My Little Scrolls: Oblivion

I went to the only place where I could find out something - the Arcane University of the Imperial City. Walking through the streets, I observed that in the past five years the city, almost in ruins, had partially rebuilt after the Daedra invasion. The Imperial Legion was severely battered and weakened, keeping the hordes that came out from Oblivion, so the city suffered badly due to the looters, who had gathered from all over the empire it seems.

         And without them there were enough problems. In hard times everyone survived as he could. Humans and nonhumans are grouped by race and social features. Remembering the old enmity. Chancellor Ocato could not cope with the burden of managing an empire that was falling apart. In general, Tamriel experienced perhaps its worst years in history.

         As a simple adventurer I tried to stay away from politics, but all this has created a feeling of depression. Many went to other cities, which were more fortunate. Of course, this reflected in the new balance of power in Cyrodiil, so that people unwittingly repaid rulers for the warm welcome.

         Reflecting on this, I came to the only area that does not hurt still - the Arcane University. This place was exactly that was searched for by all living beings, hungry for knowledge. From Summerset Isle to the College of Winterhold in Skyrim there was no other equal place of learning. If there was someone who I could ask my questions, it was here.

Walking up the stairs, I went to the tower of the Board of Magicians - a building which is only slightly inferior to White Gold Tower, the residence of the emperor. Going in, I started looking for Tar-Meena, the only magician I knew. This argonian had greatly helped me in the hunt for the Mythic Dawn. Soon I had found her in the halls of the council.

“Hello, Meena! It seems to me that I again need your help - I had contacted others, but they could not match your knowing” I said to her.

“Ah, greetingssssss in this abode of knowledge, Tanaisssss. What does my friend again require from a modest resssssearcher of daedric cults?” she asked me. She was a good enough person, but Argonian manner of speaking slowly and stretching hissing often sounds frankly annoying.

“I trust you still remember our hunt for the Mythic Dawn” I began, becoming serious. “Because I have more questions about the cult in particular, and Daedra, in general.”

“What are you specifically interesssssted in?” the Argonian woman inquired.

“The Amulet of Kings restrained Daedra outside Nirn. How did it do it?” I responded.

“Hmm ... Well the offfisial version told in the legend about the firsssst Empresssss Alessia. I think you know her. Sssssaint Alessssia raised a revel of humans against Ayleids during which Akatosh took pity over people, and forbade the Daedra who fought on the side of Ayleids. He secured his agreement with mortal-kind with his own blood, which petrified, turned into a ruby in the center of the Amulet. Unfortunately, even the gods are not omnipotent and--”

“Stop, stop. What does this mean?”

“Nirn isn`t totally safe. I, as one who is deeply involved in this, can assure you. Akatosh only made it impossible for a full-scale invasion by Mehrunes Dagon and the other princes. They can still influence it, to put pressure on mortals, to destroy our unity within, bringing disharmony and chaos! Daedra can also come here under a contract with a mage; magicians actively take advantage of this by forcing younger Daedra to serve as aides and guards” Tar-Meena explained at length.

“This Is I know” I said. “So, something like the Oblivion Сrisis cannot happen again? We are protected?”

“To seriously talk on this subject you need to know prehisssstory. Do you know the legend about the creation of the world?”

“Of course; every child knows Anuad. Two firstborn brothers Anu and Padomay personifying light and darkness, fell in love with a woman, created by the elements of darkness and light. Then there is some pretty boring lines of relations between the brothers. In the end, as a result of the universal battle there were twelve destroyed worlds from which Anu quickly revived one. Except that the blood Anu bears was barren. So from Padomay’s blood - Daedra, and of mixed blood - Aedra gods. But the brothers themselves were thrown abroad space and time” I recounted the tale.

“It is a very sssssimplified version, but it will come down. However, thisss iss only a legend. The reality is more complicated. Do you know astral structure of our world? Plane of the mortals, Mundusss, surrounded by plane of the Daedra, Oblivion, which in turn is surrounded by a plane of the gods, Aetheriusss. But Nirn is not holistic, for the reason that it is made up of twelve fragments. And Oblivion is not one. It, asss you know, consisstsss of sixteen planess of sixteen Daedra princes. But they are separated by a mysterious Unknown - Waters of Oblivion. No one knows what they are, we know only that it was there live Daedra are not embodied in the plane. From there they are in the physical world, and so goes their living body” Tar-Meena said.

“This is all of course interesting, but how does this relate to our topic?” I asked, growing impatient.

“It’s the most relevant! Water to the astral world is the same as space for physical!” Tar-Meena was so absorbed that she even forgot to sizzle. “Nobody knows where they might arise, no one knows what might be on the other end of the universe. But I carried away... sorry if I overloaded you with all this nonsense, but this topic is really important for me. Here, if you really care about this problem, I advise you to go to the abandoned base of the Dawn. If this information exists, it is there. Find anything that might come in handy, and return to me.”

“Thank you for the knowledge, and for the meeting. Wait for me in a few days.” With these words I bowed. Well, it seems it is time to remember the old skills I thought. The Adventurer goes on the trail of adventure.

On the borders of the Apocrypha.

What is this place? It looks like a plane, or even an Atronach’s home, but is not it. With Aetherius it has nothing to do. Was father right? Is this it? I must know for sure. And I even have a couple of candidates for exploration ...