Thrice Blessed and Thrice Cursed: Memories of a Dunmer Pilgrim (Part 7, Chapter 3, Part One)

By Erdar Nyrandil, 4E 202

Chapter Three

Part One: Compromises, Shackles, and Writs (Continued from [Part 1] (http://www.reddit.com/r/teslore/comments/2tvmo0/thrice_blessed_and_thrice_cursed_memories_of_a/), [Part 2] (http://www.reddit.com/r/teslore/comments/2twa0r/thrice_blessed_and_thrice_cursed_memories_of_a/), [Part 3] (http://www.reddit.com/r/teslore/comments/2twqr7/thrice_blessed_and_thrice_cursed_memories_of_a/), [Part 4] (https://www.reddit.com/r/teslore/comments/2txisz/thrice_blessed_and_thrice_cursed_memories_of_a/), [Part 5] (http://www.reddit.com/r/teslore/comments/2tz6y7/thrice_blessed_and_thrice_cursed_memories_of_a/), and [Part 6] (http://www.reddit.com/r/teslore/comments/2u22gp/thrice_blessed_and_thrice_cursed_memories_of_a/))

13th of Last Seed, 3E 428

The ceremony was more lavish than I felt appropriate, but I can understand a certain need for spectacle. These are fascinating times we live in after all; the return of Nerevar, the great evil thwarted, and now the naming of a new Archcanon all within the short span of roughly one month. The people of Morrowind are rejuvenated, and even the most tetchy amongst us cannot help be celebrate at every possible opportunity. I still feel in shock at my rise in status,^1 and I had hoped to have a more humble transfer of the title.

Regardless of the boisterous nature of the ceremony, today will forever stand as a defining moment in my life. Not only was I named Archcanon, but I formally met with Lord Vivec. Tholer had arranged the meeting at Vivec’s request. In hindsight, Vivec’s invitation should have been no surprise; as Archcanon of the Temple, it will be my duty to serve as a bridge between the Tribunal and their servants, and as an administrator of ALMSIVI’s will within the Temple and across all of Morrowind. Surely I will meet with my Lord many times in the years to come. But there comes a certain level of shock and awe when one is summoned by a god.^2

I could not say how much time passed as I stood before Lord Vivec in his palace. We discussed many things, and I would have said many hours had passed as I hung on his every word. Yet my legs did not tire, and when I exited the palace, it was as if time itself had stopped; the sun had scarcely moved, and I could see the parade procession still marching through the cantons.

Lord Vivec is even more impressive than the stories and sermons say. At once he is both Dunmer and Chimer, changed and unchanged. He has a voice that is fierce and commanding, while also filled with a soothing comfort. During our time together, we discussed the things to come, those things which Tholer felt daunted by: the role of the Nerevarine in Morrowind’s future, the reconciliation with the Dissident Priests, the Ashlanders, the Ordinators, the Apographa, how we can bolster the waning faith of the people, the veneration of saints, and the function of the Anticipations. All of these concerns and more did Lord Vivec charge me to write and commit to memory.

My Lord has set before us a great upheaval, and now I must rally the Temple and Morrowind behind changes both great and small. The Temple will not be the same, but in many ways it will remain unchanged. Like Lord Vivec before us, the time has come for the Temple to be divided between the old ways and the new. We must embrace the changes while maintaining our true purpose: to be caretakers of Morrowind. Come what challenges may, I shall stand tall and meet the difficulties which lie ahead. As former Archcanon Saryoni once wrote, “ I shall not quail, nor turn away, but face my enemies and my fear.”

16th of Last Seed, 3E 428

Today I met with the Masters across Vvardenfall to discuss the course the Temple must chart. The day was long and difficult. As expected, there was much fear and concern over some of the proposed changes. Of note were the reactions to the return of the Dissident Priests, and the restriction of the Ordinators’ powers, two intertwined issues quite honestly.

Some Masters almost vehemently refuse the notion that the Dissident Priests deserve pardon; they argue that their blasphemies go beyond the realm of scholarly study and into that of chaos and anarchy. One Master, who will remain unnamed here, even accused the Dissident Priests of cohorting with Mehrunes Dagon or perhaps being deceived into treason by the Anticipation of Lady Almalexia, the Daedric Prince Boethia.

Other Masters worried less about the Dissidents themselves, and more about the people. Regardless of whether the Dissidents are pardoned, their voice is growing and the hidden writings may begin to leak out to the public. These Masters see the rise of the Dissidents as not only a threat to the current order, but an inevitability. The question is not whether we should adapt, but how will we adapt? How will Morrowind look in the coming days, and how can we ensure our place in that future and continue the Tribunal worship?

My colleagues are all correct in their worries, despite some of the more extreme views. The reintegration of the Dissident Priests will be no simple matter. How shall we reconcile the the holy word of ALMSIVI with the heretofore considered blasphemy? I, like all Masters within in the Temple, have seen and reviewed the Apographa and I have read the so called Progress of Truth. Until recent events, I had held that all such writings were the ravings of the mad, or outright lies propagated by the Ashlanders in the early years of the Triune apotheosis. Now, the matter seems much more ambiguous than before. But what the Dissident Priests seek will be the end of Morrowind’s glory.

As it is written in their doctrine, the Dissidents would see Morrowind return to the worship of ancestors and the veneration of the Daedric Princes, relegating the Tribunal to the status of sainthood. Further, there is clearly disagreement between the Dissidents as to how such madness would work. Regardless of the nature of ALMSIVI’s claim to godhead, the fact remains that by their guiding hand Morrowind has prospered more than it ever had under the worship of the Daedra.

A great compromise will be required. With Nerevar reborn, there is no denying the whole of the Dissident teachings anymore. Morrowind, and perhaps the whole of Tamriel, has forever changed, and we must find a way to weather the change. If the Temple can continue its teaching and administration, while simultaneously promoting the ancestral ways, then we will succeed.

Concerning the Ordinators, some of the groundwork had already been laid by Tholer and the Nerevarine. Prior to earning the title of both Hortator and Grandmaster of House Hlaalu, the Incarnate made an arrangement on behalf of Hlaalu such that Berel Sala and the Ordinators were to be kept in check by Tholer. Indeed, there has been a decrease in Ordinator aggression over the past few months. However, with the intended return of Dissident Priests, the unyielding faith of Berel Sala may prove a threat to any peace we may maintain between both sides. I commend Berel; his faith is strong and proper. If only his faith were not so tied to his rigid and sometimes violent enforcement of Temple doctrine.

Above all, I feel that whatever changes may come, the divinity of ALMSIVI and the role of the Temple in Morrowind must remain. Further, no matter what compromises the future will bring, the Temple must always maintain the upper hand over the Dissidents in our bargaining. A softening of the rules may occur, but I see no value in promoting the Dissident views on how the Tribunal achieved godhead. So long as the people are happy and healthy, they may be content with the traditional doctrines. After all, who is happier? The guar who is well fed and protected from the dangers of the wild in exchange for its service as a beast of burden? Or the Argonian, captured from Black Marsh and sold to work on the plantation, ever plagued by the knowledge of a life outside of slavery? The guar of course. For many, it is better to lack knowledge and be happy, than to have knowledge and be tortured over its implications.

27th of Heartfire, 3E 428

Today was a rather decisive day. After weeks of debating amongst the Masters, the terms I will present to the Dissident Priests have been reached. As Archcanon, I maintain the final and ultimate word in the decisions of Temple policy. However, I believe that in order to best serve the interests of Morrowind, the future of the Temple cannot be entrusted to the whims of one.

The Dissidents will be reintegrated into the Temple under the following conditions:

  1. ALMSIVI will maintain their divine status. The traditional Temple doctrine will be publicly maintained. The Tribunal achieved godhead by virtue and a life of testing. The Dissident doctrine and Apographa of the nature of the Tribunal divinity will no longer be hidden. Nor will it be promoted or publicly taught. If a layman chooses to advance his or her knowledge of the Triune and the history of Morrowind, they may do so in the Library of Vivec. When laymen question a Temple official about the divinity of the Triune, having read the Dissident doctrine or Apographa, the traditional doctrine will always be maintained, with the addendum that the vagaries of divinity are a mystery meant to test the Dunmer as they walk the path of ALMSIVI.

  2. The veneration of saints and ancestors will be bolstered in sermons and the teachings of Temple priests. Outright Ancestor Worship will be discouraged, but will not be considered treasonous blasphemy or heresy.

  3. Daedra worship will continue to be forbidden, though pilgrimages to shrines of the Anticipations will be encouraged as a prerequisite to the Pilgrimages of the Seven Graces. Individuals found worshiping the daedra will subject to punishment, including imprisonment.

  4. The Ordinators will no longer act without impunity. A council of twelve ranked below Archcanon, equal to the rank of Master, and above that of Berel Sala will be created. This council, known as the Adjudicators of Peace, will hear the case of individuals detained by the Ordinators in order to decree judgement upon the accused. Adjudicators will be appointed by the Archcanon.

  5. Returning Dissidents may not reclaim their immediate ranks. All returning Dissident Priests will be awarded a title no higher than Temple Adept, and must prove themselves as worthy of advancement.

With these stipulations in order, I intend to meet with Gilvas Barelo to offer our terms.

10th of Frostfall, 3E 428

Gilvas put up a fight, as expected, though I think he was largely pleased with the terms I gave. I believe he was expecting far less compromise than I have offered. He countered my terms with a few conditions of his own.

  1. He wished for the Dissidents to be recognized as an approved sect within the Temple with the right to publicly teach the no longer banned Apographa.

  2. He demands that the Adjudicators be divided equally between Tribunal and Dissident Priests.

  3. He argues that the imposed demotion is unacceptable and a waste of the talent of many former priests.

I have told Gilvas that I must weigh his terms, but cautioned him that the Dissidents do not have much room to bargain.

21st of Frostfall, 3E 428

After much deliberation, terms have been tenuously accepted on both sides. In the end, it was determined that priests may be publicly recognized as Dissidents if they so choose. However, public use of such titles must be formatted as such: Gilvas Barelo, Dissident Disciple, reclaimed by ALMSIVI. In essence, the Dissidents must show a sign of submission to the Tribunal; they are not only absolved of their blasphemies, but reclaimed by the Three True Gods. In this way, it is clear that they owe their very lives to ALMSIVI. This was a difficult term to argue, and a major victory for the Temple.

Reclaimed Dissidents^3 will not be permitted to publicly teach the Apographa or the Dissident doctrine. Such teachings will still only be discovered by those laymen hungry for knowledge who make a pilgrimage to the Library of Vivec and explore the once hidden texts on their own. However, the Dissident Priests will oversee the Pilgrimage of the Anticipations and will be instrumental in the writing of sermons focused on the veneration of saints and ancestors.

The Reclaimed Priests will be permitted to rejoin the Temple at a rank no higher than Disciple. Gilvas is correct that many of the priests had a shining history of service to the Temple and to the people of Morrowind, and we should not waste their experience. However, if I am to maintain peace I cannot simply act as if their rebellious acts against the Temple are entirely forgotten.

Regarding the Adjudicators, I have rejected Gilvas’ terms. However, in the interest of equality, an open position for Adjudication may only be filled if a worthy candidate is nominated by the people. Nominations will then be voted upon by the Temple Patriarch and Masters with a two-thirds majority needed for approval.

With these conditions set in place, I hope that the future of the Temple will be a bright one. There are priests on both sides which are less than pleased with the conditions as they stand, but overall, I feel that we have struck an appropriate balance that still keeps the power in the hands of the Tribunal and their faithful priests. As there is much to prepare for, the Reclaimed Priests will not be formally recognized until Evening Star on a yet determined date.

2nd of Evening Star, 3E 428

A Nord finds himself walking through a desert bounded glass walls. Examining the walls, the Nord knows that there must be a bottom, a floor beneath the sand. But he has no tools, and thus cannot perceive how deep the sand beneath his feet extends before reaching a solid floor. The Nord only knows that the sand is too deep for him to reach the bottom by digging with his hands. High above the Nord, there is a small hole in the ceiling, no larger in circumference than the Nord’s little finger. Despite the hole’s considerable height above the Nord, he can perceive the hole’s presence, for there is more sand pouring through. The Nord does not fear the hole nor its sand; by his estimation, the fine grains fill the room so slowly that he will not see the day when the room is fill to the brim. The sand which came before and the sand which will come are thus of little consequence to the Nord, for he cannot dream of seeing the beginning nor the end of the sand’s stream. He is therefore content in the present.

As the Nord explores his new home, a Telvanni wizard observes him with a wry grin. Unbeknownst to the Nord, he has been placed in a separate plane of reality by the wizard, trapped within an hour glass. To the wizard, the hour glass will fill in thirty minutes time. To the Nord, experiencing life in a separate realm, the room he now calls home will not fill for another sixty years. The Dunmer laughs at the brevity and dynamic nature of the Nord’s life, the Nord’s inability to perceive that brevity, and his perception of the world as static, unchanging. The wizard, like most mer, sees the day, the week, the month, and the year as nothing more than the turning of a single page in a large book. As the wizard chuckles at the simple Nord’s inept grasp of time, he looks up from his research specimen and is shocked when he realizes that he left his potion brewing for too long. Where does the time go?

I write this tale to illustrate my current worries. Like the wizard, I have been watching the hour glass intently tonight. Since bidding Master Llethan a good night and proceeding to my bed chamber, I have sat in my bed unable to sleep, and I have turned the hour glass thrice. Three months have passed since I took the title of Archcanon. Three months of meetings, planning, and stress as we begin to implement the changes to the Temple which Lord Vivec has spurred us on to. Three months free of the potential disaster which tomorrow will bring: the reclamation of the Dissident Priests. And all I can ask is how did this day come so fast? Even though every waking hour has been devoted to tomorrow since I took over as Temple Patriarch, I hoped somewhere in the back of my mind that tomorrow would never come, because no matter how much I plan or what the nature of the negotiations will be, there will likely always be a schism in the Temple. I fear that my life will no longer be a matter of serving as a bridge between ALMSIVI and the Dunmer, but also as a bridge between the faithful priests and the Reclaimed Dissidents. But as Archcanon, this is my burden to bear.

17th of Evening Star, 3E 428

It has been precisely two weeks since the Dissidents were formally recognized as members of the Temple once again. In those two weeks, I have heard and mitigated several grievances from both the Tribunal faithfuls and the Reclaimed Dissidents. However, today as I walked through the city of Vivec, I was blessed with proof that the reclamation of the Dissidents has been worthwhile. For despite all of the worry and pressure I have felt, the common people appear happier than ever. I overheard three Dunmer discussing the recent changes, in fact. Each seemed in agreement that ALMSIVI were correct in pardoning the Dissidents, and none seemed the slightest bit at unease with what such a pardon meant. Perhaps this will work out afterall, if only I can keep the priesthood from destroying itself from within…

11th of Sun’s Dawn, 3E 429

A priest was imprisoned today. A Reclaimed Dissident to be precise. It has been a stressful case, and I can only hope that the Adjudicators were correct in their judgement. The Dissident was accused of openly calling for worship of the Anticipations. However, the accuser was none other than a Temple Master Evo Alor, who formerly argued that the Dissidents were worshipers of Mehrunes Dagon. He never approved of the reclamation of the Dissidents, and for this reason I was dubious of the accusations. However, I must trust the Adjudicators, and hope that other Reclaimed Priests also trust their ruling.

27th of First Seed, 3E 429

Master Evo was found dead this morning. A Morag Tong executioner with a formal writ was found waiting with the body. To think that such an act of violence, no matter its legality,^4 could be perpetrated by a Temple priest is appalling. I must find a way to maintain peace between the priests before this goes any further. ALMSIVI guide me.

  1. Not only did I rise quickly through the ranks, but there was still the matter of my age. As a Dunmer in my thirties, I might as well have been an infant as far as most mer would be concerned. But, in the eyes of many, I was blessed by ALMSIVI and a worthy candidate. Blessed or not, I walked a fine line between fanatic and moderate long enough to be deemed pious and reasonable; a dichotomy most favorable in a often zealot-filled Temple in need of change.

  2. As fate would have it, this would be one of the very few encounters I had with Vivec.

  3. The irony of this title would not be lost on me in later years when the Tribunal was relegated to the status of sainthood, and the Anticipations suddenly became the Reclamations.

  4. Unlike the Dark Brotherhood in many provinces, the Morag Tong carried out an important religious and ceremonial function in Morrowind. Assassination were thus legal, provided the proper channels were used.

A Note from OP

I feel pretty happy with some of the world building that I have here, and I hope you enjoy it too. Chapter 3 will continue as soon as I am able, with Part Two: The Bloody Year and the Second Curse.