Lore-intensive mod concept: Aedric armor...

[Kestrellius]

Alright. Now, before I get started, I should note that, as much as I hate to admit it to anyone, including myself, this is extremely likely to never actually go anywhere. On the other hand, maybe I will get around to learning to mod and make this eventually. Anyway, I'll explain what this is about.

 

We all know how Daedric armor works -- it's ebony equipment infused with the souls of daedra. Now, the concept of "aedric armor" has been bandied about from time to time. The trouble is that to create equipment equivalent to Daedric, you'd have to find some way to infuse the essence of an aedroth into physical objects.

 

Now if only we had someone in Tamriel capable of capturing the souls of lesser aedra...

 

So, that's where this mod idea started. The Dragonborn can capture dragon souls, so if he could somehow put them into armor and weapons, he could probably create something equivalent to Daedric. Probably better, in fact, as the average dragon is a lot more formidable than the average dremora.

 

Because this draws rather heavily on lore, I'd like to a. start a discussion about it, and b. get my lore fact-checked to make sure this is even plausible. Which is to say, hi Lachdonin!

 

The mod itself would be a fairly complex quest mod, resulting in a craftable armor and weapons set (probably more than one, actually, but I'll get to that.)

 

On to the subject of how exactly to put a dragon soul into armor. Now, we know that the blue crystal substance found in Blackreach is almost certainly aetherium. Furthermore, the only known way to obtain soul gems (originally, that is; not counting buying them) is to mine them from "geode veins", located in Blackreach often very close to aetherium deposits. Conclusion: soul gems are in fact made of impure aetherium, with the purity of the substance determining the size of the soul that can be held in the gem.

 

So, if pure aetherium gems could be created, they'd most likely be a great deal higher in quality than even grand soul gems. What I propose is that if used by a Dragonborn, possibly with a specialized soul-trapping spell, aetherium gems could hold dragon souls. If filled aetherium gems were then fused with armor, the result would be extremely high-quality and magically powerful equipment.

 

The aesthetic I have in mind for the equipment itself is similar to Altmeri armor, but somewhat more angular and bright silver in color, looking a bit more science-fiction-y than the average TES equipment. I think it fits -- a different aesthetic for a very esoteric armor. It's not like Daedric gear really looks like anything else in Tamriel. It would come in both light and heavy variants, and would be slightly less statistically powerful than Daedric. However, it would have its own unique and powerful enchantments, as well as being enchantable on top of those, and it would be much much lighter than most other armors. We're talking lighter than elven here.

 

As for the quests themselves: the character would have to be Dragonborn to properly complete this questline. That's a given. I'm thinking it wouldn't activate until after Alduin's defeat, simply for the sake of pacing. You'd have to have completed Lost to the Ages, be a member of the College of Winterhold, and possibly have completed the Dragonborn main quest (or maybe just Discerning the Transmundane?), as having the Daedric Prince of Knowledge on your side would be rather helpful when trying to invent a new form of magical armor.

 

I'm thinking that unlike most quests, this one would actually involve the Dragonborn taking the initiative, since he's really the only one who's familiar with all the different elements that would be required to create this. Narratively, this would only really work with the more intellectually-inclined of characters, but whatever. Not every quest fits every character, after all.

 

Anyway, after meeting the requirements, the journal updates, with your character musing about the seed of an idea they have for a powerful new arsenal. You're directed to head to the College and consult with a new NPC, an experience scholar who should know if this is possible, and if so, how to accomplish it. This character then directs you to complete two or three major quests, gathering the components and knowledge you'll need to pull this off. These can be completed in any order. (I only actually have two of these quests fleshed out, but the "completing in any order" thing doesn't really work unless you have at least three.)

 

First, you have to obtain a source of aetherium gems. "Lost to the Ages" implies that aetherium is very difficult to harvest and work with, so the quest can't really let you just have at it with a pickaxe. I'm thinking maybe a Daedric pick would be in order, as ridiculous/awesome a concept as that is. I don't know. Maybe no one mines for aetherium because no one knew that the Forge still existed. It's not like the substance is even common knowledge. Anyway, you have to go into Blackreach and potentially set up some sort of mining operation there, in order to obtain a steady supply of the material. Your reward for completing this section of the questline is the ability to create Aetherial equipment at the Aetherium Forge -- basically Dwemer gear with big glowy Aetherium bits.

 

Obviously, you'll need armor to infuse with dragon souls, and really only the best will do. So you head to a massive recently-discovered Ayleid ruin in Cyrodiil's Great Forest to research Ayleidic armors. (I chose Ayleid both because it fits fairly well with the aesthetic I'm thinking of, and because I really want to make a big forest region. Like Falkreath, but a few dozen times more so. Besides, the Ayleids seem to be known for runic magic, so they might be a good choice for magical armor-binding.) You meet up with an expert on the Ayleids there. (If this ever actually gets made, I'm thinking of actually making this scholar the Altmeri wizard Idris, and getting SorcererDave to do the voicing. He did mention when he cancelled the Idris playthrough that he'd be open to such a thing.) Unfortunately, this particular ruin wasn't discovered by the Empire until a decade or so ago, and it wound up being a refuge for daedra left over from the invasion. (I tried to find information on the subject, but I can't figure out if closing Oblivion gates automatically banishes all the daedra they released. If so, I'll have to come up with another excuse. I want to use daedra because they're very rare in Skyrim, and Ayleid ruins don't have any particular enemy type associated with them, unlike Dwemer and Nordic ruins.) You explore the ruin, recovering plans and materials. Once this quest is complete, you're able to craft Ayleid Meteoric Armor, which is basically a weaker and somewhat less visually distinctive version of Aedric. (Sorry about all the parentheses.)

 

The only thing I can really think of for a third quest is something to do with soul trapping, but I'm not sure where the player would go for that. Maybe Morrowind? I just don't know who specializes in soul trap magic.

 

Anyway, once you've completed all three of these quests, you can use aetherium gems to capture the souls of slain dragons, then go to the Aetherium Forge and use the gems to create Aedric equipment! And all you had to do was wander all over Tamriel for a year and fight a few armies' worth of daedra and Falmer. Anyway.

 

Wall o' text, I know. Regardless, I've wanted to post this for a while, and now I have. Hope this was a fun read; please do share your thoughts.

[117649AR]

Well, mind that you can't have an exact analogue because there are no "lesser Aedra": there are only the Eight who are dead, and the various Aspect-Gods that various cultures have shed from their corpses. Dragons are speculated to be Aedric, but they are not Aedra: they are lesser spirits of Time that were perhaps created by the Time Dragon to fill some purpose, or perhaps came into being during the many occasions that Aka has been broken. That said, what you suggest is certainly plausible: it is a widely speculated theory that Dragon Souls can only be claimed by consent, combat being equivalent to debate and thus ownership of the Soul willingly transferring from the defeated Dragon to the victorious Dragon. Miraak demonstrates that once ownership of the Soul is attained absorption is not necessarily required, and over the course of his duel with the Last Dragonborn calls his vassals' Souls into himself in order to restore his vitality. It follows then that once a Dragon is defeated, the victorious Dragon (in this case the Last Dragonborn) may do as he pleases with the Soul, whether that be absorb it, allow it to persist as a semi-independent vassal, or, as you suggest, bind it to armour or weaponry.

 

However, I would disagree on the assumption that Soul Gems are Aetherium. Soul Gems are common enough across Tamriel that they can be used by all from the amateur Adventurer to the aspiring Wizard for the purposes of Enchanting, whereas Aetherium is quite explicitly stated to be an incredibly rare resource that scholars are baffled on how to use. Soul Gems appear simply to be naturally occurring gemstones that are specially attuned for whatever reason to holding Souls, whereas Aetherium is quite clearly seen to be heavily used as the medium by which Dwemer Tonal Architecture is practiced: the implication given in Keening's appearance and the description of Aetherium is that the former is composed of the latter.

[Kestrellius]

Well really that depends on where soul gems come from, which to my knowledge hasn't been established, except for the geode veins. I believe "The Aetherium Wars" states that aetherium is known to most people as a strange blue crystal in some Dwemer ruins, which could mean that it isn't rare so much as it is impossible to do anything with. I'm mostly just taking this from the fact that presumably-aetherium deposits and geode veins are usually right next to each other. Perhaps a better way to put it would be that soul gems contain aetherium? I don't know.

[117649AR]

"Modern scholars know Aetherium as a rare, luminescent blue crystal found in some Dwemer ruins. Most consider it little more than a curiosity, as it has proven all but impossible to work with: while it has a strong magical aura, it is alchemically inert, and no known process can enchant, smelt, mold, bind, or break it."

 

By contrast Soul Gems are very widely used by across Tamriel by all manner of people, ranging from the common village enchanter who makes rings that increase stamina and sells them, to the novice adventurer who wishes to recharge the enchanted sword that he found while scavenging in ruins. They are not simply considered a mere curiosity, and they are not considered impossible to work with: in fact, scholars and mages across Tamriel and across history have conducted numerous experiments exploring their nature and their uses.

 

Aetherium seems to be the medium by which the Dwemer practiced their form of Tonal Architecture, and thus it's to no small surprise that virtually no one by the 4th Era knows what it is used for, let alone how to work it. Dwemer Tonal Architecture is an immensely complicated art that was lost when they achieved Anumidium, as it necessarily requires a deep understanding of the fundamental nature of the Aurbis: it exploits knowledge that the Aurbis (Reality, the Universe) is comprised of Music, and that changing that Music by producing certain Tones at the right place and at the right time can alter reality. Thu'um is another example of Tonal Architecture, but only the Dragons know exactly how or why it works: mortal Tongues simply say the words and observe the effects, without understanding how, for example, Speech can produce Fire. This is why Dwemer technology is beyond the understanding and comprehension of the countless scholars who have attempted to study their works over the centuries: they lack the accumulated knowledge that the Dwemer Tonal Architects had at their disposal, and thus they lack the fundamental knowledge of Aurbical Music that is required. At perhaps the most mundane level, take for example Dwemer metal: it never rusts or ages, and indeed is a material that defies all logic of natural processes. It should not technically exist, and is not made of any component materials that can be identified: hence the only source of it is from existing Dwemer constructs.

[Kestrellius]

Well then, as I said. It comes down to where soul gems come from. It could just be coincidence that there are soul gem veins right next to Aetherium, but since that's currently the only known source, it seems like there could be a connection.

 

Just to be clear, I was never saying that soul gems are fashioned out of Aetherium, or something, or that anyone is actually aware of any connection -- clearly nobody in Tamriel thinks that soul gems and Aetherium are related, because if that were the case, interest in Aetherium would be far higher -- just that soul gems are some sort of lesser material that's related, or a corrupted form, or something.

 

The Aurbis is a dream though. Why is a dream made of music?

[notmyhome]

The Aurbis is a dream though. Why is a dream made of music?

 

Because Kirkbride is always high on Skooma while writing anything.

[TheVampireDante]

 

The Aurbis is a dream though. Why is a dream made of music?

 

Music often tells a story, and has such a wide range of styles and effects that any sort of stories can play out or flow into each other.

[Kestrellius]

 

The Aurbis is a dream though. Why is a dream made of music?

 

Because Kirkbride is always high on Skooma while writing anything.

 

...okay, fair point.

[117649AR]

Well then, as I said. It comes down to where soul gems come from. It could just be coincidence that there are soul gem veins right next to Aetherium, but since that's currently the only known source, it seems like there could be a connection.

 

Just to be clear, I was never saying that soul gems are fashioned out of Aetherium, or something, or that anyone is actually aware of any connection -- clearly nobody in Tamriel thinks that soul gems and Aetherium are related, because if that were the case, interest in Aetherium would be far higher -- just that soul gems are some sort of lesser material that's related, or a corrupted form, or something.

 

The Aurbis is a dream though. Why is a dream made of music?

 

Except that there is no evidence that the Geode veins are even remotely related in nature or proximity to Aetherium. Not every glowing blue crystal is Aetherium: the only source of Aetherium that is known in Skyrim is the key to the forge itself. Further, mind that many hundreds of years have passed from the disappearance of the Dwemer to the 4th Era, and that countless scholars have dedicated their lives to exploring Dwemer ruins and studying their technology. If all Soul Gems were located near deposits of Aetherium, then it's folly to think that one of these many, many intelligent and learned men would not have drawn some form of conclusion. Further, Soul Gems are widespread enough that they are literally used in everyday life by many different professions: it makes no sense that they would be derived from an incredibly rare resource that is only found in dangerous and largely untouched Dwemer ruins. Soul Gems are simply gems that are well suited to capturing souls, and indeed the nature of Aetherium as an ideal medium for the application of Tonal Architecture doesn't jive with this either: the two traits are not even remotely related from a metaphysical perspective.

 

As for the Aurbis, the Dream of the Godhead is Music: the terms are not mutually exclusive.

[Lachdonin]

As for the Aurbis, the Dream of the Godhead is Music: the terms are not mutually exclusive.

Music and colour. And thought.

 

Any who... In terms of Aedric entities... What are Aedra? As best as can be discerned(at least to my reading) Aedra simply refers to 9 Et'ada that the ancient Aldmer decided to worship. The Velothi-become-Chimer then coined the term Daedra in rebellion of the limited Aldmeri faith, and we've been confused ever since.

 

If we define Aedra as any spirit that contributed to the creation of Mundus, then technically anything from Spriggans, to Dragons, to really Mortals could fit the bill... If we focus more on subgradients of the Aldmeri Aedra, then Dragons are the only candidate we know of, since none of the Ehlnofey-Echo's are in Skyrim.

 

As far as Soul Gems go... Asside from a few geode deposits in Skyrim, we don't m.is where they come from. The... Canonical nature of those deposits is also somewhat suspect, because they can produce Black Soul Gems, which we know are actually the product of ritualistic manipulations under the Light of the God of Worms.

 

They are definately a crystalline substance, but then again so is Glass and Malichite. Worked Aetherium doesn't appear particularly similar to Soul Gems either, though the appearance of the latter can be changed through workmanship (such as the Grand gems in Morrowind).

 

If I had to guess, I would say that Soul Gems are actually manufactured through condensation of magical energies... Basically, they're physical Magicka. That would explain how they can be used in the novels and some more esoteric references wothout the need for a soul. They just happen to be the easiest way to capture a soul as well...