Lore:Alessian Order

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Map of Cyrodiil
That is not cruel which cures,
O faith, charity, rigor.
By faith true heart endures,
O hope, clarity, vigor.
Seventy-Seven shall guide us,
O praise, honor, and duty.
Alessia lives inside us,
And truth is one with beauty.
—The Song-Never-Sung-at-Twilight

TheAlessian Orderwas a hugely influential religious sect in theFirst Erawhich preached strict monotheism and worship ofthe One.[1][2][3]The Order arose in the coastal jungle of what is nowColovia,where a prophet namedMarukh,who had spoken to the "Enlightened One" SaintAlessia,began to question the validity of elven rule. These sentiments led to increasingly abstract and unknowable depictions of a one true God, though they tolerated the worship of polytheistic pantheons as well. The divine aspects worshipped by the various humans andAldmeribecame many of the saints and spirits of the evolving Alessian canon. In some places, they replaced the existing belief system with something more mutable, as in easternCyrodiil,where the traditional Nordic version of theEight Divineswas purportedly replaced by a "baroque" veneration of ancestor spirits and god-animals. They first gained footing in the lower classes of theNibenese,and in1E 361,the inexplicably charismatic Order became the far-reaching and powerful theocracy of theAlessian Empire,enforcing their doctrines throughout it, and their influence onTamrielhas been immense ever since.[2][3][4]At its peak, the influence of the arch-prelate of the Order was nearly equal to that of the Emperor himself.[5]Eventually, however, the Order collapsed as a result of theWar of Righteousnessin1E 2321.[2][6]

The Order was very austere and severe, and life under their rule is remembered for its cruelty and lack of entertainment.[3][7][8]Heartlandersof Cyrodiil remember their rule as a dark age.[9]A sect of the Order, theMarukhati Selective,is said to have caused aDragon Breakspanning one thousand and eight years by attempting to exorcise elements of elvenAuri-Elfrom ImperialAkatosh.[10]It's worth noting that one school of thought dismisses the whole idea of the "Middle Dawn" as scholarly error, and asserts that the Alessian Order only lasted about one hundred and fifty years.[11]However, this is thrown into doubt by the fact that a book expounding this hypothesis is itself found displaced in time, an observation consistent with the Middle Dawn hypothesis.

The Alessian Doctrines[edit]

The Alessian Order followed the Alessian Doctrines. The "Seventy Seven Inflexible Doctrines" began as legal codes written by Marukh following his "Century of Penance" in theStonemeadows,whereupon he claimed to hear the words of the shade of Alessia during a tortured delirium, and he wrote them down in his own blood. He eventually came to the epiphany that death is an illusion, and through devotion to "Proper-Life and Ehlnofic Annulment", the "ArkaynCycle "can be conquered.[12]

His code famously stated that "all are guilty until they have proven themselves innocent", which is still a guiding principle of the legal system in Tamriel.[13]The Doctrines forbade "trafficke with daimons", without actually defining "daimon".[14]His preachings evolved into religious codes which became the guiding principles of the Alessian Reformation of Marukh, which led to the proliferation of the modern Tamrielic pantheon of the Eight Divines.[2][3]

Above all, the Doctrines were notorious for being firmly opposed to the elves, particularly theAyleids.Though the Alessian Empire was founded in1E 243following the fall of theWhite-Gold Tower,Ayleids continued to reside in modern-day Cyrodiil, often as vassals of the Empire. Continuing resentment towards them was one reason why the anti-elven Order proved to be so popular. They began sacking Ayleid settlements in the early 1E 300s, and in 1E 361, their Doctrines took on the force of law throughout the Empire.[4]The Order was responsible for the sacking ofMalada,an important Ayleid temple, in1E 393.[6]The powerful city-state ofMiscarcandinitially resisted the Order by force, but over time its inhabitants fled toValenwoodto avoid persecution.[15]

In accordance with their scriptures, the Order tirelessly ferreted out and destroyed elven writings within their domain.[16]They placed severe restrictions on the work of artists,[17]and recognized no difference between religious and political matters, teaching that to resist the Emperor is to resist the Divines.[7]

The Rise and Fall of the Order[edit]

"No one will stand in the way of the Alessians! Kill, and keep killing, in the Name of the One!"—Glenumbria: Alessian Orders[18]

The Alessians earned many enemies. Their rise to power in Cyrodiil soured relations with theCamoran Dynastyin Valenwood, who had initially established cordial relations with the Empire.[19]TheFirst Empire of the Nords,not to be confused with the Alessian Empire, was at various times receptive and resistant to the Order. TheNordsin particular were resistant to Alessia's compromise due to its incorporation of elven beliefs with their own. Unlike the other descendants of theNedes,the Nords had not adopted elven beliefs, as they had not known elven rule (at least, not since theDawn Era,when the elves were driven fromAtmora).[1][2][20][21]

Nevertheless, High KingBorgasof Skyrim became a significant ally of the Order, but he was killed by theWild Huntfor the "iniquities" of his Alessian faith (he was on his way to Cyrodiil at the time to advocate for a joint war against the elves).[16]Many of the Ayleids the Order had driven out of Cyrodiil were absorbed by the Bosmer in Valenwood and theDirenniclan of elves inHigh Rock,so the strengthening of these groups over the ensuing years could be attributed to a bolstering of their ranks by Ayleid refugees (though the subject remains little studied by scholars).[4]

The Order became a victim of its own success. The priesthood, spread as it was throughout the regions of Tamriel, developed schisms over time.[2]Though the movement had started in Colovia, heavy Nordic influence, as well as concerns about the hostileRa Gadain nearbyHammerfell,created a buffer in western Cyrodiil against the influence of the Alessian priesthood which had emerged to the east.[2][3][7]Resistance to the Alessian Doctrines in western Cyrodiil eventually led to the formation of an autonomous government for them, the Colovian Estates, which set the stage for the downfall of the Order.[2]

The Alessians were no strangers to suppressing rebellions, but when westernCyrodiil,led byRislav Larich,successfully broke away from the Empire in1E 478,it spelled the beginning of the end.[7]The Direnni pressed their advantage in High Rock, banning the Doctrines, and the Alessians ultimately couldn't recover from several military defeats, notably theBattle of Glenumbra Moors.[8][22]Neither the Direnni nor the Alessians won High Rock; it was eventually theBretonswho rose up to claim their own land.[23]Wulfharth's first act as High King of Skyrim in1E 480was to ban the Doctrines.[7][24][25]

The Dance of the Selectives[edit]

"[L]et theStaff of Towersbe prepared for the ritual that will cleanse the protean substrate of the Aldmeri Taint. All Selectives are to initiate chants of Proper-Life and maintain them until a state of monothought is achieved. Then each shall Dance, duration-forward then volteface, till the Roll of Time winds withershins. "
—Fervidius Tharn,Arch-Prelate of the Maruhkati Selective[26]

The Marukhati Selective (also spelled Maruhkati) was an elite sect within the Alessian Order. Their beliefs are summarized inThe Exclusionary Mandates.Due to their intense devotion to singularity, they considered all their beliefs equally important and crucial. They believed that the linear nature of time demonstrated that Akatosh is (or at least, should be) of a unitary essence. They asserted thatShezarris "Singularly Misplaced and therefore Doubly Venerated", that "Proper-Life" as enunciated by Marukh is fostered by "monothought", and it serves to expunge the "Aldmeri Taint". They believed it was necessary to act in the mortal realm to achieve their divine goal to expunge this taint, and that "Akatosh is Time is Proper-Life is Taint-Death". InVindication for the Dragon Break,Fervidius Tharn (who became Arch-Prelate of the Selectives in1E 1188[27]) summarized the Mandates by stating that the goal of the Selectives was "to reverse the error of Sanctus Primus and restore Ak-at-Osh to humanadic purity".

Essentially, their animosity towards all things elven was so great that they could not tolerate the notion of Aldmeri influence on their beloved Akatosh. When their rituals could not disprove this influence, the fanatical scholar-priests decided to exorcise the Aldmeri traits instead. The sect's secret masters channeled theAurbisitself to mythically remove these aspects from the Dragon God.[28]A staff or tower (or one represented within the other) appeared before them. The secret masters danced upon it until it writhed and trembled and spoke its protonymic (its real, original name: "Tam! RUGH!"[UOL 1]). The tower split into eight pieces and Time broke, becoming nonlinear. After one thousand and eight years (1E 1200-2208, the estimation recognized by theElder Council), the pieces of the tower came to rest in Mundus, and the Middle Dawn ended.[UOL 2]

Every culture on Tamriel remembers the Middle Dawn in some fashion, mostly as a time of unaccountable spiritual anguish. Several texts survive this timeless period, all (unsurprisingly) conflicting with each other regarding events, people, and regions. Some say certain wars happened, some say the gods walked, and some assign a certain color to the sun. But almost always, sources seemed to contradict each other. Whether or not the secret masters of the Marukhati Selective were successful is unknown, and any records of their survival were destroyed by the War of Righteousness that ended the Alessian Order a hundred years later.[UOL 2]The only thing all cultures consistently agree upon is that, one by one, eight stars fell from the sky.[10]

Wraith wearing Alessian robes

The Lingering Order[edit]

Much like their prophet, the Alessian Order seemed to refuse to die. They apparently survived for almost two thousand years (though, as noted above, some scholars raise issues with the timeline).[11][29]They are said to have spent much of the First Era fighting the Direnni for control of High Rock.[23]The Bretons eventually joined the Alessian Empire during the reign of Empress Hestra in1E 1029,but they seceded almost a thousand years later due to the "excesses" of the Order. An attempt to bring them back into the Empire in1E 2305ended poorly for the Alessians. The Legions of Piety and Grace were sent to Bangkorai under Abbot-GeneralPriscus Mactatorto suppress the Bretons, but the Imperials fell at the Bangkorai Garrison.[30]

The Alessian Order would never again be what it once was. When the War of Righteousness broke out in 1E 2321, the Order which had almost ruled the world finally undid itself in a ten-year span.[2]During this war, their great monastic complex atLake Canuluswas razed.[6][31]

From theSecond Eraonwards, the infamousTemple Zero Societycontinued to preach the 'Monkey Truth', with their own interpretation of Marukhati philosophy.[32][UOL 3][UOL 4]

Notes[edit]

  • The exact length of the Seventy Seven Inflexible Doctrines is not known, but some sections are considered quite banal.[33]
  • Mannimarco,the King of Worms, alleged that it was the High King ofAlinorwho was responsible for the Dragon Break "in the first place".[10]However, Mannimarco immediately also credits the Selectives for the Middle Dawn, so it is unclear what role he claims for the King.
  • Marukh's inkwell was still known to be in existence by2E 582and was seen as a sacred item.[34]

See Also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^abShezarr and the Divines—Faustillus Junius
  2. ^abcdefghiPocket Guide to the Empire, 1st Edition: Cyrodiil—Imperial Geographical Society,2E 864
  3. ^abcdePocket Guide to the Empire, 3rd Edition: The Seat of Sundered Kings: Cyrodiil—Imperial Geographical Society,3E 432
  4. ^abcThe Last King of the Ayleids—Herminia Cinna
  5. ^Chancellor Abnur Tharn Answers Your Questions—Chancellor Abnur Tharn
  6. ^abcCleansing of the Fane
  7. ^abcdeRislav The Righteous—Sinjin
  8. ^abThe Final Lesson—Aegrothius Goth
  9. ^Reflections on Cult Worship—Cuseius Plecia
  10. ^abcWhere Were You... Dragon Broke— Various
  11. ^abThe Dragon Break Re-Examined—Fal Droon
  12. ^The Illusion of Death
  13. ^Legal Basics—Anchivius, M.Z.F.
  14. ^On Oblivion—Morian Zenas
  15. ^Beragon's dialogue inESO
  16. ^abPocket Guide to the Empire, 1st Edition: Aldmeri Dominion—Imperial Geographical Society,2E 864
  17. ^The Heartlandcodex entries inESO
  18. ^Glenumbria: Alessian Orders
  19. ^Pocket Guide to the Empire, 3rd Edition: The Wilds Remain: Valenwood—Imperial Geographical Society,3E 432
  20. ^Frontier, Conquest—University of Gwylim Press,3E 344
  21. ^The Monomyth
  22. ^De Rerum Dirennis—Vorian Direnni
  23. ^abPocket Guide to the Empire, 3rd Edition: All the Eras of Man, A Comprehensive History of our History—Imperial Geographical Society,3E 432
  24. ^Five Songs of King Wulfharth
  25. ^Wulfharth's plaque inWindhelm
  26. ^Vindication for the Dragon Break—Fervidius Tharn,Arch-Prelate of theMaruhkati Selective
  27. ^House Tharn of Nibenay—Count Opius Voteporix
  28. ^Gahgdar's dialogue inESO
  29. ^The Legendary Sancre Tor—Matera Chapel
  30. ^Bangkorai, Shield of High Rock— KingEamond
  31. ^The Song of Pelinal, v 7
  32. ^The Seed—Marobar Sul
  33. ^Feyfolken II—Waughin Jarth
  34. ^Sacred Inkwell of Marukh the Seer

Note:The following references are considered to beunofficial sources.They are included to round off this article and may not be authoritative or conclusive.

  1. ^Michael Kirkbride's posts,The Imperial Library
  2. ^abWhere Were You When the Dragon Broke?
  3. ^Redguard Forum Mandess
  4. ^Temple Zeropamphlet cover
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