Possibility of the Vestige mantling Ithelia

Arcturus

With Ithelia exiled beyond the bounds of the Aurbis, her name and nature have been struck from the memory of existence—erased from time, history, and myth. Only two beings still recall her: Hermaeus Mora, who willed the memory to persist, and the Vestige, whom he bound to this knowledge as both witness and potential inheritor. In preserving this forbidden remembrance, Mora may have done more than defy fate—he may have set the stage for a new god to rise.

Ithelia’s absence has left a wound in the fabric of Oblivion. Her realm lies empty. Her sphere—paths untaken, unrealized potential, lost futures—now drifts unanchored. And yet, her divine essence lingers. It is not gone, merely unclaimed. In the mythopoeic reality of the Elder Scrolls, where memory sustains truth and belief shapes being, this creates a profound opening.

There are six known Walking Ways—methods by which mortals have transcended into the divine, and it is the Fourth Way, the Steps of the Dead, that now stands open before the Vestige. When a divine is forgotten, their absence creates not merely silence, but shape—a space that can be filled. And if one walks in that space, knowingly or not, they begin to become what was lost. In such moments, the dead god’s power may recognize a new will, a new vessel. The void does not remain empty forever. It adapts.

The Vestige is uniquely suited for this path: soulless, deathless, already walking a liminal road between mortality and myth. They remember. They act. And if they continue to reflect the nature of the Prince of Paths—reshaping outcomes, choosing possibility over fate, opening doors no one else can see—they may do more than honor Ithelia’s memory.

They may become her echo. Or her successor.

Aliyavana

Seeing the Hero of Kvatch possibly became Sheogorath, I can see the Vestige becoming elevated somehow at the end of ESO

Nissowolf

that was surprisingly interesting !

randconfig

Arcturus wrote: »

In such moments, the dead god’s power may recognize a new will, a new vessel. The void does not remain empty forever. It adapts.

Impeccable analysis, though I have to ask, is this a quote from eso lore? I've not completed the storylines between Murkmire and before Necrom, but am slowly working through them now.

If it's not a quote, I just have issue with the implication that Ithelia is a dead god. She's in a realm without magicka, so she cannot open a portal back herself, but there's no reason we couldn't reopen the portal to bring her back.

Assuming we couldn't just recharge or reforge Abolisher to do so, Nocturnal's Skeleton key could reopen the closed portal:


But we would need a reason to do so, a new world-ending threat, as the only ones with knowledge of Ithelia and where she's at are the Vestige and Mora (assuming he didn't make himself forget again, I can't remember if he did).

Unless your implication is that Ithelia's power is not still her own, that it could be claimed by someone other than herself after she sent it into the void, "I return your power to you, Mora! And I disperse mine into the Void!".

In that case, I'd be the most concerned about Mora seeking to claim her power for himself, as it could give him absolute control over fate, he would know everything. That would be an interesting story... So many things they could do with the story, I can only hope they bring Ithelia back/follow-up on the Necrom and Gold Road storyline.

Benzux

randconfig wrote: »

Arcturus wrote: »

In such moments, the dead god’s power may recognize a new will, a new vessel. The void does not remain empty forever. It adapts.

Impeccable analysis, though I have to ask, is this a quote from eso lore? I've not completed the storylines between Murkmire and before Necrom, but am slowly working through them now.

If it's not a quote, I just have issue with the implication that Ithelia is a dead god. She's in a realm without magicka, so she cannot open a portal back herself, but there's no reason we couldn't reopen the portal to bring her back.

The Six Walking Ways are spoken of in Vivec's 36 Lessons, and the concept of Mantling is brought up in lore from the singleplayer games. Ithelia being "dead" or not is unimportant, so long as her mythic place in the Aurbis lies empty, another entity could Mantle her and take that place.

To be fair, this is kind of how I saw Ithelia's disappearance being "handled" in the grand scheme of things. She and her sphere were already heavily tied to Prisoners, and before Gold Road released, I theorized that the entire reason why Prisoners exist was her power leaking through the cage Mora had put her in. So now that she's gone for good, the hole she left behind is filled by every Prisoner that has ever existed, and will ever exist, as they are the only ones capable of walking the Many Paths, even if they are not aware of it themselves.

Cambionn

randconfig wrote: »

In that case, I'd be the most concerned about Mora seeking to claim her power for himself, as it could give him absolute control over fate, he would know everything. That would be an interesting story... So many things they could do with the story, I can only hope they bring Ithelia back/follow-up on the Necrom and Gold Road storyline.

I'm not too worried about that. Mora also knows every possible outcome already by scrying the tides of fate, and it was determined due to that that every possible outcome with Ithelia would cause trouble. Since he knows all outcomes already he doesn't need her power for that. For the same reason he also knows how wrong it would go if he did the same thing. Sure Ithelia's power would include the changing of fate, but even she didn't seem able to change the result Mora already foresaw so even she seems to have some limits in the options.

Furthermore, it's in his nature to observe and gather knowledge, not to control. He's not a very conquering or power hungry daedra (beside in a knowledge is power kinda way). More the opposite. He therefor has little reason to take control over fate, other than maybe ensure no one else does (like having patents just to put it in a drawer). Ithelia was an exception to his usual behaviour as doing nothing would destroy everything. I guess survival instinct, even if only to prevent him from not being able to search more knowledge, is strong for deadric princes too.

Thinking of it, in Skyrim Neloth's dialogue mentions he's the "prince of knowledge and fate", but since he already has ties to fate before the whole Ithelia thing it may be entire unrelated to her demise. I'm guessing it's unrelated, especially since mortals only know so much. Since he scry's fate and there is no other fate-prince they know off, the conclusion he's fate makes sense.

I'm also not sure a daedric prince could take another daedric prince's place. After all, they are a manifestation of their subjects, and so would have to somehow expand their very being in order to encompass more. Mortals, like the Hero of Kvatch, don't have that property. They can change, people change all the time. Even the daedric princes you might be able to reason would be likely to (at least try to) take each other's realms would more likely try to dominate or destroy it rather than assume the power of it's prince.