The Wedding of their Dreams

Not every Daedric cult uses the threat of violence, the allure of forbidden knowledge or the promise of unholy power to gather followers. Sometimes, a sweet lie, a poisonous friendship or a sympathetic tale is all it takes to turn a person away from the light of the Divines.

One of such tales is an obscure legend from Evermore that tells the story of Jowan and Larina.

He was a humble stable boy who worked in the royal palace. She was the third daughter of the king, and the fairest of them all. Larina’s father intended to have her marry Prince Ambroise of Shornhelm, but she had eyes only for poor but brave Jowan. As for the boy, his mother had warned him against pursuing his love, for the princess was far above his station and nothing good would come from it. However, neither Jowan nor Larina paid heed to the warnings. One day they decided to escape and live their own life together, as husband and wife.

But the king of Evermore was a powerful and influential ruler. He sent agents to catch them and convinced his fellow nobles and the priests of the temples not to give shelter to the two fugitives.

Jowan and Larina only wanted to make their mutual love official with the bonds of holy matrimony, but wherever they went the doors of the temples were closed for them. They traveled from town to town, never safe, always hungry, their sleep plagued by horrible nightmares, until they ran out of money and had to find shelter in a small cave near the road.

They were sick and miserable, and they felt that death was close. Suddenly, a hooded figure entered the cave.

“Do not worry, young ones. I come to help”, the stranger said.

“Who are you?”, Jowan asked. “How did you find us?”.

“My name is not important. The only thing you need to know is that I am a priest and that my goddess has guided me to you. She is the Gifter, the closest to all mortals, and she has been aware of your nightmares for a long time. I am able to give you what you seek, if only you accept my help”.

Jowan hesitated. Who was that mysterious goddess? But Larina took his hand and said:

“I want to do it. If I am to die, I want to die as the wife of the man I love. Whoever this goddess is, she at least shows us more mercy than the gods of our parents”.

That night, all people in Evermore had the same dream. There was a wedding, the most lavish and spectacular ever seen in all the history of High Rock. At the center, Jowan and Larina were about to be married under the watchful eyes of their respective families and friends. There were no complaints, no bad blood, only happiness and understanding. Before them, the priest of the Gifter held a skull-shaped staff in his left hand and a snake in his right hand, and said:

“We gather here today, under Vaermina’s loving gaze, to bear witness to the union of two souls in eternal companionship. May they journey forth together in this life and the next, in dreams and nightmares, in Mundus and Oblivion”.

The following day, the king of Evermore had a change of heart. He revoked all his previous orders and sent word that he had decided to accept the love between Larina and Jowan, inviting them to come back home. But it was too late. The two youngsters never appeared again.

Of course, this is all bogus. There is no record of such a scandalous event in Evermore’s archives and the depiction of the priests and priestesses of Mara and the other Divines as crooks who would take bribes and cow down to royal pressure instead of performing their sacred duties reeks of Daedric propaganda. In my next class I will denounce this story as a perfect example of the lies and manipulation that the demons use to undermine proper customs and faith.

The very idea that Vaermina, the Lady of Torture, could become a patron of love is laughable, really.