On the ayleid realms, the wailing vale.

Hearthfire, the 27th, 4E 202

The wailing vale, now known to be Sunnanyammiseli

It seems some of our efforts have paid off. To the ayleid, the wailing vale was named Sunnanyammiseli (Halls of blessed life). It was an old tale, that the vale was a refuge for all those who had suffered from the war, be they man or ayleid. The descriptions of bone-white trees, shaped so elegantly as to be indistinguishable from pearlescent driftwood. The vale is no more than a waste now, the only area where sand and dust chokes the grass out of the land for miles around. The area received its title due to its trees, for when the wind blew in and through their clefts, they wailed a woeful chorus, bringing the hardiest man to tears by tearing open old wounds. Despite the fact that the alessians razed the entire area from afar as they could not approach it and considered sympathy to mer a sin, the shards of the trees still sing sadly. My men were not able to cope with the symphony and puked of sadness and disgust as memories of the event somehow came to them. The effect was somehow mitigated upon myself, perhaps my ayleid ancestor, and I attempted the forage personally. As for the story of the rainbow of lovebirds that flocked the trees and nested happily over the crying refugees, tis also true, they now inhabit whatever dead husk raises above ground of the shards. In some cases its as if they try to piece the trees back together. Around where the trees lay were dozens of skeletons, both human and ayleid. The alessians bombarded the area without distinction... About midway to the main ruin I had to pause and meditate because I'd begun seeing the images my men spoke of. The fire, the death, the refugees barely surviving their own griefs only to die to this. How can anything elicit such blind hate? Such arrogant ignorance in the face of logic and reason? The lord of the realm, Silusthiil, didn't even employ an army or slaves, there was none of the hubris of the hegemony here. It was a garden realm, agriculture was its trade; fruits, vegetables, trees, flowers, not pain and death. It was said to be beautiful, with sculpted flora as diverse as it was plenty. Spire flowers, sun trees, rose bushes, trumpet ferns, ginger shrubs, bramble stalks, giant lotus, root canopies, briar willows robed in jade lilies and so many more. Gone, all of it.

When I reached the main hall (I say main hall, but this was their crypt, the only surviving building), the entrance of which took me an hour to clear of rubble, what awaited me within was no better. There were skeletons huddled together, everywhere, men, women, children, of both kens, all dead together. The king was there too, seated at a table in the middle of the room, untouched and clutching a uniquely crafted locket holding a feather. Uniquely is not entirely the right word, however, the locket has a double... which was found on the corpse of one of the seven advisors of Umaril, killed at the taking of White-Gold. The interior was relatively untouched and holds quite possibly one the largest bounties of undamaged information we could have hoped for. It isn't all that much, but to me it's astonishing. I'd been carrying as much of it back to my colleagues before they eventually found me desperate and helplessly depressed, screaming like a madman about the atrocities. I include here a complete report but I must begin with a request, an important one, one that I would be prepared to sacrifice my work for. Any information pertaining to what is still in the ruins must remain completely secret. Officially, it is to be declared pilfered and of no further value to anyone, be they looter or scholar.

Basing myself upon the assumption that you will respect my wishes, I will elucidate my meaning. The ruin was never pilfered. The complex is vast and enshrouds many massive rooms and tunnels. The reason the grounds never grew back was that the energy of the great welkynd stone was directed within. and still is. Further within, at the bottom level, I found a thriving jungle, small, but thriving. There are exits for birds and light pours both from them and the hanging starlight so fondly written of. The illumination also comes from the walls. The grooves, the total lack of resemblance of the architecture drawn about in the past? The stone was alive, saturated with welkynd veins pulsing magic through the enchanted rock. They grew and shaped their stone buildings into the beautiful, intricate and vibrant shapes that once were wonders for all to see. The ruins we see today are likely the result of the "death" of the stone, once all welkynd veins are removed and the magicka flow ceased, it likely degenerates to primitive geometry, such as what we see now in the Imperial city and other ruins. The great grown trees that bled beryl sap were not of wood but of stone, and the sap was magicka. But I digress, the importance of the protection of this site lies at the bottom, wherein lies a pool, a blue pool, of the deepest azure I've ever seen. The closer I stepped to the pool, the more memories seeped into my thoughts. I saw a ritual to Denovar, or our Zenithar, altars being fed with the product of their gardens. They chanted in ayleidoon so swiftly I barely understood a tenth of it. Though the memories came from one of them, and I understood the intent; they created a portal to aetherial realms where they might forget the woes of the world. Those that remained behind likely chose to hope that their relatives were still alive. To think the lord still tended those that had come to his realm, 100 years after the person he cherished had faded. The portal might still be opened with the right offerings, so I destroyed several altars. Although, the waters still reflect stars. All that remains here must be communicated both to any wild elf we may find as well as the historical society to guarantee this site's protection. Until this can be secured we must make sure the interest in the vale remains dead. As for the retrieved information, it covers a variety of subjects, their views of the eight divines which I can now say confidently vary from realm to realm, as well as what gods compose each realm's "pantheon" of sorts. Life in Sunnanyammiseli was idyllic, to say the least, setting aside the veil of beautiful flora saturating the area, the realm's joy was leisure. Bathhouses were common, and many currents were made to flow through the city. Homes, mostly of stone, were laden with silks and pillows. Food and drink was plenty, there were even several outdoors furnished areas for feasting and relaxation, complete with a central altar to the provider of leisure. Neutral relations were maintained with the adjacent realms and an amiable agreement was made with the khajiits of the south as a means of obtaining different drugs, fruits and flora. The realm itself was fairly isolated and enjoyed many comforts from the fact. The lavender-cloaked root canopy I mentioned earlier bore several pathways and even homes, all the while bearing starlight garlands and sorcerous sconces to shine over the main areas. It saddens me to think that the Ayleid of today either cannot or will not ever again recreate sights such as these.

Celebration was common in the realm, perhaps a substitute diversion whereas some realms heavily rely on sexual or dangerous pleasures (not that it was wholly absent here). Work was spoken of as much more of a pleasure, to create and refine various flora to embellish the realm further and sell swiftly to others. Of course, in the hegemony, needs and desires had to be met and sometimes they would be called upon to produce dangerous or unsavory plants, however, hazardous vegetation usually fell under the dominion of the flower-king Nilichi.

Clothing was quite simple in this realm, and could be considered fairly close to the "common" in the hegemony, but I cant be sure of this. Layered togas, feather-girded clothing, silken belts, enchanted beads, scented leaf-cloaks, simple footwear such as sandals, linen skirts, ornate or embroidered shoulder-collars, bone or mineral bracelets, some jewelry usually scattered in the mix. Of course this is to be taken merely as a baseline, fashion styles and trends varied endlessly in the ayleid obsession with novelty. Color in their clothing, for example, simply had no end to its different shades and nuances. Make-up as well, used by both sexes in again, abundantly varying ways, as well as piercings, studs, ear-rings and other such accessories.

On the subject of religion, here are some pieces of information surrounding their eight creator-ancestors, what we call the divines. Denovar "Treats with a star"(Zenithar): The provider of leisure, associated with cosmic and earthly orders, he is particularly associated with the means to obtain their lifestyle. Sometimes called the bargainer, his depictions most often see him speaking to a star. Normally called upon for agricultural matters (which includes vineyards) as well as trade. He shares some friendly relations with other gods like Jorageas (Julianos) for homely matters due to his connection to architecture as well as with Sheogorath and Sanguine for their connections to drug and drink in relation to leisure.

Delriella "Giver of beauty" (Dibella): Not so much related to sexual activity in their eyes, she was much more related to art, beauty and torture (many torturers thoroughly enjoyed their work and as some of them turned it to an art, they developped various means of torture to "bleed a symphony of screams out of the slaves"). Also associated to music on occasion, she was most prominent in this role amongst the now vanished lands of Celethelel the singer, where trees grew as harps. Her depictions varied between realms , sometimes she was bloodied of her own craft, sometimes covered in flowers, she was a deity of the perfectionism of carnal and natural artistry. Her followers were often zealous, so much that if an artist was unsatisfied of his own work, he would resort to self-flagellation until he produced a worthy result. There were many such practices amongst her followers, such as scar-tattoos and other such bodily alterations.

Jorageas "Treacherous wisdom" (Julianos): An intriguing one, Jorageas was a god of probabilities and hidden (unconventional) logics. He was related to study and the endeavor of self-development. In this capacity he was much loved by those who enjoyed the intellectual trials, riddles and problems, allegories, critical thinking and the like. He is also related to their mad living architecture and their ordering of the magical veins, there's mention of a realm made alike a labyrinth of unknown size.

Andacey "The long shadow" (Arkay): This one is not too dissimilar to our own, but still alien in its own right. A more traditional god than most, he is related to cycles, burials, funeral rites, but also to a certain type of bargaining. After the coming of Umaril, death became a complicated concept (more on that further down). Depicted as a very gaunt and deathly figure, he is an authority in the domain of souls, and thus enchanting. He is also associated with resurrection, the sorcerer-king Gordhaur's famed expertise. He is seen as a very fickle god, an unstable figure, one might make sacrifices (usually of slaves) to enhance lifespan. Many short sayings are attributed to him such as "Of all, life is the slowest and most cruel death" as well as "Enslavement to life is death". Intriguing, considering one might bargain years with him. Curiously enough, he's also associated with coffee. I hope to find out more on the controversy of this particular god, one need wonder after all, how the underground crypts and mausoleums survived so well. His priesthood was known as one of the most enigmatic groups in the empire, elusive and largely unknown. Their symbol was the lammargeyer vulture.

Kyndrelle "The streaming sky" (Kynareth): Referred to as the mute shepherdess, their Kynareth was an "off-beat" deity that was somewhat forsaken in favor of what they believed to be her twin sister, Meridia. As the title implies, she was "mute", in that she did not speak to the ayleid, and what I meant by "off-beat" is that she promoted respect of the natural world, whereas ayleid would enjoy dominating and mutating it. Representing much of the same spheres as ours does, she was, however, of a different personality. She was seen as a much more vengeful spirit of nature than as a total deity. Associated with birds and the proper preservation of the mortal plane, she held a more prominent position before Umaril's return, and participated in earthly rituals as well as their "newly" rediscovered talent for dissipating in woodlands. Due to her vengeful nature, she is also associated with poisons and toxins , and cruel wrongdoings upon her domain run the risk of attracting her ire under the form of a bloodthirsty overgrowth. Some see this as a means of humbling, and take it as a purification of sorts, taking out the poison, so to speak. She is much loved in her aspect of rain however, and storm, which were to said to grant a mystical beauty to the jungles. The communities in her service are few, but resilient. There's note of rituals some ayleid women chose to undergo to "unite" themselves with Kynareth, to become dryads, and to become her voice. These usually become group leaders, with their alchemical aptitudes and herbal knowledge, they were more than able to defend the green, and literally feed interlopers to it in various gruesome ways. Much like the wild elves of today, all those who attempted to be rid of them, never managed to even find them.

Sunapar "Blessed grip" (Stendarr): As always, governing the realm of justice, Stendarr remains an apologist of men, and is credited with having calmed Umaril of his desire to slaughter men for nothing more than rage. He teaches the minutiae of the mind ,the importance of a case-to-case approach, as well as the benefits of slavery (though it is interpreted to the benefit of not outright murdering men). It is for that last one he is also called the god of chains and is portrayed wearing such. He is generally seen as a mediator and as a friend to Molag Bal, surprisingly. Despite the varying views of the gods in every realm, Stendarr's priesthood was fairly universal, and rooted within the Imperial City. Their methods of dealing with criminals were fair, though something has me perplexed; almost no individual that committed a crime would ever commit a second.

Arpoila "Queen of time eternal" (Auri-el): In contrast to most other cultures, their Auri-el is actually female, and as it turns out, so is their Lorkhan. Arpoila represents many of the same aspects such as persistence, perseverance and time, but she also governs the domain of ruler ship and is sometimes seen as "the never-ending flame". She is a popular god amongst the ambitious, who pray to her in their plots to rule. On this note, the act of usurping carries many necessities and will be worth its own mention in the future. A patron of ambition, tradition and condemnation , she is seen in all games of political manoeuvring. For to them, ruler ship demanded wit and ruthlessness, and Arpoila, sentencer of man, would not allow the weak the chance to let them escape. She is said to favor Umaril greatly, and has aided him in creating the design of not only the hegemony, but helped in the crafting of the Zenithar inspired mechanism that we know as the dragonfires as means to maintain an iron hand on the soul trade with oblivion.

Lorcana "Herald of dark" (Lorkhan): Not always considered a creator ancestor, she is seen as the first artist, responsible for the painting of Nirn. She is sometimes scorned, sometimes praised, though most agree she went too far in its composition. Most appreciate her dedication and death orchestrated for its completion, but that this cost them the light of the world, Magnus and all that came of him, upsets many. All of this is one issue of its own, but her role in man's favor has cost her the better part of the public opinion. Her illustrations are varied, going from the whore of men to the most silver-tongued and skillful artist to have ever lived. She is often seen as using herself as a canvas, altering her shape with seemingly no intent other than the desire for change. Her rare depictions of pregnancy (of Nirn) are a reflection of the above, to literally give birth to and for art. As always, she is seen as polar opposite to their auri-el and is seen with sister-like association to Delriella for their role in art. Other associations are abstract thinking, creativity, epicurianism and chaos.

Molnaril "The final fire"(Magnus): Seen as the god of magic, patterns, omens, light, insight, enlightenment, sympathetic sorcery, extramundrial oceans. He is seen as the rightful designer of the world, and it is his vision that they seek to re-establish. This is what Umaril plotted at the tower, to return the world to flux, a mutable world. Magnus is also supposedly sympathetic to the Ayleid, however his actions remain few, though his daughter is greatly responsible for their aetherial connections and so partly the cause for their many star-stones.

Molag Bal: Odd and yet not, I suppose. Originally favored by Umaril upon his return, he remains god of rape and domination, the latter realm visibly represented in the enslavement of man. He represents certain other unusual domains this time, such as justified rage, even retribution in some rare places. Most often depicted as a vast shadow in tears, sometimes shown walking towards Nirn, he actually plays a rather large role in their pantheon, his popularity is likely responsible in part for the prevalence of the theme of domination in their society. Some realms, including the Imperial City, refer to him as ancestor. Some places associate him with depression, forbidden knowledge and heartbreak. He was the chief deity of Mackamentain, where they worshipped him in a fatherly aspect.

Merid-Nunda (Meridia): One of two prominent Magne-ge entities of high praise amongst the Ayleid, she represents light, color, the quest for power, motivation and the promise of a better future. She is a figure of great activity in the hegemony, granting the City heavenly support from herself as well as EIGHT other significant magnic beings known as the Nine Coruscations. I knew there were other magne-ge, but not as playing such a large role. Portrayed as the true shepherdess, she is most often seen hand in hand with Umaril at the head of the Ayleid people. She is central to ayleid religion in that she is seen as a helpful spirit and is responsible for nearly all the solar imagery in their culture(not to say that that all the imagery is dedicated to her, but that she brought this emphasis upon the stars with her, Magnus excluded).

These are the gods most present amongst ayleid culture, that are most often inevitable. As I said above in Magnus' description, it seems that Umaril's proclaimed goal was to return the world to a very primal state, flux, and to put mer in power. How he hoped to achieve this I cannot yet say...

There is much to say on their religious state of affairs and their ease of trade with divine beings. One being that their attitude towards who they choose to deal with may very well have been their reason for being in Cyrodiil. There are passing mentions to an early exodus from Alinor, implied to have been caused from daedra worship. Unfortunately there is no direct text on the subject, or much on their early days in the heartland.

As for my comment on death in ayleid society, mortality wasn't much of an issue to most of accomplished ayleidoon. Some lifespans had reached absurd lengths, and when boredom was such a blight to the financially and politically secure, some simply chose to cease and certain others (deemed too erratic and lusty for unsustainable entertainment) were made to. To comment on many of the surviving crypts, all those of us who visited have seen those large, impenetrable and impossibly warded sarcophagi; those belong to powerful ayleid, perfectly preserved and still deep in sleep. Some others chose to truly die, and have their souls tethered both to their safely preserved body as well as oblivion. This was part of another alessian atrocity: on very rare occasion they were able to lift the wards, but chose only to remove the preserving one, leaving the seals intact. That aside, yes, some are still alive, and an attempt was made once to reanimate one such lord. Three died in freeing some of the wards, then half the expedition (of 150) was wiped, and the sorcerer was only killed because he was disoriented. The other skeleton-laden slabs lain above one another were where the "common" ayleid would be laid to rest, though back before the pillaging, they were wrapped in sun-golden silk and given ceremonial weapons. I see no mention as to why, however, though of note, this practice is ancient, but the weapons are a new addition to it. As other ancient traditions went, goods such as gems, gold, weapons or other defining items were buried with the dead. Burials were an uncomfortable topic, and were usually conducted in silence. As for the priesthood, they were fickle, and I do not yet plan on touching the subject until I have enough information, perhaps from Gordhaur's realm.

Sympathetic sorcery was also a topic that need be mentioned as it is an ancient art amongst the ayleid, practiced in their very early beginnings amongst the jungles. Utilising many idols, fetishes, sometimes the artificial creation of omens as means of precision targeting, this magic draws its essence in the act of acting "like" something. Like a doll made in likeness to someone would cause him or her pain should it be stabbed or placed by a fire, the damage varying in intensity from the power of the enchantment. Similarly, this can be recreated in greater scale, in wars for instance, drawing upon an previous victory to alter a current conflict (which was made to fit, to match, the previous instance) and grant combatants a sort of imperceptible luck. Though in the elden days, they say it was used (it was actually still used, but to a lesser extent, after Umaril's return) to continuously improve crops, wildlife, health, many things could be improved with some creativity.

On the omnipresence of Magnus, and the ayleid obsession with the number eight, I cannot yet elucidate as much as I would wish. They recognize eight creator-ancestors, as per the model given by the Imperial city, though some realms include Lorkhan. Magnus plays a symbolic role to them more than an active one (that is Meridia's role), they recognize his view of the world over Lorkhan's (for the most part, as it seems) and that is the one, flux, that they seek to re-establish. The world as it once was, for a short period of time, if time truly existed then. He is also hailed for his gift of magic which is the highest authority in the hegemony. Magical ability determined the life one would have in the empire, with a sufficient amount of cunning, of course. It permeates their society, their culture, and determines their way of life. He is very much seen as a father figure in this regard, and all this supported the nigh-universal acclaim of starlight as supreme element, its power notwithstanding. For what is crystallized starlight but a shard of aetherius' ocean of radiance?

As for Silusthiil, he was a little known realm-lord. He originally played a larger part in the political life but according to his own words, he grew irate with the state of affairs and receded from society, but not before he found a lover, which would ultimately prove to be his greatest source of concern. Presumably, many of his grievances came from his stance towards the world and his perspective on it, which was seen as laughable in the face of their power over it, whereas he enjoyed the idea of living well with it. Considered an unusual being to the ayleid, he appeared somewhat balanced to us. His stance on man's existence as conscious being and not an animal to be scorned and toyed with is some evidence of this (although he did not openly advocate freedom). Somewhat of a traditionalist, he also favored Kynareth over Meridia, but was not entirely above the promise of power she brought, which likely lead to his political neutrality. Nature and his work upon his realm was his pride and joy, few realms consisted of such a bristling variety of artificial flora. It's not mentioned how old Silusthiil is, though he is implied to have seen many stages of development in Ayleidoon society, he could be one of the eldest. He was also practiced in sympathetic sorcery, which supports this. It also looks like he was on good terms with Zenithar and one of the Coruscations, that goes by the name of Mnemo-Li. He was also suspected to be a figure of import to the elusive worshippers of Kynareth, and one of the strangest rumors suggests he attempted to merge flesh and bark. As I've said, he did not partake in the Civil war, though his lover had. He avoided it entirely and tended the refugees of this war and of the Alessian cleansings.

We will be resupplying at Rimmen before informing ourselves with the locals as to the locations of ruins within elsweyr. Afterwards, our next target will be the famed Sardavar Leed, anon Sard.

Varlais suna ni, until next time.

-Solortus Nexusus