#Akatosh: Talos help

[thelurkershideout]

So... I'm sure other people have had similar ideas, but I have to brain dump. So like what if every single dragonborn returns to Akatosh when they die? (except for talos because he was special) Regardless of what deal with Daedra they make, or what they do in life. They are basically sentient hunks of Akatosh and return to him when they die. That's why Hermaeus Mora kept Miraak alive in Apocrypha because he knew if Miraak died then he'd lose his prize (because it's kind of his shtick to know forbidden knowledge). Miraak was basically Akatosh going "Alduin is getting a little too big for his scales Imma make someone who can take him down" and then Miraak immediately went "oooo power, and yes Mr. Mora I'll come to you for more knowledge" and refused to deal with Alduin. Kynareth (probably annoyed) then gave humans the ability to learn the voice and instructed Paartytothemax to deal with it and the whole Elder Scroll thing happened so Akatosh had time to tweak the formula. Akatosh binds the dragon blood and soul to an actual human bloodline via St. Alessia and we get the Septims. Centuries later now we have "The Last Dragonborn" as is the PC's title in the game. They are an Heir to the Septim bloodline (because Martin Setpim fucks, this is cannon) and the Septims were the Dragonborn Emperors. Martin basically becomes Akatosh at the end of Oblivion in order to fight off Dagon so Akatosh is just like "fuck this it ends here" and The Last Dragonborn knows they are 100% the last one, Akatosh basically told them directly. So you have this dragonborn who is hyper aware that there are huge world altering things at stake. Akatosh is much more directly involved with this Last Dragonborn, speaking to them in dreams. He kind of has to be because they're detached from any kind of family and anyone who knew who they were is long gone. It's Dragon Dad Akatosh and his anxious ball of dragon rage against the world.

[the-blood-tide-rises]

oblivion crisis dashboard simulator

📜black-horse-courier-official Follow

Assassination! Emperor and heirs assassinated, and the Elder Council named as regents. Read this article at our blog.

☀️no-dawn-is-too-mythic Follow

#rip bozo #rest in piss you wont be missed #tamriel ae queue

13,784 notes

💨chapel-climber Follow

even in death, the papers love to remind the public that old uriel took an L when jagar tharn pretended to be him for a decade 💀

mans being slandered in death

#not climbing #vlinorposting #rip uriel though

13 notes

💙justyouraveragepriest

Some affirmations:

Today, I embrace the infinite flow of time guided by the wisdom of Akatosh.

I trust in the divine plan of Akatosh, knowing that every challenge I face is an opportunity for growth and transformation.

I surrender to the divine timing of Akatosh, trusting that everything unfolds according to His will.

I am a reflection of Akatosh's divine essence, radiating love, compassion, and wisdom to all those around me.

Each day is a gift bestowed upon me by Akatosh, and I vow to make the most of every moment, living with purpose and intention.

Above all else, be good to one another. 💙😊

#sundas affirmations #akatosh affirmations #the divines #nine divines #daily affirmations

972 notes

⛪priory-of-talos Follow

Tell me why some random person just so happened to show up at an ungodly hour in the night, just to have the Amulet of Kings? I told them to find the Emperor's bastard heir in Kvatch, or whatever. Will be keeping the Amulet in my sock drawer.

🩸dagonenjoyer433 Follow

Interesting

4 notes

🐺kvatchi-kvetcher Follow

omg i cant sleep wtf is that noise

🐺kvatchi-kvetcher Follow

THE DAEDRA????

#kvetchings #kvatch under attack

40 notes

✨daedraphobic

didn't expect to enter the gates of oblivion, save a city, and retake a castle just to find this Martin fellow

✨daedraphobic

by the NINE he's hot

#i'm ashamed but also kinda not #also got the title of hero of kvatch

2 notes

⛪priory-of-talos Follow

Don't tell anyone, but the Amulet was stolen.

💙justyouraveragepriest

😓

✨daedraphobic

tamriel's smartest tesblr user

#so you're telling me #that you lost the amulet #that you promised to protect #maybe stop LIVEPOSTING EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS TO YOU AND YOUR LIFE #AND WE WOULD NOT BE IN THIS SITUATION

15 notes

🤢bravilhater9000 Follow

#dank memes #offensive memes #memes #funny memes #anti bravil

7K notes

⚔️baurus-the-realest Follow

Going on a book hunting quest with @daedraphobic down in the sewers was not on the agenda today. Another day alive though, bless the Nine 🙏

#personal stuff #daedraphobic

11 notes

☀️no-dawn-is-too-mythic Follow

Had a #great speech in front of my devoted Dagon worshippers today. A new arrival joined mid-speech. Glad to see that more are seeing the #truth.

🩸dagonenjoyer201 Follow

Someone saved that argonian, slaughtered everyone, and stole the Mysterium Xarxes :/

☀️no-dawn-is-too-mythic Follow

It has been brought to my attention that the new arrival mentioned earlier infiltrated my group and stole my fucking book.

#at least i still have the amulet #take that you bitch #tamriel ae queue

301 notes

🎨truepainter-rythe Follow

some bosmer cunt stole my paintbrush, entered into the canvas, painted trolls to protect himself and the trolls killed him. someone please help me.

#the great forest #help

415 notes

🗺️jemane1 Follow

no fucking way rythe is stuck in a canvas

📚give-me-my-book Follow

Talk to me by the Great Oak, I have need of you.

🗺️jemane1 Follow

i don't live in chorrol

📚give-me-my-book Follow

What? I saw you, in the evening hours of yesterday. I ask of you to retrieve a book for me.

🗺️jemane1 Follow

I don't live in chorrol

#i have had about enough of people gaslighting me #i have never stepped foot in chorrol leave me alone #going to start blocking weirdos

5 notes

✨daedraphobic

apparently he was a sanguine worshipper?????????????

#okay so like i was told to get a daedra artifact weird ik #i found the sanguine shrine and crashed a noble party to obtain it #gave it to him and he reminisced about it #???? #y'all think he would be a freak in the sheets or nah

99 notes

💙justyouraveragepriest

Due to recent events, I cannot keep up with posting daily affirmations. I cannot speak more about where I am or what I am doing, but I am doing alright as of now. 😊

🩸dagonenjoyer427 Follow

coc cloudrulertemplegreathall

💙justyouraveragepriest

Hmm?

#nonaffirming #offtopic

148 notes

[shivering-isles-cryptid]

Please enjoy me putting all of my emotions from when Martin Septim died into writing through a self insert OC where I scream at the Nine Divines because I can’t scream at Todd Howard.

Just a little further. Just a little longer. If he just moves faster, if he kills a few more Daedra, if he stays by Martins side… Velentius roared, tears stinging his eyes as he hacked and slashed through the invading forces, Magic coursing around him as sparks flew in every direction. His sword slides through a chink in the armor, but refuses to come out, he falls. On his knees, Velentius looks up and seeing a Xivilai swinging his sword down at him, but is blasted away by a burst of magic. Hands help him stand, one arm around his waist, the other firm against his chest.

“I’m the one who’s supposed to be guarding you.” He said, his tone light despite the situation. Martin smiled at him, his lips curling up in mirth. Velentius grabbed the Xivilai’s sword, fighting alongside Martin as they approached the Temple. Almost there, almost there, almost there, almost there! He can save him, he can save him, he can save him, he can save him! Velentius feels as hope fills his chest, his sword swinging with a renewed vigor as they get closer, closer, closer, just a little further! And then… two red feet, four red arms, an axe, claws, and an ugly snarl.

“No.” He cries, feeling his chest tighten. “We have to get inside the temple! Now!” Martin yells, rushing past Velentius. Velentius raced after Martin, his entire body heating up as his chest tightened and the familiar sense of dread returned. Slamming the doors behind him, Velentius set the bar in place and turned to Martin, who shook his head sadly. “No.” He said, walking towards the man. “Don’t you even think about it! There has to be another way!” He said, grabbing the emperors shoulder and turning his to face Velentius.

“The time has come, my friend. I must to what I must do. I can not stay to rebuild Tamriel. That task falls to others.” Martin said, Velentius shaking his firmly. “No. Don’t you dare!” He yelled, his grip on Martins shoulder tightening. “Farewell. You’ve been a good friend, in the short time that I’ve known you.” Velentius began to cry, his breathing picking up as his body shook. “But now I must go. The Dragon waits.” Martin pulled himself from Velentius’ grip, stepping onto the pedestal. Kiss him, do it now. You know you’ll never get the chance again. But he couldn’t move. Hugging himself, Velentius screamed a bloodcurdling scream as Martins body exploded, Dagon smashing through the roof.

He fell to his knees, head buried in his lap as he heard the fight happening in front of him. One final roar, stone cracking, and then… nothing. He sat there, the silence around him felt like a suffocating weight threatening to crush him. And then, footsteps. 9 pairs of feet walking up from behind him. He looked up, his despair quickly turning into hatred as he reached his hand out and grasp the sword that had fallen in front of him. Whirling around, his blade was resting an inch away from the man’s throat.

“We both know that would do anything.” Akatosh said, eyes narrowed. “Why?” Velentius growled, tears running down his face. The other Divines watched from the sides with a rainbow of emotions on their faces. “Why won’t the sword work?” Akatosh asked with a curious smirk. “WHY WOULD YOU TELL ME WHEN I COULDNT DO ANYTHING?!” He yelled, dropping the sword and falling to his knees, his hands tugging at his hair. “Velentius, we showed you so you could prepare.” Julianos said, stepping forward.

“Prepare? Prepare?! Prepare what?! His funeral shroud?!” Velentius yelled, looking up at the gods with tear stained eyes. “Perhaps… perhaps the mortal is right.” Dibella spoke up, stepping towards Velentius with her moth wings dragging behind her like a cape. “Dibella, be serious.” Talos crossed his arms, standing behind Akatosh. “I am serious, scum. We put him through unnecessary pain and false hope. How are we any better than the Daedra?” She asked, Akatosh and Julianos tensing.

“She’s right.” Mara stepped forward, one hand resting on her stomach while the other hung by her side. “We caused this child so much pain. And for what? Nothing came of it that wouldn’t have without it.” Mara said, placing her hand on his other shoulder. “Those visions never should have happened. They weren’t supposed to and you know it.” Kynareth growled at the dragon-god, stepping behind Velentius, her own wings ruffling. “Don’t be ridiculous! If we hadn’t shown those vision, he wouldn’t have fought as valiantly as he had! The Empire would have crumbled, my Empire would have crumbled!” Talos yelled, the three women glaring daggers at the once-mortal.

“Look around you! ‘Your’ Empire has already fallen. There are no Septims! There are no Dragonborns!” Kynareth yelled, motioning to the ruins around her. “Not yet. But soon.” Akatosh said, holding up an hourglass. Kynareths form flickered for a second, turning into what looked like a harpy with a crown made of lightning, before returning back to herself. “That won’t happen for another 200 years, Akatosh.” Mara said, rubbing circles on Velentius’s back. He gripped his knees as the gods around his kept talking about something that hasn’t happened yet, and won’t die 200 years apparently.

“Stop.” He said, Stendarr sending his a questioning glance. “Stop.” He said again, this time catching Arkay’s eye. “Stop!” He yelled, all of the gods in attendance shutting their mouth and looking at him as he stood. “You… you… you dare! You haunt me for weeks with visions of Martins death. You watch me as I do everything I can to stop it! You watch as I cry at night, trying to stay awake so I won’t have to watch it again, and again, and again! Over and over and over!”

He yelled, gripping his head tightly. He could feel more spirits enter the temple, minor gods watching as their rulers were reprimanded by a mortal. “I got Azuras Star, I got Tiber Septims armor, I got the Welkynd Stone, I got the gods damned Sigil Stone! I saved every city! I closed every gate! I killed Mankar Camoran! I retrieved the stupid fucking necklace! I saved Martin from the ruins of Kvatch! I got him to Ocato! I got him to the Temple! And it all meant NOTHING!” He roared, tears streaming down his face as he stood only inches from the Dragon-God of Time.

“You made me suffer for months. Before I even met Martin. I was scared to sleep at night because I would see him die and not even get to say goodbye! All because you wanted me to be this great Champion.” Velentius sobbed, fists bald tightly. “The visions were to be motivation, so you would know what you were fighting tow…” The room was deathly silent as Velentius’s fist made contact with Talos’ face. “Shut. Up.” He growled, glaring at the shocked man-god. “None of you deserved his life. None of you deserved his death! He was twice the man any of you will ever be!” He yelled out, looking at all of the gods in attendance.

The Divines, minor gods, saints, spirits of nature, even some elven ones he couldn’t place a name to right now. “You know what I was thinking when I brought him to the temple? I was just being the lamb to slaughter. But I can see that I was wrong. Martin wasn’t a lamb, and this… isn’t a slaughterhouse. Killing a lamb serves a purpose. Martins sacrifice? Didn’t.” Velentius let out a whimper, once again falling to his knees. He heard the sound of air moving, feeling as one by one, the gods in the room left, until finally he was alone.

>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<

He was in that room for 2 days before they could finally get inside. The doors split open, the Blades, Imperial Guards, and Ocato all rushing in. Velentius was curled into a ball under Martins statue. He wasn’t crying. He ran out of tears after the first 4 hours. He hasn’t slept. Hasn’t eaten. Hasn’t moved. Jauffre and Baurus helped to get him out of the temple, Ocato rattling on and on about how Velentius was to be named Champion of Cyrodiil, and how brave Martin was. A hero. A savior. Velentius moved on his own for the first time in two days, which resulted in Ocato sitting on the steps of the temple with a bleeding nose. He received no bounty, no legal issues, it was chalked up to exhaustion, hunger, dehydration, and grief.

[skyrim-forever]

*scurries in and crashes into wall* you said Ondolemar hc's???

He's got a big role in my wip (specifically one of the protagonists falls in love with him) so naturally I tried to develop him a lil more beyond his base canon state. I have a handful of random hc's for him too but you first!

Cheers, @akaviri-dovah

Thank you so much @akaviri-dovah @sheirukitriesfandom and @dirty-bosmer for asking about my Ondolemar headcannons <3

I got covid and thus my brain is feeling a lil funny so hopefully this is coherent.

To start I see him as deeply religious, very devoted to the Eight Divines. Particularly Auri-El, the chief deity of the Aldmeri parthenon. I headcanon him as getting involved with the Thalmor out of this religious duty, as well as I figure there is a heavy amount of propaganda shown towards Altmer starting from when they are children about how they are the descendants of Auri-El. This propaganda about Elven superiority, mixed with a general religious devotion, led Ondolemar into the Thalmor, and he quickly rose through the ranks. 

However, I think while his religious beliefs are strong, I believe his faith in the Aldmeri Dominion is becoming questioned. The position in Markarth is his first time being outside of the Summerset Isles for an extended period, and this is the most he has ever interacted with any non-Altmer, particularly humans. I can see that as he interacts with others more and learns about their way of life he begins to relax a bit. Yes he does arrest Ogmund and holds him prisoner, but the Temple of Talos is still open. This leads me to believe he is primarily trying to keep up appearances while grappling with these new experiences. 

Then enter the Dovahkiin, (mine is an Imperial woman) a hero who has powers from the Aedra he is most devoted to and a human. If the Altmer are Auri-El’s favored people then why is a human blessed with this gift? Ondolemar asks for the dragonborn’s help with Ogmund partially to do his job, but also as a means to get closer to them and figure out exactly how they work. 

For my Dovahkiin, Theodora, she is also very devoted to Auri-El but under the name Akatosh. I can see them have long discussions on religion and as they get to know each other, they both find the other to be 1. Not very different from themselves and 2. Not the evil nameless enemy they have been raised to believe. As Ondolemar was already struggling with his belief in the dominion, the Dovahkiin offers the perspective that maybe anyone can be blessed by the Divines and that perhaps the Altmeri Dominion is using religion to cover up an invasion they already wanted to do. 

Over time, the rhetoric he has repeated all his life isn’t adding up anymore, he is in too deep and doesn’t see a way out. That is until an unlikely alliance with the Dovahkiin that could break the foundation of both of their empires. What’s another secret in the City of Stone?  

But also here’s some fun headcanons!

Ondolemar surprisingly enjoys Nord Mead, he absolutely will not let anyone know he enjoys it, but also orders a small case once a month

He used to have long, beautiful hair, but began shaving it after he caught himself on fire using a spell. 

Although he may constantly complain about Markarth, he finds Dwemer culture fascinating and revels in getting to live where they once did. When not bogged down with paperwork for Elewen, him and Calcelmo have had long discussions about the Dwemer.  

Ondolemar is intimidated by Elenwen, hence why he tries to keep up appearances while questioning the Dominion. 

Despite fascination with the Dwemer, it only took one night of sleeping on the stone beds to have something custom built. If the key to a revolutionary society is back pain then he’s good to sit this one out.

[incorrectskyrimquotes]

Ik you've talked about this a bit before, but what's Eryn's approach to gods and religion?

Mara hates her so much like canonically and it's extremely funny

For the serious answer: At first she's a bit apprehensive but since the way religion works in tes is different to our world (way less arguing ab if theres a god/who it is) its pretty easy for her to occasionally begin praying

at first, it actually starts out with talos. i mean she hears he was also a dragonborn and is like "hey talos its me. i have no idea what im doing. help me" and eh he kind of blesses her in battle. but he's also less than happy that she chooses to fight against his empire

(i just think the irony of talos being a Big Conflict Point in the civil war for the side opposing the empire needs to be addressed.)

then its kyne. both because of some words from people like danica and partially because of the greybeards and paathurnax and all that. she's also very quiet about it. arngeir assures eryn that if kyne was actually unhappy, she'd show it. but eryn is still uncertain.

and then something about the dragon god of time just speaks to her. and wouldnt you know it, akatosh makes her feel heard. he doesnt exactly talk back at first, but she can sort of just Feel that he isnt outright ignoring her.

of course, akatosh is pretty happy with her for saving the world, from one threat thats his fault, one threat he forgot about, and the third threat with his very bow (not that shes exactly a great shot) (and she does physically beat with harkon with it, which isnt exactly what she was supposed to do).

later, she learns there's also a pretty personal reason akatosh took an interest in her.

as for daedra, she did a couple of daedric quests, but not for the glory or worship or anything. though, meridia's beacon literally fell out of the sky at eryn, and meridia is probably the one eryn is happy to be associated with.

and she never says it out loud to anyone, barely even lets herself think it, but she did find what sanguine did to be funny as hell, and it did help her out of her mental rut.

[panthera-dei]

My "big project" today was creating this Skyrim enchanting board! UESP has a ton of Elder Scrolls images that make wonderful references for artists. .... And for semi-artistic potatoes like me. 😜

I also enchanted it! ... To.... Y'know... To help me enchant things. ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

And guess what? It works! How do I know? Because I also enchanted the Amulet of Julianos that my brother made for me as moral support when I was getting my master's degree 3 years ago! I enchanted it to.... y'know... help me do magic things. 😂😆

I honestly love the way that the colors turned out on this one. It isn't the game-accurate colors, but I don't care because I enjoy thinking that this is what an enchanting table might look like in a random eccentric Telvanni wizard's mushroom tower.

And I know that the symbols for the Nine Divines turned out a little rough, but hey, it's the spirit of it that counts, and plus we've already established that I'm a semi-artistic potato and therefore I get a little leeway, heh heh. Plus, they don't look half bad for something that I completely did not plan! (Sometimes the Awen and the spirits take us to unexpected places, amirite?)

For those who haven't obsessively explored the Elder Scrolls games like I have:

The symbols on the board, starting at the top and going clockwise, represent Restoration, Illusion, Destruction, Conjuration, and Alteration (subtypes of magic). The center symbol represents magic overall. The symbols on the left side, top to bottom, represent the following in-game entities: Akatosh (time), Julianos (knowledge & wisdom), Arkay (life & death), and Kynareth (wind). The ones on the right side are: Dibella (romance & beauty), Mara (love & family), Stendarr (mercy & justice), Zenithar (hard work & prosperity), and Talos (storms & power).

[the-storytellers-seer]

Kieva: The Myth, the Legend, the Absolute Dumpster Fire

I'm going to get a little spoiler-y here, so if you don't want spoilers ignore this post.

Kieva is one of my OCs with a VERY strong voice. A voice that absolutely clamors to be heard...unfortunately her tale is one of the last ones concerning the Stormcrown Dynasty. Poor Kieva, right? No. Poor ME! Because this bitch does not care. Every few weeks or so she'll get really noisy and demand I write about three or so chapters before she lets me go to work on other projects. The last few days she's been especially loud.

So here ya'll go, a slightly spoiler-y sneak peek at a character that won't be seen for some time yet.... ****

Kieva sat in the remains of Brother Borri’s sixty-year mead stash and let loose a great echoing belch that was similar in timbre to a dragon’s roar. It was followed by a rather high-pitched giggle. Around her, the world passed by in a dreamy haze. She was happy or damn near close to it. Happier than she’d been in months. Or at least happier than she’d be without the alcohol’s blessed numbing effects.

Perched upon a throne made of boxes and dirty laundry, she was the queen of all she surveyed. This primarily consisted of empty shelves and even emptier bottles, but at least they were subjects that didn’t expect anything of her. They didn’t look at her and see her father’s features or assume she would have her mother’s grace. And they wouldn’t be disappointed when they found nothing of the dynasty they expected to see in her behavior.

In a family of legends, Kieva Stormcrown was a failure.

She was shit in combat. Her tongue was far too loose for diplomacy. And magically, well, she was so barely magically inclined as to basically have no skills at all. She could cast magelight. That was it. The sum and total of her magical ability even after scores of tutors that included the Arch Mage himself.

 And if she really considered it, she would have argued that her absolute failure in magical prowess could be a feat in and of itself because how often did an exceptionally powerful mage and one of the best living mages in Nirn create such a magical dud? She might have thought her mother was lying about her parentage, except for the fact that Kieva was the very picture of her father. Her face was too angular for any current beauty conventions, her nose about as beaky as a hagraven’s below elongated amber eyes that were a perfect match to the High King of Skyrim. Her body was more masculine as well with more angles than curves. Her hips nearly nonexistent and her breasts little better.

Tal had tried to argue that she was the height of merish beauty. But Kieva didn’t want to look like a damned Thalmor, she wanted to look like someone who men would at least give a passing glance to. Not that she needed their attention. She didn’t. But she wanted it. Or at least she wanted someone to look at her the way papa looked at mama.

But no men had ever looked at her that way. No women either.

No, the looks Kieva received ranged from mildly annoyed to outright horrified. Which probably had more to do with her drunken shenanigans than her looks, but it was enough to give a girl a complex whatever the reason.

Fucking Talos sucking a taint—that was a good one, she’d have to remember that for later, it’d scandalize the pants off Tal—she was being excessively maudlin.

Kieva attempted to hoist herself to her feet with the help of a conveniently placed wall. She needed to clean up the mess she’d made before the Brothers found her.

The loud slamming of the door behind her was proof that it was too late for that.

She pasted her biggest smile upon her face—one that likely looked more unhinged than friendly—before she turned to face one her jailors.

It was Brother Einarth. Blast it all to Oblivion! Can Alduin just come and swallow me whole? Please Akatosh? I swear I don’t mean half the heresy that I spout!

Of all the brothers who might have stumbled upon her, Einarth was the worst. For a moment, she was absolutely convinced that he’d Shout her to pieces. A dangerous part of her welcomed it.

Instead, he began signing his displeasure; the movements going almost too fast for Kieva to understand in her inebriated state. “Wait, wait, wait!” she held up a finger. “Can’t quite…can you say that again…slower-er?”

There was a dangerous rumble in the back of Einarth’s throat that caused the room to tremble. With slow, jerking movements he began again:

You little fool! You are a blight on the Stormcrown name! This time Arngeir will toss you from the peak!

 Kieva rolled her eyes. “You are the worst pacif—hue-uk!—” The combination hiccup and burp escaped her and she belatedly covered her mouth with a blush. “Sorry, but you’re really a bad pacifist. Wanting to kill people it the opposite of pacif—pacia-pacificiam…pacifism. There! Got it!”

She grinned proudly, which really only served to make Brother Einarth angrier.

[the-old-caius]

Can't even describe how much Death Grips - Beware is an Avatar of Akatosh song

Thee entire song is littered with lines that feel exactly like when your physical self burns away and you become a being made of and unbound by time, on top of some visuals that sound EXACTLY like what happened in the end sequence of Oblivion lmao

I light my torch and burn it / I am the beast I worship

Tfw you light the dragonfires and become a vessel for the very god you're devoted to teehee

The first verse also has some stuff that sounds a bit like Martin at the end (And I know soon come my time [...] but I fear not the time I've taken past the point of no return, etc) but

Have felt what few will ever know / Have seen the truth beneath the glow / Where the roots of all mysteries grow

I bet having your body be consumed by the flames of a time-god feels normal. "Have seen the truth" also reminds me that he got the idea to manifest Akatosh probably via divine madness

Cold blood night of serpent's breath / Exhaled like spells from the endlessness

That's a general dragon line, really

Eye on palm, time is gone / Moonlight drawn, fly 'till dawn / Sacrifice to rise beyond / Deep inside the violent calm of the coming storm / In blood sworn to glorify and for life adorn / With all that dies to become unborn / (God is watching, God is watching)

Something about sworn blood, a watching god (I watch you watching me watching back etc) and TIME IS GONE. Also Sacrifice like how Martin uh

Vomiting forth flames lit by / An older than ancient force / That slays this life with no remorse / The spiral storm of flames inside / The torch I raise, the force I ride

Dragon line again, older than ancient force and all, more importantly though,

Feel my vessel go up in flames / Flesh torch lit by the unnamed / Direct connection to the source / Vestment of unnatural force / Forever burning black torch

Line that sounds like how it feels when your god eats your soul via thousand year old divine fire to manifest and slay a daedric Prince or whatever the fuck happened in the temple there

Worship the flames with which I rise into apocalyptic skies / Beware, God is watching / Harsh winds flay mine flesh to bone

The religious significance of the dragonfires, both regarding Akatosh and Talos, anyone? Also apocalyptic skies lmao. Yknow because

It also helps that the entire song reads like one of those in-game lore books written on benzos

[thequeenofthewinter]

TES Summerfest: Day 5

Divine Language

@tes-summer-fest

I've really been having fun stretching my writing muscles with these prompts. If you're interested in the one I wrote yesterday.

Link to AO3

While in the midst of a chaotic and bloody Civil War, it might be said that for Skyrim, the outcome looks uncertain, even bleak. In times like these, the humble people of the province turn ever more fervently to their Gods for guidance and deliverance. Out of all of the Nine Divines sacred to the Nordic pantheon, it could be said that none is closer to the heart, for better or worse, than Talos. He is, after all, the main cause of the conflict which rages across the land, dividing brother and sister and turning friend into foe. However, there are many citizens who have taken to praying to Kynareth, to create lasting peace. Those who have taken up worshipping Arkay, to spare them from the pain of losses; or Stendarr, to bring swift mercy upon their shores. And of course, there is always Akatosh, to grant them all more time.

Religion and war seem to go hand-in-hand. Where there is desperation, there is always prayer.

In the Temple of Talos in Windhelm, Dahlia Wintersnow kneels on the frigid stone floor in front of the statue of the divine himself, her lips moving quicker than the wind in silent prayer. She has long since lost track of how much time she has been there, and she isn’t even sure if this is the right place for her; however, there are no other houses of worship within the city. Beggars cannot be choosers when it comes to place, and this is as good as any.

Laid out before her is her Amulet of Talos, and gripped tightly in her hands is an Amulet of Mara. It almost feels like blasphemy to her to be devoted in worship to other gods and to be inside the temple of one. Dahlia is desperate, and this is the only place where she feels she will be heard. Her father Akatosh made her brother Talos, just as he did her, Dragonborn; and perhaps, that connection will grant her some small favor. And if there is anyone on Nirn who would need or be deserving of it, it is she.

The precious, silent minutes, gifted to her by the hours of early dawn, tick quickly by, just like the shifting sands of Elsweyr. They are here one moment, and next they are gone.

Dahlia continues to mouth her prayers silently, not daring to move a single muscle for fear of upsetting her concentration and her connection with the Divines.

Brother Talos, hear my plea for strength. I would ask that you grant him strength to persevere because without him, I would have nothing left. He fights for justice for those who fearlessly prayed for your guidance and in defense of those who cannot lift their swords themselves. His cause is righteous and anger justified…

Father Akatosh, her thoughts trail off. What she should ask of him seems blatantly obvious, yet she feels she should say something more.

There are many here which are suffering and who pray dutifully to you all days for more time, but I ask that you hear me. Perhaps it is selfish and even conceited of me, but I do not care. Who would I be if not your child to ask for your guidance to help bring the people of my home and those I love most to safety? I believe you have put me here for a higher reason, and I want to fulfil that. I cannot do that without him by my side. You have asked much from me, and I have given it to you freely. This is the one thing I ask: Give me time, and do not make me do this alone.

What else could she ask of him except this? 

And finally, and perhaps least expectedly, 

Lady Mara, Goddess of Love, I beg of you not to take the warm light of your blessings from me. Treat me with compassion, for I have suffered so much, and I cannot bear do so anymore. Your benedictions have been the sweetest and most sacred of all. I hold and cherish none other closer to my heart, and I would sacrifice everything just to keep him.

The cycle repeats:

Talos,

Akatosh,

Mara,

Over and over again. 

So concentrated is Dahlia in her prayers that she does not hear the door to the Temple open nor the heavy, echoing bootsteps of a new visitor until they are upon her.

The newcomer takes a seat on the pew behind her, staring curiously at her position.

What could she be praying for, and why does she look so desperate as she does so? 

He stays there for several more moments, taking in her image until the first rays of sun filter through the windows high in the temple, bathing her in bright, blinding light. If he did not know any better, it would appear if she were divine herself. 

Soon, they both will move out and into the unknown; and as much as he wishes he had all the answers, he does not. That is what brought him to the house of worship this morning: to pray for strength, but not only for himself, for his soldiers, or for his people. He also wishes to pray for her. If anything should happen to her, well…he’d rather not think about it for very long. His nightmares have given him enough torture in that aspect.

After a few more minutes, he moves quietly, so as not to disturb her to kneel at her side. It is at this time that she is broken from her prayers, noticing him at long last.

When Dahlia looks to the man next to her, her hazel eyes alight with something that feels quite like nothing Ulfric has ever seen before. It is the most achingly beautiful mixture of devotion, love, and awe which he has ever seen. She is looking at him with quiet reverence as if he were a Divine, like Tiber Septim himself. It knocks the wind out of him, and he is left utterly speechless. 

His eyes roam her face taking in her features and burning them into his mind. No matter what happens, she will be the last thing he sees, the last thing he remembers, and he will take her image with him to Sovngarde with a smile on his face. 

“Are you ready to go?” She asks him quietly, her words echoing around him in the dim Temple. 

The question startles him from his reverie.

“As long as that means you will go with me, I am ready for anything, and I could do anything.” He whispers as he pulls her closer to him. “When I see you, it is as if my eyes are opened for the first time, and I can clearly see the rest of my life placed carefully before them. And I would do anything to reach that destination.”

“Ulfric…” She tries to interrupt him, his gentle words surprising to her. It is not normal for him to spill such honeyed words of adoration.

Instead, he only quiets her, placing feather-light kisses to her forehead and temple before finally finding her mouth. Her mouth opens softly for him, and they are unhurried in expressing their affection. Each gasp, sigh, and caress between them contains millions of tiny, fluttering, saccharine promises of the future. 

This is the most sacred prayer. It is the most divine language of all that are known, and the one which contains the highest power.

As Ulfric embraces her, Dahlia can almost believe that everything will be okay.

[gaymingbinosaur]

Wip-kind of. Just ra random Drabble I thought of when I should sleep so probably a lot of editing needed

Reyla tried not to think to hard about the imperial city as Lucien sang it’s praises. She wondered what district he lived in. Maybe the Talos district, she knows for a fact it’s not the waterfront. As far as she’s concerned the moment the guards took her aunt away for those six months the city was dead to her. The only saving grace was the gray fox and his followers who kept her safe while her aunt couldn’t and her own mom refused.

Lucien didn’t even mention the followers. And she’s not sure how he couldn’t when she couldn’t think of a single thing besides him to praise. The diacritic full of shops with things she couldn’t afford or the district with the houses and people who acted like slighted them for existing. She’ll stay silent for her cousin’s sake. Who needed as much help as he can get to defeat Alduin. But when he does not even Akatosh himself will be able to silence her wrath.

[morihaus]

all prime numbers in 'background' for rod and mort pls

long answers time

2. Where did they grow up? A city? A village? Isolated, in the wilderness? What was it like to leave?

Rodanus is from Colovia and could perhaps be described as kind of growing up in the sticks? if i remember correctly he wasn't from any of the big cities, he comes from a legion background, maybe did some rangering on the imperial reserve, that sorta thing. might've almost been a militaryish town with a lot of colo-nordic types who hang their hats on their families' loyal service and the esteemed military deeds of their ancestors. but the point is it was pretty isolated in a mountainous forested region and leaving for morrowind... rod HATES morrowind so much. he hates how hot and swampy it is or otherwise cold and ashy (he might've been stationed in vvardenfell specifically? or the telvanni peninsula) he really misses the familiar flora and fauna and when he got to become a blade this was NOT the glamorous lifestyle of serving the emperor that he expected. he thought he was gonna get to be an honor guard or something but instead he's doing stupid little fetch quests and bodyguard missions in this outlying territory.

mortimer however is a "native" of morrowind, his father moved his business there as part of his work for the east empire company. i forget where i said he'd grow up, maybe ebonheart?? as soon as he was old enough he insisted on accompanying his father on his journeys across morrowind, to skyrim, the padomaic islands, etc. he only became a blade bc his father chose his brother to take charge of the family's mercantile exploits instead of him, at this point i feel he would've left home but he'd still be in morrowind. i imagine he has a misplaced feeling of belonging to morrowind that is gross and stupid.

mort never really leaves his home when he's assigned there (his knowledge of morrowind and its culture makes him an important operative) but they DO both leave for akavir. neither thought it'd be all that long a journey until they got stranded by the ENSO event and accused of being foreign spies (which they were.) both of them were only thinking of capturing the nerevarine and using their new clout to avoid the fallout of ol urie septim kicking the bucket and leaving the empire on wobbly knees, something they felt they were above as members of the secret club.

3. What was their childhood like? Who raised them? Do they have siblings?

rodanus almost definitely has siblings, at least two, and mortimer absolutely has an older brother under whom's shadow he burns with jealousy. mortimer had a rather adventurous childhood where he was educated as something of an upper middle/merchant class wannabe nobleman and got to immerse himself in the intellectual culture of morrowind. it was work, he had to help his father do business and act as sort of an assistant on long journeys away from home, but he thinks it was foundational for becoming the intelligent cultured man he is today. rod had probably a more rough upbringing, lot of expectations on him to serve the empire in some way so the family can keep bragging to their neighbors- he was probably a pretty precocious child who wanted to hit the other kids with sticks and play soldiers tbh. ive not thought a lot about his parents. might not have a dad and instead his mother and grandpa care for him, along with any other relatives who haven't given their lives to the empire (iirc the Troubles were going on during his childhood so a military family was probably running pretty thin)

5. Do they worship any gods? Who? How do they feel about the gods in general?

i feel like they'd both worship the nine, basically. well rodanus would be hardcore faithful with maybe some more nordic warlike elements in there- or just yknow, talos worship (which does have its dangerous connotations but his family is, allegedly, normal about it) very faithful to akatosh as well, basically the Big Two. he feels as he was taught that the gods watch over the empire and protect it from evildoers and that serving the empire is serving the gods. mortimer... he'd have some bretic flair in his upbringing i think, some more aldmeri stuff in his spiritual diet. zenithar is of course a popular one for his association with commerce, whether or not you consider him the capitalism god or the workers rights god, mort's dad definitely considered him the former, so that's that. phynaster has some association with traveling i feel like???? maybe some hodgepodge bretic interpretation of kyne that grants her esteem for being the sailor's god, what iwth how important maritime trade is in high rock. he has never once considered morrowind's own faith as anything more than a passing anthropological curiosity (asshole) his family would mostly associate with the most diehard colonial types anyway. for himself, he's much more material in his views than rod, giving more importance to the actions of men and mortals than the wills or desires of the gods. he pays lip service, but the things he does are for his own benefit.

7. What's their relationship with their family like? Do they have one?

went over this a BIT in the other question but. mort admires + cares about his dear old dad and WAS looking forward to taking up the family business, but his older brother got that hire instead of him (you can't just nepotism hire BOTH your sons that'd be outrageous.) although technically, i think mort more wanted to be this worldly, educated kind of guy who'd hang out in salons for a living talking about bullshit with other wealthy noblemen, so his heart wasn't entirely in the work he kind of just wanted to reap the benefits of being a wealthy merchant, but now his no-good brother gets it... perhaps this brother is just more committed to commerce. perhaps mort's desire to look intelligent leads him to do stupid shit and get into trouble, something his dad and brother see as kind of too risky to trust with ferrying important goods around. THIS GUY COULD GET SCAMMED alert. that kind of thing. rod cares about his family a lot and wants to make em proud, which his mother really super is and his grandfather is aloof. he was really really really hoping to get into the cyrodiil chapter of the blades so he could really show how great he is to his grandpa but instead he got carted off to an outlying territory . he definitely writes them though. hthe one admirable trait i've had in my head about him is the care he has for his family and his hometown and how he thinks by rising in the ranks of the blades he could take action to protect them from whatever's coming next.... i should think on his siblings more.

[deepbluefrog]

TESFEST 2022 - Day 2 - Storm

The endgame quest in Sanguine Debauchery has three paths - join Sanguine and become his Alicia, help Sanguine find his Alicia or betray Sanguine.

Betray how? By asking help from the Divines of course... and in this instance, help from Kyne. Goddess of Storms and Akatosh, Dragon God of Time.

Not giving many spoilers but it will involve giving up a certain powerful Daedric artifact and forge a new Covenant with Akatosh... the sort of Covenant that set Alessia on the path of founding an Empire.

This was a good occasion to work on an avatar of Akatosh the player will be able to summon and interact with at a triple shrine to both Kynareth, Akatosh and Talos, high up in the mountains.

Now if I could figure out how to force lightning strikes in a bad weather...

Bonus - Deam AI renditions of a statue of Akatosh and ancient ruins in the snow, with lighting strikes.

[kagrenacs]

I was going to make a funny post and say we should throw out some of the divines, but if you look at their spheres in an abstract manner, it makes sense for them to be there.

Akatosh is time, the stabilizing force, the time to spacetime, Kyne (and Lorkhan) are space, where things exist. Arkay is the cycle of birth, life and death. Dibella is beauty and love, the desire to live. Mara is love, the force that keeps us preserving despite circumstances, Julianos is logic, the ability to make informed decisions. Stendarr is mercy and compassion, extending care beyond one’s individual group to everyone else. Zenithar is work, to help your community and to put passion into things you love. Talos is a little bitch, we actually don’t need him

[dalekofchaos]

Why The Last Dragonborn is the greatest threat to the Aldmeri Dominion

The Dragonborn is without a doubt the most powerful being in the Elder Scrolls. But no one really understands that he could bring down the Dominion and bring order to a chaotic Tamriel. 

Whether you side with the Imperials or Stormcloaks. I strongly believe that this could be the first stepping stone to becoming Emperor.

If we look at all he is capable of doing, he would get a lot of influence in the Empire. In this scenario let's say that the Last Dragonborn sides with the Empire and completes every side quest in the game. He would be a Legate in the Legion, thane of every hold, Archmage of the College, Harbinger of the Companions, Hero of House Redoran, a member of house Telvanni, the head of the largest thief organization in Tamriel, head of the Dark Brotherhood, head of the Blades, owner of 2 dragons, high ranking member of the Dawnguard or Lord of the Volkihar Clan, herald of all the Daedra, and basically The Last Dragonborn has all the love and support of Skyrim.

Let’s look at the accomplishments of TES previous heroes. 

In Morrowind The Nerevarine unites the five houses of Morrowind and the Ashlanders, brings an end to The Tribunal, stops Dagoth Ur thus completing the Nerevarine Prophecy, completes the Bloodmoon Prophecy(in which he fucking fights The Daderic Prince Hircine!), kills the god Almalexia, gains the corpus disease and becomes immortal and goes on a expedition to Akavir.

In Oblivion The Hero Of Kvatch/Champion Of Cyrodiil finds the heir to the Emperor, helps Martin Septim become Emperor, shuts down the Oblivion gates stopping the Dadera horde, Martin Septim sacrifices himself and becomes the avatar of Akatosh to stop Mehrunes Dagon and ends the Oblivion Crisis. The Hero Of Kvatch becomes The Champion Of Cyrodiil  and is known and celebrated throughout Cyrodiil for what we did to stop the Oblivion Crisis. then finds the relics of the crusader, becomes the divine crusader and defeats Umaril the Unfeathered. And lastly The Hero Of Kvatch goes to The Shivering Isles, does the bidding of Sheogorath, ends The Greymarch, stops Jyggalag and becomes the new Sheogorath.

As for Skyrim, The Last Dragonborn fulfills the prophecy as Dragonborn and stops Alduin from ending the world, stops Harkon from plunging the world in eternal darkness and travels to Solstheim to stop Miraak, The First Dragonborn. I feel that Miraak is the true climax of the story. The First Dragonborn fighting The Last Dragonborn. Fight to the death between Dragonborns. That for me is basically the ultimate culmination of the game.  But I find it dissatisfying because it just doesn’t feel like anywhere near the level to The Shivering Isles or Tribunal. We don’t become a Daedric Prince or immortal. If anything I feel a new story DLC should be given where The Last Dragonborn becomes the new Emperor of Tamriel. Not High King, Emperor. Tidus Mede II is dead, we know nothing of heirs of The Meade Dynasty and it shouldn’t be unthinkable to assume that the Last Dragonborn can’t become The Emperor. Talos was Dragonborn and it was the Dragonblood that made the Septim Dynasty and a dragonborn who made Tamriel united. Skyrim was on the verge of seceding like Hammerfell did, most likely The Imperial side won canonically(which is for the best, Ulfric did exactly what The Thalmor wanted to divide and conquer so the Empire can fall easy in the next war) as for The Blades, the next duty of The Blades would be to guide The Dragonborn on the path of becoming Emperor because what else are they meant to do? What else can they do? Alduin is dead and it is the duty of The Blades to guide The Dragonborn and to protect The Emperor. The Dragonborn as Emperor can make the Empire stronger reunite Tamriel and unite a strong Tamriel against The Thalmor.

And guess how The Dragonborn as Emperor can stop The Thalmor? Dragons.  Depending if you choose to kill or spare Paarthurnax. You either gain Paarthurnax as an ally who spreads the way of the voice to the other Dovah or The Dragons recognize your Thu’um as the strongest and Alduin’s lordship is passed on to you.  Either way after Miraak’s defeat, The Last Dragonborrn becomes the most powerful being in all of Tamriel.

Lets look at the benefits of The Last Dragonborn as Emperor. He is the Harbinger Of The Companions, so The Companions can aid The Legion with their most strongest warriors, The Dragonborn restores The Blades to their former glory. Guildmaster of The Thieve’s Guild, so Thieves can steal powerful artifacts that benefit The Thalmor, Archmage Of The College Of Winterhold, while Nords do not trust Mages, they will trust their Archmage and The Mages’ power of the arcane can rival that of the High Elves. Listener Of The Dark Brotherhood. As The Listener The Dark Brotherhood, he can arrange the deaths of important and high up Thalmor in power. He is the new Lord of the Volkihar Clan(let’s face it, absolutely no one chose to side with the Dawnguard) The Dragonborn is Champion to the Daedra. And with The Dragonborn being in service to  Hermaeus Mora, we have a chance to obtain Thalmor knowledge for our Daedric Prince of knowledge.

Skyrim’s leadership needs to change. The current leadership of Skyrim needs to be destroyed. And that’s because Jarl Balgruuf can’t even maintain his own hold. It’s a crumbling piece of ruins, even before the dragons came back. Whiterun was a shadow of it’s former self. It used to be this massive trade hub, under Balgruuf, it’s garbage. Riften is a den of corruption and Jarl Lalia who has a carriage ready in case Riften falls to Imperials. It’s fitting that at least Riften’s leader survives but leaves it’s people to the mercy of Maven Black-Briar or the dragons. Each Jarl in Skyrim is equally incompetent. If Skyrim becomes independent, they will all be incompetent together meaning the province will fall that much faster. The only potential that Skyrim has to endure for a good period of time is get better leadership. The Thalmor do not want to conquer  men. The Thalmor want to deactivate the towers, destroy the race of men and remake Nirn so that they can be gods again. And it is our duty to stop this. With the Civil War over, Aludin, Harkon and Miraak defeated, what is there for the Dragonborn to do? Become Emperor and bring an end to The Thalmor. In almost ever Elder Scrolls games, the guild questlines are canon, so The Dragonborn kills Emperor Titus Mede II. The Dragonborn can lead to an Imperial Renaissance, allow it to flourish once again. He helped quell the Stormcloak Rebellion. But what could happen is that after the Civil War is that The Dragonborn would be hailed as a hero in Skyrim and in The Imperial City. Then one day, The Dragonborn declares himself the new Dragonborn Emperor of the true Empire of Tamriel. He saw what Ulfric saw that the current Empire was weak and needs change or it will fall to the Thalmor. The Empire needs a Dragonborn Emperor once again. The Dragonborn walks into the Elder Council chambers and declares he killed Titus Mede II and declares himself Emperor. And pretty much everyone is calling for the Dragonborn’s death. But guess what the Dragonborn does next? BEND WILL! The Dragonborn uses the Bend Will shout on the Elder Council and the Elder Council declares you the Emperor of Tamriel. Now not only do we get a new Dragonborn Emperor, but we also have an army of dragons to join us. Paarthurnax could be convinced to join and lead the dragons on the path to the way of the voice to fight for The Dragonborn or if you do kill Paarthurnax, you gain Alduin’s lordship and the dragons will follow you. So you have an army of dragons and Paarthurnax as your ally. Where Tiber Septim had his personal dragon Nafaalilargus, The Dragonborn has Odahving and Durnehviir. So with the combined might of  The Last Dragonborn, Dragons, the guilds and the backing of the Imperial army led by General Tullius. Once again, Tamriel will be united against The Thalmor and  The Thalmor will be stopped and The Summerset Isles will be burned to ashes.  

[snowberry-pie]

Hey hey so I said a while back that I think gods are immune to their own spheres but I never really like. Elaborated so here’s that i guess. Also kinda baseless so lore people please do not track me down and beat my ass 👉🏽👈🏽

So. The Aedra. Specifically the eight divines (Talos isn’t involved because he ascended late and also he sucks). They’re beings who were tricked/persuaded by Lorkhan into helping him with the creation of Nirn, the mortal plane. In the process of doing so, they ended up giving part of themselves to keep reality stable, which resulted in them being severely weakened.

Now my headcannon is that the part of themselves that they gave away is representative of their own sphere. Akatosh gave his time, Stendarr his mercy, Mara her love, etc. They took part of themselves and used it to shape the mortal world, gave it to Nirn to keep it from falling apart, and as a result have none of it left for themselves.

Akatosh is unaffected by time. He lays, ever so still, watching as the world he helped shape blooms and wilts and lives and dies, forever. He watches as mortals sprout, like cracks in the earth, watches as they cry and laugh and scream and love before, like a finger snuffling a flame, they are gone. But for each fire gone out, a new sprout takes its place.

Kynareth lacks her strength. Her winds, once powerful gales capable of ripping mountains from the earth, now weave through oak and cherry, gently carrying orange autumn leaves from tree to ground. Despite her weak state, she smiles, watching the breeze lift the kites of children, delighted laughter seeming to carry all the way past the stars.

Dibella on the other hand, isn’t so lucky. Just as her cousin gave the world her heart, she gifted it with her spirit. Her smile. Her laugh. Her desire to want. She craves the sensation of longing, of need, yearning to feel the sudden urge to dig her feet into soft earth and make love to someone atop a smooth rock. But she cannot. She is trapped in the never ending cycle of wanting to want, wanting to have an itch to scratch, forever unsatisfied.

And that’s where the worship of the gods comes in. Every time someone takes the time to smell a pretty flower, the corners of Dibella’s mouth twitch into a smile. Whenever a child lifts a heavy crate for the first time, Kynareth’s blood pumps a little faster than before. Every prayer to Arkay gives him substance, every merciful deed warms Stendarr’s cold heart. Worship in Tamriel is a form of giving back to the gods what they once gave you, so that they may one day experience the world they created for themselves.

[electronicdelusionstarlight]

Like, the saddest part is that you can actually see remnants of the Old Northern Pantheon within Skyrim proper, it's just greatly overshadowed by the whole... Talos Retcon.

The very first temple you see in Skyrim is to Kyne. Not Talos, despite Hemskir ranting about Michael Kirkbride Fanfuction right outside, but Kyne.

She's right in the middle of the province, Whiterun, and is arguably the chief diety of the old northern pantheon. She's Shor's Widow, hunter, shield maiden and healer, tied to the seasons and nature, which makes her a perfect Isis/Persephone Analogue to Shor's Hades/Osiris. She is the one who gives the Nords the Thuum, and delivers them from the Dragon, she's the one who protected and sheltered mankind over the years, who sent her son to help the Paravant into freeing her people from the Ayleids, humanity, nords owe everything to her...

Yet she is forgotten. Her temple is dying, imperialized as it is, reduced, and the only other follower of Kyne we meet is a old hunter with a kid. You can do 2 separate quests for her, 3 if we count the tablets on the 7000 steps, one for the Gildergleam, the other for Kyne's Hunter Blessings, and then nothing, she's barelly mentioned in the lore despite her critical role in Paarthurnax's heel-face turn, and suddenly Akatosh is the one responsible for the thuum and dragonborns.

At Kyne's far sides are her maidens. Mara, in Riften, and Dibella, in Markarth, each with their own set of quests and abilities. All 3 Goddesses will grant you their boon, and are arguably the centre gods in the Pantheon, the "Hearth" to Shor's and Orkey's "Death" and Tsun's, Juhnal's and Sthun's "Trials."

Alduin isn't simply a agent of Akatosh, his Lucifer to the Dragonborn's Jesus and Miraak's Adam, he IS AKATOSH. Auri-El, Akatosh and Alduin are each a aspect of the same god, Auri-El the beginning borne from the end, Akatosh the body of time itself, linear and whose cycle has been broken, first by Alessia, wrestling the serpent from it's coils, later Ebonarm, and finally Ysmir, and Alduin the ending from which a new beginning comes anew. This is Incredibly important in northern lore, since Alduin, the Akatosh figure, is not the king of the gods, but the adversary alongside Triminac to men, literally turning people into babies as he steals their lifespan from them, not via battle or glorioys combat, but through old age, time inexorably moving on on them. He is not revered, he is feared, and suddenly everyone being all chummy with Akatosh, a imperialized version of their main satanic figure, being the one responsible for the thuum, a huge part of Northern and Kyne's lore, is beyond insulting.

Even the greybeard spew out this imperialized, dumbed down lore, the supposed keepers of the lore! Bethesda wanted REALLY HARD to standardize a culture then decided to have the main conflict of the game over said goddamn culture!

Except not really, because Talos Worship isn't a goddamn thing in Northern culture. Ysmir is their warrior god, the same Ysmir that later became one of the three heads of Talos, but IT'S NOT EVEN ABOUT THAT! IT'S ABOUT TIBER FUCKING SEPTIM.

A GODDAMN BRETON.

So we have a faction that claims to be "defending the old ways" only for said old ways to be all born post Red Year! It's insane, we had a original pantheon divided into 4 sectors (Dead Gods, Hearth Gods, Trials Gods, Dragonborn) based on this cyclical nature of the universe, whose main deity was, again, the Warrior-Widow of the God of the Dead, and they water it down into a vaguely ethnonationalist bullshit about TIBER FUCKING SEPTIM of all people and how he was TOTALLY a cool ass nord who TOTALLY started his empire here in Skyrim guys.

Ysmir Wulfharth has an entire cycle of myths and folk tales about him dunking on Herma-Mora. Ysmir Wulfharth fucking turned into a Kaiju and wrestled Alduin out of time and space as he and his people were TURNED INTO CHILDREN under Triminac' and/or (A)Orkey's orders. Ysmir Wulfharth was so fucking cool, the only way the combined Chimmer and Dwemer forces could stop him and his people during the war, as they abused Kyne's gift of the Thuum, was to DROP RED MOUNTAIN ON HIM.

Hjalti Early-Beard forced his girlfriend to get an abortion against her will.

I know which deity I'd be more bummed for if someone decided to ban them.