Order of the Black Worm

"The dark grip stretching out, growing like some dread disease/By his dark Necromancers, collecting cursed artifacts of yore."

- Excerpt from Mannimarco, King of Worms

The Order of the Black Worm, also known as the Order of the Black Rose, was a powerful Necromancers cult that existed during the First and Second Eras. It was created and led by Mannimarco, King of Worms and Tamriel's most powerful Necromancer. The cult was initially founded as a way for Mannimarco to collect wicked artifacts to increase his power, these things brought to him by devoted Necromancers. The Order fought in the Mages War where it was defeated—but not destroyed—by the Mages Guild. Mannimarco survived this conflict and went into hiding, reviving his Order. The Necromancers secluded themselves in the Dragontail Mountains, and would not be heard from again until the events surrounding the Iliac Bay wars and the Warp in the West, during which the King of Worms ascended to godhood. But a seperate incarnation of Mannimarco survived, and this Mannimarco eventually led his Necromancers to Cyrodiil to launch a vengeful Attack on the Mages Guild, where once again the Order would be defeated by the vigilance of the Mages.

History
The Order of the Black Worm, or some form of it, dates back to the Second Era, around 2E 230, when the Mages Guild was also created. Mannimarco, a member of the Psijic Order, was cast out for his practice of Necromancy and dark magic. Leaving the Isle of Artaeum, Mannimarco traveled to the mainland of Tamriel, where he continued his evil research. He began to draw followers to his side, dedicated witches and wizards that wished to study at his feet and learn the black art of Necromancy. These first Necromancers brought Mannimarco wicked and cursed artifacts for him to study—and indeed to draw power from. Using these artifacts, Mannimarco became the King of Worms, the world's first undying lich.

Elsewhere in Tamriel, Vanus Galerion, another former member of the Psijics and long time enemy of Mannimarco, formed the Mages Guild as a way for Mages to learn and practice their art without having to acquiesce to the ways of the Psijic Order. But Galerion knew that Mannimarco was growing stronger by the day and would soon strike out against Tamriel, and so the Mages acted. Gathering thousands of mages, as well as his own Knights of the Lamp, Galerion sought out Mannimarco on a cursed mountain pass, and there the Mages Guild and the Order of the Black Worm first clashed. A great battle took place that cost the lives of a thousand on both sides, including Galerion. But the Mages were victorious; Mannimarco was defeated when his artifacts were taken from him, draining his power and leaving him for dead. But Mannimarco lived, and in secret he fled to the Dragontail Mountains of Hammerfell and began to regain his power.

Ascension of the Worm King
Mannimarco hid in Scourge Barrow for the rest of the Second Era and most of the Third. Once again, he drew Necromancers to him, and the Order of the Black Worm was rebuilt. It was not until the late Third Era that the cult truly became known again. During the events of the Warp in the West, Mannimarco once again made a grab for power. Tempting the mysterious Agent of Uriel Septim VII, the King of Worms sought to gain the Totem of Tiber Septim, which would allow him to control the heart of Numidium, the Mantella, and become a god. The events surrounding the Warp are confusing, but Mannimarco's plan succeeded. Due to the all-encompassing effects of the Warp, he gained control of the Mantella, and with it ascended to become the God of Worms. However, a mortal incarnation of Mannimarco remained on Nirn, whether by the power of the Warp or the Worm God is subject to debate. But having finally acheived ultimate power, Mannimarco prepared to enact his grand plan—and exterminate the Mages Guild once and for all.

Attack on the Mages Guild
In the year 3E 433, Mannimarco traveled from Scourge Barrow to Cyrodiil, bringing the Order with him. There he took advantage of the Necromancy Ban enacted by the new Arch-Mage Hannibal Traven. The numbers of the Order swelled as banned Mages flocked to Mannimarco's side, seeking to continue their practice of Necromancy, and to strike back at the Mages Guild. In no time at all, the Order of the Black Worm was ready to take revenge for its defeat centuries ago.

The Necromancers set up shop in Echo Cave, as well as numerous other sites in Cyrodiil, and began their attack. Understanding that their lack of subtlety had been their undoing during the Second Era, the Order opted for an under-the-radar assault on the Guild. It began with a devestating attack on the source of the wood used for Mages Staves. Though the attack itself was a success, it was ultimately foiled by the efforts of the eponymous Champion of the Mages Guild, a powerful mage who was then just an Apprentice. The Champion succeeded in defeating all the Necromancers at Wellspring Grove, and alerted the Council of Mages to the danger.

The Destruction of Bruma Guildhall
The Champion would soon become a source of frustration to the Order. Not since Galerion had they faced an opponent so unfallible. After a failed attempt at killing the Champion in Skingrad, the Order began to increase their operations. They discovered a spy in their midst, Mucianus Allias, who was swiftly transformed into a Worm Thrall, a horrid walking dead, by Mannimarco. The Champion, searching for Allias, succeeded in taking the Order's base at Nenyond Twyll. The sight of Allias' wretched form awakened the Champion and the Council to the true threat of Mannimarco.

But the Order was undettered. Shortly after the loss of Nenyond Twyll, they launched an attack of their own. Mannimarco personally led the Assault on Bruma Guild, killing nearly all the Mages in the Guildhall and wrecking the place. The attack was swift and was witnessed by no one save the sole surviving Mage, who hid in desperation. The Guildhall was left under the stewardship of Mannimarco lieutenant Camilla Lollia, who commanded a host of Undead. This siege would be lifted by the Champion, who arrived a killed Lollia and all her Undead. But the deed was done, Bruma was lost; the Attack had come to a head.

Downfall of the Order
Now Mannimarco turned his sights on the grandest prize of all: The Arcane University, home to Mages Guild and its Council. To do this, he needed a special kind of Soul Gem, powerful enough to hold the soul of an Arch-Mage. The Necromancers immediately began work on a Colossal Black Soul Gem to trap Hannibal Traven's soul. The construction of it was overseen by Guild turncoat and chief Mannimarco lieutenant Falcar, who was to deliver the Gem to his master. This too was to be foiled by the Champion. In the Battle of Silorn, the Champion killed Falcar and took the Gem. The Order suffered a serious setback, and began to regroup, but they were too late.

On the orders of Arch-Mage Traven, the Champion traveled to Echo Cave to deal with the Necromancers once and for all. In the Assault on Echo Cave, the Champion fought through the hordes of Necromancers to reach their master below. Upon entering his vast chamber, the Champion at last came face to face with the King of Worms. Mannimarco told the Champion his plan to acheive power through studying powerful Mages. The two dueled in the bowels of Echo Cave, and in the end the Champion proved to be stronger even than Vanus Galerion, and stronger than Mannimarco. The King of Worms fell dead in his chamber in Echo Cave, and the Order of the Black Worm crumbled.

Following the Attack, the Order continued to exist in secret. Those Necromancers who had not fought in the war but still paid tribute to Mannimarco continued their wicked practices underground, and most still worshipped the God of Worms, but the Order never truly rose again in known history.

Beliefs and Practices
The Order of the Black Worm was first and foremost a cult devoted to Necromancy and, through that, the acquisition of power. Their prime ability was the summoning of Undead servants to aid them in research or battle. They also studied the souls of people they killed through the use of Black Soul Gems. Since the beginning, they followed the example of Mannimarco, who used the power of Necromancy to transform himself into the world's first lich. As such, many, if not all, Necromancers aspired to become a lich as well, and so studied to acheive that goal. Some succeeded, though none reached the level of Mannimarco—acheiving lichdom while retaining full sentience. Most Necromancers-turned-liches became little more than simple, albeit powerful, Undead creatures with a single-minded drive to destroy any that came across their path.

When Mannimarco ascended to become the God of Worms, the Order became a religious one as well as a scientific one. Necromancers prayed to the Worm God, giving him offerings and asking for the knowledge to acheive great power. How much attention the God of Worms gave these prayers is unknown; however, Mannimarco's power was key in one of the most definitive facets of Necromancy: the creation of Black Soul Gems. Once a week, during the Shade of the Revenant, the unholy light of the God of Worms would shine down upon Tamriel, granting Necromancers the ability to create Black Soul Gems at special altars. These Gems would then be used to trap the souls of mortal beings and use them for further study.

Artifacts
The Order of the Black Worm was known for its collection of artifacts. Indeed, artifacts were used in the creation of the Order during the days of Vanus Galerion. Though most of these have been lost to history, many are still known, all of them associated with Mannimarco:
 * Bloodworm Helm: A helm created from the bones of an unknown creature. It gives the wearer an enhanced ability to summon Undead servants.
 * Necromancer's Amulet: An amulet that increases the user's mental and magical abilities.
 * Staff of Worms: Mannimarco's personal staff. It can be used to immediate reanimate a corpse.
 * Black Soul Gems: Dark perversions of regular Soul Gems that allow for the trapping of mortal souls, as well as those of creatures. Colossal Black Soul Gems trap the souls of powerful mages, in particular Arch-Mages.

Behind the Scenes

 * The Order was seen in Daggerfall and Oblivion, being a political power in the former and an enemy in the latter.


 * The Order was given its names in Oblivion, but it is unknown exactly how widespread the cult was. All the Necromancers in Cyrodiil seemed to be members, but those in Morrowind seemed detached, save for the Necromantic book Arkay the Enemy.

Appearances

 * The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall (First Appearance)