[LDZ] Where Were You When the Dragon Healed?

Essays On the Difficulty of Landfall Studies

Socucius Marion, Doctor of Landfall Studies, University of New Gwylim

Temporal confutation being the very nymic of Numidiatic refutation, the student of the Last War will be faced with Era-erasure, errant time-streams, and most importantly: the Draconic agenda inherent in mnemic restitution. Whereas earlier Dragon Breaks were reconstituted with seeming dispassion, the Red Moment that birthed the 6th Era bears all the marks of Purpose. The recently recovered C0dex of Worms (the so-called “Heart-of-Winter” textract) reveals a conspiracy by the Jills and their masculine counterparts to re-shape Time in an effort to save the shards of Aka. While we may be grateful for the gift of Tamriel Renewed, we must never forget it was the Worms who gave it.

Telvanni Kalas Sul Saren, Archmagister, Whiterun Mages Guild Hall, Skyrim

The question is, you understand, of special importance to me, having lived through the death and re-birth of Nirn. I would say the greatest difficulty for any student is the severity of Time’s sundering. Numidium did not simply break the Dragon, but shattered it. Time became so many splinters of inchoate endings, all leading to the ignoble deaths of countless Streams (it may be this that lead the Amaranth to seek Escape into another). The Jills were able to fuse the sundered parts but not all of the pieces fit, rather like a stained-glass window. And so, there are curious errata or conflicting data, especially with regards to the specifics of the War (e.g. the Ghost Choir). A full accounting of those horrible years, from an objective perspective, may never be possible.

Nailon Aruinwe, Ambassador of Her Majesty Anamimnesko Camoran of Alinor

Long before the First Great War there existed a literary theory that examined a text paying careful attention to reader (and that is not to say, authorial) biases. Such is necessary in Landfall studies given the racist tendency to blame “the Elves” for everything that befell Nirn. The Last War was not simply the act of a specific sect of Altmeri political-theosophists, but also the reactionary policies of an Imperial anti-Mer ideology. Together they created a War that destroyed Nirn and, had Numidium not annihilated the Altmer, could have destroyed the Aurbis. In our Golden Age of Peace we must remember that all were to blame. To place onus on only one of the actors is to begin again the path of “othering” that lead to the Last War.

Hlas Llethren, High Ordinator of the Tribunal Temple

Does it matter? We are bound to endless circles of conflict and escape but now the Amaranth has shown us the Way beyond this Aurbic prison. No, not everyone will be capable of his Love-Made-Manifest but I suppose this Dream will be enough for them. Let others settle in the muck, mire, and horror of this Aurbis: some of us are destined for another.

Ko’heleth, Khajiit philosopher, Ald Sotha Below

Where were the Khajiit when the Dragon healed? There are priests in the Temple who would speak harshly but this one answers: embracing the gift of life. For the Khajiit, the world was a gift; a place to live, love, and have children. When Nirni died that gift did not perish with her, rather, we took it with us. Our hearts were the chrysalis of a New Love. Khajiit have lived on the Moons since time immemorable and there we learned a new way to live, love, and have children. We were overjoyed when the Prophet healed Nirni, do not misunderstand, and many were excited by what this might mean as a New Philosophy. But Khajiit always remember; and what do we remember? Only the most important lesson of the Arena: love overcometh all things.

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3 days till the finale

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#AChoirWillFall