Bone , Book I Content . " It seems to me , " said Garaz , thoughtfully looking into the depths of his flin . " That all great ideas come from pure happenstance . Take for instance , the story I told you last night about my cousin . If he hadn ' t fallen off that horse , he never would have become one of the Empire ' s foremost alchemists . " It was late one Middas night at the King ' s Ham , and the regulars were always especially inclined toward philosophy . " I disagree , " replied Xiomara , firmly but politely . " Great ideas and inventions are most often formed slowly over time by diligence and hard work . If you ' ll recall my tale from last month , the young lady - - who I assure you is based on a real person - - only recognized her one true love after she had slept with practically everyone in Northpoint . " " I put it to you that neither is the case , " said Hallgerd , pouring a topper on his mug of greef . " The greatest inventions are created by extraordinary need . Must I remind you of the story I told some time ago about Arslic Oan and the invention of bonemold ? " " The problem with your theory is that your example is entirely fictional , " sniffed Xiomara . " I don ' t believe I remember the story of Arslic Oan and the invention of bonemold , " frowned Garaz . " Are you sure you told us ? " " Well , this happened many , many , many years ago , when Vvardenfell was a beauteous green land , when Dunmer were Chimer and Dwemer and Nord lived together in relative peace when they weren ' t trying to kill one another , " Hallgerd relaxed in his chair , warming to his theme . " When the sun and moons all hung in the sky together - - " " Lord , Mother , and Wizard ! " grumbled Xiomara . " If I ' m going to be forced to hear your ridiculous story again , pray don ' t embellish and make it any longer than it has to be . " This all happened in Vvardenfell quite some time ago ( said Hallgerd , ignoring Xiomara ' s interruption with admirable restraint ) during an era of a king you would never have heard of . Arslic Oan was one of this king ' s nobles and very , very disagreeable fellow . Because of his allegiance to the crown , the king had felt the need to grant him a castle and land , but he didn ' t necessarily want him as a neighbor so the land he granted was far from civilization . Right in an area of Vvardenfell that is , even today , not quite civilized to this day . Arslic Oan built a walled stronghold and settled down with his unhappy slaves to enjoy a quiet if somewhat grim life . It was not long before his stronghold ' s integrity was tested . A tribe of cannibalistic Nords had been living in the valley for some time , mostly dining on one another , but occasionally foraging what they liked to call dark meat , the Dunmer . Xiomara laughed with appreciation . " Marvelous ! I don ' t remember that from before . It ' s funny how you don ' t hear much about the Nords ' rampant cannibalism nowadays . " This was obviously , as I ' ve said , quite some time ago ( said Hallgerd , glaring at part of his audience with civil malevolence ) and things were in many ways quite different . These cannibalistic Nords began attacking Arslic Oan ' s slaves in the fields , and then slowly grew bolder , until they held the very stronghold itself under siege . They were quite a fearsome sight you can imagine : a horde of wild - eyed men and women with dagger - like teeth filed to tear flesh , wielding massive clubs , cloaked only in the skins of their victims . Arslic Oan assumed that if he ignored them , they ' d go away . Unfortunately , the first thing that the Nords did was to poison the stream that carried water into the walled stronghold . All the livestock and most of the slaves died very quickly before this was discovered . There was no hope of rescue , at least for several months when the king ' s emissaries would come reluctantly to visit the disagreeable vassal . The next closest source of water was on the other side of the hill , so Arslic Oan sent three of his slaves with empty jugs to bring some back . They were beaten with clubs and eaten before they were a few feet outside the stronghold gates . The next group he sent through he gave sticks to defend themselves . They made it a few feet farther , but were also overwhelmed , beaten , and devoured . It was obvious that better personal defensive was required . Arslic Oan went to talk to his armorer , one of his few slaves with specific talents and duties . " The slaves need armor if they ' re going to make it to the river and back , " he said . " Collect every scrap of steel and iron you can find , every hinge , knife , ring , cup , everything that isn ' t needed to keep the walls sturdy , smelt it , and give me the most and the best armor you can , very , very quickly . " The armorer , whose name was Gorkith , was used to Arslic Oan ' s demands , and knew that there could be no compromise on the quality and quantity of the armor , or the speed at which he worked . He labored for thirty hours without a break - and , recall , without any water to slake his thirst as he struggled with the kiln and anvil - until finally , he had six suits of mixed - metal armor . Six slaves were chosen , clad in the armor , and sent with jars to collect river water . At first , the mission progressed well . The Nord attacked the armored slaves with their clubs , but they continued their march forward , warding off the blows . Gradually , however , the slaves seemed to be walking uncertainly , dazed by the endless barrage . Eventually , one by one , they fell , the armor was peeled from their bodies , and they were eaten . " The slaves couldn ' t move quickly enough in that heavy armor you made , " said Arslic Oan to Gorkith . " I need you to collect all the cadavers of the poisoned livestock , strip their skin , and give me the most and the best Leather Armor you can , very , very quickly . " Gorklith did as he was told , though it was a particularly repulsive task given the rancid state of the livestock . Normally it takes quite a time to treat and cure leather , so I understand , but Gorklith worked at it tirelessly , and in a half a day he had twelve suits of leather armor . Twelve slaves were chosen , clad in the armor , and sent with jars to collect river water . They progressed , at first , much better than the earlier expedition . Two fell almost immediately , but the others had some luck out - maneuvering their assailants while deflecting an occasional blow of the club . Several got to the river , three were able to fill up their jars , and one fellow very nearly made it back to the stronghold gates . Alas , he fell and was eaten . The Nords possessed a remarkably healthy appetite . " What we need before I completely run out of slaves , " said Arslic Oan thoughtfully to Gorkith . " Is an armor sturdier than leather but lighter than metal . " The armorer had already considered that and taken stock of the materials available . He had thought about doing something with stone or wood , but there were practical problems with demolishing more of the stronghold . The next most prevalent stuff present in the stronghold was skinned dead bodies , hunks of muscle , fat , blood , and bone . For six hours , he toiled relentlessly until he produced eighteen suits of bonemold , the first ones ever created . Arslic Oan was somewhat dubious at the sight ( and smell ) but he was very thirsty , and willing to sacrifice another eighteen slaves if necessary . " Might I suggest , " Gorklith queried tremulously , " Having the slaves practice moving about in the armor , here in the courtyard , before sending them to face the Nords ? " Arslic Oan coolly allowed it , and for a few hours , the slaves wandered about the stronghold courtyard in their suits of bonemold . They grew used to the give of the joints , the rigidity of the backplate , the weight pushed onto their shoulders and hips . They discovered how to plant their feet slightly askew to keep their balance steady ; how to quickly turn , pivoting without falling down ; how to break into a run and stop quickly . By the time they were sent out of the castle gates , they were easily very nearly almost amateurs in the use of their medium weight armor . Seventeen of them were killed and eaten , but one made it back with a jar of water . " It ' s perfect nonsense , " said Xiomara . " But my point is still valid even so . Like all great inventors , even in fiction , the armorer worked diligently to create the bonemold . " " I think there was a good deal of happenstance as well , " frowned Garaz . " But it is an appalling story . I wish you hadn ' t told me . " " If you think that ' s appalling , " grinned Hallgerd . " You should hear what happened next . "