Mythopoeiac Reality, and Law

The following text is transcribed from the original, of which 5 copies are still possessed by the Synod's documents archive. Though this text was foundational to the brief, defunct Synod of the early Empire, its subject matter is rather tangential to the efforts of the current one. Nevertheless, the inspiration for the Imperial Synod as a clearing house of academic magical knowledge in the wake of the backlash against magical users is drawn from some of the selfsame principles expressed herein.

-Synod Archivist Council, 4E 101

3E 18

>Empire and Dominion

What is the meaning of empire? Conquest and dominion take hold in all lands throughout all history. The reality of dominion is so ubiquitous that the question of dominion is rarely considered. In the wake of a unified dominion on Tamriel, the question has been raised. For once, will we see a world free of conquest and battle of great relevance? And then, seeing the question of dominion answered in reality by the might of Emperor Tiber Septim, has the opportunity for answering the question academically been lost?

It is the discussion over this very subject that led members of the Elder Council to establish the Imperial Synod. The Emperor himself has blessed this effort, deeming it an extension by quill of what he accomplished by sword.

Thus is the charter of the Synod: to establish the base principles of law, for the governance and rule of the people. This is a mission not without its detractors. Law is simply what it is. It is made by kings for their purposes, so it is said. And yet, if there is to be one king and one law, but many peoples and many lands, what then ought law to be? Surely, by the Emperor's Throne the law in fact is. But how can it be disseminated in an orderly way so that the Emperor's dominion and might can be in all places at all times, even when he cannot?

It is one thing to write laws that seem prudent in one moment, sending magistrates to enforce them. It is another to craft a law so divinely consistent and in harmony with all the lands that the Empire in all its facets becomes the Emperor himself.

The Synod gathers knowledge of gods and arcana, of agricultural practice and geological interest, it seeks the best answers to the best questions. It has become known for this. But the purpose of this endeavor has not been well enough advertised. Hence, the Synod Council has decreed the publishing of an explanation of why such knowledge is important on a magisterial level, even above the academic's curiosity.

>The Law as The Tower

The Warrior has his Lord, the Mage his Ritual, and the Thief his Tower. For each endeavor, there is a gate. Whether acting, reacting, or merely observing, the spark of occurrence must pass through given channels from time to time. One must obey, to be or to change.

Nordic legends speak of a wandering hero, and yet the wanderer despite himself must pass through the gates which have been left for him.

The swirling chaos what is Mundex Arena is nevertheless anchored by a law. Regardless of which law we speak, there is always an one and we all dance around it. Consider the law, as a scroll, to be as White-Gold itself. Anywhere in the land, it can be seen, and it sees. A traveler may not know their road, or their wood, or this village from that, but the tower of their land is always known.

And so it is in the heart of every man, mer, or beast. Each heart possesses its own hunger, and the hunger knows itself. What one does tomorrow might be beyond the sight of an unopened eye, but what one desires tomorrow is known. Each person is governed by their own law.

>Conflict As Myth

When the hearts of two men collide, and they find themselves at cross purposes, they compete over the gain desired. Each has his own law, but at times only one can remain. For one, the law is: I. For the other it is: but, I.

The simplest rendezvous between two souls can provoke a struggle whose outcome is no less significant than all the myths of all of history. There were many towers, but in the end there is one. This is the rhythm of myth.

Themes, ideas, summaries, desires, all in conflict. There are elements that a person can identify with, and themes are personified. But this is no error. The soul's path is mythic regardless.

>The Cosmic Tower and the Everlasting Law

Many sources cite the three. The Pulling, or Chased: Change. The Reaching, or Pursuing: Stasis. Finally, the agent so ubiquitous as to be neglected in mention: the Maybe, the Possible: the Grey Center.

This structure is the Everlasting Law. This Cosmic Tower is time, but in fewer words.

The Beguiler is caught by the Beguiled, and sacrifices his heart to the next, and learns he is both.

The mystics and monastics concern themselves with Gods and stories. We at the Synod say: there is but Time. Time which chases, and Time which flees. It is the same Time.

This mythic impulse leads us to our home on Nirn, on Tamriel. No matter the proximate details, the Tower's presence sees that we are.

Is it heresy to saw that Man and Mer are the same? Not in the New Order, not under the Thrice-Blessed throne.

There was one race who walked upon early Tamriel, and this race split as necessary by cosmic law into two: the chased and the chasers.

The absolute nature of this law was inviolate, even as the perception of this affectionate thing called 'history' split.

To the Nords, they were chased by elf. Their land is characterized by their 'Return'. The return was never inevitable, but in that the wanderers could return, so be it that they did. And thus the land wore the marks of the wanderers. It would not have had they not returned. And then, as the elves melted away, and the Tower of the Nords' footfall upon Nirn supplanted them, the dragon lords appeared. Whereas they are unmentioned, suddenly, as the elves were twisted by the Nords' hatred, the dragons become the prime myth of Nordic memory. And the Nords threw off the yoke. In conflict, they bought their Tower.

And indeed, in the Summerset Isles, they fled. They were Ayleids driven out. Their very reality was being extradited. The land was being swallowed back into the depths of Oblivion to become inland seas, then islands. Finally they built their tower, and the sinking stopped. But the invaders came, twisted by the minds of the haughty into ignoble slugs. And the yoke was thrown. In conflict, the tower prevailed like crystal law.

The Maormer had no tower, and their flight forced them beyond the mists. Yet, they became their tower like unto the Nords, but without their return.

The Breton fled into himself, and became a mongrel nation as diverse as it was divided.

The Redguard fled only to arrive, shedding their tower.

Dunmer built a dark tower.

Dwemer fled down, too far. Their yoke was creation.

It is all the same story, but the details change. Because for each land there is a tower. In conflict, the tower prevails. Always, the conquest, the tower, the ritual.

The tower of White-Gold was appropriated, and the pure covenant of the middle true was ritually accomplished. The Cyrods were the un-people, and they became the all-people. And thus, Alessia rode with Ysgramor. The Ayleid fled to all corners.

>Conquest and Mythopoeia

Each land has its tower. This serves as the link between the people, and their version of the cosmic story. How many towers can we count? Is 8 enough? 9? More? Or only one?

There are as many towers as there are people who would hope to keeping counting them. What matters is that where there were two laws, one prevailed.

Consider the Ayleid project with White-Gold: a tangible facsimile of the cosmic tower. The cosmic tower was broken, after the dissembling event called Convention. They wanted to rebuild it, but they were limited by the mortality that had fallen upon them as an equal blessing and curse from the higher spirits who perpetrated the act of creation in the first place. Nevertheless, they succeeded in part.

The act of tower building, the desire for the project itself, became the law that bound mortals. What was the first proclamation of mortalkind? "We, made as myth, shall make myth!"

Thus, whether of finely crafted poetic intent, or through brute force of arms, towers were built.

St. Alessia dreamed Akatosh, and Akatosh became her God. There were others who dreamed up other Gods, but Akatosh was the best - good enough to win battles. And so the tower of White-Gold was rebuilt, not physically, but mythically. Now her story dominates all the land.

In this case the physical tower stood steadfast. The ritual, the conquest, remade the mythic tower.

In each man is his law. Above all is the cosmic law. In each land, for each race, there is the mythic law - their mythic history. And there is a tower which is the law manifest. When two mythologies intersect, they must conflict.

Conquest and war are nothing but competing myth, competing magical law, supplanting one another indefinitely.

Eventually, the strong towers prevailed. They held ground, and borders formed. The evidence of this is what we call history. Did the Camoran dynasty end myth? Heavens no! For even now by the breath of Tiber Septim the land changes. Rather, our memory of the first Camoran is the first evidence of stable myth. And stable myth we call history.

>Attunement by Race and Creed

The personal tower and the personal law align to the land. When one people are dominated by another, they align themselves to the new law. This is true in brutish fact: people follow the new law, changing discrete behavior, or else are put to axe or wither in the dungeon. And thus is the dungeon a mirror of Oblivion.

This is also true in mythic eye: the land changes, the winds shift, new gods are worshiped who then suddenly offer blessings against the gods of old.

And it is true in the subtle way: habits evolve, priorities shift. New foods are eaten, new technologies adopted, new commerce appears.

What the monastics call 'Mythopoeia' is just the reality of cosmic law of towers.

>Tiber Septim, and the Coming Divinity

When one looks back, history is morass. Some of it is recorded, but scholars fill in the blanks. Why should they? What does the veil of the past conceal that it might matter to us? The veil exists because those parts of the past are mythically distinct from the other parts. At that time, the tower stood alone.

But now, all is one. Prior to this Third Empire, the tower of Tamriel was Conflict. Mundex Arena. Could we say that the secret master of Tamriel was Boethiah? Let it not be called heresy. Akatosh in his Cyrodiil, Hunding in the hot wastes - let them have their gods. Mundus was conflict.

But now, Mundus is Tiber Septim. And the Synod will assist in imminentizing the mantle. Let the law become the tower. Let conquest be followed by attunement. Let Tamriel, now conquered, but in ritual, become Tiber Septim.

Tiber Septim is now the Tower of Tamriel. Higher than White-Gold. And he will yet mantle the Cosmic Tower.

>Principles of Law and Philosophies Natural and Arcane

Let law be three-formed. Indeed, it has always been in most traditions. But note the form that it may be consistent: The Accuser, conquering in his presumption of guilt. The Accused, pleading his his self-presumption of innocence. The Witness, neutral, waiting for evidence to reveal truth. The magistrate must be all three. The accused he must treat with caution. The accuser with suspicion. And he must honor the jury.

Let the throne rise above all. Each place has its custom. Let not custom prevail against law. That commerce may be regular, that justice may be flat, that rule may be fair.

Spurn not the local prejudices. Indeed the Imperial Law is supreme, but Tiber Septim has not supplanted the world and made it to be Cyrodiil. Tiber Septim has mantled each land to become it. The lands are not erased then rebuilt. Consider mythopoeia; local history is upheld, but Imperial dominance is treated as if it has been present throughout. Local history has held the hand of empire from the beginning, and before that there was only Tiber Septim. Local custom is not under the umbrella of Empire, rather, it now proceeds from the roots of Empire.

This is where Alessian radicalism failed, but where Akaviri prudence sustained Reman. But Tiber Septim has mantled even the margins of the land, and his Empire as Reman's is full, though now it shall endure.

Akatosh is a mereth god? An Alessian god? No! Akatosh is part of Tiber Septim, and proceeds from him.

That is the truth behind the confidence with which the magistrate must govern.

That is the truth behind which the monastic must preach and pray.

That is the truth behind which the scholar must channel his research and understanding of things.

>Tiber Septim's Blessing

These ideas have been debated over the past decade with great vigor in the Capital. When the debate reached the Ruby Throne, the Emperor responded.

He was asked, "What does your grace think of these deifying notions?"

His response: "I have not spoken any of it, but inasmuch as it continues to be spoken, so must it be. In my conquest, I might have failed, but I succeeded. If this thing which is spoken succeeds, then how can it not be?"

And the Synod says: let it so be.