Fringe Factions: The Born-of-Three

(I apologize for my current flood of posting here on /r/teslore - any mod or resident that thinks I should shut my yapper should not hesitate to tell me so!)

The known and the populous does not interest me. So many scholars trace the lineage of nations and emperors, insisting that somewhere in the foundation rocks of White-Gold lies a clue hinting at our undiluted essence as Cyrodiilics. The think the clue to the Nords wait to be dug up in the caverns of Skyrim, and that the riddles of Elsweyr's cat-men are plain from their official histories.

Yes, most scholars think only of the baseline Nords when they think of Nords. Or imagine all Imperials offshots of Colovia-Nibenay. They are right, to an extent. But I want to look in the nooks and corners. I want to see the fringe groups of Tamriel. For I believe they say as much of our history and soul as any larger group.

My name is Reynem Stoth, and perhaps my fascination comes from my own existence. I am of the Ra Gada, but I am no swordsman. I grew up in a metropolis, but I care not for walls. I had a talent for magic, but I care not for rote learning of spells. Thus I travel Tamriel, gathering knowledge of groups often ignored in the grand histories and accounts. I hope to entertain and inform, and bring us to acknowledge the diversity of our peoples in all their beauty. In this entry, I shall talk of the mystical Born-of-Three.

The Born-of-Three can be characterized as a cult. Some think cults to inherently evil, but I would say the Born-of-Three have intentions as good as those of any sect or temple.

A little history of first; the exact date of founding for the Born-of-Three sect is unknown, but is believed to have happened around 2E 290 with the integration of Morrowind into the Empire. Suddenly, the exoticism and mysticisms of the Dunmer were in vogue. Most saw them as curiosities, but a few saw them as guiding. A Cyro-Nord of Bruma named Andjulf was particularly fascinated with the Tribunal. We do not know if he lived in Morrowind or a time. We know only fragments. But we do know he founded the cult and, afraid of persecution, settled in the rough lands between Evermor and Dragonstar. He won converts from Hammerfell and High Rock, occasionally from elsewhere as well. Today, in the year 3E 199, the cult continues to live in this area, though other locals see little of them. The Born-of-Three thrive in reclusion.

So why did Andjulf and his successors fear prosecution? What foul heresies did they nurse? Well, first off, their hybrid theology was much at odds with that of the temples of the Nine. They did not deny their existence, but they did not make them centers of worship. Nor is worship of anything really central to the Born-of-Three. Their precept is inner peace and perfection and enlightenment, which they call Tchi-Im. Through meditation, asceticism and immersion in mysticism, they seek Tchi-Im. And their model is the Tribunal of Morrowind.

The name "Born-of-Three" refers to the trinity of the Tribunal, who the cult does not worship as such, but take inspiration from. They have no interest in the wordly might of Vivec, Almalexia or Sotha Sil (whose very existence I have started to strongly doubt, in all honesty), but in the nature of their transformation. They seek the same path to godhood, but claim they seek it for ultimate peace, not to make themselves lords.

Though they practice little missionary work, I found the Born-of-Three cultists eager to talk of their beliefs as soon as they were sure I was no witch hunter in disguise. Cross-legged after their fashion, I sat their cave homes and made my inquiries. They were intrigued by my project. Their clothes were of the fabrics of Hammerfell, but cut after Dunmer patterns; their masks, which covered the upper half of their faces, looked like derivaties of old Nord dragon priest headgear. They all wore shawls that went to their elbows, and their arms were wrapped in strings of beads that rattled and fluttered when they moved. They always seemed eager to listen when I spoke, and would nod in contemplation. And yet they always seemed distant, preoccupied with deeper mysteries than most. They adorned much of their equipment with a symbol of a triangle integrated with three circles - which I suppose would really make six elements in all, but I didn't mention that.

Of their further lore they said that Tchi-Im could be acheived by anyone; that they thought mortal tongues unfit for true discourse; that they resented the Ashlander cults of Vvardenfell (a strange thing to hate, I thought); that they refused the shallowness of temples; that they believed in a form of hero-worship; and that they resented the Dragonborns, and thought them a strange form of cheaters.

I left the Born-of-Three with much to ponder, and with a smile on my lip. This sect, the child of a strange interaction between Cyro-Nord theology and Dunmer mysticism, is a prime example of the reasons I study the fringes. Here, the strange prospers. Here, the mind expands. Here, I learn so much of our mortal kind.

EDIT: Spelling and typos.