Lore-intensive mod concept: Aedric armor...

[Kestrellius]

Well, it's less a matter of getting a blessing than it is a matter of basically making armor out of aedra. And remember, the Divines are dead, or at least comatose, so there's that. This is designed to be the equivalent of Daedric armor, which is made from the hearts/souls/essences of dremora, not Daedric artifacts, which are items created or blessed by Daedric Princes. There are Aedric artifacts in existence -- Auriel's Bow, for example. Nonetheless, thanks for the input.

 

Also, I may have come up with a slightly far-fetched excuse for involving Aetherium. Aetherium has to do with tonal architecture, right? And tonal architecture is associated with the Heart of Lorkhan. Lorkhan is Space/the god of Space, and dragons are associated with Akatosh, who is Time/the god of Time. So if you used both dragon souls and Aetherium, you'd get mastery over both Space and Time. Right? Guys? That's not grasping at straws or anything?

[117649AR]

Also, I may have come up with a slightly far-fetched excuse for involving Aetherium. Aetherium has to do with tonal architecture, right? And tonal architecture is associated with the Heart of Lorkhan. Lorkhan is Space/the god of Space, and dragons are associated with Akatosh, who is Time/the god of Time. So if you used both dragon souls and Aetherium, you'd get mastery over both Space and Time. Right? Guys? That's not grasping at straws or anything?

 

Eh, not really. The Tools of Kagrenac siphoned power from the Heart of Lorkhan through Tonal Architecture, but the Heart itself has no connection to Tonal Architecture at all. Tonal Architecture is simply producing very specific tones at the right time and in the right manner so as to change the Music of the Aurbis: as the Music is reality, changing it in specific ways results in warping reality in ways that would otherwise have been impossible. This is why Thu'um, for example, is not Magic: Magic uses Magicka as a medium, whereas Thu'um is quite literally capable of producing Fire from nothing.

[Lachdonin]

 

but the Heart itself has no connection to Tonal Architecture at all.

 

Doesn't it though? The Heart was the source from which the Dwemer discovered Tonal Architecture, and was described as the drumbeat of creation by Vivec. There are also ancient links between Shor/Lorkhan and the Thu'um, the oldest form of Tonal Architecture. Then there's Lorkhan's nickname... Doom Drum.

 

The Heart was intrinsically linked to a specific change in the music of the Aubris, the beginning of mortality. The Heart was almost definately linked to Tonal Architecture, which would explain why normal Magicks wouldn't interact with it.

 

I actually think Krestrellius may be onto something here... a harmony of the Aubric Twins...

 

Though, we still aren't really sure what Aetherium is... Could be related to Dwemeri Tonal Engineering, or it could just be a really difficult material to work with.

[Kestrellius]

Mostly I just want to actually do something with the whole Aetherium subplot, because in vanilla, the Dragonborn finds this ancient forge that can work with an incredibly powerful material, makes a test item, and then...just kind of forgets about it.

[Lachdonin]

The Dawnguard plot leaves some major gaps in the process though... You collect ingots akd use them to produce a finished product, but the actual extraction and refinement process is entirely left out. Without that, we only really know that it's hard to work with, and typically materials are considerably harder to refine than to work.

 

That doesn't mean you can't do something with it. I myself have been playing with the idea of small quantities being used as a high end crafting material to give bonuses to Enchanting... But without an explanation for where more Artherium is comming from you hit something of a story telling roadblock.

 

Based on what we have seen of Aetherium, however... I would definatrly say that it could be used to channel and contain more powerful entities than we typically utilise in Enchanting. The ability of the Aetherium Crown to allow you to have two standing stones active is significant, considering they're divine blessings from the Magne'Ge.

[Kestrellius]

Yeah. I mean, I'd sort of figured that while digging up the stuff in Blackreach and getting it to the Forge in reasonable quantities would be difficult, it would be a surmountable problem. And that the reason it's never really been done since the Dwemer is that nobody had the Forge, so there wouldn't have been any point...

[Lachdonin]

I suppose that could be a reasonable explanation. It's been awhile since I've been there, but I seem to remember it being the only lava in Skyrim... It could just be that you need something hotter than an average smelter can produce to refine the ore.

[Kestrellius]

Actually, you're right, as I recall. There is a conspicuous absence of lava everywhere in Skyrim but the Aetherium Forge.

 

Of course, there clearly is a way to mine it, as the Dwemer did so. It's just a matter of exactly how high-tech the method was, and if it could be reproduced without the crazy Dwemer awesomeness that the 'modern' world lacks.

 

Maybe you just need to use a diamond pickaxe. /minecraft

[Lachdonin]

Maybe you just need to use a diamond pickaxe. /minecraft

Lol, is that what that Pick was doing on the Throat of the World?

 

I've had a long standing hypothesis that Aetherium and the abuse of the Falmer were linked... Gelebor seems rather convinced that the Falmer blinded themselves willingly, knowing the terms of their refuge with the Dwemer, and that something happened later to cause their current state. Then you have the Aetheroum Wars, which seem to have run roughly at the same time as the Falmer rebellion, indicating a possible link.

 

We also know that Mer are highly subject to magicall influences. They can suffer from physical changes, go crazy, even manifest entirely new races based on exposure to magical sources of differing sorts. We also know that, since comming above ground, the Falmer have become less violent and more intelegent. Gradually, yes, but noticeably. Their diet doesnt seem to have changed, but w hat's below ground, all over Skyrim? Aetherium.

 

What if the degeneration of the Falmer was caused by their exposure to Aetherium as it was being mined? It would also explain why there was so little Aetherium, as the workforce mining it rebelled, and the Dwemer of Skyrim fought over what they had rather than risking their own sanity mining more.

 

It adds an interesting consideration, at least.

[Kestrellius]

Now that is a very interesting idea. After all, we still don't really know for sure what happened to them.

 

Speaking of which, I've kind of been wanting to do something with the Falmer, as well. Maybe a questline involving them launching attacks on cities -- probably Dawnstar -- as they become more intelligent. You could have them attack in part by tunnelling up underneath people and buildings, and collapsing the ground. Just to play up the horror factor of something living right under your feet.

 

And also, does Blackreach strike anyone else as really empty of Falmer? I mean, look at the Forgotten Vale. That place feels like a Falmer city. But Blackreach is supposed to basically be their homeland, and there are virtually no Falmer there.