Musings on Akulakhan, Numidium and Dagoth Ur

There's a nice piece of fanart on the Morrowind sub depicting Dagoth Ur and Akulakhan. I was particualrly struck by how Akulakhan's face is the same as Dagoth Ur's gold mask. It's not a connection I ever made in-game, but looking at some screenshots it seems to be accurate. Third eye, beard, heavy collar and whatever those protuberances are on the head - all present in both cases.

So I got to thinking about how a completed Akulakhan would look. It would be in effect a gigantic Dagoth Ur. It would walk like him and speak with his voice, and make judgements in his name. It would be very much an extension of himself, as befits Dagoth Ur's ambition to spread his substance into all things. Dagoth Ur with the power of Numidium in addition to his own.

Of course, therein lies the catch. Because you can't just go and build Numidium 2.0. Numidium is a walking Tower, one of the pillars that supports reality. It has a role in the metaphysics of the universe. You can't just make another one, and even if you follow the process faithfully, you're not going to get Numidium. All you're going to get is something that looks a bit like it and can walk around. You'll probably get a very nice Dwemer style Mecha, but you won't get Numidium's role as Negation Incarnate. You won't get the God part of the Brass God. That's always bothered me about Akulakhan, and it bothered me again looking at the painting.

And then it hit me: Dagoth Ur wasn't trying to build Numidium 2.0. He was mantling Numidium. He was building a new vessel for the metaphysical entity that was Numidium, and in the process (as he always does) he was infecting it with his own substance.

If he had gained control of Kagrenac's tools, he would have taken on the powers of Numidium, and gained access to its form. And the one power still capable of stopping him would now be part of him.

... and I'm done. Just some idle musings that may or may not have been raised here before. Coments and criticism welcome :)