Sheogorath groaned as reality returned. His head felt like all the hangovers in Aurbis history had been funneled into his cranium alone, and all his muscles ached...despite the fact that head, physical brain, and muscles were all just magical constructs that such things shouldn't apply to. "Ugh..." he groaned, noticing an odd tinny echo to his voice. "What in Sithis' name happened?" He brought a hand up to his head, only to flinch back from an armored gauntlet.
"What?" he demanded in shock, sitting up fast enough he had to clutch his head with both hands. "Aedra blood!" he barked out as he lifted the face plate of his helmet to vomit.
Alright, that's a lot to take in right now, he thought to himself. My thoughts feel like Sheogorath, but I'm definitely in Jyggalag armor, and experiencing physical sensations I shouldn't, including vomiting. ...also, my head's been clear enough despite feeling like Sheogorath that my train of thought hasn't turned into a mongoose. ...oh Anui-el, did Clavicus and Sanguine team up to turn me into a mortal again for shits and giggles? I hate when they do that, no matter how short it lasts! He gripped his sword, feeling the Order power inside it. Okay, still got my Daedra power...not a mortal. Also not Sheogorath if I have Order power and not Madness power. That's...
His senses alerted him to a massive spiritual imbalance in the fundamental fabric of reality very close to his location. "...when in doubt, check out the odd thing," he mumbled to himself as he sat up, turning towards the source.
A strange chimeric creature hovered in midair, clutching a staff as he seemed to flicker in and out of existence as he watched. "That creature...I know...my son?" He blinked as that thought struck him. "I have a son? Yes, that's my son! My son...my son..." He clutched his head. "If he is my son, why can I not recall his name?!" His eyes narrowed. "And why is he flickering like that? Pretty sure that's more important."
Getting to his feet, he rushed forward and faced the creature. What he saw gave him pause. Inside the creatures eyes was reflected the image of an ever crumbling tower. "...CHIM..." he murmured in awe. "My son...he's attempting the Psijic Endeavor...but why?" He rubbed his forehead. "At least that explains the flickering, and why my memory's spotty. He's struggling to encompass all of Aurbis within his sense of self, and he keeps slipping towards Zero Sum."
He closed his eyes, focusing on his memory, struggling against the pull of ontological inertia in his own mind. "He fought me...because he wanted me back. He took the throne...so I'm Jyggalag now. No, he fought to get me back, so I'm still Sheogorath. Or..." He glanced at his reflection in his sword, seeing Sheogorath's face there. "He...he said I was still too cold, and was fixing..."
Realization struck him like a bolt of lightning. "Mind of Jyggalag, with logical thought and clear thinking. Heart of Sheogorath, who loves joy and believes in hope..." He shook his head in amazement. "He remade me of my pieces, making me whole...but where did the mad mind and still heart go? This is quite perplexing."
For some reason, a grey face with green eyes and pale purple hair rose out of a nearby bush. "You're quite perplexing," the face observed in a feminine, monotone voice before vanishing back into the bush(1).
"That was random," Jyggorath observed, having chosen a name already for his new joined identity. "Guess that's a good sign as far as my son..." He slammed his fist against a nearby tree. "Sithis' left testicle! Why can't I remember his name? That's not good...not good at all..." His head snapped up as 14 portals appeared.
Each of the other Princes stepped out of the portals, all looking shocked at the sight of him. Well, they did think he was Jyggalag after all, and they joined forces to best him. Only Clavicus Vile looked intrigued, glancing between Jyggorath and the boy.
Hermaeus Mora, however, acted. Lunging quickly forward, he stretched his tentacles out towards-
Without even being aware he was moving, Jyggorath leapt between his son and the Prince of Knowledge, sword flashing in the air like a thunderclap, the air ripping in its wake as the tendril was severed and banished from the realm. Hermaeus let out an unearthly shriek that was as much shock as pain as he pulled back.
Hermaeus Mora turned his baleful gaze upon Jyggorath. "Jyggalag," he spoke up, unaware of the change as of yet as Aurbis was still in flux. "You know as well as I that he does not belong in this reality. He never should have existed, and his presence has undone the order that Aurbis is meant to function by. If he continues, all Order - all Knowledge - will be nothing before him! Now is the only chance to act. If he is distracted from his Endeavor, he will slip into Zero Sum, and none of this will have ever happened-"
"Xth!"(2)
The assembled Daedric Princes gasped at Jyggorath's exclamation. Though its meaning was deceptively simple - Unname - the truth of it was far worse. To speak it to another was to proclaim that all their works were nothing, that reality would have been better off if they never existed, that if the speaker could do so they would make the one spoken to cease to exist through sheer force of will. For a Daedric Prince to speak it to another...it was a declaration of all out war to erasure. Hermaeus blanched. "You...you don't mean-"
"I mean it, you bastard," Jyggorath snarled defiance. "I don't care about Knowledge or Order...or even Aurbis itself! I care not if it leaves us all mere puppets dancing to the tune of a mad True God. He is my son, and I won't let you lay one tendril on him you slimy son of a bitch!"
Hermaeus Mora flinched back in shock, but snarled defiance. "You think you can stand alone again?" he demanded angrily.
"Who says he'll stand alone?" Clavicus Vile asked as he positioned himself between Hermaeus and Jyggorath's son. "After all...this is the wish I granted. I want to see it play out."
"I'm not about to allow my nephew to come to harm because you don't know how to have fun!" Sanguine snapped as he stepped up to Jyggorath's other side.
"We may not agree on who is the Mother..." Nocturnal said as she joined the group.
"...but we do agree that you will not bring him harm if we can help it!" Meridia concluded fiercely as she followed.
"I'm not about to let you hurt my little bro!" Azura snapped as she placed herself in the group.
"He belongs," Malacath snarled as he stepped up. "I will not let you cast him out!"
"You think we fear this alliance?" Mehrunus Dagon snarled as he stepped up beside Hermaeus. "This will end!" Mephala, Molag Bal, and Namira joined him in silence.
"I always wanted to hunt another Prince," Hircine observed calmly as he stepped up beside Clavicus Vile. "This will be interesting..."
Hermaeus Mora turned towards the remaining three Princes, a commanding look in his eyes as though insisting they join him.
Boethiah snorted disdainfully. "Just because I'm not on his side," he snapped as he jerked a thumb towards the chimeric creature, "don't assume I'm on yours!" He stepped back, staying neutral.
"He was the first to treat me as an equal!" Peryite snarled as he took wing, hovering over the group defending. "The rest of you just treated me like some sort of sub-creature! I stand with my friend!"
Vaermina walked calmly to beside the creature. "I stand with my mate," she stated simply, shocking all those listening.
Jyggorath grinned at Hermaeus' stupefaction, seeing he didn't have the support he'd hoped for. "As the world is in flux, this is still my realm...which means my word is still law here. And I say..." He drew his sword, letting light glint off it. "That you shall not touch Discord!" He felt something shiver as he slammed his blade point first into the dirt between his feet. "You...shall not...PASS!"
The entirety of Aurbis lurched, maybe inches, maybe feet, maybe hundreds of miles. At the same time, all of reality seemed to chime with a bell like tone. As everything swung back into focus, Jyggorath felt a paw on his shoulder.
"...I've got this, Dad."
(1) Maud turns to the readers. "And now you know why I didn't exist before season four."
(2) This is merely the closest any literary form can come to represented the actual exclamation. The true form of it cannot be recorded or comprehended by mortal minds.*
(*) Kudos to anyone who catches what book series it's a reference to.
that was short, but full of stuff. I like stuff!
I always love it when scenes like this play out, they always give me a warm fuzzy feeling.
The Gandalf moment kills any part of me that doesn't like Jiggy, and besides, who doesn't want to see Jiggy and Chaos?
And equally off topic, the closest I could come by for a book series was X(a/n)th. Something tells me that this is incorrect, although Discord might like to visit some day.
Smart.
I get the distinct feeling that'd be bad.
Wait, MAUD?!
Man, he's PISSED.
Good line.
When unlike forces join in a common goal.... yeah well, don't be the target.
Oh, I am so looking forward to the next chapter. I predict a major curbstomp with reality warping, Discord utterly toying with his foes, and best of all, Discord shouting 'Imma beat a Motherbucker with another Motherbucker' while using Hermeaus Mora as a flail.
mora is about to be RAPED by discords team
I never have had the pleasure of playing with a mind like Mora has
I look forward to this
A shame that my favorite Prince is against Discord...
Well... shit's about to get real. A battle of the ages to (re)define all of reality!
Hermaeus better give up while he has the chance. Just... travel in time and deposit all the knowledge into Twilight's library, to a section she doesn't have access to yet
Huh... can't think of puns before the epic showdown.
7825035 Looks like there's some discord between the princes.
Mmm.... Madeleine L'engle, Meg Murry n'em?
If I remember correctly, it's "Xuth." You are missing the "U."
Nice lotr reference
7825080
Yeah, that's what I was thinking too.
The part with Maud, though
7824926 Just out of curiosity which one is your favourite?
7825344 Hermaeus Mora. Always found him interesting and having a good design.
(opens can of soda) This should be good.
considering jiggy on his own was powerful enough to take on all the princes before and win, (the curse caught him by surprise after all) I think this fights been decided. still waiting for sithiss to ghive his two cents on the matter though.
7825630 Sithis isn't a Daedra. It is a representation of the natural state of creation before there was creation. Chaos, and not the kind that Discord and Sheo revel in. It is supposedly the equal of Anuiel, the soul and culmination of creation.
Anuiel is a force of Light and Order. It represents unchanging perfection.
Sithis is a force of Darkness and Chaos. It represents twisting probabilities.
Together, they allow life to exist, but ultimately hold no part in it.
The rewriting of reality would not garner the attention of Sithis, but I'm willing to bet Anuiel is not happy.
Then there's the reactions of the Nine to take into account. Damn, Tatsurou, you're setting up something big here, aren't you?
Huh, I wonder what's happening with the mortals right now.
7824806 someone else who knows about xanth? Good day to you mate
7825080
7825173
You both got it right. It's referencing the Xthing of the Echthori.
7825667
Anu and Padomy are the ones that brought Aurbis into existence through their interaction post their battle. Anui-El and Sithis are their reborn souls, so they could understand themselves and each other better.
Anui-El and Sithis likely would have no more interest in this than when Viviec and Talos did the same thing.
And Akatosh of the nine already foresaw this possibility when he interacted with Discord earlier. In truth, it just means The Nine are now The Ten. That's what achieving CHIM means.
7825786 *Checks archive* Probably experiencing an Oblivion event. Maybe some dragons, though it most likely looks like the Eye of Magnus incident on a planet wide scale since similar magic is in play.
7825887 seems legit.
lotr
Appropriate music as sides are taken:
I like the new Jyggorath, he's pretty awesome, especially since he was ready to turn a tentacle monster reaching for his kid into chopped calamari. Then he pulls a literal Gandalf. Awesome.
Methinks there will be a need to replace some Daedric Princes soon. I can just see the Pro Discord faction hosting an Nirin's Got Talent type contest to find people willing to take on the rolls. I can totally see Twilight eventually taking Hermaeus Mora's spot and reorganizing Apocrypha once Discord gives her the card catalog he stole from Mora and eventually meeting up with Wan Shi Tong's Library and starting an Extradimensional Librarian Club.
7824877 I think Mora is to squishy to use as a flail, grab Molag Bal and Dagon instead... then tie them together with Mora to make Mutherbucker-chucks and smack Mephala and Namira into submission with Bruce Lee sound effects. Then tie all of them up and make them listen to the MLPFIM theme song on endless repeat.
7826505 How horrid. I prefer physical torture, but I can respect this idea mostly because it's rather difficult to torture a high powered being like the daedric princes physically.
That's like the awesomest thing ever...
7826783 Well, if I want to be really cruel it would be a mix of the Barney Song, The Song That Never Ends, and I Know a Song That Gets on Everybody's Nerves.
Go get 'em ganda- Jyggorath
7824803 Is it wrong that I really want to see this guy when we get to Skyrim? You know what quest I'm talking about.
7830538 ...wut?
7830542 I'd like to see how this guy interacts with the dragonborn in the Sheogorath Skyrim Quest
http://uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:The_Mind_of_Madness
7830580 It would have to be Discord as the mind of madness. This story takes place during the 3rd Era I think since the greymarch happened and Discord replaced the oblivion protagonist as the new Sheo. Admittedly, my elder scrolls knowledge is spotty at best so it's a pretty good chance I'm wrong.
into pre-friendship Discord!
Looks like Sheogorath's....
getting Jyggy with it.
7834231
7834231
*Cue that CSI: Miami scream thing we all know and love*
7842172
Ayyy nice Gandalf reference
7828638
I'll see that and raise you The Titanic song as played by Kenny G.
No, I won't post a link. It's pure hell.
678
F***in' hell, calm down Ganadalf...
LoTR?
GANDALF
*grins like an idiot while clapping claws*