Loremaster ' s Archive : The Interpreted Soul Loremaster ' s Archive : The Interpreted Soul is part of the " Loremaster ' s Archive " series written by Lawrence Schick , the Loremaster of . This entry was published on 08 / 29 / 2014 . Content . The Interpreted Soul " By Abbot Crassius Viria " An initiate disturbed my meditations last night , wide - eyed and distraught . “ Abbot , ” cried he , “ I have endured the most horrible dream . I was tending to the elders in their cells , bringing them food and water , listening to their soothing songs . The moths ’ gentle wings fluttered , tranquil as always , when suddenly I was confronted by hideous apparitions ! Incorporeal dead roamed the halls , and it appeared to me as if the moths were feeding on them — sucking wisps of ghostly material , perhaps their very souls , into hungry maws ! Please , Abbot , tell me this is madness , that this is not so ! ” It is not unusual for initiates of our Order to suffer unsettling dreams , especially as they learn more of the nature of our sacred charges , the Elder Scroll s , and the ancestors that grant us the wisdom to approach their infinite mysteries . Though much of the knowledge gained through readings of the Scrolls must be experienced personally to truly comprehend it , and despite being quite exhausted from my daily rigors , I was able to help him set aside his fears about our Order ’ s relationship with mortal souls and the moths that preserve fragments of their erudition from beyond mortality . Not for us are the brutal methods of the conjurer or necromancer , tearing the soul from its vessel , constraining it and forcibly redirecting its energies with no regard for its journey or contents . No , the interplay of moth and ancestor soul is delicate and as natural as the canticle trees themselves , and we are patient and conscientious observers hoping to make sense of the cosmic tapestry by glimpsing its threads . It is through service to the moths and the ancestors that we gain guidance , not through the clumsy coercion of will without understanding the consequences . The soul , I told him , has much in common with the moth — they are a symbolic pair . Though it is typical to think of it as the Aedric essence at the core of every mortal , I advised him to consider the soul in another light , scaled like the wings of the moth , and to imagine it comprised of vessels filled through the events of mortal existence . On release from life on Nirn , it is our belief that a kind of dissipation begins , and it is then that the moths learn the song of a soul ’ s fjyrons , which are shepherded under our care and protected generation after generation . The fjyrons themselves must retain a connection to the grand fabric of creation , to the scattered soul - remnants in all their destinations . Through this link and with patient care , we receive guidance from beyond the present or past and the known world , where time is irrelevant . The moths do not capture or devour the souls of the ancestors , but only repeat to us what they ’ ve filtered , like a chorus repeating the verses of a grand song . I could tell that , though the full dawn of understanding had not broken for him yet , his wild fears about the ancestor moth s were somewhat allayed . I was pleased to assist him in his journey , and told him he would have ample time to ponder the nature of souls as he scrubbed the silkroom floors for the next week — penance for intruding on my nightly reverie . The Abbot Crassius Viria Answers Your Questions : “ As a Nord , I know that my soul may end up in Sovngarde , with Shor ' s leave , but could my soul leave Sovngarde and go into other realms of Aetherius if I so choose , or is my soul bound within that realm ? ” – Rhaegar Volker Abbot Crassius Viria says , “ Conjured or summoned souls of those who have passed on rarely tell of their sojourns in Aetherius , but it is the belief of our order that acts of will , such as travel , are rare where there is no need of volition . There is no choosing where there is no incentive for choice . ” “ In a book by Sage Svari of Fallowstone Hall , I have read that Hircine will claim the soul of any lycanthrope upon their death . That leads me to the question of who actually has ' the final say ' about where the soul of a mortal goes after death , as this example would suggest that Daedric Princes have a greater say in this than Aedra have . Are there instances in which some kind of conflict between the divine forces over the soul of a mortal may occur , and if so , what would be the deciding factors in such a conflict ? ” – Inkwolf Abbot Crassius Viria says , “ Sage Svari ’ s statement that Hircine ‘ claims ’ the souls of lycanthropes is poetic but misleading . It is the mortals themselves who decide the destinations of their souls by the choices they make during life . However , that said , there have been reports that Worm Cult necromancer s have devised a way of hijacking the souls of mortals sacrificed in a certain Daedric ritual . This would be horrid , if true , but so far we have not received definite confirmation of it . ” “ I ' ve noticed an unusual number of sentient , friendly ghosts during my travels through Tamriel . Do you think this has something to do with the Planemeld , or is something else at work ? ” – Basha - jo Abbot Crassius Viria says , “ It is undeniable that the appearance of restless or unmoored spirits has increased within the last year or two — in fact , by our estimates , such apparitions are at a historical high . The fact that our world is simultaneously under assault by Daedra and the so - called ‘ Dark Anchors ’ is unlikely to be a coincidence . The tapestry of our reality is fraying , I fear , and the Scrolls are ambiguous as to the outcome . ” “ Anointed Abbot , I come with a simple question relating to a diverse and complex topic : that of facial hair and its metaphysical significance . What role do beards ( and other forms of bodily hair , if applicable ) play in the Cult of the Ancestor Moth , and the ancient culture of Nibenay ? Do they , in some way , relate to our collective spiritual role and our place in the Aurbis ? ” – Yours with Love and love , Vivul Maloren , of Ald - Cyrod Abbot Crassius Viria says , “ It is indeed true that most male Moth Priest s sport chins that are significantly , even resplendently , hirsute , and many , various , and sundry are the mystic theories and esoteric hypotheses as to why this should be so . However , the wise student will simply reflect upon how ocular infirmity must complicate the task of shaving one ’ s chin . ”