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Indirim's Journal, Assembled

Author: 
Indirim

Definite evidence of Sea Sload incursion on Summerset. We're tracking one of the vile creatures along the coast to the west of Alinor, near the vicinity of Welenkin Cove.

* * *
We ran into a phenomenon that seemed to be not entirely natural in origin. A geyser sprang up, but instead of just spouting water, it also unleashed the terrible sea creatures that have been reported near Shimmerene and other parts of the island, the yaghra. Worse, there were also undead monstrosities among the unleashed horde.

* * *
We need to confirm my findings, but I have come to the conclusion that the yaghra and the undead have been set upon us by some sort of Sea Sload magic.

* * *
At the center of the strange geyser, we discovered one of the sea gems the Sapiarchs have named "abyssal pearls." It radiated a foul magic that not only appeared to anchor the geyser, but seemed to serve as a lure of sorts for the yaghra. Upon destroying the pearl, the terrible event came to an abrupt end.

* * *
We tracked the Sea Sload to its hiding spot in Welenkin Cove. The creature called itself B'Korgen as it addressed its yaghra servants with a combination of its guttural verbal language and by speaking directly into their minds. If we got close enough, the mind magic seeped into our own heads. It was a strange and defiling experience.

* * *
B'Korgen appeared to be tending to a bed of growing abyssal pearls. It drew strange sigils in the water around the pearls and even upon their lustrous surfaces, and added alchemical mixtures to the water that made the sea glow with an arcane light. I'm sure this is the source of each pearl's magic.

* * *
A cloaked and hooded High Elf paid a clandestine visit to the Sea Sload in Welenkin Cove while we made our observations. The figure spoke softly, but a few words reached us on the seaborne breeze. It seems that B'Korgen is one of a small number of Sea Sload currently active in Summerset's shadows. They call themselves "the Abyssal Cabal" and they appear to have partnered with a group of High Elves that calls itself "the Court of Bedlam." The Battlereeve will want to find out more about this subversive group.

* * *
From what I could glean of the conversation, the geysers are just part of a larger plan to wreck havoc across Summerset and eventually sink the island so the Sea Sload can reclaim it.

* * *
I took a chance and slipped closer to try to get a better look at the sigils, the pearls, and the cloaked and hooded figure. B'Korgen is definitely combining magic and alchemy to alter the nature of the abyssal pearls. I wish I had more time to study the creature's techniques. I heard the Sea Sload tell the hooded figure not to worry. "K'Tora accomplished his role in the mission, and while his death is regrettable, it doesn't change the overall plan."

* * *
The hooded figure slipped away and Miriya and the Captain decided not to give chase. Better to return to Alinor with what we've learned and let the Battlereeve decide our next move.

* * *
From what we've been able to learn, Summerset is not being invaded by an overwhelming force of Sload. Instead, a small cabal of Sea Sload—what started out as four, now reduced to three due to the death of one called K'Tora—has infiltrated the island in order to unleash the destructive abyssal geysers and hordes of yaghra and undead. And they appear to be working in conjunction with a group of High Elves that calls itself ""the Court of Bedlam."

* * *
Marine Saruwy slipped on a wet stone and revealed our presence to the Sea Sload. It ordered its yaghra servants to dispatch us. Time to make a run for it. We need to get this report and everything we learned to the Battlereeve.

Indirim's Report

Author: 
Indirim's Report

Definite evidence of Sea Sload incursion on Summerset. We're tracking one of the vile creatures along the coast to the west of Alinor, near the vicinity of Welenkin Cove.

* * *
We ran into a phenomenon that seemed to be not entirely natural in origin. A geyser sprang up, but instead of just spouting water, it also unleashed the terrible sea creatures that have been reported near Shimmerene and other parts of the island, the yaghra. Worse, there were also undead monstrosities among the unleashed horde.

* * *
We need to confirm my findings, but I have come to the conclusion that the yaghra and the undead have been set upon us by some sort of Sea Sload magic.

At the center of the strange geyser, we discovered one of the sea gems the Sapiarchs have named "abyssal pearls." It radiated a foul magic that not only appeared to anchor the geyser, but seemed to serve as a lure of sorts for the yaghra. Upon destroying the pearl, the terrible event came to an abrupt end.

* * *
We tracked the Sea Sload to its hiding spot in Welenkin Cove. The creature called itself B'Korgen as it addressed its yaghra servants with a combination of its guttural verbal language and by speaking directly into their minds. If we got close enough, the mind magic seeped into our own heads. It was a strange and defiling experience.

* * *
B'Korgen appeared to be tending to a bed of growing abyssal pearls. It drew strange sigils in the water around the pearls and even upon their lustrous surfaces, and added alchemical mixtures to the water that made the sea glow with an arcane light. I'm sure this is the source of each pearl's magic.

A cloaked and hooded High Elf paid a clandestine visit to the Sea Sload in Welenkin Cove while we made our observations. The figure spoke softly, but a few words reached us on the seaborne breeze. It seems that B'Korgen is one of a small number of Sea Sload currently active in Summerset's shadows. They call themselves "the Abyssal Cabal" and they appear to have partnered with a group of High Elves that calls itself "the Court of Bedlam." The Battlereeve will want to find out more about this subversive group.

* * *
From what I could glean of the conversation, the geysers are just part of a larger plan to wreck havoc across Summerset and eventually sink the island so the Sea Sload can reclaim it.

I took a chance and slipped closer to try to get a better look at the sigils, the pearls, and the cloaked and hooded figure. B'Korgen is definitely combining magic and alchemy to alter the nature of the abyssal pearls. I wish I had more time to study the creature's techniques. I heard the Sea Sload tell the hooded figure not to worry. "K'Tora accomplished his role in the mission, and while his death is regrettable, it doesn't change the overall plan."

* * *
The hooded figure slipped away and Miriya and the Captain decided not to give chase. Better to return to Alinor with what we've learned and let the Battlereeve decide our next move.

From what we've been able to learn, Summerset is not being invaded by an overwhelming force of Sload. Instead, a small cabal of Sea Sload—what started out as four, now reduced to three due to the death of one called K'Tora—has infiltrated the island in order to unleash the destructive abyssal geysers and hordes of yaghra and undead. And they appear to be working in conjunction with a group of High Elves that calls itself "the Court of Bedlam."

* * *
Marine Saruwy slipped on a wet stone and revealed our presence to the Sea Sload. It ordered its yaghra servants to dispatch us. Time to make a run for it. We need to get this report and everything we learned to the Battlereeve.

The Myth of the Sea Sloads

Author: 
Raavarion

By Raavarion, Sapiarch of Aquatic Malevolence

The sea that surrounds our beloved island provides sustenance and resources, allows for swift transportation, and serves as a boundary between Summerset and the rest of the world. Unfortunately, however, not everything that comes from the sea can be considered beneficial, and there exists many seaborne threats that pose a significant danger to the island. We here in the College of Sapiarchs have deemed the level of danger high enough that we have devoted an entire field of study to help research and formulate countermeasures, hence my appointment to the post of Sapiarch of Aquatic Malevolence.

Threats from the sea appear in many different forms, from natural events to enemy kingdoms. Nature has a way of letting the island know that even the magical protections provided by the Crystal Tower aren't always enough to stop a destructive storm, crashing waves, or flood waters from damaging Summerset. As far as enemies are concerned, the Royal Navy keeps the sea lanes as clear as possible and serves as a deterrent to the forces of the other alliances. The exception to this remains the various factions of the Maormer—the Sea Elves—who fearlessly slip past patrols to raid coastal settlements on a regular basis.

Probably the most fearsome potential threat appears in the form of the Sload. Even though these vile creatures from the southwestern Abecean Sea were much more ambitious in their attempts to conquer Summerset in centuries past, the residents of the coral kingdoms of Thras continue to pillage and raid our holdings to the current day. The amphibious, slug-like beings have an affinity for magic, though they seem more drawn to dark magic than to anything positive or beneficial. They deal in necromancy, plagues, and other instruments of death and destruction.

Recent rumors heard across the island suggest that a particular type of Sload, the Sea Sload, have returned to trouble Summerset. While they haven't been seen or heard from in centuries, the Sea Sloads rule the undersea kingdom of Ul'vor Kus, located somewhere in the Sea of Pearls. Even the possibility that such creatures have infiltrated the island is cause for concern and utmost diligence. To this end, I have consulted old tomes and ancient volumes contained within our extensive libraries to gather whatever information I can. I'm sorry to say, it isn't much. The Sea Sloads are even more reclusive and mysterious than their more numerous cousins.

What I could uncover indicates that we should not underestimate the threat the Sea Sloads pose. Instead of organizing themselves in small kingdoms, as the Thras Sload are wont to do, the Sea Sloads form cabals of small numbers of like-minded individuals who cooperate to attain some specific goal. Then the cabals break up, reform, and reorganize as interests and necessity warrant. While Sea Sloads have as much interest in necromancy as any other Sloads, they also demonstrate skill in alchemy, shadow magic, and mind magic, among other arcane disciplines. For all their ambition and power, however, our records indicate that the Sea Sloads may in fact be on the verge of extinction. My predecessor, Winawen, certainly wrote as much in her seminal work, "The Villains of Ul'Vor Kus." It was her educated opinion that the Sea Sloads would naturally disappear within a few centuries. Such an event cannot occur soon enough.

Until confirmation of Sea Sload activity on Summerset is verified, I suggest we remain vigilant and watch the sea. Besides the Sea Sloads themselves, these arrogant and unfriendly creatures have been known to utilize all kinds of terrible sea monsters. The last thing the island needs in these turbulent times is attacks by creatures from the sea.

Further Notes on the Sload

Author: 
Telenger the Artificer

On the Sload and the Maormer: The Sload are hostile to all other mortal races, and though there is some evidence of diplomatic traffic between the Sload and the Maormer, there are also plenty of accounts of conflict between the Slugmen and the Sea Elves. This is no surprise, since both Sea Elves and Sload are at war with the rest of the world. The Maormer's grievance seems to be that they got stuck with Pyandonea, a sad and swampy archipelago of malodorous islets; why the Sload are so belligerent to all others is unknown.

On the Coral Tower: Since the Coral Tower fell during the invasion of Thras by the All-Flags Navy, at this point the best we can do is make educated guesses about it. In their own perverse way, the Sload are very capable sorcerers, and from all accounts the Coral Tower acted as both a focus and a projector of mystical power. I am not a scholar of Tower Lore—my interests tend more toward the practical—but this accords (somewhat) with what the mythohistorians claim is the purpose and practice of the so-called Towers of Nirn. Was the Coral Tower a "real" tower like Lawful Crystal, here on Summerset, or was it a failed imitation, like the Doomspire? I do not think we have the answers based on what little we know.

On Sload Soap: But enough speculation—on to a subject about which, for once, we can be certain: Sload Soap! There are many misconceptions about the origin of Sload Soap, and I am happy to have an opportunity to clear it up. First, let us consider the metamorphic biology of the Sload. They begin life on the Thrassian Atolls as, in the words of Admiral Bendu Olo, "disgusting little amorphous grubs." Ignored by their pendulous parents, these grubs somehow squirm their way to the sea, where they mutate into aquatic quasi-cephalopods known as "polwygles." Due to their corpulence, adult Sload spend a great deal of time in the shallow lagoons of their atolls, wallowing among the polwygles. Those larvae that prove too slow to avoid their parents' pseudopods are caught and harvested, culling out the weak and providing the raw material for Sload Soap.

Captured polwygles are tossed into an ever-bubbling cauldron where they gradually deliquesce into a slimy broth. This broth undergoes an alchemical commixture with materials known only to the Sload, after which it is poured into molds and allowed to cool. Once solid, the bars are scooped out and wrapped in the viscera of hagfish for preservation.

It is believed that the Sload use this soap as a primary component in their necromantic rituals. I'm no expert on necromancy, but apparently having an emulsified reagent concocted from one's own descendants acts as a profound intensifier in the magic of undeath. Sload Soap is rarely seen away from Thras, and when it is it commands high prices from alchemists, who relish its unique properties for creating potions of agility and, rarest of all, the mutation of personality. Alianora the Red, our Sapiarch of Alchemy, says that Sload Soap has never been thoroughly analyzed outside of Thras, and may contain many more undiscovered alchemical properties. Plus, it's an exceptional cleanser, deep-cleaning yet mild, that leaves your skin feeling youthful and refreshed.

A Loathsome Civilization Questions

Author: 
Telenger the Artificer

March 6, 2015

“I have two questions. Firstly, what is the Sloads' relationship like with the Maormer? They seem like the only race that would deal with them frequently. Secondly, do they have any connection to the rise of the Worm Cult on the mainland? Many thanks for your wisdom, and may Mauloch guide your staff and light your way." - Urgazul gro-Brashnuk, Orsinium Historian and Keeper of the Forge-Secrets

Telenger the Artificer says, “Welcome, fellow scholar! As far as we in Summerset can tell—and we have more experience of the Sload than any other folk—the Sload are hostile to all other mortal races. Though there is some evidence of diplomatic traffic between the Sload and the Maormer—see 'A Loathsome Civilization'—there are also plenty of accounts of conflict between the Slugmen and the Sea Elves. This is no surprise, since both Sea Elves and Sload are at war with all other mortal races. The Maormer's grievance seems to be that they got stuck with Pyandonea, a sad and swampy archipelago of malodorous islets; why the Sload are so belligerent to all others is unknown.

“As to your second question: I have heard speculation about an entente between the Sload and the self-styled King of Worms, but facts? Someone in Cyrodiil may know more, but I do not. I suppose the Eyes of the Queen might know something, but if so, they haven't told me. And why would they?"

“Most proficient Artificer, the grim fate of Bendu Olo's lost expedition members has recently come to light in the depths of Coldharbour. Was this Coral Tower encountered by the All-Flags Navy similar in nature to the other Towers of Nirn, or was it simply a Daedric perversion?" – Legoless, Doyen of the United Explorers of Scholarly Pursuits

Telenger the Artificer says, “Since the Coral Tower has fallen, at this point the best we can do is make educated guesses. In their own perverse way, the Sload are very capable sorcerers, and from all accounts the Coral Tower acted as both a focus and a projector of mystical power. I am not a scholar of Tower Lore—my interests tend more toward the practical—but this accords (somewhat) with what the mythohistorians claim is the purpose and practice of the so-called Towers of Nirn. Was the Coral Tower a 'real' Tower like Lawful Crystal, here in Alinor, or was it a failed imitation, like the Doomspire? I do not think we have an answer based on what little we know."

“Oh most high of Artificers, I ask that you impart any knowledge you have (which I don't doubt is extensive) regarding the Sloads' presence in Black Marsh. When was the first report of their appearance there? Could they still be lurking in the swamps to this day? Do the Argonians have any particular relationship with the Sload?" – TheHumanFloyd

Telenger the Artificer says, “The Sload? In Black Marsh? You surprise me, TheHumanFloyd—dare I ask what are your sources for this interesting claim? If true, certain advisors to the Queen on security matters must be notified immediately!"

“In my travels, I've heard about the Pillar of Thras. It is true that the Sload perform sacrifices here? If so, what is their motive? Also, is it true that some of the victims disappear before they touch the ground? What happens to them? On another note, how is Sload Soap made? I've heard rumors of an entire factory in High Rock dedicated to its production by crushing Sload larvae!" – Bertille Montrose, Breton bookseller and amateur scholar

Telenger the Artificer says, “So many questions! You Bretons always seem so frenetic to us, trying to cram so much activity into your brief lives. I suppose it's understandable, however.

“Anyway, to your questions: Pillar of Thras? Are you referring to the fallen Coral Tower that sank at the time of the All-Flags Navy, or some new edifice? If it's a new erection, this 'Pillar' of yours may square with certain rumors I have heard that the Sload intend to rebuild their Tower, and indeed may already have commenced. The Thrassians command powerful magics, of course: not just necromancy and portal spells, but the ability to command the coral they live among in a manner analogous to the Wood Elves' communion with the plants of Valenwood. Could they induce the coral to grow rapidly out of the Sea of Pearls, spiraling skyward so as to create their tower anew? This bears further investigation. Perhaps the Sapiarch of Scrying….

“But enough speculation—on to a subject about which, for once, we can be certain: Sload Soap! There are many misconceptions about the origin of Sload Soap, and I am happy to have an opportunity to clear it up. First, let us consider the metamorphic biology of the Sload. They begin life on the Thrassian Atolls as, in the words of Admiral Bendu Olo, 'disgusting little amorphous grubs.' Ignored by their pendulous parents, these grubs somehow squirm their way to the sea, where they mutate into aquatic quasi-cephalopods known as 'polwygles.' Due to their corpulence, adult Sloads spend a great deal of time in the shallow lagoons of their atolls, wallowing among the polwygles. Those larvae that prove too slow to avoid their parents' pseudopods are caught and harvested, culling out the weak and providing the raw material for Sload Soap.

“Captured polwygles are tossed into an ever-bubbling cauldron where they gradually deliquesce into a slimy broth. This broth undergoes an alchemical commixture with materials known only to the Sload, after which it is poured into molds and allowed to cool. Once solid, the bars are scooped out and wrapped in the viscera of hagfish for preservation.

“It is believed that the Sload use this soap as a primary component in their necromantic rituals. I'm no expert on necromancy, but apparently having an emulsified reagent concocted from one's own descendants acts as profound intensifier in the magic of undeath. Sload Soap is rarely seen away from Thras, and when it is it commands high prices from alchemists, who prize its unique properties for creating potions of agility and, rarest of all, the mutation of personality. Alianora the Red, our Sapiarch of Alchemy, says that Sload Soap has never been thoroughly analyzed outside of Thras, and may contain many more undiscovered alchemical properties. Plus, it's an exceptional cleanser, deep-cleaning yet mild, that leaves your skin feeling youthful and refreshed."

"First thing's first; I want my tome on the Whet Fang back, Telenger. Second, several scholars suggest that the Thrassian Plague was supernatural in nature, the result of bargains with Daedric Princes like Namira the Prince of Rot and Peryite the Prince of Pestilence. Do you personally think there is any credence to these claims, old friend?" – Eis Vuur Warden, Wayward and Contract Scholar

Telenger the Artificer says, “Eis Vuur! Of course, I'll collect that book as soon as I get back to my laboratory and have it sent to you by Black Horse Courier. I'll just need to find another object the right size to, er, prop up my lillandrilic calcinator. (Ahem.)

“The Thrassian Plague, scourge of the First Era, was known to the common people as the Slug Famine because the wriggling gastropods that carried the flesh-eating disease infected not just people, but livestock and wild animals as well. It's easy to see why one might associate the Plague with Namira or Peryite, as the Spirit Daedra's sphere includes slime and slugs, while the Taskmaster's includes disease and contamination. It's well known that the Sload traffic with the Princes, so the involvement of Namira or Peryite is quite credible. However, there is also the Pestilent Progeny Thesis of that reprobate Divayth Fyr, which postulates that the infectious slugs that invaded Tamriel were mutated versions of the Sloads' own infantile larvae. However, since the Plague was wiped out by Syrabane, we have no extant samples to test to determine which of these hypotheses is correct. Indeed, these theories are by no means mutually exclusive, and it could be that the truth lies somewhere in between. Only the Sload know for sure. Perhaps, Eis Vuur, in your wayward and peripatetic travels, you could stop off at Thras and ask them!"

A Loathsome Civilization

Author: 
Telenger the Artificer

A most unexpected curiosity has entered my collection after being appropriated from a defeated Maormeri fleet. Why this text was aboard one of the vessels, I cannot guess, but it appears to be the journal of a diplomat to Thras written before 1E 2260. Though it is damaged, the descriptions of the Sload that remain legible are fascinating—assuming this is not some strange work of fiction or forgery. If it is legitimate, it is a remarkable find, as the Sload were loath to treat with any of the races of Tamriel.

We know that the slug-folk of Thras practiced foul necromancy, but their involvement with that dread art may have been more prominent than previously thought, if this is an authentic text. The author expresses frequent disgust at interacting with re-animated slaves. It seems the Sload also slaughtered and revived various sea creatures—turtles, crabs, and the like—to keep as pets. His repulsion did not end there, though, as he complained about the repugnant smell of the Sload, the several inches of slime-coated water upon the floors of any land-based building, and the various molds and fungi served as food.

There are mentions of elaborate sacrificial rituals, which I find unusual given their general rejection of worship. The Sload certainly entered pacts with the Daedra when it suited them, but the ceremonies described here are not indicative of typical Daedric sacrifice. They may have spent years grooming individuals to participate in re-enactments of the deeds of Sload mythological heroes and villains, with the eventual performance (which may have lasted weeks) culminating in the deaths of every actor by the application of “desiccation crystals" to the body. Ancestor worship? Unnamed deities? Preservation of ancient magics? It is impossible to tell.

More intriguing is a badly-damaged entry that discusses an audience in the submerged tower of an “Elder Distended One." I can make out little of the discussion between the two, but there are mentions of an “impressively corpulent body and strangely pulsating head," and three eyes that emerged upon its belly that each “opened again as a toothless mouth, disgorging [unreadable] that the attendants eagerly consumed." This is the first insight I have encountered into potential cultural leadership among the Sload.

It has caused me no end of frustration that the entries chronicling a visit to the “Menagerie of Sublime Infection" are nearly unreadable. Aside from the name, almost nothing of this section can be deciphered aside from several unnerving words implying all manner of affliction, from “suppurating extrusions" and “blood-rot" to “festering myiasis." Much about the Thrassian Plague remains a mystery—and perhaps one that is best left buried. I cannot, however, deny my interest in the whys and wherefores of the grotesque fascination with disease expressed here.

Now that I have documented my own immediate reactions to this text, I must send it along to colleagues in Alinor to hopefully verify its authenticity. Whether or not there is anything useful to be gained from it, at the very least it may add to our understanding of a terrible enemy to all the races of Tamriel in the unlikely event that such a threat re-emerges. If anything contained herein is factual, let us pray to Auriel that it never does.

Journal of Tsona-Ei

Author: 
Tsona-Ei

Herein find the memoirs of Tsona-Ei, Argonian sailor and First Mate of the fine sailing ship, the Golden Era.

I have never been one to keep a log, but these are exciting times and the gravity of current events compels me to put quill to parchment. I have been a sailor for a long time, but I've never seen a gathering of ships the likes of which the Emperor has assembled.

The Sload, loathed as they are by all the peoples of Tamriel, moved his majesty to action because of the terrible toll their plague has taken upon every port in the west. Every land fears this plague born of Thras by the slugs and their vile necromancy. When the call to arms was sounded, it was answered from across the empire: Colovian galleys, Redguard corsairs, Breton warships, Aldmeri cutters—even Black Marsh freebooters like me and much of our crew. Never have I known such a force to set sail together.

The All-Flags Navy, they call it, a mixed fleet under the command of Baron-Admiral Bendu Olo. We sail to Thras together. Woe betide the Sload! They have brought this great and terrible fleet down upon themselves.

We have left the Abecean Sea behind and entered the Sea of Pearls, the waters that surround the Thrassian Archipelago. Never was a sea so ill-named as this one: the enthusiasm of my earlier entry ends here.

For two days we have been wracked by storms more foul and terrible than any I have ever seen. They seem to grow worse as we approach Thras. The crew talks of terrible whispers on the air and glimpses of rotting things moving in the water. I myself have been too sick to see or hear anything other than my own illness. In all my years, I've never suffered the sickness of the rolling sea before. That doesn't bode well for the rest of this trip.

We were a mighty fleet with sails as numerous as the trees of my native Alten Corimont. Now I cannot know our number. The fog, with its stench of rot and terrible foulness, obscures our vision and makes it hard to see beyond two lengths of the mast. We passed rocks as we approached that were only a few paces from our hull. We hear the cracks and screams that indicate our sister ships were not so lucky.

The fog ended today. We emerged from what appeared to be a solid wall of cloud that extended in an unbroken circle around the islands of the Sloads. Our first view of the largest island was awe-inspiring: a tower, taller than any I have ever seen and made of blood-red coral, reached into the sky. A terrible blue light flickered at its apex like an strange bud upon the tower's stalk.

Other ships followed us through the fog. One by one they emerged. Some were battered, some were missing, but many remained. We formed up and sailed toward the main island.

Through the terrible storms that battered us on our way, the captain stood firm. Many in the crew wished to abandon our cause, but the captain cursed them and would not hear of it. His cabin is directly above mine and at night I swear I could hear demonic whispers and see eerie lights. The captain I knew slipped away in the fog to be replaced by spectre of anger and hate.

A projection of Baron-Admiral Olo appeared on our deck. He spoke as if he could not see us—I assume this was some sort of magical broadcast to the fleet. He ordered us to take boats and men to sack the big island and lay siege to the tower by land as his remaining Imperial ships bombarded it from a distance. We armed ourselves with swords and bows, and the captain ordered us to the longboats.

When we set foot on shore I think we were the first to arrive. We were not the last. The Sloads are powerful necromancers, but they are poor hand-to-hand fighters and our numbers dwarfed theirs. Still, they fought, and they died as we conquered their island. They whispered curses to their Daedric Lord with their dying breaths are we took their gold, their goods, and their lives.

The blue light atop the coral tower began to pulse and bleed energy into the clouded sky. When the ground beneath our feet began to quake and tremble, no one had to tell us to run. The island began to crack and sink. The sea around Thras boiled as we rowed for our lives back to the Golden Era.

We were hauled back on deck in time to watch the Coral Tower collapse into the sea. We noticed too late the current that pulled us towards it. As the eye of blue light atop the tower dipped into the sea it began to spin like a great wheel, and when it met the waves it formed a monstrous whirlpool. Half the fleet was drawn into it, our ship included.

I remember thinking, as we slid into the massive whirlpool, that my mates and I would never see Alten Corimont again. I was right, but not in the way I thought. The truth was even worse.

As we were sucked into the pulsing blue light beneath the maelstrom, I felt water rush over my scales. Before the sea could consume me, a gale of cold wind exploded from below. We were no longer sinking—we were falling! As I clung to the deck, I saw that the whirling wall of water had been replaced by a dark, haunted sky and an infinite expanse of cold, dead earth. And it was rushing to meet us as we fell.

I blacked out, waking up some time later on the deck. I remember seeing the Captain talking to what appeared to be a great beast. I remember the beast handing the Captain something and then I blacked out again.

When I awoke, I was transformed. My scales and skin were gone—I was nought but bones. The Captain was now the Admiral, and whatever he commanded we could not refuse. More ships fell from the sky, and our Lost Fleet grew. We put the Era back together, dug tunnels, and constructed a town from the wreckage of the other ships, all at the Admiral's command.

We hate him, but we cannot disobey him. It's that crown he wears. I pray that one day someone who can resist the Admiral finds this journal. This journal, and the key I have hidden within its pages.

N'Gasta! Kvata! Kvakis!

Author: 
Anonymous

an obscure text in the language of the Sload, purportedly written by the Second Era Western necromancer, N'Gasta.

N'Gasta! Kvata! Kvakis! ahkstas so novajxletero (oix jhemile) so Ranetauw. Ricevas gxin pagintaj membrauw kaj aliaj individuauw, kiujn iamaniere tusxas so raneta aktivado. En gxi aperas informauw unuavice pri so lokauw so cxiumonataj kunvenauw, sed nature ankoix pri aliaj aktuasoj aktivecauw so societo. Ne malofte enahkstas krome plej diversaspekta materialo eduka oix distra.

So interreta Kvako (retletera kaj verjheauw) ahkstas unufsonke alternativaj kanasouw por distribui so enhavon so papera Kva! Kvak!. Sed alifsonke so enhavauw so diversaj verjheauw antoixvible ne povas kaj ecx ne vus cxiam ahksti centprocente so sama. En malvaste cirkusonta paperfolio ekzemple ebsos publikigi ilustrajxauwn, kiuj pro kopirajtaj kiasouw ne ahkstas uzebsoj en so interreto. Alifsonke so masoltaj kostauw reta distribuo forigas so spacajn limigauwn kaj permahksas pli ampleksan enhavon, por ne paroli pri gxishora aktualeco.

Tiuj cirkonstancauw rahkspeguligxos en so aspekto so Kvakoa, kiu ja cetere servos ankoix kiel gxeneraso retejo so ranetauw.</p>

 

Thras

Author: 
Imperial Geographical Society

The Coral Kingdom has been a powerful antagonistic force against the Summerset Isle since before recorded time. As mentioned in an earlier section, the Sload may have at one time even called Summerset part of Thras. For millennia, the hulking, slug-like creatures, notorious for the necromantic mastery terrorized the Altmer, conjuring sea monsters along the coasts and laying siege to Skywatch. For naughty High Elf children, a mother's warning that the Sload will get them is enough to give nightmares for days. Yet, for all the horror and devastation that has come out of Thras, we know relatively little about the land itself.

The first maps we have from cartographers who sailed to Thras and returned to tell the tale show a group of sixteen islands, in a semicircle like a partially a submerged coral atoll. Over the centuries other maps have been charted by spies and the number and size of islands has varied, suggesting that the amphibious Sload have a volatile kingdom which fluctuates in land mass, either by the tides or some other, less natural means. The largest of the islands (called Agonio on the most recent maps) seems the most stable, though later maps show it considerably larger than earlier ones.

The true and permanent aspect of Thras, however, is not something mapmakers would know, merely by looking at the land above the surface. Many an Altmer has been captured by the Sload, and a few have escaped to tell of the brackish lagoon in the center of the island chain. There the buoyant creatures may move about with relative quickness and grace through an intricate network of coral formations and ancient shipwrecks.

The Blessed Isle: Alinor and The Summersets

Author: 
Imperial Geographical Society

Map of Summerset Isle

Not a single isle at all but an archipelago of two major islands and a dozen smaller ones, the land called Summerset is the birthplace of civilization and magic as we know it in Tamriel. On its idyllic sea-kissed shores live the Altmer, the High Elves.

History

The Aldmer, the progenitor races of all elves, arrived in Tamriel from their original home in Aldmeris or Old Ehlnofey in ancient times. We don’t know what precipitated this exodus or even the location of Aldmeris if it still exists today. Most scholars believe that the Aldmer settled Summerset first, and then spread out across the rest of Tamriel, but there is some evidence to support the theory that Summerset was only one of several initial settlements of the earliest Aldmer. In any case, Summerset became one of the earliest centers of Aldmer civilizations, which developed over thousands of years into the Altmer of historical times.

Altmer RaceWhat creatures and prehistoric civilizations these Aldmeris refugees faced have largely been lost in the mists of time. Cloudrest, atop Eton Nir, the highest mountain in Summerset, is a decidedly odd mixture of architectural styles, with buildings like strangler vines, built on top of other, older structures. The oldest of all ruins there, and in a few isolated spots throughout the island, are made of coral, which must have been carried many, many miles away from the sea. The material and the style of the ruins strongly suggest that the Sload may have once counted Summerset as a part of their kingdom of Thras. More evidence of this may be found in the section on Thras in this Pocket Guide.

The treasury of the Crystal Tower and the private collections in Summerset offer suggestions of other creatures the early Aldmer may have met in their new home, portrayed in sculpture and tapestry. Some of the beasts are surely (and hopefully) the work of the artist’s imagination, but others appear with such regularity, it can only be that they once existed, as bizarre as they seem. Though no one alive has ever seen them, they have names out of legend: Gheatus, a man or a group of men who are formed by the earth itself; the Welwa, strange, holy beasts of horns and savage teeth, depicted as ravagers and saviors of the land; the Ilyadi, giants taller than trees, with eyes that cover their head. These extinct monsters, and others like them, had to be defeated by the Aldmer in the days of yore.

Early Aldmer society was agricultural and politically egalitarian. A system of ancestor worship had been exported whole from Aldmeris, and it brought with it a communal spirit that served the early settlers of Summerset well. When the Aldmer came together as a people to create the Crystal Tower, it was not a monument to any king or god, but rather to the spirit of the elven people, living and dead. Within the glittering walls of the Tower are housed the graves of the early Aldmeri settlers, preserved forever as a lasting symbol of the power of the people for that brief moment in history, fully unified.

Gradually, as the society grew, social stratification increased. A hierarchy of classes began to form, which is still largely enforced in Summerset to this day. At the top are the Wise, teachers and priests, followed by the Artists, Princes, Warriors, Landowners, Merchants, and Workers. Below Workers were the beasts, such as the enslaved goblins, who the Aldmer used to perform the jobs beneath the dignity of the very least of them. The religion of the people also changed because of this change in society: no longer did the Aldmer worship their own ancestors, but the ancestors of their "betters." Auriel, Trinimac, Syrabane, and Phynaster are among the many ancestor spirits who became Gods. A group of elders rebelled against this trend, calling themselves the Psijics, the keepers of the Old Ways of Aldmeris. With their mystical powers, they were able to settle in Arteaum, away from what they considered the corruption of their society. They continued to return to the land to act as advisors, but never again would they call Summerset home.

It was about this time that many Aldmer left Summerset to settle the mainland of Tamriel. There was probably no single reason for this second exodus of the Aldmer, but some evidence, such as the famed Ramoran Tapestries - the very ones that show some of the creatures mentioned above - show how untouched and beautiful the mainland was considered to be by the Aldmer. Expeditions, such as those taken by Topal the Pilot and others, had painted an image in their minds of a great land where even workers, at the lowest end of the Summerset hierarchy could live as kings. The Prophet Veloth was among those who led a group of discontented Aldmer away from Summerset to a new promised land.

According to the traditions of Summerset, the Aldmer who went to be free on the mainland became all the disparate elven folk of history: Chimer, Bosmer, Ayleid. The ones who stayed behind became the Altmer. Even the earliest records of Summerset, however, shed no light on the origins of the Dwemer, who already occupied the northeast of Tamriel when Veloth and his people arrived there.

The history of the Summerset Isle in the First Era and most of the Second is very much removed from the rest of mainland Tamriel. The rise and fall of Empires, the battles between man and mer, none of these touched the Altmer as a society. Internal conflicts between Skywatch and Firsthold, and between Alinor and Lillandril, often sparked into full war, but far deadlier were the repeated attempts at invasion from the alien lands of Thras and Pyandonea.

The Sloads of Thras, as we have mentioned earlier, may have been original inhabitants of Summerset, and so their repeated attempts to take the islands could be regarded sympathetically, if not for their methods. Physically unable to fight due to their massive girth, the Sload used necromantic magic and infernal machines to attack the Altmer. Though they never succeeded in reclaiming Summerset, if that was even their goal, they visited horrors upon the land which are still remembered today: the Sack of Skywatch in 1E 1301 and the War of the Uvichil from 1E 2911 to 1E 2917 are surely among the most terrible events in Tamriel’s history.

Summerset IsleThe Maormer of Pyandonea (described more fully in a later section of this Guide) were even more relentless in their drive to conquer Summerset. The chronicler can scarcely find a year throughout the First or Second Eras when the Maormer did not ravage the coastlines of the Altmer. As terrible as it was, it did force the Altmer to build a great navy to defend itself, and to this day, it is on the seas that the High Elves excel in combat. There are villages in the central valleys of Summerset that have never seen battle, but so much blood has been spilled along the coasts, it is a wonder it is not stained permanently crimson.

The formation of the Aldmeri Dominion in the Second Era is discussed in the section on Summerset’s ally, Valenwood. For Summerset, the kings of Colovia were no threat, but the Dominion allowed them to eliminate the Maormer outposts that had been established along the western coast of the mainland. Thus, the Dominion thrived until the coming of Tiber Septim.

The conquest and assimilation of Summerset into the Empire is remembered by many a living Altmer with horror only partially diminished by time. Certainly, the pride of the people has never recovered. During the War of the Isle in 3E 110, the Maormer of Pyandonea were very nearly successful in conquering their ancient enemy, and the Altmer had to call upon the aid of the Psijics and the Empire to help defend themselves. Even as recently as twenty years ago, during the Imperial Simulacrum, when the Altmer invaded Valenwood, their former allies in the Dominion, Summerset was only successful in capturing a small sliver of the coastline that used to be theirs. It is hardly surprising that to many in Summerset, particularly the young, it is time to reinvent what it is to be a High Elf.

 

Current Events

In the last few years, Summerset Isle has been at peace with its neighbors. To all outward appearances, it has returned to its normal state of unchanging tranquility. In fact, the Altmer are perhaps the most bitterly divided society in the Empire. The war in the province today is a cultural one, which has its origins with the surrender to Tiber Septim four centuries ago which shook Altmer society to its foundation. While in Skyrim and Morrowind more blood has been shed in recent years, this struggle between the old and the new may have even more radical end results. The very future of the oldest province in the Empire of Tamriel is at stake.

For thousands of years, the Altmer have implicitly believed in their superiority to all other races and cultures in Tamriel. For much of this time, they may have been right. But after the incorporation of Summerset into the Empire, doubts began to creep in. With the insularity of the Summerset decisively broken, many Altmer, particularly the young (which among the High Elves is a fairly loose term), began to take a more critical view of the rigid hierarchy of Altmer society and its strict cultural xenophobia. While there had always been discontent on the fringes of Altmer society, which was traditionally resolved by exile of the malcontents, for the first time a significant element of Altmer began to agitate for social change.

This nascent revolution in the Summerset Isle has taken many forms. Most constructive, surely, is the acceptance of new cultures and races onto its shores, some occupying positions that would have been forbidden just a century ago. The Queen of Firsthold, for example, is the Dunmer Morgiah, daughter of Barenziah and sister of the King of Morrowind, Helseth. Her children, Goranthir and Rinnala, though half-Altmer, are fully Dunmer in appearance, and stand to inherit the throne.

A darker side of this movement, however, is exhibited by a shadowy group who call themselves the Beautiful. Originally a salon for artists with the reasonable philosophy that Summerset must let go of its past in order to move forward, the Beautiful became a revolutionary gang dedicated to the destruction of the greatest monuments of Altmer civilizations. The Crystal Tower was naturally an early target, and fortunately attempts against it have failed, but many other great, ancient sculptures and emblems of the past have been vandalized. Lately, the Beautiful have turned their attention to living symbols of the Isle, the royalty of Summerset. The particularly gruesome murder of the daughter of the King of Shimmerene has horrified and outraged the public.

Finally, some of Summerset’s youth are rebelling against the present, ironically, by embracing the past. The Imperial Geographical Society is not allowed to visit Artaeum to survey and document it, but there is little doubt that the Psijic Order is increasingly popular among the young, and is willing to exploit this. Over the past thousand years, only seventeen new initiates were brought into the order. In the past two years, however, another thirty have joined. Thirty new members of an Order may not be enough to be a surprising trend in most circles, but to the tradition-bound graycloaks of Artaeum, it raises many questions. What the Psijics’ aim in this recent recruitment, however, is anyone’s guess at this time.