Project Tamriel

Morrowind might be a chapter, but Battlespire is a legend.

Is there any hope we'll meet Clarentavious Valisious on a second Battlespire, Chimere Graegyn address the Elder Council on his visions, or meet either of the Moonreavers which slew Dagon? Is Storm, the Imago of Clan Dremora, still the Mehrunes of Clan Dagon? Has the Empire even recovered Weir Gate?

For that matter, Battlespire wove Arena and Daggerfall together in a loom of mystery, leaving what should have been plot arcs for Oblivion behind. That never happened. The nuances of the Daedra were swept under the rug. We forgot the Manna Tourbillons, Dreamsleeve oracles, and Wheels of Heaven, as fast as the Empire forgot her Twilit Fastnesses.

I'm just concerned Battlespire's frankly great lore is dead, if a mod of this scope misses their oppertunity and neglects to go slipstream...

By the way, hello Project Cyrodiil! I went by jackfrost and HoonDing at the official forums. My names the same everywhere else. I recognize a few names. I literally just found you guys, so you could call me tweeks right now. I just wanted to lend a public opinion or three I feel like proofing a couple Ayleid docs and some rp plots I've used, and donating them, if they're worth anything to the project. (When I think Ayleid I think Chozo, if that sounds interesting.)

We will definitely refer to Battlespire, but the main focus of the mod is to portray Cyrodiil, not Oblivion. As such, we will probably not have an in-depth look at these Daedra or their lands. That being said, there are plans to have a decommissioned Battlespire close to the Imperial City, and the Imperial Mananauts will likely draw from Battlespire lore. Cyrodiil's many Daedric cults might feature them too.

The Emperor's Palace is a crown of sun rays, surrounded by his magical gardens. One garden path is known as Green Emperor Road-here, topiaries of the heads of past Emperors have been shaped by sorcery and can speak. When one must advise Tiber Septim, birds are drawn to the hedgery head, using their songs as its voice and moving its branches for the needed expressions.

My vision for Cyrodiil City has been of two cities. Cyrodiil City of clan flotillas, barges, and islets surrounding the central, Imperial City: an island of four citadels, three flanking the Imperial Palace District. The Imperial City is the bureaucratic nexus of the Empire, chamber house of the Elder Council, and cultic epicenter of the Ancestor Moths, who tend the Imperial Library of Elder Scrolls.

Hearkening back to "The Red King Once Jungled" I thought, what if Talos breathed winter on this island alone? The whole of Imperial City island is a temperate anomaly, creating the deciduous gardens which divide his forbidden city's administrative districts.

An Arielle Septim's noted in Arena, does she play a role in the succession controversy? Maybe the Dragon Guard have protected her and plan to reveal her soon. It would stabilize the Empire to know there's a legitimate heir in waiting.

Can't find anything about her. Can you reference it?

http://www.imperial-library.info/conten ... uction-lar" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;èna

"In this case, the heir to the Emperor, Princess Ariella Septim, ascends the throne. Such a scenario was unaceptable for Tharn, which would only change masters, and would be even more ashamed to serve a woman."

[Translated from the French introduction to Arena]

Granted, this is old, but could be fun to answer whatever happened to Ariella. She apparently escaped Tharn, maybe guided away by the ghost of Ria Silmane and her Ladies Senecure.

Hmmm. As far as I can see, Ariella is only mentioned in the French translation, not in the original. Not really the most solid of lore foundations. Seeing as we already have three heirs in the story, I don't see the need to add anonther wildcard in the mix. Besides, this whole "the true heir will reveal itself" plot is kind of cliche, and not really appropriate for the grand narrative of the Septims.

The French also notes one Martin the paladin, comrade of Talin Warhaft... But we all know Martin was no crusader of righteousness in his youth.

Who are the Briricca Company?

One of the many minor Cyrodiilic trade guilds. Organizations like this specialize in the export or import of specific goods across province borders, or the bulk transport of goods along the major trade arteries like the Niben River or the Gold Road. The Briricca Company, I believe, exports silk and various Cyrodiilic luxury goods to Morrowind. They are many such merchant guilds, like the Colovian Traders Co-operative in Skingrad, the White Scarab Syndicate in Sutch, or the East Empire Company, who are specialized in government-funded long-distance mineral trade.

Very cool, thanks Infragris.

Is the general populace still suspicious the Simulacrum controls the Empire? I understand they fear the heirs are doppelgängers, but is society even aware the Simulacrum is over, or do they who lived through the events suspect the histories are propaganda, and the simulacra are embedded in the highest to lowest echelons of government?

I ask, because it took several generations for the populace of Europe to recover from it's bleak skepticism of the Revolutionary year, and the Simulacrum appears to have done as much damage in Tamriel. This prevailing drama of loss and rapid change would color Cyrodiil gray with pessimism, and define the characters we meet. For many, the Simulacrum was only "yesterday," and all the happiness and the security of days before die lost in the twilight.

I'm not the best to answer this, but it's my understanding at least that this issue is one of the major causes for the growing unrest in The Imperial City.

It depends on who you ask. The Simulacrum is a good thirty years ago, so still in living memory, but much of the Empire has recovered: the provinces are no longer in open war with each other, most rebellions have been suppressed, the trade routes are open, and the war tax has been terminated. Most of the Legions are still quartered in the provinces, though, and there is some concern in Cyrodiil over who is supposed to pacify the hinterlands in their absence. The frequency of bandits and pirates in the provinces is an indirect effect of the Simulacrum.

Rumors about the doppelgangers are mostly confined to the lower classes. The upper and most of the middle class have recovered, and many are optimistic about a coming "golden age", comparing the Simulacrum to the troubles of the various Interregna (which were always followed by great revivals). However, the common people still feel the economical effects of the Simulacrum, and have since been hit by other crises (droughts, bad harvests, recessions). The popular protests in the Imperial City were originally against the war tax, but have been hijacked by various anti-centrist extremists who pin all their troubles on the elusive doppelgangers.

Nobody seriously believes that the Emperor himself is still a simulant: he is almost universally loved, and the difference in character between him and Tharn is quite noticeable. Similarly, there are very few who believe that the government is still under control of the simulants: the inquisition against Jagar Tharn's faithful was unprecedented, and still fresh in public memory. The Tharn Hierophants and the Dagonite cults, once one of the most important political powers in the Nibenay, have been completely erased, their strongholds burned, their statues defaced, and only a handful are still rotting in their cells beneath the Imperial Prison. Not since the days of Tiber Septim has a political bloc been erased in this way.

The concerns about the close family of the Emperor are based on an obvious question: how come none of his sons noticed that their father was replaced for ten years? The answer, it must be said, is that Uriel Septim was a cold and callous man before his imprisonment, and that he did not have a close bond with his sons. But to the people, their support for Tharn shows they were complicit, replaced, or incompetent. Similarly, many believe that Caula Voria, the Emperor's wife, and other members of the Voria Hierophants were in on Tharn's deception, and that they somehow escaped persecution (though Caula Voria has been unofficially banished to the Emperor's Summer Palace).

The current mood in Cyrodiil is not so much one of bleak pessimism as one of frantic distraction and agitation: it's five minutes to midnight for the fall of the Empire, and people are either in denial, indulging in hedonistic revelry, or plotting to seize whatever is left after the storm. But nothing has happened yet.

Insightful as always, Infragris. Thanks!