Board Thread:Lore Discussion/@comment-25059584-20140721182242/@comment-4766293-20191127070841

Allow me to weigh in, years after the fact.

At the start of it all, there were three. ×Hjalti Early-Beard, later known as Talos Stormcrown ×Ysmir Wulfharth ×Zurin Arctus

Eventually, Talos Stormcrown comes into possession of the Numidium, given to him by Vivec. In order to power it, the three end up becoming two. Zurin and Ysmir become the same being after Zurin's heart becomes the Mantella and Ysmir's life force is trapped within it. The combination of the two is later resurrected as the Underking. Zurin and Talos also become the one at the same time, so that the Totem of Tiber Septim can be created.

Zurin and Talos knew that the only way to ensure that the Totem never fell into the wrong hands would be to put a seal on it so that only one of the same blood as the heart used to create the Mantella could use it. This is explained in Daggerfall saying that only one of the Septim bloodline could wield the totem. The fact that prior to the creation of the Totem there was no Septim bloodline makes these dots easy to connect.

If Zurin left his own life energy in his heart, then he would die, and nobody would be able to control the Numidium. This would result in a repeat of the events that destroyed the Dwemer. If He simply used Wulfharth's heart, since his life energy was usdd as the actual power source, then the same situation would arise. Ultimately, this convoluted scheme was the only solution.

Now there are two. ×Tiber Septim (The combination of the life energies and physical forms of Talos Stormcrown and Zurin Arctus.) ×The Underking (The heart of Zurin's Arctus beating with the life energy of Ysmir Wulfharth.)

After using the Numidium to conquer Tamriel, or perhaps during, Tiber Septim achieves CHIM.

Nulfaga later learns how to exploit the Totem so that anyone of royal blood can use it, and teaches The Agent how, which allows the Warp in the West to occur.

During this Dragon Break, the Underking is reunited with his heart, and passes on to death. This lays the last pieces of Zurin and Ysmir. Because they die during a point when time is malleable, their souls return to the time when Tiber Septim died, and ascend to godhood together with him, which retroactively creates the god Talos out of all three.

Now, onto the subject matter. All three were Shezarrine, this is true. As we learned in the Shivering Isles though, it is possible to mantle a someone so completely that you literally become the same being, though not the same entity, as evidenced by the Hero of Kvatch literally becoming Sheogorath. While Sheogorath and Jyggalag were one entity, they were two beings. However, the Hero of Kvatch and Sheogorath become the same being, although separate entities. After the permanent restoration of Jyggalag though, our hero is the only Sheogorath, so it's a distinction that hardly matters.

When all three Shezarrine passed into the next life as one being, I believe that Tiber Septim's achievement of CHIM ceased, and does not factor into Talos' godhood. CHIM is so inexorably tied with the self, that to fold an entirely new entity into the self would nullify the attainment of CHIM. However, each of the three Shezarrine mantle different aspects of Lorkhan, and by combining their spirits, their mantling of him is so complete that they literally become him.

The original Lorkhan entity is dead, but a new Lorkhan being is alive, and he is worshipped as Talos.