Netruk44/uesp-wiki-content huggingface dataset:
Lore:The Legendary Sancre Tor

uring the Skyrim Conquests (   ), ambitious Highland earls, envious of the conquests and wealth of their northern cousins in High Rock and Morrowind, looked south over the ramparts of the   for their opportunities. The Jerall Mountains proved to be too great a barrier, and northern Cyrodiil too poor a prize, to reward full scale   invasions. However, Alessia hired many ambitious Nord and   warbands as mercenaries with the promises of rich lands and trade concessions. Once settled among the victorious    , the Nord and Breton warriors and battlemages were quickly assimilated into the comfortable and prosperous Nibene  culture.

Alessia received the divine inspiration for her   at  , and here she founded her holy city. Sancre Tor's mines provided some wealth, but the poor soils and harsh climate of the remote mountain site meant it must be supplied with food and goods from the  . Further, located on one of the few passes through the Jeralls, its fortunes were subject to the instability of relations with Skyrim. When relations were good with Skyrim, it prospered through trade and alliance. When relations were bad with Skyrim, it was vulnerable to siege and occupation by the Nords.

With the decline of the    circa   , the seat of religious rule of Cyrodiil moved south to the  , but Sancre Tor remained a mountain fortress and major religious  

One enduring feature of the legend of Sancre Tor is the ancient tombs of the Reman emperors. Following the defeat of th  Akaviri invaders, Sancre Tor enjoyed a brief resurgence of wealth and culture under   and his descendants,   and  . Tracing his ancestry to St. Alessia, and following the tradition that St. Alessia was buried in the catacombs beneath Sancre   Reman built splendid funerary precincts in the depths of the ancient citadel underpassages. Here the last Reman emperor, Reman III, was buried in his tomb with the   

Sancre Tor has lain in ruins since the  , and the surrounding region is virtually uninhabited. Now all communications with the north are through the passes at   and  , and Sancre Tor's citadel and underpassages have become the refuge of various savage   tribes.


  There is a competing tradition that St. Alessia is buried on the site of the   in the  . The actual resting place of St. Alessia is unknown.
Lore:Mace Etiquette

Warriors sometimes make the mistake of thinking that there are no tactics with a  . They assume that the sword is all about skill and the mace is only about strength and stamina. As a veteran instructor of mace tactics, I can tell you they are wrong.

Wielding a mace properly is all about timing and momentum. Once the swing of the mace has begun, stopping it or slowing it down is difficult. The fighter is committed to not just the blow, but also the recoil. Begin your strike when the opponent is leaning forward, hopefully off balance. It is completely predictable that he will lean backward, so aim for a point behind his head. By the time the mace gets there, his head will be in   path.

The mace should be held at the ready, shoulder high. The windup should not extend past the shoulders by more than a hand's width. When swinging, lead with the elbow. As the elbow passes the height of your collarbone, extend the forearm like a whip. The extra momentum will drive the mace faster and harder, causing far more damage.

At the moment of impact, let the wrist loosen. The mace will bounce and hurt a stiff wrist. Allow the recoil of the blow to drive the mace back into the ready position, thereby preparing the warrior for a quicker second strike.
Lore:The Warrior's Charge

he star sung far-flung tales

Wreathed in the silver of Yokuda fair,

Of a Warrior who, arrayed in hue sails

His charges through the serpent's snare


And the Lord of runes, so bored so soon,

Leaves the ship for an evening's dare,

Perchance to wake, the coiled snake,

To take its shirt of scales to wear


And the Lady East, who e'ery beast,

Asleep or a'prowl can rouse a scare,

Screams as her eye, alight in the sky

A worm no goodly sight can bear


And the mailed Steed, ajoins the deed

Not to be undone from his worthy share,

Rides the night, towards scale bright,

Leaving the seasoned Warrior's care


Then the serpent rose, and made stead to close,

The targets lay plain and there,

But the Warrior's blade the Snake unmade,

And the charges wander no more, they swear
Lore:Way of the Exposed Palm

ntrained   are known to make a club of the hand and beat on their opponents like a drum. It is a truly uncouth way to victory. The way of the exposed palm is far more sophisticated and far more deadly.

Consider this question. A man is struck in the chest by the flat of a plate. There is a small bruise but he is otherwise unharmed. Now break the plate and strike him in the chest with a shard using the same force. Now the man is dead or grievously wounded. How can this be? How can a small object harm more than a larger?

This essential point is the first finger of the way of the exposed palm. The five part way is concentration, reaction,  , speed, breath control. To master unarmed combat all five digits must be mastered. 

The parable of the man and the plate is concentration. All of the blow is   into a small point. Therefore it is more potent. To strike with just the thumb can be more deadly that to strike with the whole fist. However, only the highly trained fighter can do this.

The second aspect of concentration is the mental discipline to think hard about what is being done. Distractions are ignored as the will maintains the ultimate goal. The truly deadly fighter can even block out his own pain in this manner.
Lore:Souls, Black and White

he nature of the   is not knowable. Every wizard that has attempted it vanishes without a trace. What can be known is that souls are a source of mystic energy that can be harvested.

Every creature, living or dead, is powered by a soul. Without it, they are just lumps of flesh or piles of bones. This animating force can be contained within a  , if the soul gem has the capacity. From the gem, the power can be used to power magical items.

Centuries of experimentation has demonstrated that there are black souls and white souls. Only the rare   can hold the soul of a higher creature, such as a man or an  . While the souls of lesser creatures can be captured by gems of many colors, they are all categorized as white soul gems. Hence the division of souls into black and white.

White souls are far safer than black souls, although not as powerful. Beginning students of   should not dabble in black souls or black soul gems. Even if one were to ignore the   strictures against the   arts used to power black soul gems, it is dangerous to the caster to handle them for long. If the gem is not precisely the size of the encased soul, small bits of the caster's soul may leak into the gem when it is touched.
Lore:Advances in Lockpicking

I am not a writer. I am a thief. I am a good thief. I am not such a good writer. Anyway, I want to write about  . I read a   once. It was good. It gave me lots of ideas.

Some guys make locks with angled keyholes. Always carry a bent lockpick. They will work good in these locks. I do, and I open lots of locks. Sometimes I carry copper lockpicks. Copper bends easy. That way I can bend it right there. Copper lockpicks break easy too. Be careful.

Sometimes the locks have weird  . They all spring differently, which makes picking it hard. I hold my torch close to the lock. This makes it hot. When it's hot, the springs are all the same. They don't bounce so differently any more. Be careful not to burn yourself.

Some thieves can't read. If you can't read, get someone to read this book to you. It will make more sense then.
Lore:Proper Lock Design

I have encountered many thieves whose sole interest in locks is how to open them and thereby pilfer the protected contents of the room or chest. I have taken it upon myself to devise a system of locks that can defeat such   intent.

The materials used to create a lock are of utmost importance. Shoddy brass or copper will give way to a well placed kick, thereby rendering the lock itself useless. I recommend steel over iron when choosing a material. More robust materials tend to be prohibitively expensive and necessitate the door being made of similar metals. I have been chagrined to stumble across the shattered shell of a wooden chest,     lock intact and still locked.

Once these basics are settled, pay particular attention to the offset of the tumblers. A seven degree offset to the keyhole will allow a torque style key to work smoothly, while at the same time causing numerous headaches for the thief attempting to insert non-torque lockpicks.

In similar fashion, the springs of the tumblers should be made by different smiths. Each smith will unknowingly create a spring with different tension than his fellow smiths. This variance will also create difficulties for anyone attempting to pick the lock.
Lore:Amantius Allectus' Diary

I've planted the seeds of the Drinkers. Soon I shall know if my theories hold true.

The first shoots have appeared. I must make sure to continue the precise schedule of nutrient solutions.

Small Drinker fronds are clearly visible. This is a critical time in their development. I'm almost out of rat blood. I'll have to catch some more of the filthy beggars.

The young plants are juveniles now. I can see them waving as if in a breeze, although the air in my cellar is still as death.

I'm having a hard time catching any more cats. I may have to start using dogs. The damn Drinker plants have a voracious appetite.

One of them cut me today. I'll have to be more careful.

My creations are refusing to feed. As an experiment I offered a drop of my own blood, which one of them drank greedily. The others Drinkers are beginning to wither.

I collected a bucket of human blood from the healers. I had to pay her an   amount to keep her tongue still. The Drinkers are doing much better. Am I doing the right thing? The benefit of these plants to all of Cyrodiil is beyond doubt, but the price may be too high.

It is one of the most difficult decisions of my life. I have destroyed my notes for how to hybridize Drinkers. I set the trays on the roof where the sun could strike them. An hour after sunrise they were all dead. My attempt to create a hybrid of vampire and plant has failed. They were just too dangerous.

Two parts grave dust, one part ash salts. Mix with human blood. Expose to two hours of moonlight each night.
Lore:Ancotar's Journal

12th of Rains Hand: Today I begin my great project on the spontaneous generation of life. I expect that there will be difficult days ahead, but if I succeed, my place among the great mages of history will be assured.

23rd Rains Hand: Still not able to even reproduce  's results with maggots. I'm beginning to think his reputation is overblown.

3rd Second Seed, Tirdas: Empedocles was right! The mistranslation of "sunlit" to "scorching heat" explains my earlier problems. From now on I will work only in the original daedric, despite the risks.

Fredas (mid Second Seed?): Local peasants came by to complain about the noise. I promised them that all that was behind me. A pleasant if dull-witted crew.

Morndas (I think): The experiment today went better than expected. Although the number of rats produced was surprising, they were all remarkably docile, just as   predicted (although only I have ever proven it empirically!).

Middas: Villagers again. More complaints. You would think they'd never seen a rat before! They are starting to become a real nuisance.

I've run into a terrible snag.  's Ninth Law appears immutable! If the total life generated cannot exceed the cube of the source, this line of research may prove a dead end. I must reread Empedocles for any hint that he was able to circumvent this barrier.

Next day: The locals are becoming insufferable! While I was walking in the woods, some of them broke into my laboratory and spilled the solution I was preparing -- nearly a full quart of purified   wasted! They did not seem to grasp the absurdity of a crowd of unwashed peasants with dung on their boots complaining about the smell. It is well past time I did something about this problem.

Two days later: I dug up the notes from my permanent invisibility thesis. No time like the present to put theory into practice!

Today: The spell worked! Not perfect invisibility, of course ( 's Third Law), but it was more powerful than I expected. And there were none of the side effects that Professor   had predicted. Ha ha, even in my youth I was already outstripping my elders. Now I can get back to my real work in peace.
Lore:Ayleid Reference Text

The following inscriptions were painstakingly transcribed and interpreted over many long years  are preserved here for all time.

 

"From fire, life; from light, magic."



 

"Wear lore as your armor."



 

"Wisdom learned by pain is a reliable guide in dark times."  iterally, "Terrible wisdom never betrayed the loremasters." 



 

"Our exiled Elven ancestors heard the welcoming gifts of peace in the streams and beech trees and stars."  "Mathmeldi" means literally "from-home-driven." 



 

"Bless and blessed be."



 

"In the caverns of lore, ugly and obscure, shines the gold of truth."



 

"The foaming wave, so thunderous, so mighty, heralds the lordly Elves."
Lore:A Bloody Journal

[Many of the pages of this journal have been shredded or are too covered in blood to be legible.]

:Sundas

It has been two weeks since Vitellus' death, and I fear that Mother will never truly accept the fact that he is gone. She visits his grave nightly, though I do not believe she knows I have seen her go. She speaks to him there, apologizing for sending him on his last mission. I know in my heart that he would have sought no other end. Better to die fighting for the honor of the   than to waste away in a life of relative safety.

...

:Middas

Another day, another day of barracks duty. It's been a full month since I've been given a contract, any contract. My time is spent polishing weapons and training with the new boots. Eduard and I have spoken at length about this. His reasoning, as always, is sound. Mother fears for my safety, and for the safety of the Guild. This is a terrible weight for her to bear. 

Perhaps when our numbers have risen, she will once again feel comfortable allowing me to perform my duties.

...

:Morndas

Thank the gods for Eduard. I fear without him I would go mad. His constant companionship keeps me hopeful that I will one day be returned to active duty. Until then, we have each other. He has willingly forgone lucrative contracts in order to help me pass the days. A truer companion I could not imagine.

...

:Loredas

Some days I question whether or not I am fit to be a Guild member. Perhaps Mother's fears for my safety not because of  , but because of my own abilities. Am I a failure in her eyes? Does she believe me to be less a man than  ?

...

:Turdas

Freedom! Finally, a contract! I was sent with one of our newer members to investigate a disappearance in Nonwyll Cavern. It was nothing glamorous, but I am glad for the opportunity to see some action. 

I doubt, however, that Mother even knew about the contract, as the order came directly from Oreyn. It is good to see that he still has faith in my skills, and my ability to keep that new boot alive.

...

:Loredas

Again, nothing. It seems my only hope is that Oreyn will find another contract for me, though contracts are harder and harder to come by with the increasing presence of the   in  . 

Eduard and I spoke of them over breakfast this morning. He believes them to be nothing more than a rogue mercenary band. I fear he is as naïve as he is beautiful. The Blackwood Company bears watching.

...

:[date obscured]

I've been given another contract, clearing out some trolls that have been troubling miners. And Eduard is to accompany me! 

I can't think of better news. This is exactly what I need. 

...
 
:[date obscured]

Eduard is dead, along with the rest. I fear I will follow shortly. The fighting grew heavy with the trolls, but was under control. Then came the Blackwood Company. They were like madmen. Trolls, men, mer fell to their blades. It was inhuman

[text unreadable]

...

[text unreadable]

Blackwood Company gone quick as they came

Eduard fought bravely. All did. Rest now


...

I hear trolls

I'm sorry Mother
Lore:Brenus Astis' Journal

:[much of this journal has become unreadable]

...the Cyrodiilic Rat appears less aggressive than its counterpart in various other provinces. They are prevalent in all parts of Cyrodiil, equally at home in basement dwellings, caves, ruins, or grasslands. They are known to carry disease, and their bites can be painful....

:[Illegible]

...though once thought to be intelligent. They are social creatures, often appearing in groups numbering twenty or more. The largest male dominates this clan structure, and seems to have breeding rights with all females of reproductive age. Younger males will often challenge the older, dominant males in a fight to the death. Their horns locked, the two minotaurs will wrestle until one can no longer continue. This often....

:[Missing]

...called "Billies" by many of the local farmers. But, is this so-called "land dreugh" actually of any relation to the sea-dwelling dreugh? There certainly seem to be similarities in morphology, especially in the region of the head and thorax. And they produce the same " " found in the aquatic creatures. However, while true dreugh are known to be cunning, even intelligent, these "land dreugh" demonstrate none of the same intelligence. They are violent and aggressive, killing indiscriminately. 

Some believe them to be of Daedric origins, perhaps related to the Spider Daedra. That, however, is not the opinion of this researcher. It appears more likely that the "land dreugh" are a distant relative of the true dreugh, perhaps an ancestor from far back on the evolutionary timeline....

:[Missing]

Much has been made of the fact that trolls can be killed only by application of fire, whether it be by spell or torch. This is, in fact, a myth. Trolls do seem to have a weakness to fire and fire-based spells, and a fantastic ability to regenerate tissue, but they can be killed by conventional means. One should note, however, that trolls should absolutely not....

:[The rest of this journal is unreadable.]
Lore:Dar-Ma's Diary

:[This is apparently the diary of a young Argonian named  .  Most of the book deals with personal but mundane details of her life in  .  The only interesting entry is the last one:]

Arrived in   after dark, due to   throwing a shoe on the way -- the road was REALLY rough!  hardly more than a track -- doesn't anyone else ever come down here?!

The trader's shop was closed, and she wouldn't come to the door even though I could see a light in the upstairs window -- RUDE!!!  But at least this   was open (although   is kind of creepy -- kept giving me these weird grins when he thought I wasn't looking -- ugh.)  And what's wrong with his face??

Seems like I'm the only one staying here tonight.  I didn't see much of the town since it was already dark, but I admit to being kind of spooked -- but I'll never admit that to  ! Or she'd never let me go on another one of these deliveries.  She still thinks I'm just a baby (she would probably say "hatchling," and in front of my friends too!)  Remember to ask her about the creepy innkeeper when I get home.

Well, the candle is almost burned down (they don't even provide a lantern in this horrible old inn!), so I guess I'd better try to get some sleep.  If I CAN even sleep with all the creaking in this old place! I keep thinking I hear footsteps outside the door, I'm so on edge -- GROW UP, Dar! I'm sure in the morning it will all seem quaint and charming.  Good night, Diary!
Lore:Diary of Springheel Jak

I knew a man who was a great thief. He dared steal from Nocturnal herself! How odd that I cannot seem to recall his name. I think we were friends, but I'm not certain. In three days I will venture into Taren's crypt. Graverobbing alone is dangerous. Maybe I should try to find a partner. Didn't I once know a great thief?

I begin this second entry in the second volume of my diary on a momentous day. Actually it is night, the night when my second life begins. It will be forever night for me. I have become one of the children of the night, a son to mother   and brother to the  . I am nosferatu, a vampyre. Tonight is the first night of the rest of eternity.

I rediscovered this diary today. It has been 13 years since I last wrote in it. With an eternity before, and the blood hunger ever pulsing in my veins, there is little urgency for diaries, or much of anything. Amiela is calling to me. I must go.

Has it really been 89 years since I last wrote? The pages are getting fragile. I have rediscovered purpose, though it took nearly a century. I have finally gained some measure of control over the blood frenzy. I think I will try to establish a life among the living in one of their great cities.

I had forgotten about this diary. I won't bother to calculate how many decades it has been since I last wrote in it. The cattle of this city know me as  , Earl of Imbel. Centuries ago I knew myself as Springheel Jak, the famous thief. I seem to recall having a famous partner, but his name escapes me. No matter. I have grown beyond friends and partners. I rule the night here in the city.
Lore:The Five Tenets

Tenet 1: Never dishonor the Night Mother. To do so is to invoke the Wrath of Sithis. 
 
Tenet 2: Never betray the   or its secrets. To do so is to invoke the Wrath of Sithis. 
 
Tenet 3: Never disobey or refuse to carry out an order from a Dark Brotherhood superior. To do so is to invoke the Wrath of Sithis. 
 
Tenet 4: Never steal the possessions of a Dark Brother or Dark Sister. To do so is to invoke the Wrath of Sithis. 
 
Tenet 5: Never kill a Dark Brother or Dark Sister. To do so is to invoke the Wrath of Sithis.