Sermon of the Saints

The Blessings of ALMSIVI be upon you all, brothers and sisters.

On the Importance of the Saints

From the Eighth Sermon of Vehk: 
"And presently Nerevar and Vivec were within sight of the capital and the Four Corners of the House of Troubles knew that it was not time to contest them. The caravan musicians made a great song of entrance and the eleven gates of the Mourning Hold were thrown wide."

It is foolhardy to simply read this as a history of events, for Lord Vehk is wiser than all mystics and keener than all sorcerers. Mourning Hold of old is gone, torn asunder by jealous Dagon, yet the eleven immortal gates remain. These are not handmade, brick by brick, depending on the sweat and blood of slaves or serfs. These were made by the hands of ALMSIVI, by the instruments of their will and power. These are the eleven saints:

Veloth, Nerevar, Rilms, Aralor, Seryn, Felms, Roris, Olms, Delyn, Meris, Llothis

Only through the saints can one touch ALMSIVI. They have sacrificed their lives, and through their blood and tears, they have made clear the paths to the divine. Through them, Resdayn was made eternal. It is through the saints that ALMSIVI works. The mute Felms was inspired to be an instrument of ALMSIVI. The tormented Roris converted many by performing miracles made by the hand of the Tribunal. Olms and Delyn wrote words which were directly received from the mind of the Gods. Through these and the others, many have converted to the true faith. Yet this relationship between God and Saint is not rigid. It is as fluid as water. For Lord Vehk says in his Sixteenth Sermon:

"Moving water resembles truth by its trembling."

Thus, ALMSIVI has relied upon the saints for inspiration. Had not many sacrificed their lives, the prophecy of the coming of ALMSIVI would not have come to pass. Had Veloth not braved the wild lands of the Ayleids and Orcs, ALMSIVI would not have come to pass. Had Nerevar not slain the treacherous Dumalacath and the traitorous Sharmat, ALMSIVI would not have come to pass. The eleven saints are the gateways to the Gods. Theses are the eleven gates of the Mourning Hold, seat of the Council, footstool of ALMSIVI.

On the Necessity of the Saints

Often the devout visit Temple to pray at the shrines of the Eleven Saints of ALMSIVI. Yet many do not understand their significance in our lives. Before the raising of ALMSIVI, when the Lamentable House still waved its traitorous banner, there was an imperfection, a flaw in the sphere of the divine. The role of Hortator and Sharmat were once vital to the traditions of the Chimer. Yet the last Sharmat failed his role, desiring to stay among the Gods, thus staining the divine realm with vanity and pride.

From the Eleventh Sermon of Vehk: 
"There is no true symbolism of the center. The Sharmat will believe there is. He will feel that he can cause years of exuberance from sitting in the sacred, when really no one can leave that state and cause anything more but strife."

This is indeed the truth. The Wizard Seht knows this truth, for he has long hidden away in the city of Sotha Sil. Indeed, he knows the price that must be paid for becoming the defenders and guardians of his most beloved Dunmeri.

Yet after the destruction of the Lamentable House, there was imbalance. ALMSIVI could feel it within all the arms of Nature.

From the Eleventh Sermon of Vehk: 
"Hortator and Sharmat, one and one, eleven, an inelegant number."

With the death of the deceitful Sharmat, there remained a void. This void would be filled by ten and one, Veloth and the ten cherished ones. This number is truly inelegant, for instead of being ignoble or not of high status as was the Sharmat, this number would be made of the poor, the sick, and the troubled. Thus, such inelegance is not a fault, but a blessing. For through their poverty, through their sickness, through their troubles, the Eleven Saints, devotees and servants of ALMSIVI, have become harbingers of the Sacred Word.