I was in some thread about Dagoth Ur in the Morrowind section a while back, and it got me wondering a thing or two about corprus and a few misconceptions of Ur's schemes.


Is Corprus really that much of a bad thing? When I look at a Stalker, it seems to me, to be a mere simple Chimer. I can imagine the "curse" to turn Dunmer into Chimer. If you were to live outside all day every day in a large desert, with constant sandstorms 24/7 for a few decades with only a pair of trousers to shield you, you wouldn't be the prettiest sight. When we patch up the blisters, fix the hair, recolour his skin (all of which would get ruined in these conditions) and give him some decent clothes, he honestly would look like a standard Mer.

Now of course, Ur was originally mortal. He has his own desires. He may very well use brainwashing to have them do his bidding. Though he sees it as a good thing. Removing a nation wide curse on an entire race whilst granting them immortality and restoring a country to a former glory... When you say it like that, it really doesn't seem all that bad.


It seems to me that the Corprus was severely blown out of proportion by the temple. And the "ugly" sixth house "monsters" are that way due to power. You will notice that the level of ugliness is directly proportional to the level of power. Each stage will get stronger and uglier. Until we reach Ash Vampires. Who are practically gods themselves. I believe that Dagoth Ur shared a piece of the Hearts power directly with the Vampires, rather than through the Blight, like everything else. This gave them more divinity. The blight will make people stronger, but not strong enough to overthrow Ur. only those he trusted (Vampires) would get some of the real power. All the ugly Sixth House Cultists are either warriors or priests.

Anyhoo, this thread isn't about the greyness of Ur, I think we all know how that could go on. This is all about Corprus. What's your opinion? Is it all as "evil" as it's made out to be? Also, Divayth has some interesting thoughts on this "Divine Blessing"...

Corprus is simply a disease of the soul and body that turns you into a mindless zombie. It is every bit as bad as everyone says it is, as any visitor to Tel Fyr should know.

The Sixth House transformations are part of a separate process, one that is surely religious and requires both consent and devotion to Dagoth Ur. And really, them beasties are some of the most chilling monsters I've seen, ever.

Whether it's "not so bad" is your own opinion, but going babble-crazy insane, OCD and clawing off your own face and then scooping out the interior of your skull so a proboscis can start to grow while your frame fractures and condenses into a horrific hunchback shape must be highly unpleasant. I'm not so sure the Ash vampires are the result of all of that. Aren't they a select set of favored old servants? They certainly bear no resemblance to the other highly-evolved Sixth House creatures.

This sums it up. Those infected with corprus lose their minds completely. Instead of simply killing them and allowing their souls to be recycled through the dreamsleeve, it takes a mortal, ruins their mind, and keeps them alive for eternity or until slain. It's a fate worse than death.

Corprus is fascinating. The mythical symbolism about sight and eyes, the way that progress towards Dagoth's ideal is accompanied by ever increasing deformity...
And Dagoth's ideal is a charismatic and compelling one.

The monstrosity of the Corprus creatures seems to resemble a Nietzscheian "tearing-down" and triumph of the will. The old flesh is destroyed and desecrated, and the powerful new flesh grows cancerous and uncontrolled, until the individual is able to exert control over it and channels it into the formation of their new, sightless, Ubermenschian body. I sometimes forget why Dagoth Ur's Divine Disease and bid for world domination were bad things.
edit: But Velorien and Sonic Snap summed it up quite well. However, I do think that the Ash Vampires are the "normal" end result of the Corprus transformation, for those who make it that far. I'm basing this primarily off the continuity of the "Dagoth" naming structure from Ascended Sleeper to Ash Vampire.

Remind me, is there a generic Ash Vampire creature? Or do they all have unique names?

Because the primary Ash Vampires are referred to as Dagoth's kin. They are his old retainers and relatives from the First Council Era.

If no Ash Vampires have arisen since then, then I think I am right. If not, then I'd go with the2crow.

There are no generic Ash Vampires. They are all Dagoth's generals from when he, and they, were mortal.

So that means that a devotee of Dagon has never gone through the whole process of evolution.

It stands to reason that Ash Vampires were given immortality in a special way, while the usual transformation makes you less and less humanoid.

So does that mean that even when slain, they're souls are permanently gone?

We have no idea.

I think the highest evolution any new followers of Dagoth can obtain is the Ascended Sleeper. That's what my memory tells me, at least, so that needs confirmation.

EDIT: Not confirmation, but http://www.imperial-library.info/content/corprus on the subject.


I don't think a soul can be permanently gone, save for one killed by the Staff of Chaos. I assume those affected by corprus, when slain, would have their souls go to the dreamsleeve, same as everyone. The problem is that they're not affected by age or disease, so they essentially live forever in a monstrous zombie-like state.

"Fgfjyv ugly jug fhfjfn asdtftga asd aghds iihih" <----- someone with corprus trying to type a response after their hands fell off.

That document is not confirmation, it's the observations of a fan.

Oh, whoops.
Thanks. Disregard that then.

The strongest of the Ascended Sleepers are not mere generic enemies, but have the title "Dagoth". This trait shared with the Ash Vampires leads me to speculate that Ascended Sleepers are not in fact the pinnacle of Corprus progression.
And note that the fact that all the extant Ash Vampires are said to be Dagoth's generals and retainers from before the First Council Era doesn't necessarily rule out the possibility that their ascension to their current form is linked to Corprus.
Of course, there's no real reason to say that they are part of the evolutionary path of Corprus; it's pure speculation on my part. But I think it fits.

nvm

It's not what it's made out to be, but your own summation isn't any better. Just because you can say a thing in way that makes it sound nice doesn't change it's true nature.

Corprus is the divine power of the heart transferred to Ur's followers. It does offer power and immortality and a place on the mythic scale. However, Ur's plans by no means just removing a nationwide curse and restoring a country. If he'd been let go he'd have spread the blight all across Tamriel, even Nirn. Everybody would become a part of him, both in body and mind. It would be the literal realization of the godhead's splintered mind being molded back together under a single individual.

Corprus is the thing which creates both the beasts and the priests. The only difference between the two is that the ash creatures have been allowed to/taught how to use the power, whereas the corprus beasts have been left to be consumed by it.

Sorry, a tad late reply. Had to sleep. Then work.

My point isn't about the mental afflictions of Corprus, but the physical ones. Perhaps the mental side is a side effect of being touched by the divinity of the heart without the proper tools, anyway? Have we ever heard of that ending well? Perhaps there is no actual malicious intent of Ur. Though I doubt he didn't intentionally add in some brainwashing to the mix.




How do you know this? All we've heard of is a slight mentioning of "perhaps" expanding Morrowind's empire.



Yeah, this is what I've said.

Once you get past the gibbering insanity, loss of free will and eating of your own flesh to induce massive, unsightly growths only to be killed by some wandering hero when you try to eat his wife, it's actually quite nice.

The primary purpose of Akulakhan was spreading the Blight. That doesn't sound like something too easily contained to Dunmer lands.

And the "perhaps" seemed a lot more like a 'hell yes' to me.

I'm going to rehash some of my previous statements from the thread in Morrowind general discussion.

-Even with the insanity of the Blight and Corprus creatures, Ur seemed level headed, a far cry from the supposed "god gone mad" that Vivec described him as.

-Although Corpus seemed to be entirely evil in it's purpose, the Nerevarine was supposedly granted immortality by the disease. If Ur had been able to expand the Blight beyond Red Mountain, he may have further experimented with the heart in order to grant similar immortality to his followers, minus the whole becoming a zombie.

-It could be possible that Corprus was not a creation of Dagoth Ur, but was the blessing of Lorkhan himself. Ur sought to spread the blessing, but it backfired, transforming those it afflicted into husks of their former selves. Only a select few, such as the Ash Vampires, were able to withstand the blessing, and achieved a presumably higher state of existence. The Nerevarine was possibly the only mortal who had fully withstood corprus, and it almost seems like Ur was envious.

Additionally, Morrowind would likely still be under Dunmer control if Ur had succeeded in his plans, or at least survived the events of Morrowind. The Oblivion crisis would have never occurred, and Red Mountain wouldn't have erupted. Without the eruption, the Argonians might never have attacked Morrowind in the first place, and if they had, the Dunmer would have been able to focus all of their efforts on the invasion. If Ur had completed Akulakhan, any invaders wouldn't stand a chance. After Ur had achieved power, it's reasonable to assume that he would have attempted to further experiment with the heart and corprus in order to grant his followers with side effect free immortality. If I recall correctly, Ur's initial intention was to strike down preconceived notions of godhood and immortality, and what better way to do that than grant mortals with immortality?