Request for opinions regarding the lore-friendliness of the : The Elder Scrolls Series Discussion

» Sun Feb 03, 2013 2:17 pm

I'm posting this scene here, rather than the fanfiction forum, because I glanced in there and found one thread marked "artwork" and a ton of others devoted to RPs, and I'm really not sure that this kind of piece would be welcome there. I'm also posting here because I'm looking for lore-related discussion regarding the characterization I've used for Alessia and Morihaus--especially Alessia, as I think it's somewhat unconventional and I'm not sure it'll be well-received. My question about Morihaus is whether or not the lesson he's teaching is accurate to our understanding of lore. My first question regarding Alessia is whether or not it's believable that she's taking divinity lessons from Morihaus at this late stage in her rebellion (specifically, immediately after Pelinal's infamous "O Aka, for our shared madness I do this!" speech). My second, and probably more important, question is how much will it rock the boat to have Alessia hold the opinions regarding the gods that I give her here. My view of Alessia's opinions on divinity are shaped by the one prayer we have quoted from her (that I know of), no more and no less: She prays to the Nordic Mara (the Handmaiden) and to Kyne in the name of Shezarr, and asks to destroy the Elves utterly. To me, she's a vengeful woman praying to Nordic gods, turning away from the Cyrodiilic (Ayleid) gods that she would later be forced to integrate into her new Empire. In my view, she was probably reluctant to deal with the Ayleid divinities, and did so in the end due to a combination of necessity and the lessons and understanding she received from the greater beings that joined her in her rebellion (Pelinal and Morihaus, the visions of Kyne, etc.). In the end, I'd like to think that the final revelation was Pelinal's appearance at her deathbed; I envision him appearing in his armor, but the closer she looks at this Shezarrine, the more she realizes that the gleaming of his plate looks like the gleaming scales of a Dragon. (I admit that I also imagine her screaming at this point.)

Tell me what you think, please!

“He spoke to Aka.”

Morihaus turned his great head to look upon his chosen mate, snorting at the confusion in her voice. “He did,” the bull replied. “It is in his nature to speak to the divine.”

Al-Esh frowned. “Does he often speak to the gods of his enemies? He seemed… joyful.”

Morihaus nodded. “He spoke in joy, but also in madness. For the madness is divine, and one should always receive gifts of the divine with joy.”

“The madness is divine?”

“One can expect nothing less to come from an immortality tempered with death.” Morihaus looked out at the rest of the camp. “For all that you seek freedom in this life, remember that you have invoked the blessings and support of the divine. And among the et’Ada, all things are shared, in one way or another.”

“Even among our enemies?” insisted Al-Esh.

The divine bull snorted again. “You do not approve of something you do not understand. You cannot know the things Pelinal has known from birth.”

“Perhaps I do not understand fully,” the woman said, “but that does not make me ignorant of the loyalties of gods. I worshiped Aka and Stendarr and Trinimac’s ghost, begging for a future of mercy and strength. They gave me no succor. Then I worshiped Kyne, and she brought you to me, and Pelinal thereafter. She has brought justice while the gods of Mer brought me only pain. Thus I name them enemies.”

Morihaus gave a long look to Al-Esh and said, “Do you not now look forward to a future of mercy and strength? I came to you because you prayed to Kyne for aid, for champions, but that does not mean that your prayers before my coming went unheard.” When the woman’s frown deepened, the bull said, “You heard Pelinal cry out to Aka, joyfully, brother to brother. Is this knight your enemy?”

“No,” Al-Esh answered immediately. “He is Merkiller. He is a champion of Men.”

“Yet he speaks to Aka?” pressed the bull. “He acknowledges the divinity of the Dragon, does he not?”

The woman remained troubled, but at length she shrugged. “I cannot tell him to cease, though I know not why he would worship the murderer of his asp—”

“Say nothing of that,” Morihaus warned. “It is beyond mortal comprehension.”

Al-Esh again frowned, but she nodded regardless. “It makes no sense to me,” she said, “but I will accept it so long as his words to Aka bring no harm.”

Morihaus shook his head. “Why would they?”

Al-Esh’s expression hardened. “He is the lord of our foes! He puts strength into their hearts, even as he glories in tearing that of Shezarr from its home in his briast! He is mad, and Men of all races have suffered for it!”

“He is mad,” agreed Morihaus calmly. “And he rules over the gods of Mer. But that does not stop your fellow Cyrod Men from blessing their campfires in his name, and thanking him for the freedom your rebellion has brought them.”

Al-Esh stared for a long moment. At length, though, she shook her head. “They will learn,” she said. “They will see the worship of the Nords among us, as I did, and call to Kyne and Shor…”

Morihaus shook his great head. “They pray to a god that served to save them. You do the same. To force them to turn from their chosen worship is to invite them to turn away from you.” Al-Esh narrowed her eyes, but the divine bull spoke before she could make her mind known. “Today your people give thanks to a god that saved them, that showed them mercy and freedom. And who is to say that there is not such a god that gives them these things, who answers to the name they choose to give him? And who is to say that such a god might not come into being from the power of their belief?”