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the World of Tamriel Books - King Edward, Part XII |
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The dragon had paused, so Edward interjected, "Mother and I have been discussing the
nature of the gods recently, Akatosh, and she thinks that poetry would be a godly activity.
What do you think about that notion?"
"I am not so certain that one can attribute anything to the gods, Edward. They are
another example of an unbounded problem, of course, but also, their characteristics are just
not very well known to us."
"But surely one can determine things about any being that is a god?"
Akatosh replied, "I do not think that we can, at present; they are not like the Daedra,
who have a nature that is with them at their birth. That is, the Daedra capabilities are
inherent in them, and not are the result of any changes that have occurred to them."
Willow interrupted: "Akatosh, we can determine that the gods have a few basic
characteristics, can't we?"
Edward added "Of course, Akatosh - they are powerful beings who can perform acts that
are incomprehensible to us. That in itself must signify their difference."
Akatosh nodded and replied "I understand your point of view, but to a farming community
on Tamriel in our southern lands, that could also describe how they would perceive me. Perhaps
this is attributable to the fact that they seldom see a dragon nowadays, but it also does not
mean that I am a god ... neither does it mean that I am not a god."
Willow giggled, and said "Of course you're not a god, Akatosh" and Edward, smiling,
nodded agreement.
Akatosh replied "How do you know, Willow? I can understand that you would guess that
I am not a god, particularly since I am a dragon." He grinned, and then continued "But how
can you know that I am not a god?"
Edward scoffingly replied "Well, I know that I'm not a god anyway. And I've certainly
never seen you perform any godly acts, Akatosh - you also don't seem to have any worshippers
about either."
The Companions were smiling and generally agreeing with this, but Akatosh responded "But
that does not mean that I have no worshippers, nor does it mean that I cannot perform any godly
acts - it just means that you have not seen either of these. I am not yet certain that gods and
goddesses require worshippers to maintain their existence. And as I said, I can perform magic
that would look like 'godly acts' to many Tamrielians."
"But the gods must have worshippers, Akatosh" said Aliera, "That's how they get their
... sustenance, or whatever it is that allows them to continue ... to be godly. Husband, you
must know more about this subject. After all, you made a god of your brother S'ephen."
"I did no such thing!" Moraelyn responded, with a touch of indignation. "His godhood
is between him and his worshippers, among whom I am numbered. I did establish a temple cult in
his memory. Anyone with the worldly means could do as much for anyone, living or dead. That
alone is not enough. Maybe it helps -- facilitate matters, but I think it's not really
necessary. I know no more of it, but if you want my opinion--" he paused politely for
confirmation that it was indeed still solicited, as elven etiquette demanded if one were
giving opinion at length.
He continued. "There must be something, well, godly, in the person's soul or essence
or whatever part it is that does not die with the body. I know not whether that capacity is
innate in the person, from birth or conception, or quickening ... whenever it is that soul and
body are wedded for a life span, or whether great deeds and great generosity might breed it,
enlarging the soul and transmuting it, so to speak. We all change and grow with each passing
day, with every breath, some more than others. What else is life about?"
He went on without pausing for an answer to his rhetorical question, probably for fear
that he might get one. "In other cases, gods seem to arise from a locality, a mountain, or a
spring, or wood, or a collection of localities, such as Tamriel itself. Places, like persons
have souls, some greater than others. This place might produce a god or a daedra -- or maybe
it already has one or more. As it changes, so do its gods and daedra, I think. Maybe they can
choose to resist the change or aid it, if propitiated."
He looked at Akatosh inquiringly. The dragon had stopped fighting the new gods, he
said, but would he go so far as to worship them? "That speaks to the question of whence gods
arise, but source is not nature: of that I know as little as the rest of you, maybe less, since
the question does not truly interest me. The gods are; my worship of them benefits me and mine.
It is sufficient."
Akatosh did not respond immediately and Aliera refused to be distracted, "But suppose
such a cult were established and worshippers provided for one of small and mean spirit. Would
that spirit not become a god?"
"I suppose it might be done, if one were determined enough and had a sufficiency of
means to pay worshippers to perform rituals without -- spirit -- behind them. Maybe that's
where small, mean gods come from, wife. Or maybe daedra? Maybe I'll raise a cult to thee and
see what happens."
"Are you calling my spirit small and mean?" Ali glared at him.
"Only by comparison -- you don't fancy yourself a goddess, do you? You might make a
daedra, though. The experiment might be a bit too chancy. Could I just mourn you for a century
or two instead?"
"Mm. I'll think on it. What about you? You've deeds enough already to qualify for
godhood, surely ... although if you plan on many more such you may not outlive me."
"I'm doomed to be R'Aathim, living and dead. It's godhood of a sort, but what a sort!
Don't begrudge me my long life span. Think of me doomed to eternity in the gloomy Ebonheart
council chamber listening to the eternal wrangles ... small wonder the dead R'Aathim pulled
the place down on the live ones twenty years ago, thus causing my brother and my mother to
join their number. The dead R'Aathim must have welcomed the century and a half of respite
while the Nords held Ebonheart."
"But your brother S'ephen was killed too, as well as your brother King Cruethys,
and S'ephen wasn't R'Aathim, being your mother's son and not your father's, if I have the
story straight -- that's why he got his own temple," Edward said. "So why did they kill him,
too? The story sounds very daedric to me."
"You'd have me justify the ways of the gods to you, would you? I think they act for
ends we cannot see, and slay the just and the unjust together -- not that I'd label any of my
Kin as either -- not altogether. We see only the means -- how can we judge? Gods too face
choices; I do not think their power supreme. They can overrule nature on occasion, as can
any Mage, yet they, like Mages, are in the end bound by it -- and their overrule must answer
other rules still -- and in those rules, whatever they be, I think lies the answer to your
questions. I think it's not something men and women may know while living."
Akatosh smiled and replied "It is not so easy to describe the gods, is it? This is
true even though, myself included, each of us thinks that we have a mental picture of what
godliness means. On the other hand, the gods and goddesses certainly do exist - and I also
believe that there is a connection of some sort between them and the Daedra, and another
connection between these entities and the power associated with performing magic."
"The priests of Julianos have been calling this power 'Magicka'" said a stranger who
had joined the group.
Akatosh replied "Greetings bard. Please allow me to introduce ... Geoffrey, a ...
wandering poet who has been visiting our village for these last few days." The Companions
greeted the wood elf newcomer, some rising to their feet to do so according to their individual
customs, and then all resumed sitting (actually sprawling about) and conversing.
"A number of priests are theorizing that the gods and goddesses live on another
plane, as do the Daedra - there is some debate amongst these priests as to whether they
share the same plane of existence, or whether each has their own. And some of the Alessian
priests are claiming that we can visit these alternate planes in our nightly dreams" added
Beech.
Edward asked "Why doesn't someone just ask a goddess or a Daedra about this?"
Geoffrey chuckled and replied "Most of us are not able to be so thoughtful when
confronted by one of these beings, Edward. Also, there is a common belief that the gods and
Daedra are as reluctant to discuss their own natures as dragons are to reveal anyone's True
Name."
Edward looked quizzically at Akatosh, but Beech stated to Geoffrey "Well said, Bard"
... and that pair shared the slightest of smiles.
Beech then said, "Do you know what the Resolutions of Zenithar has been saying about
the gods and magic? This magic power, or Magicka, is just the power generated by the existence
of, well, existance itself. When it becomes focused by living beings through natural processes,
then it becomes accessible to the gods and goddesses as worship power, which is the next level
of Magicka. After receiving some from their worshippers, the gods can then concentrate it up
to god-level power - the true Magicka. The gods themselves can't generate the mid-level
Magicka, since they are dependent on it for their own existence, but they can 'convert it'
to Magicka, which can then be used by mortals to cast spells. This Magicka is usually dispersed
widely across the planes but there are areas of greater and lesser concentration due to
interferences with the dispersion process."
"When a goddess loses worshippers, her inflow of mid-level Magicka is decreased, so
she in turn produces less god-level Magicka. With less Magicka under her control (for
providing to worshippers, or dispersion), her influence is decreased in the mortal planes -
of course the converse is also true. In the extreme, she receives nothing, and is relegated
to a state of Stasis, barely existing from the ordinary Magicka generated by her few remaining
Consecrated lands, zones of influence, and so on."
Beech continued, "On the other hand, Daedra receive very specific, or 'modified'
mid-level Magicka from a few mortals with specific areas of interest, and these Daedra are
normally tied to very specific circumstances. Because of their nature, they gain much more
power from their small worship base, but the gods, with their much broader base, generally
have greater overall power, even though the amount of concentrated worship that they receive
from any one source is much less than a Daedra's. Most of the Magicka that the gods 'process'
is dispersed into and throughout the universe, no longer under their control, thereby making
it available for everyone. It's not really something they do consciously, but as a natural
process that happens automatically - in other words ... just because they are divine."
Aliera said, "I would think that Magicka is simply available to sentient beings,
although the gods and Daedra could facilitate its usage. I would think that the gods and
Daedra have other influences on us as well, because not everyone has spellcasting ability!
Maybe in those 'alternate planes' it's actually existance, and not sentient entities, that
radiates Magicka, just as the stars give off light in our dimension. I just assume that
Magicka is 'out there' in the ether, or maybe sentient consciousnesses automatically tap
into an alternate plane as they sleep. I think that everyone has some supply of Magicka,
but most don't know how to use it very well, or else they adopt a way of life that inhibits
or forbids its use. Maybe certain gods and Daedra serve as facilitators for the entire process;
that is, both obtaining and using Magicka? But how do priests heal and cure and bless? Is
Magicka involved at all or do they invoke their goddesses directly?"
Ssa'ass said, "I am not ssssure that Magicka isss usssed; perhapsss there isss yet
another capability involved here. Thisss capability would be unknown at thisss time, and maybe
even unsssensssed... but I feel fairly certain that sssomehow it is a godly 'force' that they
are employing."
Then Geoffrey responded: "Ssa'ass, I believe that Magicka fills the universe of planes.
All things are infused with Magicka to one extent or another. In this regard Magicka is
attracted to some people and things over others, and some people with talent or training
can control and even release Magicka in new forms. There may be other sources of Magicka
available by tapping into alternate and otherworldly planes. There is also the possibility
of alternate planes that are entirely void of Magicka. Regardless, certain beings of great
power, such as the gods and Daedra, can not only control Magicka, but can see, absorb, and
transfuse Magicka to and from objects and people. By employing this ability, worshippers of
these beings are sometimes capable of greater acts of Magic than they could accomplish
otherwise. Also in this way, some items sacred to powerful beings can be said to be holy,
with additional amounts of directed Magicka provided by gods or goddesses."
"Magic items fall into two main categories by definition. Items that draw on the
surrounding Magicka to create spell-like effects, and items that hold Magicka in reserve
for their own internal effects. Normally magic items which absorb Magicka, giving increased
abilities to their wielders, only affect themselves and are considered to use internal
Magicka. In some areas where great amounts of Magicka have been used, the surroundings may
be completely devoid of it. This of course negates the ability of beings to produce magic
effects in these areas, although gods and Daedra carry their own supplies of Magicka, as do
magic items that do not depend on the use of surrounding Magicka."
Aliera said, "We've been investigating some rumors and stories concerning something
that might be called anti-Magicka. I think the presence of a powerful Daedra with whom you
weren't in 'tune' could cause interference with spellcasting - maybe even cancel out existing
spells. Perhaps particular Daedra simply favor thief or warrior types. Or some goddesses, and
their priests, might frown on 'competing' magic in certain areas, for example in locations
dedicated to them. So then unauthorized spells could interfere with their rituals."
Willow asked, "Can Daedra supply Magicka? And how about both a god and a Daedra being
nearby? - wouldn't they sort of nullify each other's powers? This might be the cause of the
anti-Magicka effect."
"I've experienced an anti-Magicka zone myself" inserted Mith. "It felt a lot like the
effect of casting a spell like Dispel Magicka. At the time, I thought that a truly powerful
spellcaster could still effectively cast spells, but their resulting power would have been
much reduced. I didn't get a chance to test this out though" added Mith with a smile.
"We can also assume that certain powerful spells, creatures and even magic items
might actually drain the surrounding area of Magicka," replied Geoffrey. "This could be
extended to places where great amounts of magic energy were once gathered and expended,
for example in ancient temples where great spells were cast, or battlefields where powerful
mages contested. Perhaps certain metals or stones could act as absorbers of Magicka, allowing
for whole structures of anti-Magicka zones. If so, you might be able to wear a amulet made
out of anti-Magicka material and gain a good advantage against spellcasters. Perhaps the
purity of the material used would allow for better and better magic resistance".
Akatosh spoke: "Dragons have long been interested in the anti-Magicka effect,
naturally enough. We have found some amulets that appear to act as Magicka absorbers. They
might contain something like Negative Magicka, in which case they would attract any 'stray'
Magicka floating free in the local area. They are made of a stone, or mineral, resembling
marble - it is very rare, but could be extracted, and shaped by skilled craftsmen. For
example, I'm sure that the dwarves could have worked with this material. They might have
made these amulets - or even that statue that I once saw ... it was taller than any of you
humanoids. Regardless, in these mountains we have found deposits scattered throughout the
halls and tunnels at random, sometimes deep within the walls. Consequently, one appears
to go in and out of these anti-Magicka zones of varying intensities, with little or no
warning. I have been imagining that this material works almost automatically; it seems to
'reflexively' absorb Magicka if given a chance to. However, we cannot rule out the possibility
that they have been magically charged somehow - perhaps this happened long ago, but the charge
has somehow remained."
Moraelyn asked, "Would the amulet affect its wearer, or would he be immune?"
"Maybe a blocking spell could be developed, and then cast, to shield the wearer from
the effects of the substance."
Moraelyn then asked, "But Akatosh, getting back to our earlier discussions - what do
you think of the speculations concerning the connections between the gods and goddesses, Daedra
and Magicka?"
Akatosh replied, "I think that there are many truths that we do not know, and perhaps
there are some truths that we are not meant to know."
Moraelyn asked with a smile, "All right then, I've always wanted to know this -
considering the shape of your mouth and teeth, how do dragons manage to speak the humanoid
languages so clearly?"
Akatosh paused, and then carefully responded, "Why, in much the same way that we can
fly, even though our wings are not naturally strong enough to support such heavy torsos."
"Speaking of dragon flight and sunsets..." Mith said, rising to his feet and squinting
into the red-gold eastern sky, "We have a vistor, Dragon Lord. That's not a bird."
Akatosh's head came up and he too scanned the sky. Tension grew in him, and one by one
the Companions rose, watching as the distant dot grew nearer and resolved itself into the
largest dragon they'd seen yet.
"Ma-Tylda!" Akatosh exclaimed, "She deigns to bestow her presence on us!" His wings
lifted and unfurled, and the Companions broke and ran for cover as he took flight. The two
dragons wheeled through the sky, spouting great gouts of flame against the purpling sky.
"They're fighting," Edward cried, "what does it mean. Who is Ma-Tylda?"
"I don't know who she is, son," Moraelyn replied, "but they do not fight. You behold
a dragon greeting ceremony." The pair alit beyond a rock outcropping out of sight.
"Should we go greet the stranger, too?" Edward asked.
"Nay," Mith said. "They'll let us know if our presence is wanted -- look, even the
other dragons stay away." It was true. Dragon heads had poked from the caverns to witness
the event, but none of them had taken wing, and now they were retreating to their hoards
within.
The Companions ambled back into the meadow together and built a fire as a chill wind
had sprung up. The elves sang an evening hymn to the stars, deftly weaving the dark elf version
with the wood elf form. Aliera added her voice to theirs, but Mats and Edward and Silk and
Ssa'ass sat listening silently. They couldn't manage elven music of this kind. Geoffrey had
a particularly clear sweet voice, Edward thought.
Akatosh returned presently, smiling in satisfaction. "Ma-Tylda's going to join us
here, at least for awhile," he said. He was actually glowing in the dusk, each scale giving
off a golden radiance.
"Is she your queen?" Edward asked, feeling very small and human.
"She -- just is. Maybe she'll want to meet you all some day. I hope so. Until then,
well, I don't talk about other dragons, you know."
To which Edward blinked in surprise and then surmise, and the discussion dissolved
into jokes and songs for the remainder of that clear and beautiful evening.
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