So we all know about the Nordic Tongue Warriors and their use of the powerful magic Thu'um. (If not then read this http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore%3a%44ictionary_W#Way_of_the_Voice). So according to the lore behind Thu'um from some of the in-game books, powerful users of this magic can move mountains, destroy castle walls, talk to people thousands of miles away, and teleport large groups of people at once, all with a shout.

So my question is: Is Thu'um the most powerful form of magic in existence? No other form of magic could possibly do what Thu'um can in a practicle (sp) way, it would just take more magicka than a mortal could have. According to the wiki and the references in game it appears that even moderate Thu'um users can do things advanced mages can't.

Like all magic it's as strong as the plot needs it to be.

If you're interested though, it might be worth the effort to chase down the various sources of the uesp article because the largest acts were committed by someone of rather mythic proportions.

Also, from what I've heard over the last several years of the forums, the Tongues are rare now in Tamriel.

They're not rare exactly, just hard to find. As it says in the link most Tongues live very high in the Skyrim mountains.

Those would be the Greybeards, whom apparently can annihilate you just by having a casual conversation.

.......Anybody reading the link? The greybeards are powerful Nordic mages, but it's the Tongues who use Thu'um.

Doesn't hard to find mean rare?

Greybeards and Tongues are the same thing, as I understand it.

As for Thu'um being the most powerful magic, it may well be, but this is balanced by the fact that it isn't as controlled as other magic is. That's why the most powerful Thu'um users need to be kept gagged at all times, otherwise a whisper from one could inadvertently bring down a small mountain.

well maybe thums are reallllllllllyyyy goood mages

Yes. This has been established.

I'd say that not all Tongues are Greybeards, but all Greybeards are Tongues...

Having done a bit more research, yeah, that sounds about right.

they're not green exactly, just a mixture of blue and yellow

The forum has been gloriously hilarious recently. I don't want it to stop.

Indeed, most of the lore masters have been replaced with people I don't really know. Oh well.

Thu'um is basically a Nordic magic that was supposedly given to them by Kyne (Kyraneth), and it is not clear if it is even magic in the traditional sense. I believe it also says that Tiber Septim created a college for it, which would mean that it is still around.

From what I read, any user of Thu'um is considered a Tongue, so what Luager said is correct.

I would imagine it is simply vibration of particles through sound waves, amplifying the voice of the practicioner to certain frequencies and volumes to suit their needs. You can also direct sound waves so as to keep them from going off into the distance, keeping them in a straight beam-like wave, which would travel great distances. Sound can do anything, so long as you've got the right note, so it is not so far fetched considering the science behind it. With one possible exception being teleportation, which is already another type of magic entirely.

That doesn't even have anything to do with rarity, are Greenland sharks rare? No, theirs thousands of them, are they hard to find? Yes they live far beneath the ice. Stop picking apart my words and focus on the question.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Perhaps I should have added a poll

Rare is a word that directly corresponds to the frequency or sparsity of whatever the subject at hand is.

To call it hard to find could refer to the rarity, or just the means of encounter.

I love the smell of raging semantics in the morning

Well I just don't see any reason to be a sarcastic [censored] when there's no need to.

I do.

Semantics -> Discussion.

They aren't warriors. Until the Thuum come down from their mountains and do something for a change, they remain irrelevant really.

Even if their being there aesthetically cool.

Eh kinda of topic but if the next game takes place in Skyrim I hope the greybeards are done justice. I would hate to see them neutered like the ancestor moth priests were. To see a moth priest walking through the Imperial City in a cloud of ancestor moths would have been sweet.

tongus is a funny name

The problem is, you can't really do the Greybeards justice. No matter how cool it turns out in game, it would never be as cool as *actually* meeting them. To feel the coming storm as they became restless. To feel the whole world shake from their voice. The best they can hope for is a cutscene.

...........
BUMP
...........