Numidium the Prisoner

This is taken directly out of my Jubal as Rebel, Talos as King, HRAHNDEYL as Observer, Vivec as Catalyst, and Numidium as Prisoner: An In-Depth Review of C0DA that I was writing that incorporated a lot of different TES works into it, and has not been adapted (so if you see any Echmer or Other References I apologize in advance). Enjoy.

>JUBAL-LUN-SUL: Let’s face it. You were made to say “fuck it”. That’s not an answer that lasts. But, hey look, a lot of us took it to heart.

Numidium. Anumidium. Walk-Brass. Brass-Tower. The Brass God. Old Stompy. It has many names and its story is a sad, painful one of embitterment.

To understand the Numidium, one must first understand its creators: the Dwemer. And they cannot be completely understood. No one can completely understand them except for themselves, and in my opinion even they were puzzled by their own existence. The Dwemer were known as the Deep Folk, and this translation has more meaning than one would believe at first. But we shall soon talk about that shortly.

The most common (and simplest) understanding of Dwemeri philosophy is described as the Deep Folk being ‘atheists in a world where gods exist’. Where the other races devoutly worshipped the gods and followed their teachings to the letter, the Dwemer challenged and doubted the gods existence. Actually, they doubted everything’s existence. At the heart of their mindset was world-refusal. At some time in the Dwemer’s existence they came to the conclusion that everything in the universe albeit themselves was not real. In my humble opinion this is what branched them off from their other mer brethren during the Dawn. How did they come to this conclusion? A thought that I have considered is that perhaps the Dwemer out of all the races of Nirn got a glimpse of the Wheels of Lull before Nirn’s skin was laid over them, enticing a curiosity of ‘logic, reason, and machinery’ along with seeding their contempt for the world. The Deep Folk built their cities underground, an attempt at trying to pierce into the Framework. Maybe they did. Because of their world-refusing philosophy the Dwemer could not understand the emotion of Love (whereas hate means you still have some care for the object in question, refusing something signifies ignoring that object altogether), which is very important.

At the end, an idea arose among the Dwemer populace that would end up becoming their undoing: Numidium. The Brass God was supposed to be their conduit not to leave the world, but to leave the entire Aurbis behind which they believed to be imaginary. At first glance one might think that since the Dwemer could not understand Love that the Numidium was their answer to CHIM, but that is not the case. Whereas CHIM is a stepping stone to Amaranth (and thus becoming a New Dreamer), Numidium was basically a powerful sledgehammer designed to break down and shatter the Dream’s walls. As I have described it in the past in a more joking tone, ‘The Dwemer were trying to skip both CHIM and Amaranth and just start Dreaming guns blazing’. And maybe…just maybe, it would’ve done so perhaps.

But then the Battle of Red Mountain happened. And Kagrenac, trying to perhaps save his people from the Chimer, used Keening, Sundering, and Wraithguard on the Numidium. No one knows exactly what happened at this instant, but a Dragon Break exploded and a bazillion things happened at once. Perhaps the Numidium was just not ready. Or the Tonal Architects screwed up in the calculations. Or Kagrenac didn’t use the tools in the right way. Nevertheless, the entirety of the Dwemer people everywhere in Morrowind, Hammerfell, and Yneslea (except for Yagrum, who was trying to pierce the Atlas of Smoke) was uncreated into piles of ash in an instant and became the bronze skin of the Numidium. This event became what is infamously known as ‘The Disappearance of the Dwarves’, and only a few beings in the entire Aurbis have knowledge of what really happened to the Dwemer.

So what did really happen? Well, in essence, by attempting to remove themselves from the world the Dwemer manifested into a form that could not be removed. They became a new law, a new force, a new concept in the Aurbis like that had never existed before. They accidentally created a Tower even though it was something they were not trying to do at all. Completely unbound to the laws it coexisted with, the Dwemeri race achieved an unique state of permanency for themselves as the skin of their ‘God of Escapement’. Their ‘God of Refusal’. Their ‘God of Fuck Everything’.

The Dwemer had become the Prisoner role incarnated. As Numidium, their Brass God, they became the ultimate weapon in the Aurbis. By unmaking themselves as a people and reforming as the bronze skin of their creation they gained an ability exclusive to the Prisoner: they became Nothing, which meant they could become and do Anything. Numidium’s power is vast and incalculable. Even Dagoth Ur attempted to mock it with Akulakhan for even he knew that its abilities were unfathomable. Just activating it results in a Dragon Break, for time itself can’t even begin to comprehend and understand it.

Have you ever noticed that the Numidium is almost always present during a major enantiomorphic event? It was present at the Battle of Red Mountain. It was present at Convention 2.0 between Tiber Septim, Wulfharth, and Zurin Arctus. And now its present during the ‘final act’ of C0DA.

In c0da Jubal has to kill the Numidium before he can make Union with Vivec and become the Father of the Nu Men. In the story it is mentioned that he must do this in order to prove himself capable of marrying Vehk. He prepares himself through meditation and speaking to fellow Ruling Kings Talos and HRAHNDEYL, as well other beings like the Hist, Almalexia, Morihaus, and Memory. And once he is ready, he travels to the surface of Masser to do the deed of ending the Numidium’s life.

But why? Why must the Numidium die before Amaranth can be achieved? Ah, that is the question isn’t it? And one that answers itself thankfully as well, for before it dies Numidium makes conversation with Jubal in its last moments that reveal many things.

>JUBAL-LUN-SUL: I guess you know the deal. I kill you now. > >NUMIDIUM: (SPEECH BALLOON EMPTY) > >JUBAL-LUN-SUL: No, really, I do. I’d tell you it was my plan all along, but you don’t believe in those, do you? > >NUMIDIUM: (SPEECH BALLOON EMPTY) > >JUBAL-LUN-SUL: Plans, I mean. But you will. Would you mind, you know, doing this face to face? > >NUMIDIUM: (SPEECH BALLOON EMPTY) > >JUBAL-LUN-SUL: Serial contrarian to the last. Just do it. For both our sakes. I promise no tricks.

In the above dialogue Jubal bluntly tells the Numidium that he is here to kill it. When the Numidium questions this, he goes on to tell it that he was going to say that it was his plan from the very beginning but holds back on this due to the fact that the Numidium doesn’t believe in plans. This makes sense if one remembers the Numidium was ‘born’ when Kagrenac activated it as a last ditch effort to save the Dwemer at Red Mountain and that it is the Prisoner, who never has a plan. It makes it up as it goes along.

The first thing that strikes out is that all of Numidium’s dialogue are empty speech balloons, even though it is very clear that it is saying something significant to Jubal. In my opinion, due to Numidium being the Prisoner, the Brass Tower is constantly saying multiple things at once; its ADHD drugged up on energy pills 24/7. But why can Jubal understand it, then? He’s a Ruling King and is the Rebel; he’s one of the few beings that knows the Prisoner for what they truly are. Jubal then asks it to shrink down to a size where they can talk face to face. Numidium then says something (possibly a snappy retort) that resorts in Jubal calling him a serial contrarian (someone who repeatedly rejects or opposes popular opinion) and ordering him to do it. The Numidium obliges, and begins its descent.

>JUBAL-­LUN­-SUL: Thank you. I mean that. The others got it all wrong. > >NUMIDIUM: (SPEECH BALLOON EMPTY) > >JUBAL­-LUN­-SUL: Just get down here, already. That’s a good boy. In those others I include the ones who made you. The Dwemer. ‘The Dwarves’. Whatever. > >NUMIDIUM: (SPEECH BALLOON EMPTY) > >JUBAL-­LUN-­SUL: Look, you don’t have to respond to anything I say if you don’t want to, but I already know you know that. So listen for once. Can you do that? > NUMIDIUM: (SPEECH BALLOON EMPTY) > >JUBAL-­LUN­-SUL: I’ll take that as a yes. And I know that any kind of ‘yes’ makes you do what you do, and that only ends in disaster, so hear me out. I’m going to start with some scripture from my people­­ > NUMIDIUM: (SPEECH BALLOON EMPTY) > >JUBAL-­LUN-­SUL: Whoa now, just listen. I promised no tricks. Can I just­­ > >NUMIDIUM: (SPEECH BALLOON EMPTY) > >JUBAL-­LUN­-SUL:** ­­okay, then. After that, I’ll end with some words of your people.

As Numidium shrinks Jubal continues to talk to it, stating that everyone else ‘got it all wrong’. The Brass God continues to speak to him, resulting in Jubal scolding it and telling it that he included the Dwemer in that everyone he mentioned. When Numidium begins to speak again, Jubal tells it that it doesn’t have to keep responding to everything he says but knows it’ll keep doing it regardless. Him telling the Numidium to ‘listen for just this once’ is another thing symbolic of its role as the Prisoner. The Prisoner never listens to anyone except themself, doing their own thing regardless of what people tell them to do.

The next few lines are what is really important, as it is building up to something that will explain a lot about the nature of the Numidium. Jubal states that he’ll take Numidium’s answer as a yes, but adds in that yesses ‘only end in disaster’ and ‘make the Numidium do what it does’. He then attempts to quote some of the scripture of the Dunmeri people only for the Numidium to angrily interject, causing him to quickly say he is not performing any tricks. As we all know, the Dwemer were not fans of gods nor the worship of gods and it seems like their creation shares this sentiment. The Numidium only relents in letting Jubal continue his quote after the Salt Merchant agrees to say some words about the Numidium’s ‘people’. Could this mean the Dwemer? Or someone else?

>JUBAL-­LUN­-SUL: “ACCORDING TO THE CODES OF MEPHALA, THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE THEORIST AND THE TERRORIST. EVEN THE MOST CHERISHED DESIRE DISAPPEARS IN THEIR HANDS. THIS IS WHY MEPHALA HAS BLACK HANDS. BRING BOTH OF YOURS TO EVERY ARGUMENT­­” > >NUMIDIUM: (SPEECH BALLOON EMPTY) > >JUBAL-­LUN­-SUL: I know. Every other word makes you angry. Wrong word. Every assertion does. But just hear it out. > NUMIDIUM: (SPEECH BALLOON EMPTY) > >JUBAL-­LUN-­SUL: “THE ONE­HANDED KING FINDS NO REMEDY. WHEN YOU APPROACH GOD, HOWEVER, CUT BOTH OF THEM OFF. GOD HAS NO NEED OF THEORY AND HE IS ARMORED HEAD TO TOE IN TERROR.”

Finally, the revelation of what the Numidium truly is. Some of us might recognize the words that Jubal is telling the Numidium. When he says there is no difference between the theorist and the terrorist, one must think of the Dwemer and what they were trying to do. Yes, one could say that what they were trying to do was noble – finding true happiness for their entire race by deconstructing the Aurbis. But look at the ways they did it: shutting themselves off from the rest of the world (including clans of their own people), warring with the other races, and even meddling with the heart of a dead god. Thus, the Dwemer were terrorists as well as theorists. When Numidium angrily interrupts, Jubal understands why he is interjecting: every word is making Walk-Brass angry. Not just one or two, every single one. He goes on to call them ‘wrong words’, and then tells us that every assertion (fact) pisses it off. But why would facts piss the Numidium (and consequently the Dwemer) off, the race who upheld reason and logic above all else?

Remember that the Dwemer believed everything in the universe (including the universe itself) wasn’t real except for themselves. This belief therefore includes all rules, laws, and metaphysics inside the universe as well. If the world is imaginary, then the facts of the world are imaginary as well. Deep down, the Dwemer knew that the calculations that they cherished so much were truly not facts at all. They didn’t actually exist because the things they proved didn’t exist. Their philosophy refuses even itself.

But it’s the next few lines that are the most important. After the Numidium tells Jubal to continue (sarcastically, I like to imagine) the Salt Merchant drops the wham line. ‘The one-handed King finds no remedy. When you approach God, however, cut both of them off. God has no need of theory and he is armored head to toe in terror.’ Jubal has, at this point in time, become a Ruling King – one who has attained CHIM. He knows that everything is fake and that there are no true gods. But he has cut off both of his hands when approaching Numidium, who he is undeniably referring to as God. This in itself is revealing, but it digs deeper. If Ruling Kings know that there are no true gods (even themselves) in the Dream, what in the world would they refer to as ‘God’ then? Simple, really. The only individual that pertains power over them of course. And that individual is the one that created the Dream.

Jubal has just revealed the biggest secret in TES history: Numidium is, in fact, the Godhead. Thus, the Godhead is the Prisoner. The Prisoner is Anu.

Let me explain this further. If you don’t mind, I would like to talk about the Prisoner mythos for a spell. A being that has no true sense of identification except for the fact that they are tied to the Enantiomorph, they run around loose through the world doing what they want when they want. But if one realizes it, all of the Prisoners we’ve known have wreaked must destruction throughout the games. They’ve recreated devices that leech power from the Towers that stabilize the world (Staff of Chaos) and deactivated Towers on their own (Red-Tower, Walk-Brass, White-Gold, Snow-Throat). They’ve arguably done more harm than good. And no matter what, they keep coming back and doing more collateral damage. To us, the Prisoner is our Hero. But how in the world is the Godhead and the Prisoner one in the same? And how is the Numidium both? In my opinion, the Prisoner was a byproduct of the creation of the Broken Amaranthic Cycle I mentioned earlier. It’s that last sliver of intelligence of the Godhead that’s aware of the Amaranth of Suffering he’s Dreaming about and he hates it. So he, in limited form, goes forth into his Dream to end it all. He just wants to be free of it. The Prisoner, in harsh terms of reality, is the Godhead trying to commit suicide in his sleep. And the Numidium? He’s the one holding the knife to the throat and is ready to slash it.

Regarding the part about God being armored in terror, I would like to especially thank my friend /u/scourgicus for his work Sympathy for the Devil: Numidium as Dwemeri Hell (if you haven’t read it, I highly advise that you do and all of the extremely well done scholarly works linked within it as well). The Dwemer thought that the Numidium was going to be their conduit out of the Aurbis; instead, it’s the anchor keeping them trapped in it. Can you imagine what it must feel to be stripped of your very individuality and fused into the bronze skin of a god? Horrifying. And in that moment, that’s the emotion that solidified into the Numidium’s skin – the Dwemer’s pure, unbridled terror of their fate. Numidium is the Godhead, and he is literally wearing an armor made out of the terror of the Dwemeri race.

>NUMIDIUM: ... (SPEECH BALLOON EMPTY) > >JUBAL-­LUN-­SUL: It’s literary and portentous. I get that. But the alternative? The words of yours? Those are easy. “No.” “No.” “No.” “No.” “No.”

Numidium seems irritated by the religious verses Jubal words (ironic, to be honest. The one being in the history of TES that can truly be called God is disgusted by everything godly), and the latter knows why this is irritating it. He then mentions the Numidium’s favorite word: No. ‘No’ is the epitome of world-refusal – refusing something period – and the most powerful word in existence. It takes bravery to say NO when the entire universe is screaming YES at you every and all day.

>JUBAL-­LUN-­SUL: I mean, really, you’re just being a brat. > NUMIDIUM: (SPEECH BALLOON EMPTY) > >JUBAL-­LUN-­SUL: Your philosophy is, for a lack of a better term, the Entitled Teenager. I know you wanted it to be something else. Something more pure, maybe, like Never Underestimate The Little Guy. But that just sucks, too. It gets you nowhere. It got us to this. Everyone ran here to get away from you. To avoid you. Landfall, day one. But at some point in time, we all have to grow up. Help me with my scarves. No hands of my own and all. > >NUMIDIUM: (SPEECH BALLOON EMPTY) > >JUBAL­LUN­SUL: Do it.

Jubal finally calls out the Numidium’s/Prisoner’s/Godhead’s philosophy, referring to it as the ‘Entitled Teenager’. The Numidium believes it is it’s right to do whatever it wants without be reprimanded as a result. That it is outside everyone’s judgment. The Salt Merchant calls bullshit on that, revealing that in the end it only causes destruction and gets you no closer to what you really want acting that way. He notes that the Numidium probably wanted its philosophy to be ‘Never Underestimate The Little Guy’, but calls bullshit on that one too. It’s just a nicer way of saying ‘I Am Fucking Untouchable, So Fuck Off’.

>JUBAL-LUN-SUL: Let’s face it. You were made to say “fuck it”. That’s not an answer that lasts. But, hey look, a lot of us took it to heart. Together, your people and mine, we joined forces, and said “fuck that shit” to the men that invaded our lands. Afterwards? Yeah, we turned on each other, like people do. But we took you. Because, hey, “fuck it, we won, we do what we want.” Then some other men invaded us. And they weren’t kidding around this time. Guess what? The only way we got out of it was to give you to them. Because, hey, “fuck it, they won, they get to do what they want.” > >NUMIDIUM: (SPEECH BALLOON EMPTY) > >JUBAL-­LUN-­SUL: And the whole time? You were the escape route. You are ‘The Disappearance of the Dwarves’­­

Jubal now begins to unravel the Numidium’s entire reason for existence. It was built to be a giant middle finger to everything that dared stand in the Dwemer’s way. He then talks about the invasion of the Nords and how the Dwemer and Chimer gave them the middle finger, how the Chimer gave the Dwemer the middle finger at the Battle of Red Mountain, and how the Empire gave the Dunmer the middle finger during the Tiber Wars. And every single time the Numidium exchanges hands to the victors.

The Numidium is the escape route because it’s the middle finger and was built to be the middle finger. It’s The Disappearance of the Dwarves because the Dwemer live on as its bronze skin.

>NUMIDIUM: (SPEECH BALLOON EMPTY) > >JUBAL-­LUN-­SUL: Wasn’t that hard to figure out. Mainly because other people did before me. But there was always this one unanswered question, tickling in the back brains. WHY DO YOU KEEP COMING BACK? Red Mountain. Alinor. Reclaiming all the tone­shouts from Atmora that they took from YOU? Stomping­­ to put it kindly­­ all of Hammerfell into the ocean to, I don’t know, remind its people of their history. And then you chased us here. What is the goddamn point? I mean, really, and I’m really, really asking because no one ever has been, I think, brave enough: do you have some kind of unfinished business? > >NUMIDIUM: MAYBE. GREY AREA. GREY MAYBE. > >JUBAL-­LUN-­SUL: I KNEW IT! > >NUMIDIUM: (SPEECH BALLOON EMPTY) > >JUBAL-­LUN-­SUL: YOU JUST WANTED TO WIN!

And there it is. What Numidium/Prisoner/Godhead has truly sought after for so long. It wants Maybe back. It wants Nir back, but she’s dead and there is no way she can come back. All that is left of her is Memory. The reason why Numidium is trying to massacre everyone? They have Maybe, they have Nir. They are Nir’s children but it wants Nir all to itself. During Landfall Numidium begins destroys Nirn in attempt to destroy everyone along with it, but some escaped. And so, it chased them to the moons. If it can get rid of everyone and everything associated with Nir, it can finally let go and allow for the Amaranth to die. That’s the End Game for the Numidium, the Prisoner, and the Godhead. It really, really wants to die.

>NUMIDIUM: (SPEECH BALLOON EMPTY) > >NUMIDIUM (CONT’D): YES. > >JUBAL­-LUN-­SUL: ...finally. Thank you. And I’m sorry. > >NUMIDIUM: ? > >JUBAL-­LUN-­SUL: Don’t you get it? Your people tried to run, but couldn’t. My people have to run, and I needed to hear the way out. We’re finally talking the same language. > >PIC 2: EXT. LUNAR LANDSCAPE > >Larger pic for effect. Jubal cuts the Numidium’s head off with an empty speech balloon. > >JUBAL-­LUN­-SUL: (SPEECH BALLOON EMPTY)

After so many years saying NO, Numidium/Prisoner/Godhead finally admits it’s goal and says YES. This was the information that Jubal needed, and it’s tragic because the Numidium doesn’t realize what’s about to happen. Jubal realizes that no matter what the Numidium can’t kill itself, but without it dead the Broken Amaranth will continue to go on in its suffering. After listening to Anumidium, he figures out that he must kill it by his hand alone. Numidium wants to die and Jubal needs to kill it. And so, Jubal beheads the Numidium with its own words. The Prisoner and the Godhead dies with it.

Following Jubal kills Hlaalu Hir, he can be seen wearing the shell of Numidium during his wedding with Vivec. This is symbolic of him – the Rebel – becoming the Nu Godhead after killing the Prisoner (the Godhead’s avatar in his Dream) and therefore the Dream’s need for self-extermination. The Cycle of Broken Amaranths and their Prisoner spawn are forever dead now, because the Amaranthic Cycle has been completely healed by the actions of the individuals in C0DA. Jubal is now ready to create Union with Vivec – Amaranth – and their children – the First of the Nu Men. Everything is Whole Now.

And so ends the Tale of Jubal, Hlaalu Hir, Talos, HRAHNDEYL, Vivec, and Numidium. The Tale of the Rebel, Traitor, King, Observer, Catalyst, and Prisoner. The Last Game has been played. And now the New Birth begins.

>NEW LANGUAGE, CONTINUED MEANING, STRING­STRAND OF BOTH. MEANING REMAINS: WELCOME TO THE HOUSE OF WE.