Netruk44/uesp-wiki-content huggingface dataset:
Lore:Followers of the Gray Fox

We are the Fingers of the Fox, the Children of the Shadows. More commonly we are known as the  .

There are but three rules for followers of  :

First, never steal from another member of the guild.

Second, never kill anyone on the job. This is not the  . Animals and monsters can be slain if necessary.

Third, don't steal from the poor. The peasants and beggars are under the personal protection of the Gray Fox, particularly in the Imperial City  .

Breaking any of the three rules means expulsion from the Thieves Guild. If you commit murder, you must pay the blood price to rejoin the guild. Blood price is for each person slain. You can pay any of the guild Doyen.

The Doyen are the hands and eyes of the guildmaster. You take your orders from them. You get your favors from them. They can pay off the Imperial judges to remove your crimes -- for a small fee, of course.

Our guildmaster is the Gray Fox. We don't talk about him in public. However, we make sure that most folks think he is just a myth.

We're thieves, not masons or scribes. Each member steals at his own discretion. The guild neither helps nor hinders with a burglary. However, you will find that you can only sell stolen property to one of our guild fences. Other merchants won't take hot merchandise.

You won't be considered for promotion in the Thieves Guild unless you have sold enough stolen property to the fences. The higher in the guild you rise, the more stolen property you need to have fenced.

If you should be called to help the Gray Fox in some special way, remember that the best source of information is the beggars. Their eyes and ears seem to be everywhere. However, be prepared to spend a little coin. They won't tell you anything for free. At least not anything true.

The guild takes care of its own. The Doyen can remove the bounty from any guild member. However, it takes money to bribe the guards. The guild member must pay the Doyen half of his total fines to get rid of them.
Lore:Manual of Arms

This manual is commissioned by General Warhaft to serve as a guide and manual to arms and weapons for all   officers in the field.

Obviously, a soldier's weaponry should reflect his skills. Skill with a   is recommended for  s,  s, longswords, and claymores. Skill with   weapons is desirable to wield the  ,  ,   and  . To the uninitiated, axes and hammers may seem to be very different weapons, but the rhythm, drill, and physical strength used by both weapon types are virtually identical. Only those with   skill should be outfitted with the bow.

Most of these weapons are commonly used in combination with a  . The claymore, battle axe and war hammer, however, require both hands to use. These two-handed weapons are best suited to heavily-armored knights, berserkers and those soldiers that hold the flanks of the line.

Arms have been made from many materials over the ages, and each material varies in weight, durability, and cost. These materials are here ranked in order of   and cost, with cheapest and least desirable listed first:  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , ebony, and finally  . Some armorers correctly observe that silver weapons are slightly less durable than steel; nonetheless, its unique ability to affect  s,  s and certain types of Daedric creatures is undisputed.

Bows can be made with laminated cores of the same materials. This provides a higher tensile strength and therefore greater power on the draw. The materials used in the arrow, particularly in the arrowhead, can affect its mass and penetration. Thus, the quality of the bow and of the arrow are taken together to determine the weapon's overall armor penetration.

  weapons are mentioned in virtually every fable and song. The magic on such items lies dormant until they strike an opponent. At that moment the enchantment is activated, causing distress and injury to the target. Enchantments on bows are transferred to the arrow at the moment of release. Should the arrow have an enchantment of its own, however, the missile now carries both enchantments and delivers them to the target.

An enchanted weapon has a limited reservoir of  . Each blow drains some of its reserves, until finally it is drained dry. The enchantment can be recharged by arcane processes involving soul gems. The more powerful the soul in the gem, the more magicka is restored to the item.
Lore:Mysticism (book)

is the school of sorcery least understood by the  al community and the most difficult to explain to novice mages.  The spell effects commonly ascribed to the School of Mysticism are as extravagantly disparate as  , the creation of a cell that would hold a victim's spirit after death, to  , the manipulation of objects at a distance.  But these effects are simply that: effects.  The sorcery behind them is veiled in a mystery that goes back to the oldest civilizations of  , and perhaps beyond.

The Psijics of the Isle of Artaeum have a different term for Mysticism: the Old Way.  The phrase becomes bogged in semantic quagmire because the Old Way also refers to the religion and customs of the Psijics, which may or may not be part of the magic of Mysticism.

There are few mages who devote their lives to the study of Mysticism.  The other schools are far more predictable and ascertainable.  Mysticism seems to derive power from its conundrums and paradoxes; the act of experimentation, no matter how objectively implemented, can influence magicka by its very existence.  Therefore the Mystic mage must consign himself to finding dependable patterns within a roiling imbroglio of energy.  In the time it takes him to devise an enchantment with a consistent trigger and result, his peers in the other schools may have researched and documented dozens of new spells and effects.  The Mystic mage must thus be a patient and relatively uncompetitive philosopher.

For centuries, mostly during   Second Era, scholarly journals published theory after theory about the aspect or aspects of magicka lumped together under Mysticism.  In the  's tradition of finding answers to all things, respected researchers suggested that Mysticism's penultimate energy source was the Aetherius Itself, or else   of unimaginable powe ither rationale would explain the seemingly random figurations of Mysticism.  Some even ventured that Mysticism arose from the unused elements of successfully, or even unsuccessfully, cast spells.  Discussion within the Order of Psijics   has led some scholars to postulate that Mysticism is less spiritual in nature as was originally supposed, and that either the intellect or the emotional state of the believer is sufficient to influence its energy configuration and flow.

None of these explanations is truly satisfactory taken by itself.  For the beginning student of Mysticism, it is best simply to learn the patterns distinguishable in the maelstrom of centuries past.  The more patterns are discovered, the clearer the remaining ones become.  Until, of course, they change.  For inevitably they have to.  And then the journey begins anew.
Lore:Myth or Menace?

Many investigators have attempted solve the riddle of the  . Despite repeated proofs that no viable Thieves Guild exists, the rumors persist. Whenever historians search for evidence of this shadowy organization, nothing is found. Witnesses know nothing. Safe houses are empty. Fences turn out to be simple businessmen.

Let me clarify by stating that thieves most certainly do exist. They rot in dungeons all across Tamriel. Certainly bands of thieves work together to commit crimes. On rare occasions there has even been documented cases were persistent bands of thieves have worked together for years at a time committing thefts and other crimes.

However, a guild is different than a band. A guild implies an organization with membership rolls. It would have a financial structure, which would include member dues or some other means of securing funds. It would have rules of conduct or behavior. It would have a hierarchical leadership structure. Within this structure there would be methods of advancement and succession.

The best documented case of a Thieves Guild was found in Morrowind. For a brief time   ran a ring of thieves that robbed wealthy merchants and nobles all across that nation. During the recent   incident, the   and the shadowy Morag Tong eliminated this band of thugs. The final fate of Jim Stacey himself is not known.

The Morrowind Thieves Guild did have a financial structure and a leadership structure. It satisfied many of the conditions of a true guild. However, it was short lived. Public knowledge of Stacey's group lasted for only a few years at most. Although the Fighters Guild has claimed credit for wiping them out, some historians believe the group merely went deeper undercover.

The problem with determining the non-existence of the Thieves Guild is quite logical. It is not possible to prove a negative. I cannot prove definitively that the Thieves Guild does not exist, only that historians have been unable to document one.

If a Thieves Guild were to be operational in Cyrodiil, one would think that crime would be rampant, which it is not. The very nature of thieves makes it impossible for them to trust one another sufficiently to work together for very long. By nature a thief is a rule breaker. Therefore an organization that has rules would fail if all   members were thieves. For these reasons, I dispute the existence of a modern day Thieves Guild in Cyrodiil.
Lore:The Red Book of Riddles

his handye booke doth containe alle diverse manner of riddles and follyes, and, by means of carefulle studye, the prudente scholarlye gentlemane maye finde himselfe noe longer discomfited by the sharpe wite of his fellowes.

 The posing and puzzling of riddles is a convention of polite aristocratic Western society. Nobles and social aspirants collect books of riddles and study them, hoping thereby to increase the chances of their appearing sly and witty in conversation. 


The question:
:It has a tail, a side and a head
:I call it what I call a snake
:It has no body and it is dead


The answer:
:It must be a drake 


The question:
:Poets know the hearts of   and  
:But beasts can't know my heart, you see
:This book was written by a  


The answer:
:It is not a book of poetry.


The question:
:I gave you a sock, not unlike a box
:With hammers and nails all around it
:Two lids open when it knocks


The answer:
:It must have been a great hit.
Lore:Trials of St. Alessia

[  the Trials of    ]

 katosh made a covenant with Alessia in those days so long ago. He gathered the tangled skeins of Oblivion, and knit them fast with the bloody sinews of his Heart, and gave them to Alessia, saying,  This shall be my token to you, that so long as your blood and oath hold true, yet so shall my blood and oath be true to you. This token shall be the  , and the Covenant shall be made between us, for I am the King of Spirits, and you are the Queen of Mortals. As you shall stand witness for all Mortal Flesh, so shall I stand witness for all Immortal Spirits. 

 nd Akatosh drew from his breast a burning handful of his Heart's blood, and he gave it into Alessia's hand, saying,  This shall also be a token to you of our joined blood and pledged faith. So long as you and your descendants shall wear the Amulet of Kings, then shall this  ragonfire burn an eternal flame as a sign to all men and gods of our faithfulness. So long as the   shall burn, to you, and to all generations, I swear that my Heart's blood shall hold fast the  .

  o long as the Blood of the Dragon runs strong in her rulers, the glory of the   shall extend in unbroken years. But should the  ragonfires fail, and should no heir of our joined blood wear the Amulet of Kings, then shall the Empire descend into darkness, and the   shall govern the land. 

  from the liturgy of the Re-Kindling of the Dragonfires
Lore:Glories and Laments

aving arrived at  , halfway on the   between   and the  , I resolved to make a side trip to view the magnificent ruins of  , or "Shadow of the Fatherwoods  in the ancient Ayleid tongue. After many hours of difficult travel through tangled hawthorn hells and limberlosts, I was suddenly struck dumb by the aspect of five pure white columns rising from a jade-green mound of vines to perfect V-shaped arches and graceful capitals towering above the verdant forest growth. This spectacle caused me to meditate on the lost glories of the past, and the melancholy fate of high civilizations now poking like splinter shards of bone from the green-grown tumulus of time-swept obscurity.

Within the forest tangle I discovered an entrance leading down into the central dome of a great underground edifice once dedicated to Magnus, the God of Sight, Light, and Insight. Dimly lit by the faded power of its magical pools, the shattered white walls of the enclosure shimmered with a cold blue light.

The marble benches of the central plaza faced out across the surrounding waters to tall columns  and sharp arches supporting the high dome. From the central island, stately bridges spanned the still pools to narrow walkways behind the columns, with broad vaulted avenues and limpid canals leading away through ever-  gloom into darkness. Reflected in the pools were the tumbled columns, collapsed walls, and riotous root and vine growth thriving the dark half-light of the magical fountains.

The ancient  s recognized not the four elements of modern natural philosophy earth, water, air, and fire but the four elements of High Elf religion earth, water, air, and light. The Ayleids considered fire to be but a weak and corrupt form of light, which Ayleid philosophers identified with primary magical principles. Thus their ancient subterranean temples and sanctuaries were lit by lamps, globes, pools, and fountains of purest magic.

It was by these ancient, faded, but still active magics that I knelt and contemplated the departed glories of the long-dead   architects. Gazing through the glass-smooth reflections of the surrounding pools, I could see, deep below, the slow pulse, the waxing and waning of the  .

The chiefest perils of these ruins to the explorer are the cunning and deadly mechanisms devised by the Ayleids to torment and confound those would invade their underground sanctuaries. What irony that after these many years, these devices should still stand vigilant against those who would admire the works of the Ayleids. For it is clear... these devices were crafted in vain. They did not secure the Ayleids against their true enemies, which were not the slaves who revolted and overthrew their cruel masters, nor   were they the savage beast peoples who learned the crafts   and magic from their Ayleid masters. No, it was the arrogant pride of their achievements, their smug self-assurance that their empire would last forever, that doomed them to fail and fade into obscurity.
Lore:The True Nature of Orcs

rcs were born during the latter days of the Dawn Era. History has mislabeled them  , related to the   races, but the Orcs are actually the children of Trinimac, strongest of the  i ancestor spirits. When Trinimac was eaten by the Daedr  Prince Boethiah, and transformed in that foul god's insides, the Orcs were transformed as well. The ancient name for the Orcs is  Orsimer,  which means  The Pariah Folk.  They now follow  , the remains of Trinimac.

Who is  ?

He is more commonly know  as the Daedr  Prince Malacath,  whose sphere is the patronage of the spurned and ostracized, the sworn oath, and the bloody curse.  He is not technically a   Lord, nor do the other Daedra recognize him as such, but this is fitting for his sphere. Of old he was Trinimac, the champion of the High Elven pantheon, in some places more popular than Auri-El, who protected them against enemies without and within. When Trinimac and his followers attempted to halt the Velothi dissident movement, Boethiah ate him. Trinimac's body and spirit were corrupted, and he emerged as Malacath. His followers were likewise changed for the worse. Despised by everyone, especially the inviolate Auri-El, they quickly fled to the northern wastes, near  . They fought  s and Chimer for a place in the world, but did not get much. In Skyrim, Malacath is called Orkey, or Old Knocker, and his battles with Ysmir are legendary.
Lore:The Waters of Oblivion

hundred and twenty numbered ages in the void that fated folk had grown deep-schooled in evil. Then the Bright Gods resolved to punish those faithless spirits, and shatter the unruly caitiffs, those huge, unholy scathers, loathsome to the Light. They repented exceedingly that they had gazed upon Oblivion, and seen there the first of dark kin, and welcomed them as brothers and sisters.


 he Principalities of Victory beheld how great was the wickedness of the wayward spirits, and saw that they were bold in sin and full of wiles. They resolved then to chasten the tribes of  aedra, and smite darkkind with hammer and hand.


 ut ever shall Darkness contest the Light, and great were the Powers that breathed the void and laid waste upon one another, and no oath might bind them, so deep were they in envy and perfidy. For once the portals are opened, who shall shut them upon the rising tide?
Lore:Sithis (book)

ithis is the start of the house. Before him was nothing, but the foolish   have names for and revere  . That is because they are lazy slaves. Indeed, from the  ,  tasis asks merely for itself, which is nothing. 

Sithis sundered the nothing and mutated the parts, fashioning from them a myriad of possibilities. These ideas ebbed and flowed and faded away and this is how it should have been.

One idea, however, became jealous and did not want to die; like the stasis, he wanted to last. This was the demon  , who made friends, and they called themselves the  . They enslaved everything that Sithis had made and created realms of everlasting imperfection. Thus are the Aedra the false gods, that is, illusion.

So Sithis begat   and sent him to destroy the  . Lorkhan! Unstable mutant!

Lorkhan had found the Aedric weakness. While each rebel was, by their nature, immeasurable, they were, through jealous y and vanity, also separate from each other. They were also unwilling to go back to the nothing of before. So while they ruled their false dominions, Lorkhan filled the void with a myriad of new ideas. These ideas were legion. Soon it seemed that Lorkhan had a dominion of his own, with slaves and everlasting imperfections, and he seemed, for all the world, like an Aedra. Thus did he present himself as such to the demon Anui-El and the  : as a friend.

Go unto the Sharmat   as a friend.

AE   ALTADOON PADHOME LKHAN AE AI
Oblivion:White Gold Tower

thumb|White Gold Tower seen from its base
The   (sometimes written without the hyphen), also called the Imperial Palace or simply White-Gold, is the enormous central spire of the Imperial City, located in the heart of the Palace District. It towers above everything else in the city.

The tower was built by the earliest Aldmeri migrants to Cyrodiil in the middle Merethic Era and was the center of the region occupied by their descendants, the Ayleids.   are believed to be pieces of the tower. The tower was originally called the Temple of the Ancestors, and was home to the  , a set of Ayleid statues made from meteoric iron and glass. The distance between the Ayleids' lands and those of their theoretical overlords led to the establishment of White-Gold Tower as an independent city state in  ; a state that lasted until Alessia overthrew Ayleid rule in  . The Ten Ancestors were removed from the temple before its sacking and were dispersed among several Ayleid cities.

Currently it serves as the Imperial Palace and hosts the vaults and libraries of the Moth Priesthood. It can be seen from all over the Imperial City and the surrounding countryside, and is a defining symbol of the Empire. 

White-Gold Tower is speculated to wield the power necessary to keep Mundus from dissolving back into Oblivion.
Notes
Emperor Uriel Septim VII is seen standing at the top of this tower in the game's trailer. However, there are no practical means of access to the top without using glitches.
Lore:Heavy Armor Repair

must be designed to take a lot of punishment. It will receive direct blows from all sorts of weapons while protecting the wearer. Such armor tends to be made from a few large pieces rather than lots of small pieces like light armor.

  and   are easy to work. Just heat them up and pound them back into shape. You can even use a camp fire for field repairs. Avoid filing off any of the metal. Always try to conserve the metal and work it back into shape.

If a piece needs a lot of hammering, it may become brittle. Reheating the armor every now and then can reduce the brittleness after severe repairs. Once the hammering is done, be sure to oil it well. The freshly hammered surfaces will rust more quickly and need to be protected.

  and   armor require small and large hammers. Heat should be used sparingly, particularly with Orcish. Both types respond better to many small hammer strokes rather than fewer heavy strokes.

  can only be hammered when heated. It will develop small cracks that eventually shatter the material if hammered cold.   should always be worked on at night... ideally under a new or full moon, and never during   eclipse. A red harvest moon is best.
Lore:Light Armor Repair

There are two classes of  , metallic and non-metallic. Chainmail,  ,   and   are all examples of metallic light armor. You may be surprised to think that Glass can be thought of as metallic, but appearances are deceiving. What we call Glass is nothing like the windows panes you see in houses. The greenish material is far stronger and has a much higher melting point.

Non-metallic armors are Fur and Leather. For these armor types, the hammer is less useful than the sewing kit. A sharp awl is necessary to restitch the thick material. Holes frequently have to be patched with spare material. The rule of thumb is once you have to patch a patch, it's time to throw out the armor and get a new set.

Metallic armor will occasionally need a patch. Usually it can be repaired by hammering the torn pieces back together. Elven and Mithril will repair better when heated. Chainmail is usually malleable enough to work on cold. 

The trickiest of all is Glass. Hammer blows struck across the grain run the risk of shattering the armor. Whenever possible,   the hammer blows with the grain. In extreme cases, place the armor in tub of oil. Place the anvil so that the affected piece is on the anvil, but just under the oil. Vibrations from the hammer blows are absorbed by the oil and less likely to shatter the Glass.