Priests of the Elder Wood: Origins of the Dragon Priests. Part I

According to archaic oral tradition, when the fledgling ancient Nords were created upon the Throat of the World, they were instructed to leave the land of Tamriel soon after by the gods, many simply say Shor. They were to embark across the sea to a new land where they would be safe from the mer who would come soon and settle the land, seeing men only fit for slavery or destruction. Across the waters lay the land of “Altmora” its name meaning Elder Wood in Ehlnofex. The continent itself had already been settled by mer in the time immediately following the Dawn Era. Elven culture itself was just beginning to flourish and grow to new heights as the supposed descendants of the gods set to work in the study of magic, agriculture, architecture and theology. This stands in stark contrast to the ancient Nords whose humble origins were that of the nomadic hunter gatherer. By the time of their departure from Tamriel this had matured to a more sedentary lifestyle but still revolved around hunting, fishing and occasional tribal skirmishes necessary in protecting territory. This rustic culture would be entirely transplanted to the Elder Wood. Arriving on the shores of “Atmora” the ancient Nords proclaimed this the “land of truth” having been brought here for their safekeeping in the hands of the gods.

An important point that will be essential in understanding Nordic society is their conception of religion and the divine. Their religion centered around the worship of certain animals that were thought to be the avatars of the gods. According to oral history, this ritual began after Shor, in the guise of a fox, spoke to the ancient Nords warning them of the danger of remaining in Tamriel; encouraging them to travel north. Soon other animals who seem to embody divine traits also became the subjects of totem worship. This religious belief was in it’s infancy when the ancient Nords landed on the shores of Atmora. As the Nords began to establish their society on the continent, their religious beliefs began to deepen as eight animals became the primary focus of the Nords primitive worship. While Nordic society was focused on the martial aspects of nomadic life, a spiritual side developed alongside this as well, it allowed people to explain natural disasters, tragic deaths, fortuitous events etc. Certain individuals seemed more attuned to these happenings and a class of shamen, soothsayers, witches, diviners, and augurs developed to ascertain the gods will and how to appease them. In time this class of Nordic society would grow in power to rival that of their kings.

It bears digressing from the spiritual class of Nordic society and speaking of the secular power of their kings. The society that landed on the shores of Atmora were no more than small bands of tribes, made up of numerous families with a chieftain or elder at its head. Often times they were the most skilled hunter or warrior, or the eldest member of the tribe. The semi-nomadic lifestyle of the Nords could only support this limited number of people. However after arriving in Atmora Nordic society began to become more sedentary as agriculture began to become more sophisticated. Oral tradition explains this as the gods showing the ancient Nords how to grow food and create an abundance for themselves; however they most likely learned it through observing the elves already present in Atmora. Once a larger population was able to be supported, along with the ability to store food over periods of time, the power of these tribal chieftains began to increase tenfold. Nordic oral history records the lines of these early kings as such: “Kings who dwelt in tents” “Kings who epitaphs are destroyed” and “Kings who were forefathers.” Now these various kingdoms under the growing power of these Nordic kings were fiercely independent and often fought with each other. This left the society ununified and susceptible to catastrophe.

It is unknown exactly when dragons arrived in Atmora or the reason why they were migrating at all. What is known is that it heralded a universal altering of Nordic society. Any hostility that occurred due to this first contact would have been one sided at best. The dragons, using their inherent ability to use the thu’um would have easily routed the early Nords. However it seems that confrontation did not last long, due to two reasons. The Nords, due to their religious beliefs, would have seen these dragons as worthy of absolute worship. The dragons themselves understood strength to mean truth. If one dragon was stronger than another, their judgment became truth. Therefore, men, weak as they are, have rightfully placated themselves and worship the dovah. This was to be the starting point for a new Nordic society, one that still held onto its animal totem worship, but now placed the dragon at the apex of devotion. While men offered their veneration and sacrifices to the dovah, in return the dragon language became the spoken and written language. However the ability to write dragon runes was only a privilege allowed to precious few. The dragons embraced their role as the god-kings of the Nords but it seems that they had no interest in the actual governing of the people. At first the dragons simply left the kings to reign over the people, this would need to be altered in time though.

The relations of the Nords and mer on Atmora was stable at first, both sides choosing to generally ignore the other. This soon soured as the elves began to see the rate at which the human population was growing and concluded that they would slowly be outnumbered and forced from their land. The elves devised to force the Nords back from whence they came, or to annihilate the population, before it became too large for them to counter. Carefully observing that the various kingships were disunited and unwilling to cooperate, the elves decided on a strategy of divide and conquer. The initial elven attack was horrendous as entire towns and villages simply disappeared in the wake of the advance. One by one, Nordic kingdoms buckled and collapsed before the face of the elven onslaught. The kings, long antagonistic towards one another after years of blood feuds and vendettas left them unwilling to ally with each other. It seemed that Nordic society in Atmora was on the verge of destruction. Most dragons were apathetic towards their servant’s plight. They thought them too weak to even fight the mer and most did nothing despite the pleas of their subjects. Yet as the death toll climbed even higher and large swaths of territory were conquered by the elves, the dragons began to debate amongst themselves. If the elves should conquer all of Atmora the dragons would likely be fighting the mer themselves to remain. Despite the apathy, most dragons had become comfortable as the head of the Nordic pantheon and wished to maintain the status quo. Some myths even tell of a fox speaking to dragons and demanding that they aid the men in their fight, when the dragons simply tried to kill the fox with fire, they found it unharmed by their voices. Humbled the dragons resolved to listen to the truth of the fox. While the dragons decided against intervening directly, thinking that beneath them, they offered a solution that would serve to unite the Nordic population, and to take the burden of ruling out of their hands.

The dragons concluded that the kings could not be depended upon and turned to the gathering of shaman and augurs who had devoted themselves to the dragons after they appeared. It was from this cult of followers that they would handpick the most devoted and pious in their faith towards the dragons. Eight men they would choose to become their priests, each devoted to a previous totem, before the arrival of the dragons. They justly thought to pull from the wisest of these men, this process would become more formalized in time. The men that were picked were granted the power to set down the laws and codes of living, as well as demand a fair tribute from their people. The kings in turn would be the ones to enforce these codes and remain their power to administer, but would be subject to the consul of these new dragon priests. In times of crisis such as now the priests would be granted even more power to unite the various kingdoms under their control and create a unified response.

The priests themselves would forsake their birth names and take upon new identities given to them by their gods, deveined from their past actions. Befitting their station, and to make augment their already formidable abilities, masks were fashioned from the rock and metal of the land and blessed with powerful enchantments. For these gifts, the priests would be zealously loyal and obedient to the dragons. Thus the first circle of eight priests was chosen, their names only remembered by the oldest sages. Vahzen, Midrot, Zeydan, Zin, Pruzigaal, Ahkriin, Nonvul, and Mulaag. Instructed in the dragon's own arcanium, they learned spells never practiced by men or mer before. Then perhaps the greatest lesson and benefaction, instruction in the use of the thu’um. Rudimentary shouts they only knew in those early days but in time they would become masters of the Voice. Armed with their newfound knowledge and experience, the priests set out to unite their people against the eleven advance.