A Synod Artifact Report: The Lamp of Al-Jinn by Marsus Cines (Inspired by a recent question about Genies in the Elder Scrolls)

Artifact Background: The Lamp of Al-Jinn is a supposed artifact which passes from owner to owner in the deserts of Hammerfell. In stories told by the fire, the Lamp of Al-Jinn is a mystical lamp which grants the wishes of whoever possesses it. The lore on the Lamp of Al-Jinn is somewhat contradictory. In some accounts, the lamp is given to a traveler by a mysterious old women. In other accounts, a spirit or daedra appears before someone in the desert and gives them the lamp. Other versions of the story simply state that a person finds the lamp while wandering the desert. However, one truth can be found in every version of the story: the owner of the lamp meets an unfortunate end.

I, Marsus Cines of the Synod, traveled to Hammerfell in order to investigate rumors of this supposed artifact. I went to many different towns and asked about the story of the Lamp of Al-Jinn. Many people had never even heard of the lamp. However, a few Redguards knew stories of the lamp. After many months of searching, I came to a conclusion on the lamp.

The conclusion which I came to is that all varying accounts of the lamp were true.

> The first story of the lamp dates back to at least the 2nd Era. In this version of the story, a young Colovian merchant is visiting Hammerfell. While in a market, an old beggar woman offers to sell him a lamp which will grant his every wish for a meager 100 gold. The merchant didn't much believe that the lamp would grant his wishes, but it was a beautiful lamp. He bought it solely for its appearance. It was a large bronze lamp, adorned with ornate gold and gems. The merchant thought that the old woman must be truly desperate for selling him such a fine lamp for so cheap. Laying in his tavern bed, the merchant thought about what the old woman said. He toyed with the thought of the lamp granting wishes and said aloud, "Okay lamp. If you can grant wishes. then let me sell all of my wares to the Redguard merchant ships tomorrow." To the merchant's shock, he sold all of his wares the next day. To the merchant's dismay, he slipped while on the port and bashed his head on a rock the next day. > > The second version of the story can be dated to around the twentieth year of the 3rd Era. In this version of the story, a wanderer is lost in the desert. He had ran out of water, but he was still several miles from the nearest settlement. A strange spirit appeared before the man and offered him a lamp which would grant his wishes. The spirit called the lamp "Al-Jinn's lamp." The lamp was clear like crystal and had a blue hue.The spirit asked for the wanderer's amulet in exchange for the lamp. The wanderer was insulted; the amulet was given to him by his father. The spirit could see this and told the man to look as the spirit began to pour water out of the lamp. The water did not come out like water from a pitcher but like water from the mouth of a river. The wanderer was amazed and agreed to trade his father's amulet for the lamp. The spirit explained that the lamp shall grant the master's every wish. The spirit and the wanderer parted ways. The wanderer used the lamp several times. He used it to haggle a deal from a merchant and to get free stay at an inn. However, the wanderer noticed some things out of the ordinary. He'd find himself tripping and running into objects. Being superstitious, he blamed it on the lamp. It got to the point where the wanderer could not take it anymore. He returned to the spot in the desert where he met the spirit, but the spirit was nowhere to be found. Angrily, the wanderer cast the lamp into the desert. The wanderer was halfway back to his town when had realized that in his haste to rid himself of the lamp, he forgot to bring water. "This was no problem," thought the wanderer. The last time he was in the desert, he was on a much longer journey. A simple trip to the spot and back wouldn't be enough for him to exhaust. Yet for some reason, the wanderer was much more thirsty on his way back to town and he could not stop sweating. The wanderer made it to the gates of town and collapsed, dead. > > The third version of the story is much newer than the other two, and there are a few variations of the same story. The newest accounts of the Lamp of Al-Jinn do not mention spirits nor old beggar women. The new versions only mention Redguards wandering in the desert and happening upon the lamp. These men have their wishses granted, but seem to meet an untimely end. The lamp waits in the desert for a new owner each time it kills the last.

I am pleased to say that after searching for many years, I located the lamp and have discerned why there are varying accounts of the lamp.

While I was with a small expedition team, we heard rumors of a warrior in the desert who could not be defeated. Curious, we went and saw the warrior fight. To our shock, he had the lamp. Before fighting, he would drink from the lamp. Only, the lamp did not look like what was described in story. The lamp was iron and covered in spikes. It looked jagged and warlike. I was going to ask the warrior about the lamp after my expedition group and I watched him fight in a match. However, after he defeated his opponent, he tripped and landed on his own sword. We could not believe our eyes. It was almost comical. Amidst all of the chaos, I cast an illusionary spell and grabbed the lamp in a sack. My team and I left and returned to our camp. While at the camp, I opened the sack. The lamp looked different now. It was glass and adorned like a potion bottle.

My own account of the lamp explains why the lamp looks different in every story. It is because the appearance of the lamp changes. My team and I began to experiment on the lamp. We discovered that when someone focuses their sight on the lamp for an extended period of time, the lamp shifts its form to fit their perception of it. By quarantining the lamp for several days, it reverted back to its "original" form. We had little time to observe the lamp before it shifted forms to fit one of our perceptions of it, but we had enough time to identify a mark on the lamp. The mark identified the crafter of the lamp.

The mark on the lamp was "Rzln 17 TIR FS." We translated this to mean that the lamp was crafted by Razelan on a Turdas on the 17th of First Seed.

Razelan was an ancient Redguard sorcerer who created many mystical items. We theorize that it was Razelan who enchanted this lamp.

To explain the accounts of spirits appearing before wanderers, I believe that the Daedric Prince Clavicus Vile came into possession of the lamp and used it to tempt mortals. It should be noted that these stories of spirits appearing to give the lamp stopped appearing in versions of the tale when the Dragonfires were forever lit.

Artifact Description: The artifact is a simple bronze lamp in its unchanged form. The lamp seems to work by draining the luck out of the user. When the user wishes for something, the lamp takes their luck and uses it to manifest their wishes. Simple wishes are not very taxing on one, but large wishes can completely drain one of their luck. I do not believe that Razelan enchanted this artifact with malicious intent in mind. The magick which warps the lamp also seems different from that which the lamp is enchanted with. The magick which warps the lamp is almost certainly daedric in nature. This further supports my theory that Clavicus Vile (or another Daedra) stole the lamp for his own purposes. The name "Lamp of Al-Jinn" also does not seem to have any connection to the sorcerer-craftsman Razelan. It is likely that the daedra spirit who stole the lamp gave it that name.

[This ends the report on the Lamp of Al-Jinn. Further inquiries on the lamp can be made by contacting the Synod Office of Artifact Research. If you wish to examine the artifact for yourself, a meeting may perhaps be arranged in the Synod Office of Artifact Research.]