The Primate : Before the Light Content . No one in Kvatch , the Gold Coast , or the shattered remnants of the Empire demonstrates more devotion and piety than Artorius Ponticus , the Primate of Akatosh — and he ' ll be the first to point this out to you if you aren ' t savvy enough to see the holy truth for yourself . But how did so humble an individual achieve such an august position in the religious hierarchy ? For that tale , we need to go back to where Artorius first turned to Akatosh for guidance and strength — on the streets of the Imperial City in 2E 542 . The fourth son of the wealthy Ancrus family , Artorius grew up without a clear place in the world . His eldest brother was being groomed to take control of the family ' s major holdings throughout the core of the Empire , while the brother that was next in line was being trained to care for the family ' s distant holdings in Hammerfell . The third son , Angelus , was already a young officer in the Imperial Legion with a promising military career ahead of him . By tradition , that left a life in service to the Divines as the natural path for Artorius to follow . Unfortunately , young Artorius was about as spiritual and devout as the proverbial lusty Argonian maid of song and legend . He wanted nothing to do with prayer and sacrifice . Instead , young Artorius found himself drawn to two dangerous preoccupations : first , he was fascinated with events happening in the Breton kingdoms , specifically the ongoing battles between Emeric of Wayrest and Durcorach of The Reach . He scoured Imperial City for anyone who could tell him more about what was happening there , and usually found them in the most unsavory sections of the city . Second , he started to run with employees of the notorious crime boss , Vodunius Monrius , much to the chagrin of his father and older brothers . And it wasn ' t long before he was carrying messages and taking on other errands for Vodunius and his lieutenants . Never one to miss an opportunity to teach a lesson , Primate Artorius speaks candidly about this dark time in his past . " I was full of fury and vinegar back then , " he said with a laugh when I interviewed him while researching this book . " I was angry and without direction , looking for something , but I didn ' t know what it was . That ' s a recipe for either finding your passion or losing your way . Lucky for me , Akatosh had a plan . " That plan , the Primate believes , began on a day much like most during that period of young Artorius ' s life . He started his rounds for the crime boss , collecting gold from the various merchants and artisans working in and around the Market District . The daily tithe was something of a sacred ritual for both those who were forced to pay the price and those who gathered the gold that filled Vodunius ' s coffers . Artorius was just one of a dozen young men and women who did odd jobs for the crime boss and his lieutenants , but he relished his role and the excitement that accompanied it . At least , he did until the inevitable occurred . When Artorius entered the shop of the Khajiiti baker , Sticky Paws , he found more waiting for him than the gold he expected to collect for Vodunius ' s daily tithe . Four officers of the city ' s Guard were on hand , ready to arrest the young noble and end his recently started life of crime . " Your father is greatly disappointed in you , Artorius , " the Guard Captain said . " You ' ve broken the laws of the Empire , if that gold in your pouch is any indication . You haven ' t left us with many options . " At that moment , when he should have been frightened and anxious , Artorius could only manage to conjure up a single emotion — he hated his father with an intensity that burned as hot as Sticky Paws ' ovens . The officer of the Guard explained that they could bring the full weight of the law down upon Artorius and toss him in a dungeon cell for a year and a day , or they could come up with a way for him to make amends for the crimes he had committed , but Artorius could barely hear over the pounding of his own blood . " As a favor to your father , " the officer decided , " we ' ll go with the latter . A year with the priests of the Divines should help set you back on the straight and narrow . " And just like that , Artorius found himself back in the grasp of a destiny he had tried so hard to avoid . He was sent to perform penance with the priests at the Temple of the Divines .