Elder Scrolls



The Elder Scrolls are artifacts of unknown origin and quantity, being simultaneously archives of both historic and future events. The prophecies of the Elder Scrolls and the Heroes are interdependent; one cannot exist without the other. They are also known as the "Aedric Prophecies", suggesting that they may have been created by the Aedra. . Without technological aid, Elder Scrolls cannot be read without extreme side-effects, among which are blindness and insanity.

Generally regarded as sacred, and narrowly viewed with skepticism, the scrolls are infamously associated with bizarre acts of magical or abnormal force. More commonly, the scrolls are renowned for their impeccable prophecies, ranging from the return of Alduin to the Tyranny of the Sun.

Influence
The influences of the archivally historic Elder Scrolls cannot be understated. Once a prophecy contained in an Elder Scroll is enacted in Tamriel, the text of the parchment becomes fixed. After that time, all readers ingest the same divine message, creating a historical document declaring the unequivocal truth of a past event. Scholars cannot argue the bias of the writer of an Elder Scroll, and the contents of a scrolls, once solidified, cannot be altered by any known magic. It is known that the events which alter the linearity of time, known as Dragon Breaks, cannot be recorded or predicted by these scrolls.

Reading an Elder Scroll
Any person gifted with prescient powers is able to interpret the contents of the Elder Scrolls with practice. It is said that those with no ability see only unknown etchings and runes, often claiming to recognize constellations and birth signs. True insight into the divine contents comes at a price as each new foretelling and interpretation strikes the reader with blindness that gradually increases with each reading, while simultaneously granting them a broader view of the scroll's contents. Ultimately, the reader, having engaged in frequent acts of prophecy, is left bereft of their vision, forever after removed of their right to read the scrolls. By time-honored tradition only those of The Cult of the Ancestor Moth may read from the scrolls, the younger members caring for the elder as they gradually lose their sight for eternity. The loss of sight for the reading of an Elder Scroll is described as "a price," probably for the learning of what the Elder Scroll chooses to reveal to the reader. Some go insane from reading an Elder Scroll because, as the game describes, it is too much knowledge for some to handle.

The Dragonborn is able to read the Elder Scroll with only limited vision impairment, the effects lasting a short period of time. When trying to read an Elder Scroll, all that can be seen are seemingly incoherent patterns and lines. In the case of the Dragonborn, these patterns can take the form of a map that can pinpoint the location of what the reader is searching for.

Ritual of the Ancestor Moth
The Ritual of the Ancestor Moth is a rite performed by Moth Priests in order to read an Elder Scroll. It usually takes place within one of the many secluded Ancestor Glades scattered across Tamriel.

The voice of the Ancestor Moth has always been an integral part of reading an Elder Scroll. They maintain a connection to the ancient magic that allows a Moth Priest to decipher them. Moths within an Ancestor Glade emanate a soft harmonious trilling that when amplified tap into a form of primal augur. The allows the moths themselves to become a conduit for deciphering the scrolls. By having the moths close to the Moth Priest, they can utilize the conduit and share the moth's augury.

The ritual itself involves carefully removing the bark of a Canticle Tree with a traditional tool called a Draw Knife which in turn attracts the Ancestor Moth. Once enough moths are in the vicinity, they grant the reader with the second sight needed to decipher the scroll.

Every Moth Priest is taught this ritual, but only the most resilient can read the scrolls in this manner as it takes years of practice to interpret the harmony. As such, few ever get the chance to perform it.

Opinions of the scrolls
The exact number of Elder Scrolls itself cannot be counted, as was proven by the Cult of the Ancestor Moth. Each attempt to quantify their number or even location causes the scrolls to change place and number, for no discernible reason.

The Greybeards consider the existence of the Elder Scrolls to be a blasphemy.

The dragon Paarthurnax describes the scrolls as being, "artifacts that exist outside of time," as well as, "fragments of creation."

Cyrodiil
While on a mission for the Gray Fox, the Hero of Kvatch steals an Elder Scroll from the Imperial Palace. It is part of the quest, "The Ultimate Heist". This Elder Scroll can be read with side-effects.

In 4E 175, all the Elder Scrolls housed in the libraries of White Gold Tower vanished and were scattered across Tamriel by unknown forces.

Skyrim
The coming of Alduin to Skyrim was foreseen by the Elder Scrolls prophecies.

Septimus Signus read an Elder Scroll and went mad, eventually writing a popular commentary, called Ruminations on the Elder Scrolls on the abstract nature of the scrolls. During his experiments at an outpost, north of the College of Winterhold, he discovered that the Dwemeri people developed a technology known as the lexicon which allowed Elder Scrolls to be read without side-effects.

A dragon named Paarthurnax sends the Dragonborn to obtain an Elder Scroll, which would allow them to look through a tear in time to when the Dragonrend shout was created. The shout was then used to defeat Alduin. After obtaining the scroll, the Dragonborn may sell it to Urag gro-Shub for 2,000.

The Volkihar Vampires lead by Harkon seeks an Elder Scroll from the Soul Cairn, to end the sun's threat to vampires with Auriel's Bow. Serana, Harkon's daughter, is in possession of an Elder Scroll which is draped across her back in plain sight. Another Elder Scroll (Blood) obtained from the Soul Cairn says that Serana's blood is another key for blacking out the sun.