General:Ted Peterson's Posts

Who was Jyggylag prior to the Shivering Isles? (c. Feb 2001)

Jyggalag was thrown into "On Oblivion" to add an additional daedra prince in case we needed one down the road for -- I don't know -- the daedra of poisons or unattractive hairdos.

On the disappearance of Artaeum (2003/05/10)

Some have suggested that Sotha Sil's bargain with the daedra is what caused Artaeum to vanish for several hundred years. I think it's much more because of Vanus Galerion's "democratization" (and capitalization) of magic, bringing some of the secrets of the Psijics off the island. They were suddenly threatened, and they withdrew. When they came back, the older master Iachesis was gone, and they were in a different world. In "The Wolf Queen," Potema mocks the Psijics, saying that their off-spring the Mages Guild is now much more powerful. Perhaps they feel their contradictory philosophy lends them some of their old glamour. Perhaps they are onto something they learned in their time away from Mundus.

After all, a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds.

Why is the name "Atmora" derived from the Aldmeri language if it was populated by men? (2003/11/16)

The common name for a place is not necessarily the name given to it by its original inhabitants. America comes from Italian, Britain comes from Latin, Japan comes Chinese (though invented by Japanese scholars from the Middle Chinese phrase nzyet-pwun-kwuk, "land of the rising sun," which became Nippon or Nihon, and the English used the Chinese word "Japan"), et cetera.

It may be surmised that where Aldmeris was spoken, the land of the Nedic people was called Atmora, and the name has stuck, and the original name of the land by its inhabitants has vanished.

On the appearance of the Tsaesci, and the "truths" in fictional Tamrielic writings (2004/05/07)

I never saw a Tsaesci 
I never hope to see one, 
But I can tell you this right now: 
I'd rather see than be one.

Carlovac Townway, the author of 2920, though quite a scholar, never saw a Tsaeci or any other Akavari (of which there are many, as has been noted) either. He attempted to write a historically accurate piece of fiction. I'd compare him and Waughin Jarth and a few other Tamrielic authors to writers like Sharon Kay Penman, who write meticulously researched historical fiction. Everything is true, but there's plenty of dramatic license, and, in this case, he hedged his bets with his description of the Potentates. 

To the people of Tamriel during the interregnum, the Potentates were snakes. But, it must be reasoned, they knew how to use their native weaponry, katanas and wakizashis and so on. Does that mean they must have had at least arms to use them? Townway reasoned yes.

Are Akavari Asians? Certainly not. Nirn is not earth, so there is no Tamriel = Europe, Akavir = Asia, Yokuda = Africa, Pyandonea = Australia, or any other direct comparisons. 

That said, we, the developers and ex-developers, who translate Tamrielic culture into a thing understandable by Earth dwellers, often use familiar words and concepts which carry with them some additional baggage. There are, for example, in Tamriel, slightly curved, single edged swords which are considered among the finest blades in existence. The easiest word to use to describe this is "katana." As in all translations, it conveys the essential meaning of the thing, but one shouldn't confuse the makers of the katana with the Japanese any more than one should assume that the origins of the Tamrielic claymore are Scottish.

Of course, none of this is to say that mod-makers shouldn't include Asian characters who are said to be from Akavir. Is it "true" to the lore? No. Is it contradictory to the lore? No again.

Are there any Tsaesci on Tamriel in the 3rd era? (2004/05/14)

Is it reasonable to assume there might be a few Tsaesci slithering around Tamriel hither and yon? There are certainly stranger things ... 

Rebuttal to shrines and blessings disproving atheism in Tamriel (2004/11/30)

It may not work because of the reasons given to you by the Temple of the Tribunal, the Benevolence of Mara, the witches of Glenmoril, or any of the other organized and disorganized religions of the land. That is not evidence, that is explanation, which is very, very different.

Rebuttal to "given the above, even Sheogorath might not be real" (2004/11/30)

True, but I am.

I may, however, be less or more than I or you think I am. There are those who say that there is but one God with a split personality. Who could they be thinking of? 

'''Roleplaying profiles for Elysana and Sheogorath, from Lorana's RP (2004/12/04)

Elysana

Age: 41

Height: 5’8”

Hair: Blonde

Eyes: Green

Occupation: Queen of Wayrest

Notes: The daughter of the late Queen Carolyna and King Eadwyre, stepdaughter of Queen Barenziah, stepsister of King Helseth of Morrowind and Queen Morgiah of Firsthold. She won the throne of Wayrest after a bitter struggle with Helseth, an impressive feat, proving her political acumen and strength.

She has been queen for over ten years now, and has two children by her consort prince. Under her, Wayrest has expanded its territory. A cold war exists between Wayrest, Daggerfall, and Sentinel, and a much warmer one between Wayrest and Orsinium.

It is said a serpent once bit her and died. Her admirers and enemies alike routinely call her the new Wolf Queen. She is powerful and paranoid, utterly ruthless and very, very smart.

Sheogorath

Age: Banana

Height: 48000 feet (in heels)

Hair: Luscious and brown and perky

Eyes: Two, roughly parallel, and blue

Occupation: Daedra Prince of Madness and Banker

Notes: A storm usually but not always precedes the arrival of the Mad God, otherwise known as the Dam Dog. His personality veers between a charmingly eccentric uncle and a blood-spattered homicidal maniac. 

How do you pronounce Psijic? (2006/06/19)'''

Sidgick. But that ain't gospel.

Oblivion = hell? (2006/06/29)

[Oblivion has been synonymous with hell for] exactly 10 years, since Daggerfall.

In fact, in Arena, there were no Daedra, only Demons (or maybe we spelled it Daimons? I don't remember). The first book "On Oblivion," calls Daimons a mispelling of Daedra ... our very first retcon ...

What's even worse, the first time the phrase "the marble jaws of Oblivion" is used was in the Emperor's intro to Daggerfall, talking of King Lysandus:

He was as great and loyal a subject, ally, and friend to me as you are. I did grieve for him ... but I now hear his spirit will not rest. It haunts his former kingdom crying for revenge. I do not know why such a good and loyal man would be so cursed, but perhaps you could find the reason. You could close the marble jaws of Oblivion and put his soul to peace.

Now, I'm not sayin' that Oblivion is the afterlife in TES. But Uriel here, unlike in the beginning of Oblivion where he uses the exact same phrase (well, which of us don't have our favorite catch phrases?) clearly means "the marble jaws of Oblivion" to mean "the grave." It's the simplest sort of a metaphor. Why are the jaws marble? Not just because it's hard -- it's because that's what graves are made out of.

All that said, Oblivion is not fire and brimstone and pitchforks. At least, it's not only that.

On the divines definitely being real (2006/06/05)

Well ... amazing magical things in a highly magical world are not necessarily proof, even though the priests say they are.

Don't worry, MK will agree with you that there is conclusive proof of the Aedra in TES. I just wouldn't be doing my duty as Sheogorath without pointing out that just because a million people believe a foolish thing does not make it less of a foolish thing.

On the Trial of Vivec and future roleplays in the series influencing lore (2006/06/05)

I have never said [the Trial of Vivec is canon]. It might turn out to be, but I actually subscribe to the spirit of the much maligned phrase of Pete's that it's not canon unless it's in the games. The trial and the RP that sprung from it, which continues on in the "From The Ashes" thread, have definitely influenced some lore that subsequently appeared in Oblivion and in the PGE.

On canon and noncanon sources (2006/06/05)

I would like to propose that instead of there being a black-and-white distinction between canon and non-canon, loreists refer to Primary and Secondary Sources. A Secondary Source, such as a comment from MK or a reference in the Trial or RP, may be 100% accurate and become a Primary Source when it is later published in a game; it may remain a useful reference, such as a scholar's commentary on Shakespeare, which is informed and likely true, though not actually part of a play or sonnet; or, it may be disproved on later Primary Source evidence.

On Ius, Animal God (2010/06/14)

I actually wrote it for the amusement of the patch testers for Arena, one of whom noticed that in the town of Rockcreek, there was a shop placed directly in front of the town entrance. You could still get in and out of the town, since you didn't have to be right at the door to click on it, but they wanted to know how it came to be there. The right answer is that the towns were randomly generated, and this one just came up screwy. But I felt a legend needed to be created just for that. There are goofy little statues in Arena of a guy with scales, so I elected him to be the fella behind the myth.
I don't know why we decided to put it in the game to be honest, except that I thought it was kinda funny and I thought you couldn't have too many books in the game, and here was a story already written. You can't go to Rockcreek from the environs of Daggerfall which made the book not only peculiar but totally worthless."

On Passwall (2020/08/24)

Lesser known: in 3E 399, the anti-Passwall Act was passed, so that spell you could use to burrow through dungeons a few years earlier stopped being a thing.

Re: Bourn in Wood Chapter 1 - A New Daggerfall Book by Ted Peterson (2021/08/03)

Hey guys, thanks for the comments. Yes, the books should only be released after Woodborne’s death. That’s why it begins by saying if you’re reading it, he’s dead. It is explained a bit more later in the series, but he’s made arrangements to circulate the books after his death.

The 36 Lessons Of Vivec is a bit of a joke, but if it’s not landing, I can rework it. I know that explaining a joke rarely makes it funny, but it’s supposed to suggest that reading a long, dry book series like A Brief History Of The Empire is worse than death. Of course, I wrote ABHOTE so the joke’s on me.

I can also fiddle with the reference to the Daggerfall, though I don’t think referencing the whole situation in the Iliac Bay is the answer. Woodborne’s plot has nothing to do with Numidium which becomes the main plot after Lysandus’s death, and if the player finds the books after that story begins, they’ll think that’s what Woodborne is referencing. He’s really mainly talking about Lysandus haunting Daggerfall.

I’ll send Gavin an edited version of the first book and then the second for any of the community’s notes.

As far as the comment about putting the “gather around” at the top rather than at the bottom, remember this is the first book of the series and the proper story hasn’t begun. So it’s more of a prologue/introduction.

Re: Bourn in Wood, Volume 2 (2021/08/06)

The series will dive into spy networks in the Iliac Bay during this era, because it has to. Lord Woodborne became a very effective spymaster, which he explicitly states in his ingame (thus canonical) diary where he says his network is rivaling that of the Blades and the Underking. Those two groups are rivals, both aware of and searching for the same thing: the Totem Of Tiber Septim. It’s the CIA versus the KGB. That means there are double and triple agents in both groups. Somehow, this kid - not an immortal Underking or an Emperor - ends up with that very thing.

There are other threads I’m laying out, like the assassination of Lysandus and the aim to become king of Wayrest, but the formation and eventual success of Woodborne’s spy network from nothing to ultimate success is a driving force of his tale.