A Guide to the Preparation of the Blessed Elixir

###Previous Kaeshtu Texts:### Why Cyrodiils Hate Mudcrabs or the Tale of St. Castus Citiorus

Excerpt from Saints of Cyrod by Avidius Pinario

#The Text# Although I am no alchemist, I pen this guide in the hope that the information it contains may prove useful for any research into Nibenese marsh culture. Once more, I find myself relaying the traditions of that most secretive of people, the citizens of Kaeshturest. As you will know from my previous reports, Kaeshturest is a small village in the Nibenay Valley in Eastern Cyrodiil which has been isolated from the rest of the province (until my arrival) for near a thousand years. The people here do not revere the Divines solely but fervently worship their Marsh-God, Kaeshtu (Castus in Modern Cyrodiilic).

As part of their rituals they revere the swamp and all aspects found within it, in particular the Will-O’-the-Wisps which they believe to be the souls of their ancestors returned to the Living World. Alas, this text is not sufficient to recount all of Kaeshtu’s People’s rituals and ceremonies. Perhaps a further volume shall elucidate these mysteries.

As previously mentioned, the People worship Kaeshtu in many esoteric and unorthodox ways. However, this text is chiefly interested in the Preparation of the Blessed Elixir. Herein I shall detail and explain the steps, processes, and invocations made at each stage.

1) Select a sacred space. Since the Marsh is believed to be where Kaeshtu was ‘born’ this is the first place to be considered. A flat-stone altar is to be set up where possible (if this is impractical a cairn of human skulls, animal bones, and uncarved stones is to be piled as high as the chief priest’s eye-level).

2) The sacred space is then purified by the burning of Somnalius fronds, the smoke is to rise to the Heavens and a portion of the ash is to be made into a paste using marsh-water. Whilst the fronds are burning, the celebrants are to process about the altar eight times sunwise (even at night!) and nine times widdershins. This paste is then smeared over the temples of all adherents who are present, with the remaining ash being sprinkled upon the altar.

3) The altar prepared, the chief priest is then to smear the four corners of the altar with both their own blood and that of river-newt. The blood is to be extracted using a dagger edged with slaughterfish teeth. Fresh blood is best but blood taken in the last month is also viable. Added to the blood is mudcrab chitin which has been finely ground into powder.

4) Next, in an offering bowl in the centre of the altar is glow-dust, the sacred ingredient which binds the whole ritual. The dust is to be procured by the oldest female of the village who is to go out, on the darkest night of the month, to a Kaeshtu shrine closest to the village.

5) A magickal circle is then drawn using implements made of teeth. The first circuit is to be done using a slaughterfish tooth dipped in blood sunwise, the second a river-newt’s widdershins in fine chitin powder, the third dreugh’s tooth in blood once more sunwise.

6) These things done, the altar is almost ready. Lastly, marsh-water is to be rubbed onto the altar’s front face, all the while invocations to Kaeshtu and the ancestors are to be made.

7) The altar is now ready to transmute the Sacred Reagents into the Blessed Elixir.

[Editor’s note: the precise details of the invocations have been omitted to preserve the Primal Mystery.]

A small cauldron is to be placed atop the altar and into it is to be added Tiger Lily Nectar, Nirnroot, Clouded Funnel Cap, Pumpkin Rind, Mandrake Root, Rice grains, and Glow Dust. These reagents need to be ground into powder before the ritual.

8) The concoction is then to be infused with Marsh-water and then boiled, with the juice of Somnalius fronds being added at every eighth invocation. Finally, powdered Bog Beacon Asco Cap is added at every ninth invocation until the mixture turns a deep shade of red, blood-red in many cases. The mixture is now ready to become the Blessed Elixir.

9) The final ingredient, Dreugh wax heated until bubbling, is added to the cauldron. As this is being done, all celebrants are to burn Somnalius frond and breathe in the smoke, only expelling it in the direction of the altar. If done correctly, the liquid in the cauldron should turn a golden colour. The Elixir is now ready.

[Editor’s Note: The remainder of the ritual of Transcendence is not present in this text, it being apparent that Certionis intends to publish it in another volume.]

By Marius Certionis

Imperial Scholar of Merethic-Era Religious Cults at the Arcane University