After you retrieve the Emperor's letter, certain parties make sure that you know the truth behind it. You receive several letters from these who sympathize you:
Dear Qwerty,
You have probably not heard the fairy tale of Numidium, but you need to.
The legend dates back to the earliest parts of the third era.
Numidium was supposed to be a giant so big his hands could knock the moons from the sky. I do not recall from the stories whether Numidium was supposed to be good or bad, but the legends used to scare me as a child.
The legends are, in fact, true. There was a Numidium, and, if situations continue, he will come again. The Totem of Tiber Septim is used to control Numidium. However, legend has it that great Numidium lost his Mantellan heart, whatever that is, in the final with Tiber Septim's Battlemage. Until his heart is found, the Totem is useless.
A Friend
Cool. So Tiber Septim was not as much of a war genius as we're used to thinking. But what's the deal with the Imperial Battlemage?
Dear Qwerty,
I must tell you about the Totem of Tiber Septim, which all covet. You must know the truth about what you are asked.
The Totem was crafted by the original Imperial Battlemage of Tamriel, by orders of Tiber Septim. It is essentially a means of controlling a gargantuan creature called the Numidium. Without it, the Numidium would simply not function. The Imperial Battlemage placed a seal on the Totem so that anyone not of Septim lineage or possessing a special supernatural affinity, such as himself, would be instantly killed if they attempted to use it. The Totem, with the rest of Numidium, was lost during the epic battle between the Imperial Battlemage and his own creation.
A Friend
Got it. But still no answer what's the Mantella.
Dear Qwerty,
Numidium was Tiber Septim's secret weapon in his bid for supreme power: a thousand foot tall automaton, a golem or an atronach of sorts powered by a gem called the Mantella. The Mantella was infused with the life force of Tiber Septim's Imperial Battlemage, and with it, Septim crushed all who stood in his way. After the complete and total defeat of all his opponents, Septim began using Numidium to crush the neutral royal families of Tamriel so that he could enthrone only persons he knew to be loyal. His Imperial Battlemage was furious at this use of his creation, and fought to reclaim the Mantella. In the ensuing battle, both the created and the creator were vanquished: the heart they shared blown out of this reality into the netherworld they call Aetherius. Numidium's body was scattered throughout Tamriel and the Imperial Battlemage, without his life force went into a semi-slumber in a subterranean vault. In the centuries that followed, the Emperor's elite soldiers, for generation after generation, collected the pieces of the Numidium and became known as the Blades. Tiber Septim's Imperial Battle Mage became known as the Underking, and sent his forces out to find the Mantella.
Be warned, therefore. Those who search for the Totem of Tiber Septim are searching for the mechanism the first Emperor of Tamriel used to control Numidium. Should Numidium return, he or she who holds the Totem will control Tamriel's fate.
A Friend
So now you know why everyone is so hyped about the Totem.
