The Thirty-Three Sermons of the Saints, Sermon Nine: Saint Aralor the Penitent

He was born in the saltrice fields of Tear, ARALOR, to an uncertain father and a bitch-whore mother. His time in the womb numbered three-times-three days.

On the third day, AYEM came to the bitch-whore and said, “I am the Face-Snaked Queen of the Three-In-One. In you is a MURDERER. My gift to you is a three-syllable spell called BOETIATH, which you shall repeat to the whoreson until Mystery comes.”

Upon hearing this, ARALOR turned over three-times-three times in the bitch-whore’s womb, his mind full with thoughts of secret murder.

On the sixth day, SEHT came to the bitch-whore and said, “I am the Clockwork King of the Three-In-One. In you is a LIAR. My gift to you is a three-syllable spell called AZURA, which you shall repeat to the whoreson until Majesty comes.”

Upon hearing this, ARALOR turned over three-times-three times in the bitch-whore’s womb, his mind full with thoughts of black deceits.

On the ninth day, VEHK came to the bitch-whore and said, “I am the Warrior Poet Prince of the Three-In-One. In you is a RAPIST. My gift to you is a three-syllable spell called MEPHALA, which you shall repeat to the whoreson until he comes.”

Upon hearing this, ARALOR turned over three-times-three times in the bitch-whore’s womb, his mind full with thoughts of stolen sex.

The birth of ARALOR lasted three-times-three hours, and his vessel cracked with the torment of his entry into Mundus.

ARALOR whispered, “BOETIATH”, and hundreds felt his sharp blade.

ARALOR whispered, “AZURA”, and hundreds felt his black tongue.

ARALOR whispered, “MEPHALA”, and hundreds felt his milk-spear.

ARALOR felt no respect for others in committing these foul sins, and said, “These crimes are just, for they are my vengeance against the world that has rejected me.”

ARALOR felt no respect for himself in committing these foul sins, and said, “I am a simple vessel for the nine-syllable spell. I do as I have been fated to do.”

But through it all, ARALOR felt a sense of shame, and secretly asked himself, “Am I so tainted by fate? Can I not be redeemed?”

Upon hearing this, ALMSIVI appeared and said in unison, “Your soul is a black vessel for the virtues of the nine-syllable spell, and you lack respect for yourself and others. You must develop respect to be cleansed. Submit yourself to us, and cleanse yourself of sin. Follow the Pilgrim’s Path, and be redeemed.”

To which ARALOR replied, “Three thousand thanks to you, ALMSIVI. Your radiance and holy light shall wash my soul clean.” ARALOR fell to his knees before ALMSIVI, who vanished.

And so ARALOR travelled on his knees to the Fields of Kummu, where he found the Shrine of Humility, the First Grace. Before the Shrine he found a farmer kneeling by his dead guar. The farmer said, “Without my guar, I cannot complete the muck harvest. Without it, I shall starve.”

ARALOR, recognizing this as one of the trials of Lord Vivec, toiled in the farmer’s muck fields on his knees as a guar for three times three days, harvesting the entire crop. He offered a handful of muck to the Shrine of Humility, and the First Grace entered his soul. ARALOR said, “I have learned the Grace of Humility. I shall know and give thanks and for my place in the world, and respect the places of others.” The syllable BOE fell from ARALOR and sank into the muck.

And so BOETIATH-AZURA-MEPHALA became TIATH-AZURA-MEPHALA.

ARALOR travelled on his knees to the great city of Vivec, where he found the Shrine of Daring, the Second Grace. He looked skyward, and saw the great moon of Baar Dau, which Vivec had prevented from destroying his city by commanding the moon to stop its descent. Overwhelmed by Vivec’s daring and strength of self, the moon stopped its descent and swore itself to Vivec’s service.

ARALOR offered a potion of levitation to the Shrine of Daring, recognizing the self-love and self-strength of Vivec that kept Baar Dau aloft, but rejected the Shrine’s blessing of levitation, and refused to rise from his knees. The Second Grace entered his soul, and ARALOR said, “I have learned the Grace of Daring. I shall have the courage to love myself despite my flaws, and respect others despite their flaws.” The syllable TI fell from ARALOR and flew skyward, where it lay to rest on Baar Dau.

And so TIATH-AZURA-MEPHALA became ATH-AZURA-MEPHALA.

ARALOR travelled on his knees to the Palace of Vivec, where he found the Shrine of Generosity, the Third Virtue, which was dedicated to all people, great and small, who survive from the generosity of others.

ARALOR had brought a small stipend for the journey to pay for food and lodgings, and offered it all to the Shrine of Generosity. The Third Grace entered his soul, and ARALOR said, “I have learned the Grace of Generosity. I have made myself destitute to aid others, who will in turn aid me. I have learned the cycle of respect and generosity, and my generosity will eventually return to me in the form of the generosity of others.” The syllable ATH fell from ARALOR and into the empty coin purse, which ARALOR locked, trapping it forever.

And so ATH-AZURA-MEPHALA became AZURA-MEPHALA.

ARALOR descended on his knees into the bowels of the Palace, where he found the Shrine of Courtesy, the Fourth Virtue. This is where Vivec showed the courtesy of giving his own Silver Longsword to a great Dremora Lord, his enemy, rather than suffer the dishonour of fighting an unarmed enemy.

Beside the Shrine of Courtesy, ARALOR encountered a Dremora, and offered him his own Silver Longsword, which he had brought with him for defence on his pilgrimage. The Fourth Grace entered his soul, and ARALOR said, “I have learned the Grace of Courtesy. I shall respect all persons equally, even my enemies, to receive their courtesy in return. In showing courtesy to others, I can learn to show courtesy to myself.” The syllable A fell from ARALOR and was eaten by the Dremora.

And so AZURA-MEPHALA became ZURA-MEPHALA.

ARALOR made the journey on his knees to Gnisis. The journey was long, and he came close to starving for his Generosity and was unable to defend himself for his Courtesy. In Gnisis he found the Shrine of Justice, the Fifth Grace. Here Vivec saved his followers by curing them of the blight, granting his faithful the justice of not dying at the hands of the SHARMAT.

ARALOR recognized the justice of Vivec and offered a potion of cure disease to the Shrine of Justice. The Fifth Grace entered his soul, and ARALOR said, “I have learned the Grace of Justice. I shall show respect to others by ensuring people receive the justice they deserve, whether for sins or virtues. In doing so, I can learn to receive justice myself.” The syllable ZU fell from ARALOR and sunk into the ground, growing into a black flower.

And so ZURA-MEPHALA became RA-MEPHALA.

ARALOR travelled on his knees to Koal Cave, where he found the Shrine of Valour, the Sixth Grace. There Vivec fought a bloody battle with the Ruddy Man, lord of the Dreugh, and spared his life in exchange for the Ruddy Man and his brood giving up their tough hides as armour for the Dunmer.

ARALOR overcame his fear and bravely slew a Dreugh warrior in the cave, and offered its wax to the Shrine of Valour. The Sixth Grace entered his soul, and ARALOR said, “I have learned the Grace of Valour. Never again shall I fear showing love to others, but instead I shall show love and respect with boundless strength. In doing so, I can become strong enough to love myself.” The syllable RA fell from ARALOR and sank into the murky waters of the cave.

And so RA-MEPHALA became MEPHALA.

ARALOR made the journey on his knees to his final destination, Red Mountain, where deep in the ash-blighted wastes inside the Ghostfence he found the Shrine of Pride, the Seventh Virtue. The building of the Ghostfence itself is indicative of the pride with which the Dunmer people combat their enemies.

ARALOR offered a soul gem to the Shrine of Pride, in remembrance of the ancestors who had shown their pride in themselves and their race and sacrificed their souls to create the Ghostfence and save the Dunmer. The Seventh Grace entered his soul, and ARALOR said, “I have learned the Grace of Pride. I shall never doubt myself again, but shall show my pride in myself and shower myself in the love I deserve.” The syllable ME fell from ARALOR and flew away in the ash-winds.

And so MEPHALA became PHALA.

A creature in the form of a terrifying ash-poet appeared before ARALOR. This being was known as DAGOTH QORMAT.

“Your soul is foul and tainted with the lies of the SHARMAT,” said ARALOR.

“Your soul is foul and tainted with the two-syllable spell,” replied QORMAT.

ARALOR bowed and said, “There is no falsity in your words. I am a foul and tainted creature.”

And so ARALOR showed the Grace of Humility.

“Why do you not flee before me?” asked QORMAT.

“I dare to witness your horrifying visage and have to courage to stay put,” answered ARALOR.

And so ARALOR showed the Grace of Daring.

“These storms wrack my skin. It has been long since I last covered my body. Give your clothes to me,” demanded QORMAT.

ARALOR removed his clothes and gave them to the ash-poet, standing naked in the ash-winds and letting the coarse ash tear at his skin. “I no longer have need of such coverings, my faith alone is enough to protect me,” said ARALOR.

And so ARALOR showed the Grace of Generosity.

“I serve Lord Dagoth, and you serve the False Tribunal. I would lock blades, were I not unarmed.”

ARALOR picked up a piece of sharp obsidian from the cracked earth below him and snapped it in two, giving one half to the ash-poet. “I will not suffer the dishonour of fighting an unarmed foe,” said ARALOR.

And so ARALOR showed the Grace of Courtesy.

ARALOR struck first, slicing open the chest of QORMAT. Then, he stood still, allowing himself to be cut in the same way. “I will suffer myself for all the suffering I cause for others,” said ARALOR.

And so ARALOR showed the Grace of Justice.

ARALOR continued to fight the ash-poet, striking and suffering those same strikes. The two fought for three-times-three hours, when the ash became think with black ichor and red blood. And still ARALOR fought on, refusing to surrender or allow his wounds to overcome him.

And so ARALOR showed the Grace of Valour.

Finally, ARALOR laid the killing blow, slicing open the throat of DAGOTH QORMAT. The foul ash-poet collapsed to the ground. ARALOR observed the dying beast and said, “Great am I that I can accomplish such a deed.”

And so ARALOR showed the Grace of Pride.

ARALOR knelt by the ash-poet and whispered in its ear the syllable PHA, and its corrupted head burst with enlightenment.

And so PHALA became LA.

ALMSIVI appeared before ARALOR, and he fell to his knees before them.

VEHK stepped forward and said, “Filthy one, you have cleansed yourself and learned the Seven Graces. You have learned respect and love for others and for yourself. In doing so, you have learned the Eighth Grace: the Grace of Respect.”

“Lord Vivec, I have not visited this shrine. My pilgrimage is not complete and my heart lays heavy with the taint of the one-syllable spell. I am unclean,” said ARALOR.

VEHK smiled and said, “ARALOR, you are the Shrine of Respect. And you are the offering.”

And so the Grace of Respect entered ARALOR’s soul, and the syllable LA fell from him and was caught by AYEM, and was hidden away within her.

And so LA became nothing, and ARALOR’s soul became free of the nine-syllable spell, turning from a black force to a shining, radiant light. Through his penitence, he had at last been cleansed.

VEHK knelt down and whispered a secret word to ARALOR, teaching him the secret Ninth Grace: the Grace of LOVE.

ARALOR rose, turned to SEHT, and said, “I am the Penitent Saint, and I have been cleansed by the Eight-And-One Graces. In you is a MEMORY. My gift to you is a three-syllable spell called ARALOR.”

The ending of the words is ALMSIVI.

4E219, 9th of Second Seed

High Lord Aldaril,

I continue my search among the libraries of Vvardenfell. Through a generous dispensation, I have gained limited access to the secret libraries of the New Temple under the premise of “theological study”, and will try to find my quarry before they catch on to my true intentions.

These libraries are in a sorry state. The entire secret library of the old Tribunal Temple was destroyed during the Red Year, taking many precious unique apocryphal texts with it. Nevertheless, I still hope I may find what we are looking for in some of the more widespread texts.

These sermons are mass-produced and still very popular today, each one tells an apocryphal story of one of the Temple Saints, and each one is amusingly fraudulent. I can find little record of a real person called Aralor, and can only assume that he is a fabrication of the Tribunal Temple- he is too perfect to be a real person, and is obviously meant to serve as an example of the benefits of serving the Tribunal.

Nevertheless, some aspects of the sermon warrant analysis. The bulk of the middle is a simple narrative concerning the Pilgrimage of the Seven Graces, but the beginning and ending carry much more weight, especially in the involvement of the Tribunal. During Aralor’s “womb” scene, it could be almost interpreted that they are cursing the baby Aralor, turning him into an unspeakable criminal. There is no mention of the baby having sinful thoughts before the Tribunal intervened, and the “gifts” they offer are literal references to horrible crimes. The end portrays Almalexia unfavourably too, implying that she is willing to “catch and hide” sin “within” herself. It seems bizarre to me that the Tribunal would allow such references in a Temple-produced sermon, but I have no explanation for it. I also have no explanation for the bizarre final lines- in it, Aralor seems to be implying that Sotha Sil is pregnant with a “memory”. I have no clue what this means and can find little reference to anything of the sort in other similar texts.

However, this sermon does contain, I think, what we are searching for: I believe that the “secret word” Vivec whispers to Aralor, teaching him the “Grace of Love”, may be exactly what we seek. Unfortunately, this is the only reference to it in the text, an implication with little further explanation. I shall continue searching, and cross-reference this sermon with the others.

Your servant,

Investigator Corellion