Loremaster's Archive- Gathering your questions about Scribing

ZOS_Kevin

Welcome back to Loremaster's Archive! This time, we've invited Votary Nahlia**, a sworn knight of the Order of the Lamp, to delve into the mysteries of Scribing! Whether you're an arch-mage eager to master new abilities or a simple scholar seeking to expand your knowledge of the origins of magic, you can submit your questions below!

To help our Loremaster answer as many questions as possible, please keep your questions short (no more than a line or two) and limit yourselves to one question apiece. We'll keep this thread open for one week (closing 05/07/2024 @ 10am ET/2pm UTC) for everyone to get your questions in starting today!

*Once the question asking period is over, we will move this to the lore section of the forum. A separate post will be made with the Loremaster's Archive article link.
**Changed the title from "Dame" to "Votary".

LunaFlora

Greetings Votary Nahlia,
Of the currently discovered grimoires do you have a favourite, if so why?

Sincerely,
Lunetta Gleamblossom

edited: her title

MafiaCat115

Dear Votary Nahlia,

I write in hopes of you imparting the knowledge of how Scribing relates to the crafts of staff creation and spellcrafting. Is it similar to these forms of magicka manipulation, or is it a notably unique process?

Signed,
Asrea Starlight, Altmer Scholar of Alinor

DagothCorvia

Dear Votary Nahlia,

During my adventures in Tamriel I couldn't help but ask, is Master Vanus Galerion aware of the Scribing methods within the Order? I am curious to write about his thoughts on it.

Sincerily,
Corvancano of House Ravenwatch, Historian.

Erickson9610

Do "Criminal Act" Scribing spells, such as those for werewolves, vampires, necromancers, or for those in the Dark Brotherhood or Thieves Guild exist? How might one acquire such illegal Grimoires?

Peter_emrys

Hello Dame Nahila,

I am curious about the reports of your investigations regarding "the origins of magic," as magic is an inherent property of the world, entering the Mundus through the stars and sun from Aetherius. Do you mean the origins of magical practice?

Peter Emrys, Wizard of the Mages Guild

Prophet_of_Malacath

Votary Nahlia,

Are there any culturally or religiously inspired grimoires? Ra Gada sword inscriptions, Ornim blood-ink runic staves, warpriests calling down the miasma of the Ashpit? What might we learn from the people who left them behind?

Attentively,
-Lash gra-Bar, Ornimythohistorian & Enchantress

CE_Nex

Dear Votary Nahlia,

As the Mages Guild continues their work of cooperating with Luminaries, all over Tamriel the effects are being felt with tidal shifts in magicka and the awakening of ley lines and even effecting Molag Bal's Dark Anchors. Could these shifts in magicka then extend to Aetherius and cause celestial changes as well? What are the potential ramifications?

- C.E.Nex

folder_rats

Dearest Dame of Lamps,
Speculations have long been written of a connection between spellcraft and rune magic; Tamriel and the planes beyond are littered with small shrines containing magical rune stones inside bearing their own language, which no enchanter alive has hesitated to manipulate. Yet few could tell how these runes and their language came to be, though some relate their study to a series of ancient classrooms secreted away from the world. Could the Lamp Knights or your learned brethren from the Guild of Mages enlighten us on these most extramagical runes and their origins?
-Guyard

Bonus concept art!


(By the way, as a long time fan it's super cool seeing the Order of the Lamp lore from Daggerfall finally getting some play!)

Tyrvarion

Dear Votary Nahlia,

My question is about the one behind the art of Scribing itself: Ulfsild the Evergreen, the Clever-Woman of the Druadachs. Woman of many legacies, but of two origins: one of the Nords and one of the Reachfolk. I am a Reachfolk with a deep passion for magic, and while our people boast many mages, few of us are recorded in the Guild's history. Can you shed more light on the story of Ulfsild the Evergreen, the Archmage of Nords, but also of the Reachfolk?

Sincerely,
Tyrrosh of the Firewolf Clan.

CoolBlast3

Greetings Nahlia,

The creation of spells is a careful practice, I do believe most rely on the techniques of others. Which is where my question comes in- Scribing seems to be an ancient art, and magic can change plenty over time. Is it however possible, or should I say plausible, to integrate modern arts with this old art? A Nightblade's Grimoire of Shadow or Blood magic perhaps? Perhaps even utilize tomes of other mages, such as Azra Nightwielder's Tome of Shadow?

In short, whilst creating spells from old Scripts and Grimoires is incredible, I wonder if new Grimoires and other aspects of Scribing can be modernized to fit the current widespread arcane archetypes? Could I, as a Nightblade, one day Scribe myself a personalized shadow-step?

- Alexis Z. Ashwing, Nightblade & Undaunted.

Aliyavana

Hello Votary Nahlia,

It's said Magnus gifted Ulfsild the ability to see Nirn's Magicka flow, leading her to collaborate in Scribing’s creation with “Luminaries”, seemingly Aedric entities she likened to light from Magnus's face. Do you believe the gods were interested in pushing our magical knowledge forward through Scribing and beyond? These circumstances feel like divine aid in the same vein as the Cyrodiilic legend of Magnus inhabiting and lending power to powerful mages, or the tale of Gyron Vardengroet.

- Dabbles-In-Wizardry, Mages Guild Adept

Enodoc

* Nahlia is a Votary. Either her or someone else even tells us why she doesn't use the title Dame.

Atharaon

Votary Nahlia,
The Scribing Altar has a number of golden winged ornaments arranged in a symmetrical pattern - eight small ones and a larger central ninth one. Are these in any way related to the Eight Altmeri Aedra and Magnus or do they serve some other purpose?

Yours in the Sight of Syrabane
Sextus Cendus, Relic Historian of the Order of the Eye

ESO_Nightingale

To Dame Nahlia

As a warden, i find myself drawn to scribing. The frost script appeals to me greatly, but i was wondering how these scripts work exactly, for example, how is it that a class mastery script can draw from within myself and use warden magic, did our order exist that far in the past? And how is it able to focus the spell to use frost destruction magic?

- Rime Frostwar, Warden of the Frost

Shadow-Fighter

Dame Nahlia,

As a member of the Dark Brotherhood and kills without the magic thing, what can I expect from the Scholar of Scribing?

Its all 'kind of a magic'?

Malyore

Greetings Nahlia,
I have heard of the feats of Scribing, but I have yet to explore them myself. As we enter a new era of development, I am curious as to the outline of potential you foresee in Scribing. What, specifically, within the process and materials of Scribing determines the limit to a spell's effects and power? I hope to create spells of unparalleled magnitude to combat monsters in this time of rampant Daedra attacks.
News of Scribing has already swept through Tamriel. If its influence spreads to lands beyond, such as the Clockwork City and Artaeum, perhaps Scribing's abilities could be radically expanded upon in the hands of great and unorthodox mages.

-Nhyla

The_Curator

Greetings Nahlia,

So glad to hear of everyone’s interest in the Guild’s systems. Though I must ask, where and how are we getting all the luminous ink from? Must it be so luminous? The apprentices are asking, in case they run out of ink.

Signed,
Magister Gwenaelle Mathis of the Mages Guild

Solinar

Dear Votary Nahlia,

I have a rather particular query regarding Arch-Mage Ulfsild's Art of Scribing and Apocryphal Tomes, the grimoires of sorts wielded by Arcanists. Do you know perchance if Scribing could be used to either create or at the least augment one of these tomes, provided the proper materials from Apocrypha or Nirn are already acquired?

I would respectfully like to note that I ask purely for academic reasons!

Sincerely,
Runitar Fairfrost of Winterhold
Archivist of the Conclave of Aetherius

Nitewalker314

Greetings and Salutations, Votary Nahlia,

My husband Kaliur, a Skaal member of your Order of the Lamp, and I share a fascination with one particular aspect of Scribing: Luminaries. He believes one thing, and I, another.

Do their animal forms have any relations to the Nordic totems? Given their connection to Arch-Mage Ulfsild, we thought it worth asking!

Please settle this spousal debate,

Mages Guild Conjurer Floritte Vinielle
Curator of the Wayrest Archaeological Museum

ArchMikem

My Nightblade Ka'atali is wondering if a person not so Magically adept like her would still be capable of utilizing Scribing, as the practice sounds like the world of Mages.

kevski_23b16_ESO

Dame Nahlia,

Why is it that the mages guild believes Sunnamere is only roughly a thousand years older than the Mage's Guild, placing it in the third millenium of the first era, even though its architecture is supposedly ancient Aldmeri.

In your findings, does this particular cultural style predate or postdate the widespread elven architectural style so commonly found in Aldmeri ruins across Auridon and Tamriel, and when did it go out of fashion?

Kind regards,
Faenlidor Snow-Searcher
Aspirant member of the Gwylim Annex' Antiquarian Circle

ZOS_Kevin

Hi all, we had a title change from "Dame" Nahlia to "Votary" Nahlia. Sorry about the mix-up there. That's on me. Just wanted to note incase anyone wants to go back and change this in their questions. But we will account for this when speaking to Votary Nahlia. Make sure no disrespect is conveyed.

Cairlaith

Greetings, Votary Nahlia,

When Ulfsild asks The Indrik about his origin, he vaguely responds that he was created by pure thought. Then explaining the origins of Luminaries through The Monomyth, are these beings manifestations of Aurbic forces through myth, maybe ascended ancestors as indicated by the teachings of the Order of PSJJJJ?

Yours,
Vastae-Zylvis from The Pantheosophical Assembly.

Benefactor

Votary Nahlia,

When I first heard about this new type of magic called scrying I was very excited to learn more, but when I thought on it more I have some concerns. With the ongoing unrest going on in every part of Tamriel what safeguards is the Order of the Lamp putting into place to prevent the widespread misuse of this new type of spellcrafting?

I am afraid that every hedge mage and necromancer from Glenumbra to Murkmire will start utilizing this new powerful magic in the near future. Surely the guild is hard at work on regulating this new found knowledge? Think of the children.

-Benefactor

WhiteCoatSyndrome

To the Respectable Votary Nahlia,

Given the far-reaching nature of the Scholarium and Ulfsild’s extensive travels and reputation, I am curious as to how the practice of Scribing could have fallen out of practice so throughly that it is only now being rediscovered? I’m aware of the Luminaries’ involvement in powering it, and to an extent bringing relevant texts to light, but why did no one seek to find an alternative source of energy or otherwise make a serious attempt to continue the practice when they became unavailable? Given its age and flexibility I would expect to find it in the roots of numerous modern magical practices!

Kindest Regards,
First Emissary Rohais, Craglorn Embassy

Legoless

Hail, Votary.

A Templar once attempted to teach me some basic sun magic. I'm afraid I will never master the art of forming a javelin out of sunlight, but it did make me wonder: can starlight be harnessed in a similar way? I know the Ayleids used the stars as a source of magicka, but imagine the kinds of flesh magic that could be attempted under the black light of Xero-Lyg...

—Legoless, Tiger-Doyen of the United Explorers of Scholarly Pursuits

OgrimTitan

Will update the message with a question later today, reserving the spot for now.
UPDATE
I want to make sure, no matter how obvious it might be, that spellcrafting is a thing in ESO:

https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Online:From_Nirn_to_the_Aether
https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Online:Tarhiel_Farano
https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Archmagister_Mavon's_Ascension
https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Online:Tamien_Sellan

Also, the difference between scribing and spellcrafting seems clear - scribing is a rewrite of the old spells, spellmaking is a creation of the new spells. So my question foregoes the obvious (to my understanding) instead aiming at in-universe relationships and interconnections. The actual question is in italic below.
_____________________________________________________________
Given the simularities and differences of the two arts, from the academic standpoint, what is the relationship between newly emerged scribing community and spellcrafting community inside your proverbial Guild?

Lord Nicolas le Bellerose,
Knight Mentor of Daggerfall City School of Julianos, lector of ontologic and mageosophy

Mindtrait0r

Honored Votary Nahlia,

In my travels with the United Explorers of Scholarly Pursuits, who have been kind enough to accommodate me, I have noted that the most powerful mortal magic I have seen - the art of scribing among such practices - has invariably been located in ancient cities and ruins. What, in your experienced opinion, has caused this precipitous decline in arcana, and will the downward spiral continue in eras to come?

—Talanor Necroblade, Scholar of Arcana and Swordplay

Kallykat

To Votary Nahlia,

What is it that makes scribing ink so luminous? Is it perhaps produced using glowing mushrooms? Is it mixed using the feather of a golden indrik? Was it bathed in the light of a templar's ritual? And how has the formula spread seemingly overnight across Tamriel, resulting in vials of Luminous Ink turning up in the possession of some very seedy individuals?

From the curious Katlandriel

EmperorRemanIV

To the noble Votary,

In my studies, I've seen reports of traces of scribing magic found across some rare seen Ayleid ruins across Cyrodiil. So I wonder: Is there any relation between the powers of Scribing and the ancient magic of the long-lost Ayleids?

With best regards,
Reman IV, Emperor and Count of Fort Redwater