#yokuda

[elderscrollsconceptart]

Western Tamriel and Yokuda

Art asset for The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard

*Artist Unknown* If you know comment below

[aldudagga]

Project Hammerfell concept art for the Abecean Red Armada - a state-sanctioned privateer militia chartered by the Crown to oversee his direct domains of Old Hegathe, Stros M'kai, and Gilane. They were founded during the Simulacrum in response to the decline of the Imperial West Navy and the increasing instability following the War of the Blue Divide. The coronation of Commodore Naffir as Constable of Stros M'kai has invariably given the outfit more power and tighter responsibilities, and the Constable still remains ever vigilant in his war on smuggling.

[morihaus]

Breath

"I thought it would make for a good story!"

A son of Skyrim sits on a log far, far away from the snowy shores of his birth. Beside him sit two fellow warriors, one from this land of dragons in the East, and the other from a land of swords even further East than that. When Njorri bellows out his explanation, the Yokudan cracks a small smile, while the Tsaesci's eyes bore into him.

"It's a lovely fine country you have here. It's hot! But not as hot as Morrowind, so it suits me more! And I ain't got any ash in my beard, like my cousin Holf is always complaining about."

"That's why you're interfering with our sacred hunt?" Siek-Shirue asks, eyes sharp like her tongue.

Njorri laughs and waves a massive hand. "Oh, nooo, I wouldn't say 'interfere!' I'm fit to help you! My da use to hunt dragons all the time."

A laugh bubbles up from Ensaf, the third who has merely played the spectator up til now. "Quite the name to live up to."

"Ain't nothin' special. Not like traveling all this way out East-- across that cursed ocean no less!"

The armored Akaviri turns to Ensaf now. "And why are you here?"

The trained fighter can recognize an itchiness about her 'host's sword-arm, the way her hand sits on her opposite thigh, inches from her scabbard; she knows that, even without any apparent weapon, Ensaf could produce one out of thin-air with only a breath.

"Me? Well, I'm looking for a story of my own." She adjusts herself on the log, easing up on her posture to try and relax the other woman. "You see, in the land where I come from, just about every swordsman's done something incredible. There's nothing left to make a name for yourself. But here... I can do something no one else has. At least no one from Yokuda." Leaning back, she tears her eyes away from her host and looks up at the clear skies of the steppe where the day is giving way to nightfall. "I'd heard rumors from sailors about an island full of dragons to the West... wasn't sure they were true until today."

"You've got no dragons back home?" Njorri asks, leaning over Siek to do so.

Ensaf shakes her head. "Afraid not. Plenty of serpents, but none that fly through the air like that... I would've picked a better opening if I had realized how fast they move."

"No dragons??? Skyrim used to be lousy with dragons, and so did this place, I hear, before Sek here and her pals--"

At this junction, Siek shoves the tall Nord back with a sudden burst of force, barking out a single syllable as the thrust of her hand sends him spilling across the grass of the camp. "Siek." She affirms, curling her lip up at the boisterous foreigner. Her fellow blades look over at the commotion, hands at their swords before she waves them off, assuring them things hadn't broken down... at least not yet.

Ensaf narrows her eyes in the split second it takes place, perking an ear and trying to tune in. As Njorri's dusting himself off, she leans forward again and looks to the Tsaesci. "That was the same technique you used to disarm my Shehai, wasn't it?"

Siek turns to face her, but defensive walls are clearly still up. After a moment of eyeing her up, she replies. "Yes. The Kiai is the greatest power we wield as Tsaesci."

"It's a lot like the Thu'um!" Njorri remarks, unbothered as he returns to his seat.

Siek whips her head around to him, riled up by that notion. "NO, it is not!

"You shout, things happen, sounds like Thu'um to me."

"You are a moron and an interloper! Your know nothing of what you say!"

Ensaf interjects. "Care to explain what it is then?"

"Ooh, please! I'd love to hear a story from a Tsaesci!" Njorri enthusiastically chimes in, the two warriors looking to their interrogator with inquisitive eyes.

She stops and takes a breath to center herself, finding it important to tell this story right, even if it's only for the benefit of two strangers who meddled with their hunt.

"Long ago... these lands were ruled by dragons. Our ancestors worshiped them as gods, fearful of their power, but in truth, their power came from the spirits of the world itself. Our arbitrary masters had stolen it with their domineering language. Our Mother, Tserida-Shak, learnt this from the Teacher, Boesha, who taught her the path of Tsaescence and the secret language of creation. Using the world's alphabet, Tserida-Shak spoke the first Kiai into the world, using it to kill the word in the dragon's throat. With our new martial art, we began our hunt to destroy all dragonkind and our duty to defend creation."

Njorri and Ensaf listen intently, poring over the words of this legend.

Predictably, the affable Nord replies first. "Not a bad story, but, it's a little tired, ain't it?"

"What?" Siek asks, disgusted.

Njorri waves his hands to and fro as he talks. "Men ruled by dragons, someone teaches them how to fight back, they do-- I mean, we Nords for example, we learned it from Paarthurnax, since Kyne told him so--"

"'Paarthurnax?'" Siek grows suddenly inquisitively, as well as revolted. "A dragon??? You were taught by a dragon???"

"Well, sure! How else do ya expect a man to learn dragon’s talk?"

Siek suddenly regards Njorri with an odd mixture of pity and loathing, wondering whether his people were still living under a different sort of tyranny, or if they were all-too willing servants who traded their dignity and humanity for power over other mortals.

Ensaf cuts through the tension. "It's actually not too different from how we learned sword-singing..." She offers, successfully distracting Siek from her disgust. With both of the other warriors looking at her, she elaborates. "Our people have always had many enemies, without and within, and many gods of the sword took pity on us. Onsi taught us how to make them, but it was Leki who sang us the secrets of mastery. She made the sword our soul. From there, we learned to make our souls to swords."

The Yokudan stretches out her open hand and begins to speak, or sing, her own language, belting out a few syncopated notes. A bright glow emanates from her whole body before beginning to coalesce, traveling down her arm and taking shape in her hand. With a flash, she now holds a long, curved sword that seems to shimmer like the surface of a pond. Even as Ensaf stops singing, Njorri and Siek can still hear the blade humming the tune.

"That's..." Siek begins, her voice fallen to a hush.

"Shor's Bones! You're doin' that all on your own???" Njorri interjects, leaning in closer to inspect the weapon. "That right there's some clever craft if I've ever seen it! Never thought of usin' the Thu'um for somethin' like that!"

Ensaf laughs, taking the Nord much more lightly. "I'm not sure it's all too similar to what you two do with your voices... I'm not communing with any spirits. Put simply, this is all me." She takes a moment to admire her Shehai, a great point of pride for her as a Sword Saint. Even if the battles she's won or the quests she's gone on pale in comparison to many of her illustrious peers, this sword still stands as her one grand accomplishment, totally unique to herself.

"You're right..." Siek is still quite amazed at the display. "We use our own spirits in the Kiai as well, but we don't... at least, I have never heard of a Blade who could call upon such a well of power from within." She manages to tear her eyes away from the still-singing sword and look Ensaf in the eye. "That aerial slash of yours-- I thought Ilni's winds had carried it for you, yet it was this 'Shehai' of yours?"

Ensaf nods. "Though now that you mention it, I suppose I could've used some help in landing it. Maybe next time I'll ask them." She offers Siek a smile along with this well-meaning jest. In all honesty, the woman's story had piqued her curiosity. It could be interesting to bring a few of her tricks back to Yokuda with her.

Njorri loudly concurs with Siek's observation. "I've heard rumors-- tall tales and all that, not so trustworthy as they are entertaining-- that some Tongues can use the Thu'um to change themselves, the way we can change the Qethsegolle by arguin' with 'em."

"Arguing?" Siek interjects, glancing back at Njorri as he once more leads her to question his morals.

"Aye, arguin'. Y'see, we Nords can't go about it exactly like dragons. With dragons, they just shout so great and loud that the Qethsegolle go 'alright, alright!' and do whatever it is they want. Blast this mountain over there, blow these clouds away, set that man on fire-- that sorta thing." The way he describes the interaction so simply, like a children's game, rubs her entirely the wrong way. Whether Njorri is blissfully ignorant of this or simply affords fellow men the same irreverence as he does the spirits, she does not know, but he continues speaking nonetheless. "We men ain't as loud as dragons by nature, so we've got to be a little more subtle, eh? Persuade the spirits! It's all about spinning the right words with the right tones, making this-do-that or you-go-here or whatever it is you're tryin' for! The Qethsegolle aren't a prickly sort-- 'least most of 'em aren't. They're busy keepin' the house Shor built standin' upright, so they're distracted most of the time. It's easy to slip things by 'em if you say 'em right."

It sounds like just another deceit to Siek, but Njorri, of course, views it all in good fun.

He turns back to Ensaf and guffaws. "Guess your sword-singin' cuts out the middle man, eh?" The Nord bellows out a laugh.

Ensaf joins him, but she also notices Siek still hasn't quite come around to the two strangers just yet, fascinated as she may be by her Shehai. If they were going to have any chance of sticking around and seeing this hunt through, they'd need to find some more common ground.

Her spirit sword still singing, Ensaf looks up at the stars above them. "We have a lot in common... but there's an old saying in Yokuda: 'you can't see the view from atop his feet.'" She gracefully turns the point of her blade down to the ground, resting it against the earth. "No two people can really, truly see the same thing the same way. Right now, we can't see the same stars, because I can't sit where you're sitting. I don't know anything about dragons or earthly spirits because we couldn't be farther apart when we were all children. We could spin yarns all night and we'd still be no closer to understanding it all."

Njorri easily accepts this treatise on subjectivity given his cultural proclivity towards tale-telling, though Siek waits to hear where the Yokudan is going with this.

"But different as we may be, I've always seen two things that all us folk have in common." Ensaf smiles. "We breathe, and we sing."

"Sing?" Siek raises a brow.

"Oh yes! We Nords love to sing! I s'pose I should've guessed Yokudans do, given the sword and all!" Njorri cranes his neck down to look at their captor. "What of you, Siek? Do the Tsaesci sing?"

"Well of course." She replies almost defensively. "But I don't see why that--"

"Go on, share a song with us." Ensaf urges. "All this talk of your great hunts and dragon-slaying, you must have some raucous ballads."

At the continued insistence of these two interlopers, Siek-Shirue relents. She begins to regale them, softly at first, with some anthems of war, rhythmic lyrics that sing to the glories of Tsae and the noble cause of the Tsaesci. Njorri begins to slap his knee to the beat, while Ensaf nods her head and taps her foot. The two even start to pick up some of the words.

Their impromptu and largely unintentional revelry does not escape the attention of the rest of Siek's unit, who become easily gripped by the infectious songs of their people. Before Siek knows what's happened to her, she's leading her whole company plus two foreigners in the devotional ballads of Boesha 1-13.

It's only natural that a Tongue and a Sword-Singer would take to song so easily, learning more, perhaps, from the joint fervor of this merry ritual than they ever could have through idle conversation. As the night wears on and tensions subside, they even share some of the songs of Skyrim and Yokuda with their new fellows, and just as they had learned, now the Tsaesci learn of their new companions through the most expedient method: their breath, and their songs.

[aetherderius]

Stendarr, Aedric God of Mercy

When witnessing Nirn, Honourable Stendarr takes on a mortal form similar to his old form as Diagna of Yokuda Beware the judgment of Diagna Stendarrii

"Protect the weak, heal the sick, and give to the needy" - Nine Commands of the Eight Divines

While the outfit Diagna wears in this image could be described as 'casual', the Aedric God of Justice can never truly be described as 'relaxed'

[drnightstone]

"Ri Fanga: The Walkabout"

I found an Yoku song an old ESO Redguard Bard character of mine wrote for an RP. Thought I post it.

[ratlibrarian]

The Towers and the Thalmor

This is, unabashedly, me putting on my most exquisite tinfoil hat and theorizing what I believe to be the goal of the Thalmor in the Elder Scrolls universe.

Spoilers for all the major Elder Scrolls games, I think?

So, what do the Thalmor want? According to the loading screens in Legends, and the Infernal City by Greg Keyes, the Thalmor wish to subordinate all other peoples of Tamriel and "bring about a new Merethic era".

I find this somewhat lacking as an overarching goal. Simply taking control over Tamriel is something that the Cyrodiilic empires of Alessia, Reman and Septim have tried, and to varying extents, succeeded in before. Subjugating the other races seems a little bit on-the-nose. So what instead? What do they mean by bringing about a new Merethic era?

Well, the beginning of the Merethic era is considered the introduction of the Adamantine Tower to Mundus, and the beginning of linear time at the Convention. There, Lorkhan was punished for his treachery in creating the world, and by his execution, two more Towers were formed, or at least their essence was implanted in Mundus: the Red Tower and the White-Gold Tower, alongside their respective stones, the Heart of Lorkhan and the Chim-el Adabal, the gem at the center of the Amulet of Kings.

The Towers that formed after the Adamantine Tower was placed (or flown onto, or constructed on) on Nirn, seem to be the origins of the differences between the elves, what allowed the Bosmer and Chimer and all the other mer to distinguish themselves from the Aldmer, and later the Altmer. Condsidering Crystal-Like-Law is meant to be a copy of the Adamantine Tower, I personally theorize that the Altmer are in fact closest to what the Aldmer were like before the sinking of Aldmeris.

Thus, I think that "subjugating" the other races is less about subordinating the other elven races under the iron fist of the Thalmor and the Aldmeri Dominion, but more about forcing them to revert to a more Aldmeri state, in essence making all elves return to their pre-sinking of Aldmeris forms. The humans and beastfolk might simply be subjugated, though.

But I think it might even go further than that. I think the end goal of the Aldmeri Dominion is nothing less than the un-creation of Mundus. Notably, I don't think the goal is merely destruction, as Alduin or Satakal might aim for, but the undoing of the very creation of Mundus. In essence, undoing what Lorkhan tricked the Divines into doing.

The Altmer give us the terms "Aedra" and "Daedra", meaning "our ancestors" and "not our ancestors". I think the goal of the Aldmeri Dominion is to return the stolen strength and power of the Aedra to them, power which is used to maintain the constant that is Mundus, and which allows for linear time, and to return the elves to a state where they were indistinguishable for other et'Ada, other powerful ancestral spirits.

To do this, the collective strength of all elven nations might be required, which would explain the conquering tendencies of the Aldmeri Dominion and the Thalmor, while also giving a reason for the seeming destruction of the Towers around Tamriel.

So, how far have they gotten? And what is the final act?

Well, which Towers are operable?

Crystal-Like-Law - Seemingly inoperable, according to "Rising Threat", but might still be operable in other planes of existence.

Red Tower - Probably inoperable, considering the destruction of the Heart of Lorkhan by the Nerevarine, but might simply need a new Stone.

White-Gold - Inoperable, as the Chim-el Adabal is destroyed.

Orichalc - Unknown, thought inoperable with the sinking of Yokuda.

Snow Throat - Likely operating.

Green Sap - Perchance.

Walk-Brass - A conundrum. Thought inoperable, might simply need rebuilding and a new power source.

And the last Tower. The site of the Convention, Ada-Mantia. Likely operating, considering linear time continues on Mundus, this is, in my opinion, the final goal for the Aldmeri Dominion. To destroy or disable Ada-Mantia and break the Earth-Bones which bind the Aedra to Mundus.

My sincerest hope for the Elder Scrolls 6, aside from re-introducing spears, is that the Adamantine Tower becomes an important site for the plot, if it truly is set in the Iliac bay region.

This has been a cathartic embrace of my inner tinfoil hat-wearing lore nerd.

I'm probably wrong (for canon), but I love the Elder Scrolls, and I will head-canon this always.

[aardvark-123]

~Gender Roles and Misogyny in the Elder Scrolls Headcanons~

This is mostly me speculating, because I've heard characters like Olfina Gray-Mane remarking on misogyny ("It's not easy being a woman in Skyrim"), but that sentiment isn't really borne out by the rest of the game. I'm not married to these headcanons, but they are interesting to think about within The Elder Scrolls's other world-building.

Cyrodiil has quite an open-minded culture, without much concept of Jobs For Men or Jobs For Women, and with trans people widely accepted. However, it also has quite a refined culture, where people are expected to be well put-together. Middle-class women face a familiar pressure to glam themselves up, being elegant lady-knights or preppy architects; working-class women, not so much, although they might wear some perfume for a shift in the mine.

On the surface, Skyrim seems to have gender equality - women are often seen as warriors, Jarls, clever-men, farmers and so on. However, there is a lingering sentiment that women are side characters, there to help and look after the real heroes - strong, loud men like Ulfric or Ysgramor. Skyric society can also be judgy about men doing "women's work" like weaving and cookery.

I've decided Skyrim's demonym should be "Skyric", because it just makes sense.

High Rock is open-minded like Cyrodiil, as well as having an individualistic culture where people try to make their own path through life. It has a very romantic culture, led by stories of chivalry, adventure and courtly love, but these stories aren't exactly bound to gender roles. Maidens and knights are well-established archetypes, but half the famous knights are women and several of the maidens are men.

Morrowind has a fairly robust culture, but it cuts even-handedly in all directions, with gender stereotypes and mockery levelled at everyone. When asked, some Dunmer women have said Dunmer men are worth putting up with, and Dunmer men have said they're glad Dunmer women are on their side.

The Code of Malacath expects men and women alike to be strong, tough and argumentative, although it is patriarchal in the sense that men lead families and strongholds. There are a few who scoff at non-binary Orcs, but non-binary Orcs can earn respect by punching their detractors in the face. Orsinium's biggest counterculture is an elegant, cultured ballroom dancing scene.

Sexism is a non-issue in Valenwood. There is a stereotype that women are the tough ones, but neither women nor men get pigeonholed into a particular life path.

Yokuda never had a serious problem with gender roles, but women in modern-day Hammerfell face pressure to live up to a "cool girl" image, where they're friendly, sprightly, tomboyish and up for a good time, able to fight, yet always nicely attired. It's remeniscent of Skyrim's cultural emphasis on comely shieldmaidens. Conversely, Hammerfellese men have faced pressure to live up to the "dashing rogue" archetype ever since a popular comic book series about Cyrus.

[allthingstamriel]

Stros M’Kai

ESO region aesthetic board More >

One of the first landfalls settled by the Redguards when they sailed east from their lost homeland of Yokuda, the island of Stros M'Kai is now a haven for freebooters, sea-rovers, and other nautical entrepeneurs who roam the Abecean Sea.

“A job. Anyone who helps is going to get rich. Right now I need a fresh face, someone this island's butcher-in-charge, Headman Bhosek, doesn't know and won't stop.” – Captain Kaleen

[x] [x] [x] [x] [x Cosplay by MakeupSiren] [x]

[elderscrollsconceptart]

Tall Pappa and his children: Hunding, Leki, Ansei

Art for Pocket Guide to the Empire, 1st Edition

Art by Michael Kirkbride

[aldudagga]

A passage on the relationship between truth & myth from the perspective of the Redguards

That which resonates becomes inseparable from personal truth, and a personal truth shared among many is mightier than an absolute truth imposed upon all. In a world where gods and heroes are tangibly empowered through faith and ritual alone, the Redguards weave histories into legends to manipulate common dogma and distort the boundary between the mundane and divine. Historical recordkeeping is therefore the performative tradition of shamans, theologians, and poets, indifferent to their own credibility, for it is customary to innovate on the past with new knowledge and embellish it with modern trends. 

Kissed with the telltale candor of a tired nanny or emblazoned with rebel righteousness, myth is the language of truth, and it is only the nature of man that many truths may take the place of one. This is made most apparent when unraveling the web of mythology surrounding the first leader of the Redguards Diagna: at once a king who dealt the final blow against the Lefthanders and led the Redguards to their new homeland, a sword-singer who cut the skin of the world open and walked his companions into heaven, and an asteroid from which the Yokudans received divine knowledge to overcome their oppressors. Despite the conflicting depictions of an otherwise well-accounted and widely acknowledged figure in Redguard history, the contradictions contained therein are insignificant to them, for truth may take many forms.

[morihaus]

INFORMATION ABOUT THE LEFT-HANDED ELVES: they practiced snake husbandry

[giselberts]

ms ashma :) also called ms asthma. don't worry about it. i've been messing with an idea of her since i finished enderal but i've only been able to put a face on the idea just a few days ago!!

the short of it is that she's dragonborn + meridia knight who's ass gets sent to enderal/nehrim to fix stuff that's going on over there :)

the long version is below the cut :) she's more of a vyn oc than a tes oc tbh? there's a lot of cool concepts introduced in tes that become even cooler when you view them through the lens of vyn!! (esp the whole predestination thing or having a path/being pathless, the false gods in both morrowind/nehrim, lots of little fun things)

warning uhhh nehrim/enderal spoilers below the cut. and it's very rambly/disorganised so beware

alsoalso!! if anyone wants to like. workshop this idea/AU with me hmu im so open to trying to make this au work (and also im going back through nehrim/enderal so the ramble below is extra messy)

OKAY so. i'm going rusty on my TES knowledge tbh BUT ashma was a follower of meridia and became her babygirl when she found her beacon/got dawnbreaker and that jazz, like a 4th era darien gautier/golden knight except she's emotionally constipated and she's a redguard (in my heart she is berber <3)

she becomes dragonborn, does dragonborning things, has an existential crisis when there's the old 'to kill or not to kill' with partysnax (this comes back in later <3) but that's fine. she's gotten the attention of every daedric prince after killing miraak + meridia personally vouches for her at some later point in time.

one thing i loveeee about vyn is eventualities!! and tes also has those with dragonbreaks. and also in this AU either tamriel/yokuda or akavir is lethonia which works and doesn't work but it's fine it's fictional. who cares. no actually if you care hmu i wanna workshop this to make this work. yes eventualities. SO i think a short while after skyrim canon events end (mainly dragonborn dlc), that's when nehrim events kick in!! mostly the uprising/killing the gods thing. the lightborn are dead BUT the (nehrim) prophecy isn't filled.

that's when meridia and herma mora go "hey there's this thing going on in this other continent where we don't do shit just to see how these idiots fare. it's not going well. we should probably send this one single person there"

ofc ashma is all "fuck yeah ill do it. anything for you mommy meridia because i am blindly loyal and will follow any order given to me"

and so bam homie is sent to enderal, probably not too far from jespar while he's investigating yero so that he's all 'hey there's a weird knight over there :) surely i will talk to them'.

ashma just.... does things without questioning them? 'oh yeah we gotta stop the world from blahblahblah' 'aight bet' she's just the perfect soldier who doesn't ask much questions, barely becomes pals with jespar and calia, they're coworkers at most? to her this is all temporary, ms meridia will take her back as soon as her mission is over. things take a real big turn when she's on that one quest with constantine and jespar, because she uh. falls and hits her head on a rock and straight up dies and gets thrown back in time to nehrim events. the whole predestination/killing fate/having a set path for you REALLY fucks her up because it's pushing her to question her beliefs. that paired with the rhalata questline (is one worthy of redemption + should one strive to make the world better no matter how small they are + basically every philosophical shit enderal throws at you) makes her maybe have a mental breakdown. it's okay she's fine. and besides she can have another go at this! this time around she's pal with jespar and calia, she knows the rules of the game now.

tbh i think catharsis ending suits her best? ok that's all thank u for reading this very messy ramble :)

[varlaisvea]

A Guide to the Art of Fortune-Telling with Tales of Tribute

Part I: How to read the cards, plus interpretations of six Patrons

For the free day of @tes-summer-fest, here's the first half of a "how-to" on reading fortunes with a Tales of Tribute deck! (Note: this is fictional and in-universe; I have some ideas for ways to approximate this, but as far as I know, sadly, there's no real Tales of Tarot.)

-----

Like many who wield psijic magic, in my youth back in Sunhold, I used to make a bit of coin telling fortunes. I fell out of practice when I left Sunhold after the Maormer invaded, but when I travel, I still make a habit of seeking out fortune-tellers to see how they weave their tales. A few years ago, when I was in Black Kiergo as a healer, I met one of the finest tellers I’ve yet experienced, and his deck of cards had an alluring hexagonal shape that I felt added so much flourish to his interpretations. So when I first saw Tales of Tribute cards, whose shape is based on Pellitine tarot, I knew I had to try using them to read fortunes! Of course it had been a while, but I dusted off my old skills and started reading for friends and lovers. Since then, I’ve met several others who use Tales of Tribute cards for mystic purposes, and since these cards are seemingly in every tavern, it’s easy to get your hands on them.

This little book represents what I’ve learned so far, I hope others will publish their findings!

---

Learning how to read the cards

You’ve seen a fortune-teller use cards, no doubt—they lay out their cards in a mystical sequence in front of them, and then read from those cards their querent’s future. Tales of Tribute is a game about storytelling, and above all, you should see your reading as a story—this is actually the highest function of fortune-telling, no? There are countless meanings for each component of the reading, and if you try to understand them all separately, you will lose your mind and your client! While it is useful to be able to pick out specific meanings, the goal is to take the tableau as a whole and then view its parts. Therefore, I strongly advise you do not read the full tableau until all of the cards are dealt.

The layout I will cite here is the classic layout used for fortune-telling, but there are countless others! As you learn how to read the cards, you may decide there are layouts that work better for you, or that give more insight in specific situations.

Step One: Choose your Patrons

For this reading, we are going to use four Patrons—the classic and most common. In general, you should choose at least two but no more than four—one perspective is never the full picture, but more than four is too many voices. A note: it is best for beginners to choose Patrons at random from the bag of tokens—if you’re doing a reading for a querent, let them pull the medallions from the bag. (Choosing specific Patrons has its value; you may have certain Patrons you’re drawn to, or Patrons whose energy you specifically seek in your reading. I recommend saving that for when you have developed a good sense of the personalities of the various Patrons.)

Step Two: Place the Patrons

Place the four tokens in positions representing north, south, east, and west.

The four cardinal directions are associated with many things—heroes, legends, constellations, elements, and many more. You may choose not to place meaning on the positions of the Patrons, or you may choose to derive meaning from this—whatever you like. I have noticed certain Patrons have stronger influence on the reading in certain positions, for example, Ansei Frandar Hunding in the east (typically associated with Yokuda) tends to be more powerful than he would be in other positions, likewise with Sorcerer-King Orgnum in the west (typically associated with the sea).

Take a moment to look at your four Patrons and meditate on what they say about the reading, the querent, or the question at hand. What themes are represented and reinforced by the four of them together? Where are their conflicts? The four Patrons together will tell you the broad strokes and big picture of the reading. In the final chapter, I will detail the meanings I have noticed for various Patrons, and synergies I have found recurring through my readings.

Step Three: Deal the cards and place them in the spread

Next, remove the starter cards and shuffle all four Patrons’ decks together. Ask your querent to meditate upon their question or situation, and have them cut the deck.

It is said that change in Nirn happens in six ways, and fortune-telling is all about telling stories of change. So, for this spread, we will use six cards. Deal them, and place them in a roughly hexagonal shape, like so:

Again, you may notice associations with the various positions, or with the order in which the cards are dealt, or the orientation of the cards, their proximity to the Patron tokens, or many other things. Notice what calls to you, what stands out. Notice also what your mind wishes you to ignore—this is always a valuable lens.

Step Four: Interpret!

Look over the spread as a whole—what energies are strongest?

For example, if four out of six of your cards are from the Red Eagle deck, the tone of the entire reading is likely to be colored by the stark and resilient energies associated with Red Eagle, and the position of the Red Eagle medallion might have extra meaning or strength. Likewise, if you put down three threes, you can expect the energies associated with the number three to play a large part in the interpretation. As another example, more expensive cards are rarer. Sometimes, I have found that a spread heavy with expensive cards is a sign of good luck and fortune for my querent, whereas other times, it adds a flavor of challenge, difficult-to-reach objectives; walking against a strong headwind. It all depends on how the cards fit into the overall context of the spread.

One last point of advice: remember that your culture, heritage, and life experience will matter a great deal to your perspective and your interpretation, but it is foolish to stop there. The most well-rounded readings draw from as many cultures and sources as possible.

Guide to interpretations

Please note, this is information I have gleaned from my own experiences, and chatting with others who are using Tribute to tell fortunes. You may find that the cards have different energies in your hands, or on certain days, or many other factors—the best way to learn is to keep practicing! And don’t take any of this too gravely—take it from a seasoned fortune-teller: sometimes a fanciful or flimsy interpretation is more satisfying than a literal one. As I said, above all, your reading should tell a story—even if it is not a pleasant one. And of course, don’t forget to use the art on the cards to help guide your interpretation!

Finally, remember that Change is the most sacred force we experience, so no matter what the cards portend, a different outcome is always possible!

Card costs in gold

We will primarily be using the Patrons to guide our reading, but of course, it's the cards you're reading! So a good place to start is the gold value of each card.

In general, even numbers tend to correspond with order and stability, while odd numbers tend to correspond with change and chaos. This is also true when speaking of other numbers beyond the cost—months, days—any number associated with your reading.

Twos — Hints, portents, beginnings. The essence of the thing in question. Threes — Ephemeral. Sacrifice. The right thing at the right time. Fours — The source of power, the edge. A thing working the way it is supposed to. Fives— Chaos, secrets and subterfuge. Acquisitions, thievery. Sixes — Order. Important person, the agent, the one who carries out the orders. Protection/protector

Numbers above six are less common, so their themes are more specific to the individual cards.

Keep in mind that different Patrons affect different numbers differently. For example, Rajhin's upgraded five (Grand Larceny) is to me the most five card possible, for reasons you'll learn very soon. As another example, save for one card, the Duke of Crows has only fours and sixes, so those numbers will have extra meaning when you're working with the Duke. And so on!

Moon phases

I was fortunate to spend several months traveling with Baandari healers, many of whom are also fortune-tellers. They taught me how the phases of the moons are interpreted in fortune-telling—or at least they taught me well enough that I can somewhat-capably use it in my readings! The Baandari fortune-tellers explained it like this: when Azurah created Khajiit, she gave each of the sixteen furstocks different abilities and strengths.

One could view it as a spectrum with Alfiq and Senche-raht at either end. If we’re talking about individual Khajiit, of course there are Alfiq brawlers and Senche-raht wizards and everything in between, so for fortune-telling purposes, these characteristics define the moon phase rather than the people born under it, even though it also tends to describe the people born under it… eh, it would take a long time to explain the finer points, but very roughly: Alfiq represents great mystical power and nimbleness of the body, Senche-raht is great physical power and nimbleness of the mind, and all the rest fall somewhere in between. I have noted the moon phases when I have found a strong connection in my readings.

Associations with months of the year and constellations

This is where the Patrons draw some of their strongest energy. Some of the associations, I have found to be very strong, while others are loose or vacillate between a few different constellations/months. Here, I have listed each Patron along with the month/constellation I have found it most strongly associated with, both for myself and others, as well as some of the most common traditional interpretations of each constellation—as with everything else, you may include or discard these as you see necessary!

A note on The Serpent

Currently there are twelve Tales of Tribute patrons, so none is associated with The Serpent—as is appropriate, The Serpent’s energy is everywhere and nowhere, affecting every patron at one time or another. If there is ever a thirteenth patron, I’d put coin on The Serpent becoming most strongly associated with Sorcerer-King Orgnum—for me, he is usually far more Serpent than Lover—but the snake’s presence will most certainly continue to be felt everywhere. You will know The Serpent when you feel it—as if there is something else pulling at your thoughts along with the patron’s normal energies.

Some patrons are far more susceptible to The Serpent than others in my experience. For example, St. Pelin often struggles to escape The Serpent’s energy, and Hermaeus Mora is a strong personality who is nevertheless vexed by The Serpent. The Druid King and Red Eagle are associated with old magic; when The Serpent arrives with them, it is an adversary, but one they welcome, as they have mastered its energy. For the three guide constellations, (Mage, Warrior, and Thief, represented by Psijic Loremaster Celarus, Saint Alessia, and The Duke of Crows respectively), their relationship with The Serpent is part of their identity—never look at The Thief, The Mage, or The Warrior without also wondering where The Serpent is! I will note The Serpent’s effects where applicable, but all I can say is be sure to listen to The Serpent when it arrives!

Below, you'll find the first six Patrons, and notes on interpreting each.

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The Druid King

Cohesion. Overwhelming might. Ancient magic, nature magic, the Earthbones. Insularity. Teamwork/collaboration within the chosen group. Synergy, abundance. Experimentation.

Constellation: The Ritual (a charge of The Mage) The Ritual is associated with magic, especially old magic. Despite being associated with change, its association with old magic means it’s the sort of change that often has very old roots which have weathered hardship—late winter; the moments of silence before the rebirth of spring begins. As an image The Ritual represents the Eye of Magnus itself, magicka itself, and the Druids revere The Ritual above all. The first month of the year is a fitting place for the roots of magic.

The Ritual has seven stars and occurs in Morning Star, the first month of the year, so it is associated with the numbers 1 and 7. This makes it strongly mutable, associated with odd numbers and thus change. Morning Star is Vakka (Sun) in Jel. (Another association with Magnus.) To the Dwemer, The Ritual was The Laboratory. In Yokudan song, The Ritual is turning through the night. It is a protective sign, and Celestials associate it with protection of the head.

Moon phase: Dagi-raht Copious raw mystic power, with understanding of earthly things sufficient to master old magics.

———

Sorcerer-King Orgnum

Pressure. Groupthink. Piracy, plunder, mercilessness. All-or-nothing. High risk and high reward, priority of the whole at the expense of the individual. Keep in mind, I’m from Sunhold, where we’re generally not terribly fond of Maormer, and that surely colors my interpretation of the Sorcerer-King, but we better than most can attest to Maormeri efficiency. Orgnum represents what we came to call ‘the triumph of rats’—on their own, each individual problem is fairly easy to deal with (if you can catch them), but if too many of them overwhelm you, their victory is all but assured, and you’ll have to scuttle your ship to be free of them completely. King Orgnum means that a querent could be in danger of losing everything if they’re not vigilant.

Constellation: The Lover (a charge of The Thief) As I said, for me King Orgnum is the most mobile, and brings The Serpent more than any other. Still, The Lover works for him when I think of how the Maormer see him: they tend to think as one, with Orgnum as their guiding light. The Lover is associated with relationships of all kinds, and with protection and safety. The Serpent is everything for King Orgnum—sometimes I think he's been assigned The Lover because it was the last sign left over. If nothing feels Lover at all about your reading, just look to The Serpent!

The Lover has twelve stars and occurs in Sun’s Dawn, the second month of the year, so it is associated with the numbers 2 and 12. The Lover is very fixed, associated with many even numbers—order and security. Sun’s Dawn is Xeech (Nut) in Jel. In Yokudan song, The Lover is sighing through the night. It is a protective sign, and Celestials associate it with protection of the hands.

Moon phase: Suthay Represents potential, and power yet to come.

————

Grandmaster Delmene Hlaalu

Cold ruthlessness. Mastery. Gold. Subterfuge. The power of coin. Everything and everyone has a cost; enough gold opens any door. Everything is negotiable, a smile on the face with a dagger behind the back. The long game. Shrewdness, financial intelligence, opportunism. Trade and commerce. Luck in business affairs. Avoidance of conflict in favor of negotiation. The Grandmaster is calculating, a master at finding opportunity, even in seemingly-bad situations. There is always a solution, it just may not be palatable; she is the opposite of sunk-costs. No matter how bad things get, no matter how many people you must hurt, no matter how much you might harm your own long-term plans, there is always a way to get ahead in the short term.

Constellation: The Lord (a charge of The Warrior) The Celestials say of The Lord, who wieldeth both sword and plowshare, planting both seeds and foes? That’s what the Grandmaster represents: control of the game board—winning not with soldiers or resources, but by controlling the movements of both, and playing them against each other when useful. The Serpent rarely affects the Grandmaster—she simply has no time for it. When it does, it's in subtle ways; uncharacteristic carelessness with coin, relinquishing the upper hand in business choices, and other such anomalies.

The Lord has nineteen stars and occurs in First Seed, the third month of the year, so it is associated with the numbers 3 and 19. First Seed is Sisei (Sprout) in Jel. In Yokudan song, The Lord is advancing through the night. It is a combative sign, and Celestials associate it with swords. The Lord is mutable, befitting both sword and plowshare; associated with odd numbers and thus chaos and change.

Moon phase: Ohmes Versatility, cunning, hiding in plain sight.

———————

Psijic Loremaster Celarus

Manipulation. Control. Hidden agendas, farseeing, scrying. Time. Order, hypocrisy, upholding status quo. Puppetmaster. Kingmaker. The long game. A check on power, a deus ex machina. Eternal knowledge, fate, plots, the long arc of history. Celarus reminds us that someone is always watching, whether we like it or not, and that no matter how powerful we are, Time is stronger. The Loremaster allies himself with power and status, for a good only the Psijic Order gets to define, so he represents shadowy forces we do not control, and agendas to which we are not privy. A heavy presence of his cards is a warning that there are forces at play you do not understand, and cannot affect.

Constellation: The Mage I am an adherent of the ancient psijic tradition from which the Psijic Order long ago untethered itself, erasing its roots in the process, so in this case, like Socerer-King Orgnum, my own life colors my opinion of the good Loremaster. While it may personally pain me to associate him with the celestial Mage, I cannot deny that the Loremaster represents the very concept of magic itself, and specifically, mastery thereof. To the Dwemer, a Mechanist would be a crucial person indeed, whose abilities and choices impact the very functioning of life. We who still follow the psijic way, the Old Ways, have had our magic branded as witchcraft, but Reachfolk use the word witch with the great reverence it deserves—and whether Celarus likes it or not, it describes him: a master of very old, very powerful magic, poorly understood by most. The Serpent is never far away, though—in the hands of a powerful mage like Celarus, The Serpent's touch of chaos is a harnessable and exploitable energy like any other. But, it adds a very unwelcome hint of urgency that weighs on Celarus if it is not dealt with quickly.

The Mage consists of twenty-seven stars, plus the planet Julianos, and occurs in Rain’s Hand, the fourth month of the year, so it is associated with the numbers 4 and 28. This makes it strongly fixed, associated with even numbers, stability, and order. Rain’s Hand is Hist-Deek (Hist Sapling) in Jel. To the Dwemer, The Mage was the Mechanist, and to the Reachfolk, The Mage is The Witch. In Yokudan song, the wise Mage orders. It is a combative sign, and Celestials associate it with staves.

Moon phase: Alfiq The most mystically gifted, with the power to pull the strings of the Moons.

—————

Rajhin, the Purring Liar

Deception. Zero-sum games. Self-sufficiency, self-promotion. Smooth talkers. Rain of sand, war of attrition. Isolation is the word most associated with Rajhin—he has trouble making allies; the master thief, at best, has allies of convenience. Rajhin is clever and nimble enough to stop an entire army with only his sleek wits and his shadows for help, so Rajhin reminds us that one person’s cunning can bring gods and mortals alike to their knees. But shadows land no blows, so Rajhin is also the only Patron who cannot win on his own. When someone does get the upper hand on Rajhin, he is doomed, and when he is finally forced to learn his lesson, it is painful. Don’t forget about the sweet purrs in Rajhin’s lies—a skillful tongue opens at least as many doors as a key! But just as forcing your opponent to sustain losses is no substitute at all for winning, talking your way into someone’s bed is no substitute at all for true love.

Constellation: The Shadow (a charge of The Thief) The Celestials associate The Shadow with shoulders—uncovering only to strike from below. Rajhin is fittingly associated with the shoulders, as Rajhin is always looking over his, always sleeping with one eye open. Becoming a master thief is only half mastering the art of swiping things—the other half is not getting caught. If the Serpent is around, Rajhin makes mistakes, and nothing dooms nimble cleverness faster than a few missteps—work through The Serpent's energy quickly, or everything falls apart, and it's just you and your very, very angry adversary.

The Shadow has five stars, and occurs in Second Seed, the fifth month of the year, so it is associated strongly with the number 5. Second Seed is Hist-Dooka (Mature Hist) in Jel. In Yokudan song, The Shadow is lying through the night. It is a protective sign, and Celestials associate it with protection of the shoulders. The Shadow is mutable, associated with change and chaos.

Moon phase: Dagi Nimbleness of mind and body, well-suited for hiding and moving swiftly, unseen.

—————

Ansei Frandar Hunding

Choices, especially forced choices. Flexibility. Well-rounded warriors. Preparedness. Mastery of martial skills. Hunding is loyal to whomever has the might to employ him, so while he is a formidable foe with an equally formidable force behind him, he is also a reminder that loyalty is for friends, family, and lovers—one who lives by the sword is ultimately loyal only to their sword. Hunding is the only Patron who has no neutral position; once he has entered the fight, you must contend with him, either as an ally or as a boon to your opponent, and there is no third option. The lack of neutrality also means that sometimes there will be no warning that defeat is at your doorstep—keep an eye out for people whose shift in loyalty could turn the tide without notice. You may need to be an extra step ahead to keep them from leaving you in a lurch.

Constellation: The Steed (a charge of The Warrior) The Steed is prancing through the night according to the Yokudans, and Frandar Hunding represents the warrior-poet; he who understands that battle is a performance and a puzzle as much as it is a test of might. In my experience, Hunding is rarely affected by The Serpent—The Serpent is usually smart enough to avoid being underfoot of The Steed. However, when The Serpent does upset fixed, staid, orderly Frandar Hunding, it’s absolute chaos: up is down, yes means no, and the stars feel as if they’ve spilled out of a bowl—totally unfamiliar and useless for guiding your ship or your choices.

The Steed has eight stars and occurs in Mid-Year, the sixth month of the year, so it is associated with the numbers 6 and 8. Mid-Year is Hist-Tsoko (Elder Hist) in Jel. In Yokudan song, The Steed is prancing through the night. It is a protective sign, and Celestials associate it with protection of the feet. The Steed is fixed, associated with order and security.

Moon phase: Pahmar-raht Represents physical capability well-tempered by intellectual and political capability.

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Please look for Part II, which will detail the other six Patrons, plus some interesting synergies I have noticed!

[orsinium]

ok ive decided on some stuff irt ghouls et al

The Ne-Tengai — “the Unseen”— refers to the mortal descendants of a group of several pre-Convention spirits in what was once Yokuda, and now spread across much of the Alik’r and western Tamriel in general. Ne-Tengai are therefore neither men, nor mer, nor goblin-ken, but a fourth, distinct genealogical line. Yokudan and Redguard myth tells countless inflammatory tales of the different groups under the Ne-Tengai umbrella (such as Ghouls, to name one), and relations between the two are tense at best.

aka they're more directly inspired by/derived from the real world concept of jinn :^) i have some other ne-tengai rolling around in my mind but nothing concrete enough to bother posting abt atm

[ratlibrarian]

In that one post by Michael Kirkbride, Lord Vivec's Sword-Meeting with Cyrus the Restless, Vivec really went:

"So, by the way, I totally slept wih all the lords of Yokuda. And I wanna sleep with you."

And Cyrus went:

"Flattered, but I'm not interested. Would you like to experience a nuclear bomb?"