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The Adversarial Spirits

Author: 
Amun-dro

by Amun-dro, the Silent Priest

Sheggorath. The Mind God. His sphere is the Mortal Mind and its stability. He tests Khajiit on the Path by making them doubt the truth of their own thoughts, beliefs, and actions. He must be faced along the Path and overcome before a Khajiit can visit Hermorah's library. Some tribes believe Sheggorath is dead and has been replaced by something Other.

Orkha. A demon that followed Boethra back through the Many Paths. It spoke in curses of affliction and knew no other words. Lorkhaj, Khenarthi, and Boethra battled the demon in the ancient songs, but Orkha could only be banished and would not die. Khajiit understand that Orkha and others of his ilk serve as tests along the Path, and nothing more.

Dagon. The Demon Cat. Also called Merrunz. Born of Fadomai's Second Litter, he quickly turned destructive and wild. Ahnurr exiled him, but he chose to explore the Great Darkness rather than the Many Paths. There he fell to the demon Molagh, who tortured him until the creation of the World. During the chaos, it is written that the wife of Molagh freed Merrunz and used his destructive nature as a weapon against the Lattice. Merrunz reveled in this and became a kinslayer, and was henceforth the demon we call Dagon. You will face him on the Path.

Molagh. One of the twelve Demon Kings. Elder Spirit of Domination and Supreme Law. This demon was the first to assault the Lattice with intent, alongside Dagon and Merid-Nunda. Boethra and Molagh fought to a standstill before the Lattice, but it was Azurah who shackled the Demon King with secrets only she knows. He will test you, and you will overcome him with the might of Boethra, the Will Against Rule.

Merid-Nunda. False Spirit of Greed. The Orphaned Glimmer. She is the daughter of Magrus, who loved only himself and his own creations. Magrus did not take a mate, but instead forged children of the aether. Merid-Nunda is a cold spirit, born of light without love. She is intellect without wisdom, knowledge without purpose. She is the consort of demons, and some songs blame her for orchestrating the death of mighty Lorkhaj. When Merid-Nunda dared assault the Lattice, Azurah struck her down before the Varliance Gate and dragged her away from it. She then cast Merid-Nunda into the Void and bound her there with mirrors. The nomads say she has since escaped.

The Worldly Spirits

Author: 
Amun-dro

by Amun-dro, the Silent Priest

Nirni. The Green Mother. Spirit of Harmony. Though her spirit has diminished, Nirni can still be felt in the warm sands, dense jungles, and all places where mortals have not disturbed the earth. The Khajiit are her secret defenders, for her spirit seeds life on the Mortal Plane. This was Lorkhaj's gift to Nirni. Because she always tried to compete with Azurah for Fadomai's favor, she is sometimes called the Jealous Sister. Despite this, it is said she was the only spirit more beautiful than Azurah.

Y'ffer. The Elden Shaper. One of the Bastard Sons of Ahnurr. Unlike his father, he was wise and kind. He convinced Nirni to be his mate by creating the first flower, and they had many children. Y'ffer was corrupted by the Great Darkness sometime after the death of Lorkhaj. Consumed by chaos, Y'ffer struck Nirni, killing her. Azurah, Khenarthi, and Hircine destroyed him in vengeance and made a cairn for Nirni out of his bones. Some woodland folk say they can still hear his voice, but we Khajiit no longer speak of him.

Hircine. The Hunter. Spirit of Pursuit and Purposeful Change. Hircine was in love with Nirni, but she chose Y'ffer as her mate. In his sorrow, Hircine slew Y'ffer's champion, the Graht-Elk. Now he wears its head as a trophy. He is fond of Nirni's children and walks among them often. Khajiit should pray to Hircine when they have strayed from the Path, for the Father of the Hunt will always set them back upon it. Some tribes claim Hircine is the father of Nirni's first litter, who were as changeable as the Moons. They say these children were chosen as vessels for the ja-Kha'jay.

Hermorah. The Watcher. Spirit of the Tides. Hermorah records all the events he perceives and stores them away in a great library under the sea. A patient spirit, he helped Azurah maintain the Moons and their Motions after the world was made and Khenarthi could no longer bear to do so. He is the Keeper of the Knowledge of Others, and he shares all he learns with Azurah, who walks the halls of his library often. You should not call on this spirit unless you wish to be tested along the Path. It is best to leave Hermorah to his duty.

Sangiin. Blood God of the Second Litter. Sangiin is not an evil spirit by nature, but Khajiit must know that all things within his sphere turn True Cats from the Path. These are the urges of blood and pleasure without purpose. To fall to Sangiin is not to give in to the Dark, but to give in to the flesh. He tries to tempt Khajiit into making their flesh immortal, and this is a prison to all spirits of the ja-Kha'jay. Sangiin is therefore a spirit that will test you on the Path and must be overcome. The secret to defeating him is to ignore him, and this we learned from Mafala, who said: Lust for nothing but Truth.

The Dark Spirits

Author: 
Amun-dro

by Amun-dro, the Silent Priest

Lorkhaj. The Moon Beast. Born of the dark heart of Lorkhaj, which overcame him after he suffered a great betrayal. In his wisdom, Lorkhaj sought his sister Azurah, who tore the darkness from him before it consumed him and cast it into the Void. We know this shade of Lorkhaj as the first of the Dro-m'Athra, who serve the Ur-Dra Namiira, our enemy. The Moon Beast prowls the edges of the Lattice and pounces on Khajiit who stray too far off the Path. Know that on nights of the Ghost Moon, Azurah has opened the Void Gate and the Moon Beast will challenge mortals until banished. We accept this burden as part of the Path, and for the sake of our Lost Kin.

Namiira. The Eldest Spirit. The Great Darkness. The Void. All creatures who feed on rotten flesh are her spies and the prey of Cats. The Lunar Lattice protects us from her hunger, but not our own. Know that to name her aloud is to invite the Dark, so you must never do so, as Namiira is the sound of her true name. She is a spirit of infinite realms, of which only Azurah knows all. Mortals who become ensnared by this spirit are tortured until they forget who they were and know only Namiira. This is eternal suffering for all souls but the ja-Kha'jay, whom Azurah will not abandon to the Dark.

Noctra. The Shadow Thief. Daughter of Twilight. Born from the black blood of Lorkhaj at the steps of the Void Gate. In the songs, Boethra battled this spirit until it knew it was not Namiira. When this was done, Noctra was brought before Azurah to be judged. Azurah showed mercy and allowed Noctra to live, so long as she served Azurah and the ja-Kha'jay. But Noctra is rebellious by nature, so she stole one of Azurah's keys and fled back into the Void. It is written that Azurah sent the true spirit of Lorkhaj to find her, and ever since Noctra has aided the Khajiit when called. Tribes may whisper to Noctra for silence, shade, and luck. Do not summon her to perform vile deeds, for this will bring the Dark with her/

Varmiina. Queen of Nightmares. The Lost Daughter. This spirit was not of any litter, but was born from Fadomai's fear of losing her children. Azurah killed this dark spirit in the Underworld, and now Varmiina only haunts Khajiit when they dream. Know she will test you and make you want to turn from the Path in fear, but she cannot truly harm the ja-Kha'jay in dreams.

[?????] A spirit of vengeance. It has no will of its own, as it was born from Azurah's grief after the death of Fadomai and Lorkhaj. None can summon this spirit save Azurah, Boethra, and Mafala, for only they know its true name. It sometimes appears in songs as a black panther, a warrior in ebony armor, or as a hidden sword.

The Sky Spirits

Author: 
Amun-dro

by Amun-dro, the Silent Priest

Azurah. The Mother of All Khajiit. Queen of the Night Sky, the Realms of Twilight, and the Dusk and Dawn. The Favored Daughter of Fadomai. Her spheres are many, for she carries the burdens of our ancestors. All tribes know Azurah as the God of Magic, Beauty, and Prophecy. She is also the keeper of all gates and keys, all rims and thresholds. Khajiit know it was Azurah that lifted us up and bound us to the Lunar Lattice, and thus broke us from the chains of fate so that we alone shape our own future. Hers is the gift of ja-Kha'jay and all our perfect forms. It is written that she knows the names of all the Khajiit that will ever live. You must come to know her yourself, for that is the first step on the Path.

Khenarthi. Elder Spirit of the Heavens, who sings her songs with the wind and rain when she passes close to Nirni. The most ancient sounds were gifted to the world by this spirit, and we honor her with music, song, and the speaking of myths. For some tribes she also serves as a spirit of mourning, as it is written that when Lorkhaj died she hid herself in a storm and wept until Alkosh came to comfort her. Khenarthi carries the souls of dead Khajiit to Azurah for judgment, and is also her messenger. At the end of time, it is her clarion call that will summon the eternal united spirit of all Khajiit to defend creation.

Jone and Jode. The Ever-Mourned. The spirits of the stillborn twins of Fadomai, who still dance in the Lunar Lattice. Khenarthi held them when they were born, and did not have the heart to tell her dying mother the truth. She lit two lanterns to make their eyes bright and rocked them in the sky until her mother passed. Azurah cares for them now and lights the lanterns again when they burn low. The love of Jone and Jode spreads to all Khajiit as moonlight and sugar. To give your praise to these spirits, you must sing Khenarthi's lullaby on nights of Bright Moons.

Lorkhaj. The Moon Prince. Fadomai's Favored Son. The White Lion. He was born in the Great Darkness and it followed him as his burden. Loved by many, he was considered a noble leader. Lorkhaj was the first spirit to make his own path with purpose, because he was in conflict with himself as soon as he was born. His courage inspired all those he encountered, so much that he united the spirits to make the World. He gave his life to do this. We honor his sacrifice by walking the Path with purpose and resisting the call of the Dark. Lorkhaj represents the duality of the Khajiiti soul and the hardships that all Khajiit must overcome. In her wisdom, Azurah lit her brother's pyre with the Twin Lanterns of Jone and Jode, and thus the true spirit of Lorkhaj will sometimes appear—but only when called by Azurah or Khenarthi, or by his oldest name.

Magrus. The Sun God. Commonly known as the Cat's Eye or the Third Eye of Azurah, He serves as a daily reminder of her wrath. It is written that when Magrus fled from Boethra and Lorkhaj, he could only see out of one eye and fell into the Moonshadow. There Azurah judged him as too full of fear to rule a sphere, and she tore out his other eye. Magrus left to the heavens blinded, but Azurah made of his eye a stone to reflect the Varliance Gate. This is the Aether Prism, which opens at Dawn and closes at Dusk. Some sorcerers hold that Magrus left the eye willingly as an offering to Azurah and her children, and these magi still utter prayers to his name.

Azurah's Crossing

Author: 
Amun-dro

by Amun-dro, the Silent Priest

His feet touched sand and he knew he had died. He could not remember how it happened, but found he did not care either. It had been a life well-lived, whether he believed so or not, and all had been exactly as it was meant to be.

He could not remember his name. He was still Khajiit, that much he knew. He felt his claws, and his whiskers, and his fur. He smelled salt and sugar.

He opened his eyes when he remembered having them, looking out at an endless sea. There were old things there, above and below. He saw he was not alone. Other spirits slowly drifted away from the shore. He thought better of calling out to them. The sand was warm between his toes and the sky was painted dusk.

He turned to look upon the island. There was a house there, one of glass and moonlight and truth. The smell of sugar was stronger in that direction, so he walked that way.

The sand shifted under his feet, never quite giving him sure-footing. When he tried to step up to what seemed to be stone, it crumbled beneath his foot. Still he walked, and stumbled, and climbed. He reached a stair and stepped on to it, but it was made of transparent glass. Even though it was sturdier than the sand, he found it difficult to trust each step. Still he walked, and stumbled, and climbed. He reached the door to the house of light, but he could not open it. He looked up to the sky and the Lattice. He tried to remember the Motions, the secrets a Mother had taught him, but it was hard, and the Lattice kept shaking. Still he walked, and stumbled, and climbed.

The gates to the house opened and he walked inside. He knew She was there. He knew he would be struck blind if he looked upon Her, but he could not help it. He looked upon Azurah, She Who Sits at the Precipice, and he saw Her. He was not blinded. She was lithe and tall, reclining on a cloudy bed of stars. She wore nothing, yet he could only see one of her faces. There her eyes shined like the Moons.

"My child," Azurah said, and he remembered his name. "You've come home."

"I have been here before," said the Khajiit.

"You have walked many paths," Azurah replied with a purr. A path of roses formed before his feet, leading up to her. "All for me."

He stepped onto the path of roses. Thorns cut his feet. The closer he got to Azurah, the farther away she appeared to be. She rose higher and higher until he was climbing a wall of roses and his fur was matted with blood. Each time he reached the top of the wall and pulled himself over, he was standing at the start of the path again. Still he walked, and stumbled, and climbed.

He was in Her cupped hands then. Her face was the sky and Her eyes the Bright Moons. He lived there in sugary bliss for many lifetimes before his feet touched sand again.

Now he was on the other side of the island. It was dark and cold. It was so dark that he could only see the water when it moved. If there were any spirits there, they were one with the darkness. His tail twitched.

He turned and saw Azurah once again, smaller now to stand alongside him. She carried a Moon-Staff and wore a silken dress of purple and gold. She appeared not unlike a mortal. Beautiful and weary. She looked with him out into the darkness.

The Khajiit saw the sadness in Azurah's eyes. She had given him so much, he knew, and he had given so little in return. "I am ready to walk again," he said at last. "What would you have me do?"

"I must send you into the dark, little one." There were tears in Her eyes, but She did not let them fall. "You must make a path for me."

He looked back over the dark water, noticing just how much it moved. "I will do anything you ask, Mother."

Azurah smiled at that, and his heart was glad. She plucked the Moon from atop her staff and stepped toward him.

"I give to you my Moon," Azurah said, and She put Her lips to his forehead and kissed him. And as he took the Moon, it became a weapon.

The Khajiit held the blade before him. It shined with Moonlight and he no longer feared the dark.

And Azurah told him: "Bring my children back."

The Favored Daughter of Fadomai

Author: 
Amun-dro

by Amun-dro, the Silent Priest

In the Great Darkness, all of Fadomai's children had left her. All save Azurah.

Azurah held her mother and did not ask for a gift. Instead she wept, the light of the Lattice was reflected in her tears.

Fadomai whispered to Azurah three secrets and more. She told her daughter many things, stories of love and war and dreams undreamt. And Azurah wept more to hear these things, so much that moonlight shined in the darkness.

And Fadomai told Azurah the names of all gates and thresholds, and the names of all the spirits, and the names of all the Khajiit that would ever live. And Azurah wept more to hear how difficult their paths would be, so much that the light of her tears became one with the Lattice.

And Fadomai told stories of her children and her favorite aspects of each of them. When she reached Azurah, she smiled and told her favored daughter she could not decide. And Fadomai died.

Azurah sat in the Great Darkness for timeless ages, musing on what she had learned and mourning the loss of her mother. Still she wept, and now the darkness fled from her tears and from the Lunar Lattice. She wept for so long that soon she was no longer in the Great Darkness, but in a place of moonlight and shadow.

And Azurah tried to return to Fadomai-Mother, but her tears had formed a great sea. Beyond it was a black gate that opened into a hungering dark.

Lorkhaj stood in the doorway. He was broken and bleeding, and there was a hole in his chest. But the Great Darkness was still in his blood, and it filled the hole where his heart had been. The dark mass beat like a heart, and black blood spilled out onto the threshold. Azurah heard each beat of the heart like the beating of a drum, and each drop of blood tapped to form a rhythm she felt in her tail.

But Fadomai had taught Azurah the names of all of the spirits, so she recognized the Great Darkness for what it was, and she roared in time with the song:

UR DRA NA MII RA UR DRA NA MII RA UR DRA AZU RA

And Azurah tore out the dark heart of Lorkhaj, and all of the darkness in him came with it, and she cast it beyond the sea.

From the Dark Heart of Lorkhaj was born the Moon Beast, the first of the dro-m'Athra, who lurks at the edge of the Lattice and knows nothing but hunger.

And with the darkness bled from him, Azurah could see her mother in Lorkhaj, and she held him until he died.

Azurah burned what remained of his body before the gate, lighting the fire with lanterns of love and mercy. She wept for her brother Lorkhaj, and her tears fell upon the pyre.

As the ashes of Lorkhaj scattered across the Lattice, even the Moon Beast became silent for a time.

Then Azurah dried her eyes at last and went unto the World. Her time of grieving was over, and Fadomai had given her so much to do.

The Tale of Three Moons

Author: 
Anonymous

In a time before our people's first memory, but long after Azurah's pyre claimed the flesh of the proud lion, Lorkhaj, our great mother wept and sighed–haunted by the fate of her brother's dark heart. As she prowled the hills and valleys of her wide domain, she could not escape the pounding–the faint, but constant drumbeat from across the churning seas. Somewhere in the Great Darkness, the fell rhythm of the Moon Beast quickened and grew stronger.

Knowing that her children of many shapes would fall to the Moon Beast's profanity, she purred across the stars, coaxing the lanterns of Jone and Jode to make way for a sky-guardian. This third moon and shield of the Lattice shone its light down upon Azurah's litter of purest heart and most fervent obedience. She called these cats the Litter of the Hidden Moon, and taught them the lunar byways, and secrets of the merciful blade. From that time on, they loved her as no other Khajiit could love her, and in that love, found sympathy for all cats bent by the beating of the Heart.

Beloved adepts, take these words into your heart and know that we keep Azurah's commandments still. For we are all children of the Hidden Moon. 

Our Calling, Our Pledge

Author: 
Abbot Durak

Those new to our order often ask me, "What does it mean to be a Spirit Warden?" This confusion is understandable. Azura offers guidance, but not always in the ways we expect. She has spoken to me but twice in my lifetime, and then only in silken whispers, barely audible in the night.

The Dream Shard is Azura's gift, as is the Dreamless Potion we drink every night. Azura foresees a time when Vaermina, Mistress of Nightmares, will unleash a plague on our province: a plague of madness. Countless innocents will die unless we stop it.

The Dreamless Potion protects us from Vaermina's madness only so we may protect others: those afflicted souls driven mad by their dreams, and their victims. When the time of plague comes, we must stand against it. This is our calling from Azura … and our pledge.

Founding of the Spirit Wardens

Author: 
Janise Muric, Third Warden of the Faithful Circle

Chapter One: Durak's Early Years

Though Abbot Durak is our spiritual leader, he has never been comfortable with the title. Old Master Ugbak once said that relates to his upbringing in the ruins of Orsinium. Anyone can see that Durak is small for an Orc, and one could speculate that his brothers' bullying led him to pursue a mystical path, one unusual for Orcs.

As Ugbak tells it, Durak's story begins in Orsinium, where his lot was hard and lonely. Durak's life changed when he first heard whispers in the night—whispers from the Daedric Prince Azura. Azura said Durak would accomplish a great task: he would come to Stormhaven and found an order of worshipers in her name. These "Spirit Wardens" would prepare for a time of chaos, when Stormhaven's people would suffer from a madness of nightmares.

Durak knew better than to share these whispers with his brothers. He already faced ridicule for his study of magic and lack of physical prowess. Soon after, he left his home in Orsinium and struck out on the long journey to Stormhaven, carrying nothing more than his staff and the clothes on his back.

Durak found his way to Stormhaven, but he had no idea how he was to found this order of "spirit wardens" or where they would live. Soon he despaired. One night, as he took shelter beneath the Weeping Giant, the whispers came again. The silken voice of Azura spoke of a path hidden in the hills west of Moonlit Maw. At its top, Durak found an ancient abbey, abandoned and overgrown. This, he knew, would be the home of the spirit wardens—and so it became our temple to Azura.

Under Durak's leadership, we are prepared for Vaermina's plague of dreams. We were founded to protect Stormhaven from its nightmares, and we will do so to our dying breaths.

The Five Points of the Star

Author: 
Sigillah Parate

PROPHECY is her province, and that which is seen by the Night Sky Queen must eventuate, however dimly it may appear to mortal foresight. For mortals are not all given the gift of Crystal Vision, nor can they always endure knowledge of the truth.

DAWN is the time of imminence, when Azura touches us with wisdom and purpose. It is then we speak the Supplication for Guidance, and tremble in fear that it may be answered.

ROSE is Her color and Her flower, and Moonshadow Her abode as Risen is the sun. Tend we then by midday our mortal necessities, conserving always some part of ourselves for when the sun slides low.

DUSK is when we turn our hands to Azura's commands. Then we praise Her with our dark evening acts, and glorify Her with chastening of noncompliance.

FATE is the Book that She writes in to inscribe our worth and deserts. For by our acts do we earn Her regard or disdain, and read our destiny in Her prophecy.