Whispers In The Clouds: The Aithērinsula

Suspended high above the Velothi Mountains, an almost forgotten relic of the Second and Third Eras, floats the connected series of nine isles known collectively as the Aithērinsula. An absolute marvel of Reman-era engineering, it is best remembered as the location of the Pillar of Light (See: Places of Interest) that teleported individuals to the Weir Gate in the Battlespire. As of today the Aithērinsula belongs to the elusive College of Whispers, one of the scions of the dissolved Mages Guild, as their main headquarters in Tamriel.

Commissioned to be built by the Immaterial Harmonics Institute of Incongruitech and Extrinsic Travels in 1E 2849, its construction was spearheaded by Emperor Brazollus Dor, son of Reman II, also known as Brazollus the Lax. Although remembered as one of the most lethargic emperors Tamriel has ever had, Brazollus did have one passion that he was industrious about and kept out of the hands of his close friend and Potentate Sidri-Ashak: magic, of which he was rather adept (but since he kept himself largely held up in his estate near Skingrad, this was often considered a misconception). He was particularly interested in continuing the transmundane activities and spacial endeavors of his father and great-grandfather (Kastav^1 it seemed cared much more for mundane matters, as did Reman III), and continuously expanded upon their ideas. But the Lax Emperor’s greatest contribution was restructuring and officially chartering the first incarnation of what would become the Imperial Battlemages, who had been dissolved by the priesthood of the Alessian Order during their expansion. The Aithērinsula, utilizing the best magitechnological advancements available during that period, was designed to be the best place to train these elite fighting mages.

^1. ^Kastav ^Dor’s ^passion ^was ^the ^hunting ^of ^the ^surviving ^dragons ^that ^escaped ^the ^wrath ^of ^his ^father ^Reman ^I, ^and ^it ^was ^largely ^under ^his ^reign ^that ^many ^of ^the ^Akaviri ^Dragonguard ^temples ^scattered ^across ^Tamriel ^was ^constructed.*

Eventually Brazollus finalized on the construction of nine islands – Astrum, Caelum, Divinus, Empurios, Heilig, Raptus, Empurios, Seraphicus and Stella – to serve as the general quarters for the predecessors to the Shadow Legion upon their graduation, while their practice grounds and magic research facility would instead be one of the Battlespires created in the earlier years of his father’s reign. Seraphicus, the largest of these islands, was chosen to house the esoteric device known as the Pillar of Light that would allow easy transportation between it and the Spire on a frequent basis. While the Battlespire (named the Red Diamond’s Fire) remained unfinished, the Aithērinsula itself was completed in 1E 2877; Brazollus himself never got to see it, however, for he died that same year when he was called on to inspire the Imperial troops in the many battlefields of the Four-Score War.

> Inscription on Brazollus’ Tomb in Sancre Tor > > "Here lies Brazollus Dor of Cyrodiil, son of Reman II, crowned in the year 2843. He organized the infamous Shadow Legion in order to combat the killers of his father in Morrowind, and died in those ashy fields at fifty-two years of age after a reign of thirty-four years.”

Reman III, the most paranoid Emperor of the Reman Dynasty, was afraid that the Aithērinsula could be used against him and so had traffick to and from it stopped immediately once he ascended the Ruby Throne. He ordered the Battlemages to be trained at the Imperial Palace, a place he reasoned would allow him to observe their actions closely, and used their talents for more mundane and trivial matters not befitting the high purpose Brazollus intended them to have. Although they became invaluable when fighting the armies of Morrowind, Reman III’s actions ultimately led to a rift forming between the Shadow Legion and the Ruby Throne that would never truly be healed^2.

^2. ^Although ^Jagar ^Tharn ^is ^the ^most ^well-known ^modern ^example ^of ^Shadow ^Legion ^treachery, ^there ^have ^been ^numerous ^others. ^Jaganvir ^of ^Stros ^M’kai ^for ^example, ^a ^former ^Archmage ^of ^the ^island’s ^Mages ^Guild ^back ^during ^the ^Second ^Era, ^attempted ^to ^assassinate ^Zurin ^Arctus ^and ^Tiber ^Septim ^himself. ^Arctus ^discovered ^his ^plot, ^however, ^and ^had ^him ^thrown ^from ^the ^very ^top ^of ^the ^Spire ^he ^so ^loved. ^It ^should ^also ^be ^noted ^that ^Zurin ^himself ^later ^on ^became ^the ^infamous ^Underking, ^one ^of ^the ^greatest ^enemies ^the ^Septim ^Dynasty ^ever ^had.

After Reman III and his only heir Juliek were assassinated, the Battlemages were unofficially disbanded and scattered to the five corners of the world by the Akaviri Potentates that took control. It is thought that the majority of them returned to the Aithērinsula, but mentions of the floating islands disappeared from written and oral history during the Potentate Reign and the subsequent Imperial Interregnum after they themselves were assassinated. The following paragraph describing the History of the Aithērinsula during the Early Second Era was pulled from the Red Diamond’s Fire memospore-archive banks, specifically the memospores between a sixteen-year old Zurin Arctus and King Cuhlecain Sifr of Falkreath:

**[**NOTICE**: This sentence and the corresponding paragraph – voided here in both ink and memory – was deemed too controversial for The final version of the enchiridion and was therefore removed by the High Singer of the Scenarist Guild, especially for sharing highly confidential SEM secrets. The original manuscript was also deemed too intrusive and was taken away by Penitus Oculatus agents shortly after its writing; extensive readings of any surviving manuscripts will automatically alert Penitus Scryers and you will be submitted to mnemonic erasure at the hands of the Cult of Emperor Zero.]**

The Aithērinsula resurfaced during the Tiber Wars, when Cuhlecain recruited the young Hjalti Early-Beard and equally-youthful Zurin Arctus to be his chief General and Imperial Battlemage respectively in order to end the Interregnum and crown himself the new Emperor of Tamriel. It is rumored that both Hjalti and Zurin sought council with Cuhlecain over matters of reforging a connection with the Aithērinsula and the still underdeveloped Red Diamond’s Fire, but the Colovian King ignored this idea in favor of uniting Cyrodiil first. After Cuhlecain was assassinated before he could lay claim to the Ruby Throne, the newly crowned Hjalti Early-Bird (who took on the moniker of ‘Tiber Septim’ to better assimilate with the Imperials) immediately ordered for all surviving Shadow Legionnaires to return to Cyrodiil so the Red Diamond’s Fire (renamed the Tiberion) could finally finish reconstruction. The Tiberion was completed shortly before the Sack of Mournhold (in which it saw it’s first real combative use) and was used to deploy the Numidium in the capital city of the Summerset Isles, Alinor. It was the city’s one-hour fall that led to the end of the Tiber Wars and the Unification of Tamriel, which began the Third Era.

The Aithērinsula and the Battlespire would continue to train aspiring Imperial Battlemages all the way to 3E 399, the year of the horrific Battlespire Siege. Aided by Jagar Tharn, who was likewise aided by Paxti Bittor, Mehrunes Dagon and his forces were able to invade the Tiberion swiftly and brutally. Leagues of battlemages were slaughtered by Daedra and only few survivors remained from the initial onslaught. Luckily however, a mysterious battlemage history only remembers as the Apprentice was not only able to defeat many of the Daedra, but personally banished the Daedric Prince himself back to the Second Void with the aid of several traitorous Lesser Daedra, surviving battlemages Vatasha Trenelle and Clarentavious Valisious, and the immortal Chimere Graegyn. Mehrunes’ expelling was such a powerful event that it nearly destroyed the Tiberion outright and severed its mystical ties to Oblivion, leaving the Battlespire in an incredibly ruined state throughout the rest of the Third Era.

>Remnants of the Battlespire Siege > > "I recall the story of the recovery of the Battlespire as it was told to me by the son of Old Chimere, these many years ago. How the legions of Daedra Lord Mehrunes Dagon overran the Spire aided by betrayal. How a young hero from obscure origins entered the Battlespire, proving ground and testing facility for the Shadow Legion, the Imperial Guard, and finding his test was more than he bargained for. Thinking this was only a harmless test of his skills he enters the Spire through the Pillar of Light and finds a hell created by the betrayal of the Legion and the perfidy of Jagar Tharn, arch-traitor to the Empire. And so our story begins…" > > These were the words that Lightkeeper Soliril, a three-hundred and eighty-nine year old Altmer, uttered to the Archmagister of the College of Whispers when she met him at his post near the grand Pillar. Once there were Four Lightkeepers who protected the Pillar of Light on Seraphicus, handpicked from the wisest and most powerful of the Shadow Legionnaires of that time. Now only Soliril remains, senile and blind as he does his best at helping the College members repair the Weir Gate. Like the Aithērinsula itself he is an artifact of a time long-since passed, but absolutely refuses to retire from his duties despite the nightmares it gives him. > > ^Chimere ^Graegyn…now ^that’s ^a ^name ^I ^haven’t ^heard ^in ^awhile. ^Is ^that ^old ^Direnni ^servant ^still ^be ^alive, ^or ^has ^the ^Daedric ^magic ^sustaining ^him ^finally ^ebbed ^away? ^We ^have ^heard ^no ^word ^from ^him ^in ^decades.

After the dissolution of the Mages Guild at the beginning of the common era the newly founded College of Whispers immediately claimed the ruined Tiberion as their own to the great ire of the Synod, and when Titus Mede I established himself as Emperor in 4E 17 he allowed them to keep it – although he offered no help in its reconstruction. One-hundred and seventy-three years later the College continues refurbishing and studying the last Battlespire, but their research into restoring the Weir Gate continues to fall short. ###Places of Note: ####The Pillar of Light The brainchild of Brazollus Dor, the infamous Pillar of Light was constructed to be an indestructible magical transportation system between the Aithērinsula and the Weir Gate of its Battlespire. How it was created remains uncertain, but it is speculated that Brazollus arranged an agreement with the Lords of Misrule to harvest stray creatia floating around in the Oblivion. However, even this theory is contested due to the Pillar exuding Aetherial energy according to members of the College of Whispers. The Pillar of Light has remained active for thousands of years and shows no sign of failing.