» Sat May 28, 2011 8:01 pm Tam! RUGH!
The Temple Zero Society
The Temple Zero Society (abbrev. T0) is an association of admirers of the elaborate backstory of the Elder Scrolls series of video games. The extensive world-building that goes into this backstory is conveyed through a wide variety of short texts of all genres, as well as concept art and the games themselves. The sum of these various sources constitutes a body of work usually referred to as the game's 'lore.'
Over the years, fans of the series have gathered online to discuss this lore, and from this environment grew the idea for Temple Zero, which is a rather particular sort of fan site.
Why 'Temple Zero'?
Temple Zero takes its name from a secretive organization that appears in Elder Scrolls' lore. Little is known about Temple Zero, but it consists primarily of conspiracy theorists, revolutionaries, intellectuals, and heterodox thinkers, who are highly critical of the Cyrodiilic Empire and generally entertain Marukhati philosophies. Furthermore, they appear to have access to information not generally available to the public, and have a history of spreading that information against the will of the Empire. For this reason, they are often portrayed as frauds, charlatans, or heretics.
What is Temple Zero?
The community out of which Temple Zero has grown centered around Bethesda Softworks' online discussion forum. Over the years, a number of regular forum users came to favor a particular subset of the Elder Scrolls lore, which tended to portray the universe as more exotic and alien than conventional fantasy settings.
Whereas discussions from the community had previously centered around dissecting the "factual" truth of the universe, to these users the "truth" had basically been agreed upon. Instead, they began to focus on the aesthetic aspects of the fiction and the ways certain texts stood out among the vast array of sources as creating an especially interesting world. It was this sense of aesthetic that later came to be labeled 'monkey truth.'
What is monkey truth?
'Monkey truth' is a particular aesthetic which recognizes the world's inherently fictional nature. Though the 'lore' has often been treated as if it were the record of some actually existing universe being recorded by these texts and images, a 'monkey truth' creation will above all attempt to present a world which is profoundly beautiful and magical. In such an aesthetic, internal consistency takes a backseat to marvel, which is far more important.
A monkey truth creation therefore is one which is successful in achieving the sense of an alien and exotic universe, avoiding standard fantasy genre conventions to achieve an overall sense of alterity, while still containing a successful narrative.
The term itself is at least a decade old, though it became a commonplace descriptor after writer and game developer Michael Kirkbride applied it to al Bede's "Orc Creation Myth". It has been summarized to mean "a story so good it should have been included in the game."
What does Temple Zero do?
This website, therefore, is a collection of fan-written texts which we believe have achieved that quality. Nothing on this site is canon, if such a thing exists, and it all springs from the imagination of fans of the series, not anyone who has ever been a part of the Bethesda Softworks' development team. Though it obviously not official, we will leave it to our readers to decide if it is "true".
***
Today we begin counting to zero. Eight days separate us from the not arbitrarily chosen date of September 9th 2009, the official opening of the Temple Zero Society. To celebrate this event, each of the following days the Society will release a new document concerned with one of the various peoples that inhabit Tamriel. Today, we begin with ourselves and our manifesto.
THE NULL MANIFESTO
Behold, we are the confraters of Temple Zero! Our monastery is the temple before the temple, a union before the One, a chapel that exists only in the singular moment of Convention, and an altar placed at that divine and infinite point where Is meets Isn't, the font from which all possibility springs forth.
Do not be alarmed by us, good friends. You have heard that we are heretics to be burned, or lunatics to be pitied and feared. That we are liars and plagiarists and swindlers. No! We are the Alchemist, bringing forth the beautiful glimmer of gold through chrysopoeic distillation. Let it be heard, from the Dragon Throne of Niben to the Crystal Court of Alinor, that our allegiance lies solely with the absolute of Truth! We bow before no worldly sovereign whose domain is so petty - so insignificant - as the empires of Mundus, for the kingdom of Truth stretches far beyond the starry skies above. Truth is the centerpoint of all things and the face behind the mask of gods.
Remove the mask! - reluctantly if you must, but look upon Truth and rest assured that it holds no greater threat than a welcoming smile. In that moment of relief, know that what you hold in your trembling hands is an object of great and mighty power. The creases and wrinkles of the mask are a map of this world, which is itself a theatre of illusions and deceit. Its sardonic grimace salutes your entry behind the coulisse.
Know also that the mask you wear yourself is not forced upon you. The guise too much worn grows dull and crumbles to dust, bringing with it the beloved character of its visage. Learn instead to be an artisan: make your own mask, iridescent and ever new; carve and paint to your heart's content; sing, dance, and revel in the grand carnival that is Mundus!
I say again: behold, we are the confraters of Temple Zero, who have seen the Truth and cherish it, and by its power have lordship over our own souls. In this way we hold as our guide Marukh, the Monkey Prophet, our vanguard for Truth in the cosmic arena. Our ending formula is therefore the word of the Primate, to which we pledge our lives, our names and our sacred honor. With this call he united the peoples of Tamri-El in elegant jubilation, an elated and triumphant polyphony that reached above the skies, disturbing the waters of Oblivion and trembling the very halls of Aetherius. With this call he cast aside his mask and spread the light of Truth to all the folk of Nirn, and it shall not be forgotten until the last star has fallen and the great dreamer sleeps no more.
http://www.monkeytruth.net
And so open the gates of the Temple. Confraters, we welcome you with open arms. Behold, you are Temple Zero.
