Memories of the Past and the Ice Cream Lanes: Ysneslea
Although speculation of its existence has been circulating since the days of Reman Dor – where Eastern geomythicology reached their height of popularity thanks to the surge of ebon merchants – the archipelago of Ysneslea has only recently been proved real in the minds of the Imperial scholars through the conquests of the “Fighting Diamond”, He-Who-Timed-The-Sea.
Before the acquisition of the Cathnoquey was even finalized the First Legion of the Expeditionary Force the Warrior-Emperor, following the half-truth Remanic tales whispered to him in his youth, made landfall in the southernmost region of the island of Yne in the Ambient Littoral. It was there that his legionnaires first made contact with the Echmer for the first time, specifically the surfacing-dwelling culture known as the Exul. An attempt to communicate eventually led to open hostility, and the “Fighting Diamond” invoked the archaic Annexation through Conflagration installed by Brazollous Dor. It took a whole year of burning, now remembered as the Twelvemonth War, before Uriel V struck a treaty with the rulers of the Echmeri people and took Ysneslea as his own.
>Sidebar: The Truce in the East > >Out of all of the Third Empire Territories acquired in the Invasion of Akavir it was only Ysneslea that put up a fight to the might of Uriel V. In her book How Yneslea Passed To The Empire, Eci Erif Nedraw describes the battle as so: > >“At first it seemed that the Echmer would win the war with their advanced weapons and armor, war automatons, and knowledge of the terrain. But the Empire eventually discovered the race’s fatal weaknesses: their misunderstanding and disregard for magicka as well as their zero amount of information on the Tamrielics, and the fact that their machines used sound as a power source. Uriel V (who the Echmer had come to call “The Bane”) immediately took advantage of these faults to gain the upperhand and surprised the bat elves by invading the Dweech itself and taking control of their capital Urb, Oexra’numsaz. To avoid both the destruction of their city and the deaths of the Troika (three Echmer political figures that sat on the eight-seat Council of Dull Chimes) the Echmer proposed a suspension of hostilities to negotiate with the Empire. Uriel V agreed to the signing of the treaty and legend holds that the Echmeri god-hero known as HRAHNDEYL manifested on Mundus to speak with him (many scholars take this as evidence that the Fighting Diamond was much like his divine ancestor Tiber Septim, who met with Lord Vivec of Morrowind for the legendary Armistice) about the terms of the acquisition. It is not secret that most of the Echmer population were enraged by their most beloved deity making peace talks with the enemy, which is why the Truce in the East is still held in discontent by the bat elves to this day. > >One of the main ideas of the Truce was allowing Ysneslea to have a large degree of self-governance while still being an imperial territory of the Empire, so Uriel V decided to focus on the archipelago’s economic and military power. First the Emperor took full control of Ysneslea’s trading with other governments in the area (which resulted in the Bane gaining the location of the island of Esrionet and dissolving the Echmer trading route with the Kingdom of Tsaesci) and made it a major base for the East Empire Company, which resulted in the unique Ysnesleaic commodities such as solarite ore, advanced weapon schematics, automatons, ice cream & other dairy products, and coffee immediately becoming Imperial monopolies. Next the Fighting Diamond restricted the complete mobilization of the Echmer military unless in dire times, only allowing the bat elves to continue training their servicemer and maintaining their fortifications while making all facets of their army and navy extensions of the Imperial Legion. In order to make sure these policies would be upheld he also ordered the construction of two garrisons – the massive Fort Musicmoth on Yne and the more minor Fort Icemoth on Pasgaviati (the latter was not included in the Truce, and was instead an idea he shared with the Echmer mages of Mustikos’arcere) – and the discontinuation of the production of war automatons. > >In return the Council of Dull Chimes maintained its status as the primary governmental authority over the Ysnesleaic archipelago, keeping the ancient Penta Wards and the Troika in power. The Dweech became all but inaccessible to the Empire with only the Urb of the Oexra’numsaz becoming naturally opened to foreigners (although helping out the Troika or becoming a member of a Penta Ward can grant an individual certain special privileges). No Imperial monarch was instated over the islands, although representatives of the Empire were sent to live in the aforementioned Urb. An Echmer became a member of the Elder Council alongside individuals from the other Imperial territories in order to promote Ysneslea’s interests in Cyrodiil as a consul. Their strange religious practices and cultural customs were also declared not to be encroached on, and Echmer experiments were to remain outside of Imperial control.” > >This book seems to have been written before the Slea Revolt of the 280’s, which is considered the primary cause of the Invasion of Akavir failing in the first place.
Those that set foot on Ysneslea for the first time are not wrong for assuming that they have entered a place both ancient and new; the very lands themselves feel like they are trying to tell you to leave and never return. The bizarre wildlife – ranging from multicolored mammals to giant insects to terrifying monsters – combined with the equally strange plants paint a scene from a childhood dream. Echmer of the working class herd their prized yaks across the emerald green grass. Automatons clamber around performing tasks for merchants, their silver shells glittering in the sunlight. Do not be fooled by their name, for the Echmer are not related at all to the merish races even though they resemble them quite a bit. Deadpan and secretive, these natives are completely attached to their islands and are not the slightest interested in visiting mainland Tamriel unless for trading or business. According to their own records their race was created by the now extinct Dwemer, descended from the species of bats that were changed by the experimentations of the Deep Elves. Whether this is true or not, the Echmer undeniably share many characteristics with bats. They trim their fur (ranging from variations of brown, white, and black) on a regular basis and their large ears can allegedly hear sounds that we cannot. They even have membranes underneath their arms, but are not incapable of sustained flight. With their brightly colored eyes and gruff personalities, many believe them to be haughty, hostile, and patronizing. In truth, however, the Echmer are just not used to having to interact with other cultures beside their own.
The Echmer are the foremost inhabitants of Ysneslea. The goblins known as the Hyu-Ket also make their home here, as well as the scorned species of monster-kin known as the Broh-Kah. The Ket differ in appearance from Tamrielic goblins, resembling some weird insectoid mammalian, they are of a simple intelligence and coexist peacefully with the bat elves. The Echmer admit to once using the Hyu-Ket as both a source of food as well as slave labor throughout the First Era before ending the practice midway through the Second Era. Despite this, the goblin population on the island is still substantially small compared to the records of what it used to be before their bondage. No information on the Broh-Kah was ever distributed to Imperial scholars, so they are mentioned here only for the sake of completeness.
>Sidebar: Peculiarity of the Broh-Kah > >No distribution? What a load of bullshit. I was able to find this scrap of knowledge hidden tightly away in the darkest vaults of the Library, tended to by corrupted Priests of the Moth and defunct Knights of the Ge. > >“Plunder, Mate, Sleep, Repeat. Those are the only coherent thoughts that ever cross the mind of a Broh-Kah, if they can even be described as having minds at all. Zoologists have determined them incapable of reproduction with the other humanoid races, and since they show no other signs of civilization they remain unclassified as an actual race of the Nirn. By Oblivion, the only reason they are known as Broh-Kah is because everything they say contains the words ‘Broh-Kah’. > >So what are the fur-covered frog-like Broh-Kah? Their bodies seem to rely heavily on water, and they live their lives inside septic lakes hidden away inside the Dweech. Their subterranean lifestyle has resulted in them developing a third eye that illuminates a type of light so they can navigate their surroundings, but also gives them access to something the Echi refer to as ‘Extrakalpic-Weavings’ that allows them to channel untold amounts of psychic powers. Divination, mental-weapons-given-form, all is possible from their third eye – which combined with their savagery and single-mindedness makes their deadly raiding parties more than nuisances on multiple occasions. The majoriy of their ‘deities’ – if they can be called that – are unidentified. Their armor is usually scavenged from other armors and automaton parts they’ve stolen or found. > >Although it is nearly impossible to teach a Broh-Kah to speak any form of dialect, some captured and tortured by legionnaires reveal that they have some knowledge of the dreugh – which should be impossible due to the fact that dreugh do not exist anywhere in the Ysneslea, civilized or feral. ‘Broh-Kah think-think Druue! Broh-Kah NAYVAH no think-think Druue!’ or ‘Broh-Kah remember the Dreugh! Broh-Kah will never forget the Dreugh!’ as one particular inept specimen stated outright confirms their animosity for the cephalomer when showed a picture. ‘Broh-Kah rad waturds an fuut Druue al ear! Broh-Kah no-no ear’ or ‘Broh-Kah rid the waters and fought the Dreugh all the way here! Broh-Kah doesn’t know what here is’ seems to imply an origination in Tamriel. > >Particularly some scholars state that the Broh-Kah might be survivors of a previous kalpa due to to their connection to the Extrakalpic-Weavings and the Dreugh, who have also been lead to be remnants from world-cycles themselves.”
The above information on slavery is humorously ironic, for the Echmer themselves were once slaves to the Dwemer back when the race existed on Nirn. After the infamous Disappearance of the Dwarves at the Battle of Red Mountain, the bat elves were left to construct their own society from the ruins of their former masters. The Echmer remember these events as the ‘dark times’, back when everything was chaotic and confusing. Wars were fought days on end and there was much bloodshed until three of the armies joined together to crush all of the other opposition. The leaders of these forces became the first Troika and founded the Council of Dull Chimes, the leading government in Echmeri society. Five of the armies, refusing to adhere to the Council, continued to fight until they were given the right to be recognized as major extensions of the government operating under independent authority. These five leaders became the High Hypothesians, and were added into the now permanent eight-member seat of the Council of Dull Chimes.
The High Hypothesians each control one of the five Penta Wards, large familial organizations with unique roles in Echmer society focusing on Education (The Coalescent Efflux), War (The Shattering Fusion), Medicine (The Neglectful Acceptance), Religion (The Hidden Perception), and Sorcery (The Confined Abyss). These Wards also govern five out of six of the capital cities (the locals call them ‘Urbs’). The last Urb is headed conjointly by the Troika, who focus on Agriculture, Industry, and Commerce. Disputes between government officials is handled swiftly and fully, with acts of assassination or espionage viewed as cowardly and disgusting. The Echmeri government holds no title of ‘King’ or ‘Queen’, but is instead a society where the elite (the Council) rule conjointly.
Echmer are separated into three cultural groups: the surface-dwellers known as the Exul, the underground-dwellers of the Dweech, and the strange tribals known as the Moru. The surface Echmer possess a much more even-temperament than their below ground cousins, and make a living through farming, fishing, herding, and mining. Those that dwell belowground also conduct those practices, but focus as well on more educated pursuits like literature and automaton production which they provide to their aboveground cousins. The Moru mostly focus their lifestyle on the caring of and cultivation of the nature in their deep reverence of their flower gods.
It has been recently reported that the transition of the Echmeri to an economy based on actual currency – a better alternative to their strange practice of simply trading items for items of equal status – is finally taking hold in their youth. Soon the septim will become as commonplace there as it is in Altbal.
Bat elven apparel usually consists of exotic robes or a flowing shirt with breeches made from some sort of silk. These tend to be brightly colored, clashing well with their tan skin and varying colors of fur. They tend to go barefoot or wear sandals when traveling, and the Exul favor woven wide-brimmed reed hats to hide the glare of the sun. Moru tend to weave cloths out of plants and treebark of a surprisingly resilent variety. Cloaks are also appreciated on the islands. In times of war the Echmer wear light, medium, and heavy variations of their unique solarite armor. Depending upon their rank, a servicemer’s armor will glow a different color to help differentiate them from their comrades. These soldiers are armed with bucklers, cutlasses & sabers, tridents, arquebuses, grenades, and other types of equipment as well as being accompanied by an Auralmata type automaton.
Arquebuses? Grenades? Why isn’t any of these advanced technologies, so common placed in the archipelago, not being developed here in Cyrod.
Something that should also be known to the average Tamrielic is the peculiar religious beliefs of the Echmer (by this it is meant the Dweech & Exul; the Moru, estranged from their brethren as they are, openly worship a pantheon of strange gods). They do not seem to worship any Aedric or Daedric deities at all, and have no traditional pantheon of spirits. According to their philosophers, they see no difference between the gods and themselves and believe it foolish to hold reverence for a specific set of entities when an infinite multitude exists. The book Varieties of Faith in the Imperial Territories: Ysneslea is thus a somewhat inaccurate description of Echmeri ‘religion’, as it only lists only a few spirits compared to the amount they actually recognize. They seem to not have a creation myth but do practice Ancestor Worship, along with a strange but strong distaste for practicing magicka.
?!
Of special note are the Cult of HRAHNDEYL, the Cult of LYEDHNARH, the Black-Welkin, and the Prophecy of the Tutor, Tester, and Truant, which seem to be the only overtly religious practices in the Tamrielic line of thinking.
>Sidebar: Cult of HRAHNDEYL > >HRAHNDEYL is the god-hero of the Echmeri race, having once been a mortal that ascended into godhood through mysterious means. In his mortal life he was a great leader and philosopher who was exiled from Ysneslea when the Council believed him to be of a radical mindset. For twenty years he wandered Nirn for the meaning of mortal life, which he apparently attained. Hrahndeyl then returned to Ysneslea, where he spoke of the things he learned in his banishment. To prove what he said was true, he built the Pleonastic Spire simultaneously as he pierced the Black-Welkin with it, apotheosizing as the God of Sound (but more commonly called the God of Talk). He materializes many times throughout Echmer history like the other et’ada, appearing in times of strife or confusion to help guide the bat elf people to prosperity. He supposedly resides at the top of the Pleonastic Spire, which houses Echmeri acoustineers and is the center of development for their version of Tonal Architecture.
>Sidebar: Cult of LYEDNHARH > >LYEDNHARH is openly hated by the Echmer people as the self-loving and self-serving God of Silence, who seeks to destroy their very way of life. A deity whose origins are shrouded in utmost secrecy and mystery, he has been linked countless times to HRAHNDEYL, who is his archnemesis. His worshippers are called Mirror-Talkers due to the reflective masks they wear and are hostile to both Tamrielics and Echmer alike. They have been banned from Urbs since times immemorial, but a few always find a way to cause damage to the cities.
>Sidebar: Black-Welkin > >The afterlife of the Echmer race where their souls cease to exist, a gift given to them by HRAHNDEYL in order to finally grant some ease to the great suffering of his people. The Echmer state that it is just an old translation for the Void, but the Empire (and especially the Imperial College) frowns down on such claims. Tamrielic priests instead agree that is merely another realm of Aetherius sacred to the Echmeri people.
>Sidebar: The Tutor, the Tester, and the Truant > >The Mirror-Talkers speak of a mysterious and ancient prophecy detailing the return of a mysterious Echmer hero that will truly free their race from the aurbical prison once and for all. The Tutor is linked to HRAHNDEYL and the Tester is LYEDNHARH, but the Truant is apparently of both of their natures. Not much is known about this strange divination, and the Council openly disapproves of it.
####Places of Interest ###Port White-Gold: Port White-Gold is the center of power and life for the Empire on Ysneslea; a bustling town founded in the spirit of Nibenay. In fact, it is rare to find a Colovian at all on the islands for it seems the Nibenese have taken it upon themselves to recreate their realm on Ysneslea. The East Empire company practically controls the city, as it the main source of income for the Imperial towns on the islands. Tattoo parlors and silk shops are plentiful, and the cash crop rice has been successfully integrated with the environment. The Cult of Heroes has become widespread along these parts, and the Akaviri motifs only further makes the town standout. Fort Musicmoth can be found on the outskirts of town, housing the legendary warriors of the Legion. Exul have even started to come into the city to live, which is viewed as a positive thing for the Empire as a whole. ###Dweech: The Dweech is the name for the entire cavern system beneath the Ysneslean islands, which is under the supreme authority of the Council of Dull Chimes. Compared to the surface, it is an entirely different land altogether. Morpholiths are embedded in the wall to illuminate the dark tunnels, revealing the bizarre flora and fauna that dwells below. Sadly, most Imperial information on this exotic remains speculation for the most part, for the Echmer hardly let anyone of Tamrielic background down here – whether to protect them or to keep them ignorant of their doings, one can’t say. ###Oexra’numsaz The largest and oldest Urb on Ysneslea, Oexra’numsaz is under the control of the three Troika of the Council of Dull Chimes. Solarite – a silver Echmeri metal mined on the surface – and marble buildings are built on the ground and out of the ceiling, linked by ladders, walkways, and zipline systems harnessing hook-gauntlets worn by passengers. Mermade lakes housing fish and subterranean Yak farms are abundant, along with greenhouses for herbs and spices. According to its citizens, it was built on the ruins of a Dwemer city that in itself was built on ancient temple of the even more ancient, extinct race of men known as the Kītapoe. Everyday excavators continue to dig out new sections of the temple, which seems to have been built in honor of strange, esoteric insect gods. Tamrielic researchers help in the process, as this is the only Urb where people from our continent are welcomed to live and pass through. ###Hrahn’s Isles: This group of three isles (the Ysneslea archipelago is officially made up of eight islands, and unofficially made up of dozens) are barren and insignificant, but the Empire has shown some interest in them in the past year for some unknown reason, and are beginning negotiations with the Council of Dull Chimes for its acquisition. A dirt oasis filled with mysterious carved rocks jutting out of the dust, only a persistent tribe of Exul and an assortment of animals call these lands home. ###The Dreaming City: According to tomes of Echmer lore, this fabled city of water and life is where their souls come from. All members of their race are born knowing of it, but not how to find it. Does it exist underwater, in another plane of existence? Or does it even exist at all?
I will just list all of the eight islands – Yne, Slea, Pasgaviati, Eylsia, Morubixaba, and Hrahn’s Isles – here just for the sake of completeness.
####The Final Days of the First Legion of the Imperial Expeditionary Force, or the Life-Deaths of the Divine Ruby Fleet of Uriel V the Bane Editor’s Note: This piece of prose and song, written by one of the survivors of the Massacre at Ionith (who, like any amaetur scholar, merely imitated the epic-style of the Nords for his own recognition), describes in detail the full roster of the legendary First Legion of Uriel V, otherwise unrecognized by any other form of literature or memospore.