Lore:The Vestige

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This article is about the Hero. For Daedric Souls, see Vestige (soul). For the creature, see Vestige (creature).

The Vestige
Race Unknown Gender (gender unknown)
Born 2nd Era
Died 2E 582
Resided in Tamriel
Appears in ESO
Soul of the Vestige
"I died, but that was only the beginning...I awoke in Oblivion. My body is intact, but my soul has been torn from my body."
—The Vestige

The Vestige, known by a plethora of other names, was a Soul-Shriven hero of prophecy.[1] As a mortal, they were sacrificed to Molag Bal by Mannimarco as part of a dark ritual in 2E 582.

With the aid of former emperor Varen Aquilarios, the Vestige escaped imprisonment in Coldharbour and reformed the Five Companions, as foretold by the Elder Scrolls in the omen "The soulless one will become the brightest of five stars, and they shall guide us to the coming dawn." [2][3]

After participating in the Three Banners War for one of the three alliances throughout its territory and Cyrodiil, the Vestige joined an invasion of Coldharbour by the Fighters and Mages Guilds. The Vestige became instrumental to that effort, restoring Meridia's Hollow City in Coldharbour as a beachhead for the invasion.[4] The Vestige, with Meridia's assistance, thus ended Molag Bal's Planemeld and regained their soul.[5] Meridia then sent the Vestige to explore events as if they had been part of the other alliances of Tamriel.[6] The Vestige then explored the aftermath of the Planemeld in Craglorn, facing the Celestials corrupted by the Serpent.[7] Thereafter, the Vestige joined the Dark Brotherhood[8] of which they became a Silencer,[9] the nascent Thieves Guild in Hew's Bane,[10] and aided in the rebuilding of Kurog's Orsinium.[11]

The Vestige then became involved in a Daedric war involving the Daedric Triad of the Princes Clavicus Vile, Mephala, and Nocturnal when they foiled the Triad's plot to sap Vivec of his power, before preventing their takeover of the Clockwork City.[12][13] The Vestige then traveled to Summerset and became a member of the Psijic Order.[14] Nocturnal, however betrayed the Triad, and was promptly defeated by the Psijics, Vestige, and champions of Meridia and the betrayed princes.[15] The Vestige then journeyed to Murkmire with the Cyrodiilic Collection Agency,[16] discovering the lost Root-Whisper tribe.[17]

The Vestige later reunited with Abnur Tharn, inadvertently aiding in his sister's plot to have him release dragons across Tamriel.[18] Abnur and the Vestige and prevented Euraxia's dragon allies from siphoning Jode's Core[19] and reclaimed the kingdom of Rimmen from Euraxia for its true heir, Khamira.[20] The Vestige would also ally with Sai Sahan to re-establish the Dragonguard in Southern Elsweyr.[21] The Dragonguard forged an alliance with the dragon Nahfahlaar,[22] who empowered the Vestige with the Mask of Alkosh.[23] The Vestige, Abnur Tharn, Khamira, Sahan, Nahfahlaar, and the Dragonguard thus stopped the leader of the unleashed dragons, Kaalgrontiid, from ascending to godhood, though their mission came at the apparent cost of Abnur Tharn's life.[24]

Eventually the Vestige met Lyris Titanborn once again in Icereach and aided her in defeating the Icereach Coven. They also helped the last Pyre Watch Sentinel and Fennorian, an investigator from House Ravenwatch, defend Unhallowed Grave against grave-robbing necromancers. The hero later met with Lyris and investigated a lead on the Icereach Coven in behalf of the Skald-King.[25][26] The Vestige travelled to Western Skyrim where they saved Solitude from a harrowstorm, and ousted and slayed the High King of Western Skyrim for being a pawn of the Gray Host.[27] The Vestige subsequently aided Gwendis in defeating a Vampire Lord and a mad alchemist, both of which were allies of the Gray Host. They continued aiding the Ravenwatch in investigating the Gray Host.[28][29]The hero's journey led them to Markarth where they ousted and defeated a traitor in the Despot of Markarth's court, temporarily saving Markarth in the process.[30][31] Finally, the Vestige traveled to Grayhaven and put an end to Rada al-Saran once and for all, stopping the Gray Host and saving the Reach.[32]

A chance encounter with the Bosmer Eveli Sharp-Arrow in Black Drake Villa, and two further encounters with the Dremora Lyranth - first in the Cauldron, and subsequently via an invitation to meet in a remote dungeon (various reports place this dungeon in Rivenspire, Malabal Tor or Shadowfen) revealed the existence of a secret involving the fallen Longhouse Emperors dynasty, a cult known as the Order of the Waking Flame, and a weapon of some sort known as "The Four Ambitions" and associated with Mehrunes Dagon. A list was found, of people who were apparently in on the secret - mostly but not all of them were members of Emperor Leovic's Elder Council, and some apparently knew part of the secret but none knew all: and one by one they were being murdered - apparently by the Dark Brotherhood, although the Brotherhood themselves denied it, a denial which was later proven to be correct when the true culprits were exposed as the Waking Flame. Many of the surviving councilors were known to be in the region of Blackwood, where Cyrodiil borders Black Marsh, and congregated largely around the region's major towns, Cyrodiilic Leyawiin and Argonian Gideon. Of them, most had reconciled themselves to the fall of the Longhouse Emperors, and managed to hang on to positions of regional importance - for instance, Councilor Tarnian Lovidicus had taken a place in the governing triumvirate of Leyawiin. However, Councilor Ertus Vandacia still harbored designs of seizing power for himself - the Daedric power of the pact with Dagon, the Imperial Throne, and the Four Ambitions themselves, whatever they might be: and it was he who proved to be responsible for the murder of many of his fellow councilors. The Ambitions, meanwhile, turned out to be not as expected: rather than conventional weapons, they were in fact, people, and apparently innocent well-meaning people at that - but, people whose purpose was to have been empowered at birth with power they could not control, by the sacrifice of their parents (a deed committed by Vandacia) and later to be sacrificed themselves by one who sought to seize their power. Vandacia duly deployed an army to capture the three Ambitions that had yet been found, who were quickly moved from the indefensible civilian city of Gideon to the much more sturdy Imperial-built Fort Redmane. The bulk of his army was defeated outside the walls, but Vandacia and a powerful group of cultists were able to get into the castle with portal magic. The Ambition, Destron, used his power to destroy a large troop of cultists but was in turn slain by Vandacia, who seized his power and attempted to declare himself Emperor, even as Mehrunes Dagon himself was drawn in by the destruction and attempted to merge Tamriel into the Deadlands. Vandacia himself was slain, and the new world-merge was prevented and Dagon banished. The two known surviving Ambitions, Sombren and Calia, realised that their power was already too great and uncontrollable to remain in Tamriel until they could channel it, and they would have to hide in the Deadlands where it seemed to be dampened: meanwhile the Vestige, now entitled the Hero of Blackwood, resolved to search for the missing fourth Ambition.[citation needed]

Titulature[edit]

The Vestige took on a number of titles throughout their Aurbic adventures. They were given their first title, the Vestige, by the former Emperor Varen Aquilarios, who learned of a Soulless One[33] who would save Tamriel from the clutches of Molag Bal through his studies of the Elder Scrolls. After defeating the Lord of Domination, they were also bestowed by him the titles of the Savior of Tamriel, the Hero of Coldharbour, and Meridia's Champion.[3] For their efforts against Prince Fildgor and solidifying the Ebonheart Pact in Eastmarch, the Vestige was named the High King's Arrow, or just the King's Arrow by Prince Irnskar.[34][35] In Reaper's March, the Vestige was chosen to be the Moon Hallowed, the person who would help the Lunar Champion walk the path to become the Mane of the Khajiit.[36] Upon uniting the Orcish tribes and stopping King Kurog's plot, they were deemed the Hero of Wrothgar.[37] When they fought the Daedric Triad throughout Tamriel, the Vestige was recognized as both a Champion of Vivec[38] and the Savior of Summerset,[39] To the people of Murkmire they are known as Rootmender.[40] The people of Northern Elsweyr named them the Champion of Anequina for their part in stopping the dragon Kaalgrontiid,[41], while their ally Nahfahlaar gave the Vestige the dragon name of Ahkahtuz.[42]

Notes[edit]

  • In early drafts, the working title for the Vestige was originally going to be the "Numinous".[UOL 1]
  • Dunmer during the Imperial Simulacrum were known to exclaim "By the Soulless One".[43]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Chaotic Creatia: The Azure Plasm — Doctor Rhythandius
  2. ^ Soul Shriven in Coldharbour
  3. ^ a b Aquilarios' dialogue
  4. ^ The Army of Meridia
  5. ^ God of Schemes
  6. ^ Cadwell's Almanac
  7. ^ The Thief in Craglorn
  8. ^ Signed in Blood
  9. ^ Speaker Terenus in Filling the Void
  10. ^ Partners in Crime
  11. ^ Orsinium questline
  12. ^ Divine Restoration
  13. ^ Where Shadows Lie
  14. ^ A Pearl of Great Price
  15. ^ The Crystal Tower
  16. ^ Sunken Treasure
  17. ^ The Remnant of Argon
  18. ^ The Demon Weapon
  19. ^ Jode's Core
  20. ^ The Heir of Anequina
  21. ^ Reformation
  22. ^ The Dragon's Lair
  23. ^ The Pride of Alkosh
  24. ^ New Moon Rising
  25. ^ The Coven Conspiracy
  26. ^ The Coven Conundrumy
  27. ^ Greymoor Rising
  28. ^ The Ravenwatch Inquiry
  29. ^ The Gray Council
  30. ^ The Study of Souls
  31. ^ A Feast of Souls
  32. ^ Kingdom of Ash
  33. ^ Sister Terran Arminus' dialogue in ESO
  34. ^ Prince Irnskar's dialogue in ESO
  35. ^ Captain Attiring's dialogue in ESO
  36. ^ Kauzanabi-jo's dialogue
  37. ^ King Torug's dialogue in Orsinium
  38. ^ Vivec's dialogue in Morrowind
  39. ^ Razum-Dar's dialogue in Summerset
  40. ^ Events of Death and Dreaming in Murkmire
  41. ^ Khamira's dialogue in Elsweyr
  42. ^ Nahfahlaar's dialogue
  43. ^ Exclamations — The Elder Scrolls: Arena

Note: The following references are deemed to be unofficial sources. They are referenced to round off this article and may not be authoritative or conclusive.

  1. ^ ESO Cut Content - Alinor and Ayarynne at the Imperial Library
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