Discourse on the Grove of MNEM

By Haxuuthi-Inbleix, Stormhold scholar

Far back in the Dawn Era, the caverns of Uxith-Pakseechthtithil was a sacred place for the early Saxhleel. It is said to have contained an altar devoted to the "Saplings of the Old World", presumably referring to the Hist. The Lamia of Black Marsh are also beleived to have held the site sacred, as ancient Argonian texts mention "Raj-Kajthuxan" inhabiting the grove of Uxith-Pakseechthtithil. Lamia are also well known to inhabit the Venomous Fens by its inhabitants. Not much is known about what this sacred grove was like, and no Argonian texts dated to after ME 2000 have been found.

The grove was then rediscovered in 1E 367 by an Ayleid clan from the eastern Heartland, fleeing from the Alessian Doctrines of Cyrodiil. Deep within the grove they found what they themselves referred to as the "Mnembal". The their king Falnocarion began building the great city of Loriasel on its location. Why the Ayleids decided to name their city "Hall of Darkness" is unclear, but it is possible that it has to do with the Loriasel-Elves' worship of Namira, or that the city had another name originally. They built an altar to their "Memory-Stone" and devoted it to Namira, the Ancient Darkness. The altar was locked behind an enchanted gate, which could only be opened by activating two "keystones" in the Hall of Might (almost all Ayleidoon cities have one). Of course, only the highest nobility of the Ayleids had access to these keystones, and no modern-day scholar has been able to get their hands on one. Loriasel also contained (and likely still contains) shrines to the Ten Ancestors, which are said to have been imbued with powerful Daedric magic.

The Ayleids abandoned Loriasel sometime during the Middle-Dawn, but left the wards of the city active (or didn't, it was during a Dragon Break after all). The Lamia of the region are said to have once again made it their home, but I have not been able to verify those claims. This would indicate that the so-called Mnembal still rest within the innermost part of Loriasel, keeping the precious secrets of Black Marsh itself. Presumably at least, really I have no idea what it really is, or where it came from. But doesn't the mystery simply moisten your scales?