The Static Decay Field

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The Static Decay Field

Though the mind and body of the dread lord Lorkhan have been broken, his remains scattered to dwell in the Void, elements of his spirit still remain. This is made apparent by the phenomenon known as the "Static Decay Field," and much of the information in this document comes at the great price paid by those brave Altmer on the earliest of the Agrialia Department's expeditions.

Members of current expeditions may find the Field is referred to by different monikers depending on cultural influence. The Cyrods enjoy the term "Quickrot," influenced no doubt by the Field's destructive effect on mortal-made structure, but they seem to remain oblivious to (or prefer to deny) the connection with their missing God, Shezarr. The Khajiit prefer the term "The Will of Jode," as they feel Jode's spirit is manifest in the desire to transform everything in its grasp. No doubt their Merrish roots have brought the Khajiit enough wisdom to stray closer to the truth.

In broad strokes, the Static Decay Field is related to the phenomenon that robs us of our ability to breathe in any environment other than Nirn's. The Field works in two major respects: it decays the mind, and it decays the material. But instead of completely obliterating both, the "will of Jode" prefers to suspend them just at the moment before death.

Physical Destruction

The Static Decay Field works imperceptibly. It dissolves rock, stone, minerals both refined and crude, and metals of any shade in much the same way as one can observe over time in Tamriel. But while it may take months for a silver dagger to turn to brittle rust, the Static Decay Field will dissolve it in a matter of days. A stone castle might take a century before it begins to crumble, but on Secunda that structure will last less than a year.

And yet, while eventually, on Nirn, the dagger and castle alike will turn to dust, Secunda's Field seems to halt their decay moments before the end. A castle might remain stooped in broken age for a millennium, eternally ruined. A rusted dagger might languish for centuries in dull rusted corrosion. But unless they are disturbed by an external force (a mortal's hand, for example) they will never crumble away. All things are thus brought to the edge of death, and then held there, for eternity.

There is no clearer definition of Hell than this.

Mental Decrepitude

The Field also dissolves the mind. Early indicators of Secunda-created insanity include memory loss and rapid fluctuations in mood. Eventually, the Static Decay Field will disconnect the victim from reality entirely. Over time, they become clinically, violently insane, and almost entirely incapable of returning into civilized society. These so-called "Hermits" are sometimes revered or even worshiped by the local population. It is imperative that no Thalmor operatives attempt to approach these Hermits without proper authorization and equipment.

The Static Decay Field has also been observed to influence the life span of the residents in Tatterdemalion. Even those who live in large communities tend to live a dozen years longer than they should. And the "Hermits," as mentioned before, are rumored to be incredibly ancient.

Methods of Protection

It is well known that occupied buildings tend to dissolve under the Field slower than those that have been abandoned. Similarly, mortals that dwell in communities are not as prone to insanity as those who live apart. This leads us to conclude that the presence of mortality is required to delay or even stop the effects of the Static Decay Field.

This may seem paradoxical, but the relationship between mortal existence and Lorkhan, its mythical father, makes the phenomenon intuitive.

At this time, Thalmor expeditions have not yet been able to determine how many mortals are required to prohibit the Field's influence over a given area.