Memory Constructs: a Mnemic Sorcerer's Endeavours.

[Research Journal of Hisharsha Akamenidu, Mnemic Sorcerer and Ashlander adventurer]

8th First Seed 4E98 Finally! My vision revealed the answer to the process of unravelling the secrets of the Aurbis, soon I'll have the power to reshape worlds at my fingertips! It has been a hard-won revelation, but my Lord told me it was possible (may the Abyssal Cephaliarch watch over my studies) to manipulate memory itself. When I begged for an answer to this conundrum, I was told to meet with the Dremora, Herald Kixathi who would be able to explain the matter further. In the morning I shall set out for Bisnensel and find this Dremora my Lord describes in my visions.

9th First Seed 4E98 800 DRAKES! Eight hundred drakes for some simple trans-province teleportation, 'tis a scam is what it is. That Balmora transport-mage saw me coming, "Well, I suppose you could just reach Hammerfell by guar if you prefer spending up to a month of travel instead of a handful of coins for luxury transportation!" she said. Of course, I paid the toll since I can't afford to tarry lest my Lord's servant should decide my tardiness is an indication of my unworthiness. Bangkorai awaits!

10th First Seed Damn charlatan, hedge-mage and phoney! Dropped me off a little way away from Bangkorai, in the gods-damned Alik'r desert! I'm sweaty and hungry and roasting, this weather is almost unbearable and the sand bites my skin when it rages! Give me the fertile Grazelands of Morrowind any day! Now I have to trudge through sandstorms, scorpions, death-snakes and assassin beetles.

Managed to find a friendly Khajiit merchant caravan that was willing to sell me a camel for a modest price, though I think I've been sold their slowest one. I'll make camp as soon as I've crested this dune before me.

11th First Seed, Early Morning What a horrible night! Scorpions everywhere, sand in my bedroll, jackals prowling around the outskirts of the camp, everywhere is death and danger. I'm moving out of this desert right now!

11th First Seed, Late Afternoon Reached Bisnensel, spoke with Kixathi and she told me that water is memory! Apparently, she has first-hand experience with some Nereid that used memories to make something called a water stone. I don't believe it, but if my Lord has sent this herald, then there must be some truth to it.

12th First Seed, Early Morning I've been experimenting for hours on the waters of Lake Halcyon, conjuring images (memories?) from the water, but they're just shades, pale reflections of true phenomena. I need something to render the images stable, or at least stable enough for more experiments. I'll meditate further upon this conundrum and hopefully, my Lord shall grant me insight.

12th First Seed, Early Evening Eureka! The answer was so simple, staring me straight in the face. I had a vision whilst deep in meditation: a soul gem filled with light, but clouded crystal is its make-up. I've asked Kixathi for one of these crystals, a black soul gem she called it, and she actually had one!

2 Hours Later My camel died! Luckily, I also had some grand and greater soul gems to hand, best not waste a fine soul! I conjured the image of a scorpion from the Lake, as usual, it was ephemeral, but I added the soul power from the camel, and it became solid and alive! I've got to say, seeing that scorpion run out into the desert was surreal, something I conjured, from water no less, is alive! Next experiment, conjuring people!

13th First Seed, High Noon Stepped out into the water, intoned the chant of Mnem, sifted through the various personae trapped in the lake, and success. Managed to summon the shade of a drowned fisherman, who Kixathi says was drowned in the 2nd Era when a Nereid caused a great deluge to hit Bisnensel. Chanting, chanting, dancing, twirling, I added the soul from the black soul gem and voilà, the fisherman is alive again!

Spoke too soon, the fisherman is barely alive, I've merely created a living memory, a facsimile composed of an individual's stored experiences, but not true life. Perhaps a larger, more daring experiment is in order?

14th First Seed, Dusk I've devised a better experiment, I'm going to summon the memory of a god. If this works, I'll be able to summon Lorkhan himself and find out if he was trickster or honoured father.

I'm waist high in the Lake, gathering the remains of Kynareth's tears which remember Lorkhan's sundering. Chanting, dancing, twirling again, and summoning the Doom Drum himself! We'll finally have an answer for creation, why the Mundus exists and whether we should worship gods or ancestors.

The Lake is red now, bubbling and seething, something's rising out of it, I can't quite see what it is.

"Who summons the Doom Drum?"

[The text of the Journal ends here, the Journal having been gifted to the College of Whispers for their Daedralogical studies is preserved in their archives.]

FGTF KT KRNKPHHG FHLK!