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Was Mannimarco already a Lich during ESO? (Spoilers)
Aliyavana
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The game avoids calling Mannimarco a lich with no hints at it at all. I was hoping Solstice would mention it.
The only source that really talks about Mannimarco's Lichdom is the book Mannimarco, King of Worms, but that is a book that does not appear in ESO.
Examining the poem, it's essentially a biography that details Mannimarco's life.
"They say Galerion left the Guild, calling it 'a morass,"
The above line happens after the following line
"Mannimarco, Worm King, world's first of the undying liches."
If we go by the chronology presented, The Improved Emperor's Guide to Tamriel has Vanus Galerion leave the Mages Guild sometime before ESO
"But Vanus Galerion began to distance himself from the organization and is rumored to have stated that "the Guild has become nothing more than an intricate morass of political infighting."
If we take the statement of Mannimarco being a lich being mentioned before Vanus Galerion left the Mages Guild as a timeline, he would already be a Lich. Of course, the title "world's first of the undying liches" has a variety of implications, especially since Mannimarco claims he is an Aldmer.
When do you all think Mannimarco became a Lich?
Edited by Aliyavana on January 5, 2026 4:15AM The only source that really talks about Mannimarco's Lichdom is the book Mannimarco, King of Worms, but that is a book that does not appear in ESO.
Examining the poem, it's essentially a biography that details Mannimarco's life.
"They say Galerion left the Guild, calling it 'a morass,"
The above line happens after the following line
"Mannimarco, Worm King, world's first of the undying liches."
If we go by the chronology presented, The Improved Emperor's Guide to Tamriel has Vanus Galerion leave the Mages Guild sometime before ESO
"But Vanus Galerion began to distance himself from the organization and is rumored to have stated that "the Guild has become nothing more than an intricate morass of political infighting."
If we take the statement of Mannimarco being a lich being mentioned before Vanus Galerion left the Mages Guild as a timeline, he would already be a Lich. Of course, the title "world's first of the undying liches" has a variety of implications, especially since Mannimarco claims he is an Aldmer.
When do you all think Mannimarco became a Lich?
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Soarora✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭I think he oversells himself in the autobiography. He’s not above lying. I don’t think he’s an aldmer and I don’t think he’s one of the first liches.
What I find odd though is that he does not look extremely old like Vanus and Divayth do. So, he’s either younger than he says or he’s already a lich (or invented magic plastic surgery). That said, if he is a lich then he’d have to do powerful illusion magic to cover his uh… lich…ness, surely. It really would’ve been nice to see ZOS cover this…
Also, if he was a lich then what was the point of the light of meridia shenanigans? UESP says a lich can revive as long as their phylactery is in tact: https://en.m.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Lich
Maybe by becoming a lich, he escaped his fate from Solstice or something. I’d lean towards he becomes a lich sometime after ESO (but obviously before Daggerfall).Edited by Soarora on January 5, 2026 4:54AM[PC/NA] Dungeoneer (Tank/DPS), Retired Trialist, and amateur Battlegrounder (DPS) with a passion for The Elder Scrolls lore.- Current GM of Hard Dungeoneers
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Aliyavana✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭I think he oversells himself in the autobiography. He’s not above lying. I don’t think he’s an aldmer and I don’t think he’s one of the first liches.
What I find odd though is that he does not look extremely old like Vanus and Divayth do. So, he’s either younger than he says or he’s already a lich (or invented magic plastic surgery). That said, if he is a lich then he’d have to do powerful illusion magic to cover his uh… lich…ness, surely. It really would’ve been nice to see ZOS cover this…
Also, if he was a lich then what was the point of the light of meridia shenanigans? UESP says a lich can revive as long as their phylactery is in tact: https://en.m.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Lich
Maybe by becoming a lich, he escaped his fate from Solstice or something. I’d lean towards he becomes a lich sometime after ESO (but obviously before Daggerfall).
Mannimarco was going to revive after we killed him but Molag Bal lifted his soul from Nirn for trying to betray him. my guess is maybe a pact between Bal and Mannimarco might be interfering with his revival, hence why the gift of death was required to revive him.
As for illusion magic, we do have examples of liches hiding their undeath, like vastarie being an exampleEdited by Aliyavana on January 5, 2026 11:29AM1