An Essay on Portals to the Shivering Isles

Dolgubon

Essay by Malorson, foreword by Tellian

Foreword

My student Malorson was one of the most promising I had seen in decades. He was brilliant, and would have gone on to do great things, had I not failed him. Early in the year of the soulburst, I had him research and write an essay on portals into Oblivion. I only realized what a grave mistake I had made when I saw him dancing half naked in the streets of Firsthold and singing childhood ditties. (Badly, mind you. He was never a good singer and his newfound madness did not help) When I could not get him to stop talking about Uncle Sheo, I had a hunch as to what could have happened. Heading to his room confirmed my fears - it was littered with scattered parchment, with drawings of cheese, butterflies, and scantily clad daedra. After months of searching, I was able to find the following essay hidden under a stack of rare books. I hypothesized that this was the reason for his madness, perhaps helped along by the soulburst. Learning of the soulburst which occurred just prior to his bout of madness is further evidence of this theory.

An Essay on Portals to the Shivering Isles

Most of the time, madness is caused by a sickness of the mind. Men or Mer who experience such a sickness become supplicants of Sheogorath. However, those who actually visit the Shivering Isles need have no such sickness to become supplicants. The Isles are suffused with the power of madness, and while there, it is very easy to succumb to that power, willingly or not. Some who succumb gain great power (though with little control) but most simply fall before the might of Sheogorath, and add their power to his. Few are able to maintain their sanity in the face of the smell of cheese, but it is rumored that the name of the apocryphal Jyggalag can provide some protection against the cheese madness.

Thankfully, the Shivering Isles are not a part of Nirn, and there exists a barrier between the planes. The barrier is nigh impenetrable to all save powerful magicians and of course, Daedric Princes. Since only a fool would want to create such a portal, and fools rarely become powerful magicians, Nirn is largely protected from the cheeses of the Isles. The one fool who regularly opens portals is Sheogorath, but there is little that can be done to prevent that, even by the powerful Mages Guild. (As Arch-Mage Shalidor can attest to) Thankfully, there is normally little need to attempt to do so, as portals are rarely opened by Sheogorath into Nirn. Occasionally smaller portals can spontaneously open in the minds of individual men or mer, causing them to worship cheese. Thanks to the veil between Mundus and the planes of Oblivion that Akatosh created, this is quite rare. However, with the recent thinning of the veil, caused by Varen Aquilarios and the ritual he attempted, there has been an uptick in these spontaneous portals. Many have heard a voice saying ‘Let the Isles bleed into Nirn!’ which appears to be the start of a ritual that even further increases the number of spontaneous portals. An answer of ‘Free Cheese for everyone’ seems to o o open up a portal Oooooh shiny! in the foot arm chest... no, head of the replier. It (save me) a pears peers pairs pires pyres that writing it in fondue 《a Cheese!》 down does the different butterflies.

Postword

At this point, the essay devolves into random words, drawings of beards, and indecipherable smudges of ink. I was unable to determine where my student found any information on voices asking the Isles to bleed into Nirn, nor of the answering phrase. I entreat the reader to not say those phrases detailed in the essay - or even write them. Cheese is a dangerous topic, especially when influenced by Sheogorath, and it is best not to tempt danger.