LOREMASTERS ARCHIVE: UNDEAD IN TAMRIEL

Read a new lore book and find out more about undead in the first entry of our new series.

Welcome to the first Loremasters Archive, where we examine the menace posed by Tamriels undead and those who create them.
Weve uncovered an all-new book by Phrastus of Elinhir to share along with additional books on the topic. Our next article will focus on
Mundus Stones and the discovery of Apex Stones in Craglorn. Send your questions about those and other lore topics
to community@elderscrollsonline.com and we may answer yours in an upcoming entry!

Unhallowed Legions

By Phrastus of Elinhir

It is an indisputable fact that necromancy, the foulest of all magical endeavors, is on the rise. Word of unsettled spirits, shambling
corpses, and worse spreads across Tamriel, planting seeds of fear in common folk. There is good reason to be concerned, and it is my
scholarly duty to inform the ignorant in hopes that a more educated populace will be better prepared to recognize and face undead
dangers.

Necromancy, as you likely know, is the manipulation of souls, soul energies, or corpses of the dead. Unwilling spirits are often involved,
and in the eyes of any rational being, the study of this type of magic is repellant. It should not be surprising to you that much knowledge
of necromancy is attributed to Daedric forces, specifically those of the abhorrent Molag Bal, further cementing it as a sphere that must
be shunned.

I present to you now an accounting of the general types of undead:

The Reanimated

These monstrosities are formed when a necromancer summons and instills an enslaved spirit into a corpse or construct of bodies.
Reanimations take many shapes, from the lowly skeleton (favorite of novice necromancers) to the hulking flesh atronach. The need for
unconsecrated corpses poses a danger to communities, as it is known to drive wayward mages to murder in their lust for power. To
minimize encounters with reanimations, avoid poorly-kept graveyards and hidden caves or ruins, and report any suspicion of
necromancy to your local authorities for investigation.

The Returned

Ghosts, wraiths, and spectres manifest for a variety of reasons. Some are bound to Nirn through powerful curses, some are summoned
forth through rituals, and others find their souls unable or unwilling to depart due to unfinished business. Some are even ancestors
bound by their own families, a practice the Dark Elves claim is not necromancy at allguarwash!

My recent studies into the phenomenon known as the Soulburst indicate a tie between it and a surge in returned sightings and activity,
strongly implicating a persistent disruption in natural post-extant soul conveyance. Detractors to this theory, notably the misguided Lady
Cinnabar of Taneth, have yet to produce any counter-theories that do not crumble under the slightest scrutiny.

The Accursed
Undeath is not always a product of renegade mages tampering with souls and rotting flesh. Cursed diseases such asNoxophilic
Sanguivoria can corrupt the living. The result is an undead creature that requires the blood of the living for sustenance. Vampires have a
tendency to organize into reclusive clans, hiding away beneath the ground and surfacing only to obtain more thralls to feed upon. In
some cases, though, their minds are known to degrade to the point of insanity, leaving a raging husk of a creature with no mental
capacity commonly called a bloodfiend. Any sightings of such creatures should be reported to a local Fighters Guild.

Abominable Miscegenations

Some undead defy simple classification. The lich, for one, is a corpse that is self-reanimated by the soul it bore in life. Typically, only
powerful spellcasters seeking immortality achieve this state. Luckily for common folk, liches are often focused obsessively on continuing
their own studies, and they are not likely to be encountered by travelers that keep their noses out of ancient ruins.

Now that you are more informed about this vile art and its repellent products, hopefully you are better-prepared to assess undead
threats. It goes without saying (though I will certainly say it) that we all have a responsibility to report and combat necromancy, especially
in these times. Do not let anyone convince you that there is some kind of benefit to be had in exploring these detestable magicsany
reasonable individual can see the madness in such a claim.

Next, a selection of additional lore books from The Elder Scrolls Online:

The Consecrations of Arkay

By Punctilius Tyrus

As a novice of the Order of Arkay, you enter a service that will be both an exaltation and a burden to you. We who serve the Lord of the
Wheel of Life are tasked with protection of the souls of all mortals, both bound and unbound.

For there are those in Tamrieland from beyond Tamrielwho prey upon the souls of others. Heretics would divert the souls of the
dying to unlawful destinations. Necromancers would bind the souls of the dead to an afterlife of eternal slavery. And Daedra Lords feast
upon the souls of mortals like ravening wolves.

All these we abominate, and drive them from the realms of decent folk with fire and hammer. And to aid us in this, our great work, Arkay
has given us his Three Consecrations:

Arkay's Grace, which we bestow upon birth, to protect the souls of the innocent until they are old enough to exercise their own volition.

Arkay's Blessing, which we bestow upon the dying, to prevent their souls from being used without consent.

Arkay's Law, which we bestow upon the deceased, that their corporeal forms may not be raised to unlawful servitude.

There is no more sacred trust than that of the order which you enter today, novice. Be strong, and waver not, for the enemies of life are
ever watchful, ready to punish negligence with swift and ruthless cruelty.
Noxiphilic Sanguivoria

An Introduction By Cinna Scholasticus

The disease vampirism is not one disease, but many. Throughout the centuries, and for unknown reasons, the afflictions collectively
known as vampirism have been transmitted in different ways and taken on different qualities. Herein, I shall try to delineate, to the best
of my ability, the qualities of the form of vampirism common to our era, known as Noxiphilic Sanguivoria, so as to better equip the reader
to identify this type of vampire.

First, however, I believe a word of warning is in order. This work is in no way intended as a guide to hunting or otherwise confronting a
vampire. In all cases, it is advised that you avoid anyone you suspect of vampirism and certainly that you do not try to fight them.
Vampires of all varieties possess supernatural strength and will quickly overpower all but the most experienced hunter.

The most important thing to remember about sufferers of Noxiphilic Sanguivoria is that, as the name implies, they are not weakened by
daylight as in other strains of vampirism, but are, instead, strengthened during the nighttime hours.

Why this is the case is poorly understood. One of the more wild theories is that it is the result of some sort of Daedric backroom deal
between Hircine and Molag Bal that has given sufferers of Noxiphilic Sanguivoria a werewolf-like love of moonlight.

By night, these hunters are possessed of extreme fortitude and a powerful ability to recover from wounds.

Sufferers of Noxiphilic Sanguivoria, interviewed under heavy sedation, of course, have described a dreamlike passage from when they
were first bitten and afflicted with the disease. Some of them have described entering a ritual chamber where they were bathed in a pool
of black blood. Whether the transformation actually involves such a terrifying ritual, or whether it was merely a hallucination is impossible
to discern without firsthand experience.

If you are bitten, or believe to have been bitten, by a carrier of Noxiphilic Sanguivoria, do not panic. If you are able to get away from your
attacker, see a priest of Arkay immediately. You will not contract full Noxiphilic Sanguivoria without first being exsanguinated by a
vampire and then receiving the gift of his or her blood in return.