rough zurin notes

was working on a side outline/explanation bit for Zurin
had eight paragraphs
computer died, lost erry bit of it
fuk
been typing out what I can get out from memory, or the theme/ideas I had from memory
Zurin as a prince of the battlemage aristocracy, a nibenno nordic from Cheydin, the little brother to a competent aristocrat
if he had more ambition to rule he would easily be capable of overthrowing him, his wit deft and his ritual skill powerful, as is his mind for subterfuge and the dancing game of Nibenese politics(edited)
but he has other ambitions, one rooted from a divine purpose
once when in spiritual communion with whatever would make itself known, sitting on cool stone floor surrounded by Nepenthean incense imbued with the oils of deep-niben frogs, a vision came to him of eight plus one, of a coming emperor to seat the ruby throne
and when his vision ended he found something lost and treasured in his lap, Chim El-Adabal
so he left for Nibennium, and served wealthy patricians as tutors to their sons, waiting the arrival of the true lord of his nation
a calling that would be answered by a man named Tiber Septim, to whom the Ruby practically sang for, till Zurin had clasped it around his neck and dragonfires ignited
except that's not right
Renald was a chevalier knight, a noble soul on horseback with a divine questing purpose that had taken him southeast from his home, superficially in the service of Illiac lords alongside their footsoldiers and pikemen and spellswords, to keep their tenuous grasp on cyroiilic highlands.  But what he was really there for was something far more prophetic, to find a righteous neck upon which Cyrod's red ruby will rest
he did not know how it ended up with his family, only that it had been their secret treasure for generations; perhaps in the war of alliances an ancestor took it from its home for safekeeping, from the tyrants and yearning false lords who would defile its sacred nature if it meant clasping it around their neck for just a moment
however it was whisked away from Cyrod, it had stayed in his family's keep for generations, the red ruby of Ales and Reman, the pursuit of Emeric and many lords both noble and foul before and after him, all of whose stories bear cosmic tragedy: despite their nobility or just natures, not one bore divine dragon's blood.
But in recent months it had sang to Renald, and captivated he could hear it tell him that its time was now, not in words but in meaning, and so he rode out with the stone for Cyrodiil
which is how he found himself in the foothills near sancre tor, among the servents of petty kings, clutching the blood red ruby of Ales and Belhardt and Amily and Ester and Reman and his glorious son who held the same name
praying to their names and to Oriel for guidance
his prayers are answered in the form of a piercing spear and a thundering shout
the striding boots of Cuhlec, king of the northern most estate
guided by the glorious hand of Oriel's dragon-shape and the better half of Sheor's intentions both
and so Renald, at the conquered sancre tor, falls to his knees and swears fealty to Cuhlec, joining him on his march to the imperial city, at his side alongside his advisors, the colovian general, and the ghost of ash.

Brynjar - 08/28/2017
feels weird tbh, how did Zurin end up becoming Tiber's confidant then?


Zinitrad - 08/28/2017
Like Wulfharth, Zurin only knew something had changed
Zurin became the confidant of Tiber because he's a.)
duty bound in loyalty to Tiber as bearer of the potential of Stormcrown
b.) a fellow bearer of many names (even if he would never know the full extent by which Tiber had stolen them)
August 29, 2017


Zinitrad - 08/29/2017
also further stuff
Zurin is a different protonym from Renald
but they're both identities invented and being worn by the same duty-bound snake
same snake of minor tsaesci nobility, duty bound to an oath to find and serve the one to repair and exceed the empire of Reman, an emperor worthy of being bestowed the amulet of kings
first coming to Cuhlecain as Renald
on the death of Cuhlecain coming to Tiber as Zurin
and upon betrayal at Walks Brass and the birth of Talos as we know him, rendered irrelevant in such a regard, Talos finding the amulet himself at Sancre Tor
even though in reality, Talosian Cuhlecain came across the bearer of the amulet Renald at Sancre Tor
they're seperate 'ideas' of a being
to the world as mortal men experience it, they are seperate beings
but they are the same tsaesci individual
protonymic is an identity, the thing that associates and connects with aspects of the world and holds a genuine history, a destiny, a truth of an entity etc; neonymic is a reflection built out of the protonymic that can be shifted by the world, a known name and face and personality(edited)
Zurin and Renald are two different but 'synonymous' protonymics- they both are petty nobles with a divine duty to the Ruby Throne
But
Tsaesci don't use nymics in the same way men do, in the same way most things do
their nymics are less a single name and more a body of potential names
their identities are malleable
they can shed their protonymics like snakeskin for another that is synonymous
later Tiber will use this malleable identity to perform nymic surgery, implanting ysmarine aspects into Zurin's tsaesci soul to make a fascimile shezzarine to power the mantella
It's been a long time since the entity behind Renald and Zurin wore an openly Tsaesci protonym
maybe even back when he lived in Akavir, a petty noble snake and among the order pursuing the idea of one born from sacred serpents, holy kin to and consumer of the befouled serpent that is the drake
maybe his name was Rayalarn, or Tseieri, or Dorras, or Nafsidue, or something else- it's so long ago and disconnected from the role he would play in the world it's irrelevent
but he was among his order when they left for starry heart, having searched and consumed the names of those who could have been born with such an identity in their homeland and found nothing
and he was among his order when they met Reman at the pale pass, and fell to the ground in prostration as they found the man with great serpent's soul
reman was what they had searched for, but he would not in the end satisfy what they had desired.  But they were sworn to him, and they had faith that from him, or something of him, would spring the sacred thing they sought
they served his descendants
or closer, those who were descendant to his serpent soul, in the case of Reman II
until serpent soul was nowhere to be found among those with Reman blood, from whence they took over
until tamriel grew tired of the influence of snakes, and eventually overthrew them, killing most, sparing only those who were the very best at shedding their skins
so their order went underground, and abandoned fully the wearing of their snake names for names of men
He likely wasn't first Renald
Renald is a name he only took later
there were times in this era they grew desperate, often even that they'd come to a promising emperor, a noble name with fire in their soul, men like varen and others, presenting them amulet in desperation only to watch as it all crumbled, withdrawing with their stone once more to wear new names
many more were hunted, many more abandoned their duties
soon very few were left, the one who would be Renald among them
It wouldn't be until the amulet sang to him once more that his purpose would be rekindled and that he would take up another name
and so as Renald of the Rock, noble chevalier, he waited at Alessia's Tor, begging the serpent-souled spirits of the past of this land he had grown to love that he would find the new serpent, and that he would be the one to fulfill what they sought so long ago
he found it in Cuhlec
he found it in Stormcrown
at least, until Cuhlec was no longer such, and he had never found it in him
at which point he found Stormcrown in Tiber
and as he had once appeared to Cuhlec as Renald, now he appeared to Tiber as Zurin
though he was in terrified agony as it occurred, and a significant part of him would resist in furious loathing after being shed of its soul, his participation and 'sacrifice' at Tiber's hands were among the steps that would bring true Stormcrown to Tamriel's shores, fulfilling the greatest prophecy of his people