Ijs Feuer Weardian, Drifter-Mage (Circa 2E 582)

VOLUME XIV IN DAEDRA WORSHIP ACROSS TAMRIEL

Compared to the other sixteen Daedric Lords, Peryite is one of the lesser known and more enigmatic Princes revered in Tamriel. His followers tend to keep to themselves within isolated locations, and few actual depictions of the Prince exists. Many of the writings about him are also fragmented or esoteric in nature, making him one of the many 鈥榢nown mysteries鈥?of Oblivion.

Peryite is 鈥?along with Nocturnal, Clavicus Vile, and Vaermina 鈥?one of the few Daedric Princes who isn鈥檛 found in any of the traditional Tamrielic pantheons. And even amongst those three Daedra his worship is much more hidden, whereas theirs is popular and well-known. Despite this cults established in his name can be found in every province of Tamriel if one knows where to look.

Also known by the monikers of Taskmaster, Blighted Lord, Conjurer of Contagions and Caretaker of Cures, Peryite is the Daedra Prince of Tasks, Pestilence, Cleansing, Hierarchy, and the Natural Order (Balance). He is also in charge of keeping the Lesser Denizens of Oblivion in line and in their place, making him unique amongst his fellow Princes as he seems to be the only one who invests time monitoring the incalculable planes of Oblivion 鈥?including the ones controlled by the other Daedra Lords. Because of this he is often unconcerned with (or simply does not care much about) the Mundus and the small events that occur within it; however, he often makes his presence known to mortals in more subtle-yet-powerful ways and only becomes interested in Nirn when grand events occur or when a mortal invokes him directly.

When he does materialize on Nirn he almost always takes on the form of a green four-limbed dragon, serpentine in appearance and unlike the fabled dragons of Skyrim and Akavir. He may also take on the form of infectious vermin, an eerie alchemist of unspecified race, a winged snake, or a calming voice inside your mind. His emblem is that of a limbed snake with wings, which is believed to symbolize harmony between the heavens and the earth.

Whereas some of the other Princes neonymics (the names they created/chose for mortals to refer to them as) are translatable (for example, 鈥楳olag Bal鈥?means 鈥楩ire Stone鈥?in Ehlnofex as well as the Mer dialects that evolved from it), it is still a mystery why the Taskmaster chose Peryite as his. It is similar in nature to the Ayleid word pyrite (鈥榟armony鈥? and the Nedic word pryit (鈥榯o seep鈥?. The word peryite (鈥榖alance corrupting鈥? itself is a Nordic word, dating back to the First Era around the creation of the Alessian Empire and very similar to the Ayleid word pyrite (鈥榟armony鈥? and the Nedic word pryit (鈥榯o seep鈥?. Because of this some theorists suggest that 鈥楶eryite鈥?is an accidental amalgamation of those words created by Nordic travelers who spoke with both races during their early interactions with the Heartlands. Eventually the new word became the standard name for the Prince after men鈥檚 permanence in Cyrodiil was secured so that negotiations with the First Empire of the Nords would run smoothly. However, that is all speculation and Peryite himself seems to treat the name as if it is just as ancient as he is. Of course, like the rest of the Daedra Princes, the Taskmaster鈥檚 protonymic is unknown.

Although it is widely known that the Daedric Princes have no true understanding of the concepts of 鈥榞ood鈥?and 鈥榚vil鈥?Peryite (along with his brethren Boethiah, Mehrunes Dagon, Molag Bal, and Vaermina) is considered to be genuinely destructive on purpose and takes pleasure in the suffering he inflicts on mortals. Many consider this label to be somewhat inaccurate when considering the nature of Peryite鈥檚 ur-sphere, balance. He makes sure that all opposing forces in a system also have opposing forces moving against them, as well as making sure that everything in said system has a purpose. He embodies both the good and the bad about every individual thing in the Aurbis and therefore always chooses to play both sides of an argument during dealings; many of his blessings are also curses due to his constant duality. Because of this Peryite is considered one of the most malicious and deadly Princes, owing to the fact that he is fully aware about the sadistic things he does to mortals but commits them anyway. The truth behind the matter is simply that the Blighted Lord has a great chance at harming you as well as helping you during dealings with him.

The earliest mention of Peryite in Tamrielic traditions appears in the ancient Nedic text known as Draconis Peryedeythos, which is still being translated by scholars today. He is considered to have been a major patron deity of the Nedes during the Merethic & First Eras by theoreticians, whose texts paint him in the light of a god of life, death, and (most importantly) time in regards to balance and history. Because of this he was considered a fickly deity who was both creator and destroyer, the dreaded and the revered. All of the Nedes in Cyrodiil (subgroups like the Keptu and the Kothringi also held him in high esteem, but were known to have supplanted his worship with other gods) made prayer to Peryite constantly.

It was only until the Ayleids began to systemically enslave the Nedes that public worship of the Taskmaster began in the merish races. Due to his enigmatic behavior and standard Elven doctrine of Aedra worship, Peryite was virtually unknown to the Aldmer and their descendants. Exposure to Nedic religion resulted in the Ayleids learning about and then incorporating the Blighted Lord into their mythos. He became a symbol of their government and the city-states in general, but many Ayleid Daedraphiles began to deeply revere him. Entire cities like the infamous Ceylasel became devoted to Peryite. However, when Alessia began praying for the Taskmaster to help her people against the cruel mer he offered little existence. Eventually Alessia began to pray to another draconic god, Auri-El, and his brood in the Ayleid Pantheon for assistance in overthrowing the slave-masters. The Divines heard her prayers and took pity on the girl, sending her three visions as well as the help of the Ada Morihaus the Man-Bull. Alessia was able to free herself and launched the infamous Alessian Slave Rebellion.

The more Aedra-aligned Ayleid lords and their kingdoms allied with the Nede uprising and its newfound Nordic supporters to help defeat their Daedra worshipping brethren in what is known as the Narfinsel Schism. Cities dedicated to the Princes were razed and destroyed; some even disappeared from the land entirely. In the end, the Nedes won against their former masters and drove all of the hostile Ayleids out of Cyrodiil. With the installation of the Eight Divines (a fusion of the Aldmeri and Nordic pantheons) and the subsequent public banning of Daedra Worship, Akatosh Time-Father became the new dragon god of the Nedic people and Peryite was displaced. Despite this, many Taskmaster cults persisted throughout ancient Cyrodiil (some scholars even suggest that the statues of Akatosh that can be found throughout the Heartlands were based on early depictions of Peryite) and eventually found themselves in the other eight provinces.

In Skyrim, the Nords regarded Peryite as a nature demon and harbinger of death. In their legends he is the one that first brought sickness to the land of snow and made it harder for them to grow food. This seems appropriate for the Nords, who often harbor fear and resentment against dragons (see: Alduin). However, dragons are also seen as symbols of power and authority in the Fatherland and thus the Nordic cults respected the more orderly aspects of Peryite. Draconic totems created in honor of Peryite were fusions of the remnants of the Dragon Cult and Nibenese customs from Cyrodiil, and were especially profound in the Reach. According to fable, Peryite transformed a disrespectful worshipper who forsook him for the goddess Kyne into a sickly tree in that region and till this day it remains a constant reminder to those that would wish to betray the Taskmaster. The tree then became his chief shrine in Skyrim.

Peryite鈥檚 worship found its way to High Rock through the Reachmen, a group of tribal Bretons that have plagued both Skyrim and High Rock for centuries. Capturing and intermingling with Peryite cultists resulted in the already Daedra worshippers to incorporate him into their evil pantheon of dark demons and hedge spirits as Paerite. He became a spirit associated with curing agents and deadly alchemic brews. Paerite also allegedly helped them create what is to believe to be some sort of 鈥榩lague magic鈥?to waste away their enemies. The more civilized Bretons began to revile the Taskmaster for these reasons, but he remains a popular deity amongst the healers, witches, and warlocks and is often referred to as the 鈥楢lchemist鈥檚 God鈥?in their province.

Interestingly, Peryite seems to have always been involved in the region of Hammerfell. The Keptu there viewed him as a kindly demon, and there have always been speculation that the Blighted Lord is connected with the estranged Rourken Clan of the Dwemer. When the Yokudans came forth in their Ra Gada Wave they began to mindlessly slaughter all the folk that lived in ancient Hammerfell to make way for their fleeing people. As a result Nedic-style Peryite worship was all but stamped out. However, the Redguards brought with them their own pantheon and cultural practices. In Yokudan faith Peryite is known as Pe鈥檈rite, the god of Banes and Cleansing. In myth he was the one that taught the Redguards how to kill scorpions and use their venom for poison and how to use cacti as a healing agent; in short, he taught them the basics of alchemy. This cemented him as both a god of healers and warriors, but a minor one in both areas.

Similar to the Nords of Skyrim, the Bosmer of Valenwood view Peryite as an equally malevolent and benevolent nature spirit. In the jungle nation he is referred to as Rite (which translates into 鈥楾he Pear-You-Eat鈥? and is a much more obscure deity that seems to be on a much higher cosmic order. Rite is closely associated with Y鈥檉fre the Spirit of the Now, and ancient Bosmeri legends indicate he embodies the civilized Merish traits and the more bestial habits of the Wood Elves. His niche of the Natural Order is held in high esteem in his Valenwood cults, and his sphere of pestilence is interestingly neglected. As 鈥榃arden of the Ooze鈥? he judges whether a Bosmer maintains their form or sinks back into the formlessness of the Dawn Era. Ayleid refugees from Cyrodiil also brought their Pyrite to Valenwood when the Wood Elves gave them shelter from the Alessians, but his worship only prevailed in their cities and died out when they did.

Fleeing Ayleids also brought Pyrite to the Summerset Isles when they attempted 鈥?and succeeded 鈥?to integrate back into Altmer society. Due to the High Elves disdain for Daedra worship, his cults are minimal in the isles (especially due to how they believe his draconic image is a mockery of Auri-El鈥檚 majesty). However, the more open-minded Altmer view him as a 鈥楽ocietal God鈥?who鈥檚 in charge of their incredible caste system.

The Khajiit of Elsweyr were introduced to Peryite worship (in his aspect of Rite) by their neighbors the Bosmer at some unknown time in the past, but many suggest that is during the Merethic Era. In Khajiiti legend his name is Perjit in Ta'agra'iss, one of the many children of Fadomai and Ahnurr鈥檚 second litter. He is the Herbal Cat for 鈥榳ho can smell the differences between healing spices and poisonous plants better than a cat?鈥? A minor deity, Perjit seems to be a god of both alchemy and cookery. He is also tied to the making of skooma out of moon sugar, resulting in him being interestingly connected to Sheggorath/Sheogorath (and therefore insanity). Khajiit believe that cooks and alchemists are often driven crazy by their work, which can be stressful and tedious.

Although the Argonians as a whole do not worship neither Aedra or Daedra (instead choosing to revere the spore-trees known as the Hist and the great nothingness called Sithis) the individuals that assimilate themselves into the other provinces are fully capable of doing so. Instead, Peryite worship instead was centralized in Kothringi and Barsaebic Ayleid beliefs. However, with the extinction of both of those races the worship of the Taskmaster has become scarce in the province.

The Dunmer of Morrowind have an interesting view on Peryite. He was one of the ancient spirits that accompanied the Chimer during the Velothi Exodus, but was always a more lesser known (albeit still respected) deity compared to Boethiah, Azura, and Mephala. When the Tribunal came to power during the First Era, they gave counsel and admonishment to the Daedric Princes. Some (like the Three Good Daedra) complied with the will of the Living Gods, while others (like the House of Troubles) rebelled. Peryite, admiring but at the same feeling disrespected by the Dunmeri people, simply chose not to redraw from the Land of the Dark Elves entirely. Of course over the years several Peryite cults have settled in mainland Morrowind and on the island of Vvardenfell (even building Daedric shrines to him) due to the natives open-mindedness towards Daedra, but they almost immediately dissolved due to the Taskmaster鈥檚 intentional and complete disregard for the region.

But out of all the provinces that revere the Blighted Lord, Cyrodiil has done it the longest and is the originator of it. As earlier in this book, the native Nedes worshipped the Daedric Prince as one of the chief deities in their animalistic pantheon, Pryit. Their ancient texts state that Pryit is one of the oldest gods, forming immediately after the Time God (mannish Akatosh or merish Auri-El) came into existence to help balance the Aurbis. Because of this the Nedes viewed Pryit as a much more important entity who often took on a draconic image to show his connection to time. His worship only began to wane during the Alessian Rebellion and the beginning of the Alessian Empire, due to Akatosh becoming the chief god of the Eight Divines. Daedric cults began to be persecuted throughout Cyrodiil, but many Nedes refused to give up their worship of the Taskmaster. As the modern Imperial race began to emerge, veneration of the Prince of Pestilence altered between the cultures of Colovia and Nibenay. The Colovians viewed Peryite as more of a god of order and workers, harsh and strict. The Nibenese viewed Peryite in a nicer light as a god of alchemy and scholars. Regardless, reverence for the Taskmaster suffered during the time of the Alessian Order due to their advocation of monotheism and the anti-Daedra message of the Eight Divines forced his worshippers to live in areas of seclusion. Those that explore the Heartlands however may come across some of the rare statues of Peryite in the wilderness, abandoned and in disrepair.

Certain vampire clans revere Peryite as a patron throughout Tamriel. This is undeniably true for the Whet Fang of Argonia, who are one of the more elusive and powerful clans. This stretches back to Merethic Era legends where it is stated that Peryite was enraged at Molag Bal for creating vampirism, which upsets the balance between mortal life and death. In an attempt to eradicate the condition, he cursed the spreading vampirism. Only the Whet Fang bloodline were affected by the curse, creating the vampire strain Serratus Peryiphim, also known as Serratus Peryiphim Sanguis. In the end, Peryite took ultimate vengeance upon Molag Bal by diluting the vampiric condition from a magical infliction into a parasitic disease of which he has taken control. Peryite is also said to have some rivalry with Hircine, who also disturbed the balance between man and beast with lycanthropy.

It is unknown if the other peoples of Tamriel (the Imga, Orcs, etc.) venerate Peryite in some form or fashion. It is often speculated that the Sload of Thras recognize and make dealings with him, with one such dealing being the disastrous Thrassian Plague (this, however, has yet to be confirmed).

A common 鈥?but major 鈥?misconception is that Peryite is one of the weakest of the Daedric Princes. There is no true way to calculate the power of a god, especially the infinite strength and total immortality of the Daedra. But in some regards he can be seen as weak; for example, compared to the other sixteen Princes he seems ultimately unconcerned with Nirn. As stated earlier, however, his attentions are invested in making sure the Daedric common folk are doing what they are supposed to be doing. Despite this, he still makes time to observe mortals in the Mundus and spread his influence in both beneficial and hurtful ways. It is said that Peryite is constantly watching every being in the Aurbis, making sure that they are doing exactly what they are supposed to be doing. Those that have been able to communicate with the Blighted Lord and remain in a communicative state have said that he always greets the individual politely before telling them that he has been observing them for some time. Because of this, he is often able to pick out individuals to perform certain tasks for him.

Persecutors of Peryite worshippers are often priests of Akatosh, Arkay, and Zenithar, and the Taskmaster does seem to hold some contempt for those three Aedra. Peryite-Akatosh aggression dates back to the beginning of the First Era. The Taskmaster鈥檚 spheres of pestilence and cleansing often interfere with Arkay鈥檚 control of life and death. And Zenithar鈥檚 domain of work and commerce overlap with Peryite鈥檚 need for tasks and balance. His rivals in Oblivion include Molag Bal, Hircine, Mephala and Vaermina, the former two for the reasons mentioned earlier in this volume and the latter two for reasons still unknown to mortals. And the holy god-knight Ebonarm hates all Daedra.

Peryite鈥檚 holdings in Oblivion is known as the Pits (or Peryite鈥檚 Pits), which has always been inaccessible to living mortals since recorded history. The only knowledge of them comes from the accounts of other Daedra and the spirits of the dead that resided there, for you have to be deceased in order to enter the Pits. The Pits are described as a craggy, rocky wasteland of a dark-grey hue and an eternally nighttime sky. But the most interesting thing about the realm is that the ground is littered with thousands of holes, each one built specifically for a certain purpose. Waterfalls of pure water and infectious ooze flow equally throughout the realm and green lightning strikes frequently. Few vegetation grows in the ground, but those that do are unique. The realm itself is prone to violent dust storms that can rip flesh from bone as well as healing rain. Most inhabitants of the realm reside in the many pits, leaving the surface to the more bestial Daedra. Peryite himself exists in all areas of his realm, his body curving in and out of tunnels linking the pits together. The majority of his body 鈥?including his forearms and head 鈥?resides in the Palace of Parity, his center of power in the Pits.

Unlike the other Daedric Princes, Peryite does not employ Dremora in his service as he finds them rowdy and disrespectful. Instead the unique Daedra known as Vavasours perform the duties the aforementioned Dremora, and are bound to his will and his will only for eternity. There are both male and female Vavasours, with both sixes being of a height of seven feet, slim build, and wearing light green medium armor of an unknown fluid-like substance. Their skin is an eerie pale, their eyes bright yellow with no pupils, and their hair a dark green, resulting in them being more humanoid than most Daedra. Vavasours are in charge of maintaining order throughout the infinite parts of Peryite鈥檚 realm and work the vassals (mortal worshippers or lesser Daedra who perform mundane tasks) in the pits. Another type of unique Daedra supposedly encountered in the Pits is the Plague Atronach, which are loyal only to Peryite.

Something interesting to note is that Peryite is in default control of an unknown number of Daedric planes, as he orders all of the lowest orders of Oblivion. Some of these he has incorporated into his realm or simply conquered, like the Blighted Nexus, home plane of the Plague Atronachs. He has also formed planes in Oblivion either for his followers or out of his anger (which is something to behold, for the Blighted Lord is always described as calm and calculating), like the Oozing Mire.

Peryite鈥檚 summoning day is the 9th of Rain鈥檚 Hand, the time of the year where his influence is strongest on Nirn. It is said that on this day he first spread disease throughout Tamriel, shortening the unnaturally long lives of man, mer, and beastfolk. Illness and vermin become rampant throughout Tamriel as the Taskmaster draws closer to the Mundus. In order to summon him one needs vampire dust, a flawless ruby, a silver ingot, a deathbell flower, and of course either a shrine to the Prince of Pestilence or a sigil of his power. However, it is said that those who are deathly ill or able to contact Peryite at any time of the year and some areas of Nirn surge with his energy.

The end of this volume will now speak of Spellbreaker, Peryite鈥檚 signature artifact and one of the most ancient relics of Tamriel. Superficially a tower shield of Dwemeri make, it is invested with vast portions of the Taskmaster鈥檚 power. The shield has the ability to block both melee and magical attacks, befitting its true master鈥檚 sphere. It played a crucial war during the battle between the Rourken Clan and the Archmage Shalidor before it became the shield of heroes. Some say that the Rourken built it for Peryite after he sent a wasting plague to the Dwemer for some insult. Others believe that he stole the shield once the Dwemer disappeared from this world. And some of the wilder theories state that Shalidor was a champion of the Taskmaster, who tricked the Rourken into creating the shield and the battle started when they learned of this betrayal. Regardless, it is one of the most sought after Daedric artifacts amongst warriors and mages both. Interestingly, however, it hasn鈥檛 been seen in Tamriel for many years. Perhaps Peryite has withdrawn it for use temporary, as his attentions stray elsewhere.