|
Name |
Ancestral Orc: Leg Greaves |
|
13 |
- Ugron gro-Thumog
- The leather binding on this book is odd. It's soft, but hasn't completely disintegrated over time. Someone might have replaced it early on, or tried to pretty it up to make it part of a display.
|
Type |
Motif Chapter (Ancestral Orc Style) |
Difficulty |
Simple |
Lead |
|
|
Name |
Aurmine Ancestral Signet |
|
N/A |
- Verita Numida
- This appears to be a signet of some kind. Ancient Breton heraldry. The shield is flanked by boars and snares. Or are they nooses? Difficult to say. Can't say as I've ever seen a coat of arms this ... ominous.
- Gabrielle Benele
- It's the coat of House Aurmine. My research indicates they were eager vassals of the despot king, Festrien Spenard I. But honestly, we only know about them because they patronized a chivalric band called the Knights of the Pale Order.
- Amalien
- This belonged to a Knight of the Pale Order? Y'ffre's bones! Just whispering their name on Balfiera Island can get you cast off the Adamantine Tower headfirst. Legends say they butchered Elves by the cartload and never grew tired. Spooky stuff!
|
Type |
Mythic Item Fragment (Ring of the Pale Order) |
Difficulty |
Master |
Lead |
|
|
Name |
Antique Map of Bangkorai |
|
N/A |
- Reginus Buca
- I'd date this around the early to mid First Era. The kingdom of Ojwambu occupies the southern half of Bangkorai. It was sacked by the warlord Mahgzoor Rockhand, likely in retribution for driving the Goblins from their lands in Hammerfell.
- Ugron gro-Thumog
- Attacks like these were used to justify the sacking of Orsinium, despite the fact that Goblins did not occupy the city. According to oral histories, the Orc clans and Goblin tribes maintained a truce within the Dragontail Mountains, but did not mingle.
- Reginus Buca
- If it was prior to the Siege of Orsinium, it was probably after the exodus of Orcs and Goblins in 1E 874. That narrows the fall of Ojwambu and establishment of Hallin's Stand to the seventy-four years between! We're close!
|
Type |
Furniture |
Difficulty |
Simple |
Lead |
|
|
Name |
St. Pelin's Clod |
|
250 |
- Verita Numida
- What could rightly be confused for an ugly, ruddy gemstone appears to be a lacquered clod of reddish-brown dirt. The insignia of the Knights of St. Pelin is pressed into the surface. This could be a relic of the late Pelin's martyrdom.
- Reginus Buca
- I think the symbolism is clear, but my research indicates that these were carried by the entire Bangkorai Garrison in the decades following his self-sacrifice. Given their penchant for bloodletting rites, these were likely created by the knightly order.
- Gabrielle Benele
- I can confirm that the dirt within the lacquer is from Bangkorai and that the blood soaked into it came from the same person, but I can't identify who that would have been. Unfortunately this new information would support either theory.
|
Type |
Treasure |
Difficulty |
Simple |
Lead |
|
|
Name |
Dwarven Rib-Frame |
|
N/A |
- Gabrielle Benele
- These metal strips all curve inward from edges that clearly must attach to another component. Resembles a rib cage, I'd say. Probably built to protect vulnerable components while allowing access to talented architects.
|
Type |
Mount Fragment (Ebon Dwarven Wolf) |
Difficulty |
Intermediate |
Lead |
|
|
Name |
Wyrd Root Figure |
|
1,000 |
- Verita Numida
- This tree root has been shaped, by unconventional means, into the appearance of a woman with stag horns and cloven feet. The wood is unmarred by tool marks and the bark remains intact. This was likely a work of magic by a local wyrd.
- Gabrielle Benele
- This root is similar to the one Verita studied, though it depicts a scaled woman similar to a Lamia, but retaining more human qualities than any of the beastfolk I've seen. I can't tell if these figures are different aspects of one woman or several.
- Amalien
- Another figure, another animal. This one is a wolf woman with six breasts. My theory was that these figures were representations of Hircine, but this latest one casts doubt on that. Perhaps these are totemic Divines, like the Atmorans worshiped.
|
Type |
Treasure |
Difficulty |
Intermediate |
Lead |
|
|
Name |
Ancestral Orc: Shields |
|
13 |
- Ughron gro-Thumog
- It's rare to find descriptions of Orc craftsmanship that include the word beautiful. The author seems to have great reverence for the detail found in the shields they describe.
|
Type |
Motif Chapter (Ancestral Orc Style) |
Difficulty |
Advanced |
Lead |
|
|
Name |
Dwemer Trade Bar |
|
5,000 |
- Amalien
- For such a far flung and advanced civilization, we know very little about Dwemer daily life. While they were notoriously reclusive, it's presumed that they engaged in some form of commerce, if only with each other. This bar of Dwarven metal is more than a simple ingot. It has a band of beautiful blue crystal through it with the name Arkngthamz-Phng inlaid and a series of Dwarven numerals. These could represent the volume, or weight, or identifier, or its harmonic resonance, or even a secret code!
|
Type |
Treasure |
Difficulty |
Advanced |
Lead |
|
|
Name |
Frost Lancer |
|
(?) |
- Amalien
- This is fascinating. You don't see a lot of frost weaponry with the Dwemer. I don't know why. Maybe it's because they hated the cold? They lived underground and relied on thermal heat from the earth to power their society. Naturally averse?
- Verita Numida
- It's possible, I suppose. They did spend quite a lot of time around volcanoes and heated geysers. Even so, if anyone could learn to harness the power of the cold during wartime, it would be the Dwarves.
- Ugron gro-Thumog
- Frost magic can do a lot of good during a siege. Freeze the enemy, glaze the gates and parapets, etc. Even so, I'd hate to see one of these deployed in the field. The last thing Cyrodiil needs right now is an arms race.
|
Type |
Lancer Siege Weapon |
Difficulty |
Advanced |
Lead |
|
|
Name |
Sloped Dwarven Guards |
|
N/A |
- Gabrielle Benele
- Hmm. Amalien can correct me if I'm wrong, but I definitely get the sense that these plates were meant to protect and reinforce a limb or other potential load-bearing element. They look quite sleek by Dwarven standards!
|
Type |
Mount Fragment (Ebon Dwarven Wolf) |
Difficulty |
Advanced |
Lead |
|
|
Name |
Tall Papa's Lamp |
|
N/A |
- Verita Numida
- Ah, this exhibits the masterful craftsmanship one would expect from a Na-Totambu relic! These gold motifs seem consistent with Ra Gada heraldry, but the purple interior matches the hue of Ruptga prayer beads. The lack of star motifs seems odd, too
- Reginus Buca
- Is tethering military pomp to religious expression really that odd? For the Yokudans, warfare and religion were practically synonymous! Your comment about the stars does raise questions, though. Ruptga without stars is like Akatosh without a Dragon.
- Gabrielle Benele
- The lack of stars on the relic itself doesn't necessarily mean it didn't feature stars in another way. The oil reservoir has a layer of crystalline build-up--some kind of meteoric fuel, I bet. The light this lamp shed probably resembled starlight!
|
Type |
Furniture (view furnishing) |
Difficulty |
Advanced |
Lead |
|
|
Name |
Torc Strand of Song |
|
N/A |
- Amalien
- These clean notches--I recognize them. They're Dwemer symbols for sound or song. As many of you know, sound played an essential role in Dwarven life and magical praxis. I often wonder if that included singing.
- Ugron gro-Thumog
- Singing? Not in any fashion that a High Elf would take pleasure in, I wager. Dwarves prized cold logic over beauty, and I can't think of anything less logical than singing. They likely let their instruments do the talking.
- Verita Numida
- A metallurgist once told me that metals in an alloy are like tones in harmony. An apt metaphor, yes? I doubt the Dwarves recognized any distinction between song and sound, to be honest. Tonal magic and ancient song both lead to wisdom of a sort.
|
Type |
Mythic Item Fragment (Torc of Tonal Constancy) |
Difficulty |
Master |
Lead |
|