Lore:Ebony Mail

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The Ebony Mail

The Ebony Mail is a Daedric artifact created by the Daedric Prince Boethiah. It may appear as an ebony breastplate or occasionally a fuller suit of armor. It grants its wearer resistance to fire and magic, as well as magical shielding from physical blows, though in some instances it provides for quieter movements and the ability to poison nearby enemies. According to legend, the artifact was created before recorded history by Boethiah, and it is Boethiah alone who determines who should possess the Mail and for how long a time.[1][2]

History[edit]

Legend holds that after the defeat of Lorkhan in the Dawn Era, Auriel could not destroy his Heart, and so lashed it to an arrow and shot it with his bow across Tamriel and into the sea.[3] The blood that poured from the Heart of Lorkhan became ebony,[4] the substance the Ebony Mail is made from. Khajiiti lore predating the Riddle'Thar Epiphany refers to the "death-shroud of Lorkhaj", which Boethra wears on nights of the Ghost Moon and "wages war beyond the Lattice".[5]

The last living dwarf, Yagrum Bagarn, at one point befriended the sorcerer Divayth Fyr.[6] At Fyr's behest, Yagrum Bagarn wrote the book Tamrielic Lore,[7]:241 which listed the Ebony Mail among various items of "unimaginable significance" he had learned about over the years.[2] By the Interregnum, copies of this book circulated throughout Tamriel, ensuring the legend of the Mail became commonplace.[8][9] During the play A Hypothetical Treachery, a group of adventurers (Malvasian, Inzoliah, Dolcettus and Schiavas) recover the Ebony Mail from the legendary Elden Grove of Valenwood. In the end, Inzoliah alone is left alive and sells the artifact to the King of Silvenar.[10]

At an unspecified point in time prior to the events of the Imperial Simulacrum in the Third Era, a warrior named Helath Stormbinder was Boethiah's champion and possessed the Ebony Mail. He eventually lost Boethiah's favor, however, and the Mail was taken from him by Boethiah. The Ebony Mail would remain hidden until its eventual recovery during the Imperial Simulacrum.[1]

Third Era[edit]

During the Imperial Simulacrum from 3E 389 to 3E 399, rumors circulated around Tamriel of the return of the Ebony Mail—the "lost armor of the Drow"[nb 1]—not seen since the days of Helath Stormbinder, whose loss of the Mail was compared to the legend of Morihaus' loss of the Lord's Mail due to his arrogance. The legends made the Ebony Mail highly sought after in these turbulent times by people believing it would make them not only "tougher than a troll", but stronger and faster as well. Following these rumors, the Eternal Champion bartered for information on an unpleasant dungeon in Black Marsh, which the Eternal Champion braved to find a map. The map led to another dungeon elsewhere on Tamriel, where the Mail was finally recovered and returned to the world of Tamriel.[1]

Circa 3E 405-3E 417, prior to the events of the Warp in the West, an unknown agent of the Blades in search of power summoned Boethiah in the Iliac Bay. In return for killing an innocent spellsword who had displeased the Prince, the agent was gifted with the Ebony Mail from one of her worshippers.[9]

In 3E 427, the Nerevarine was sent by the Tribunal Temple at the request of Archcanon Tholer Saryoni to make a pilgrimage to Mount Assarnibibi, where Molag Bal oversaw the ninety-nine lovers of Boethiah, who gave birth to Almalexia. Upon completing the pilgrimage, the Nerevarine received the Ebony Mail and brought it to Tholer Saryoni. The archcanon refused to accept it, saying it would be put to better use by the Nerevarine.[11] The Nerevarine later sold it to Torasa Aram, who put it on display in the Mournhold Museum of Artifacts.[12]

Fourth Era[edit]

Sometime after the end of the Great War, circa 4E 180, the Warrior came across the Ebony Mail in their journey. The armor is thought to have been looted from an extravagant chest.[13]

In 4E 201, Boethiah tasked the Last Dragonborn with assassinating the Prince's previous champion and his group of bandits. The Dragonborn retrieved the Ebony Mail from the corpse of the ex-champion.[14]

Previous Owners:[edit]

Gallery[edit]

  • Arena (male version)

  • Arena (female version)

  • Daggerfall (male version)

  • Daggerfall (female version)

  • Morrowind

  • Blades

Notes[edit]

  • ^ Though contextually this is almost certainly referring to the Dark Elves, originally referred to as "Drow" in early development of Arena and already specifically associated with Boethiah in the description of the Ebony Mail, this epithet appears in the final and released version of the game and is thus preserved here.

See Also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Artifact Quest Dialogue in Arena
  2. ^ a b Tamrielic Lore — Yagrum Bagarn
  3. ^ The Monomyth
  4. ^ Crafting Motif 22: Trinimac Style — the Venerable Uugus, Priest of Trinimac
  5. ^ The Wandering Spirits — Amun-dro, the Silent Priest
  6. ^ Yagrum Bagarn's dialogue in Morrowind
  7. ^ The Morrowind Prophecies — Peter Olafson
  8. ^ Tamrielic Artifacts
  9. ^ a b Events of Boethiah's Quest in Daggerfall
  10. ^ A Hypothetical Treachery — Anthil Morvir
  11. ^ Ebony Mail quest in Morrowind
  12. ^ The Museum quest in Morrowind: Tribunal
  13. ^ Artifact acquisition methods in Blades
  14. ^ Boethiah's Calling in Skyrim
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