Denizens Of The Soul Cairn
By
Velacar Worm-Prince
Master Necromancer & Conjurer, proud student of the Dark Arts
College of Winterhold
Greetings esteemed reader, if you have not yet read my previous book: On Soul Cairn, then I recommend you do. If you have read the book or you already have reasonable knowledge on the Soul Cairn then you may of course, wish to know more about the denizens of this realm.
I assume the reader also has some basic knowledge in either necromancy or conjuration. If you wish to learn how to summon these Undead creatures, you will have to receive this knowledge, either by your own means(studying this book should prove invaluable) or contact the Ideal Masters. Generally only they can bestow the knowledge. I was able to learn on my own by traveling to the Soul Cairn. With that said, they were not pleased with what I have done and I refuse to anger them further.
I will discuss the following entities in this book:
1.)Trapped Soul
2.)Boneman
3.)Mistman
4.)Wrathman
5.)Keeper
6.)Reaper
Trapped Soul
The most common of the Undead that walk the barren land of the Soul Cairn are the unfortunate(or fortunate) souls. They have either made deals with the Ideal Masters, or they found them selves soul trapped in a Black Soul Gem. They wander the bleak land aimlessly in a constant state of awareness or lack thereof. Some know where they are and are disgruntled and miserable. Some have no idea where they truly are and are trapped in their own minds essentially. Which one of the two have it better is up to debate. Both types seemed pretty miserable regardless. I managed to communicate with some of them. The stories of how they ended up here were essentially the same, the only variation being the aggressor who put them here. Some stories recalled battling a necromancer and then ending up here. One soul recalls his arrogant decision to argue with a Dremora - a Daedric being for those who do not know. One soul even recalled being sent here by the Wolf Queen, Potema! Others recall themselves being cheated by the Ideal Masters.
One particular soul worth mentioning that I met: Perhaps you know of a famous Dunmer named Jiub, Saint Jiub. Yes the very one who drove the Cliffracers from Vvardenfell. He told me his tragic story of how he ended up here. He was living in Kvatch you see. When the city was sacked by the Daedra, he was one of the unfortunate victims... If it eases the reader's mind know that Jiub fought well and died with honor. He helped the city guard of Kvatch fight and likely helped many innocent citizens flee to safety. He met his end at the hands of a powerful Dremora. Despite my great talent in necromancy, there is no known way I can release Jiub from this prison. Believe me, I have actually tried to even summon him at least temporarily as if he were a Daedra. Anything to get him out of there. His soul is in complete custody of the Ideal Masters. There is nothing I can do for him. Even if I had access to his body, I simply do not have the power to release his soul from the extremely tight grip of the Ideal Masters. I regret being unable to help. Saint Jiub does not deserve this, this is injustice. The best I can do for him is make sure his deeds are never forgotten. So I have included him in this book. I have helped him finish writing his own book on his great deeds. I am working on making copies of the book so I can share with the rest of Tamriel. It's the least I can do for him.
Boneman
"Blessed are the Bonemen, for they serve without self in spirit forever."
Bonemen represent the common reanimated humanoid skeletal remains. They are of a black color with a purple tint. Their eyes glow purple. They tend to prefer both ranged and melee combat. For melee combat they predominantly use one-handed weapons like longswords and war axes. They are generally more durable and powerful than your common skeleton. They serve as reliable and very easy to control servants to those who have the knowledge and power to summon them. They are extremely obedient and quick to follow commands.
Mistman
"Blessed are the Mistmen, for they blend in the glory of the transcendent spirit."
Mistmen are of similar appearance to the Bonemen. They are legless and seem to float in place. They seem to be of a corporeal nature as they are slightly transparent. Though not enough to be considered ethereal. They are very much physical though they seem somewhat resistant to normal weaponry, however they are not immune. An enchanted weapon is not required though recommended nonetheless. They seem to rely on frost spells rather than weaponry. At range they will launch ice spikes at their targets. In close range they resort to a concentrated gust of frost. If their magicka reserves are depleted they will resort to hand-to-hand combat. In this scenario, they will pick up any weapon that may be in the immediate area. If you can conjure an Atronach then you will find summoning a Mistman to be slightly more difficult. There minds are not as complex as Daedra but they are generally more unruly. This should not be a problem for adepts or even apprentices of conjuration.
Wrathman
"Blessed are the Wrathmen, for they render their rage unto the ages."
The Wrathmen seem to be the top-tier Undead of the the three. Like their name suggests, they are wrathful in nature and are the more difficult of the three to actually control if you manage to summon them. I recommend that the conjurer be at least of expert level. I'm sure adepts can control them as well but I will not recommend it. They resemble a slightly transparent, bright purple colored skeleton clad in Heavy Armor. They predominantly use two-handed weapons for combat.
Boneyard Keeper
The Guardians of the Soul Cairn. I have managed to locate only three of these intimidating beings. They truly are a sight to behold. The Keepers resemble giant armored headless warriors. Where there head should be - instead a black mist forms a head with a pair of glowing purple eyes. Their armor seems to be made of bones. Specifically, the bones of Dragons. They were immediately hostile and a force to reckon with. One of the most powerful creatures I have ever fought. One used a mace and shield. One used a battle axe. One used a bow. All of their weapons also seemed to be made out of the bones of Dragons. No doubt, in defiance to Akatosh. Parading the remains of his children. As such, it is painfully obvious that these Undead constructs are the guardians or "keepers" of the realm. I speculate they administer the will of the Ideal Masters directly. They are quite possibly the body of the Ideal Masters in a metaphorical sense. The embodiment of their remarkable power. Through extensive research, and painful battle, I have managed to actually temporarily summon them as minions. They are extremely difficult to control, moreso than anything I have tried to summon in past experiences, and doing so drained me of almost all my magic reserves in one go. The trade off is well worth it in my opinion as I have not encountered anyone, be it man, beast, or monster, that could defeat them in combat. Once summoned I could practically just sit back and watch it decimate my opponents as my magicka regenerated. I have yet to be able to permanently bind them however. They are difficult enough to temporarily summon them and it would be even more of a monumental task to make them obedient. Summoning them strains my mind and gives me migraines. As such I only summon them when absolutely necessary. No one except for masters of conjuration should even dare summon them.
Reaper
The most mysterious of the Undead in the Soul Cairn. As mysterious as the Ideal Masters themselves. The entity the other souls call "Reaper". Some of the souls recall being watched. Indeed while traversing the realm I had a constant peculiar feeling of being watched. At first I thought it was the Ideal Masters monitoring me trespassing in their home. However after encountering this being I believe it was indeed the Reaper watching. If the Keepers are the Guardians, then the Reaper would be the Warden. Perhaps only emerging to deal with any the Ideal Masters consider a threat and only if the Keepers themselves fail. I was only able to summon him forth for battle by collecting shards scattered across the bleak land. In his dark lair was an altar. I placed the three shards and he appeared. Standing only slightly shorter than the Keepers, Ethereal in nature, a skeletal being wearing what appeared to be the clothes of an executioner. Wielding a powerful battleaxe. In battle he summoned forth multiple Bonemen and "vomited" vile vapors as his main offense. With proper poison resistance I was able to withstand some of it's damage. His attacks are quick and fierce, he was relentless in pursuit of my death.
I believe when souls enter the Soul Cairn, they are first processed and harvested by him.
If you ever manage to bind a Boneman, Mistman, or Wrathman to our realm you must have the proper invocation to actually control them. If received through a bargain with the Ideal Masters, depending on which one you spoke with, they may forget to give you the vital invocation needed. Going against my own word in my previous book I have managed to gain an audience with them. I will say no more on the details. I will however, record the invocation for reference. So long as you have willpower and certainty in your voice, they should obey any command. If you lack the confidence to issue the invocation your minion will sense it in your voice and likely kill you. If this is the case then you should not be dabbling in the Dark Arts and deserve your fate brought forth by arrogance.
Confront your would-be minion and command the following:
You die.
You pray.
To serve.
You live.
You swore.
To serve.
Your Lord.
Commands.
» Tue Aug 20, 2013 8:25 am 
