User:Vordur Steel-Hammer/Fiction/The Aetherial Mirror/The Aetherial Mirror

Book Information
Note
This is a compilation of books assembled for easier reading.

The Aetherial Mirror

A series of books about the retrieval of an ancient artifact

---

Note: This fanfiction series is based on a story roleplayed in ESO (EU) with the members of the Stormhaven RP community.

---

Chapter I: Discovery

There are many legendary artifacts whose names are immediately recognized by scholars and commoners alike. Some of these are of Daedric origin, like Volendrung or Wabbajack; others are Aedric relics, like the Amulet of Kings or Auriel's Bow. Yet another group is of uncertain or purely magical origin, like the Chrysamere or the Staff of Towers.

However, there are also artifacts which are mostly unknown, yet their potency and historical significance might be also quite high. An example of such an artifact is the Aetherial Mirror, an ancient relic recently retrieved by the Wayrest Mages Guild after years of searching throughout the whole continent. This series, written in the year 2E 587, documents the lengthy story of its retrieval.

The quest began when Magister Salagar Feynn, while looking for something in the Wayrest chapter library, accidentally found a journal written by a High Elf mage Nelathendil the Arcanist sometime in the First Era. The journal described the author's attempts to create the artifact with the use of Malondo and Culanda stones, as well as a small amout of an unknown material infused with Aetherial magic. However, the journal did not reveal what kind of power the finished artifact would have.

During his work on the Mirror, Nelathendil was also preparing for his wedding with a woman called Elanirya. However, Prophet Veloth and his movement was active at the time in Summerset, and its ideology attracted Elanirya, who considered the Aedric faith boring and decadent. Just as Nelathendil finished work on the Mirror, Veloth and his cult decided to lead his people out of the Isles, and Elanirya decided to go with them.

Nelathendil would not abandon his faith in the Divines, so he refused to go with Elanirya. Heartbroken at the loss of his beloved, Nelathendil decided to give her the Aetherial Mirror as a parting gift, feeling that there was no reason for him to live anymore.

The journal did not describe further events, but Magister Feynn also found some loose pages tucked inside it. These were hundreds of years younger than the journal and turned out to be research notes of an Imperial archaeologist, who had tried to locate the Mirror in 1E 2864. He had learned that Elanirya had settled in Vvardenfell and her family tomb was located in a ruin called Assarnatamat. However, he had not been able to find the Mirror in the tomb, and had concluded it had been stolen by a Dwemer raiding party. He had tracked the Mirror to the ruin of Kagrenzel in Skyrim, and from there, to Mzindyne in High Rock. Unfortunately, he had been killed by Orcs in Skyrim while he was on his way to the ruin.

Magister Feynn shared his discovery - the journal and the research notes - with the other mages, and the Guild decided to organize an expedition to Mzindyne.

Chapter II: Mzindyne

Mzindyne turned out to be a Dwemer ruin located beneath the Graystone Quarry, on the ground of Orcish clan Tumnosh in the Wrothgarian Mountains. When the expedition arrived there, they requested permission to enter the quarry and the ruin. The Tumnosh decided they would grant them passage if someone from the expedition wins a duel with one of the Tumnosh warriors. An agile Bosmer woman from the expedition managed to accomplish that, and the group descended into Mzindyne.

They reached the room containing the mysterious Orb of Illumination, and after defeating a Dwemer centurion and solving a puzzle, they found Elanirya's journal, which also contained a map and several drawings. They learned that Elanirya had deemed the Mirror "too dangerous to keep, and too beautiful to destroy" and utilizing powerful magic and allies, split it into ten pieces and hide them around Tamriel. The expedition found one piece in Mzindyne itself; the map and the drawings from Elanirya's journal hinted at the locations where the other pieces were hidden, but the clues were vague and required a lot of research.

Chapter III: Elsweyr

After some research, the Mages Guild learned that one of the locations from Elanirya's journal could be somewhere in northwestern Elsweyr. The Dune chapter recommended enlisting the help of Jo'zhirra, a local scout.

A small group met Jo'zhirra near Dune and agreed to kill a giant scorpion terrorizing the area in exchange for information. When they completed the task, Jo'zhirra led them to a Khajiiti ruin known as Jode's Light. In the ruin, the group encountered a puzzle - but somehow it involved the names of the Manes, including the current one. Having solved the puzzle, they entered a secret room, where they meet a Khajiit in the Guild robes. It quickly turned out that the Khajiit had found the Mirror piece some years before and had been driven mad by its power, which prompted him to create the puzzle, stay within the ruin, and guard the piece forever.

When the expedition tried to take the piece, the Khajiit turned hostile, and summoned a dro-m'Athra, who supposedly had lingered in the ruin, drawn by the artifact's power. The mages managed to banish the dro-m'Athra, but the Khajiit fled. With nothing in their way, they took the second piece of the Aetherial Mirror and brought it back to Wayrest.

Chapter IV: Hammerfell

The Mages Guild soon discovered that another location from Elanirya's journal was likely in a region of eastern Hammerfell known as Craglorn. They learned that a renowned Nedic scholar, Pelsius Varo, could probably help them find the exact location where the next Mirror piece was hidden.

The Guild expedition met Varo in Dragonstar, and collected some sketches of Nedic reliefs for him. In exchange, Varo told them that the location they were looking for was a set of valleys in the Dragontail Mountains, known as the Howling Sepulchers.

The expedition entered the Sepulchers and managed to find a peculiar tomb, shared between a Nord warrior Svalgardr and a Ra Gada swordmaster called Sheran-qi. The inscription on Svalgardr's coffin was written in Draconic:

HET NOK LOT KENDOV SVALGARDR

MID 1R DO AK4RDAL

V4R3N V4LOK DO KRUZ3K SUL9K

DINOK W4 VOL1N

Which transliterated into Cyrodilic becomes:

Het nok lot kendov Svalgardr

Mid aar do Akiirdal

Vahriin vahlok do kruziik suleyk

Dinok wah volaan

Which in turn means:

Here lies the great warrior Svalgardr

Loyal servant of Akiirdal

Sworn guardian of the ancient power

Death to the intruders

Sheran-qi's coffin bore an inscription in Yoku:

Sa den Shira-Ra Sheran-qi

Dogo hel anselim tobr'a Svalgardr do Akiirdal

Dogo alezer'i shen she ru Yokeda Tarish-Zi

Which means:

Here lies the noble warrior Sheran-qi

His sword agains the vile Svalgardr, [servant] of Akiirdal

He acknowledges the way of the War-Leader Tarish-Zi

From the inscriptions and the nearby relief puzzle, the group concluded that Svalgardr, a subject of the Dragon Priest Akiirdal, found the Mirror piece and was entombed there as its guardian. Centuries later, during the Ra Gada invasion of Craglorn in the ninth century of the First Era, the tomb was found by soldiers of Emperor Tarish-Zi, and Sheran-qi defeated the undead Svalgardr. However, in the end, he too was buried there to guard the artifact.

After the expedition solved the puzzle, the bodies of Svalgardr and Sheran-qi awoke, forcing the mages to defend themselves. The ancient warriors were eventually sent back to Aetherius, and the expedition finally found the second piece of the Aetherial Mirror.

Chapter V: Cyrodiil

Thanks to research performed by some members of the Mages Guild in the Gold Coast, the Guild learned that another piece of the Mirror was hidden in the Ayleid ruin of Garlas Agea. Inside the ruin, the expedition found an inscription in Ayleidoon:

Mittavoy ye admavoy an agea, emeratu av anyammis, rielle av oia, latta va loria.

Epevoy av mer man ae ata av gandra.

In Cyrodilic it means:

Enter and hear the secret, music of life, beauty of eternity, light in darkness.

Speak of the Elf who is the father of the Gift.

The inscription was a key to a two-step puzzle. While the first part only involved moving some symbols around, the second required to "speak of the Father of the Gift", that is to utter the name of Nelathendil, the creator of the Mirror. Having solved the puzzle, the expedition had to defeat two Ayleid statues that came to life before they could claim the third piece of the Aetherial Mirror for themselves.

Chapter VI: Summerset Isles

The next clue came from the Skywatch chapter, which directed the mages to Eurendil of Cloudrest, a powerful wizard who lived in a tower near the College of Aldmeri Propriety at the time.

The expedition traveled to Auridon and met Eurendil, who asked for help in his research concerning Mundus Stones. He also showed great interest in the Mirror and wanted to be informed of future progress of the quest. The mages agreed to help him, and he revealed that they needed to go to an Aldmeri ruin called Wansalen.

In Wansalen, the group solved another puzzle, and was attacked by two wraiths. One of them spoke after being defeated, and revealed itself as Lincano, Nelathendil's apprentice, who had found the Mirror fragment long after his master's death and decided to guard it against being taken by unworthy hands. With the mages defeating him, he considered his mission to be over and passed to Aetherius, while the group came home to Wayrest with the fifth fragment of the Aetherial Mirror.

Chapter VII: High Rock

The search for the next fragment of the Aetherial Mirror brought the mages to Northpoint, a city on the northern tip of High Rock's Rivenspire region. A local scout, Alice Lamont, recognized the location from the journal as the ruins of the great Ayleid city of Erokii, high in the mountains of Boralis. The expedition climbed through the Ayleid passageways in the Shrouded Pass. Near the fragment's hiding place, they found an inscription in Ayleidoon:

Mittavoy an math av nou bala

Sino an sunnand delle bis anyammis

Auranvoy an wenaya lye va sou cyri

Asva nou seli sila lattanya

In Cyrodilic it becomes:

Enter the home of our power

Here the blessed-stone grants eternal life

Welcome the green tree in your hearts

Within our halls shines the life-light

The inscription dated back to the time when the ruin housed the famous Ayleid relic, the Lattanya, or the Light of Life, and also was the key to the puzzle locking the room, where instead of the Mirror fragment, the expedition found a vampire. He introduced himself as Gaubert Montclair and explained that he had returned to Erokii after the Rivenspire crisis to learn what had led to the demise of his family. Instead of answers, he had found the Mirror fragment, and after defeating its guardian, decided to stay in the ruin and study it. When Montclair learned the expedition's goal, he became hostile, and the fight that ensued soon moved to the cliffs in the shadow of the ruined Doomcrag. Defeated, Montclair dropped the Mirror fragment and plummeted into the valley below. Thus the mages acquired the sixth piece of the relic. However, before reaching the Guild vault, the piece disappeared in mysterious circumstances, only to reappear later just as inexplicably - and the reason for this was not known until much later.

Chapter VIII: Valenwood

Next clue came from southern Valenwood. The expedition traveled to Southpoint and provided aid to Thrangolas, a member of the Order of the Lamp from Haven. In exchange, they were directed to the Ayleid ruin of Ne Salas, where they arrived on the following day. In the depths of the ruin, they discovered yet another interesting Ayleid inscription:

Ye sa va tam ald Boiche tya bala haelia

Ye shauta sunna Jephre va odiil

Ye mer av tari calne wenaya Aldlye

Va an anyammissi bisia ry Bosmer, kyndi av Jephre

Pado an la Anumarile.

And so at dawn the ancient Boiche tasted terrible powers

And the blessed Jephre came unto the land

And the folk of the woods was given the green Elden Tree

In their new lives as Bosmer, children of Jephre

Before the time of Anumaril.

The inscription recalled the times of the proto-Bosmer, the Boiche, who had been wild shape-shifters until Y'ffre came and fixed their form, which was the beginning of the Green Pact (see Beredalmo the Signifier's "Aurbic Enigma"). It also contained the hidden key to the puzzle locking the room with the next Aetherial Mirror fragment. However, this fragment was guarded by two liches, Erendaril and Curilanwe, who in life used to be Ayleid subjects of King Anumaril. The mages were once again able to defeat the guardian and claim the next fragment of the Aetherial Mirror.

Chapter IX: Skyrim

The clue to the next Mirror fragment, hidden in Skyrim, came from an unexpected direction - my sister Svardir claimed to have seen a cave entrance that looked just like the one pictured in Elanirya's journal. The cave turned out to be the tomb of Yoregg Grass-Grazer of Windhelm (refer to Taleon Mythmaker's "The Bastard's Tomb" for its story). The mages' expedition found an interesting inscription in the tomb: apparently one of its builders, Alvor Stone-Master, had been affected by a strange power during the works, and years after Yoregg's death, he came back to the tomb, where his mind finally succumbed to the overwhelming power of the relic. The text read:

HET NOK ALVOR GOLZ-IN

WO W2L1N YOREGGI QOTH

AHRK D1L1N FOD YOREGG LOST DILON

AHRK S3V FIN F3K SE SUL9K

TOL DU OK HADRIM

Het nok Alvor Golz-In

Wo wahlaan Yoreggi qoth

Ahrk daalaan fod Yoregg lost dilon

Ahrk siiv fin fiik se suleyk

Tol du ok hadrim

Here lies Alvor Stone-Master

Who built Yoregg's tomb

And returned here when Yoregg died

And found a mirror of power

That devoured his mind.

And indeed, the draugr that had once been Alvor was the guardian of the fragment, but not even his Thu'um could stop the mages from defeating him and recovering the treasure they sought.

Chapter X: Black Marsh

The mages now had eight fragments of the Aetherial Mirror, and only two were left. The guild mages from the Hissmir chapter found the location of one of them - inside the Chid-Moska xanmeer in southwestern Shadowfen. The expedition didn't find any archaeologically interesting inscription or epitaph there, just a simple puzzle that utilized some simple Jel words. However, the Mirror fragment was guarded by an Argonian Behemoth, who gave the group quite a beating before finally dying. In any case, the ninth fragment was recovered, and only one remained.

Chapter XI: Morrowind

Knowing that the last Aetherial Mirror fragment must be somewhere in Morrowind, the mages contacted Varyn Athryon, an Oathman of House Redoran with great knowledge of the forgotten corners of the Dunmeri land. When they met the Elf in Ebonheart, he recognized the location from the last picture to be the caldera of the Tormented Spire, one of the two great volcanoes in Stonefalls. Athryon told the mages that a magical key kept by House Dres in Kragenmoor was needed to access the Spire.

The expedition traveled to Kragenmoor and requested permission to use the key. In exchange, the Dres wanted them to investigate the disappearance of a cargo caravan travelling from Narsis to Kragenmoor. The mages completed this task and soon found themselves ascending the slopes of the fiery mountain. They reached the caldera, solved the last puzzle, and defeated the guardian, an Iron Atronach. The last fragment of the Aetherial Mirror was now in their hands.

Chapter XII: Reassembly

With all ten fragments of the Aetherial Mirror in their hands, the mages gathered in the ritual room beneath the Wayrest chapter hall to reassemble the artifact. However, unbeknownst to them, the High Rock fragment, which had briefly disappeared before, had been in fact intercepted by the Worm Cult, which had bound a powerful undead creature to it in some kind of ritual. The reassembly of the Mirror released the creature, a powerful Wraith, and forced the mages and observers to fight the abomination. The Wraith was eventually defeated, but not without seriously injuring some of the combatants.

On the next day, another attempt was undertaken. This time it was a success, and the group finally learned what the Mirror's power was. Unfortunately, I cannot disclose it for security reasons, but I can say that it was absolutely amazing and explained why Elanirya thought the Mirror too dangerous to keep, and too beautiful to destroy. Another session with the Mirror was held some time later with the assistance of the wizard from the Summerset Isles, Eurendil of Cloudrest, which revealed the artifact's further potential.

The Mirror is now stored in a safe, impenetrable location. Its discovery was a great success for the Guild, not because of the powers of the Mirror itself, or its own archaeological value, but rather thanks to the all small discoveries the expedition made when travelling around Tamriel to retrieve its pieces. Inscriptions, epitaphs, and puzzles gave us greater insight into the cultures that made them, and every one of them was a valuable archaeological discovery in itself. My duty, as a scholar and a member of all the expeditions to retrieve the Mirror, was to record the gathered knowledge, the result of which you are now holding in your hands.

Julianos says: Know the truth. Observe the law. When in doubt, seek wisdom from the wise.