Scrying: A Dubious Subject

During my travels, I have seen several instances of what is known as 'scrying'. Practitioners claim to be able to see visions through items such as crystal balls. These visions can apparently show things happening far away, or things that have not yet come to pass. It would seem to be a versatile and useful form of magic. Crystal balls were apparently once a common sight in the houses of virtually anyone wealthy in Cyrodiil. From budding alchemists to insufferable academics, crystal balls were a very fashionable item. Scrying (or attempting it, at least) was used as a form of pop magic among nobles with time on their hands. It was never formally taught at the Arcane University though, as the practice is surrounded by myths and falsehoods. Thus, it was constrained to the realm of parlour tricks rather than proper academic study. Some questioned whether the practice worked at all. With the dissolution of the mages guild in the early 4th Era, research into its validity was never completed and it is still a subject for debate. In recent years, it has fallen somewhat out of fashion among the general public but is still used fairly commonly.

Many court wizards, such as Sybille Stentor of Solitude, use scrying to observe events in the area. However, from my time at the Blue Palace, many of her observations ranged from inaccurate to outright wrong. She couldn't even see necromantic rituals resurrecting the Wolf Queen Potema herself! One would think that if scrying held any validity, the mage would have been able to see that, at least. Especially a skilled mage such as Stentor.

Another instance of scrying that I observed was from a lady known as Olava the Feeble of Whiterun, Skyrim. She attempted to read my future but just gave me vague and cryptic ramblings. It does not support the idea of this practice's validity as a magical art.

Jarl Idgrod of Morthal (also in Skyrim) and her sister Argi Farseer are said to receive visions from the Eight Divines. I never got the opportunity to visit them and find out more but the people of Skyrim insist that their visions are accurate. This may or may not be related to scrying, but it is still curious. Especially as there have been rumours of similar phenomenon throughout Tamriel.

I propose that we pick up where the Mages Guild left off and continue to investigate this form of magic. We should find out whether it works, and if so, how to improve its accuracy. If we find that it does and we can refine it, we may have a powerful form of magic at our disposal. If not, then we can put an end to these silly practices.

Ysabyth Kingsley, Synod Attendant