Figuring Father and Black-Handed Mother: Peryite, Mephala, Tong, and Brotherhood

Greetings, all. Good morning/noon/evening/night to all of you, regardless of where you are. Today I have arrived with a theory that is so strange even as I was writing it I was laughing/frowning at myself for opening up this can of crazy. But hey, school ends for me on the 23rd and before I leave for two months straight I want to post the stuff I think you all deserve to see first.

I usually don’t delve into the metaphysical and such, but have you ever read something that opens up connections in your mind that light off in bizarre ways that suddenly make sense in ways they’ve never made sense before? Well, that’s what happened to me. This theory itself might just be my mind ass-pulling and stretching the very bounds of lore. But I want to discuss it with you guys and gals first.

So here is my theory: When Vivec usurped Mephala as the leader of the Morag Tong, she created the splinter group known as the Dark Brotherhood as a response. However, Mephala (as the Night Mother) isn’t the only patron of the Dark Brotherhood; Peryite is as well.

Crazy right? Yeah, you can go on ahead and smack old /u/IceFireWarden now; I’m fine with it. Just hear my insane self out after you do it. That sound good? Good. Now, everyone ready? Good. Go.

#####ON MEPHALA AND PERYITE Before we get started, let’s discuss the Daedric Princes Mephala and Peryite, their spheres, and their ‘preexisting’ relationship.

Imperial Census on Daedra Lords: >“Mephala’s domains in Oblivion are numerous and obscured, collected together by vast strands of magical ghostweb. All of them are devoted to her spheres of sex and secret murder. Echoing this same structure are the various esoteric cults devoted to her across Tamriel, many of which are forbidden by Imperial law. Her aspect is shrouded and manifold, even when she appears in the crowds that gather within her temples during Frost Fall.”

Mephala is the Daedric Prince of Murder, Sex, and Secrets. Also known as the Webspinner, Spinner, and Spider, hir sphere is largely obscured to mortals and the true name of her realm is unknown. Unlike the rest of the Princes who take on a constant gender, Mephala chooses to appear as both and is in total essence a hermaphrodite. Hir is, was, and is again one of the Three Good Daedra of the Chimer/Dunmer people, along with Azura and Boethiah. When the Tribunal achieved their godhood, hir became the Anticipation of Vivec according to the doctrines of the Temple, but after the eruption of Red Mountain in the beginning of the Fourth Era that practice wane to give back to the original practices of Saint Veloth. Hir also founded the Morag Tong, and along with Boethiah created the clan guidelines which eventually gave way to the modern Great Houses of Morrowind.

Imperial Census on Daedra Lords: >“Peryite’s pits have always been inaccessible to mortals. Our only real knowledge of them comes from reports of the other diabolical Princes. It is said that Peryite guards the lowest orders of Oblivion and that his summoners are to regard his likeness to Akatosh as some primordial and curious jest.”

Peryite is the Daedric Prince of Natural Order, Tasks, and Pestilence. Also known as the Taskmaster, he is considered along with Mehrunes Dagon, Boethiah, and Vaermina to be one of the truly ‘demonic’ daedra of Oblivion, and has been said to ‘destroy for the mere sake of destruction’. Despite his appearance as a dragon, a common symbol of strength and power on Nirn, he is considered the weakest of the Princes. In fact, his preferred form is considered to be him ‘mocking’ the Time God. His realm, known as The Pits, have been inaccessible to living mortals since times immemorial. The Taskmaster has also been known to manifest as creatures of vermin (like skeevers) when he wishes to converse with mortals on Nirn.

Something of importance (as well as some scrutiny) is that in TES II: D Peryite and Mephala were listed as enemies of one another. While the earlier TES games have had most of their information retconned into nonexistence (poor Ebonarm), this is something that needs to be addressed to better understand this theory.

Mephala’s Sphere is Duality. Hir themes of sex, murder, and secrets all have dual facets to them (courtship/orgy, assassination/genocide, tact/poetic). Hir encompasses both the subtle and violent sides of the things under hir domain at the same time, but leans on either side depending on the situation. This is enforced by the fact that she/he sees the affairs of mortals as a weave that can unraveled by the pulling of any of its threads, not one thread particularly. Peryite’s Sphere, on the other hand, is Balance. His themes of natural order and tasks stabilize and promote stability (which is why he is considered by most to be one of the most ‘Anuic’ of the Daedra), and everything he does benefits both sides of an equation. Pestilence for example reinforces balance between Life and Death & Mortality and Immortality; there are diseases that are both beneficial and deadly, and he chooses to spread them both to even things out.

These two Lords of Misrule are enemies because they mock and encroach on one another’s spheres. The Taskmaster hates how Mephala’s uncaring duality makes a fool of his strive for balance; likewise, the Webspinner frowns down on Peryite’s equilibrium when either side works well even if one is greater than the other. Ironically, duality needs balance to exist as balance needs duality to exist. In fact, Mephala chosen form as a hermaphrodite is a balance between male and female, and Peryite’s need for order results in him creating and needing a contrast. Despite the fact that these two hate each other, they are both intrinsically and uniquely linked in a way most of the other Daedric Princes aren’t.

#####THE MORAG TONG AND THE DARK BROTHERHOOD No one knows exactly when the Morag Tong and the Dark Brotherhood had their religious schism, but these excerpts provide useful information on it.

Fire and Darkness: >“The Night Mother. > >Who the Night Mother is, where she came from, what her functions are, no one knows. Carlovac Townway in his generally well-researched historical fiction 2920: The Last Year of the First Era tries to make her the leader of the Morag Tong. But she is never historically associated with the Tong, only the Dark Brotherhood. > >The Night Mother, my dear friend, is Mephala. The Dark Brotherhood of the west, unfettered by the orders of the Tribunal, continue to worship Mephala. They may not call her by her name, but the daedra of murder, sex, and secrets is their leader still. And they did not, and still do not, to this day, forgive their brethren for casting her aside. > The cobbler who met his end in the second era, who saw no end in the war between the Brotherhood and the Tong, was correct. In the shadows of the Empire, the Brothers of Death remain locked in combat, and they will likely remain that way forever.”

The Brothers of Darkness: >“As their name suggests, the Dark Brotherhood has a history shrouded in obfuscation. Their ways are secret to those who are not themselves Brothers of the Order ("Brother" is a generic term; some of their deadliest assassins are female, but they are often called Brothers as well). How they continue to exist in shadow, but be easily found by those desperate enough to pay for their services, is not the least of the mysteries surrounding them. > >The Dark Brotherhood sprang from a religious order, the Morag Tong, during the Second Era. The Morag Tong were worshippers of the Daedra spirit Mephala, who encouraged them to commit ritual murders. In their early years, they were as disorganized as only obscure cultists could be-there was no one to lead the band, and as a group they dared not murder anybody of any importance. This changed with the rise of the Night Mother. > >All leaders of the Morag Tong, and then afterward the Dark Brotherhood, have been called the Night Mother. Whether the same woman (if it is even a woman) has commanded the Dark Brotherhood since the Second Era is unknown. What is believed is that the original Night Mother developed an important doctrine of the Morag Tong-the belief that, while Mephala does grow stronger with every murder committed in her name, certain murders were better than others. Murders that came from hate pleased Mephala more than murders committed because of greed. Murders of great men and women pleased Mephala more than murders of relative unknowns.”

The Night Mother’s Truth: >“Although various works have been written on the subjects of both Morrowind's Morag Tong, and Tamriel's more widespread Dark Brotherhood, there remains confusion as to precisely when and how these two feared assassins guilds formed. Or, more specifically, when and how the Dark Brotherhood split from the Morag Tong, as the former is widely accepted to have sprung from the latter. > >The largest point of contention seems to be the figure of the Night Mother, a woman who figures prominently in both organizations. Through extensive research and interviews, and not inconsiderable risk to my own life (for the Dark Brotherhood holds this information sacred), I have finally solved this ages-old mystery. I have finally uncovered the Night Mother's Truth. > >Although her name has been lost to time, the Night Mother was once a mere mortal, a Dark Elf woman who lived in a small village once located where the city of Bravil stands now, in the Imperial Province of Cyrodiil. She was a respected member of the Morag Tong and, like her fellow members, this woman made her trade as an assassin in service to the Daedric Prince Mephala. In fact, the woman held the title of Night Mother, reserved for the highest ranking female member of the organization. To be Night Mother of a particular sect was to be that group's matron - the favored of Mephala, both respected and feared. > >However, it was not Mephala who facilitated the transformation from woman to spectre, but another, some would say far deeper form of evil - Sithis, the Dread Lord, embodiment of the unending Void. > >Following the Potentate's assassination in 2E 324, strife descended upon the Morag Tong, and the guild was all but eradicated in Cyrodiil and much of the Empire. It was shortly after these events that the Dunmer woman claimed to hear the voice of Sithis himself. The Dread Lord, she claimed, was displeased. He was unhappy with the Morag Tong's lack of success. The Void, he told her, was hungry for souls - and it was her destiny to set things right. > >And so, according to Dark Brotherhood legend, Sithis visited the Night Mother in her bed chamber, and begat her five children. Two years passed, before the unthinkable happened. The Dark Elf woman followed through with the Dread Lord's ultimate plan - one night, she murdered her children, and sent their souls straight to the Void. Straight to their father. > >When they learned of this affront to decency, the people of the village rallied against the woman. For such an act was considered incomprehensible, even for a Night Mother of the Morag Tong. In one night of vengeance, they descended upon the woman, killing her, and burning down the house in which the atrocity took place. And that was the end of the story. Or so everyone thought. > >A little more than thirty years later, an unnamed man heard a strange, comforting voice inside his very head, just as the Dunmer woman claimed to hear the voice of Sithis inside hers. The voice identified herself as the Night Mother, and named the man "Listener" - the first of many. > >And so the Unholy Matron set her servant on his path - he would found a new organization, a guild of assassins known as the Dark Brotherhood, in service not to Mephala, but to the Dread Lord Sithis. The Morag Tong, now surviving only in Morrowind, was an artifact of a forgotten age. The Dark Brotherhood would marry business with death. The organization would grow in wealth and power, and the Void would swell with fresh souls. It was, the Night Mother told her Listener, the perfect arrangement. > >In the early days of the Dark Brotherhood, the bodies of the Night Mother and her children were recovered from their original burial site, and interred in a crypt beneath the site of her house. And there they remain, even today. > >So if, in your travels, you find yourself in the city of Bravil, and make a wish at the statue of the Lucky Old Lady (as is the local custom), know that you stand on sacred, if evil, ground. For you stand above the Night Mother, the Unholy Matron herself, and your luck has just run out.”

#####THE TRUE IDENTITIES OF SITHIS AND THE NIGHT MOTHER What time is it? It’s crazy theory time! The moment we’ve all been waiting for (or not, I know there are some of you out there cringing in your chair right now). Anyway, let’s start breaking this down.

When Vivec achieved apotheosis via the Heart of Lorkhan, it is believed that he usurped Mephala’s position as head of the Morag Tong. This act is described in Vivec’s Lessons.

36 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 22: >“A bone-walker emerged from a wall. It had three precious stones set in its lower jaw, a magical practice of old. One was opal, the color of opal. The bone-walker bowed to the prince of the middle air and said: > >'The Treasure Wood Sword will not leave our house. Bargains were made with the Black Hands Mephala, the greater shade.' > >Vivec kissed the first precious stone and said: > >'Animal picture, rude-walker, go back to the lamp that stays lit in water and store no more messages of useless noise. Down.' > >He kissed the second precious stone and said: > >'Proud residue, soon dispersed, serve no guarantees made in my fore-image and demand nothing of its under-skin. I am master evermore. Down.' > >He kissed the opal and said: > >'Down I take thee.' > >And then Vivec withdrew into the hidden places and found the darkest mothers of the Morag Tong, taking them all to wife and filling them with undusted loyalty that tasted of summer salt. They became as black queens, screaming live with a hundred murderous sons, a thousand murderous arms, and a hundred thousand murderous hands, one vast moving event of thrusting-kill-laughter in alleys, palaces, workshops, cities and secret halls. Their movements among the holdings of the Ra'athim were as rippled endings, heaving between times, with all fates leading to swallowed knives, murder as moaning, God's holy rape-erasure of wet death. > The King of Assassins presented to Vivec the Treasure Wood Sword. > >'Milord,' the King of Assassins said. 'The prince of House Mora is now fond of you, as well. I placed him in the Corner of Dagon. His eyes I set into a fire prayer for the wicked. His mouth I stuffed with birds.'”

The words above detail the transformation of the Morag Tong religiously as they shift they’re loyalties, replacing their matron Mephala with Vivec instead. Naturally, this change angered the Webspinner greatly (I mean, if you created something only to have someone come later on and take it over while claiming to be you, wouldn’t you get pretty damn pissed as well?) and she/he is believed (along with scholars of this Reddit, other sites, and the books Fire and Darkness, The Night Mother’s Truth, & The Brothers of Darkness) to have founded the Dark Brotherhood under the guise as the Night Mother.

However, if Mephala is the Night Mother it begs the question on who exactly is Sithis? While it’s possible she could be both at the same time I don’t think she is, and we all know that Sithis itself isn’t a sentient being; he is nothing in its absolute form, merely the subgradient – the ‘soul’ – of Padomay. Now Mephala is under the guise of the Night Mother, and we can assume she is not the Dread Father. So who is guising as Sithis? That, my fellow scholars, is where Peryite comes in. Below are excerpts from Sermon Zero of the Thirty-and-Six-and-Nine Sermons of Vivec, created by Douglass Goodall and found by the Khajiit bookseller Jobasha.

Before I begin to look at these pieces (among other things), I would first like to say that Sermon Zero was originally posted as a coded document with many secret messages within it. However, the tone of Sermon Zero is extremely anti-Tribunal, Vivec in particular, which plays a big role in this theory. To me, Sermon Zero seems to be an ancient Dark Brotherhood document shorty written after their schism from the Morag Tong, full of allegories that advocate the worship of Mephala’s while demeaning her usurper Vivec and the rise of the Tribunal in general. Let’s start to break it down:

>“This is the truth of Sermon Zero, which is neither one. He was born a poor Netchiman, but rich in his Wife and in Wisdom. Eternal are their names, mother and father of Vehk, Berahzic and Irdri.”

Sermon Zero begins with these words, which focus on Vivec. The first sentence talks about the two origin stories of Vehk and Vehk and calling them out on their validity. Neither of them are the sole truth, because they are both equally true and thus they are both lies. The second seems to go on to talk about Vivec’s mortal life, but I believe that it is also secretly speaking of Vivec’s father Irdri as well. If this is a Dark Brotherhood document, we can be sure that these names are pseudonyms for hidden characters. Now think of it like this: Berahzic is the Night Mother who is Mephala and Irdri is Sithis who is Peryite, and they are the ‘parents’ of Vehk. This isn’t meant to be taken literally, but metaphorically. He is a hermaphrodite, a warrior-poet, the Prince of the Middle Air, Chimer and Dunmer, both mortal Vehk and god Vehk, poor and rich, and did and didn’t kill Nerevar. As such he represents the Duality of Mephala. However, he also represents the Balance of Peryite; he doesn’t favor either side of himself, choosing to be and believe in both always at once. As such, he is the ‘child’ of the Webspinner and the Taskmaster’s overlapping spheres.

To take it a step further, now think of Vehk being a pseudonym of the Morag Tong. The Tong encompasses both duality and balance. Their strict policy of impartiality makes them both peacekeepers and enactors of violence among the Great Houses of Morrowind, and depending on the job can result in a leaning or equality between the two. Writs are in pure essence just tasks of murder taken out on the poor victim, once again a fusion of the Taskmaster’s and the Webspinner’s spheres. Assassinations themselves must be approved by Masters of the Tong, to differentiate themselves from hired thugs; however, ‘gray writs’ exist that allow the aforementioned to be avoided. In my opinion, the Tong is also the ‘child’ of the Webspinner and Taskmaster’s spheres overlapping as well. Remember how some of the books I sourced mentioned that the Morag Tong worshipped Sithis above all? I think it’s the Blighted Lord incognito.

But why associate Peryite with Sithis? Look at the latter’s relationship with the Night Mother. It’s a love/hate relationship built around the Father chasing after the Mother but seldom catching up to her. Despite that, the two are inseparable and still have time for their Children. This mirrors the relationship between Mephala and Peryite almost to the exact. The two of them hate each other because their sphere messes with the other. Duality needs a Balance to exist, and likewise in order for Balance to exist there needs to be some form of Duality. Thus, whenever Mephala goes Peryite is right behind her and vice versa. Their spheres are inseparable, resulting in the two’s influence being in the same place together. They are bitter enemies, but at the same time need one another to successfully do what they do. I want to go into this deeper, but I explore the whole ‘Sithis=Peryite’ possibility further latter in this document.