Setting the Stage
Prologue:
Setting The Stage
"Are we really going to watch this?" Sandbar asked as the group all sat down with more nerves than Fluttershy during Nightmare Night.
"You want to anger the crazy mad god-like being?" Gallus asked, which promptly shut Sandbar up as the video began.
The video started with a soft melody that soon made the worries fade as the six relaxed into a state of calmness despite knowing their situation. The first thing they saw was the near ruins of a large stone city that looked like it had been through a tough battle but was also beautified somberly by the snow falling around it. A small figure in the distance was walking through the snow, dressed in a black dress with pale white skin and raven-colored hair flowing down to her back. She had a bloody sword dripping with her enemies' fresh blood, yet she held a stone-cold face with saddened eyes. What really had made the group gasp, however, was what this creature was in general.
"It's a human," Ocellus whispered in awe.
"Another one?!" Silverstream asked in shock. "But this isn't Earth or the Wasteland."
"Maybe it's another dimension where humans exist?" Ocellus asked as the female figure stopped.
She slowly looked up and saw the white tower the group had seen the first time, and the words of the video's theme showed up. Like the page of a book, the scene transacted into a stage of pure darkness as the six heard the voice of their narrator for the first time. Unlike the voice of the Storyteller from the previous videos, this one sounded much younger and didn't have the voice modification that came with an advanced power suit. It was more like the voice of a muse eager to tell a tale around a campfire. And it said to them that they would start their story at the very beginning of time itself.
"Wait, so this is also a creation story?" Ocellus asked in surprise. "These people know how their existence really began?"
"Is that a big deal? We know how our world began, right?" Sandbar asked.
"Well, not really. There are various theories about how the world began, but none are conclusive. This video seems to know how time, space, and life began in their universe," Ocellus explained with excitement as her wings began to buzz. "Nobody's been able to figure out how our world began or at least agree on a single universally accepted theory."
"So, for all we know, we could have been farted out by some all-powerful being with gas issues," Gallus joked.
"We were pooted into existence?" Yona asked, tilting her head as Gallus and Smolder laughed at this while the others rolled their eyes before refocusing on the video.
A map soon appeared, and the narrator told them this was Tamriel, a single content in the vast world known as Nirn. The content was home to many diverse races, kingdoms, and cultures, all living in various provinces named High Rock, Skyrim, Morrowind, Hammerfall, Cyrodill, Black Marsh, Summerset Isles, Valenwood, and Elswear. The planet itself was then shown: a large body majority made of water and various lands of various sizes. However, other heavenly bodies existed besides Nirn, such as moons, stars, and planets in what was known as Mundus.
"Why call space...well...Mundus?" Smolder asked curiously.
"Maybe it's just how they say it in their language?" Ocellus reasoned.
"Yaks called space "big empty black void" before learning pony language," Yona pointed out.
"That's a mouthful," Gallus chuckled. "A mouthful but accurate."
It turns out that Mundus was not just space itself but an entire realm of existence in a vast sea of reality. Mundus was the creation developed by the god Lorkhan, The Missing God.
"How can a god go missing?" Silverstream asked while tilting her head.
"Playing hide and seek?" Gallus joked with a chuckle.
"Must be good hiding then. Make sense if God of Hiding," Yona said in awe while Gallus laughed harder upon hearing this.
The scene then showed a symbol of what appeared to be known as Magnus, the God of Magic. It was a blue circle with multiple rays heading towards the center, of which a three-tailed storm was swirling inside with an eye in the center gazing at the viewers. This God of Magic was the architect who helped Lorkhan in Mundus's creation.
"I wonder what would happen if unicorns learned about there being a God of Magic?" Sandbar asked, rubbing his chin.
"Headmare Twilight Sparkle would become the high priestess in five seconds," Smolder said with a deadpan expression.
"True."
However, as powerful as they were, creating a new realm of existence was something not even two gods could do on their own. It was a humongous task that required a lot of help and power, and thus the two turned to the ones known as the Aedra, also known as The Divines, for help. A stained glass window of a man who was also a dragon holding an hourglass appeared, and each of the six admired the divine-like artwork that went into the design. Yet, none of them could tell if he was a human or a dragon due to the dual nature of their faces. What was even more interesting was that, according to the narrator, it was unknown if the Aedra had agreed to help Lorkhan create Mundus or, instead, they were tricked into doing so.
Ocellus then asked out loud the question that was on every creature's mind. "Why would a god trick other gods into making a new realm?"
The answer was unknown, but regardless of the truth, Mundus had been created with the help of the Aedra's power. So much, in fact, that their very selves were used in the creation of Nirn and Tamriel and weakened them significantly. If they had been indeed willing to do this of their own free will, it was one of the greatest sacrifices any divine being could have ever made for something they had personally put effort into. If it was indeed a trick by Lorkhan, it was one of the cruelest things for a divine being to be trapped into.
However, not every divine being agreed with the existence of Mundus or even cared. In fact, a number of them did not, and they were often considered not to be trusted. A dark-robed female being with red skin and white hair stood before a giant black spiked armored knight with a wicked sinister blade in hand as blood was splattered all around the cave-like structure they were in. The six instantly had a bad feeling about these two. It turns out that the ones who did not participate in Mundus' creation were called Daedra. Unlike the Aedra, whose powers were tremendous but limited, the Daedra had the full might of their power, even if they were limited in how to use it in Nirn.
A shrine containing nine objects inside a holy church appeared, and the narrator revealed that the citizens of Tamriel worshiped both the Aedra and the Daedra for different reasons. However, it turned out that, among a mysterious unknown "Greater Empire," the worship of the Aedra was more widely accepted.
"I guess that makes sense," Sandbar replied with a nod. "I mean, I would rather worship the gods that helped create me than the ones who didn't do anything."
"Speaking of gods," Silverstream turned to Smolder, who raised an eyebrow upon seeing her friend look at her. "What do you think about this? You said you didn't believe in gods, but this is proof that gods are real."
"I don't know," Smolder replied, shrugging her shoulders. "I mean, sure, they are real here but are they real everywhere?"
"Consider the concept of atheism is that there is no proof that gods exist at all? I think that we're learning that gods created a realm of existence is evidence enough that gods exist and likely exist in our world as well," Ocellus reasoned with a warm smile.
"We're also kind of being held hostage by a god," Gallus said as he pointed to the swirling void outside where, for some reason, a giant roll of cheese was riding what appeared to be a horse with fire coming out of its hooves like rockets.
Throwing up her claws in the air, Smolder groaned. "Fine. Gods exist. But I still have no plans to worship them."
The video then turned back to the focus of Nirn, specifically the five known continents of the world: Tamriel, Almora, Akavir, Yokuda, and Aldmeris. To the west of Tamriel was Akavir, also known as "Dragon Land" which widened Smolder's eyes while shushing everyone so she could hear this. It turned out that both Tamriel and Akavir have a hostile history, with the latter having invaded Tamriel multiple times and the former invading at least once.
"Wow, holding off dragons multiple times," Sandbar said with awe. "That's impressive."
"Why would dragons attack the Tamrielins, though?" Silverstream frowned. "That seems so mean."
"Well, I can't speak for these dragons," Smolder said with a shrug, "but we dragons have invaded lands multiple times for various reasons. Conquest, food, jewels, etc."
"How do dragons decide to do an invasion or not?" Ocellus asked, getting her notebook ready.
"Well, any dragon clan can decide to invade on their own, but for the entire race to invade it has to come from the Dragon Lord," Smolder explained with a smile. She might not have been a massive fangirl of her own race like Yona was with hers, but she had pride in her own people's way. "Of course, there is a risk for the Dragon Lord to do this. If a Dragon Lord declares war or an invasion and loses, they forfeit their right as Dragon Lord. Since the Dragon Lord is seen as the strongest of the dragons, if they lose in such a way, they are seen as unworthy and dethroned so the next Dragon Lord can be decided."
"You guys really take the might makes right mentality to a serious level," Gallus commented before turning back to the screen.
However, much to Smolder's disappointment, the information about Akavir was limited. Even the narrator admitted that much of it could have been inaccurate due to how hostile things have been between the two lands. North of Tamriel was Atmora, where, according to legends, the first humans came from. A scene showed a large ship led by a large bearded man named King Ysgramor, who fled a civil war with his people to give them a new life. To the east of Tamriel was the land of Yokuda, home of the Redguards, which no longer existed due to sinking into the sea. Although the nation's sinking was shrouded in mystery, the Redguards that survived its destruction believed it was their fault and made their way east for a new home, eventually settling in a new land they called Hammerfell.
"Woah, just like the city of Marelantis," Sandbar said with awe.
"What's Marelantis?" Silverstream asked.
"An ancient rumored pony civilization that sank into the sea," Sandbar answered.
"Oh! Did they also use a magical orb to turn into sea ponies and live underwater like we did?" Silverstream asked with a smile and bright eyes. No doubt thinking of trying to contact them.
"Uhh," Sandbar hesitated as he didn't want to tell Silverstream that they most likely drowned to death. "O-Oh, hey! He's going to be talking about the last continent!"
Said last continent was known as Aldmeris, the birthplace of the Elves. Just like the others, so little is known about this continent that some even question whether it existed in the first place.
"I'm starting to see a pattern," Ocellus replied with a raised eyebrow.
According to the Moth Priests, Aldmeris isn't really a continent but rather a set of images and visions that the elves share among themselves. Although the theory sounded ludicrous, it was taken seriously in this realm due to the Moth Priests having learned of this from a source that was said to be near impossible to dispute: The Elder Scrolls.
However, as stated initially, these videos' main focus was on Tamriel. The land where magic, barbarians, kings, heroes, villains, and more were said to be part of everyday life. It was a land that had seen much bloodshed, the rising and falling of empires, vast conspiracies, and legends that would live on for infinity. Despite being one continent, they were still a divided set of people by territory, culture, and even vice.
"So, just like in the last video, war never changes," Sandbar sighed in disappointment.
"At least it doesn't look like an apocalypse came and train wrecked the world," Gallus pointed out for a positive.
Skyrim was the most northern province of Tamriel and home to the Nords. It was a cold and rugged place that once originally was a home for the Snow Elves that had lived there since ancient times. It was here that King Ysgramor landed after crossing the Sea of Ghosts to save his people from the chaos in Atmora. Considered a legend among all humanity, Ysgramor would conquer the Snow Elves and message all the other elves that Man was here to stay and would not leave anytime soon. The open snowy mountains of Skyrim were shown from its ruins, and Yona quickly looked in awe, saying how much Skyrim reminded her of Yakyakistan.
"Yona like Skyrim! She do well there!"
To the Northeast was Morrowind, dominated mainly by the island of Vvardenfell, home to The Red Mountain, the largest volcano on the continent. Having erupted twice in its history, it has played a massive role in shaping Morrowind's history, and even some species depend on its ashes for survival. It was the home of the Dark Elves, a dark-skinned species of elves with red eyes that made the six very uncomfortable to look at due to their sinister appearance. Ocellus thought they reminded her of some changelings in the past before their rebirth as a species. They saw a large congregation of Dark Elves in hooded robes, kneeling and worshiping before a large and beautiful statue of a female in robes holding a moon and star in each hand while looking divine and graceful. This was one of the Daedra, who the Dark Elves worshiped as opposed to the Aedra, which got them banished.
"I'm not sure if I would live there," Ocellus whispered. "Although I will admit that statue is pretty nice to look at."
"If that's one of the Daedra, maybe they aren't so bad?" Silverstream reasoned.
"Looks can be deceiving, plus we got one of them Daedra's holding us hostage right now," Gallus said as he turned to the window, and this time he saw a bear, a wolf, a golden mechanical robot, and a spider all playing cards on a wooden table with cheese as the betting chips. "I wonder if this is what being drunk is like?"
To the Southeast lies the swamplands known as Black Marsh, the home of a reptilian race known as the Argonians, and the sentient trees known as The Hist. The land was murky, swampy, and filled with such strange-looking dark trees that it was hard to see through it and the mist surrounding it. The Argonians were the first species that was not human looking at all to the six and looked like a combination of lizards with human bodies. They had scales of different colors, long or short tails, horns or feathers, and lived in various tribes that had managed to self-maintain themselves efficiently.
All six agreed that it wasn't a place they would be interested in going to, but Smolder was interested in learning more about another scaled species that wasn't draconic.
South of Tamriel was the province of Elsweyr, a home of vast deserts and jungles that was home to a feline race known as the Khajiit. Every creature instantly thought of the Abyssians when they saw a trading caravan filled with talking cat people. Like the Argonians, the Khajiit had been around in Tamriel even before the Elves arrived, making them one of the oldest native races. However, despite the two sharing this bond, the two didn't like each other and had an intense rivalry.
Southwest was home to Valenwood, home of the Wood Elves and the largest forest in Tamriel. A female light-skinned figure wrapped in deerskin appeared with a bow and arrow while on the hunt for a creature offscreen. She had light white hair and piercing green eyes, but the most distinguished trait was her pointed ears. These ears made it possible to tell the main difference between a human and an elf. Knowing that it would be impossible to tame the forest of Valenwood, the Wood Elves adapted to it and made it their home. The wild and beautiful forest was an eyesight of wonder for the six, who had seen many beautiful woods in their adventures, but nothing compared to the beauty of Valenwood. A living garden of paradise.
"It's so beautiful," Sandbar gasped with a wide smile. "I would so want to live there."
"Me too," Ocellus seconded.
"Ditto," Silverstream giggled with excitement about learning more of it.
"Considering how rare it was to see this much green in the Wasteland? This is a welcomed change," Gallus commented.
"Yak still prefers Skyrim."
Southwest of the mainland was the large islands known as the Summerset Isles and believed to be the first home of the Elves. An army of shiny golden armored elves, whose skin was similar to their armor in terms of color, proudly marched on an open field with their green glass weapons sparkling in the sunlight. These were the High Elves, who would play a huge role not just in Tamriel's history but also in a future part of the history known as the Altmari Dominion.
West of Tamriel was the vast Alik'r Desert and the home of the Redguards known as Hammerfell. Setting up ports for trade and travel, the Redguards were known to be seafaring adventurers, skilled swordsmen for hire, or expert merchants. Unlike other men, the Redguards were not light-skinned or even a lighter shade of brown, but dark black and darker brown, making them stand out from their fellow men.
"Their clothing kinda reminds me of the clothing from Saddle Arabia," Sandbar pointed out.
"Actually, Hammerfell sounds a lot like Saddle Arabia, just with humans instead of ponies," Ocellus said while writing down more notes.
High Rock was the Northeastern province of Tamriel, where its true history was said to begin. In this province, the famous Adamantine Tower was to be found, a massive building that is said to be the oldest structure in the entire continent to the point that it was even said to be at the beginning of creation itself. Other than that, it was also the home of the Bretons (also known as the Half-Elves) and the Orcs.
"Orcs?!" All six cried out in shock upon learning that one of their world's most infamous creatures was here in Tamriel. Orcs were known to be bloodthirsty, evil creatures of sinister cruelty and barbarism that had formed large hordes in the past that left death and destruction in their wake. However, these orcs were not like their own. For one, they were not as tall or monstrous despite having similar facial features. Second, they were primarily green-skinned, not black or gray-skinned, and lacked the more demonic features that Orcs in their world were known to have.
"Wait, are these Orcs...good guys?" Sandbar asked in disbelief.
"I don't know about good, but they don't seem to be like the monsters in our world," Gallus replied with a shiver. Orc attacks were more common in the griffin lands than in any other place in the world, and the history between the orcs and griffins was one of pure hatred and bloodshed.
"I mean, they even have their own place to live outside the city-states of the Bretons, so I guess that means they're civilized," Ocellus said with wide eyes. "This is really fascinating."
Finally, there was the heart of Tamriel. The place that would be the center of many events in the ages to come for the continent and its people: Cyrodiil. Originally home to the Heartland High Elves, they built the first early civilizations of Tamriel and the centerpiece of the entire land: the White-Gold Tower. The great tower stood tall, and the six recognized it as the tower from earlier. In the centuries to follow, the tower would be seen as the supreme seat of power for Tamriel after the destruction of the Heartland High Elves (also known as the Ayleids), who caused it through their cruel enslavement and mistreatment of humans.
"Shit, the elves enslaved humans?!" Gallus cried out in shock and disgust. "Ugh, I hope they rebelled."
Gallus's wish was granted instantly as it was revealed that the Great Slave Rebellion had indeed seen the elves' power fade into humans' hands when they overthrew their cruel masters. This would be the beginning of the Imperial race, and Cyrodiil would soon carry the weight of holding things together for their province and others.
In the First Era, it would be the Imperials who would hold off the invasion of Akavir.
In the Second Era, an incredible mass explosion of magic and arcane energy would shape the foundations of Tamriel forever into what would be known as the Faction War.
And in the Third Era, the crowning of Tiber Septim would happen that would usher in a great empire that had never been seen before.
Yet despite its chaotic nature between peace and war, blood and song, and love and hatred, Tamriel is a land of fantasy, wonder, danger, and legacy. The pieces are set, and the roles are cast. The game is set to play.
But who is pulling the strings behind it all?
That is a story for another day.
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Hmmmm, yes
Doubtlessly this series will touch on the phases of Akatosh, the differences between Alduin and Alduin, the god head, the existence of the Magna-Ge and how Magnus did nothing wrong, and how Lorkhan was unironically a deadric prince?
TMRIL AE DAEDROTH
Wulfharth L
Hjalti O
Ysmir R
Talos K
Arctus H
Septim A
----- N"
THE AEDRA HAVE ABANDONED US! THLMR IS THE ONLY WAY! ESCAPE ESCAPE ESCAPE ESCAPE ESCAPE ESCAPE
11491221
the more commonly accepted theory is actually that Lorkan's Godly form was split asunder, while his Heart and soul fell to Nirn, the remains of his body became the twin moons, Massa and Secunda...the story of the Heart of Lorkan is well known, but what of his soul? well, there is a certain Kahjitt, or perhaps a family line of Kahjitt, who seem to know more about that than others, but...well, they could all simply be liars...
11491276
Someone didn't listen to Mankar Cameron XD
11491438
why would i? that guy was certifiable...
Well it is nice how after seeing how terrible the world of Fallout has been for so long, the students finally get to see a more beautiful and arguably more hopeful world. I think it will be fun for the more they learn about the dragons of this world the more Smolder can compare them to the ones in their world.
This is awesome. After this, they should watch some Elden Ring lore lol
It's finally here!!
Ooooh by the divine the waiting is killing me
Pretty good lore and worldbuilding chapter