But I cannot retire, not while the faithful are oppressed by the daedra. Those who would follow me let your voices be heard!” Then followed a great cry among the assembled, with every knight and soldier swearing oaths of loyalty to the King and his cause. In the shadow of the Wrothgar mountains the forces of King Leo II met with those of King Gyron and the latter was found wanting in martial skill. Pious Leo and his troops praised mighty Stendarr and marched on Shornhelm, which soon fell.  Good King Leo returned victorious to Camlorn and was hailed by priests throughout High Rock for his service to the faith. In the year 2E 492 on the 8th day of Second Seed he passed away in his sleep at the ripe age of 61. His sister Faida, who had faithfully served her brother and king, was elected new Queen of Camlorn. With this the Kingdom of Camlorn abruptly ends. Throughout this account of the rule of King Leo I, King Sebastien I and King Leo II we see a few themes repeat which give us an idea of the nature of life in High Rock during the interregnum. One recurring theme is the danger of adventurers and invaders. Leo I himself was something of a usurper, using the chaos of the period to supplant his liege lord. The invasion of Kambria by the Reachman Huet may have failed, but the death of Leo’s popular son Thurek likely paved the way for Faida inheriting the throne, which would have some major effects on High Rock. Another theme is the appearance of daedra worship, both real and imagined. Although many reports proved false, like those of King Sebastien I, others were all too real. With the Empire gone such heretical cults proliferated throughout Tamriel. Finally, we see a third and somewhat surprising pattern in the early interregnum: consolidation. By the end of King Leo II’s High Rock was dominated by 7 major kingdoms, hardly the patchwork of minor city-states and baronies which had preceded it. Hammerfell, to the south, had nearly unified (with the major exception being Rihad) and High Rock too might have become a unified state if not for the Plague. From all of this we can see that the darkness of the Interregnum didn’t have a solitary cause, but was instead a product of imperial neglect, a loss of centralized power, daedric meddling and disease, along with many other minor causes. -Andel Janecus Professor Saaginia Glishca posted:
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Jul 19, 2019 01:45
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 Reign of Queen Faida I 4. Confessions of the Bloodless  Professor Brindal Rosesky posted:Black Books are Daedric artifacts created by the Daedric Prince Hermaeus Mora, whose domain is Fate and Knowledge. Each book contains some manner of forbidden or previously unknown knowledge. The knowledge may be from the past or the future and can be from anywhere on Nirn.  𝔸𝕤 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕠𝕡𝕖𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕓𝕠𝕠𝕜 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕕𝕤 𝕤𝕖𝕖𝕞 𝕥𝕠 𝕨𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕥 𝕦𝕡𝕠𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕡𝕒𝕘𝕖. https://i.imgur.com/Fj3k9iB.jpg https://i.imgur.com/BSYrKTR.jpg Confessions of the Bloodless posted:ፕዘe ቻዐዐl เร 🇩🇪🇦🇩, 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚕𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚊𝚕 𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚜. Nobody suspects a curse helped nudge him to his grave. His remaining children are of no great consequence, Thurek had been raised from birth to be the designated heir and with him gone the court is divided. My supporters easily dominated the vote and now I am on my way to Camlorn and have left the run of Graymont to my son Uthistyr. He is loyal and content with his position, he will make a valuable vassal.    Confessions of the Bloodless posted:My reception in Camlorn wasn’t what most would call “warm”. Rumors of me abound, none of them entirely true but some close enough to make me worry. My spies in the city were quick to deliver the whispers on the street, the ones these peasants fear to say in front of the guards. They say I am a witch, that I used enchantments to convince my father to grant me a barony. Ha! I may be a master of magicka, but for my father all I ever needed was to put on one of mother’s old dresses, do my hair up like her and ask him sweetly.   Confessions of the Bloodless posted:I have given up on my plans to contact the Ideal Masters. I have plenty enough skill as a necromancer without their help and the immortality they offer has too many downsides. Lichdom is too obvious, my nature would be revealed to the court immediately. Besides, the Ideal Masters are not known for keeping their bargains.   Confessions of the Bloodless posted:Molag Bal, the prince of brutality, domination and rage. A most unsubtle being, but one whose gift of pure vampirism would perfectly suit my needs. Unlike the more common form, this will grant me immortality without the need to drink blood or avoid sunlight, two traits which would reveal my nature far too quickly.   Confessions of the Bloodless posted:Piles of gold and rare artifacts make for worthy sacrifices, but the Lord of Domination will not be impressed by offerings alone. Victory in war will be necessary to prove my worthiness. The Queen of Oldgate is without ally and her feeble forces no match for my magics.   Confessions of the Bloodless posted:Treacherous bastards! The feeble kings of High Rock have risen to the defense of Oldgate, their bickering forgotten for the moment at the sight of my undead army. Never mind the defeat at Flyleaf, I will soon be back in Camlorn and will rebuild my forces. Their combined army will be no match!     Confessions of the Bloodless posted:The mercenaries have earned their wages today and the undead their rest. Outside of Oldgate the combined forces of High Rock fell before my army and the fool Queen Joslin has been taken captive. Oldgate shall soon be mine and Molag Bal will be pleased with my conquest.    Confessions of the Bloodless posted:The peasants are restless, despite my best efforts rumors of my necromancy and daedra worship abound. While some in the court wisely choose to align themselves with me and my cult the fools in the countryside rise up against me. Such uprising are doomed from the start and Molag Bal appreciates the offering of a freshly peeled human face.   Confessions of the Bloodless posted:I sacrifice and give, but still am so far from the boon I desire. I feel my age catching up to me and fear that I might die with my goals still unfulfilled. I have my mother’s face, her hair and her name, but I will not share her early demise. Potions, scrolls and spells of fortify health will keep me going until the day I shall no longer need fear death.    Confessions of the Bloodless posted:Even after my conquest of Oldgate there are still idiots in High Rock who see me only as a feeble old woman. They plot to take my throne from me and I will see them dead. The Queen of Dunkarn will soon wither away under my curse for her plots.     Confessions of the Bloodless posted:Ha! I wonder what old Agryctor would have thought about his dear sister planting an axe deep in the skull of his son? Some of my men seemed surprised that I can still duel at nearly 70 years of age, but in truth I am kept together more by magic and will than flesh and bone at this point.    Confessions of the Bloodless posted:My body continues to wither, but my mind stays sharp as ever. All around me familiar faces fade away, my enemies and my allies alike die. My son Uthistyr was loyal and I will miss him, but I have been on this path too long and cannot allow death to claim me.     Confessions of the Bloodless posted:Peasants rise up, only to be put down. My husband Giovanni passes away. We were never more than a political match, but I will miss his presence nonetheless. So few of my court talk with me, they fear me and hope for my death. I hold on to my will and keep the offerings going.  Confessions of the Bloodless posted:My followers have made the preparations, all is as it should be. Tonight I shall negotiate with a Prince of Oblivion.    
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Jul 20, 2019 14:59
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All hail our Vampire Queen! Glory to Molag Bal!
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Jul 20, 2019 16:43
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I was really hoping the High Hrothgar event chain was gonna have a frost troll. Not disappointed.
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Jul 20, 2019 23:11
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Livewire42 posted:I was really hoping the High Hrothgar event chain was gonna have a frost troll. It is such a long event chain, you have no idea. I only included some of the pictures but you have to fight necromancers, wolves, that troll, diseased crazy people, a fellow pilgrim and also survive a blizzard. You can also just straight up join the Greybeards, they are one of the many, many societies you can join in Elder Kings. Also, Young Scrolls is probably required listening.
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Jul 20, 2019 23:19
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 Reign of Queen Faida I 5. The Northern Campaigns Professor Saaginia Glishca posted:
    In 2E 516 the Queen of Camlorn became aware of a disturbance along her border. The lady of Kambria was defending against an Orcish adventurer who claimed the right to restore the old city of Orsinium in the Wrothgar Mountains. An offer of aid was extended by Queen Faida and then rejected by the Lady of Kambria. In order to restore stability Camlorn raised a force of 1,900 men and 1,200 undead and sent letters to the other realms of High Rock to invite them to aid in this undertaking. Instead, a number sided with the Lady of Kambria.   The army of Kambria numbered only 1,700 and gathered in a key pass of the Wrothgar Mountains to await the arrival of the larger force commanded by Queen Faida. The commander of the opposing force had hoped that the terrain and climate of the mountains would greatly diminish the forces of the Queen, but the undead elements were unaffected and only minor casualties were recorded among the living. At the pass the Kambrian’s had more mounted knights, but skeletal swordsmen crawled under their shieldwall before the infantry lines even met. This created chaos among the Kambrian ranks, which collapsed when the Camlornian heavy infantry charged into them. Meanwhile, the army of Bhoriane besieged and captured the city of Camlorn, forcing Queen Faida to call off her pursuit of the retreating Kambrian forces. The Bhorians retreated from Camlorn, rather than face the full force of the Queen. The remainder of the year was spent rapidly retaking Camlorn and other holdings.   In 2E 518 the army of Bhoriane was spotted once again, having regrouped with the remnants of the army of Kambria and a token force sent by the King of Lainlyn. A band of Redguard mercenaries was hired in Phrygias to reinforce Queen Faida’s army before in returned to the east to capture Kambria.   Once again the opposing forces sought to hold a vital mountain pass, this time near the village of White Haven. By this time the undead forces of Queen Faida were greatly diminished, but at the battle she had more skirmishers and spellcasters and the opposing force took many casualties in the skirmish. When the lines of infantry at last met the morale of the enemy soldiers, already diminished from the lives lost to missiles and spells, crumbled in the face of undead soldiers. The forces of Lainlyn and Bhoriane, unused to such a sight, fled first and the remaining Kambrians were overwhelmed. With her forces greatly diminished the lady of Kambria saw no choice but to surrender to the protection of Queen Faida.    In the years of 519, 520 and 521 the Kingdom of Camlorn thrived. New guard houses were built in the cities and prosperity was widespread. In the isolated communities of the Wrothgar Mountains, however, instability once again threatened the southern border of the Kingdom. The King of Wrothgar was afflicted with in those days with an imbalance of the blood and declared himself the rightful ruler of Kambria. Not only was this a threat to the lady of Kambria, to whom Queen Faida had only years prior pledged her protection, but it also meant that the unfortunate people of Wrothgar were suffering under a madman.   Once more the Queen extended assurances to the lords of High Rock as to the purity of her intentions, but once more they ignored such claims citing her use of the undead. The Baron of Northpoint even funded Orcish tribes in nearby Dorven, who objected to the use of their dead as soldiers in the prior campaign against Kambria. With two conflicts now being fought, the Queen enticed adventurers in Camlorn to join her ranks with the promise of pay and loot.   On the 26th of Sun’s Dusk the Orcish forces were put down easily in Dorven, the poorly equipped and armed force no match for the hardened veterans of Camlorn. Although widely known for their skill at blacksmithing, the Orcs had only scant months to outfit their forces before Queen Faida’s forces arrived. The Orcish chieftain Rogdul was taken captive and paraded through Camlorn before being executed in the city square. This victory was followed by another 2 months later. The combined forces of Wrothgar and Bjoulsae had camped outside the village of Moira’s Hope, south of Shornhelm. Although inferior to the force commanded by Faida, the combined army hoped to march north to Dorven once Spring came and recruit remnants of the Orcish rebellion. Faida ignored the Winter and marched on Moira’s Hope with snow still on the ground, surprising her opponent and scattering them before her.   With the opposing forces broken, Queen Faida besieged the Wrothgar capital of Menevia. The castle fell after a few months and the family of King Astav were taken prisoner. In exchange for their safety the mad king agreed to grant his titles to his son, Astav the Second, and swear fealty to Queen Faida of Camlorn, bringing the second northern campaign to a close after only one year.   Uprisings continued among the Orc tribes in Rivenspire in the years following. These were encouraged in part by funds provided by neighboring kingdoms and by easy raiding targets in the Kingdom of Jehenna. The Reachman kingdom was fighting a long war against a united force of Nordic Jarldoms seeking to reclaim the province of Haafingar, leaving the Western Reach unguarded.  After repeated demands to end the funding of these barbarians were refused Queen Faida declared war in 2E 528 on the King of Bjoulsae and gathered her forces in Camlorn.   The King of Northpoint declared for Bjoulsae and King Charleric led the Bjoulsae army north to link up with the forces of Northpoint. Queen Faida moved quickly to intercept them at Oldgate, but was too late. Outnumbered, she retreated south to Camlorn to raise additional forces, hiring two companies of mercenaries and raising additional undead. On the 25th of Sun’s Dawn her enlarged force faced off against the army of Bjoulsae. While Queen Faida was in the south the forces of Bjoulsae and North Point had split up to besiege Oldgate and Phrygias and were unable to merge in time to avoid being beaten separately. Queen Faida could not pursue the remnants of these forces, however, as she needed to head south to relieve the siege of Camlorn by the combined forces of Dwynnen and Bhoriane.   Rather than face the Queen these forces headed south and east, towards the Wrothgar Mountains. There they would meet up with the remnants of the North Point and Bjoulsae armies, along with reinforcements from Gavaudon and the mercenary company the Pale Watch. The Queen pursued, however, and ambushed the smaller force in a mountain pass. The coalition army awaiting the arrival of these forces did not receive word of their defeat and remained encamped at the fort of Shinji’s Scarp. When Queen Faida arrived at this fort she had a definite advantage in skirmishers and rained arrows upon the fort for hours, forcing the defenders to abandon their position and assault the frontline of the Camlorn army. The Camlorn heavy infantry quickly broke the coalition army, which splintered into 4 parts and scattered, making pursuit more difficult.    Some in this coalition held out hope that the powerful Kingdom of Daggerfall might join the war, but an outbreak of Consumption throughout the Iliac Bay made this unlikely. By the year of 2E 530 the coalition forces were spread across numerous small armies which were having trouble coordinating. When Bjoulsae fell there was no hope left of retaking the city and the war ended with a third victory for Queen Faida.     Peace did not return to Camlorn, however. Throughout the kingdom a conspiracy was uncovered by the Queen’s faithful knights. Daedra worshippers, aligned with the savages of Jehenna, had built underground societies in major cities throughout Northern High Rock. Queen Faida declared that she would retake the Western Reach from these pagans and a great many knights swore upon their honor to aid her in this holy task.    In the first year of the conflict the Reachman king was unable to gather an army to oppose Queen Faida, as all of his forces were engaged in a losing battle against the Nords. A number of holdings, including the key city of Farrun, fell to the Queen without any opposition. This left the road to Jehenna wide open, but the Camlorn army had to head south for a few months to put down another Orc uprising.    At last in 2E 523 the King of Jehenna, with the aid of some minor Reachman lords, was able to put together an army to retake Farrun. Queen Faida’s army met them at the fort of Pariah’s Point on the 11th of Evening Star. A tribal people, the Reachmen relied upon a force mostly of light infantry and skirmishers. Against dismounted Camlornian knights in heavy plate and veteran battlemages the Reachman infantry suffered terrible damage and broke. Some fled into the fort, while others disappeared into the mountains. The former were soon starved into surrender, the latter likely starved in the Winter cold. Without forces to maintain his resistance the King of Jehenna was forced to accept defeat and the Western Reach returned to Breton control.     In 525 a small Orcish uprising was put down near Dorven. In the following year a number of barons, led by Baron Len of Shieldwall and financed by the former King of Bjoulsae, demanded a set of changes to the laws of Camlorn. These were refused by the Queen, which led to a short civil conflict.   These rebels were divided, with some of the barons in the far east, some in the far west and the majority in the southern edge of the realm. Before their armies could meet up and coordinate the Queen marched upon Wayrest and defeated a force of 3,000, overwhelming the enemy with undead warriors. This defeat was enough to convince Baron Len to pursue terms of white peace, which the Queen graciously accepted.   This mercy was not given without demands, however. The Queen passed a set of reforms after the conflict and demanded payment from each of the rebellious barons which was used to build additional training facilities for battlemages in Camlorn.   In 529 Queen Faida sent letters to the lords of Daggerfall, Bhoriane, Glenpoint, Ilesan and Balfiera, declaring herself the rightful Queen of all High Rock and demanding their pledge of fealty. All rejected these demands, forcing the Queen to press her claim by force. She declared war upon Bhoriane in 530, just as word of a plague in Morrowind reached the court.     The Kingdom of Daggerfall came to the aid of Bhoriane and together they assembled a force of 7,000. While Queen Faida gathered her army from across the width of her domain this army sieged many holdings in the mountains, before meeting defeat at a mountain pass. Before Faida could pursue this retreating army, news came of the Knahaten Flu, which was causing great harm in the Western Reach. Rather than campaign during an epidemic Queen Faida offered terms of white peace, which the lord of Bhoriane gratefully accepted.  The Queen returned to Camlorn and began preparing for renewed campaigning once the epidemic was over.
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Jul 22, 2019 15:38
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Was there a specific reason as to why you abandoned the True Faith of Molag Bal?
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Jul 22, 2019 23:15
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Luhood posted:Was there a specific reason as to why you abandoned the True Faith of Molag Bal? She got what she wanted out of it and moved on, just like you do with all Daedra.
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Jul 23, 2019 00:55
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I wonder if it would be possible to get a bit more context? Maybe some sort of state of the world (either how it was at the beginning or now). When does this take place in relation to the RPGs? Who are the major empires/players? Where are the various races/religions located? That said, even with my slight knowledge of TES I'm still loving the LP so far!
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Jul 23, 2019 01:41
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Guper posted:I wonder if it would be possible to get a bit more context? Maybe some sort of state of the world (either how it was at the beginning or now). When does this take place in relation to the RPGs? Who are the major empires/players? Where are the various races/religions located? That said, even with my slight knowledge of TES I'm still loving the LP so far! I intend to include some lore/mechanics updates like the one I did earlier on Bretons, but I can give you a quick summary of the timeline. The Second Era refers to the time period between the founding of the Second Empire and the Founding of the Third Empire by Tiber Septim. Nearly all of the RPG's take place in the Third Era and mostly feature you doing some sort of quest to keep the 3rd Empire from being destroyed. For example, Morrowind has you stopping Dagoth Ur from building a giant brass god to conquer the world with (Tiber Septim himself used the original brass god this one was based on to conquer the island of the High Elves, who everyone hates). In Oblivion you help the last Septim, Martin Septim, stop an invasion by Mehrunes Dagon, saving the world and ending the 3rd Era. Skyrim takes place in the 4th Era, since the end of the Septim Dynasty meant the end of the 3rd Era. What all this means is that Elder Kings takes place before any of the rpg's, in the 2nd Era. I'll have some lore posts about the eras at some point, along with other topics which I figure might be confusing.
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Jul 23, 2019 03:59
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 Reign of Queen Faida I 6. The Knahaten Flu  Archivist Neleminduure posted:On the Knahaten Flu    An Account of the Knahaten Flu posted:
    An Account of the Knahaten Flu posted:
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    An Account of the Knahaten Flu posted:A self-appointed “committee of public safety” came to the castle gates today. The 3 dung-splattered men yelled at the gate as if insane until a minor official of the court stood atop the wall and listened to them. They proceeded to demand that the Queen’s skeletal warriors be tasked with murdering all of the cats in the city, because they were “secret Khajiits who brought the plague to Camlorn”. The official wisely ignored them, but they returned every day for a week, shouting their demands until the Queen had her undead cut out their tongues.   An Account of the Knahaten Flu posted:The Knahaten FLu is gone, replaced with an outbreak of Typhoid. I wonder at times if the divines have a sense of humor.  An Account of the Knahaten Flu posted:
 An Account of the Knahaten Flu posted:I have been informed today that a marriage has been arranged for me. I should not have been surprised, I suppose. Of the members of house Renault only 7 survive to carry on and the question of who would succeed the old crone remains up in the air (I suspect she intends to rule forever and may even have the means to do so). So of course they’ll be wanting more potential heirs as insurance. An Account of the Knahaten Flu posted:I had no hopes for falling in love with my husband, I know such things are for the commoners. But if I do not love Visellius I do greatly enjoy his company. On our wedding night we talked for many hours about the plague years. So many people refuse to, they try to act like nothing happened, but not Visellius. He had two brothers like me, and like me he lost them both; one to a hunting accident and the other to the flu. It is a great relief to me that I can talk to him about these things, he is an honest and open man.  An Account of the Knahaten Flu posted:
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 An Account of the Knahaten Flu posted:The monster is dead, at long last. The court is scrambling to elect her replacement, but I don’t care which distant relative takes her place, even a daedra would be an improvement.  An Account of the Knahaten Flu posted:
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Jul 24, 2019 02:04
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I'll miss Faida. It'll be interesting to see how Camelorn reacts to a seemingly nice ruler after having a century of evilness! Is it possible for you to take better quality screenshots?
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Jul 24, 2019 03:56
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Chatrapati posted:I'll miss Faida. It'll be interesting to see how Camelorn reacts to a seemingly nice ruler after having a century of evilness! You know what I just realized? I don't need to resize screenshots to make sure they fit the forums properly. I'm not sure when this happened because I am convinced that at some point in the past this was not the case. Future updates will be preserved in their full, original glory, thank you Chatrapati.
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Jul 24, 2019 04:36
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Mechanics and Lore Interlude 2: Daedra Worship and a brief history of everything For this interlude we’re first going to be looking at the costs and benefits of daedra worship in Elder Kings before then getting a little bit more acquainted with the history of the universe according to canon.  For the purposes of looking at daedra worship, we’re going to be using Clivia Tharn, whose daedra worship caused some pretty big problems for the world, historically.  The Jade Dragon expansion to Crusader Kings 2 added China as an off-map nation. What this means is that some countries can interact with China indirectly, sending gifts and concubines to gain favor with the distant empire and requesting gifts and favors in return. The Elder Kings version of this is the daedric princes, who can be worshipped in secret or out in the open and who will reward worshippers with a number of things. Each prince has a policy, status, likes and dislikes.  Policy refers to the prince’s attitude towards the world at the moment. Policy can strengthen or weaken at times and the stronger a policy the more that daedric prince is willing to directly interact with the mortal plane. If a daedra’s policy is too weak they may not accept offerings or grant boons. In this case Molag Bal is feeling like intervening in the affairs of Nirn and indeed has done so, beginning the Planemeld wherein he attempted to drag the world into his realm of Cold Harbor.  Status refers to how strong a daedric prince is feeling. Daedra are known for plotting and tend not to make major moves unless they feel like they have the strength to win. This also can go up or down.  Each daedric prince has a set of likes and dislikes. Molag Bal is called “the Tormentor of Men”, “the Prince of Rage”, “the Lord of Brutality” and a lot of other names that imply he’s not a nice guy, so it should be no surprise that he generally likes characters that are cruel, wroth, greedy, deceitful, proud and other such sinful attributes. If your character is a worshipper of Molag Bal and has those traits you will receive more monthly favor from him. If, however, your character is kind, honest, charitable or the like you’ll struggle to win Molag Bal’s favor. Other daedric princes have other likes and dislikes. Meirida, for example, really hates the undead and won't look kindly on worshippers who are undead or who practice necromancy. She does, however, like it when worshippers sacrifice undead characters to her. It is noteworthy that ALL princes like dragonborn heroes, which explains why so many heroes throughout history have ended up with hoards of daedric artifacts.  Worshippers receive a steady trickle of favor every month, the amount varies depending on what traits your character has. There are ways to get a lot of favor quickly, however. Daedra don’t really need money, but appreciate the gesture and will take a big lump sum of cash as a sacrifice. There’s a cooldown of a few years on such offerings, so a rich merchant republic patrician can’t just spend his way into a full-scale daedra invasion. Artifacts from your character’s treasury can also be offered, with rarer and more valuable artifacts getting you more favor. Some daedric princes will also accept a living (or undead) sacrifice as well, although what sort of characters they want you to offer will depend on the prince’s tastes.  With enough favor any number of boons might be granted. All prince’s have their own artifacts which they can grant to a dedicated worshipper, which grant various bonuses and perks. Most daedric princes have servants, lesser daedra which can be sent to Nirn to serve as advisors or generals of great skill. A plea for wealth will gain a random artifact or lump sum of gold, while a plea for training will grant you a permanent boost to all skills. A force of 2,500 daedric soldiers can be summoned and every prince has their own, unique boon that only they can grant. Molag Bal, for example, can make you into a pure vampire who doesn’t need to drink blood. This is good because every time a vampire has to go out and hunt up a meal there is a chance it will be discovered and almost everyone hates vampires.  One last thing: daedra invasions. A worshipper with lots of favor can, once in their life, attempt to begin a daedric invasion of Nirn. This is a long undertaking, but will give you access to endless armies of daedra with which to conquer the world. Should a dragonblooded emperor manage to light the dragonfires on Cyrodiil Island, however, no daedric invasion can take place. This is part of why not having an empire is a big deal, without an empire there can be no dragonfires and the whole wide world is under threat of daedric invasion, as seen in the games Oblivion and The Elder Scrolls Online.  A Brief History of Mundus The history of the Elder Scrolls is generally divided into 6 eras, or ages. These are the Dawn Era, the Merethic (or mythic) Era, the 1st Era, the 2nd Era, the 3rd Era and the 4th Era. Of the first two, the Dawn And Merethic, almost dates are known and much of it is more myth than history.  The Dawn Era The Void was the nothingness that existed before anything else, at some point the forces of Anu and Padomay (stasis and change) appeared and began to interact. From these interactions are formed the et’Ada, the original spirits, the first of whom was Akatosh, the dragon god of time. His invention of time made it a lot easier for other spirits to come into existence. Over time many of these spirits begin to crystalize and have more coherent shapes and existences. Others, however, are too weak and fade back out of existence. One of these spirits was Lorkhan, who has a million different names as we will see. Lorkhan calls all the spirits together and outlines his plan to create Mundus, the mortal plane. Here the weak, minor aspects of creation would have a chance to reflect upon themselves and find ways to become like the et’Ada, or even become greater than them. Kynareth, who might have been the bride of Lorkhan, is the first to agree to the plan and provides space in the void for a new plane to be built. Many of the other spirits agree to this plan as well and become the Aedra, which is old elvish for “our ancestors”. Others refuse to take part in the plan and instead choose to make new planes within themselves where they would each have total control. These planes became the realms of Oblivion and the spirits became the Daedra, which is old elvish for “not our ancestors”. The Aedra, meanwhile, create their new plane of Mundus, but the act is one of either great sacrifice or betrayal. Those who take part in the creation are greatly weakened or even destroyed by it and some Aedra are furious at Lorkhan for “tricking” them. The Aedra Magnus flees Mundus, tearing a hole in the fabric of the universe and thereby creating the sun. Most of the et’Ada who remain follow him, tearing their own little holes and creating the stars. After this those Aedra who remain decide to hold a convention to discuss how Mundus should function. They build a tower in modern High Rock, the first tower, a sort of nail of solid reality to keep the young plane from being absorbed back into the void or into some realm of Oblivion. At the tower one of two things happened: either Lorkhan voluntarily offered up his heart or it was ripped out of him by the Aedra as revenge for his treachery. Either way the heart was shot from a bow and landed in Morrowind, where it formed a massive volcano, the Red Mountain, which served as a second “tower” to help keep Mundus anchored. The soul of Lorkhan is cursed to roam Nirn for the rest of time (we’ll see him show up a lot). The more powerful Aedra became gods, while others would degenerate further into mortals. These mortals spread all over the planet and history began.  The Merethic Era Early on the Aldmer, the ancestors of all elven races, lived on the continent of Aldmeris. Some unknown doom befell Aldmeris and the elves left in search of a new homeland, eventually finding their way first to the Summerset Isles and then to the coastline of mainland Tamriel. They find the continent inhabited by numerous races of “beastfolk”, pre-literate communities of intelligent birds, gorillas, lizards, cats, giants, minotaurs and others. With their more advanced technology and magic the elves quickly conquer all but the most desolate regions of the continent, wiping out many races along the way. The Argonians survive because their swamps protect them and the Khajiit survive in their desert homeland. The Aldmer begin to change and diverge, which scares the crap out of the traditionalists on the Summerset Isles. They build a tower of their own, the Crystal Tower, to help them remember their ancestors and lost Aldmeris. Some settle in central Tamriel and build another tower, the White-Gold Tower, on Cyrodiil Island. Humans began to arrive in Tamriel in waves of migration near the end of the Merethic Era. They arrived from the continent of Atmora, far to the north of Tamriel and fought against the small groups of elves that already lived there. These wars against the elves of northern Tamriel are aided by the famous Nordic hero Shor, who is a Shezarrine, a reincarnation of Lorkhan (Shezarr is just the Cyrodilic name for Lorkhan). But Shezarrine always go away, seemingly fading out of existence after committing many feats of heroism. Some humans settled in Skyrim, while others continued south into Cyrodiil. Prior to the arrival of men the mountains of Tamriel had been home to dragons, who were more like beasts than a sentient race. Alduin, firstborn son of Akatosh, changed that. He taught the dragons to think like the men and mer (elves) and enslaved the men of the north. These men eventually learned to use the magic of the dragons and, aided by sympathetic dragon allies, fought a rebellion for their freedom. Unable to kill Alduin, they use a shout to send him forward in time. Meanwhile, the Bosmer (you’ll notice almost every type of elf is ___mer) united under a king and rejected the rule of the Aldmer back on the Summerset Isles. The Aldmer of Cyrodiil, called Ayleids, also break away from Summerset control and the age of Aldmeri domination of Tamriel is ended.  The First Era Harald Hand-Free unites the Nords of Skyrim and builds his capital at Windhelm, but things are not as good for the humans in Cyrodiil. The many city states of the Ayleids enslave the humans who ventured south of Skyrim for hundreds of years. But in the mid-200’s of the First Era the slave Alessia prayed to Akatosh and the divines to deliver her people from slavery. She receives three visions from the divines and leads a rebellion, aided by the winged minotaur Morihaus and the immortal wandering knight Pelinal Whitestrake. Both of whom were probably Shezzarine. With the help of the Nords (who were not fond of slavery) and some of the Ayleids Saint Alessia ends the practice of slavery and unites all of the humans and elves of Cyrodiil into the Alesian Empire. Alessia also founds the religion of the Eight Divines, which serves as a compromise between the gods of her Nordic allies and those of her elven allies. Notably absent in this new pantheon is Shor/Sheor/Shezarr/Lorkhan, since the elves view him as the jerk who cursed their ancestors to be mortals. Alessia rules for around 25 years before dying. Upon her deathbed Akatosh comes to her and forms a covenant with her and her descendants, transforming her into the Amulet of Kings (you carried it around for like the first third of Oblivion) and declaring that so long as one of her descendants (or someone with dragoonblood) sits upon the imperial throne and has the Amulet he will guard Tamriel from daedric invasion. Meanwhile, the Dwemer (another type of elf) have been fooling around with the Heart of Lorkhan, which is buried under Red Mountain because they think they can use it to become gods or et’Ada or something. So they shove the Heart into a giant robot/tower they call Numidium. The Dunmer find out, get pissed and attack them. Either the Dwemer succeeded or failed in using the Heart because at the battle of Red Mountain all the Dwemer disappear forever. The Dunmer leader Nerevar is betrayed by his friends because he told them not to use the Heart to become gods but they really want to be gods and he dies. Nerevar is totally a Shezarrine. The continent of Yokuda sinks, except for a few islands. The human “Ra Gada” flee to Tamriel and end up in Hammerfell, where they beat up all the people living there already. Eventually people start calling the Redguards because Ra Gada is too hard to pronounce. A weird anti-elven religious group called the Alessian Order take control of the Alessian Empire for awhile. They don’t like that a lot of their culture and gods have elven influences and they try to divide Akatosh into his elven and human characteristics. Given that he is the god of time this screws up time on major scale, to the point where linear time stops being a thing for a while. This is called a “dragon break” and its happened a few times. This one either lasted 1,008 years or never happened at all. Eventually this all just pisses off the Colovians and Nords and they overthrow the Alessian Order and the empire collapses. A bunch of fantasy-Japanese folks called the Akaviri invade Tamriel some time later and wreck poo poo up. A hero named Reman Cyrodiil rallies the Colovians and Nibenay and unites Cyrodiil to face these invaders. He convinces the Bretons and Nords to follow him and meets the Akaviri in battle. In the battle the Akaviri realize that Reman is the Dragonborn and they all swear loyalty to him, which is why all the Blades have katanas. This also means that Reman can use the Amulet of Kings to light the Dragonfires, hurray! With all those forces under him Reman goes on to conquer all of mainland Tamriel, except for Morrowind. Reman is probably a Shezarrine. The descendants of Reman rule the empire for a couple hundred years aided by Akaviri advisors until the advisor Versidue-Shaie has the sitting emperor and his sons all killed and takes over the empire. Versidue-Shaie then declares the beginning of the Second Era, which won't end until daddy Tiber Septim comes along and conquers the whole dang world and becomes a god. (Tiber Septim is the most Shezarrine guy ever, which is why the Thalmor don’t like Talos, he’s literally just Lorkhan finally showing up to take his place as one of the main gods of humanity). Versidue-Shaie is also assassinated eventually and his son takes over. His son oversees a long, slow decline for the empire before also being assassinated, at which point the empire dissolves. At that point, Elder Kings starts. All of the Elder Scrolls games take place after this point, usually with you playing as some nameless hero who shows up out of nowhere to save the world. If you haven't guessed by now, you play a Shezarrine in every game. Lorkhan is like the god of protagonists, basically. Clayren fucked around with this message at 15:06 on Jul 25, 2019 |
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Jul 25, 2019 15:02
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Really needs to be underlined that the Akaviri in this invasion were giant snake dudes.
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Jul 25, 2019 22:27
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I have put several hundred hours into Oblivion and Skyrim, and after having virtually no exposure to earlier Elderscrolls games (beyond whatever LP I skimmed through) I think that one post has taught me more about the lore and background of the entire series than I have ever gleaned from my time playing their more recent games. It's amazing how much detail has been put into this setting over the years and equally amazing at how the writers have gotten so lazy that they cannot even bother copying what was already written - instead they write the world's laziest crib notes and hope the players also haven't been paying attention. But I don't mean to derail this with a Bethesda=Bad post. I stead, I'm curious to see how they've gotten CK2 to work around all the weird fuckery and hand waving that has gone on in the universe while still managing to make this fun to play.
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Jul 25, 2019 23:11
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The only one of the games that really digs deep into the weird poo poo is Morrowind unfortunately. I do like the Viking flavor in Skyrim but it's nothing like how utterly alien Morrowind was, and the less said about Oblivion the better. Arena and Daggerfall, primitive as they are, I guess might get into the raw lore more but I wouldn't know since I couldn't get out of the first dungeon in Daggerfall.
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Jul 25, 2019 23:20
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I checked out an elder scrolls wiki to get a better grasp of this stuff and apparently dwarves in this setting just mysteriously completely vanished at one point in a catastrophic event and that's amazing.
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Jul 26, 2019 01:42
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PetraCore posted:I checked out an elder scrolls wiki to get a better grasp of this stuff and apparently dwarves in this setting just mysteriously completely vanished at one point in a catastrophic event and that's amazing. Except for the one He's kind of a poo poo man
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Jul 26, 2019 02:11
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PetraCore posted:I checked out an elder scrolls wiki to get a better grasp of this stuff and apparently dwarves in this setting just mysteriously completely vanished at one point in a catastrophic event and that's amazing. Important to note that dwarves are elves, those other guys that were playing with lorkhan's heart Rody One Half fucked around with this message at 02:16 on Jul 26, 2019 |
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Jul 26, 2019 02:12
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Rody One Half posted:Important to note that dwarves are elves
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Jul 26, 2019 02:16
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You can also be a skeleton or a dragon It may sound silly to dig up the heart of a god and start sticking stuff into it to power a giant robot but to be fair they had a pretty clearly laid out plan   
Rody One Half fucked around with this message at 03:40 on Jul 26, 2019 |
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Jul 26, 2019 02:19
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What I'm getting is that dwarves accidentally cheatcoded themselves out of the universe.
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Jul 26, 2019 02:34
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We can't talk about cheat codes per the No CHIM rule There is all kinds of insane Elder scrolls lore. I ain't one of my favorite things that isn't touched on is who the hell share their islands with: a race of cannibalistic psychic slug people, the... sloads? There's a sub mod for Elder Kings that adds them. Actually now that I think of it there's an Elder scrolls Online expansion for Summerset islands so they are probably in that.
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Jul 26, 2019 02:42
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PetraCore posted:I checked out an elder scrolls wiki to get a better grasp of this stuff and apparently dwarves in this setting just mysteriously completely vanished at one point in a catastrophic event and that's amazing. Well there is one conversation in Morrowind with a wizard who claims the Dwemer were trying to reverse the process that happened at the beginning of the world, when the immortal et'Ada (spirits) became the "Earth Bones", the mortal progenitors of all the modern races. This is the goal of most elves, who view mortal existence as a sad downgrade from their eternal ancestors existence (hence why they hate Lorkhan/Talos so much). So they were trying to turn themselves from mortal beings into immortal spirits and it is possible the succeeded and just hosed off to space. PetraCore posted:What I'm getting is that dwarves accidentally cheatcoded themselves out of the universe. There are apparently 6 ways to become a god, according to Vivec (who did turn himself into a god so he'd probably know). One of which is to see the universe, which is a wheel, from the side. A wheel viewed from the side is a tower and if you can see the tower you become a god. If you turn the wheel, the zero, into a tower, a one, you become a god. Literally you are editing reality so it goes from Godmode=0 to Godmode=1 Imagine how many hours nerds spent reading all of the dialogue and books in Morrowind to get that stupid joke.
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Jul 26, 2019 02:44
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Rody One Half posted:It may sound silly to dig up the heart of God and start speaking stuff into it to power a giant robot but to be fair they had a pretty clearly laid out plan The way the Eras pass, and them not being uniform in length, makes following the general timelines more difficult than it needs to be but what I can't really understand is that even after some ~3000 years since vanishing no one has managed/bothered to reverse engineer dwarven inventions or even match their technological progress. All their stuff has just been sitting there, in perfect working order, along with their empty cities stuffed with treasures but no one is interested in it outside a handful of people. A general lack of progress seems to be a common theme among everyone - the human nations are perpetually stuck at the equivalence of Medieval Europe. The elves, despite having all the time and knowledge you could ever want, never seem to change. And the Khajiit and Argonians are forever stuck as a patchwork of tribes. Time passes, people come and go, but nothing ever changes.
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Jul 26, 2019 03:28
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PetraCore posted:I checked out an elder scrolls wiki to get a better grasp of this stuff and apparently dwarves in this setting just mysteriously completely vanished at one point in a catastrophic event and that's amazing. And even then, the term "dwarf" is a misnomer created by humans. The Dwemer are actually a race of elves, the Deep Elves, and for all their fancy innovations they are also a race of utter bastards too. They took an entire brother race of elves in, the Falmer or Snow Elves, or at least the majority of their population in Tamriel, after the Nords started slaughtering them in Skyrim when they came down from Atmora to settle Tamriel. The Falmer were offered sanctuary but instead the Dwemer turned around and either cursed or genetically mutilated the Falmer into a race of Gollum like creatures that were blind, ferral, and prone to violence and couldn't return to the surface. The few surviving unaltered Snow Elves then fled Tamriel in fear of their lives or went into hiding and the handful of Snow Elf survivors you run into in the Dawnguard DLC for Skyrim are still kinda pissed about it. There's also strong hints that the Falmer might have been the cause of the Dwemer's disappearance, because Dwemer ruins are overrun with Falmer now and not a single Dwemer to be found. So it kinda sounds like the Falmer turned around and slaughtered them all because oops we made a race of feral monster-folk with a taste for blood. lol our bad.
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Jul 26, 2019 05:49
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In regards to the lore being cooler before: Yes, but there are only so many shrooms a lore writer can eat before you break their brains permanently. That isn't even a joke, given what actually went down.
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Jul 26, 2019 07:33
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nine-gear crow posted:There's also strong hints that the Falmer might have been the cause of the Dwemer's disappearance, because Dwemer ruins are overrun with Falmer now and not a single Dwemer to be found. So it kinda sounds like the Falmer turned around and slaughtered them all because oops we made a race of feral monster-folk with a taste for blood. lol our bad. No we know what the cause of the Dwemer disappearance was, It was the whole heart of lorkhan thing. We just don't really know what happened to them after they popped out of existence. One of the former writers for Bethesda wrote a story that said what happened to them was actually that they got flung into the 9th Era where all of their crap is obsolete but while funny that idea probably doesn't actually apply to canon.
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Jul 26, 2019 08:39
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Psychotic Weasel posted:The way the Eras pass, and them not being uniform in length, makes following the general timelines more difficult than it needs to be but what I can't really understand is that even after some ~3000 years since vanishing no one has managed/bothered to reverse engineer dwarven inventions or even match their technological progress. All their stuff has just been sitting there, in perfect working order, along with their empty cities stuffed with treasures but no one is interested in it outside a handful of people. Part of all that might be the towers themselves. I'm planning a lore post about them at some point, but the general idea behind towers like Adamantine, Red Mountain, White-Gold, Chrystal-Like-Law, Snow-Throat and Green-Sap is that they affix reality in place in a very stable way. They are the force of Anu, or stasis, that keep Nirn from falling into Oblivion, which has a very Padomay (change) nature. We know that a tower defines the character of a region, when the Ayleids were beaten by the Alessian slave revolt the Ayleid arch-mage Anumaril tried to corrupt the Green-Sap tower of Valenwood and turn it into a new White-Gold Tower, which would've restored the Ayleid Empire in place of Valenwood. Tiber Septim may have used the White-Gold Tower to change Cyrodiil from a jungle into a temperate region (possibly this change happened retroactively, so that Cyrodiil was always that way). So what if a Tower doesn't just define the character of the flora, fauna, geography and weather? What if a Tower also defines the character of the people who live there? After all, the Dwemer built their own tower, Walk-Brass and it changed their character in a big way. The Argonians don't have a tower, but in the ancient past their ancestors built giant stone pyramids and offered blood sacrifices to keep the forces of change at bay. But then something happened (a tower falling?) and now they only build with temporary materials like mud and wood and have lost their fear of change and death. Maybe the Argonians, despite the centuries of slavery, are freer than the Dunmer and Altmer because they are free of their history. Or did I just blow your mind? Next update, including a state of the world, will come out tomorrow. Enjoy the lore chat, but don't go into a Skooma hole 
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Jul 26, 2019 20:07
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Clayren posted:The Argonians don't have a tower, but in the ancient past their ancestors built giant stone pyramids and offered blood sacrifices to keep the forces of change at bay. But then something happened (a tower falling?) and now they only build with temporary materials like mud and wood and have lost their fear of change and death. Maybe the Argonians, despite the centuries of slavery, are freer than the Dunmer and Altmer because they are free of their history. Or did I just blow your mind? no one is free when they're all trapped in the prison of the doom drum mundus delenda est
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Jul 26, 2019 20:52
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Clayren posted:[More info] Guess I never considered that there was a reason nothing changed. Always figured it was a combination of no imagination among the authors and the constant jumping forward in time would eventually make the setting unrecognizable. Makes it sound like Tamriel is one big, hosed up terrarium where everyone exists to entertain higher powers and the gods keep tapping on the glass.
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Jul 26, 2019 23:00
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Sort of, but it is more like the way mortals break free from that prison tends to be in more spectacular ways than simple technological progress. Like finding out secret codes to the universe or climbing up to the heavens or taking a very particular amount of a particular drug.
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Jul 26, 2019 23:15
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