The Origins of Arkay

By Anchorite Walunduum the Blackened

Arkay, the so-called "God" of birth and death, is like all the Eight Divines an enemy of our Order. Arkay's influence on the Mundus greatly prevents us from conducting our dark work. But Arkay is different from the other "Divines" worshiped by the Imperials and Bretons or Tamriel. Arkay was never of the et'Ada, nor did he sacrifice his essence during creation. Just like our lord Mannimarco Arkay was once a nothing more mortal man. He was a mortal man who followed the teachings of the Aedra. The books on the subject that I and the master have studied tell us the following:

Ark'ay, as he was then known, was a half-Elf living in what would be called Glenumbria during the late Merethic Era. Ark'ay was a scholar, and he was the advisor to the Ayleid king Conawillyn. He was well taught in the ways of the Aedric "gods", and he converted many Ayleids to the foul Aedric faith from Daedric ones. Ark'ay collected books, and he had a great library in the deepest halls of Dwynnarth. He had books brought there from everywhere between the Crystal Tower and Mournhold. He studied each of them in great detail. One book would however catch his interest in particular. It was supposedly called "NAGAIUNNE MUNDEXALVATH-CHIM". Ak'ay had deep understanding of the Ehlnofex language, and was usually able to easily read tomes written in the old tongue. But he was unable to understand the meaning of this book. The spent moths in his study, hardly eating or drinking while trying to understand the meaning of this intriguing tome. Each day he was able to unravel one of the millons of secrets contained within the book, but he grew sicker and sicker for each passing week. He was tended to by his family, but even as he grew so sick that he could hardly move he refused to let go of the book. As Ark'ay was dying he silently prayed to Mara. As Mara was a dead godess, he received no reply. He continued to study the tome, enraged with the godess. He examined the book in greater detail, denying the existence of the gods, the Mundus and himself. All the secrets of the Aurbis where then revealed to him, and trough LOVE and WILL Ark'ay forcefully took his place among the Mundial "gods".

Ark'ay became the god of birth and death, and was worshiped by the followers of Alessia when the Temple of the Ten Ancestors was taken and repurposed, under the name of Arkay. Arkay is therefore the most dangerous of the "Divines", for he is not dead and as powerless as the others. But it also makes Arkay weak. Because Arkay IS NOT. As Arkay IS NOT, he can be replaced. He can be brought down and removed from existence, unlike the other Divines, who are et'Ada. This is what the King of Worms plans to do, and it is the duty of every member of the Order of the Black Worm to assist him in this by darkness blessed task.

For the King of Worms!